A is for Arsenic (44 page)

H is for Hemlock

N is for Nicotine

O is for Opium

V is for Veronal

Also available in the Bloomsbury Sigma series:

Sex on Earth
by Jules Howard

p
53
: The Gene that Cracked the Cancer Code
by Sue Armstrong

Atoms under the Floorboards
by Chris Woodford

Spirals in Time
by Helen Scales

Chilled
by Tom Jackson

Selected Bibliography

Below is a selection of interesting books related to the topics I've discussed in this book. A full list of citations (including many more detailed references from the academic literature) can be found on my website,
www.harkup.co.uk
. The website also includes the chemical structures of all of the molecules discussed in this book. Have a look.

Bereanu, V. & Todorov, K. 1994.
The Umbrella Murder
. Pendragon Press, Cambridge.

Blum, D. 2011.
The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York
. Penguin, New York.

Christie, A. 1977.
An Autobiography
. William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd., London.

Cook, C. 2013.
The Agatha Christie Miscellany
. The History Press, Gloucestershire.

Curran, J. 2010.
Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks
. HarperCollins, London.

Curran, J. 2011.
Agatha Christie's Murder in the Making
. HarperCollins, London.

Duffus, J. H. & Worth, H. G. J. 1996.
Fundamental Toxicology for Chemists
. The Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge.

Emsley, J. 2001.
The Shocking History of Phosphorus
. Pan Books, London.

Emsley, J. 2005.
The Elements of Murder
. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Emsley, J. 2008.
Molecules of Murder: Criminal Molecules and Classic Cases
. Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge.

Farrell, M. 1994.
Poisons and Poisoners: An Encyclopaedia of Homicidal Poisonings
. Bantam Books, London.

Gerald, M. C. 1993.
The Poisonous Pen of Agatha Christie
. University of Texas Press, Austin.

Glaister, J. 1954.
The Power of Poison
. Christopher Johnson, London.

Hodge, J. H. (ed.). 1955.
Famous Trials 5
. Penguin Books, London.

Holden, A. 1995.
The St Albans Poisoner
. Corgi Books, London.

Holgate, M. 2010.
Agatha Christie's True Crime Inspirations
. The History Press, Stroud.

Klaassen, C. D. (ed.). 2013.
Casarett & Doull's Toxicology: The Basic Science of Poisons
. McGraw-Hill Education, New York.

Levy, J. 2011.
Poison: A Social History
. The History Press, Stroud.

MacEwan, P. 1912.
The Art of Dispensing: A Treatise on the Methods and Processes Involved in Compounding Medical Prescriptions
. Spottiswoode and Co Ltd., London, Colchester and Eton.

Macinnis, P. 2011.
Poisons: From Hemlock to Botox and the Killer Bean of Calabar
. Arcade Publishing, New York.

McDermid, V. 2015.
Forensics: The Anatomy of Crime
. Profile Books, London.

McLaughlin, T. 1980.
The Coward's Weapon
. Robert Hale Ltd, London.

Paul, P. 1990.
Murder Under the Microscope
. Futura Publications, London.

Rowland, J. 1960.
Poisoner in the Dock
. Arco Publications, London.

Smyth, F. 1982.
Cause of Death: A History of Forensic Science
. Pan Books Ltd, London.

Stone, T. & Darlington, G. 2000.
Pills, Potions and Poisons
. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Thompson, C. J. S. 1935.
Poisons and Poisoners
. Barnes & Noble, New York.

Thorwald, J. 1969.
Proof of Poison
. Pan Books Ltd, London.

Trestrail, J. H. 2000.
Criminal Poisoning: Investigation Guide for Law Enforcement, Toxicologists, Forensic Scientists, and Attorneys
. Humana Press Inc., New Jersey.

Waring, R. H., Steventon, G. B. & Mitchell, S. C. (eds). 2002.
Molecules of Death
. Imperial College Press, London.

Wharton, J. C. 2010.
The Arsenic Century: How Victorian Britain was Poisoned at Home, Work, and Play
. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

White, P. (ed.). 2003.
Crime Scene to Court: The Essentials of Forensic Science
. The Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge.

Acknowledgements

First of all, thanks to Jim Martin for giving me the opportunity to write this book. Thank you to Neil Stevens for the fabulous cover and illustrations. Julia Percival not only produced the fantastic diagrams for this book but also read and gave feedback on some of the early chapters, a contribution truly above and beyond the call of duty; thank you.

The staff at the British Library have been brilliant, particularly those of the science reading room. They have done their utmost to answer all my often obscure or ridiculous questions with enthusiasm and incredible tolerance. I am enormously grateful to Justin Brower for his excellent feedback on aspects of forensic toxicology and availability of poisons in the United States, and for his help in finding references.

More thanks are owed to my parents, Margaret and Mick, than can be properly expressed here. They have supported me emotionally and grammatically throughout the writing of this book. They have read every word, many of them several times over, and not complained once. Huge thanks and gratitude to both of them.

Many people have generously taken the time to read and give feedback on what I have written: Heather and Peter Back, Martin Bellwood, Matthew and Samuel Casey, David and Sharon Harkup, Helen Johnston, Angi Long, Sally Anne Lowe, Matthew May, Alan Packwood, Ashley Pearson, Áine Ryan, Steve Schneider, Helen Skinner, Richard and Violet Stutely, and Mark Whiting. Their contributions have been invaluable. Thank you to all of them. Special thanks must also go to Bill Backhouse for endless tea and (im)moral support.

Despite much checking and rechecking of facts there are bound to be a few errors, but these are mine and mine alone. If you spot any mistakes I would love to hear from you, care of the publishers.

Index

4.50 from Paddington
here
–
here
,
here
,
here
–
here

Academy of Medicine, France
here

Academy of Sciences, France
here

Account of the Foxglove and some of its Medical Uses, An
here
–
here

acetylcholine
here
–
here

acetylcholinesterase (AChE)
here
–
here

aconitine
here
–
here

4.50 from Paddington
here
–
here
,
here
,
here
–
here

Agatha and aconitine
here
–
here

how aconitine kills
here
–
here

is there an antidote?
here
––
here

some real-life cases
here
–
here

Aconitum
here
–
here

ferox
here

variegatum
here

addiction
here
,
here
,
here
–
here

heroin
here
,
here
–
here
,
here

morphine
here
,
here
,
here
–
here

opium addiction
here
,
here
–
here

withdrawal
here

Aethusa cynapium
here
–
here

Affair of the Victory Ball, The
here
–
here

After the Funeral
here

Agutter, Alexandra and Paul
here
–
here

alcohol gels
here

Alexander the Great
here
–
here

amyl nitrite
here
–
here

anaesthesia
here

antimony
here
,
here
–
here
,
here
–
here
,
here

Apiaceae
here

Apomorphine
here
–
here

apple pips
here
,
here
,
here

Appointment with Death
here
–
here
,
here
,
here
,
here
,
here
–
here
,
here
–
here

Armstrong, Herbert Rowse
here
,
here
–
here