According to Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, a poison is “a substance that through its chemical action usually kills, injures or impairs an organism” or “a substance that inhibits the activity of another substance or the course of a reaction or process.”
Since there are many types of poisons, only a few of those commonly encountered in novels have room for mention here. For the same reason, acute (relatively quick-acting) poisoning rather than chronic (relatively prolonged) poisoning will be addressed. Many novels and films involved arsenic, cyanide or strychnine. In the film, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE, a pair of spinster aunts murder lonely old men by poisoning them with all three - a glass of home-made elderberry wine laced with arsenic, cyanide and “just a pinch” of strychnine.
Since pathologists now have the ability to detect most poisons, poisoning is no longer the preferred murder method du jour; but there are still enough poisonings to keep pathologists busy. There is no one-test-reveals-all detection system, and pathologists must determine for which poisons they should test. To do this, they evaluate clues that suggest what poison or poisons are involved and how they were administered.
ARSENIC
is a level five (the next to highest, extremely toxic, level) toxin; and it affects the digestive system. Its most common form is arsenic trioxide, a white powder. Other forms include arsenous oxide and arsenic trihydride. Arsenic fumes often have a garlic odor.
Note that a character in your novel who sips a cocktail laced with arsenic should not gasp the words, “You dirty rat,” drop immediately to the floor and neatly expire. Symptoms of arsenic poisoning primarily include severe gastric distress. Other symptoms include esophageal pain, vomiting blood, diarrhea and falling blood pressure. These are often followed by convulsions and coma, and death is usually the final result of circulatory failure.
The symptoms begin after about 30 minutes and death might follow within a few hours but might not occur for some 24 hours. If a victim dies quickly, an autopsy will reveal only an inflamed stomach and perhaps traces of the poison in the digestive tract. Red blood cells will be destroyed, and skin might take on a yellow cast. If death is delayed for several days, arsenic may also be found in the liver and kidneys.
Since arsenic is found in common household items, notably pesticides, it has been a convenient means of murder. Although it is usually swallowed, it can also be inhaled as dust or as arsine gas. Inhalation of arsenic, however, is usually associated with industrial environments. An interesting property of arsenic, although of no concern to victims of acute poisoning, is that it is carcinogenic.
CYANIDE
is a level six (the highest, supertoxic, level) toxin; and it interferes with the absorption of oxygen by the body’s cells. Its most common forms are potassium cyanide, sodium cyanide and hydrogen cyanide. Hydrogen cyanide is also known as prussic acid and hydro cyanic acid. Cyanide involved in television shows is often detected by a bitter almond odor. In reality, it does not always have a detectable odor. Also, some persons are, for genetic reasons, unable to detect the odor. Could these facts be clues in someone’s story? Speaking of clues, note that some burning plastics and fabricated fibers release cyanide gas. Many fires also produce carbon monoxide.
Since cyanide interferes with body-cell absorption of oxygen, it does most harm to the heart and brain, which demand a large amount of oxygen. Although ingesting and absorbing cyanide through the skin can also be toxic, breathing it causes the greatest harm. During WWII, Nazis used hydrogen cyanide in some of their gas chambers. Also, some of our states used it for executions before lethal injections were initiated. Readers might also recall that, in 1973, someone in Chicago laced Extra-Strength Tylenol with cyanide, which killed several persons. Also, in 1978, some 900 cult members at Jonestown, Guyana drank grape-flavored Flavor-Aid laced with cyanide.
In addition to murdering others, cyanide has also been used by many persons to kill themselves. Among the names of those you might recognize are Eva Braun, Delphine Delamare, Hermann, Goering, Heinrich Himmler, Adolph Hitler (cyanide and gunshot), Erwin Rommel and Alan Turing. In addition, of course, are myriad fictional spies who carry cyanide suicide pills to swallow if they are captured. Your cocktail-sipping characters won’t fall immediately to the floor and die after having sampled a cyanide-laced cocktail either, especially if it follows a full meal. A swallowed, lethal dose can produce convulsions, which can be followed by death, but usually only after some four to twelve hours. Sniffing a toxic dose of cyanide in the form of a gas, however, can cause immediate unconsciousness, convulsions and death within fifteen minutes. In fact, hydrogen cyanide, in high concentrations, is known as one of the “one whiff” knockdown gases.
STRYCHNINE
is a level six (again, the highest, supertoxic, level) toxin; and it works on the central nervous system. It is a colorless, crystalline powder that has a bitter taste. Strychnine is usually swallowed, but it can poison if it contacts the skin or eyes or its dust is inhaled..
The symptoms of strychnine poisoning are almost identical to those of lockjaw and tetanus, and appear after ten or twenty minutes unless ingested after a heavy meal. Symptoms begin with a victim’s face and neck becoming rigid. This is followed by stiffening spasms in arms and legs. The stiffening continues until the victim is arched backward with feet and head on the supporting surface. Pain is intense; and, in contrast to the effects of other seizures, the victim is clearly conscious during the spasms.
Immediately upon death, rigor mortis sets in. A dead victim is left in its arched position, its eyes open and its facial expression still reflecting the excruciating pain of the spasms. Possibly because of the shock value of the throes of agony caused by strychnine poisoning, they are commonly described and portrayed in books and films. Fortunately, such poisonings occur far less frequently in real homicides.
Strychnine no longer has medical applications, except perhaps as used in small doses by South American missionaries to kill their own intestinal worms; but it is still used in some rodent poisons. It is also sometimes used to cut various street drugs.
ADDITIONAL FACTS
1. In a 1997 survey, a ranking of poisonings as cause of death was compared to age groups. Below are the results.
1-14 first
15-23 third
24-44 fifth
45-64 sixth
65+ seventh
2. Arsenic turns into a liquid when subjected to a pressure equal to one or more than 20 atmospheres; therefore, its melting point is higher than its boiling point.
3. In case you haven’t been able to place Delphine Delamare, she was a French housewife whose adulteries served as inspiration for Gustave Flaubert’s Emma Bovary
AN ADDED BIT OF TOXIC NOSTALGIA
How many readers remember Gene Autry’s theme song, BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN? I see quite a few hands. For those who don’t know the song, its lyrics include:
I’m back in the saddle again.
Out where a friend is a friend.
Where the longhorn cattle feed
On the lowly gypsum weed.
Back in the saddle again.
Millions of kids used to sing that song. How many readers know that the gypsum weed is in the Nightshade family and is also known as angel’s trumpet, apple of Peru, crazy tea, Datura stramonium, devil’s balls, devil’s seed, devil’s snare, devil’s trumpet, ditch weed, Jamestown weed, jimson weed, Korean morning glory, loco weed, mad apple, mad hatter, malpitte, moonflower, stink weed, thorn apple and zombie cucumber?
Hmmm. I don’t see nearly as many hands. That’s not significant, but what is of potentially critical importance is that we should know that the plant is categorized as a level six (the highest, supertoxic, level) toxin.
In the United States, the plant can be found in most areas where there is nutrient-rich soil, especially in the South. It has been used to smoke and to make tea for use during Native American ceremonies, and it can cause delirium and hallucinations. It is also used by some persons as a substitute for illegal drugs. Unfortunately, there is not much of a margin between doses that cause noticeable effects and doses that kill. The Navajo have a saying:
Eat a little and go to sleep.
Eat some more and have a dream.
Eat some more, and don’t wake up.
Reportedly, this weed has poisoned more persons than has any other plant.
Gene Autry also recorded GOODNIGHT LITTLE DARLIN’ - GOODBYE.
12 Comments, Comment or Ping
Thomas Sullivan
Wonderful stuff; a potent but not toxic essay. I make an aged jambalaya that is a 7 on the 1-6 scale, also good for removing oil stains, also good for removing annoying relatives. Gypsumweed? Did you mean jimsonweed? One could get “plastered” on gypsumweed. And didn’t Stephen King use DevilWeed in THE GUNSLINGER? Always wondered if that was supposed to be jimsonweed.
– Sully
Mar 19th, 2008
Thomas Sullivan
Okay, okay, I see it now. You mention jimson weed. And so there is a gypsumweed variant name for it. I should’ve known better than to challenge the research master.
Just talked to Amalgam (Bob Jones), folks, and if you did not know, he has been mysteriously deprived of the capacity to post comments for a couple of months now owing to the fickleness of his phone company/browser/something-or-other-cyber-poltergeist pc situation. He is chagrined about this because he was a most faithful contributor to this forum until that happened, and he often would like to make comments on the columns that appear here. It is especially problematic when he himself posts an essay and then can’t respond to comments made to him. Being the polite guy he is, this is more than an inconvenience to him. He would like you to know that he would certainly respond if he could. He CAN read your comments, BTW. He just can’t log-on to the feature that allows responses. And he can post the essay on the dashboard, of course. If anyone has overcome a similar log-in problem, this might be a good time to post it in a comment here. I will make up T-shirts promoting FREE AMALGAM. We need his expertise and POV. WARNING: Do not ask him to sing Gene Autry songs, however. That would fudge the upper limit on the toxic scale…
– Sully
Mar 19th, 2008
Thomas Sullivan
Amalgam has responded to my last post with this:
Your comments about me singing Gene Autry songs were crushing, but at least you caught me after having memorized only 199 of the 314,159 (pi x 10^5) songs he recorded.
– Amalgam
I respond with:
I know the truth hurts, but put your guitar away. Learn to whistle. That’s my advice. BTW, as a nipper, I was one of I think three neighborhood kids who recorded on the first “Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer” Christmas animated feature made by Jam Handy in Detroit — Gene Autry sang the theme song. Eat your heart out.
– Sully
Mar 19th, 2008
Janet Berliner
Sully–Please tell Sir Jones how much I appreciate his worthy essays and that stinkweed is a biggie in South Africa. I don’t think I ever chewed it. –Janet
Mar 19th, 2008
Thomas Sullivan
He’ll read your comment, Janet. He CAN access as a reader. And he can post in the Dashboard area. He just can’t get the comment blog to log in.
Hmmm. Stinkweed. Is that nomenclature the South African psychology for discouraging drug use?
– Sully
Mar 19th, 2008
Gerard Houarner
Great information, and handy on so many levels (!).
Mar 20th, 2008
Thomas Sullivan
Bob Jones emailed me:
I had a Tom Mix decoder ring (precursor to Herr Scherbius’ Enigma machine); but, regarding Mr. Autry, once again, you’ve topped me.
Congratulations!
As Mr. Rogers (of the Roy variety) used to say and sing (and as Dale Evans wrote),
Happy Trails To You.
Amalgam
I respond:
“…I’m back in the saddle again/Out where a friend is a friend.” Wasn’t that Autry’s signature piece? He went to war and lost the king title to Roy Rogers (my hero), eh wot? Reading back over what I wrote about being in the voice-overs of the first “Rudolf flick,” I see it reads like Autry might have been there. He wasn’t. My recollection is dim as to whether his singing of that song was actually added to the animation at some point, but I’m pretty sure he recorded the hit after the movie. I just meant he made the song famous. Good guy. Very rich, but mostly from selling real estate, I think.
– Sully
Mar 20th, 2008
Brian Hodge
Interesting stuff, as always, and I’m awfully glad I came across this before brewing the first of this new Peruvian Crazy Tea I bought from that street vendor. He SAID he was from Celestial Seasonings.
And Sully, really now, how can you screw up jambalaya?
Free the Amalgamated One!
Mar 20th, 2008
Thomas Sullivan
FREE AMALGAM, FREE AMALGAM! It’s practically an anagram for JAMBALAYA.
PERUVIAN CRAZY TEA, PERUVIAN CRAZY TEA! It’s practically an acronym for TCP!
You’re catching on, Brian. Cheers.
– Sully
Mar 20th, 2008
Bob Jones [relayed]
Brian,
Celestial Seasonings usually produces some pretty good sipping
material, but “from that street vendor”? I would think probably not.
In regard to Sully not being able to screw up jambalaya, you have
no concept of what Sully can do once he sets his mind to it.
Thank you for the Amalgamation support and especially for the
welcome comment.
RCJ
Mar 20th, 2008
Robert Jones
Test 1
Mar 26th, 2008
Robert Jones
Test 2
Mar 26th, 2008
Reply to “FORENSICS 107: NAME YOUR POISON”