Poisons: From Hemlock to Botox and the Killer Bean Calabar

Poisons are everywhere - in the environment, the office, at home. They have been used to cure and kill. In this book, a noted science writer tells the story of poisons, their uses and their users in history and literature. From Nero to Wainwright, from the death of Socratese to Hamlet, Macinnis discusses the sources, history, and lore of poisons as well as the scientific analysis and their uses in medicine, terrorism, and cosmetics.