InsaneJournal

toxicology | day 225 | open to all!
[ time for round two! put em up, marina. chilly weather isn't stopping tox.

piter, though somewhat subdued due to recent events (nearly dying can put a damper on one's mood), is getting back to his usual weird self. this entails being rather exuberant about chemicals that kill people. it's a happy, safe classroom environment all around— and sure to be a good lecture is one on arsenic, one of those classic poisons that most everyone has heard of. ]

Arsenic, a chemical element and metalloid, occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250. Metallic arsenic found use in the strengthening of alloys, commonly lead, and arsenic was medicinally used on Earth for centuries: in tonics, syphilis treatments, or topically to prevent aging and creasing of the skin. Quite foolhardy, as the element is notoriously poisonous to multicellular life. Although a few species of bacteria are able to use arsenic compounds as respiratory metabolites, humans are decidedly susceptible to arsenic poisoning, whether it occurs accidentally or deliberately. But we shall focus on the deliberate— assassination is far more interesting than "fools choking on groundwater," I should think.

Arsenic emerged as a favored method of assassination during the Middles Ages and Renaissance of Earth, particularly among ruling classes in the country of Italy. By the nineteenth century, it had been dubbed "inheritance powder," perhaps because impatient heirs were known or suspected to use it to ensure or accelerate their inheritances. Elsewhere, in ancient Korea, and particularly in Joseon Dynasty, arsenic-sulfur compounds were used as a major ingredient in a poison cocktail used in capital punishment of high-profile political figures and members of the royal family. Due to social and political prominence of the condemned, many of these events were well-documented, often in the Annals of Joseon Dynasty. As the symptoms of arsenic poisoning were somewhat ill-defined, resembling those of cholera, it was frequently used for discreet killing until the advent of a sensitive chemical test for its presence. Detecting a wide variety of poison now is child's play, but there was, of course, no technology quite like a poison snooper at the time.

Deliberate arsenic poisoning has been implicated in the deaths of many prominent figures of Earth. It has been suggested that the poisonings of Francesco I de' Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, and his wife were by his brother and successor. China's second-to-last emperor, Guangxu, was poisoned with a massive dose of arsenic; suspects include his dying aunt, the Empress Dowager, and her strongman. Owing to its use by the ruling class to off one another as well as its potency and discreetness, arsenic has been called the "Poison of Kings" and the "King of Poisons." I wouldn't go so far as to call it kingly, but it certainly has brought monarchs to their knees.

Symptoms of arsenic poisoning can begin with headaches, confusion, abdominal pain, and lethargy, as well as the possibility of numbness in the hands and digits. As the poisoning develops, convulsions and dehydration my occur. When the poisoning becomes acute, symptoms may include vomiting, blood in the urine, cramping muscles, hair loss, stomach pain, further convulsions, and delirium. Arsenic poisoning generally affects the lungs, skin, kidneys, and liver; such a wide assortment of affected organs can lead to delayed detection or treatment, due to the array of symptoms appearing unrelated. The final result of arsenic poisoning, when untreated, is of course coma and death.

Let this be a lesson to you, from one embroiled in the affairs of nobles: poison is remarkably common, remarkably simple to develop or acquire, and remarkably convenient. An unsophisticated poisoning is as simple as excess— the dose makes the poison. A king could be slowly killed by the arsenic in the soil of the food he eats, or killed quickly by the massive dose slipped to him by the hand of an impatient successor.

... But, if you are going to poison a king, I suggest you do it with more finesse. Arsenic is a rather tired method.