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2nd out of 95 books
—
86 voters
The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York
by
Deborah Blum
Video From "The Chemist's War" (Slate Magazine), by Deborah Blum Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer Deborah Blum follows New York City's first forensic scientists to discover a fascinating Jazz Age story of chemistry and detection, poison and murder.
Deborah Blum, writing with the high style and skill for suspense that is characteristic of the very best mystery fiction,...more
Deborah Blum, writing with the high style and skill for suspense that is characteristic of the very best mystery fiction,...more
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
February 18th 2010
by Penguin Press HC, The
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Nov 26, 2012
Carol
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
not recommended for junior poisoners
Shelves:
gr-rated-highly,
non-fiction
Please note: this book is not actually helpful if you were looking for tips on how to poison someone (unless you are the U.S. government, in which case there are notes scattered throughout on how to poison industrial alcohols).
I wanted to like this book. I wanted to rate it higher. I'm not quite sure what I expected, but I don't think it was this mix of science journalism, novel and research notes. I'm a biology nerd who enjoys science writing and have two years of chemistry under my belt--inclu...more
I wanted to like this book. I wanted to rate it higher. I'm not quite sure what I expected, but I don't think it was this mix of science journalism, novel and research notes. I'm a biology nerd who enjoys science writing and have two years of chemistry under my belt--inclu...more
I don’t know why publishers feel the need to put huge subtitles on non-fiction books. Take The Poisoner’s Handbook, for example. To me, that’s a great title that would probably intrigue most potential readers. But the full title is The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York. While accurate, it doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, does it?
Think about The Devil and the White City. Even if you knew nothing about that book, if you saw it while trolling th...more
Think about The Devil and the White City. Even if you knew nothing about that book, if you saw it while trolling th...more
Though the author's intent is clearly to argue against prohibition in the US, the main take-away for me is that people are IDIOTS and love filling their bodies with things they know are poisonous and will kill them.
It's a wonder to me that, in an age so obsessed with eugenics; an age in which Margaret Sanger founded her Planned Parenthood with the dream of "purging" the US of "mental defectives" and minorities; an age in which G.K. Chesterton actually had to write a Christian tract AGAINST euge...more
It's a wonder to me that, in an age so obsessed with eugenics; an age in which Margaret Sanger founded her Planned Parenthood with the dream of "purging" the US of "mental defectives" and minorities; an age in which G.K. Chesterton actually had to write a Christian tract AGAINST euge...more
Mercury Rising : One Reviewer's Feverish Reaction to Annoying Trends in Non-fiction Book Titles
Through our secret researches, we were able to discover some of the rejected titles for this book:
Heavy Metal Madness : A Stroll Through Some of the More Insalubrious Back Alleys of the Periodic Table
CSI Manhattan : Murder and Retribution in the Jazz Age
Where's Fido? : Estimation of the Median Lethal Dose for Some Common Neurotoxins Under Severe Budgetary Constraints
Moonshine and Giblets : Prohibition...more
Through our secret researches, we were able to discover some of the rejected titles for this book:
Heavy Metal Madness : A Stroll Through Some of the More Insalubrious Back Alleys of the Periodic Table
CSI Manhattan : Murder and Retribution in the Jazz Age
Where's Fido? : Estimation of the Median Lethal Dose for Some Common Neurotoxins Under Severe Budgetary Constraints
Moonshine and Giblets : Prohibition...more
Wow! I picked this up as an impulse buy, thinking my sister (who loves all things Jazz Age) would want to borrow/steal it later. Now that I've read it, she can't have it: it's mine. Science! History! Prohibition! Murder! Accidental deaths due to the utter lack of regulation of drugs, household chemicals, and cosmetics!
The book has an interestingly layered organization. Each chapter is titled for the poison/chemical whose investigation is woven the most centrally through that section; however, th...more
The book has an interestingly layered organization. Each chapter is titled for the poison/chemical whose investigation is woven the most centrally through that section; however, th...more
This book is pretty badass. Each chapter focuses on a single poison (arsenic, carbon monoxide, radium, etc.) and if author Deborah Blum had stuck solely to that formula, this book would have still been pretty interesting.
This goes above and beyond that, however, becoming a tale of the careers of forensic toxicologists Charles Norris and Alexander Gettler, told through the myriad poisons of their day and set against a backdrop of political cronies, Prohibition, The Depression, and the gaslight ye...more
This goes above and beyond that, however, becoming a tale of the careers of forensic toxicologists Charles Norris and Alexander Gettler, told through the myriad poisons of their day and set against a backdrop of political cronies, Prohibition, The Depression, and the gaslight ye...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
In the days of various flavors of Law and Orders, CSI, and other crime investigation shows too numerous to name, it's easy to take for granted that at some point, forensic science, specifically toxicology, didn't exist at all. "The Poisoner's Handbook" reminds us of such a time, telling the story of Charles Norris and Alexander Gettler, New York City's first chief medical examiner and his main chemist. Through their work, Norris and Gettler not only transformed the role of the medical examiner's...more
With the appointment of Charles Norris as chief medical examiner in 1918, New York City for the first time had someone with the skills and determination to track down poisoners and murderers, establishing forensic science along the way. Along with toxicologist Alexander Gettler, Norris took on not only private murderers but big business and even the U.S. Government. (During Prohibition government chemists fought a savage war with bootleggers in which the poorest segment of society paid the price...more
Felt like it was time for some nonfiction, something I could sink my teeth into a little. Plus I am such a sucker for old-timey NYC. Oh and what a perfect Valentine's Day read, right?
***
Well... I don't know, this is lively and full of detail and very personable, but I just couldn't get into it. I'm sure I'll pick it up again one of these days, but moving on for now.
***
Well... I don't know, this is lively and full of detail and very personable, but I just couldn't get into it. I'm sure I'll pick it up again one of these days, but moving on for now.
Nov 29, 2011
Michelle
added it
The Poisoner's Handbook is a fascinating expose on the evolution of poisons and the forensic science behind exposing death by poison. Poisons were ubiquitous throughout the Jazz Age because of an inability to identify murder by poison. Through the use of detailed scientific experiments and conscientious deductive reasoning, Charles Norris and Alexander Gettler changed the face of the coroner's office and forensic science forever.
Each chapter is divided by poison, with stories highlighting real c...more
Each chapter is divided by poison, with stories highlighting real c...more
In The Poisoner's Handbook, Deborah Blum tells the human and scientific stories of poison and investigation in the 1920s and 1930s, focusing on New York City and two crusading scientists: Charles Norris, the city's first medical examiner, and Alexander Gettler, the head chemist in the ME's office.
This work mixes a couple of nonfiction genres: true crime and popular science. A couple is found dead: accident or murder? Several family members die: all victims of disease or were they poisoned? It ta...more
This work mixes a couple of nonfiction genres: true crime and popular science. A couple is found dead: accident or murder? Several family members die: all victims of disease or were they poisoned? It ta...more
I found this as an audiobook in my library as I was preparing for a long car ride. I have trouble listening to audio books when I drive because I’m too distracted by traffic to pay much attention, but I found this story so interesting that I managed to easily keep focused on it.
The title of the book may be misleading. This book does not explain how to actually go about poisoning other human beings. For everyone lamenting this misconception in the previous reviews, I think your issues may be a b...more
The title of the book may be misleading. This book does not explain how to actually go about poisoning other human beings. For everyone lamenting this misconception in the previous reviews, I think your issues may be a b...more
The book has a pretty unwieldy subtitle: "Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York." On the other hand, the subtitle gives you an idea of the amount of ground the book will try to cover. In the early twentieth century, the coroner's office was a place where the highest bidder, rather than science, often determined what went on a death certificate. And if the officials weren't corrupt, they were just ignorant. (The sorry state of medicine in the United States less than one h...more
This is my favorite kind of history book. It's a suspenseful, engrossing story that reads like fiction, full of larger-than-life personalities: bungling criminals, muckraking journalists, crusading prohibitionists, Tammany Hall politicos, and the brilliant scientists caught in the middle ("the middle" here being the NYC medical examiner's office).
Deborah Blum breaks the chemistry down in a way that seems effortless, and (I know you're wondering) there's plenty of gore, too, as she describes in...more
Deborah Blum breaks the chemistry down in a way that seems effortless, and (I know you're wondering) there's plenty of gore, too, as she describes in...more
This is my favorite kind of history book. It's a suspenseful, engrossing story that reads like fiction, full of larger-than-life personalities: bungling criminals, muckraking journalists, crusading prohibitionists, Tammany Hall politicos, and the brilliant scientists caught in the middle ("the middle" here being the NYC medical examiner's office).
Deborah Blum breaks the chemistry down in a way that seems effortless, and (I know you're wondering) there's plenty of gore, too, as she describes in...more
Deborah Blum breaks the chemistry down in a way that seems effortless, and (I know you're wondering) there's plenty of gore, too, as she describes in...more
This is a history of the development of forensic science in New York City in the early 20th century. Organized chronologically by popular poisons, it covers such poisons as methyl and ethyl alcohol, arsenic, radium, thallium, carbon monoxide, and others. It describes the effect of the poisons, how medical examiners and toxicologists identified and isolated the poisons, and reviews of cases involving the poisons. Prohibition is covered in depth, because of the poisons inherent in bootleg liquor.
I...more
I...more
I picked this up because I was on a New York kick and a jazz-age kick simultaneously, and really enjoyed it. It was exactly what I wanted to read, and I would recommend it to any who are looking for what I wanted: a somewhat gruesome set of historical murder mystery case studies with doctors and experts with whom the reader can identify (I'm a lot like Norris, so I really understood him and Gettler; you may or may not feel the same), combined with history of World War I, the rise of industry, an...more
Geek alert. Yes that would be me. I loved this book. If you like CSI or things like that you will like this book. It is a history of the birth of forensic science in New York City from about 1915 to 1936. Even though it is a history it is so intense as the new city medical examiner Charles Norris and his forensic chemist Alexander Gettler work differnent crimes or mysterious deaths. In the beginning they have to fight to gain respect and credibility from the city of New York and the courts. In t...more
As someone with a science background, I found this book fascinating. I knew that these compounds and chemicals were poisonous; I did not know all of the mechanisms of their action, however. If there were places where I felt I wanted more elucidation, it was in these areas. However, Blum does a good job of weaving together how all of these cases were applicable to the rise and development of forensic science in America and especially in New York.
As someone with an interest in history, this book p...more
As someone with an interest in history, this book p...more
What fascinated me about this book was how easily accessible products were that were later discovered to be harmful. Radium being just one of them. It was in everything and then people start dying. Over and over again this happens. Madame Curie is just one person who fell in love with her radium that ultimately killed her. X-ray machines used to be at the shoe store so customers could see the neat bones in their feet. The lesson we should take is that studies need to be done before we ingest, ru...more
I have been on a non-fiction kick lately and this book just filled that need. I had not expected it to be half as good as it was. Blum has a way of recreating the people she writes about and brings them into more of a story than just a biography. She also makes the science (in this case the science of toxicology and forensic medicine) accessible without making you feel stupid. I even learned something and chemistry is sort of my thing (I don't know as much about toxicology but now I want to). Ge...more
Aug 15, 2012
Sue
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-on-tape,
nonfiction
Learned a lot of interesting things while listening to this - how different chemicals and elements work in one's body to kill them, what NYC was like in the 20's and 30's in regards to coroners and Prohibition times, different infamous murderers and poisoners - some who got away with it, most who didn't once the superb medical examiners office in NYC began.
Anyone who is interested in CSI type things would enjoy this, HOWEVER, if you are a person who does not agree with animals being used for any...more
Anyone who is interested in CSI type things would enjoy this, HOWEVER, if you are a person who does not agree with animals being used for any...more
This was a totally fascinating and utterly engrossing non-fiction book, combining (as the sub-title notes) the birth of forensic science, true crime, history, and totally amazing, heroic characters adding up to a really terrific read!
The early twentieth century in the United States was an era where science played little, if any part in the investigation of crime, and poison particularly was so little understood that murderers who killed with poison were virtually immune to the possibility of det...more
The early twentieth century in the United States was an era where science played little, if any part in the investigation of crime, and poison particularly was so little understood that murderers who killed with poison were virtually immune to the possibility of det...more
I read this because my daughter recomended it. It is fascinating. Investigating murders had very little science applied to the evidence in the early 20th century. (Do you remember the episode of "Bonanza" in which their Chinese cook, Hop Sing,introduced fingerprints from the ancient Chinese?) Fingerprints were still not being used by the FBI in the early part of the 20th century. (See the movie "J. Edgar.")Most murders by poison went unprosecuted for lack of evidence. Two chemists, Norris and Ge...more
Blum’s non-fiction narrative follows the careers of Charles Norris and Andrew Gettler, two pioneering scientists working as New York’s head Medical Examiner and Toxicologist, respectively. Blum uses Norris and Gettler to guide us through a discussion of the way pathology and science became part of the legal system, focusing especially on the chemistry and discovery of different poisons, the way they function, and how they came to be detectible.
A few thoughts:
- Norris earned a reputation not jus...more
A few thoughts:
- Norris earned a reputation not jus...more
At the turn of the century, there was no such thing as forensic medicine in the United States. Corpses were inspected by coroners, but the inspections were cursory and unprofessional. The coroners themselves were elected officials and there were few if any educational requirements for the job. They tended to be doctors who were too inept or irresponsible to treat live patients and they wrote death certificates with entries like: “Cause of death: Act of God” or “Could have been murder, or suicide...more
Can a book about poison be fun? Sure it can, if you're morbid like me.
Each chapter of Blum's book is about a different kind of poison. You learn how each poison kills, what the symptoms are, and what your body looks like on the inside after you're killed by it. She also provides very detailed descriptions of how chemists test body tissues for various poisons, which was interesting. She intersperses all of this with details of real poisoning cases, in addition to an analyses of how Prohibition af...more
Each chapter of Blum's book is about a different kind of poison. You learn how each poison kills, what the symptoms are, and what your body looks like on the inside after you're killed by it. She also provides very detailed descriptions of how chemists test body tissues for various poisons, which was interesting. She intersperses all of this with details of real poisoning cases, in addition to an analyses of how Prohibition af...more
This book has one heck of a catchy title. It also can draw some worried looks from people who take a glance at what you are reading, and slowly inch away. It is the fascinating tale of the birth of modern toxicology in the 1920s and 1930s. In my professional life, I work closely with toxicologists to receive pertinent health information to protect workers. So this book connected the current field with its origins for me. The origins stemmed from the need to track down criminals for poisoning cas...more
I feel like this book was written just for me: history, science, and murder mysteries all wrapped up in a fascinating and informative non-fiction book about forensic medicine.
I got this as an audiobook, which was good in that it lasted longer. If I'd had it as a paper book, I'm sure I would have stayed up late at night reading it. I had a few "driveway moments," and knowing that I'd be listening to the book on my commute actually made me look forward to going to work this Monday.
I didn't like th...more
I got this as an audiobook, which was good in that it lasted longer. If I'd had it as a paper book, I'm sure I would have stayed up late at night reading it. I had a few "driveway moments," and knowing that I'd be listening to the book on my commute actually made me look forward to going to work this Monday.
I didn't like th...more
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Deborah Blum is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author.
As a science writer for the Sacramento Bee, Blum (rhymes with gum) wrote a series of articles examining the professional, ethical, and emotional conflicts between scientists who use animals in their research and animal rights activists who oppose that research. Titled "The Monkey Wars", the series won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Beat R...more
More about Deborah Blum...
As a science writer for the Sacramento Bee, Blum (rhymes with gum) wrote a series of articles examining the professional, ethical, and emotional conflicts between scientists who use animals in their research and animal rights activists who oppose that research. Titled "The Monkey Wars", the series won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Beat R...more
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Carol wrote: "As a science dork, but generally histo...more
Dec 06, 2012 01:58am
And here I thought we got along so well be...more
Dec 06, 2012 09:14am