I write science stories about the unusual side of science and how some things can be tonics or toxins at the same time.
I love hearing personal stories around science and poisonings. I'd love to hear about your experiences.
I'd love to chat with you about science, poisons, history and true crime.
As any reader of murder mysteries can tell you, poison is one of the most enduring―and popular―weapons of choice for a scheming murderer. It can be slipped into a drink, smeared onto the tip of an arrow or the handle of a door, even filtered through the air we breathe. But how exactly do these poisons work to break our bodies down, and what can we learn from the damage they inflict?
In a fascinating blend of popular science, medical history, and true crime, Dr. Neil Bradbury explores this most morbidly captivating method of murder from a cellular level. Alongside real-life accounts of murderers and their crimes―some notorious, some forgotten, some still unsolved―are the equally compelling stories of the poisons involved: eleven molecules of death that work their way through the human body and, paradoxically, illuminate the way in which our bodies function.
Drawn from historical records and current news headlines, A Taste for Poison weaves together the tales of spurned lovers, shady scientists, medical professionals and political assassins to show how the precise systems of the body can be impaired to lethal effect through the use of poison. From the deadly origins of the gin & tonic cocktail to the arsenic-laced wallpaper in Napoleon’s bedroom, A Taste for Poison leads readers on a riveting tour of the intricate, complex systems that keep us alive―or don’t.
“Bradbury takes the reader on a lively spin through the histories of 11 of the most commonly used poisons and toxins, using real cases ― famous and otherwise ― to explain how each works in the body. A professor of physiology and biophysics, Bradbury is an engaging, cheerful tour guide.”
–New York Times Book Review