Nick Connors
June 3, 2014
UCOR 3820
The poisons’ described in The Poisoner’s Handbook are not as relevant in toxicology today as they were when they were first founded. The poisons included in the book were: chloroform, wood alcohol, cyanide, arsenic, mercury, carbon monoxide, methyl alcohol, radium, ethyl alcohol, and thallium. Blum states in the year 1922, “New York City had 101 people hang themselves, 444 die in car accidents, 20 are crushed in elevators, 237 die from gunshot wounds, 34 people are stabbed and 997 people die of poisoning”.
Poisoning was a huge problem in the early 20th century, from the Jazz Age to the Information Technology Age. Along the way there were many changes in forensic toxicology explained below.
In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Pure Food and Drugs Act, the first piece of legislation for regulation of labeling U.S. food and drug products. This act prevented the production of mislabeled or adulterated foods, pharmaceuticals, medicines, and liquors. This was the first stone to pave the way for the Food and Drug Administration, as we know of today.
The use of chemicals begun known around the world, the use of tear gas, mustard gas, chlorine gas, and other deadly poisons in WWI is how it earned nickname of "the Chemists' War”.
During this time the idea of using science for police work was first introduced many people where skeptical. Before forensic toxicology was used, coroners were who “solved” the mysteries of the dead. Mayor Tammany Hall’s appointed illegitimate people to public service jobs, such as coroners, and New York City’s early 20th century coroners were notorious bunglers known to falsify death certificates. Coroner’s during this time were paid by how many dead bodies they identified so they incentive to write as many death certificates was very high. Murderers also roamed free during this time because there was not enough concrete evidence to convict them of their murder.
Dr. Charles Norris came into office as the head medical examiner in 1918. This was the staring point of forensic toxicology in criminal cases. Norris’ appointee Alexander Gettler, a forensic chemist was the science behind all of the tests done to solve the crimes. Norris and Gettler, formed a duo whose lab work still to this day remains significant. Their research and actions helped advance government policy and the science of forensics, and they saved many lives from exposure to poisons and other toxins. Norris and Gettler got so good at identifying and measuring poisonings their word became law. These two men paved the way for science and the criminal justice system to work together.
The Volstead Act, know as Prohibition, banned the manufacture, transport, and sale of alcohol. The act went into effect January 1, 1920. But rather than stopping people from drinking alcohol, it encouraged a black market, which then introduced the poisonous wood alcohol that killed a majority of New Yorkers, at the time.
General Motors and the Standard Oil Company sold leaded gasoline in 1924. They stated that the leaded gas allowed car engines to run more smoothly and quietly. But workers at Standard Oil's
