Living in a Toxic World, 1800–2000

One Hundred Years of Chemical Warfare: Research, Deployment, Consequences

¿Entre el fiscal y el verdugo? Mateu Orfila i Rotger (1787–1853) y la toxicología del siglo XIX

We have recently witnessed the rebirth of biographical writing in the history of science. Over the last few years, many publications have re-evaluated the role of biography in our field, correcting...

Following Hydrogen Cyanide in the Valencian Country (1907-1933): Risk, Accidents and Standards in Fumigation

Abstract Pests had represented a major problem in agriculture for centuries, but the huge changes in the food chain around the late nineteenth century intensified their effects in a totally unprecedented way and many new chemical substances were introduced in the attempt to control them. In this paper I will focus on the implementation of hydrogen cyanide, a highly toxic pesticide which has not received particular consideration from researchers to date. I shall analyse the introduction of this pesticide in the Valencian Country and focus on the attention given to the safety of workers and consumers. I aim to examine the role of the poison in its different uses and analyse the impact of each…

Autonomous Nature: Problems of Prediction and Control from Ancient Times to the Scientific Revolution

Book Review: Lukas Engelmann and Christos Lynteris. Sulphuric Utopias: A History of Maritime Fumigation

Science and the Regulation of Toxicants in Historical Perspective

Poisoned Wine: Regulation, Chemical Analyses, and Spanish-French Trade in the 1930s

This paper describes the resources, scientific spaces, and experts involved in the study of a mass poisoning caused by the drinking of arsenic-contaminated wine exported from Spain to France in 1932. Local and international periodicals record the poisoning of 300 French sailors, and stressed the commercial implications of the case. We discuss the reports prepared by different experts (mainly physicians, agricultural engineers, and customs chemists). Their work was not limited to preparing technical publications or chemical analyses; they also actively defended the quality of their local wine, and played a major role in the discussions regarding the regulation of the international wine marke…