Episode 212: Unforeseen (ad-free)

Some of the darkest moments in history happened in the sweet spot between folklore and science. And if one particular event from Philadelphia has anything to teach us, it’s that moments like that are difficult to accept—and more than a little frightening.

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Further Reading

1. “30 Suspects Held in Death Syndicate”. The Philadelphia Enquirer. 11/4/1938. Page 2.
2. “Arsenic.” National Institute of Environmental Health Services (NIEHS). https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/arsenic/index.cfm.
3. Blum, Deborah. The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York. New York: Penguin Books, 2010. Kindle Version.
4. Campbell, Colin J. “Poison in Ancient History: 5 Illustrative Examples of its Toxic Use.” The Collector. 1/9/2021. https://www.thecollector.com/poison-in-ancient-history-5-illustrative-examples-of-its-toxic-use.
5. “New Tests Reveal Arsenic in 2 Bodies”. The Philadelphia Inquirer. 12/14/1938. Page 2.
6. Gibbs, Frederick W. “Specific Form and Poisonous Properties: Understanding Poison in the fifteenth Century.” Preternature: Critical and Historical Studies on the Preternatural 2, n. 1 (2013), pp. 19-46.
7. Goad, Jim. “Witch’s Brew: How the ‘Philadelphia Poison Ring’ Exploited Unhappy Wives and Killed 100+ People.” Thought Catalog. 3/22/2021. https://thoughtcatalog.com/jim-goad/2019/12/witchs-brew-how-the-philadelphia-poison-ring-exploited-unhappy-wives-and-killed-100-people.
8. Helmenstine, Anne Marie. “6 Poisons that have been Used for Murder.” ThoughtCo. 6/28/2019. https://www.thoughtco.com/famous-poisoning-cases-4118225.
9. Parascandola, John. “Pharmacology and Folklore: The Arsenic Eaters of Styria.”  American Institute of the History of Pharmacy. Vol 57, No. 1-2 (2015), pp. 3-16.
10. “Philadelphia Poison Ring.” Absolue Crime. http://www.absolutecrime.com/philadelphia-poison-ring.html.
11. “Poison Ring Suspect Held on 2d Charge”. The Philadelphia Inquirer. 11/5/1938. Page 15.
12. Snyder, Rachel. “Bewitched: Witchcraft, Life Insurance and the Business of Murder.” The Virginia Tech Undergraduate Historical Review 5, n. 1. Published 5/26/2017. https://vtuhr.org/articles/10.21061/vtuhr.v5i1.43.
13. The Arsenic Eaters of Styria. The Ultimate History Project. Accessed April 17, 2022. https://bit.ly/3JZzVuU.
14. “Toxicological Profile for Arsenic.” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). August 2007. https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles/tp2.pdf.
15. Young, Robert James, Jr. “Arsenic and No Lace: The Bizarre Tale of a Philadelphia Murder Ring.” Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies 67, n. 3 (Summer 2000): 397-414.