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The Inheritor's Powder: A Tale of Arsenic, Murder, and the New Forensic Science
Available at any corner shop for little money and, because tasteless, difficult to detect in food or drink, arsenic was so frequently used by potential beneficiaries of wills in the first half of the nineteenth century that it was nicknamed “the inheritor’s powder.” But after wealthy George Bodle died under suspicious circumstances, leaving behind several heirs, the chemist James Marsh was brought in to see if he could create an accurate test pinpointing the presence of arsenic and put this Victorian scourge to rest.
Incisive and wryly entertaining, science writer Sandra Hempel brings to life a gripping story of domestic infighting, wayward police behavior, other true-crime poisonings, and an unforgettable foray into the origins of forensic science. She also solves this almost two-hundred year-old crime.
Incisive and wryly entertaining, science writer Sandra Hempel brings to life a gripping story of domestic infighting, wayward police behavior, other true-crime poisonings, and an unforgettable foray into the origins of forensic science. She also solves this almost two-hundred year-old crime.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
55 people are currently reading
2818 people want to read
About the author
Sandra Hempel
4 books12 followersSandra Hempel is a medical journalist whose work has appeared in the Times, the Sunday Times, and the Guardian. The author of The Inheritor's Powder and the award-winning The Strange Case of the Broad Street Pump, she lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 171 reviews
May 6, 2015
This book was a mixture of three elements:
History - the rampant use of poison in the 19thC as a method of disposing of the unwanted who had what the murderer wanted: money, hence the title
Science - the beginnings of forensic science and poisons
Courtroom drama - of several cases.
The elements were all linked through the story of the murder of George Bodle, a wealthy landowner, by his grandson Young John, who blamed his father Middle John. Although he was not found guilty (when he was), with the developments in science in parallel cases, it was shown that if he had come to court ten years later, the court would have reached in a different decision.
This all sounds pretty good, right? It was well researched. The main story, though slight, was a good idea and well written. The science was interesting, especially learning of the mistakes of 'infallible' expert witnesses. The characters, it has to be said, were somewhat flat and undeveloped. The overarching theme was poisoning explicated through a story, but what it should have been was the story first with poisoning being the theme. The author was the wrong person to write the book. She is a journalist specialising in health and social issues, and the book needed someone who could write a cracking good story and develop the characters so we would want to see the right John convicted instead of it all being rather academic and so what-ish. But still, it was an interesting book and 3 1/2 stars.
A fact I learned from the book: that when Parliament dropped the tax on newspapers to make them very cheap, literacy in the UK burgeoned. Especially in those papers (now called, disparagingly, tabloids) that specialised in the salacious. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose - the more things change, the more they are still the same!
History - the rampant use of poison in the 19thC as a method of disposing of the unwanted who had what the murderer wanted: money, hence the title
Science - the beginnings of forensic science and poisons
Courtroom drama - of several cases.
The elements were all linked through the story of the murder of George Bodle, a wealthy landowner, by his grandson Young John, who blamed his father Middle John. Although he was not found guilty (when he was), with the developments in science in parallel cases, it was shown that if he had come to court ten years later, the court would have reached in a different decision.
This all sounds pretty good, right? It was well researched. The main story, though slight, was a good idea and well written. The science was interesting, especially learning of the mistakes of 'infallible' expert witnesses. The characters, it has to be said, were somewhat flat and undeveloped. The overarching theme was poisoning explicated through a story, but what it should have been was the story first with poisoning being the theme. The author was the wrong person to write the book. She is a journalist specialising in health and social issues, and the book needed someone who could write a cracking good story and develop the characters so we would want to see the right John convicted instead of it all being rather academic and so what-ish. But still, it was an interesting book and 3 1/2 stars.
A fact I learned from the book: that when Parliament dropped the tax on newspapers to make them very cheap, literacy in the UK burgeoned. Especially in those papers (now called, disparagingly, tabloids) that specialised in the salacious. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose - the more things change, the more they are still the same!
February 14, 2018
This book is a bit schizophrenic. The author traces the forensic history of identifying arsenic as a cause of death and as a untraceable murder weapon......and an early case of an arsenic murder which actually made it to court even though the outcome was questionable. It is a good framework for understanding how the science of forensic medicine developed but the author didn't seem quite sure which story to tell......science or the court case. This made for rather fragmented reading as she jumped back and forth between the two, as well as adding biographies of any scientists involved in developing the tests for arsenic. Interesting but a little awkward in the telling.
March 12, 2019
I was angry with my friend;
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow – "A Poison Tree" - William Blake
British Medical Journalist Sandra Hempel has written an entertaining and well-researched book about arsenic poisoning and a nasty Victorian murder case in Plumstead, England in the nineteenth century. The victim was a very rich (but stingy) elderly farmer named George Bodle who gets very sick after drinking the morning coffee and soon his whole family and their servants becomes very ill as well. George Bodle soon dies in agony. This murder case scandalized England, then Europe and there was a famous trial that held people spellbound. The newspapers had lowered their prices and had a bigger readership so this was big front page news.
The author gives you a complete history of arsenic poisoning: how easy and cheap arsenic was to get for killing rats (or people) ; how it was used (no taste) and the ghastly results. She also tells you about the Scottish chemist, James Marsh, who finally came up with a reliable chemical test to tell if it was arsenic. Marsh was brought in to the George Bodle case as a expert witness. But in the courthouse, he did not convince the jury and could not prove scientifically that it was poison. The trial itself was a injustice and a horrific story, with the murderer walking away then actually making money from it years later.
Frustrated, this early scientist set out to make a better test, succeeded and arsenic poisonings because very rare. Once the public understood that there was a test that actually worked, people stopped poisoning their family members. I can not tell you who poisoned the old man Bodle (no spoilers here) but it was diabolical because the greedy murderer poisons the whole family (five people) to kill only the old man. If you enjoy reading true crime cases or early forensic science, than I recommend this book. Four gasping stars.
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow – "A Poison Tree" - William Blake
British Medical Journalist Sandra Hempel has written an entertaining and well-researched book about arsenic poisoning and a nasty Victorian murder case in Plumstead, England in the nineteenth century. The victim was a very rich (but stingy) elderly farmer named George Bodle who gets very sick after drinking the morning coffee and soon his whole family and their servants becomes very ill as well. George Bodle soon dies in agony. This murder case scandalized England, then Europe and there was a famous trial that held people spellbound. The newspapers had lowered their prices and had a bigger readership so this was big front page news.
The author gives you a complete history of arsenic poisoning: how easy and cheap arsenic was to get for killing rats (or people) ; how it was used (no taste) and the ghastly results. She also tells you about the Scottish chemist, James Marsh, who finally came up with a reliable chemical test to tell if it was arsenic. Marsh was brought in to the George Bodle case as a expert witness. But in the courthouse, he did not convince the jury and could not prove scientifically that it was poison. The trial itself was a injustice and a horrific story, with the murderer walking away then actually making money from it years later.
Frustrated, this early scientist set out to make a better test, succeeded and arsenic poisonings because very rare. Once the public understood that there was a test that actually worked, people stopped poisoning their family members. I can not tell you who poisoned the old man Bodle (no spoilers here) but it was diabolical because the greedy murderer poisons the whole family (five people) to kill only the old man. If you enjoy reading true crime cases or early forensic science, than I recommend this book. Four gasping stars.
July 9, 2013
Just way too much irrelevant though well researched detail. It may be that the author considered the core story too thin to be worthy of an entire book and has therefore added a plethora of tacked on side stories to fill out content. The reader gets details, often minute details on the history of poisons and the cases, medical profession and even the families of the medical profession. Interesting but way too much detail clouds the perception of the tale at hand, confuses the reader and ultimately, as I found in my case, just means I wish to move onto something more readable. If you can manage to wade through the sea of facts and the deluge of information not especially relevant to the case, I applaud your efforts.
March 6, 2014
BOTWReview: http://bettie.booklikes.com/
April 2, 2015
This book is little more than a series of progressively more aggravating digressions, but I will tell you one thing: if you are playing a trivia game, you will want Sandra Hempel on your team.
October 1, 2019
I did not enjoy this book. The only reason I gave it two stars - one for sheer effort, and the other for the research that went into this book. Why I find myself not being able to give any more than that? Well, because this book went on several diversions that takes the reader away from the main story.
As a student of biotechnology, I have had to take a handful of courses on toxicology and forensics. And it happened to be something I thoroughly enjoyed, so imagine my joy when this book sells a real life murder mystery that involves poison.
Alas, it turned out to be very underwhelming.
It seems to me that the author could not structure just how she wanted to tell the story. The focal point of the book was supposed to be rampant arsenic poisonings in the mid 1800s. She addresses lack of diagnostic tools to detect poisoning, legislations and regulations of the use of toxic substances in medicine, in agriculture and in households. But, they were all presented in a haphazard way that there seemed serious disconnect to the murder case being discussed. Furthermore, I noticed that irrelevant facts were added possibly to add volume to the book? I found myself asking "Why do I need to know this?", more than once.
I did enjoy that one plot twist, it did take me by surprise, and it salvaged the book another 0.5 point bringing it to a 2.5/5 rating.
As a student of biotechnology, I have had to take a handful of courses on toxicology and forensics. And it happened to be something I thoroughly enjoyed, so imagine my joy when this book sells a real life murder mystery that involves poison.
Alas, it turned out to be very underwhelming.
It seems to me that the author could not structure just how she wanted to tell the story. The focal point of the book was supposed to be rampant arsenic poisonings in the mid 1800s. She addresses lack of diagnostic tools to detect poisoning, legislations and regulations of the use of toxic substances in medicine, in agriculture and in households. But, they were all presented in a haphazard way that there seemed serious disconnect to the murder case being discussed. Furthermore, I noticed that irrelevant facts were added possibly to add volume to the book? I found myself asking "Why do I need to know this?", more than once.
I did enjoy that one plot twist, it did take me by surprise, and it salvaged the book another 0.5 point bringing it to a 2.5/5 rating.
October 20, 2013
Sometimes you think of a book as important, not because it's groundbreaking or a bestseller or even an entertaining read, but because it reminds you just how fortunate you are to be living today rather than, say, six or seven generations ago. For instance, The Inheritor's Powder by Sandra Hempel has a pretty straightforward premise: it's the story of a farming family in 19th century England who are poisoned, leaving many of them violently ill and killing the elderly patriarch, and the search for a culprit using a new and untested area of science and criminal justice that will eventually become known as forensic science.
Beneath this story, however, is where we find the book's true relevance. In order to not only track down the poisoner but also convict him or her in a court of law, investigators and scientists alike had to deal with corrupt or incompetent officials, outdated methods of evidence-gathering, sloppy detective work, and a court system that still allowed members of the jury to serve while drunk...a prospect made all the more horrifying by the knowledge that inquests and trials were sometimes held at the local pub. On top of all this, the poison that was suspected of being used in this case--arsenic--was difficult to test for, and had it not been for the ragtag group of academics and policemen honored by Hempel herein, an accurate test would not have appeared for some time, allowing countless more murderers to walk free and strike again. (And, as Hempel points out towards the book's close, the setbacks that come with developing a revolutionary new procedure often resulted in criminals walking free, though that was also sometimes due to a judicial system with little interest in following its own procedures.)
In reading Hempel's book, you are struck time and again with just how primitive the entire system was only 160 years ago--only a few decades after our own country, brand new in the world, wrote itself a Constitution guaranteeing judicial practices like the right to due process, a trail by jury, and a safeguard against self-incrimination.* The Inheritor's Powder is filled with stories of detectives getting drunk on the job, losing evidence, or even passing it around to friends at a pub to be contaminated or destroyed; coroners, untrained in even the most basic aspects of anatomy, who offer shoulder shrugs when called to the witness stand; judges who speed through five trials a day, just for the sake of appearing expedient; and so on. To us, living in a world where trials are usually tedious and dull--a far cry from how they're depicted in film and television--these anecdotes are downright appalling.
What's worse, the vast majority of those living in 19th century England saw little issue with the fraudulent science, slipshod criminal justice system, and hack police work of the day--to them, it was their normal--and only when a few small but influential figures raised their voice did public opinion and social ideas begin to change, albeit slowly. Which makes Hempel's book significant, if for no other reason to emphasize the forgotten roles of those very influential few, but it also makes those revelations a little worrying. After all, if so much of science, law, and criminal justice has changed in just a century and a half--their idea of normal now seen as mind-boggling incompetence and tragedy--what will writers think of us two hundred years from now? What aspects of our own society will future Sandra Hempels look back on with disbelief, derision, even scorn? How will we--supposedly advanced, supposedly progressive, unstoppably self-assured--be written about after a half-dozen or so generations have passed?
What's more, the issues that will most likely doom us in those books--our swelling prison-industrial complex, a prison population disgustingly imbalanced along racial and socioeconimics lines**, racial profiling, the entertainmentization of trials via 24/7 news networks--are almost wholly ignored by those in a position to change them, if not outright promoted by them, which is not unlike England more than 150 years ago. We hope, in reading these stories from the past, that our own James Marsh or Alfred Swaine Taylor will emerge to right these wrongs. For the sake of our future.
*Hempel's book focuses entirely on forensic science in England. For the story of forensic science's origins in the United States, see Deborah Blum's The Poisoner's Handbook, an excellent read.
**See Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow...and once you see it, pick it up and read it.
This review was originall published at There Will Be Books Galore.
Beneath this story, however, is where we find the book's true relevance. In order to not only track down the poisoner but also convict him or her in a court of law, investigators and scientists alike had to deal with corrupt or incompetent officials, outdated methods of evidence-gathering, sloppy detective work, and a court system that still allowed members of the jury to serve while drunk...a prospect made all the more horrifying by the knowledge that inquests and trials were sometimes held at the local pub. On top of all this, the poison that was suspected of being used in this case--arsenic--was difficult to test for, and had it not been for the ragtag group of academics and policemen honored by Hempel herein, an accurate test would not have appeared for some time, allowing countless more murderers to walk free and strike again. (And, as Hempel points out towards the book's close, the setbacks that come with developing a revolutionary new procedure often resulted in criminals walking free, though that was also sometimes due to a judicial system with little interest in following its own procedures.)
In reading Hempel's book, you are struck time and again with just how primitive the entire system was only 160 years ago--only a few decades after our own country, brand new in the world, wrote itself a Constitution guaranteeing judicial practices like the right to due process, a trail by jury, and a safeguard against self-incrimination.* The Inheritor's Powder is filled with stories of detectives getting drunk on the job, losing evidence, or even passing it around to friends at a pub to be contaminated or destroyed; coroners, untrained in even the most basic aspects of anatomy, who offer shoulder shrugs when called to the witness stand; judges who speed through five trials a day, just for the sake of appearing expedient; and so on. To us, living in a world where trials are usually tedious and dull--a far cry from how they're depicted in film and television--these anecdotes are downright appalling.
What's worse, the vast majority of those living in 19th century England saw little issue with the fraudulent science, slipshod criminal justice system, and hack police work of the day--to them, it was their normal--and only when a few small but influential figures raised their voice did public opinion and social ideas begin to change, albeit slowly. Which makes Hempel's book significant, if for no other reason to emphasize the forgotten roles of those very influential few, but it also makes those revelations a little worrying. After all, if so much of science, law, and criminal justice has changed in just a century and a half--their idea of normal now seen as mind-boggling incompetence and tragedy--what will writers think of us two hundred years from now? What aspects of our own society will future Sandra Hempels look back on with disbelief, derision, even scorn? How will we--supposedly advanced, supposedly progressive, unstoppably self-assured--be written about after a half-dozen or so generations have passed?
What's more, the issues that will most likely doom us in those books--our swelling prison-industrial complex, a prison population disgustingly imbalanced along racial and socioeconimics lines**, racial profiling, the entertainmentization of trials via 24/7 news networks--are almost wholly ignored by those in a position to change them, if not outright promoted by them, which is not unlike England more than 150 years ago. We hope, in reading these stories from the past, that our own James Marsh or Alfred Swaine Taylor will emerge to right these wrongs. For the sake of our future.
*Hempel's book focuses entirely on forensic science in England. For the story of forensic science's origins in the United States, see Deborah Blum's The Poisoner's Handbook, an excellent read.
**See Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow...and once you see it, pick it up and read it.
This review was originall published at There Will Be Books Galore.
September 8, 2018
From BBC Radio 4 - Book of the Week:
On the morning of Saturday 2nd of November 1833, the Bodle household sat down to their morning breakfast, sharing a pot of coffee. That evening, the local surgeon John Butler received an urgent summons - the family and their servants had all collapsed with a serious illness. Three days later, after lingering in agony, the wealthy grandfather George Bodle died in his bed at his farmhouse in Plumstead. The Bodles had been the victims of a terrible poisoning.
In the nineteenth century, criminal poisoning with arsenic was frighteningly easy. For a few pence and with few questions asked, it was possible to buy enough poison to kill off an entire family, hence arsenic's popular name - The Inheritor's Powder.
The surgeon John Butler had set about collecting the evidence that he hoped would bring the culprit to justice but, in the 1830s, forensic science was still in its infancy. Even diagnosing arsenic poisoning was a hit-and-miss affair.
So when a chemist named James Marsh was called as an expert witness in the case of the murder at Plumstead, he decided that he had to create a reliable test for arsenic poisoning, or the murders would continue and killers would be left to walk free. In so doing though he was to cause as many problems as he solved. Were innocent men and women now going to the gallows?
Sandra Hempel, author of The Inheritor's Powder, is a medical journalist who has written for a wide variety of both popular newspapers and magazines and specialist publications, from the Mail on Sunday and The Times to Nursing Times and BMA News.
Abridged by Libby Spurrier
Director: David Blount
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b039...
On the morning of Saturday 2nd of November 1833, the Bodle household sat down to their morning breakfast, sharing a pot of coffee. That evening, the local surgeon John Butler received an urgent summons - the family and their servants had all collapsed with a serious illness. Three days later, after lingering in agony, the wealthy grandfather George Bodle died in his bed at his farmhouse in Plumstead. The Bodles had been the victims of a terrible poisoning.
In the nineteenth century, criminal poisoning with arsenic was frighteningly easy. For a few pence and with few questions asked, it was possible to buy enough poison to kill off an entire family, hence arsenic's popular name - The Inheritor's Powder.
The surgeon John Butler had set about collecting the evidence that he hoped would bring the culprit to justice but, in the 1830s, forensic science was still in its infancy. Even diagnosing arsenic poisoning was a hit-and-miss affair.
So when a chemist named James Marsh was called as an expert witness in the case of the murder at Plumstead, he decided that he had to create a reliable test for arsenic poisoning, or the murders would continue and killers would be left to walk free. In so doing though he was to cause as many problems as he solved. Were innocent men and women now going to the gallows?
Sandra Hempel, author of The Inheritor's Powder, is a medical journalist who has written for a wide variety of both popular newspapers and magazines and specialist publications, from the Mail on Sunday and The Times to Nursing Times and BMA News.
Abridged by Libby Spurrier
Director: David Blount
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b039...
March 14, 2014
Fantastic read, full of twists and turns. This is a well researched and well written history exploring the prevalence of arsenic poisoning in the 19th century, the challenges it presented to forensic science and the hysteria caused in the general public by the perceived threat.
The book traces the murder of a rich older man, and the subsequent attempts to prove who was to blame for his death. Using the investigation and trail as a narrative to pull the reader through the book until the very end is very effective, I read this in one sitting!
Highly recommended to fans of social and medical history, or good old fashioned "whodunnits"!
The book traces the murder of a rich older man, and the subsequent attempts to prove who was to blame for his death. Using the investigation and trail as a narrative to pull the reader through the book until the very end is very effective, I read this in one sitting!
Highly recommended to fans of social and medical history, or good old fashioned "whodunnits"!
Read
April 12, 2015Author couldn't make up her mind whether she wanted to write about arsenic in general or one poisoning case in particular. Made for a confusing and annoying read.
May 24, 2019
I reviewed Murder by the Book a little while back, but to be honest, I only stumbled upon it because I was looking for this – The Inheritor’s Powder. In The Inheritor’s Powder, Sandra Hempel takes us through the murder of George Bodle, and through that murder, the history of arsenic as a poison and forensic science. If it sounds like a broad topic, it is.
The murder of George Bodle is surprisingly complicated. The Bodle family fell ill one morning, with George Bodle being the only one who eventually perished. The doctor, suspecting arsenic, took samples. There were detectives, and there were new arsenic tests being used. Yet despite all that work, there wasn’t a satisfactory ending.
Why? Well, as Hempel writes, forensic science and the history of doctors as professional forensic witnesses was still very young. So despite the best efforts of the doctor, the science wasn’t at an age to conclusively prove who the murderer was. But what this murder did do was to help stoke the fear of poison, arsenic in particular.
In this way, the book ties together the histories of several different subjects – the history of arsenic as a poison, the history of forensic science (and testifying) and the Bodle mystery. As you can expect, it’s pretty hard to tie so many stories together. What The Inheritor’s Powder does is to tell the story of the Bodle family, and when appropriate, diverge from the story to talk about the other topics. It’s not perfect – to me, it broke the flow a few times – but overall, it works. I managed to get an overview of all the different histories of the various subjects.
By the way, if you’re looking for a great ending to the Bodle mystery, you might be a bit disappointed. Unlike other stories, such as Pretty Jane and the Viper of Kidbrooke Lane, where the author makes an educated guess as to who the murderer is if there isn’t a conclusive answer, The Inheritor’s Powder seems content to leave the mystery where it is. The book does follow the stories of the various Bodle members after the trial, but it doesn’t go into the question of who did it and/or why. It seems that the Bodle mystery was used more as a way to structure the book rather than being the main focus.
Overall, though, this is a pretty fascinating book. If you’re interested in the history of arsenic poisoning, testing, and how forensic science developed, you may be interested in this. It mentions quite a few other murders apart from the Bodle mystery too, if you’re interested in other stories of arsenic poisoning.
This review was first posted at Eustea Reads
The murder of George Bodle is surprisingly complicated. The Bodle family fell ill one morning, with George Bodle being the only one who eventually perished. The doctor, suspecting arsenic, took samples. There were detectives, and there were new arsenic tests being used. Yet despite all that work, there wasn’t a satisfactory ending.
Why? Well, as Hempel writes, forensic science and the history of doctors as professional forensic witnesses was still very young. So despite the best efforts of the doctor, the science wasn’t at an age to conclusively prove who the murderer was. But what this murder did do was to help stoke the fear of poison, arsenic in particular.
In this way, the book ties together the histories of several different subjects – the history of arsenic as a poison, the history of forensic science (and testifying) and the Bodle mystery. As you can expect, it’s pretty hard to tie so many stories together. What The Inheritor’s Powder does is to tell the story of the Bodle family, and when appropriate, diverge from the story to talk about the other topics. It’s not perfect – to me, it broke the flow a few times – but overall, it works. I managed to get an overview of all the different histories of the various subjects.
By the way, if you’re looking for a great ending to the Bodle mystery, you might be a bit disappointed. Unlike other stories, such as Pretty Jane and the Viper of Kidbrooke Lane, where the author makes an educated guess as to who the murderer is if there isn’t a conclusive answer, The Inheritor’s Powder seems content to leave the mystery where it is. The book does follow the stories of the various Bodle members after the trial, but it doesn’t go into the question of who did it and/or why. It seems that the Bodle mystery was used more as a way to structure the book rather than being the main focus.
Overall, though, this is a pretty fascinating book. If you’re interested in the history of arsenic poisoning, testing, and how forensic science developed, you may be interested in this. It mentions quite a few other murders apart from the Bodle mystery too, if you’re interested in other stories of arsenic poisoning.
This review was first posted at Eustea Reads
July 11, 2018
3.5 stars
Obviously, I picked up this book for research, as I'm writing historical mystery fiction and a book that discusses the history of arsenic is a good choice. The book was definitely helpful in that it talks about poisons, unlike other books, in the past rather than in the present. There were some interesting parts here not just about arsenic but also about other poisons. My biggest disappointment with this book was that it seemed to go extensively into tangental details that had nothing to do with the topic of the book, such as the history of the courthouse where Bodie was tried. It was almost like the author was trying to make the work book-length by including all this tangental off topic information. So if you're primarily interested in the topic (history of arsenic and its detection), then you might find yourself skimming over some parts
Obviously, I picked up this book for research, as I'm writing historical mystery fiction and a book that discusses the history of arsenic is a good choice. The book was definitely helpful in that it talks about poisons, unlike other books, in the past rather than in the present. There were some interesting parts here not just about arsenic but also about other poisons. My biggest disappointment with this book was that it seemed to go extensively into tangental details that had nothing to do with the topic of the book, such as the history of the courthouse where Bodie was tried. It was almost like the author was trying to make the work book-length by including all this tangental off topic information. So if you're primarily interested in the topic (history of arsenic and its detection), then you might find yourself skimming over some parts
November 7, 2024
The book description explains what the book is about. It is sad though, a person wonders or wishes there was another way, the awful things these unsentimental Victorian men literally did to our pet animals.
February 23, 2018
This is a great book. Part murder mystery, part courtroom drama and part chemistry lesson. It’s a very relatable insight into the history of toxicology and it’s fascinating. Highly recommend.
August 14, 2019
Nonfiction that splits its narrative between the murder of George Bodle in 1833 England and the scientific test for detecting the presence of small amounts of arsenic that resulted.
George Bodle was an elderly and wealthy man who owned quite a lot of farmland and was a leading figure in his small town. One morning, he and four other members of his household fell violently ill after sharing a pot of coffee. The other four survived; George died. George's son and grandson promptly accused one another of poisoning him, presumably to get hold of the money and property they were due to inherit. The subsequent court case was a national sensation, followed closely in the newspapers.
Arsenic poisoning, however, looks a lot like food poisoning, cholera, and other common diseases of the time: stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea. There was no positive way to diagnose poisoning as opposed to disease, and no reliable scientific test to prove that arsenic was in a sample of food or drink. It was Bodle's death that inspired James Marsh, who testified as coroner during the trial, to invent a test that would be used in court cases for nearly 150 years.
The Inheritor's Powder isn't particularly faithful to either of these stories. Hempel has a habit of throwing in digressions on related and interesting trivia – other poisoning trials of the period; the use of arsenic to produce green dyes; medical education and prison conditions in early Victorian England; a proposed law banning women from buying arsenic, based on the assumption that they were more likely to be positioners. Which is not a complaint, because some of my favorite parts of the book came in these tangents. I was particularly fascinated by a section on the very first attempts to classify poisons – after all, how does one decide what counts as a poison? Is ground glass a poison? What about acid? Insect stings? Bites from a rabid dog? Are what we would now recognize as shellfish allergies caused by a mysterious poisonous substance that only affects some people? "Poison" seems like such a self-evident category, but it clearly wasn't at all for the first toxicologists!
Hempel's writing is shallower and more melodramatic than I expect from this genre, even ending one chapter with a set of ellipses: "It is also fatal in tiny doses, and in Britain in 1833 it was cheap and ridiculously easy to get hold of, a situation that resulted in no end of mischief..." I can almost hear the dun-dun-duuuun! sound-effect. Although I have to admit that, whatever its drawbacks, the style did make for a terrifically quick read.
Overall The Inheritor's Powder isn't the best Victorian era true-crime nonfiction I've ever read, but it's an entertaining and breezy, a bit like the very morbid beach read you never knew you needed.
George Bodle was an elderly and wealthy man who owned quite a lot of farmland and was a leading figure in his small town. One morning, he and four other members of his household fell violently ill after sharing a pot of coffee. The other four survived; George died. George's son and grandson promptly accused one another of poisoning him, presumably to get hold of the money and property they were due to inherit. The subsequent court case was a national sensation, followed closely in the newspapers.
Arsenic poisoning, however, looks a lot like food poisoning, cholera, and other common diseases of the time: stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea. There was no positive way to diagnose poisoning as opposed to disease, and no reliable scientific test to prove that arsenic was in a sample of food or drink. It was Bodle's death that inspired James Marsh, who testified as coroner during the trial, to invent a test that would be used in court cases for nearly 150 years.
The Inheritor's Powder isn't particularly faithful to either of these stories. Hempel has a habit of throwing in digressions on related and interesting trivia – other poisoning trials of the period; the use of arsenic to produce green dyes; medical education and prison conditions in early Victorian England; a proposed law banning women from buying arsenic, based on the assumption that they were more likely to be positioners. Which is not a complaint, because some of my favorite parts of the book came in these tangents. I was particularly fascinated by a section on the very first attempts to classify poisons – after all, how does one decide what counts as a poison? Is ground glass a poison? What about acid? Insect stings? Bites from a rabid dog? Are what we would now recognize as shellfish allergies caused by a mysterious poisonous substance that only affects some people? "Poison" seems like such a self-evident category, but it clearly wasn't at all for the first toxicologists!
Hempel's writing is shallower and more melodramatic than I expect from this genre, even ending one chapter with a set of ellipses: "It is also fatal in tiny doses, and in Britain in 1833 it was cheap and ridiculously easy to get hold of, a situation that resulted in no end of mischief..." I can almost hear the dun-dun-duuuun! sound-effect. Although I have to admit that, whatever its drawbacks, the style did make for a terrifically quick read.
Overall The Inheritor's Powder isn't the best Victorian era true-crime nonfiction I've ever read, but it's an entertaining and breezy, a bit like the very morbid beach read you never knew you needed.
July 29, 2013
I won this book from a goodreads giveaway. Technically categorized as "science" the book was a combination of legal, criminal justice, and science history in England during the 19th century.
Overall, I liked the book. It was an interesting read. Hempel demonstrated the problems with the rural and urban justice system and the intrinsic problems that lack of chain-of-custody, incompetent coroners, and the limited qualification required for medical experts. These problems were compounded with limited scientific knowledge. The disparity in verdicts and case outcomes was extensively described with more than just antidotal data.
Hempel had moments where she successfully used foreshadowing and dramatic language to build suspense similar to thriller-style real crime books. Bordering on almost too much minutia, she went into depth regarding the development of the medical profession and the differences between apothecary trade, surgeons, and medical practitioners.
I thought the development of early medical expert witnesses and early forensic science was interesting, but I was surprised that the actual arsenic test was not described in more detail. The book was more legal history than forensic science history and I was surprised it was billed as a science book.
Generally, I enjoyed the book and thought it was well-researched, but I wished the author had speculated more on the suspects, motives, and likely murderer. Also, I wish there had been footnotes to the source material. I don't know if that was a result of a early copy of the book or just an oversight.
Overall, I liked the book. It was an interesting read. Hempel demonstrated the problems with the rural and urban justice system and the intrinsic problems that lack of chain-of-custody, incompetent coroners, and the limited qualification required for medical experts. These problems were compounded with limited scientific knowledge. The disparity in verdicts and case outcomes was extensively described with more than just antidotal data.
Hempel had moments where she successfully used foreshadowing and dramatic language to build suspense similar to thriller-style real crime books. Bordering on almost too much minutia, she went into depth regarding the development of the medical profession and the differences between apothecary trade, surgeons, and medical practitioners.
I thought the development of early medical expert witnesses and early forensic science was interesting, but I was surprised that the actual arsenic test was not described in more detail. The book was more legal history than forensic science history and I was surprised it was billed as a science book.
Generally, I enjoyed the book and thought it was well-researched, but I wished the author had speculated more on the suspects, motives, and likely murderer. Also, I wish there had been footnotes to the source material. I don't know if that was a result of a early copy of the book or just an oversight.
January 15, 2015
Sandra Hempel uses the murder of George Bodle in the England of 1833 as a marker for a change in determining whether a death with the symptoms of arsenic poisoning was actually a murder. Known as 'the inheritor's powder' for its use by potential beneficiaries of the deaths of people with income or an estate,Victorian England had been in the midst of a wave of deaths suspected to be poisonings.
An early source of pigment for artisans in Ancient Greece and Egypt, arsenic, like other poisonous substances, had also been a staple for use in treating various malaises in the 1700s. In orpiment, it was an ointment for skin rashes; as white arsenic, it was a rat poison; and as Fowler's, a treatment for leprosy, gangrene, malarial chills and fever. Because of its utility, arsenic was easy to purchase. However, it could also be unseen when mixed in flour or sugar, and couldn't be tasted in most foods.
Hempel traces the work of chemist James Marsh in exploring how to determine the presence of arsenic in a corpse accurately enough to show foul play. His work drew international attention and became the basis for the beginnings of modern forensic science. (248 p.)
Deservedly a PublishersWeekly top ten science book for Fall 2013.
January 11, 2018
4.5 arsenic packets out of 5
This was SUCH a fascinating read! It was everything I hoped it would be. A look into the difficulties of court and criminal work when the world was a little dirtier, a little newer, a little less scientific.
I did find there to be too many characters at certain points, which was confusing— hence the 0.5 mark deduction. Otherwise this would have been a 5! Lots of reviews found the in-between stories to be long-winded and unnecessary. Honestly, I found them incredibly informative and much appreciated; they all give a little more background on the circumstances, on the era, etc.
You can tell Hempel did her research. The story is well paced, and the ending... OH man. SO satisfying! If you’re a curious being, always asking, ‘But why? But how? But what?’ Seriously. Pick up this book. You’re welcome.
This was SUCH a fascinating read! It was everything I hoped it would be. A look into the difficulties of court and criminal work when the world was a little dirtier, a little newer, a little less scientific.
I did find there to be too many characters at certain points, which was confusing— hence the 0.5 mark deduction. Otherwise this would have been a 5! Lots of reviews found the in-between stories to be long-winded and unnecessary. Honestly, I found them incredibly informative and much appreciated; they all give a little more background on the circumstances, on the era, etc.
You can tell Hempel did her research. The story is well paced, and the ending... OH man. SO satisfying! If you’re a curious being, always asking, ‘But why? But how? But what?’ Seriously. Pick up this book. You’re welcome.
August 24, 2014
A combination of history and crime generally grabs my interest, though there was an intriguing case at the centre with a strange bunch of characters there was also a lot of details about toxicology and forensics.
November 28, 2018
Life is short. When a poisoner had your name on their list, it was even shorter. The history of the Marsh test for arsenic and the case that prompted its discovery.
This is a popular history book that needed one more round of edits to come to fruition. It's not a bad read--but it feels disorganized and missing key bits of info that the reader is assumed to know (like how arsenic actually kills someone, for example, or that it's a heavy metal and what that means). The book focuses almost exclusively on one case, but that isn't the way the book is pitched--so it feels kind of like a ripoff. "I was kinda promised the history of arsenic!" "Well, actually..." The few other cases referred to aren't really placed in context, either, so if you don't already know about them it might be a bit much.
All in all, I feel that I can't judge whether or not I want to read the author again because the problems I'm seeing should have been caught in edits, and the writing seemed okay except that I had to track down context.
This is a popular history book that needed one more round of edits to come to fruition. It's not a bad read--but it feels disorganized and missing key bits of info that the reader is assumed to know (like how arsenic actually kills someone, for example, or that it's a heavy metal and what that means). The book focuses almost exclusively on one case, but that isn't the way the book is pitched--so it feels kind of like a ripoff. "I was kinda promised the history of arsenic!" "Well, actually..." The few other cases referred to aren't really placed in context, either, so if you don't already know about them it might be a bit much.
All in all, I feel that I can't judge whether or not I want to read the author again because the problems I'm seeing should have been caught in edits, and the writing seemed okay except that I had to track down context.
February 9, 2025
The case this was based off was interesting and if this book had been solely on that my rating would likely have been higher, however the book was hard to read as it jumped about from the case to the history of poisons and the biography of every scientist involved - each was just interesting as the case but made the flow of the book difficult.
December 29, 2022
Interesting blend of science, true crime and history!
June 4, 2021
Kind of boring & the primary murder it discussed didn't seem like much of a story to me.
May 20, 2017
You sit down to table where a beautiful meal is laid out before you, the delicious aromas delighting your sense of smell. A quick prayer of thanks for the bounty your family enjoys, whether by hard work or good luck. You’re about to begin eating when you pause, looking at the smiling faces of family members, then to the sullen faces of your servants, and fear begins to take hold of you. Or, if you’ve already indulged, something else could be taking hold of you.
Mid-19th century England suffered from an epidemic of poisonings and paranoia. If you enjoyed the double edged sword of a degree of wealth, anything you ate or drank could be the death of you. Arsenic, oh so cheap, conveniently accessible, difficult to test for, and even harder to prove as a murder weapon since it was prevalent in every imaginable product, was the go to poison for anyone who thought they could kill their way to an early inheritance, hence the nickname the inheritor’s powder.
In the midst of this epidemic is the 1833 case of George Bodle, a man of means in the country village of Plumstead with family members who may, or may not, have reason to kill him. Despite his wealth and advanced age, he lives a modest life, still farming his land himself. His home is large and his acreage impressive, but nothing too flashy for George. His one true indulgence is coffee, which he keeps carefully locked up until his morning ritual of measuring out the day’s ration of coffee for himself and others depending on the brew. On November 2nd, George had his last cup and before long a doctor had to be sent for. Everyone in the household became extremely sick but it was George who would be the sole casualty.
Part true crime, part history and part science book, Sandra Hempel takes us into what would ordinarily be the obscure death of an obscure man that instead became the catalyst for scientific progress. For a time, the case held the nation’s attention. As the story progresses through the investigation, coroner’s inquest, to trial, the reader is also taken into the still almost medieval world of how scientists tested for the presence of arsenic. There was no reliable method, and many who murdered got away with it. Conversely, many who were accused were executed with no solid evidence.
What we know today as toxicology, pathology and the weight given to expert testimony in trials was still only in its infancy. At this time, doctors were more quack than scientist, the study of forensics was still only a suggestion at university, and convictions by circumstantial and moral evidence was the order of the day. As the author shows us, in language that even the scientific layman like myself can follow, the Bodle case was at the heart of a growing movement towards a better understanding of poisons, how to better detect them, and the changing attitudes towards science.
All through the book I was eager to find out what would happen to the key players in the Bodle case. As fascinating as the journey to trial, and the trial itself was, it’s what happens in the end to the man at the heart of the trial that sent a shiver through me.
Mid-19th century England suffered from an epidemic of poisonings and paranoia. If you enjoyed the double edged sword of a degree of wealth, anything you ate or drank could be the death of you. Arsenic, oh so cheap, conveniently accessible, difficult to test for, and even harder to prove as a murder weapon since it was prevalent in every imaginable product, was the go to poison for anyone who thought they could kill their way to an early inheritance, hence the nickname the inheritor’s powder.
In the midst of this epidemic is the 1833 case of George Bodle, a man of means in the country village of Plumstead with family members who may, or may not, have reason to kill him. Despite his wealth and advanced age, he lives a modest life, still farming his land himself. His home is large and his acreage impressive, but nothing too flashy for George. His one true indulgence is coffee, which he keeps carefully locked up until his morning ritual of measuring out the day’s ration of coffee for himself and others depending on the brew. On November 2nd, George had his last cup and before long a doctor had to be sent for. Everyone in the household became extremely sick but it was George who would be the sole casualty.
Part true crime, part history and part science book, Sandra Hempel takes us into what would ordinarily be the obscure death of an obscure man that instead became the catalyst for scientific progress. For a time, the case held the nation’s attention. As the story progresses through the investigation, coroner’s inquest, to trial, the reader is also taken into the still almost medieval world of how scientists tested for the presence of arsenic. There was no reliable method, and many who murdered got away with it. Conversely, many who were accused were executed with no solid evidence.
What we know today as toxicology, pathology and the weight given to expert testimony in trials was still only in its infancy. At this time, doctors were more quack than scientist, the study of forensics was still only a suggestion at university, and convictions by circumstantial and moral evidence was the order of the day. As the author shows us, in language that even the scientific layman like myself can follow, the Bodle case was at the heart of a growing movement towards a better understanding of poisons, how to better detect them, and the changing attitudes towards science.
All through the book I was eager to find out what would happen to the key players in the Bodle case. As fascinating as the journey to trial, and the trial itself was, it’s what happens in the end to the man at the heart of the trial that sent a shiver through me.
April 26, 2016
I received this book through a Goodreads Giveaway :)
I will agree with the other reviews that say this book had a lot of scientific terms, and when it says a history of forensics medicine, it means a history. There are tons and tons of detail and names all of which I personally found to be very interesting.
The book itself is pretty easy to read, but if you don't read true crime or watch shows like Criminal Minds or NCIS on a regular basis, then some of the terminology and procedures will likely be a little over your head. I liked how it was formatted to read very much like a mystery novel, detailing England's John Bodle case in small segments and then providing history within those segments. The transitioning between these segments however is a little rough and can be difficult to follow, so I would advise you to read a little slower than you normally would. I found myself having to backtrack a couple pages to make sure Hempel and I were at the same part of the story.
All in all, it was very entertaining. True crime readers and mystery readers in general should give it a try.
I will agree with the other reviews that say this book had a lot of scientific terms, and when it says a history of forensics medicine, it means a history. There are tons and tons of detail and names all of which I personally found to be very interesting.
The book itself is pretty easy to read, but if you don't read true crime or watch shows like Criminal Minds or NCIS on a regular basis, then some of the terminology and procedures will likely be a little over your head. I liked how it was formatted to read very much like a mystery novel, detailing England's John Bodle case in small segments and then providing history within those segments. The transitioning between these segments however is a little rough and can be difficult to follow, so I would advise you to read a little slower than you normally would. I found myself having to backtrack a couple pages to make sure Hempel and I were at the same part of the story.
All in all, it was very entertaining. True crime readers and mystery readers in general should give it a try.
January 18, 2020
A história é promissora: o envenenamento por arsênico e o início da ciência forense. No entanto, durante a leitura, é difícil entender o ponto da autora; os fatos são contados de forma desordenada, num vai e vem sem fim e a maior parte do livro descreve os casos no tribunal, como se essa fosse a real premissa. Existem muitas informações valiosas sobre o caso da família Bodle, porém essas informações são eclipsadas por pequenas situações e informações que nada adicionam ao livro, tornando a leitura confusa e maçante.
April 14, 2014
It is about early forensic science. However, it is also a fascinating source on Victorian society and jurisprudence. Sandra Hempel is a British journalist specializing in health news. Her book is well-researched, yet easy to read.
I picked it up on a whim from the local library because I thought my husband might like it. I shared it with 2 other people before I returned it. I would recommend it for mystery lovers, true crime fans, medical history buffs, or students of Victorian society.
I picked it up on a whim from the local library because I thought my husband might like it. I shared it with 2 other people before I returned it. I would recommend it for mystery lovers, true crime fans, medical history buffs, or students of Victorian society.
August 30, 2014
The book was a good look at the criminal system of old - things have certainly advanced! Drunk policeman handing around evidence at the local pub is not likely to happen nowadays. The book focused more on this then solving the arsenic question and I found it tended to jump around a lot which took away my enjoyment of the book.
July 2, 2019
An engaging and well-researched exploration of one of the most famous murder cases of the 19th century - the poisoning by arsenic of John Bodle and his family. Hempel tells the story with a good balance between sensationalism and scholarship, and the result is both readable and informative.
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