|
Title: Poisons: From Hemlock to Botox to the Killer Bean of Calabar
Purchase
Item
Manufacturer: Arcade Publishing
List Price: $25.00
Our Price: $29.99
|
|
| Customer Reviews: |
| Poisons: From Hemlock to Botox to the Killer Bean of Calabar by Arcade Publishing This Poison is much too dilute to be effective | | My interest in poisons and their facinating link to mankind is longstanding.It stretches back to my youth when I saw an old Charles Bronson movie called The Mechanic.There was a scene toward the end where Jon Michael Vincent poisons his mentor and utters the word "Brusine" and then goes on to explain its action,effect and knows full well the outcome,rapid death.That planted the seed in my brain as to the secret world of poisons and has since stimulated my interest.The knowledge of this unique subject matter as it pertains to the public health as well as my family's and my own, especially in these dangerous times we live in only help to enforce in me a need to understand not only the cause and mechanism of injury but the antidotes and cures.Unless one is a trained toxicologist there really is no reason to review such information aside from casual entertainment or in my case practical application and cure.This book does touch upon many aspects of historical poisoning and offers some interesting tidbits of poison throughout the world's evolution.However it does not have a good flow and most often superficially touches upon the subject matter.It does offer food for thought and can be used as a starting point for deeper research but on the whole it does not satisfy.As other reviewers have indicated there are curious grey boxes noted throughout the book akin to the kind you see in textbooks.My question is why are they there? The information could have easily been incorporated into the body of the text. The thought process and overall presentation of ideas are fragmented,jumbled and frequently caused a sense of irritation while reading.Some poisons are broken down to the bio-chemical and cellular level, something someone with a PH.D or medical background could understand yet some are scantily touched upon for perhaps someone at the high school level to grasp.This uneveness is what I'm talking about.I must admit it did take an effort to stay with it and finish it to the end.If one is looking for a more comprehensive text on the subject of poison keep looking, trust me, they are out there but I'll let you discover them on your own.This tome is for the casual reader of this subject but not for the serious student of toxicology.I really hate to knock a book but 2 stars is all I can give here. Save your money. | | Poisons: From Hemlock to Botox to the Killer Bean of Calabar by Arcade Publishing A desperate hurl | | Macinnis wavers from one topic to the next, with no clear thesis or story, and definitely no structure or method to any particular topic. Even the anecdotal tales--which comprise the vast majority of the half of this book i suffered--are merely a jumbled rant. This appears to be a desperate man's attempt at a quick dollar. He's taken a historically, biologically, socially, criminally, and chemically interesting topic and put less thought into it than a 4th grader writing a tired book report on a forced assignment. | | Poisons: From Hemlock to Botox to the Killer Bean of Calabar by Arcade Publishing Rambling and Disorganized | | I rarely feel compelled to write book reviews, but this book was so unusual that I felt I had to. "Poisons" has its interesting moments, but as several other reviewers have mentioned the author has an annoying habit of rambling and failing to follow through with topics that have been brought up. The analogy desribed in one of the reviews of throwing a stack of index cards with notes into the air and then randomly arranging them into a book is particularly apt. I almost didn't continue after reading the first chapter, which seemed almost like reading a pure stream of consciousness. The gray sidebars continue to confuse me, as there seems to be no rhyme nor reason why these passages were set apart from the main text. Granted the topic is broad in both its scientific and historical scope, and much of the information is good, but the lack of solid editing has made this book a chore to read. | | Poisons: From Hemlock to Botox to the Killer Bean of Calabar by Arcade Publishing And Yet Humans Still Exist | | In this very entertaining and authoritative book, the author discusses various types of poisons, their effects and their uses throughout the ages. Some of these discussions are rather technical, but readers who are less interested in these details and, as a result, fly over them will not lose track of the book's main story lines. Since it appears that various poisons can be found in so many different places in nature, it's a wonder that the human race has managed to survive. Although this is a serious book about a serious subject, the author's choice of words renders the prose at times tongue-in-cheek and at times downright humorous. Complete with a glossary of poisons as well as a bibliography, this book should be enjoyed by anyone. | | Poisons: From Hemlock to Botox to the Killer Bean of Calabar by Arcade Publishing Wicked and wonderful | | Macinnis takes a difficult subject -- the history of toxins complete with chemistry lessons -- and makes it witty and entertaining without loosing any of the fascinating details. Whether a historian curious about poison, a writer in need of a dangerous muse, or simply the man off the street unsure what might be looking in his next drink, this book will satisfy. | | Poisons: From Hemlock to Botox to the Killer Bean of Calabar by Arcade Publishing Product Description | | In the tradition of Salt and Stiff, a wide-ranging and provocative look-teeming with little-known facts and engaging stories-at a subject of the direst interest. Poisons permeate our world. They are in the environment, the workplace, the home. They are in food, our favorite whiskey, medicine, well water. They have been used to cure disease as well as to incapacitate and kill. They smooth wrinkles, block pain, stimulate, and enhance athletic ability. In this entertaining and fact-filled book, science writer Peter Macinnis considers poisons in all their aspects. He recounts stories of the celebrated poisoners in history and literature, from Nero to Thomas Wainewright, and from the death of Socrates to Hamlet and Peter Pan. He discusses the sources of various poisons-from cyanide to strychnine, from Botox to ricin and Sarin gas-as well as their detection. Then he analyzes the science of their action in the body and their uses in medicine, cosmetics, war, and terrorism. With wit and precision, he weighs such questions as: Was Lincoln's volatility caused by mercury poisoning? Was Jack the Ripper an arsenic eater? Can wallpaper kill? For anyone who has ever wondered and been afraid to ask, here is a rich miscellany for your secret questions about toxins. |
No item elements found in rss feed.
|
