Death in the Pot: The Impact of Food Poisoning on History (ISBN 1591025141)

A Thrilling and Informative Masterpiece:
I found this book almost impossible to put down. In six chapters, the author, a molecular biologist, describes various instances in human history in which some sort of poisoning occurred. Some of these poisonings were purely accidental while others were deliberate, but they all involved the interactions between the human body and the various toxins that can cause it harm. Indeed, one can wonder how the human race has survived for so long in view of all the dangerous substances that can be innocently ingested. The many incidents described span millennia - the latest one having occurred only a couple of years ago. For each case, the author has included the relevant historical information, the aftermath and current understanding of what happened. I found the writing style to be particularly outstanding: it is simple, clear, engaging, authoritative, friendly and quite witty in many places (in fact, on a couple of instances, I found myself laughing out loud). Although this gripping masterpiece can be enjoyed by anyone, it may be particularly relished by history, true crime and science buffs alike.

A fine history packed with footnoted references:
DEATH IN THE POT: THE IMPACT OF FOOD POISONING ON HISTORY is an intriguing college-level survey of how food poisoning has affected history, whether the poisoning was intentional or unintentional. From an early 5th century Athens plague probably caused by contaminated cereals which led to their defeat in the Peloponnesian War to efforts to make modern food safer, this is a fine history packed with footnoted references and perfect for both college-level history and health collections alike.