Toxicology Inquests & Court Scandals
Historical criminal proceedings, political poison accusations, and the emergence of analytical forensic toxicology.
Inside this collection
Locusta & Imperial Rome
The trial chronicles and imperial employment of Locusta under Claudius and Nero, documented by Tacitus and Suetonius.
The Borgia Cantarella Myth
Critical evaluation of historical arsenic allegations against Cesare and Rodrigo Borgia versus contemporary political propaganda.
L'Affaire des Poisons
The 17th-century French court scandal, La Voisin, royal mistress intrigue, and the judicial records of the Chambre Ardente.
Aqua Tofana Inquests
Giulia Tofana's network, trade in disguised arsenical cosmetic vials across Rome and Naples, and surviving judicial transcripts.
The Marchioness of Brinvilliers
The 1676 trial and torture of Madame de Brinvilliers, family inheritance homicides, and early modern investigative procedures.
The Marsh Test & Forensic Reform
James Marsh's 1836 chemical mirror test, Mathieu Orfila's jurisprudence, and the end of undetected arsenical homicides.
Athenian State Executions
The juridical use of Conium maculatum infusions in Classical Athens, Plato's Phaedo description, and anatomical signs.
Medieval Well-Poisoning Accusations
Historical and socio-legal analysis of community poison panics, plague scapegoating, and coerced municipal confessions.
A darker leaf.
A closer look.
We trace the line between botanical evidence, historical remedies and plant lore. A beautiful specimen deserves a careful reading.
Our approach