Thursday 3 February 7.00pm
The poisonous poet: arsenic and industrial revolution
Prof Andrew Meharg
The 19th century was bathed in the most notorious of all poisons: arsenic. From wallpapers to cake decorations, from muslins to medicines, Victorian industry ensured that few lives were untouched by what came to be called 'the verdant assassin'. Fortunately, this ubiquity also fuelled forensic science, organic chemistry and drug development.
Join Andrew Meharg, author of Venomous earth, a new scientific, cultural and political history of arsenic, as he explains why Darwin took it for his eczema, Marx for his carbuncles and the Queen for her complexion. Andrew will also reveal how his work as an environmental toxicologist led him to discover that William Morris, the founding father of Britain's green movement and the Arts and Crafts revival, made a fortune from mining and manufacturing 'the perfect poison', endangering his exclusive clientele in the process.
Andrew Meharg is Professor of Biogeochemistry at the University of Aberdeen, where he studies and teaches the impact of pollutants on the environment. His particular interest is how arsenic interacts with plants, animals and humans. In this capacity he has advised national and international government and aid bodies. Andrew has published numerous academic papers, book chapters and popular press articles on his research.
This event is in association with Macmillan.
Tickets cost £8, £5 for RI Members and concessions. Ticket price includes a glass of wine after the event and an opportunity to buy Andrew's book Venomous earth: how arsenic caused the world's worst mass poisoning.
Booking via www.rigb.org or 020 7409 2992.
Amanda Tyndall
Temporary Senior Events Co-ordinator
The Royal Institution
21 Albemarle Street
London W1S 4BS
Tel: 020 7409 2992
Fax: 020 7670 2920
Email: [log in to unmask]
www.rigb.org
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