HISTORY OF MEDICINE. Poison: A History lifts the lid on 30 notorious cases of poisoning--riveting accounts ranging from Roman poisoning epidemics to the shocking antics of toxic aristocrats in 16th-century Florence and 17th-century Versailles, all the way up to the murder of Alexander Litvinenko by means of a polonium-laced cup of tea in 2006. Cases of intentional poisoning have likely been occurring since early humans discovered that a sour aftertaste isn't the only consequence of snacking on belladonna. In the twenty-first century, the art of the poisoner remains just as creepy, secret, and horribly fascinating as ever. Poison: A History reveals intriguing insights into the poisonous art, including the psyches of the perpetrators. These richly illustrated stories detail both motive and method, along with body count.