The Chemistry of Death

By: Alan Hall PhD

Narrated by: Aaron Sinn

It's a depressing thought, but one day you will die. All living things die. This essay deals with the topic of death. It covers a number of famous poisoners and the poisons they dispatched to their victims. In addition to the mechanisms of drug action, the subject of apoptosis (programmed cell death) is also discussed. This essay is therefore a resource which can aid students and the layperson interested in drug/toxin action. There is also some humor.

©2014 Alan Hall (P)2014 Alan Hall

Fascinating

Oh, there are so many ways we may die. So many elements, etc. that are lethal to us, and many are all around us. Listen, enjoy (!?). And be very careful about what you breathe, drink, or eat. You might consider a Xanax after listening to this thoroughly impossible to stop audiobook.

expected more

What disappointed you about The Chemistry of Death?

This book is not terrifying despite its claims that its content will induce nightmares. I did not buy this book to be terrified though, I bought it to be informed and it really does neither well. Moreover, I found the author's sense of humor somewhat ill placed. Much of the content is not very surprising; asbestos causes mesothelioma - and yes, its effects are terrible and there is no cure; mercury is bad, leave it alone, arsenic and radioactive substances also. The author does include some clinical narrative of how these toxins interact within the body's cells, while splicing in some historical narrative, but I was hoping this book would be more clinical and broad, including lesser known toxins in the environment to steer clear of. It does not.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Aleksandr Litvinenko's name is mispronounced. This was a pretty high profile case, and I was surprised by the mistake.