If you are preparing to become a student of an elite institution, then it will definitely not hurt you to study the new book from the publishing house Mann, Ivanov and Ferber. "Tricky question. How to make the brains move ”- a collection of answers to the questions asked at interviews when entering Oxford and Cambridge. You will finally find out, for example, how small a computer can be, what happens if you drop an ant, and why people have two eyes at all.

John farndon

Tricky question. How to make the brains move

Translated from English by Idey Ayzyatulova

Mann, Ivanov and Ferber, 2016.

The largest mass poisoning in the UK happened in 1988 in Camelford, Cornwall, when thousands of people suffered from drinking water, in which the concentration of aluminum sulphate was 3000 times higher than the permissible level. Many people had health problems that eventually led to death, even after a long time.

How do you poison someone so the police won't find out?

(Medicine, Cambridge)

The answer to this question will not be superfluous for any undergraduate Cambridge. In the end, no one will give you a guarantee that your roommate will not become completely unbearable or that the course curator will not send your essay to the trash bin worthy of a place in the list of the best works of the year. However, why be limited to poisoning, if there are still a lot of ways with which you can get rid of these unpleasant teachers? There are a lot of whirlpools in the river, and during the boat trip it is quite easy to fall into the water, freshly washed stone steps of the ancient stairs are extremely cunning, and various explosive substances are stored in the chemical laboratory. In addition, this year alone, at least a hundred students died of boredom at lectures by Professor Schoolosvoding, but for some reason this did not interest the police ...

Perhaps I moved too quickly to a conclusion. In fact, the question posed does not mean that the victim of the poisoning will certainly have to die; a slight indigestion completely satisfies the conditions of the task, since it is unlikely to attract the attention of the authorities. For example, I can remember a couple of parties where I was most definitely poisoned by disgusting food and excessive amounts of alcohol, but in the police station I would laugh at you if you were thinking about it. so the best way to poison someone and sneak away from the long arm of the law is to pay attention to the level of harm you do.

So, tasteless food and counterfeit alcohol will easily help you disguise the poison in such a way that even your victim will not have any suspicions. However, remember that many substances can become extremely poisonous with incorrect dosage. As the famous medieval physician Paracelsus said, “everything is poison, and nothing is devoid of poisonousness”. It is only in the dosage. In small amounts, vitamins A and D are simply necessary for the normal functioning of our body. but too high a concentration leads to death. Even oxygen, a gas that gives us life, can do harm. Of course, the usual medications used in large quantities, such as paracetamol, can be deadly, not to mention alcohol.

You find yourself a poisoner, just sitting in the car and starting the engine: nitrous oxide and particulate matter in the exhaust gases often cause pulmonary diseases. Types of poisons can be chosen almost infinitely.

However, the question is, I suppose, how to deliberately poison someone to die. the attractiveness of a poison as a murder weapon lies in its invisibility, as well as the fact that its use does not require physical strength or full control over the situation. The killer does not even need to be at the crime scene at the time of the death of the victim, and therefore it becomes easier to avoid punishment. That is why at all times the poisoners were considered more vile and ominous than honest assassins who wielded a sword, apt arrows, and even ridiculous assassins using an ax. However, if you are dead, you honestly do not care how you were killed.

History knows many rulers and their rivals, who alternately hunted each other. It is believed that Ivan the terrible by mercury sank with the light of his wife and mother, and in the end he himself fell victim to the treacherous silver metal. The Borgia, in general, made poisons a lifestyle (or rather, a death style) and arsenic was shoved at each other so often that it was surprising how the family actually lasted so long. by the way, mixing a small amount of arsenic into the food of the nurse, often got rid of the unwanted baby, because he used the poison through breast milk. Who, then, was the killer? *

In the past, poisoning was much more widespread than it is now, especially in high society. Partly, probably, because then it was easy to send a servant to a regular pharmacy for a bottle of arsenic, and no one would ask questions. there were difficulties in determining whether the victim really died from the poison. for example, Hamlet had to meet with a ghost to make sure that his father was poisoned. Nowadays, not so much toxic drugs are sold in pharmacies, and a prescription is needed to buy most of them - in many countries there are laws controlling the distribution of such drugs. if you type “buy deadly poison” into a search engine, information about this will remain in your search history and give you information.

An autopsy is also able to detect most poisons in a corpse. Therefore, it is now much, much harder to poison someone and avoid punishment, and you should not forget that the police began to work better. Forensic diagnostics are too effective for you to manage to poison someone imperceptibly, especially if the death is unexpected and at least a little suspicious. Of course, there are poisons that are almost impossible to detect, but you will have to work hard to acquire them. However, I think that I would have chances to poison someone and remain undecided.

First, a lot depends on the choice of the victim. The closer you are familiar, the more difficult it will be to exclude yourself from the circle of suspects. Considering that the questioner does not care who I kill (how heartless!), I have the right to designate the victim of a complete stranger, and not a neighbor or a family member. for example, I would be able to kill a few people by adding a grain of ricin to a sugar bowl in a cafe in the part of the city opposite to my house. It is unlikely that I will come under suspicion, especially if I go there by bicycle and will not leave any traces of my visit.

An obvious solution would also be to add poison to the water supply system. It was easy to get mercury, and I heard that al-Qaida was about to carry out a number of such terrorist acts in Iraq. There are a large number of other substances that, once in the drinking water, will lead to the fact that people's health will deteriorate sharply, even if it does not reach death itself **. A lot of people suffered from just polluted water - the poisoning was not always intentional.

I understand that I have not yet offered a single way to poison someone I know, and I didn’t specify the details of the poisoning of strangers. Well, nothing. Planning a murder is unpleasant, even if it is just a thought experiment. The doctor should be aware of the effects of various poisons and how to recognize their effects in order to be able to help the patient. Pathologist such knowledge will be useful, so that the police could find and punish the murderer. In all other cases, it seems to me, the idea of ​​the "perfect murder" should be visited only by the authors of detective novels.

But perhaps I would be able to lure my victims to Japan and, before we fly home, invite them to the ceremony of eating a local delicacy, puffer fish, as a farewell gift for a nice time. Then I would try to add alcohol to the chef’s drink, or another substance that slows down the reaction, just before he started making sashimi. Fugu liver contains deadly tetrodotoxin, which is produced by marine bacteria, and, if the fish is improperly sliced, this poison can be eaten. The victims will die in eight hours and for a long time will experience only a slight tingling in the muscles. By the time the police arrest the chef for negligence or even murder, I will be in a different place for a long time, probably in another country. If the poison in the food is not enough, I can always send a festive pudding as a birthday present from an old friend.

One of the most famous poisoners was Julia Tofana, who lived in the XVII century in Rome. She mixed poisons for young women who could not divorce their husbands, but they were married. Clients considered her a real hero, so after Tofana was caught, the authorities had to hide for a while where she was, so that her fans could not save her.

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Publication date 02/21/2013 1:45 PM

The topic of poisons is quite interesting even from a cognitive point of view. For example, castor oil, which is often mentioned in jokes and used in life as a laxative, is a source of ricin, which is even stronger than cyanide. Ricin turns red blood cells into a "porridge", stops the work of the kidneys and the liver, is the cause of collapse. Terrorists mastered long ago. Poisons like this. It is clear that they do not think about someone's painful death. Ricin is so effective that even there was talk of including it in chemical weapons. Perhaps this would have happened if the substance could be included in aerosols acting through the skin.

Poisons, in fact, these are substances that cause poisoning or death. Action and character depends mainly on the composition, dose. The toxicity of poisons is usually selective. Their origin can be plant, animal, mineral, chemical and mixed.

Is it possible to making poisons at home? Of course. But here I want to immediately make a reservation: the conduct of such activities can deprive you of freedom for several years, since the manufacture of poisons at home can be regarded as a preparation for a crime. Keep in mind: if your plans were to get rid of, for example, from rats or insects, and the person was poisoned (by chance), you are accused of unintentional (unintentional) killing.

By the way, working with toxic substances is dangerous first of all for you. Even fumes (or dust) that you will inhale can be poisonous. Therefore, before deciding to manufacture poisons at home, think about whether to take the risk? After all, a few hours of experiments can cost you your own life. Maybe it's easier to go to specialty stores and buy ready-made and licensed goods?

Most common making poisons at home  from organic, "grass" components: ergot, foxglove, lily of the valley, castor-oil, stevia, grebes, curare.

Ergot refers to fungi (more precisely, fungi), formed on rye. Once in the body warm-blooded, ergot becomes the cause of hallucinations and inappropriate behavior. Then the cramps begin. Often there is gangrene of the extremities.

The foxglove, lovingly referred to as the buttercup (plantain family), contains digitoxin and digitalis (the strongest poisons), in small doses, healing the heart, and in large doses, stopping it. With an overdose, the pulse drops, dizziness, dyspnea, cyanosis develops. Deadly dose - 2.3 g

Lily of the valley also refers to the healing plants. Healers treated them for headaches, heart disease, epilepsy, dropsy, edema, Grave disease, insomnia, eye disease. However, the juice of the lily of the valley, containing Convallomarine, can cause severe poisoning.

Castor oil is another medicinal plant, often serving as a beautiful decoration of the garden or courtyard. While admiring beautiful chestnut-like leaves, most do not even suspect that they admire pure poison. In all parts of the castor, including the charming delicate flowers, contains ricin, which was discussed above. Its use leads to death after five to seven days of severe suffering (gastrointestinal bleeding, colic, vomiting, severe enteritis, destruction of tissue proteins). Not only juice is poisonous, but also a dry plant. Inhalation of the powder causes decomposition of the lungs. There is no antidote.

Toadstools (pale) are the source of another potent poison amanitotoksina, which does not collapse even with a very long heat treatment. The toxicity of the toadstool exceeds the toxicity of the venom of the cobra and gurzy.

Tender wrinkled in the last century caused several thousands of Americans to be poisoned in the last century. It was enough for them to drink the milk of the cows that ate the plant.

And finally - curare. This poison is probably the most dangerous of all existing in nature. The Indians, who also made poisons at home, shared it. The plant was called by different tribes in different ways: curare, vurari, kururu, vurals, etc. It was difficult for a white man to navigate in a variety of similar names. It was believed that all these options were the name of a single plant. However, Richard Gill (American scientist), closer to the middle of the last century, established that the Indians used two types of the plant Chondodendron tomentosum. They were divided by action and by symptoms of death. Interestingly, these poisons were stored in different ways: one kind in pots, and the other, more powerful - in tubules cut from the roots. A large animal struck by an arrow moistened with curare dies ten minutes later.

Today we will present you the first five of the worst poisons for humans. About some of them, we already know from the notorious news of Syria and the countries of the Middle East. But let's start in order. The very first poisonous element is used in plastic surgery ...

1. Botulinum toxin  Many experts refer to the strongest poison, despite the fact that today many people use it to smooth wrinkles. Although it is not known for certain about its harm.

It is believed that it is botulinum toxin that causes paralysis in humans and is triggered by Botox. This poison damages the nervous system, stops breathing and ensures death in terrible agony, and all because of the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. Symptoms of the onset of the disease are nausea, vomiting, double vision, weakness of the facial muscles, speech defects and difficulty in swallowing saliva. Although this bacterium can enter the human body with food or through an open wound.

  2. Another dangerous poison is ricin  - This is a natural poison, which is obtained from plants of castor beans. Only a few grains of this mixture can kill a person. This poison acts as follows: it kills cells in the human body and prevents the production of proteins that we need, which leads to a failure of the organs.

If you inhale this poison, the symptoms will appear no earlier than 8 hours after exposure. In most cases, ricin manifests itself with difficulty breathing, fever, cough, sweating, diarrhea and chest tightness. Death occurs at 2-4 days.

3. Gas sarin  It is considered one of the deadly gases, which is much more toxic than cyanide. Almost immediately after its appearance, it became the main chemical weapon. Despite the stone fences, they can be poisoned by contact with eyes and skin, and of course by inhalation of its vapors. Modern chemical weapons can already pass through walls and fences. But scientists, too, are not standing still, and there are already impurities that, when added to concrete for barriers or walls of buildings, simply do not allow sarin to penetrate inside the home. Such is the kind of “fence” for the strongest poison.

With the administration of this poison, a runny nose may first appear, then chest tightness. Nausea will appear and breathing will be difficult. After a few people will be lost control over all functions of the body and a person can fall into a coma at any moment. After that, an attack of suffocation will soon come, and convulsions will begin.

4. Tetrodotoxin  another deadly poison that is found in the organs of puffer fish. Of this kind of fish, most of them cook the favorite by many delicacy “fugu”. This poison is also dangerous due to the fact that it remains on the skin, intestines and liver.

This poisoning can cause paralysis, spasm, psychological disorder and other symptoms. A fatal outcome occurs in an incident of six hours. It is known for certain that several dozen people die annually from this toxin an agonizing death.

5. Cyanic potassium  - everyone knows, and much has already been written about his danger. He is one of the fastest poisons with which people are familiar. It is in the form of crystals or colorless gas, has the smell of bitter almond. It can be found in products and plants. It is available in small quantities in cigarettes and is used in the manufacture of plastics and photographs.

It is known that poisons have been used by mankind since time immemorial as an inconspicuous and effective weapon. Dangerous toxins are found everywhere - in drinking water, plants, and chemical composition.

Many doctors knowthan to poison a person at home and how to avoid suspicious signs, however, such an act is a criminal offense. Nevertheless, today some people resort to this method in order to eliminate a rival, often this happens in criminal communities.

Natural hazards are dangerous if you knowthan can poison a person. To death  affect not only pathogens, but also compounds. Known poison is botulinum toxin, which is produced by special microbes that can multiply rapidly in a protein medium. It is the cause of intoxication after eating spoiled canned food, mushrooms and other products. In the digestive tract, this toxin is not destroyed by enzymes and is absorbed into the mucous membranes of the stomach and intestines.

Individuals who choosethan to poison a man to death, rarely prefer botulinum toxin, as the lethal outcome in this case is rare.

However, signs of malaise can always be attributed to the last meal, during which canned billet, sausage and other unsafe food were consumed. Symptoms of poisoning are nausea, vomiting and dryness of the skin, after which paralysis of the striated muscles develops.

Most people are familiar with castor oil, but few are aware of ricin, the toxin contained in castor oil seeds. Criminals seekingthan can quietly poison a person, often stop at this poison. It is a white, odorless crystals, which dissolve in the liquid, however, when boiling the aqueous solution, the dangerous properties of ricin disappear.

The poisonous substance does not penetrate through the skin, it acts only when ingested. In ricin poisoning, the latent period of intoxication varies from 15 to 24 hours, sometimes the symptoms appear earlier. Thus, intestinal colic, diarrhea with blood, nausea and vomiting are detected, and hemorrhages occur in the retina.

When a significant portion of castor seed seeds is ingested, death occurs after 6 days due to damage to internal organs, as well as extensive bleeding.

This poison is sometimes chosen by attackers who thinkthan you can quickly poison a person. Nevertheless, death occurs infrequently.

The poison of the toadstool was known to medieval politicians and medicine men who knewhow can you poison a person to death. Today, scientists have found that the fungus contains toxins such as phalloidins and alpha-amanitins, which act quickly and irreversibly, these substances are not destroyed by heat treatment.

The latent period without warning signs lasts up to 40 hours, before a large amount of poison enters the bloodstream and causes depressing signs of poisoning. It is characterized by diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration of the body, as well as the paleness of the skin and an increase in the pulse. A few days later, an extensive damage occurs to the internal organs - the liver and kidneys; toxic hepatitis develops, after which death is observed.

What can poison a person, if you do not take into account the above funds? The following components are used for this purpose:

· atropine;

· solanine;

· aflatoxin.

Atropine is a substance from the group of alkaloids, it is in plants - belladonna, dope, belen, and others. Intoxication occurs within 1 hour after taking the poison, the degree of poisoning may be different.

It is known that atropine affects the structure of the brain, causing impaired coordination, damage to the heart and lungs. Fatality occurs infrequently due to insufficient dose of toxin.

Than to poison a person for a while? In this case, solanine, contained in the roots, would be a suitable option. You can find it not only in potatoes, but also in tomatoes and eggplants.

Intoxication is manifested in the form of nausea, vomiting, spastic abdominal pain and a feeling of bitterness in the mouth. Nevertheless, it is unlikely to consume a large dose of solanine, because death does not threaten the victim.

In addition, aflatoxins, a group of toxic substances released by a microscopic fungus, are a common method of poisoning. If improperly stored, they are affected by various foods, for example, dried fruits, milk, rice, tea, and more.

Poison in large quantities causes the death of liver cells, however, the poisoning takes place without serious consequences and is limited to a temporary deterioration of well-being.

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In the old days, people knewbetter to poison a person. Make it easy with ordinary mercury, a dangerous metal causes fatigue, headaches, memory loss.

In addition, there is an increase in body temperature and a decrease in blood pressure. Suffering and digestive system, often observed diarrhea and metallic taste in the mouth. When inhaling a significant amount of mercury vapor is inevitable death, because this tool for centuries has been a weapon of offenders who understoodthan to poison a man without a trace  of crime.

In the world there are many poisons of very different nature. Some of them act almost instantly, others can torment the victim of poisoning for years, slowly destroying it from the inside. True, the concept of poison has no clear boundaries. It all depends on the concentration. And often the same substance can act as a deadly poison, and as one of the most necessary components to sustain life. A vivid example of such duality is vitamins - even a small excess of their concentration can completely destroy health or kill on the spot. Here we propose to look at 10 substances that belong to pure poisons, and are included in the group of the most dangerous and fast-acting.

Cyanide is a fairly large group of hydrocyanic salts. They are all, like the acid itself, extremely poisonous. In the last century, both hydrocyanic acid and cyanogen were used as chemical warfare agents, and they have tens of thousands of lives.

Cyanic potassium is also famous for its extreme toxicity. Only 200-300 mg of this white powder, resembling sugar, is enough to kill an adult in just a few seconds. Thanks to such a small dosage and an incredibly fast death, this poison was chosen to pass away, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Goebbels, Hermann Goering and other Nazis.

This poison tried to poison Grigory Rasputin. True, the poisoners mixed cyanide into sweet wine and cakes, not knowing that sugar is one of the most powerful antidotes for this poison. Therefore, in the end, they had to use a pistol.

2. Bacillus anthrax

Anthrax is a very severe, rapidly developing disease caused by the bacteria Bacillus anthracis. There are several forms of anthrax. The most "innocuous" is skin. Even without treatment, the mortality from this form does not exceed 20%. The intestinal form kills about half of the patients, but the pulmonary form is almost certain death. Even with the help of the newest methods of treatment, modern doctors manage to save no more than 5% of patients.

Zarin was created by German scientists who tried to synthesize a powerful pesticide. But its deadly glory, this deadly poison, causing a quick, but very painful death, acquired not on agricultural fields, but as a chemical weapon. For decades, Sarin was produced in tons for military purposes, and only in 1993 its production was banned. But, despite calls for the complete destruction of all stocks of this substance, in our time it is used by both terrorists and the military.

4. Amatoxins

Amatoxins are a whole group of protein poisons contained in poisonous mushrooms of the amanitic family, including the deadly death crab. The particular danger of these poisons lies in their “slowness”. Once in the human body, they immediately begin their destructive activities, but the victim begins to feel the first discomfort no sooner than after 10 hours, and sometimes several days later, when it is already very difficult for doctors to do something. Even if such a patient can be saved, he will still suffer for the rest of his life from painful disorders of the liver, kidneys and lungs.

5. Strychnine

Strychnine is found in large quantities in the nuts of a tropical chilibuch tree. It was from them that it was obtained in 1818 by the French chemists Pelletier and Cavantu. In small doses, strychnine can be used as a drug that increases metabolic processes, improves heart function and treatment of paralysis. He was even actively used as an antidote for barbiturate poisoning.

Nevertheless, it is one of the strongest poisons. Its lethal dose is even less than that of the famous cyanide potassium, but it acts much more slowly. After half an hour of terrible agony and severe convulsions, death from strychnine poisoning occurs.

Mercury is extremely dangerous in all its manifestations, but its vapors and soluble compounds cause especially strong harm. Even small amounts of mercury in the body cause severe damage to the nervous system, liver, kidneys and the entire gastrointestinal tract.

When small amounts of mercury enter the body, the process of poisoning proceeds gradually, but inevitably, since this poison is not excreted, but, on the contrary, accumulates. In ancient times, mercury was very widely used for the production of mirrors, as well as felt for hats. Chronic mercury vapor poisoning, which manifested itself in behavioral disorder up to complete insanity, at the time was called the "disease of the old hatmen".

7. Tetrodotoxin

This extremely strong poison is found in the liver, milt and roe of the famous puffer fish, as well as in the skin and roe of some species of tropical frogs, octopuses, crabs and in the calf of the California triton. Europeans first met this poison in 1774, when the crew ate an unknown tropical fish on the ship of James Cook, and the slop from dinner was given to the ship's pigs. By morning, all the people were seriously ill, and the pigs had died.

Tetrodotoxin poisoning is very serious, and even today, doctors manage to save less than half of all poisoned.

It is interesting to note that the famous Japanese delicacy of puffer fish is made from fish, in which the content of the most dangerous toxin exceeds the lethal dose for humans. Fans of this food literally entrust their lives to the art of the chef. But, no matter how hard the chefs try, they cannot avoid accidents, and every year several gourmets die after enjoying a delicious dish.

Ricin is an extremely strong poison of plant origin. Greater danger is the inhalation of its smallest grains. Ricin is about 6 times more potent than potassium cyanide, but it was not used as a weapon of mass destruction due to purely technical difficulties. But various special services and terrorists really "love" this substance. Politicians and public figures with enviable regularity receive letters filled with ricin. True, it rarely comes to death, since the penetration of ricin through the lungs has a rather low efficiency. For one hundred percent result, ricin must be injected directly into the blood.

9. Wee-Ex (VX)

VX, or, as it is also called, VI-gas, belongs to the category of combat poisonous gases that have a nerve-paralytic effect. He, too, was born as a new pesticide, but soon the military began to use it for their own purposes. Symptoms of poisoning with this gas appear within one minute after inhalation or contact with the skin, and death occurs within 10-15 minutes.

10. Botulinum toxin

Botulinum toxin is produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, which are the causative agents of the most dangerous disease, botulism. It is the strongest poison of organic nature and one of the strongest poisons in the world. In the last century, botulinum toxin was part of the arsenals of chemical weapons, but at the same time, active research was conducted on its use in medicine. And today, a huge number of people who want at least for a while to return the smoothness of the skin, are experiencing the influence of this terrible poison, which is part of the popular drug Botox, which once again confirms the validity of the famous statement of the great Paracelsus: “Everything is poison, everything - medicine; both determine the dose. ”