Was Napoleon killed by the arsenic in his wallpaper? How did Rasputin survive cyanide poisoning? Which chemicals in our environment pose the biggest threat to our health today?

In The Elements of Murder, John Emsley offers a fascinating account of five of the most toxic elements--arsenic, antimony, lead, mercury, and thallium--describing their lethal chemical properties and highlighting their use in some of the most famous murder cases in history. Indeed, we meet in

this book a who's who of heartless murderers. Mary Ann Cotton, who used arsenic to murder her mother, three husbands, a lover, eight of her own children, and seven step children, a grand total of 20 people. Michael Swango, who may have killed as many as 60 of his patients and several of his

colleagues during the 20 years he practiced as a doctor and paramedic. And even Saddam Hussein, who used thallium sulfate to poison his political rivals. Emsley also shows which toxic elements may have been behind the madness of King George III (almost certainly a case of acute lead poisoning), the

delusions of Isaac Newton, and the strange death of King Charles II. In addition, the book examines many modern day environmental catastrophes, including accidental mass poisoning from lead and arsenic, and the Minamata Bay disaster in Japan.

Written by a leading science writer, famous for his knowledge of the elements and their curious and colorful histories, The Elements of Murder offers an enticing combination of true crime tales and curious science that adds up to an addictive read.

约翰·埃姆斯利（John Emsley）博士，曾在伦敦大学从事20年化学研究和教学工作。现为英国剑桥大学化学系驻校科学作家。他于2003年获德国化学会颁发的作家奖。著有《分子博览会》、《食物过敏的原因及其预防》、《磷元素令人震惊的历史》、《构造大自然的基础材料》、《虚荣心、生命力和生殖力》等多部科普畅销书。其著作被翻译成多种文字畅销世界各国。作品《消费者化学指南》于1995年获得罗纳－普朗克科学图书奖。