Arsenic: Sold on Every Corner

By Hannah Swart

                It might surprise readers to hear that one of the most common methods of murder, arsenic, is as readily available as tea.  One does not need to supply any reason to a druggist to acquire this deadly substance, and yet we are continually shocked to hear of a new murder case involving poisoning.  In fact, from 1839 to 1849, 259 poisoning murder cases occurred.  Our judicial system has managed to come to convictions in only 85 of those cases.  Naturally, the reason for this is that it is quite difficult to track down the culprit in such circumstances.  Many law-abiding, respectable citizens purchase arsenic for harmless reasons; for example, ridding their homes of rats or other pests.  Surely, a druggist will not remember every customer who purchased arsenic in any given period of time, which is one of the reasons policemen and detectives struggle to narrow down their search for the criminal. 

If our judges, lawyers, and policemen are fully away of the difficulties in solving these particular murder why is poison still so easily accessible?  There is no regulation on either the selling or purchasing of arsenic, the most common poison used for murder. Perhaps our judicial system would find an easier time tracking down these murderers if arsenic wasn't sold round every corner.

Source: Household Words, Volume II, pages 155 -157