The most common poison used in murders is arsenic and strychnine.
Arsenic and strychnine has been used in murders throughout history.
Strychnine, or “the most insidious” poison, was beloved by Agatha Christie and deployed by Norman Bates on his mother in the movie “Psycho.”
A plant alkaloid like caffeine, the substance began as a rat killer used in merchant vessels.
But as word spread about the rapidity and viciousness of death, murderers took note.
Arsenic trioxide was considered the perfect murder weapon in that its symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea were very like those of many common ailments, so that even doctors were unlikely to diagnose arsenic poisoning as the cause of an illness or death, and surgeons who carried out autopsies were unlikely to find evidence .
The immediate symptoms of acute arsenic poisoning include vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea.
These are followed by numbness and tingling of the extremities, muscle cramping and death, in extreme cases.
For such a long time, arsenic was the perfect poison.
It is odorless, colorless and tasteless, so it's difficult to detect when slipped into a food or beverage.
Its effects are gradual and cumulative deflecting suspicion from the killer.
The symptoms of arsenic poisoning can be acute, or severe and immediate, or chronic, where damage to health is experienced over a longer period.
This will often depend on the method of exposure.
A person who has swallowed arsenic may show signs and symptoms within 30 minutes.