Is arsenic an aphrodisiac? The sociochemistry of an element
John Nicholson reviews this eye-opening insight into the world of arsenic
Is arsenic an aphrodisiac? The sociochemistry of an element
William R. Cullen
Cambridge: RSC 2008 | Pp428 | £55.95 | ISBN 978 0 85 404363 7
The element arsenic has been known from antiquity and is famed above all for its toxicity. With chemical properties that resemble both non-metals and metals, it is described as a 'metalloid'. Arsenic forms a variety of compounds, and has many important technological uses. More than that, the element has influenced the lives (and deaths) of many people throughout the history of the world.
This book sets out to cover the extraordinary influence of arsenic for which the author has coined the term 'sociochemistry'. The result is fascinating. Covering the chemistry, toxicology, and medicinal aspects of arsenic in a style suited to both the general reader and the specialist, Cullen describes how the element has become so influential. He covers a wide range of topics including the use of arsenic in pharmacy from Chinese medicine to the early days of chemotherapy, when Paul Ehrlich discovered salvarsan, the arsenic-based cure for syphilis. Cullen also notes that, more recently, arsenic trioxide has been used successfully to treat a form of leukaemia.
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