214. Poisonings

Cults, Black Widows, and spies, oh my! The act of poisoning has been used by a very diverse set of perpetrators throughout history and all the way up to today. We give you several case examples to try and cover them all after looking at the profiles of poisoners and answering the question- Do women kill more often with poison?

• Ailia Zehra, Alternet. “Republican Election Chief Accused of Slipping MDMA, Cocaine into Granddaughters’ Ice Cream.” Raw Story, 28 Aug. 2025, www.rawstory.com/james-yokeley/. Accessed 30 Aug. 2025.

• A Psychological Profile of a Poisoner. (2025). Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-human-equation/201207/a-psychological-profile-of-a-poisoner

• Adu-Gyamfi, Y. (2016). “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” (Exod 22:18) and contemporary Akan Christian belief and practice: A translational and hermeneutical problem. Old Testament Essays, 29(1), 11–32. https://doi.org/10.17159/2312-3621/2016/v29n1a3

• Akhtar Makoii. ““Black Widow” Who Fatally Poisoned 11 Elderly Husbands Faces Execution.” The Telegraph, 8 Aug. 2025, www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/08/08/black-widow-11-old-husbands-poisoned-inheritance-execution/. Accessed 30 Aug. 2025.

• Ancient Medicine (Sciences of Antiquity): 9780415520959: Medicine & Health Science Books @ Amazon.com. (2025). Amazon.com. https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Medicine-Sciences-Antiquity-Vivian/dp/0415520959

• Bretherton, D. J. (2005). An Invitation to Murder? A Re-interpretation of Exodus 22:I8 “You Shall Not Suffer A Witch to Live.” The Expository Times, 116(5), 145–152. https://doi.org/10.1177/0014524605051863

• Fraga, K. (2022, March 28). Aqua Tofana: The Poison That Killed Hundreds In 17th-Century Italy. All That’s Interesting. https://allthatsinteresting.com/aqua-tofana

• Greyman-Kennard, Danielle. “Iran Woman Murders 11 Husbands for Inheritance, Faces Death | the Jerusalem Post.” The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com, 14 Aug. 2025, www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-863978. Accessed 30 Aug. 2025.

• Google Books. (2018). Google.com. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_History_of_Rome/OtkHAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA3&printsec=frontcover

• Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, and Scorpion Bombs. (2022). Princeton.edu; Princeton University Press. https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691211084/greek-fire-poison-arrows-and-scorpion-bombs?srsltid=AfmBOooxtqDrd6WCBNkOlsYpaN44KS2FTvGQrdWmHYs4E24rzlwgkrNA

• Harrison, J., Fell, T., Leggett, R., Lloyd, D., Puncher, M., & Youngman, M. (2017). The polonium-210 poisoning of Mr Alexander Litvinenko. Journal of Radiological Protection, 37(1), 266–278. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6498/aa58a7

• Karamanou, M., Androutsos, G., Hayes, A. W., & Tsatsakis, A. (2018). Toxicology in the Borgias period: The mystery of Cantarella poison. Toxicology Research and Application, 2. https://doi.org/10.1177/2397847318771126

• Keating, Dan. “The Weapons Men and Women Most Often Use to Kill.” The Washington Post, 7 May 2015, www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/05/07/poison-is-a-womans-weapon/.

• Kotzé, Z. (2025). A comparison of the witchcraft is poison metaphor in Soweto and Selected Old Testament passages. Old Testament Essays, 24(3), 612–627. https://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1010-99192011000300004

• L. Cilliers, & Retief, F. P. (2014). POISONS, POISONING AND THE DRUG TRADE IN ANCIENT ROME. Akroterion, 45(0). https://doi.org/10.7445/45-0-166

• News, PBS. “Sole Survivor of Australian Deadly Mushroom Poisoning Grieves Loss of Wife and Friends.” PBS News, 25 Aug. 2025, www.pbs.org/newshour/world/sole-survivor-of-australian-deadly-mushroom-poisoning-grieves-loss-of-wife-and-friends. Accessed 30 Aug. 2025.

• Poison damsels. (2020, January 30). The Generalist Academy. https://generalist.academy/2020/01/31/poison-damsels/

• Poisoned Painkiller Panic: The Snow-Nickell Cyanide Murders - HistoryLink.org. (2017). Historylink.org. https://www.historylink.org/File/5643

• Poisons, Poisoning, and Poisoners in Rome. (2025). Ucl.ac.uk. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/~ucgajpd/medicina%20antiqua/sa_poisons.html

• Pretorius, S. (2023). A Biblical perspective on the meaning of the word pharmakeia- sorcery and its implications today. ResearchGate, 59(3&4), 1–21. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/376889414_A_Biblical_perspective_on_the_meaning_of_the_word_pharmakeia-_sorcery_and_its_implications_today

• Science and Civilisation In China, Volume 5 Chemistry And Chemical Technology, Part 7, Military Technology, The Gunpowder Epic : Joseph Needham : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (2020). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/science-and-civilisation-in-china-volume-5-chemistry-and-chemical-technology-par

• Snyman, G. F. (2016). Editorial: On variety and tolerance. Old Testament Essays, 29(1), 9–10. https://doi.org/10.17159/2312-3621/2016/v29n1a2

• Spara, Hieronyma (d. 1659) | Encyclopedia.com. (2025). Encyclopedia.com. https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/spara-hieronyma-d-1659

• The. (2014, October 20). Britannica on boiling to death | Britannica, Execution Methods & Punishments. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Britannica-on-boiling-to-death-1996248

• United Press International. (1987, December 10). WOMAN CHARGED IN 2 DEATHS FROM CYANIDE-TAINTED DRUG. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1987/12/10/woman-charged-in-2-deaths-from-cyanide-tainted-drug/d951201d-0517-4685-b88c-de83e649e6c5/

• United Press International. (1988, June 17). Seattle Woman Gets 90 Years for Killing 2 With Tampered Pills. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-06-17-mn-5666-story.html

• UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT. (n.d.). Retrieved August 30, 2025, from https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2016/03/21/14-30204.pdf

• Ways to Paradise: The Chinese Quest for Immortality - Google Search. (2018). Google.com. https://www.google.com/search?q=Ways+to+Paradise%3A+The+Chinese+Quest+for+Immortality&oq=Ways+to+Paradise%3A+The+Chinese+Quest+for+Immortality&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBBzYyOGowajSoAgOwAgHxBY0f-UgsuWTL&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8