Forensic chemistry in 19th-century Britain

Poison has long been a common murder weapon, but in early nineteenth-centur y Britain toxic substances were readily available and little attention was paid to toxicology. In 1820 the use of poisonous substances in food manufac ture was exposed and it was also realized that medical jurisprudence, inclu ding toxicology, was already well advanced in some European countries. Bett er training in these subjects for British doctors was begun, led by three p rominent physicians, Robert Christison, Alfred Taylor and Thomas Stevenson. The professions of analytical chemist and Public Analyst were enhanced and the importance of chemical evidence in poison trials was established.