Entre venenos

Through the consultation of abundant printed and manuscript sources, many of which are unpublished, six tragic cases of poisoning that occurred between the Middle Ages and the 20th century are meticulously reconstructed that help us understand the changes in the social, cultural, politicians, economists and scientists from the universe of poisons. This combination of the micro-historical scale with the long duration and the comparative study makes it possible to question the most common clichés about poisons today, such as the archetype of emmetzinador women or the value attributed to scientific and medical evidence in the trials These cases show the decisive role of the plurality of ways to approach poisonings, both because of the various conceptions about the substances, and because of the diversity of experts involved in their research and the heterogeneous set of detection methods available at any given time , each with different probative power in the corresponding legal contexts. In this way, through toxic products and associated violence, the intricate relationships between science, medicine and justice are explored.