About this episode

The episode discusses the disturbing practices of a female serial killer in the 19th century and the use of dangerous alternative medicines during that time.

During the 19th century, it was all too commonplace to see alternative medicines being offered as cure-alls for ailments suffered by the general public. The dangerous poison strychnine was handed out as a performance enhancer for athletes; heroin was presented as a fix for unwell children and cocaine was used to treat alcoholism, with Sigmund Freud himself calling the substance a “magical drug.” It was widely available in powder form, wines and soft drinks. Thankfully, in 2023, medicin...

People in this episode

Host: Hit The Lights

Topics covered

• female serial killer
• 19th century
• alternative medicine
• poisons
• true crime

Keywords

• female serial killer
• 19th century
• strychnine
• heroin
• cocaine
• alternative medicine
• true crime

Mentioned in this episode

Products: strychnine, heroin, cocaine

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