Forty eight years ago there was an epidemic of heart failure in Quebec City. The clue was that the thirty men affected were all beer drinkers. In a round about way, the culprit was the introduction...
Glass is made by mixing and heating silica (sand), sodium carbonate (soda) and limestone (calcium carbonate).聽 But, as we know, glass breaks quite easily, especially when subjected to sudden...
During the Second World War Allied soldiers and pilots, like the Germans, were also issued amphetamines. This was not without controversy. The Luftwaffe soon gave up on the drugs because...
First synthesized by Lazar Edeleanu in Germany in 1887, amphetamine remained quietly under the radar until it came to the attention of chemist Gordon Alles in 1929.聽 Alles was looking for an asthma...
During the first years of the twentieth century the demand for shellac outstripped the supply. People did not develop a sudden penchant for shiny furniture, but electricity was starting to take the...
To make an antivenin, small doses of poison are injected into horses or goats.聽 The amount of toxin is not enough to kill the animal but is enough to trigger the production of antibodies.聽 These...
