FAMOUS PHARMACISTS


If YoU’VE EVEr rEaD an agatha chrIStIE noVEL anD marVELLED at hEr KnoWLEDgE of PoISonS, thEn YoU maY BE UnSUrPrISED to fInD oUt that a Lot of hEr KnoWLEDgE WaS gaInED WhILE WorKIng aS a PharmacISt!


Many of her plots centre around the administering of overdoses of


prescribed drugs and the switching of prescriptions


agatha and poison: no mystery at all! a


gatha christie is one of the best-selling crime novelists of all time, but it could all have


been so different…


christie married her aviator husband, archibald christie, on christmas Eve in 1914. World War I had broken out a few months before and so, a few days after their marriage, her husband went to serve on the front line. During his absence, christie became a volunteer nurse, and in 1915, it was suggested to her that she may enjoy working in the hospital pharmacy.


at that time, all prescriptions were prepared by hand with great skill – primarily to ensure correct dosages. christie revelled in this work and went on to undergo further training so that she could take exams to become a dispenser or apothecary’s assistant.


as a result, she began studying both theoretical and practical aspects of chemistry. During this time, she also received tuition from a mr P, a pharmacist in the town, who liked to carry lumps of curate or arrow poison in his pocket to make him feel powerful. (this sinister character was to later make an appearance in


32 - PharmacY In focUS


christie’s novel ‘the Pale horse’.) many have surmised that christie suffered from anxiety while working as a hospital pharmacist.


there have been stories told, according to agathachristie.com, that one night, she was so anxious about her work that she actually got out of bed to return to the hospital to double check that she hadn’t put a lid used for carbolic acid back on to an ointment jar.


as a result, it has been suggested that her worried state propelled her into writing. others have suggested, however, that she actually became a novelist in 1920 after being challenged by her sister madge to come up with a detective story.


christie’s detective – a retired five feet four inch Belgian police officer – none other than the elegant and moustachioed and coiffured hercule Poirot – was to become one of the best-known detectives of his time and helped to make christie the bestselling novelist of all time.


her first novel, ‘the mysterious affair at Styles’ detailed the death of a woman by strychnine poisoning, and her incredible knowledge of the


poison was highlighted by the fact that her novel was reviewed by the Pharmaceutical Journal, in which, said the reviewer, ‘this novel has the rare merit of being correctly written!’


the mysterious affair at Styles was to establish poison as a regular modus operandi throughout christie’s 65 novels. In fact, throughout her novels, she uses no fewer than 30 killer compounds as murder methods!


her knowledge was, in fact, so vast, that the St alban’s poisoner, graham Young, actually claimed to have gained his knowledge of poisons by reading her books!


at the start of christie’s career, substances such as arsenic and strychnine were still in medicinal use, although they were gradually being phased out as new drugs, such as barbiturates, were being introduced at a rapid rate.


It’s perhaps for that reason that many of her plots centre around the administering of overdoses of prescribed drugs and the switching of prescriptions.


christie did, however, use many poisons that were never used as


medicines, such as cyanide. cyanide was actually readily available in the 30s and 40s in the form of pesticides that could be bought over the counter, and so the 1930s’ poisoner only had to walk to the garden or shed to find a ready supply of murder weapons!


harold Davis, a pharmacist at the University college hospital in London, is said to have inspired christie to use thallium poisoning in her book, ‘the Pale horse’.


If ingested in large amounts, thallium can harm the nervous system, lungs, heart, liver, and kidney. according to agathachristie.com, christie’s in- depth account of thallium poisoning led to the correct diagnosis of thallium poisoning for two patients, who had read her work!


christie maintained her interest in drugs throughout her writing career and her level of research was second to none. During the Second World War, she again volunteered as a dispenser at the University college hospital, London, where, thanks to her work in the hospital pharmacy, she was able to keep up to date with new developments in drugs and pharmacy practice.


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