February 19, 2024
In 1850 President Zachary Taylor, known for his robust health, died of a sudden gastrointestinal illness after only 16 months in office. Some believed that Taylor, an antislavery Unionist, had been poisoned by proslavery conspirators. In 1991 his body was exhumed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and tested for lethal amounts of arsenic. The results were negative.
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What Was Life Like Before We Knew About Germs?
“It was the summer of 1880. It was August. It stank to high heaven. The sewers had been uncorked, and all the filth came out in a flood. All manner of waste was on display.” So reads an article in the French daily newspaper Le Figaro. Purporting to be written by novelist and critic Émile Zola
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