Thallium was pretty famous for this until its mechanism of toxicity and antidotes were better understood. Slow acting, tasteless, odorless, colorless, symptoms weird and mimic other things. Used to be used for rat poison but the risk of accidental exposure was too high. Requires late 1800s technology.
this post was submitted on 22 Mar 2025
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I've heard something about writers writing about guns -- if you describe a specific gun they'll come at you for being wrong, but if you say something like "a modified Kalashnikov" you're conveying the image you want, and the nerds will do the work for you in figuring out how it could have been modified.
Depending on your setting and desired outcome for the poisoner, uraninite (aka pitchblende) might be an option. It has historical uses in glass making and pottery glazing, which could provide justification for why someone would have it.
It contains Uranium, which is radioactive, but I don't believe will bioaccumulate, but can build up on surfaces, tools, and clothing providing a source of long-term radiation exposure. In addition, it contains lead, which does bioaccumulate, providing a source of gradual long term poisoning as well as radium which also bioaccumulates and is radioactive, providing an additional source of longterm radiation exposure.
Arsenic is a classic murder poison. It's been known since anciemt times, though possibly unsuited to your onset requirement. Acute poisoning by ingestion is generally within a few hours, but if your character sustains lower doses over time, you could probably draw out the timeline to whatever you wanted. It would be obvious that the character is unwell during this time, but the symptoms aren't super specific and could be confused with e.g. food poisoning.
Or just invent a mushroom like others said. The toxins are diverse enough that I doubt anyone would be too upset if you tuned it exactly to your timeline and desired symptoms.
In almost every case in fictional writing it's better to make up a poison then use a real one. That way you don't have someone picking it apart later. Also you can give it whatever properties you want/need. Now excuse me while I continue to work on my immunity to iocane powder.
They're gonna pick it apart anyway. A reader criticized the historical accuracy of a fantasy novel my sister wrote.
Iβve never seen anyone even think twice about the Tears of Lys or The Strangler. And after Milk of the Poppy, itβs established that we may expect some similarity to reality in this world.
Was milk of the poppy not obviously literally opium (unrefined morphine)?
H-how does one even criticise something like that? Like, "you got this and that wrong about the world you made up"?
I have read some novels where their history straight up breaks if you think about it for too long. Not saying this happened in this case but I read a fantasy novel that had a history that implied that people existed in the wrong times. Like this person was said to have died in X year yet someone met someone who was born in X+100 years.
Not even that, (in a medieval-fantsy setting) one criticized the use of archer for defense, another wanted for her to write the exact years the events happened... Another one asked why one nation had an italian-sounding name, while the bordering countries had foreign-like names, and different languages! (hello, ever been to Europe?) @monarch@lemm.ee (is this how I mention someone?)
that is indeed how you mention someone. Yeah being pedantic for the sale of it isn't something I understand. Unless it impacts my ability to enjoy the story I couldn't care less.
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Source of radiation given to someone to hold in their wallet/pocket
Mushrooms are a good option, and you can just make up a species if you want specific time frames/symptoms. Mushrooms can cause a lot of weird symptoms.
There's also a brain eating amoeba or other sickness from still water (people back in the day were very aware of tainted water).
If you have access to polar animals, a unique poisoning would be vitamin A toxicity from their livers. It's a horrific way to die, though (skin sloughing off).
Was going to say that. They to go through the digestive track, so it needs a day or so to work. The toxin of amanita is heat resistant so you can make a stew of it, and when the first symptoms show up your liver is probably already beyond repair. If you want it to be more interesting, there are some species that are poisonous only with alcohol, like https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coprinopsis_atramentaria , although the symptoms are less severe as in death cap, but maybe it's not unimaginable to give a hearty stew a day before a known heavyweight drinking run to kill the dude(ette).
That and mushrooms often have great scary ass names like "Destroying Angel"
Yeah look at the Death Cap
Ongoing case here in Australia with a lady accused of murdering her ex and ex-inlaws. Invites them to lunch of beef Wellington and death cap mushrooms.
3 died fairly awful deaths in the following days/weeks, 1 survived after intensive care.
Accused of trying to murder the ex 4 prior times too.
The "Mushroom lady" case absolutely captivated us for weeks
Ex-spouse: (on the phone with parents) My ex-wife has invited us over for beef wellington.
Ex-spouse's parents: Hasn't she tried to kill you like four times before? Why would you accept this invitation?
Ex-spouse: well her beef wellington is to die for!
Ex-spouse's parents: Well that's good enough for us, were in see you a 6
Alcohol. Sometimes it takes 30 or 40 years to be effective. Not very good for murder, but wildly popular for suicide.
Yeah OP needs to define what βslowβ means to them. You could say that a one-week delayed effect is slow. Or you could say that itβs only slow if it takes months of exposure.
Iβm neither a writer nor a scientist, but thereβs a copy of this on my bookshelf and I wish I could lend it to you: Deadly Doses: The Writerβs Guide to Poisons
How slow are you talking? Days? Weeks? months?
A couple days or more.
Apple seeds contain cyanide. You'd have to crush and eat anywhere from 150 to a few thousand seeds for it to be fatal though. I'm sure that hasn't stopped authors from using it before.
"Honey, I've made your favorite meal! Crushed up pulp from 150 to a few thousand apple seeds!"
Cyanide is legendarily fast acting. Among the fastest known poisons.
Breaking Bad did this IIRC
I forgot about Breaking Bad! That was ricin from castor oil beans, but ricin is the opposite of slow acting.
yup, I misremembered it being apple seeds, maybe they discussed it before moving to the ricin idea. I should rewatch bb
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Am not sure if helpful, or if this would be somewhere you could visit for reference.
The Alnwick Victorian poison garden is fascinating and perhaps even has ideas for you.
https://www.alnwickgarden.com/the-garden/poison-garden/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alnwick_Garden
Hope this helps. Am hoping to get to visit one day.
Whole maybe not βpoisonsβ by definition I have a couple scary stories of people working in damp, moldy office and basement environments and after a couple years getting rare autoimmune and neurological disorders that killed them. One being my uncle, my family tried to get his workplace to test where he worked because the doctors said thatβs most likely where he contracted it, but they refused. We werenβt looking for money, just trying to save the next guy. I was fairly young when this happened so I donβt remember all the details.
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- Heavy metals: lead, mercury
- Arsenic in small doses over a long period
I donβt know of any plants, but I do know that the leaves of nightshades (potato, tomato, eggplant, capsicum, tobacco) are ~~poisonous~~ toxic in large doses.
What do you mean by slow? Time till symptoms? time till death? Hours? Days? Weeks?
Raw castor beans contain ricin its a cool looking plant that gets big. My neighbor grew on once accidentally.
symptoms commonly begin within two to four hours, but may be delayed by up to 36 hours.
Unless treated, death can be expected to occur within 3β5 days; however, in most cases a full recovery can be made.
Actually a lot of beans are toxic when raw, but not deadly. Raw lima beans are special though; they contain something that the human body breaks down into cyanide. No clue how long that takes or how many it would take to cause harm.
Heavy metals (mercury, arsenic, cadmium, lead) are known for building up over time with many exposures. Think mad hatter syndrome, etc. but exposures can also be acute if high enough. IIRC acute arsenic poisoning makes you vomit and diarrhea until you die of dehydration after days or weeks.
As a writter you should get enough details wrong that someone trying to follow your recipie fails. Ideally they are also caught.
I'm a writer
"A writer" π
hey guys, i am looking to write an obituary for my ex husband....
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