“In the 1960s, a notorious British lad named Graham Frederick Young, after reading sensationalized accounts of serial killers, began experimenting on his family by sprinkling thallium into their teacups and stew pots. He was soon sent to a mental institution but was later, unaccountably, released, at which point he poisoned seventy more people, including a succession of bosses”
This stuck out to me in The Disappearing Spoon. This novel, written by Sam Kean, collaborates scientific concepts of the periodic table to interesting stories of the past. Specifically in Part 3- Periodic Confusion: The Emergence of Complexity, Kean explains the history behind the well-known poison, thallium. Its discovery led to an unresolved feud between two scientists claiming for credit. This element was first discovered by Sir William Crookes, a British chemist and physicist, through isolation and spectrum analysis of a selenium sample in 1861. After noticing a bright green line, he named the element Thallium, from the Greek word “Thallos”, meaning green shoots. Through independent research, another chemist Claude-August Lamy of Lille, was able to get his hands on a piece of the pure metal in 1862 using sulfuric acid residue. He argued that Crookes only retrieved thallium sulfide. As a result, they both received medals by the awards committee.
Thallium is an element in the periodic table with the symbol Tl and atomic number 81. It is a post- transition metal with a high melting and boiling point. It resembles a silvery white metal that discolors in contact with air and looks like tin. It exhibits high toxicity and is used in rodent killers and insecticides. Having no odor or color, thallium is also called the “poisoner’s poison” and is a murder weapon for political assassins or mental patients. Due to its extreme lethality, thallium is banned from usage in the USA.
When ingested, thallium affects the functioning of the nervous system, heart, liver, lungs, and kidneys. Symptoms include stomach pains, vomiting, diarrhea, hair loss, excruciating pain, and nausea from its exposure and can lead to death in a few days unless treated quickly. Thallium ions, Tl+1, have common properties to potassium ions, K+, or sodium ions, Na+, and since the atomic radii of a thallium ion is very similar to potassium ions, the thallium ion will replace the potassium ion when consumed. Once inside the body, thallium ions immediately disfunction the central nervous system, disrupt levels of calcium, iron, and vitamin B1 and B2, affecting ability for energy production, metabolism, and sexual function. In worst cases of large amounts of thallium consumed in short periods of time, death quickens its pace.
After further research on the poison, I have discovered what led to Graham’s name of “The Teacup Poisoner”, who his victims were, how thallium weakened the body, what his childhood life was like, and many more.
His story begins with his birth in Neasden, North London on September 7, 1947. His biological mother, Bessie, unfortunately died from pleurisy and tuberculosis during her pregnancy and Young’s father placed his son under his aunt’s custody. At a very young age, Graham explored his favorite interests in and out of school: chemistry, toxicology, and forensic science, including accounts of different murderers. His father, Fred Young, saw his interest for chemistry and bought the 13 year old a chemistry set to further advance his studies. Through independent research and education, Graham became very knowledgeable about poison, allowing him to impersonate a 17 year old to gain access to various poisons: thallium, antimony, arsenic, and digitalis. His first experiment was Christopher Williams, a science classmate, but after facing horrendous symptoms from the poison, Graham had to transfer his experiments elsewhere.
That’s when Graham began examining his family. In 1961, members of his family displayed signs of sickness so Fred Young accused his son for practicing a bit too much with his chemistry set, yet Graham denied the blame and the issue was left unresolved. Graham’s older sister, Winfred, also experienced poisoning from Belladonna-a poisonous plant- to which the question of Graham’s actions also rose. When Molly Young, his stepmother, had similar symptoms, it was discovered that Graham had poisoned her tea with antimony (earning him the name the “Teacup Poisoner”). She became immune to this substance, so Graham later switched to thallium on the night before she passed. Fred Young was next to exhibit severe health conditions. Luckily, he was able to survive and Graham’s chemistry teacher contacted the police after finding the poisons and a murder manuel in his school desk. After being analyzed by a police psychiatrist, it became clear that Graham had a role in the multiple deaths, so he was charged with a sentence of 15 years.
In the prison cell, Graham continued to teach himself about poisons and increased his fascination of murder in secret. In 1970, Graham was released, believed to be reformed, but found work as a salesperson to use his secret concoction of coffee and tea to poison his coworkers. After 70 employees were succumbed to this mysterious illness, Graham’s guilt was revealed and he was referred to the police. Graham was arrested in 1971, and his collection of poison doses, vials of thallium, and his private diary records of his “patients” were found. He was found guilty on all charges in 1972 and received 4 life sentences. Graham’s story ended when he died in his prison cell in August 1, 1990 from causes that were said to be: suicide of his own poison, poisoning from fellow inmates, or heart failure.
Connecting back to thallium, this poison was and remains very harmful when ingested since its destructiveness was often abused. This being one of the most well-known murder mysteries involving deadly thallium still shocks people to this day because of its secretive assassin, unique weapon of destruction, and unsolved questions. The incomprehensible fascination a man had in murder and poison revealed thallium as a subtle, yet powerful substance. It’s no wonder thallium is banned in the USA.
