The History of Arsenic, favoured by Victorian Taxidermists

Arsenic and arsenic compounds have had a long and Janus-type interaction with humanity; on the one hand they have been extensively utilized, but on the other hand their poisonous properties have caused misery and many deaths. While minerals containing arsenic were known from the earliest times, elemental arsenic was not conclusively identified until 1649. The mineral, realgar, As4S4, was probably described as early as the 4th century BC by Aristotle. The name derives from an Arabic word meaning “powder of the cave.” Similarly, the mineral orpiment, As2S3, has a long history, the name being an adaptation of the Latin, auripigmentum, meaning “gold pigment.” The etymology of arsenic itself is complex but traces to the Greek word, arsenikon (arshenikon) or arrhenikon used for “yellow orpiment,” a word tracing back even further to words from Syriac, Middle Persian, and Old Iranian. In addition, the similar Greek word, arsenikos (arshenikos) or arrhenikos meaning “masculine, male” also contributed to its naming.
The highly poisonous nature of arsenic compounds has been known for centuries. The colorless and tasteless compound, arsenious oxide (arsenic(III) oxide, also termed arsenous oxide and often simply white arsenic or arsenic), was at one time employed as a rat poison; because it was easily available; it was also commonly used for criminal purposes, both in real life and in fiction (see later in this article).
Chemistry is so vast a discipline that most students are exposed to little more than the basic chemical facts about arsenic and its compounds; however, arsenic has had a very pervasive influence on humanity in many ways, perhaps more so than most other metals and metalloids. The name, arsenic, is essentially a household word, being synonymous with poison. Arsenic figures prominently in literature as well as in industry, the sciences, in medical practice, and in everyday life. We recount here some of the many curious influences of arsenic on human lives, influences not usually found in chemical textbooks.
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