Drugs, poisons and the contents of your doctor’s bag: they’re all the same
brew. John Mann’s wonderfully readable Murder, Magic and Medicine, now out in a
revised edition, tracks the substances from shaman to pharmacy, and poisoned
arrow to junkie’s hypodermic. Published by Oxford University Press, £9.99,
ISBN 0198507445.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features

Comment
New Scientist recommends a vital look at the science of fatherhood
Culture

Humans
This book is essential reading before watching the new Odyssey film
Culture

Comment
Why Schrödinger's 1944 classic What Is Life? still feels prescient
Culture

Comment
The best new popular science books of July 2026
Culture
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
Resuscitated human retinas respond to light 10 hours after death
2
Mathematics of thermodynamics is being rewritten after 200 years
3
Mathematicians put AI to work on Fermat's last theorem
4
Salt batteries are about to shake up EVs and grid storage
5
The sneaky maths trick for solving problems without answering them
6
The 4 best science-fiction shows of 2026 so far
7
How healthy is your brain? We now know how to find out
8
Special relativity can warp chemical bonds – now we've seen it happen
9
This book is essential reading before watching the new Odyssey film
10
How extreme heat affects the body – and the best ways to cope