Chloroform went from a party drug in Edinburgh to a staple of Victorian crime fiction

historyWellcome Collection1847–1930s · Edinburgh, Scotland

Chloroform went from a party drug in Edinburgh to a staple of Victorian crime fiction

the gist

Scottish obstetrician James Simpson was searching for a better anaesthetic than ether in 1847, and his group tested chloroform at parties. Simpson then used it in childbirth within a week, and Queen Victoria's use of it in 1853 helped persuade mothers it was safe. During the US Civil War, surgeons used it widely on the wounded, especially for amputations. Its reputation as a knockout drug also made it a favourite device in novels, but in reality it could not silence someone in a few seconds, and it was later abandoned after accidental deaths.

how it works

Chloroform is a volatile liquid that evaporates into vapour which, inhaled, depresses the brain and produces unconsciousness. Dosing was hard to control, which led to overdoses and deaths, and it was gradually replaced by safer agents.

so what

Chloroform shows how an anaesthetic's acceptance depended on celebrity endorsement and war. The gap between how it worked in fiction and in practice also reveals how crime stories shaped public fears.

the bigger pattern

Medical discoveries that were later exploited by crime fiction recur in history, and fiction often exaggerates the speed and reliability of such drugs, a pattern that continues in modern thrillers.

fun fact

Queen Victoria used chloroform during the birth of her eighth child, Leopold, in 1853.

Wellcome Collection · CC BY 4.0

Illustrative photo · Danny S., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

source: Wellcome Collection ↗

historyWikipediaclassic1336–1565 · Karnataka, India

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗