SPEAKING OF WHICH
This is more than can fit into a tweet, but part of the traditional male fear of "witches" or herbalists/midwives/etc. was the abject knowledge that, in a world predating divorce, many of them were capable of providing "angel-maker" concoctions to fed-up wives.
This is more than can fit into a tweet, but part of the traditional male fear of "witches" or herbalists/midwives/etc. was the abject knowledge that, in a world predating divorce, many of them were capable of providing "angel-maker" concoctions to fed-up wives.
https://twitter.com/Unmagical_Girl/status/1483208322555990018
Consider the Philadelphia Poison Ring, and the Angel Makers of Nagyrév, and other such cases or organized husband/child/in-law/relative disposal, often via arsenic. These two rings alone killed hundreds.
And now, consider how many likely went unnoticed.
And now, consider how many likely went unnoticed.
As the primary caregivers in the home, wives/mothers were often put in charge of seeing to the sick. Which meant they were the only ones allowed in the sickroom, other than their victim.
I have no doubt countless wives throughout history made themselves widows intentionally.
I have no doubt countless wives throughout history made themselves widows intentionally.
And it's worth remembering a significant part of the reason murder by poison was so scandalously regarded and condemned throughout history was it was considered a women's weapon; the ultimate betrayal of expectation, administered by a caregiver when your guard was down.
The greater physical strength and socioeconomic power of men doesn't mean shit when wifey can just dump a box of Warfarin in your mashed potatoes and tell everyone you had the flu, so a LOT of labor was put into making poison murders, specifically, as unacceptable as possible.
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