At least six German universities They have closed their libraries to thoroughly analyze their titles, in search of books poisoned with arsenic. This could be a current sequel to The name of the rosebut it is not a novel, but pure reality.
The first University to announce this measure was Bielefeldbut later others as illustrious as that of Dusseldorf. All of them they fear find among their old books some with covers and pages adorned with what in the past was known as Paris green or emerald green. It is a pigment that was also used for other purposes as diverse as dyeing clothing or preparing paints for paintings. Without a doubt, it had a beautiful hue, but the problem was that it was given by arsenic, an element used as a poison for thousands of years.
And it is no wonder, since it has a very high toxicity. Only 0.18 grams can kill to an adult person. Lower doses may not be fatal in the short term, but their accumulation causes increasingly worse symptoms, for which there comes a time when there is no turning back. Therefore, it is important to find those poisoned books to keep them safe and that what happened in The name of the rose don't become one real life story.
Arsenic: the poison of emperors
Although it may seem paradoxical, arsenic is an element essential for life. It is found naturally in meats, fish, vegetables and cereals, so that with a normal diet the recommended dose can be covered without problem, of about 12 to 15 micrograms daily.
Now, as is the case with many other substances, although a very low dose can be vital, a much higher dose is capable of causing death. Arsenic is an extremely toxichence it has been used as a poison.
It cannot be known for sure, but it is believed that arsenic He was responsible for the rise of Nero as emperor of Rome in the first century after Christ. His ancestor was Claudius, uncle and husband of Agrippina, Nero's mother. That made Claudio great uncle and stepfather of Nero. Leaving aside these intricate relationships, the point is that Agrippina wanted her son to be emperor of Rome, so she had to get rid of Claudius. It is said that for this he hired Locustaa Gallic woman, known throughout Rome for being an expert in poisons.
The woman poisoned Claudio with a dish of mushrooms that caused him a slow death, exacerbated by major digestive problems. Today it is believed that the poison used was probably arsenic. Its role as a poison was not widely known by the population, but it was among experts such as the dangerous Locusta.
The controversial case of Napoleon
Many centuries later, arsenic could have been the cause of the death of another great emperor: Napoleon Bonaparte.
When the Frenchman died during his exile on the island of Saint Helena, two possible causes of death were found. On the one hand, it was clear that had advanced stomach cancer. However, also were found very high concentrations of arsenic in your hair.
Hair is a good indicator of toxic substance consumption, which is why it is often analyzed in autopsies. And in this case there was no doubt that Napoleon had been exposed to said poison. It was suspected that someone might have wanted to poison him. There was no shortage of candidates, of course. However, over time it was found that he had been exposed to arsenic due to painting the walls from his home in Santa Helena. This was composed of copper arsenite, a pigment that contains arsenic and which, therefore, could be slowly poisoning the former emperor. One of the consequences of long-term exposure to arsenic is precisely cancer. Perhaps the tumor that killed him was related to the poisoning. Or maybe not. We can't know for sure.
Books poisoned with arsenic: The name of the rose to the present
In the plot of The name of the rose, several monks suspiciously fall dead, without knowing what the reasons are. It is eventually discovered that they had been poisoned by another monk, who placed arsenic in the edge of pages of library books. Since the monks used to moisten their fingers with saliva to turn the pages, they themselves were the ones who were poisoned.
But the poisoned books in German libraries have nothing to do with fiction. In fact, it is not the first time that something like this has been detected.
In 2018, two researchers They found three books poisoned with arsenic in a library danish university. The volumes had been written in the 16th and 17th centuries and their deadly seasoning was found by chance. It is known that at that time some bookbinders recycled medieval manuscripts to make book covers. For this reason, these researchers wanted to analyze the manuscripts that had been used. Unfortunately, a sort of green paint patina made it difficult to see the material on the covers. Therefore, they underwent an X-ray analysis to see what was underneath. His surprise was that, in reality, that paint was not such a thing, but a patina of arsenic. They were looking at poisoned books, as in The name of the rose.
Initially it was thought that they could have been painted with green paris. However, it would be strange, since this paint was mainly used during the first half of the 19th century. Finally, it was concluded that it could have been used to prevent insects and rodents damaged the books stored in the library. Be that as it may, they were dangerous pieces, so they were removed from the facilities where any student could consult them.
A dangerous catalog
Shortly after, in 2022, an expert in ancient book conservation at the University of Delaware, Melissa Tedone, started a project aimed at finding and cataloging as many books as possible poisoned with arsenic. At the time of writing this article, they have already been found 229 books in libraries around the world. Even in a local store.
What happens in Germany with poisoned books?
The case of the poisoned books in Germany, therefore, is not something new. Given the detection of some isolated cases, it has been decided to analyze all suspicious books, to avoid any incident.
Thousands of titles have been quarantined while they are analyzed. Most of those that have been found had arsenic with ornamental purposes. Therefore, they usually come from the 19th century, when green Paris had its great boom. German library associations have reassured students who may have come into contact with these books, arguing that isolated contact with them would not be fatal, but that prevention is still best. For this reason, they have started this exhaustive search that shows us that even the most intricate plot of a novel can be found in real life.