Poisons
with Charles Parker
$8
Hybrid
Agatha Christie served as a nurse in World War I. When she turned to mystery writing, she may have used her pharmaceutical knowledge to provide the means of murder in her novels.
The presentation will attempt to communicate Parker's enthusiasm for chemistry generally and for poisons specifically to members of Goldleaf.
A brief analysis of the symptoms of each poison and the presentation of the poison by Christie will be mentioned.
Parker will not provide drinks or snacks :)
Date: 1:00 - 2:30 P.M., April 28, 2026
Location: Education Center, room 107
Chuck Parker taught chemistry in public high schools and as an adjunct for Crowder College, Webb City, and Missouri Southern State University in Joplin until 2017.
He is especially enamored with alkaloids (caffeine is an alkaloid). The more he explored alkaloids and their deleterious effects on people, the more he investigated the use of poisons in mystery novels. Agatha Christie is remarkably accurate with her depictions.
Parker has typically presented subjects concerning Muslim histories, such as the Crusades, the Ottomans, and the roots of Islamic extremism. However, his chemistry background kept crying for equal time.
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Apr 28th, 2026
Tue from 1:00 - 2:30 pm
