'Death in the Pot: The Impact of Food Poisoning on History'
by Morton Satin
Prometheus Books, 262 pp., $24
Food provides far more than nourishment. It defines culture, builds empires, feeds armies and, with equal potency, can destroy all that it built. Poisoned or spoiled food has profoundly influenced the course of human history. From the Peloponnesian War (likely lost by Athens at least in part as a result of contaminated or spoiled cereal stocks) to the death of Beethoven (lead poisoning), food poisoning has changed history in significant and memorable ways.
In "Death In The Pot," Morton Satin, a molecular biologist and technical director at the Salt Institute, provides an interesting and quirky survey of the baneful impact of adulterated food supplies on history. Illnesses from contaminated foods through the middle ages were typically attributed to heavenly retribution for Earthly misconduct or blasphemy. In fact, however, the more likely cause was poorly maintained food supplies.
Hallucinogenic symptoms of moldy grain in early American colonies were considered by Puritan settlers to be signs of witchcraft. Even today, E. coli outbreaks make the most innocent-looking hamburger seem like a lurking menace, and once seemingly healthy seafood can in fact be loaded with food dye or threatening levels of mercury. It's a sad day when the "fish on Friday" rule requires a blood test for toxicity.
Satin's effort could have provided a springboard for a thoughtful survey of food safety throughout history, or perhaps proposals to avoid threats to the food supply, topics with urgent relevance to our own times. Unfortunately, though, Satin's work fails to live up to its promise. It is poorly written, often stitching together short essays on discreet topics with abrupt transitions. But more fundamentally, much of the research seems incomplete or inconclusive.
Of course, forensic analysis hundreds, or thousands, of years after the fact must necessarily depend on a certain degree of speculation. But even with respect to more recent events (E. coli outbreaks, or intentional food contamination in the 1970s), Satin seems content to rely on information that is readily available rather than engage in any sort of serious analysis. As food for thought, "Death In The Pot" is meager gruel.
