Episode description

When we think of serial killers, we tend to think of men—Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Jack the Ripper. But in the 1800s, the deadliest killers often wore corsets. In fact, so many women were arrested for serial poisoning that the era became known as the “Golden Age of Arsenic.” Journey back in time to trace the crimes of Lydia Sherman, a Victorian Era femme fatale who left a trail of bodies in her wake. How did she — and women like her — evade capture for so long? And how did their murders help give rise to modern criminal forensics?

Guests: 

Kristen Frederick-Frost, curator of science at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History 

Lisa Perrin, author and illustrator of The League of Lady Poisoners 

Deborah Blum, author of The Poisoner's Handbook. Director of the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT.