Following my previous blog on the Odds of a World Leader being Assassinated #1, which looked into the decidedly precarious and often dangerous life of "the world's most powerful person" - The President of the United States, and for whom the life-expectancy is... not great... I'm continuing the series by comparing those odds with another world leader - UK Prime Ministers. 

To treat this study fairly, I shall be comparing world leaders across a similar period of time to those governed by US Presidents, therefore as the first US President was George Washington in 1789 and The Office of the Commander-in-Chief remains today, this will be the study period. Any world leader who falls outside of this period is excluded. If you wish to compare how dangerous this job is to your own life, take a look at my analysis on your odds on simply surviving life. ​

WARNING: This blog contains graphic details of a typically British nature which may cause some readers to exclaim "good golly", "by jove" and "what-ho", and maybe even drop their monocle. 

Now! Although this assassination may pale into insignificance compared the sensational killings of US Presidents; Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley and John F Kennedy, how much more of a British assassination can you get? The assassin politely excused himself first, his victim's final words were either "oh my God" or "oh my gosh", and an investigation into the murder itself was held... in a pub... probably over a few cheeky pints. ​Hurrah! What-what?

The bomb exploded at 2:54 am; five people were killed, 31 were injured, and although the explosion destroyed part of the PM's room, she escaped unhurt and (having dressed first) was led to safety by the Police. Norman Tebbit - the then President for the Board of Trade, whose wife was physically disabled in the blast - when asked by hospital staff if he had any allergies, he replied "yes... bombs". The manager of a local Marks & Spencer's was was promptly asked to open his store a whole hour earlier so those whose clothes had been damaged could purchase some suitable attire. Read more. ​

John Major: on 7th February 1991, as British PM John Major and his War Cabinet were meeting at 10 Downing Street to discuss the Iraq War, three mortar shells were launched from a white transit van parked at Horse Guard's Avenue (100 metres away) by the IRA. Each mortar round was 4 1/2 feet long, weighed 140lbs and carried a 40lbs of Semtex. 

So, what are the odds of a world leader (in this case a UK Prime Minister) being assassinated? As seen above, it's a dangerous job, so let's remind ourselves of the statistics: 

Total number of UK Prime Ministers - 42 (US President figures in blue)

• 3 died in office (of natural causes) - 1/14 odds of dying - 7% (1/11 - 9%)
• 1 died in office (by assassination) - 1/42 odds of dying - 2.4% (1/11 - 9%)

• 2 survived an attempt (unscathed) - barely 1/21 odds - 5% (1/3 - 34%)

That's a pretty substantial difference; so if you total up these figures, British PM's have a 1/11 chance of dying (naturally and/or by assassination) during office, compared to just 1/5.5 for US Presidents. A figure which is even more startling when you include assassination attempts: 

• US Presidents - 30 assassinations & attempts - >7/10 odds of death - 68%
• UK PMs - 3 assassinations & attempts - 1/14 odds of death - just 7.1%

Hmm. I know which job I'd rather have. 

IMPORTANT UPDATE: This blog post was written just prior to the incident of 22nd March 2017, when an unknown assailant tried to attack the House of Commons. Read more. 

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The average person doesn't wake up in the morning and think "hmm, today I'm going to go on an ape-shit killing spree, murdering my family, friends and anyone who looks at me in a weird way". I mean some people probably want to, and joke about it, but very few people actually kill. So what motivates a serial killer to kill? What is the key defining moment or early emotional trauma in a serial killer or mass-murderer's life which either festers away inside their brain and is the over-all impetus (and in their eyes a logical justification) for their heinous crimes, or the final moment of madness which tips them over the edge from being "such a nice boy" to "a complete monster"? 

Point of this article is not to justify the murders or to absolve these killers of their heinous acts, but to try and understand where such unnatural violence, hated of others and an inability to empathise with people comes from. What follows is (what is believed to be) the real reason behind many of the world's most prolific serial killers, mass murderers and spree-killers most horrific crimes, as theorised by the police, a psychiatrist, or the killer themselves...although - to be honest - does anyone really know the real reason we do the crazy things we do? Probably not. 

Ted Bundy (birth name Theodore Robert Cowell) - Being born out of wedlock was deemed too sordid-a-scandal for Eleanor Cowell (Bundy's deeply religious 22 year old mother), so her pregnancy was kept a secret and he was raised as the adopted son of his grandparents, believing his mother was his sister. Never feeling he fitted in, or was loved, he began an unnatural obsession with knives, theft and voyeurism at the tender age of three. Bundy finally found love whilst studying at the University of Washington, where he met, dated and fell in love with an attractive Californian student with long dark hair, who he saw as the "love of his life". 

Frustrated at his lack of ambition and immaturity, she broke up with Bundy, which absolutely devastated him. It is said that many of his later victims resembled this girlfriend, many of whom were severely raped and sadistically beaten to death. ​

John Wayne Gacy – Along with his siblings, John Wayne Gacy spent the bulk of his early years living in fear from his alcoholic abusive father, who would regularly beat his the Gacy children and his own wife with a razor strap. So frequent were the beatings that young Gacy would often endure the pain and refuse to cry, but this "toughening-up" inflicted by his father, only lead to him becoming sullen and isolated at school, especially as his attraction to men began to blossom - a deep secret of his true sexuality that he hid from his violent father. 

John Wayne Gacy raped and murdered 33 young men and boys, often dismembering and hiding their corpses under his home's crawl space, but on the surface he presented as a respected member of the community; a US Army soldier, loyal KFC manager and fun-loving children's entertainer, as well as a heterosexual married man. ​He lived his real life behind a mask. 

Jeffrey Dahmer - Born to a busy but loving father and a tense and uncaring mother, young Jeffrey Dahmer was described by many as happy, smart and energetic with a "charming twinkle in his eye", but at the age of four Dahmer underwent double hernia surgery which left him withdrawn and sullen. This personality shift was only exacerbated further by the family always uprooting to a new town, being unable to settle and combined with the birth of his younger brother (see my blog on "first-born serial killers"), as Dahmer retreated into himself, becoming obsessed with animal corpses and culminating in his parent's divorce aged 14 which - it is claimed - later became the catalyst for his murder and necrophilia. Jeffrey Dahmer raped, murdered and dismembered the corpses of 17 men and boys, some of whom he ate. 

John George Haigh "Acid Bath Murderer" - Born in Yorkshire in 1909 to John & Emily Haigh, two devout members of the deeply conservative Protestant sect known as the Plymouth Brethren, young John George Haigh grew up with no friends, as his father (an engineer) had erected a 10 foot wall around their garden to lock out the "disgusting" influences of the outside world. As an only child, Haigh retreated into solitude, a crazing for attention and his own imagination, which in his teens manifested as theft, lies, fantasies and animal cruelty. Having hit upon a plan to extort money from wealthy individuals, Haigh robbed and killed six people, then dissolved their corpses in a vat of sulphuric acid, entirely believing that - based on the law of "habeas corpus", that you can only prove a murder has taken place if there if a body found - and with the body fully dissolved, even if he admitted to the murder (which he did) Haigh believed he couldn't be caught. Sadly, the law's definition of "body" didn't require a "full torso", just proof that a body existed. Haigh was found guilty of murder as his final victim - Olive Durand-Deacon - had three gallstones, that (unlike the rest of her) were so tough, they didn't dissolve. 

Michael Lupo "Wolf Man" – The Italian born (but London-based) lothario claimed to have had over 4000 gay lovers in his lifetime, having lived an entirely hedonistic and promiscuous lifestyle, but in March 1986 Lupo was diagnosed with HIV, which back then was deemed a death-sentence. Angered at his life being cut short - and never once pointing the finger at himself or sexual promiscuity - (it is believed that) Lupo embarked on a kill-crazy rampage fuelled by a loathing for his fellow homosexuals and an "urge to kill" as rfevenge for his illness. Lupo was sentenced to four life sentences plus 14 years, but died of an AIDS related illness 8 years later. 

Following his arrest, numerous investigations have been launched to uncover other victims in Los Angeles, Berlin and New York, all places there Lupo lived. ​

Patrick Mackay - As a small boy, MacKay was regularly beaten and abused by his violent alcoholic father. At the tender age of ten, MacKay's life should have improved as his father died of a heart-attack, but MacKay was unable to come to terms with the "tragic" loss of his abuser, he refused to go to the funeral and often denied that his father was actually dead. Through-out his teenage years, he was put into 16 schools and institutions, having developed an obsession with theft, arson and animal cruelty, 

MacKay was later diagnosed twice as a "psychopath" (1967 & 1972) but one year after his release from Moss Side Hospital he hacked Father Crean to death with an axe. MacKay was charged with five murders and is currently serving a whole life tariff.  ​

​Robert Maudsley "Hannibal The Cannibal" – Born in Toxteth (Liverpool) Maudsley was the youngest of four supportive siblings who lived in fear at the hands of two unrelentingly monstrous parents who were physically, sexually and mentally abusive, as the kids were batted back-and-forth between care-homes and their violent parents. As a teenager, Maudsley ran away from home and descended into a life of suicide attempts and drug-abuse, which he funded by working as a rent-boy. His first victim was a convicted paedophile from Enfield who had shown him photographs of abused children, which stirred up horrific memories for Maudsley of being raped as a child. 

Maudlsey was later convicted of killing two fellow prisoners, and is currently serving a whole life sentence incarcerated at Wakefield Prison in a 5.5m by 4.5m glass cell. Robert Maudlsey once said “If I’d killed my parents in 1970, none of these people need have died”. ​

​Donald Neilson "Black Panther" – Born into a seemingly normal family, Donald Neilson was actually born Donald Nappey, an unfortunate name which – from nursery right up to his stint in the British Army – Donald would consistently be bullied for, hence he later changed it to Neilson. His feelings of isolation and inferiority were only compounded further when his mother died of breast cancer when he was just ten years old. Beginning a life of crime in his early teenage years, Neilson sought attention and was always desperate to prove himself to be intellectually superior to others, he even added unnecessary flourishes to his burglaries to baffle the detective, as knowing they often linked crimes through unusual traits, he’d steal a radio from a handful of homes – as if it was a compulsion – and would then stop. In 1976, Neilson was sentenced to a whole life tariff (five life sentences for murder plus an extra 61 years for kidnapping). 

​Dennis Nilsen – Raised in the remote Aberdeenshire coastal village of Fraserburg to a busy single mother and an alcoholic Norwegian father, Nilsen was bounced between his strict Catholic mother and his grandparents, unable to settle. His only friend and companion was his grandfather, a Norwegian fisherman who he both loved and looked up to as a father-figure, but his world would come crashing down when – aged five – his mother ushered the boy into her bedroom to “see your grandfather” having not prepared the excited boy that the only person he ever loved was dead. Nilsen saw this as the first traumatic moment in his life and spawned his obsession with dead bodies. 

The second occurred in 1978, when “Twinkle” his sexually promiscuous boyfriend ended their brief relationship, causing Nilsen to spiral out of control; killing, sodomising and dismembering fifteen young men, many of whom were young, slim, gay and homeless – just like “Twinkle”. ​

​Harold Shipman "Dr Death" – Known by his family and close-friends (no that there were many) as “Freddy”, Shipman was the second of four children born to domineering mother Vera Shipman, and he was her favourite. Instilling in him from a very early age how intelligent he was, he very quickly developed a sense of superiority over others which would isolate him from his contemporaries for the rest of his life. Unfortunately Vera was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer when Shipman was just twelve, and although her pain was greatly relieved by injections of morphine, she died on 21st June 1963. 

Later having qualified as a local GP for Hyde and Todmorden, Dr Harold Shipman would later be convicted of the murders of fifteen patients (with an enquiry later concluding that he’d killed as many as 215 people, although it is believed this figure could be as high as 457 over a 25 year period, making him one of the most prolific serial killer in history), many of whom were elderly ladies who he’d attempted to “alleviate the suffering of”… using an injection of morphine. ​

​Peter Sutcliffe "Yorkshire Ripper" – Leading a seemingly normal childhood, with no physical or sexual abuse, no accidents or injuries, no divorce or early childhood trauma, Sutcliffe’s “hatred of whores” is hard to pin down, as although some psychological reports state he’d had a bad experience with a prostitute as a young man, there is no clear evidence to back up these claims. What is known is that in his teens (whilst working as a grave-digger) he developed an unnatural obsession with death, sex and voyeurism, and would wile-away his free-time spying on sex workers and their “johns”. At his trial, Sutcliffe’s defence team claimed a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, which was rejected by the jury. 

​Rosemary West – The young life of Rosemary West (nee Letts) started badly - as a result of a difficult birth and a prenatal injury to Rose and her mother - and proceeded to get worse. With both parents suffering from a range of mental illnesses such as depression, aggression and paranoia - which were routinely suppressed by bouts of (controversial) electro-convulsive therapy – Rose struggled at school, was withdrawn, depressed and prone to aggression, all of which was exacerbated by systematic sexual abuse and physical violence at the hands of her father, who was a paranoid schizophrenic. 

Soon afterwards, Rose descended into prostitution, which was when she met Fred West, her future husband, who together they would rape, torture and murder twelve young women… including Rose's own daughter. Often it is said that later in life, some children of abuse seek out victims to abuse themselves out of revenge as they are unable to attack their own abusers, or – having been abused for so long - are unable to tell the difference between right and wrong. ​

​Graham Young "The Teacup Poisoner" – With his mother dying of tuberculosis just three months after his birth, caused by pleurisy during pregnancy, and later abandoned by his grieving father who blamed his son’s birth for his wife’s death, Young was cared for by his aunt, sister and grandparents. Obsessed in his teens with chemistry, Young was detained at Broadmoor Psychiatric Hospital having poisoned three family members using Antimony and diagnosed with a personality disorder and schizophrenia. Just nine years later, Young was declared mentally fit and was released from psychiatric care and began work at Hadland Laboratories (a chemical lab) where he would poison 70 people… using Antimony. Later , a psychiatric report concluded that Young is Autistic. 

​Robert Black – Born illegitimate (a social stigma in the 1950/60’s), Black’s mother gave him up to foster parents within weeks of his birth. Always feeling abandoned and unloved, Black was an uptight, defensive and aggressive child, who often picked fights, vandalised the school and bullied younger children – having been bullied himself, being nicknamed “Smelly Bobby Tulip” owing to his lack of personal hygiene. Aged five, Black and a schoolgirl showed each other their genitalia, which – according to Black – made him realise he should have been born female, thus began his obsession with children, female genitalia and inserting objects into his own anus. Robert Black raped and murdered four young girls aged 5-11 in the early 1980’s, but has been linked to 13 other child murders in the UK, Ireland and Europe, whilst he worked as a long-distance truck driver. 

Fred West – Born into a hard-working rural family, Fred was a "mummy's boy" and the favourite of seven children who could do no wrong in her eyes. Although semi-literate, Fred had a good work ethic, but developed a habit for petty theft, which his over-protective mother neither corrected and his father simply replied "Do what you want... just don't get caught doing it". Fred claimed (although this was later rejected by his brother Doug) that he was "introduced to sex" aged 12 by his mother, committed bestiality (sex with animals) and incest (sex with family) was deemed acceptable as his father had raped his own daughters. Fred West raped, tortured and murdered 12 young women (including his own step-daughter), many with his wife Rosemary West. 

John Reginald Christie - Abused by his strict father and grandfather, Christie was the sixth born in a house of seven children. Always quiet, scared and often dubbed "queer" by those who knew him, Christie spoke about the profound effect it had of seeing the dead body of his grandfather - a man who'd terrified him so much, who was now still and silent. Plagued with impotence his whole life and shamed by a series of sexual failures in his teens which caused him to be bullied and nicknamed "Reggie No Dick", Christie was only able become erect with prostitutes. Christie would later go on to rape and murder eight women , subduing them using coal gas (disguised by Friar's Balsam). 

Although rarely tied together, Christie was the victim of a WW1 mustard gas attack, which left him physically and mentally traumatised, having witnessed those around him lying motionless and helpless, having been overcome by deadly gas fumes (a scene similar to his victim's deaths). ​

Other traumatic events and (possible) motivations for serial killers include: 

• Anthony Hardy - abused by an alcoholic father and diagnosed with bipolar disorder
• Colin Ireland – abused by paedophiles as a child (on 12 separate occasions) 
• Steve Wright - abandoned by his mother aged 8
• Peter Manuel -  bullied at school
• Beverley Allitt – diagnosed with Munchausen by Proxy
• ​Peter Tobin - bullied at school
• Myra Hindley – abused by her alcoholic father
• Ian Brady - social stigma of being born illegitimate and given up for adoption

And then there's the Cumbrian rampage-killer Derrick Bird who - having racked up a series of debts - snapped when he discovered he was missing from his late mother's will, an issue which was exacerbated by the fact that just a decade earlier, Bird's father had given £25,000 to his twin brother... but not to Derrick Bird. 

If you "enjoyed" this blog post try; Odds of a US Presidential Assassination, Killer Couples Part 1 & Part 2, Famous British Serial Killers - Where Are They Now? Serial Killers & Murderers Who Were Never Caught, London's Deadliest & Often Forgotten Disasters, Killers Born During a Full Moon, Killer's Star Signs, Serial Killers Who Were On TV, Celebrities Who Have Killed, London's Railway of Death, Serial Killers as Kids and the World's Weirdest Death Rituals

Michael J Buchanan-Dunne is a writer, crime historian and tour-guide who runs Murder Mile Walks, a guided tour of Soho’s most notorious murder cases, hailed as “one of the top ten quirky & unusual things to do in London” and featuring 12 murderers, including 3 serial killers, across 15 locations, totalling 75 deaths, over just a one mile walk.

A lot is often said about the difference in personality traits between siblings, whether they are the first born, middle child, last out, or an only child. Some may be moody, brooding and insular, and others energetic, hyperactive and attention-seeking, with each child's dominant characteristics (based on their birth order) being conveniently labelled by parent's groups and - some - medical professionals as a "syndrome". In 1927, psychologist Alfred Adler wrote about his theory that birth order predicted the following behaviour in children, which concluded. * to read more, click on the red links. 

Youngest Child Syndrome: characterised as "highly social, confident, creative, a problem solver, charming, funny, but also spoiled, a risk-taker, and adept at getting others to do things for them". 

Middle Child Syndrome: characterised as "unremarkable, moody, feels left out and neglected but is often the hardest to label as they desperately seek to be the exact opposite of their older sibling, with middle children are more prone to depression but have stronger immune systems". 

Eldest Child Syndrome: characteristics are dictated by how they react to the arrival of the second born who usurps their place as the only child, so their traits swings wildly between "an achiever or perfectionist, natural leader or bossy, strong-willed or sullen and serious or solitary". 

Only Child Syndrome: characterised by a "high level of confidence, a need for privacy and independence, a higher academic ability, but an inability to share, over-sensitivity and unable to accept criticism". 

So what I want to uncover with this blog is whether the personality traits of serial killers and mass-murderers are determined by their birth-order, as a first born, middle kid, eldest sibling or only child. As always I've started this blog with no prior evidence or opinion, and have based this on a random selection of 29 British serial killers. 

​What follows is a simple list of serial killers and the number of siblings they had, if any and where possibly I have listed the genders of their siblings (just in case it becomes relevant). 

• Beverley Allitt "The Angel of Death" - middle child, second of four, two elder sisters and one younger brother
• Levi Bellfield "The Bus Stop Killer" - youngest of five, two brothers and two sisters, plus ten step-siblings (family were Romany travellers)
• Ian Brady "Moors Murderer" - only child (was put up for adoption)
• Myra Hindley "Moors Murderer" - eldest child, one younger sister
• John Reginald Christie - middle child of seven siblings, he was second youngest
• Thomas Neill Cream "Lambest Poisoner" - eldest child of eight brothers and sisters
• Joanna Dennehy "Peterborough Ditch Murderer" - eldest of two, one younger sister
• Kenneth Erskine "The Stockwell Strangler" - middle child of three brothers (abandoned)
• Stephen Griffiths "The Sunderland Strangler" - eldest child of three
• John George Haigh "Acid Bath Murderer" - only child
• Trevor Hardy "The Beast of Manchester" - youngest child of four
• Colin Ireland "The Gay Slayer" - eldest child with one half-sibling (abandoned by father)
• Patrick Mackay – eldest of three, two younger sisters
• Robert Maudsley incorrectly labelled "Hannibal the Cannibal" by the tabloid press – youngest child of four, with two brothers and one sister, before they were all orphaned, although his parents later went on to have a total of 12 children
• Raymond Morris "The A34 Killer" – youngest of two, one older brother
• Donald Neilson "Black Panther" – only child
• Dennis Nilsen "Kindly Killer" – middle child of three, one older brother and a younger sister
• Harold Shipman "Dr Death" – middle child, second of four, two brothers and one sister
• John Straffen – youngest of three, one older sister and brother
• Peter Sutcliffe "Yorkshire Ripper" – eldest of six, two younger brothers and three sisters
• Fred West - eldest of six, two others having died in infancy
• Rosemary West – eldest of two, with one younger brother
• Steve Wright "The Suffolk Strangler" – middle child, second of four, one older brother and two younger sisters
• Graham Young "The Teacup Poisoner" – youngest of two, with one older sister
• Robert Black - only child, born illgitimate, later fostered
• Peter Manuel – middle child of three, with one brother and one sister
• Peter Tobin "Bible John" - middle child, second eldest of eight children
• Michael Robert Ryan "Hungerford Massacre" – only child
• Derrick Bird "Cumbria KIller" – one of twins with an older brother 

So, if we split these into groups of youngest, middle, eldest and only child:

• Only Child: total of 5 of 29, Ian Brady, John George Haigh, Donald Neilson, Robert Black and Michael Ryan. 
• Youngest Child: total of 6 of 29, Levi Bellfield, Trevor Hardy, Robert Maudsley, Raymond Morris, John Straffen and Graham Young.  
• Middle Child: total of 9 of 29; Beverley Allitt, John Reginald Christie, Kenneth Erskine, Dennis Nilsen, Harold Shipman, Steve Wright, Peter Manuel and Peter Tobin, with one anomaly being Derrick Bird - who was a twin - so was technically a middle child. 
• Eldest Child: total of 9 of 29; Myra Hindley, Thomas Neill Cream, Joanna Dennehy, Stephen Griffiths, Colin Ireland, Patrick Mackay, Peter Sutcliffe, Fred West and Rosemary West. 

So - according to this data - you are statistically twice as likely to be a serial killer is you are the middle or eldest child than if you were an only child ir youngest child. And as we've seen above, the personality traits of the middle child is often determined by the traits of the eldest child. Where-as if this data is broken down into older and younger siblings, or both: 

• Older Sister(s): total of 1 of 29; Graham Young "The Teacup Poisoner"
• Younger Sister(s): total of 3 of 29; Myra Hindley**, Joanna Dennehy** and Patrick Mackay
• Older Brother(s): total of 3 of 29; Kenneth Erskine*, Raymond Morris and Derrick Bird*
• Younger Brother(s): total 4 of 29; Kenneth Erskine*, Rosemary West and Derrick Bird* *  Erskine & Bird were of single gender siblings (all brothers), hence they appear on the list twice
• Siblings of a Single Sex: total 4 of 29; Myra Hindley**, Joanna Dennehy**, Kenneth Erskine* and Derrick Bird*. **  Hindley & Dennehy were of single gender siblings (all sisters), hence they appear on the list twice
• Siblings of Mixed Gender & Ages: total 14 of 29; Beverley Allitt, Levi Bellfield, John Reginald Christie, Thomas Neill Cream, Robert Maudsley, Dennis Nilsen, Harold Shipman, John Straffen, Fred West, Steve Wright, Peter Sutcliffe, Peter Manuel and Peter Tobin

At least half of all the serial killers - in the data supplied - came from a family where there was a mixture of genders and ages amongst the siblings, as opposed to having a single sibling of either gender, or single-sex siblings. I guess the conclusion we can make it that, you are more likely to be a serial killer if there is a conflict over "who is the first born"? But obviously, that's not the only reason people become serial killers. Next week, I shall look at serial killers and their motives.

If you "enjoyed" this blog post, why not take a peek at; Serial Killers & Murderers Who Were Never Caught, London's Deadliest & Often Forgotten Disasters, Are More Serial KIllers Born During a Full Moon, Killer's Birthdays / Star Signs, Serial Killers Who Were On TV, Celebrities Who Have Killed, London's Railway of Death, Serial Killers as Kids and the World's Weirdest Death Rituals. ​

Poisons are said to be the perfect tool for all would-be killers; some are silent, others untraceable, almost all are lethal (even in microscopic doses) and - even better - you don't even need to be in the same room, street or city as your intended victim to administer the poison. Hence why when you look at the murder method of most serial-killers, those who poison often have the highest IQ, as seen in my blog on serial killer IQ's. Different poisons are used by different killers for different reasons, all of which have different effects, but all are there to - ultimately - bring about death. 

This week, Murder Mile blog investigates the world's deadliest poisons as used by some of the world's most infamous murderers, serial killers and despots. A non-comprehensive list follows. 

Aconite derives from the plant Monkshood (also known as Wolfbane) and is almost untraceable during postmortem - as having absorbed the poison by merely touching the leaves with your bare hands - it quickly causes a rapid heart arrhythmia, asphyxiation and finally suffocation. Although beautiful, small doses cause a slow painful death over 2-6 hours, with large doses causing death instantly. Read more. 

Arsenic, a common metal on the periodic table that was virtually undetectable as a poison until the discovery of the Marsh Test in 1836 (which detects arsenic in food or water), even though trace elements of arsenic are essential in most mammals diets. Up until the 1950's, arsenic was used in a variety of household goods including wallpapers, paints and even cosmetics but was phased out as long exposure caused jaundice and skin rashes, with high doses of arsenic resulting in a slow painful death (vomiting, diarrhoea and internal bleeding) usually with a few hours. Read more. 

Antimony, similar to arsenic, Antimony is a common metal on the periodic table, and although it causes sweating, vomiting and cardiac arrest just 30 minutes after ingestion, it is easy for the intended victim to spot owing to it having an acrid metallic taste and - like arsenic - can be detected during autopsy as it irritates the lining of the alimentary tract. Antimony was most famously used by Graham Young - "The Teacup Poisoner". Read more. 

Botulinum Toxin, commonly abbreviated to Botox, is a muscle paralytic which - although used to cure excessive sweating, migraines and to alleviate wrinkles in vain & expressionless people - it can lead to Botulism, a fatal condition causing paralysis of the lungs, liver and heart. Botox is the most poisonous substance known to man and it is estimated that one single teaspoon of botulinum toxin is enough to kill over 1 billion people. Read more. 

Batrachotoxin, a neurotoxin extracted from the skin of the Golden Dart Frog as used on the tips of the hunting darts of Amazonian Indians. Although barely thumb-sized, the Golden Dart Frog produces enough venom to kill ten people, the equivalent to just two grains of salt, which - as a paralytic and a cardiotoxin - causes death within minutes. There is no know antidote. 

Belladonna (translated from the Italian for "beautiful woman"*) is a plant more commonly known as Deadly Nightshade, which was used in the 18/19th century as a pain reliever, muscle relaxer and - of course - a cosmetic, as when drops were rubbed into the cheek would create a blush effect and when added to their eyes would cause the pupils to dilate (a sign of sexual attraction). That said, a single leaf - if ingested - is lethal. Read more. 
* surely everything in Italian translates as "beautiful woman"

Cyanide is a chemical-compound commonly found in a wide variety of fruits (apple pips, almond and apricots stones) as well as tobacco, which is safely excreted via the urine in small doses. For humans, 1.5mg per kg of body weight is a lethal dose with death occurring in minutes. Cyanide is recognisable by its bitter almond smell and primarily causes the body to stop producing its own energy, with further symptoms including hyperventilation, dizziness, nausea, headaches, convulsions and death. Cyanide is the active ingredient of Zyklon B, the gas used in the Nazi extermination camps. Read more. 

​Dimethylmercury is an organic chemical compound with very few useful applications. It is a colourless liquid which is one of the world's strongest known neurotoxins, whose symptoms don't become apparent until months after exposure, with lethal doses being as little as 0.1ml. On 14th August 1996, chemist Karen Wetterhahn spilled a few drops on her latex gloved hand and promptly took the necessary precautions, but it wasn't until April 1997 that the symptoms - loss of balance and slurred speech - occured, later developing into resistance to pain, and leaving her in a vegetative state. She died ten months later. 

Hemlock, (conium maculatum) a plant indigenous to Europe and North Africa, has been used as a deadly poison since as far back as 400BC, as it disrupts the central nervous system and slows the rate at which oxygen can reach the heart, brain and all other vital organs. Death can be prevented by artificial respiration until 48-72 hours after the symptoms have worn off, but even 0.1mgs of hemlock can be fatal. Read more. 

Polonium, a radioactive poison with no cure. It was famously used on the former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko whose cup of tea was spiked with a dose 200 times higher than that which is fatal, even though a single gram of polonium 210 could kill 10 million people and is 250,000 times more potent than hydrogen cyanide (which is used in gas execution chambers). Polonium causes a slow but complete breakdown and failure of the internal organs owing to its radioactive compounds. Litvinenko died three weeks later. 

Mercury, a metal on the periodic table, which is commonly used in car batteries, thermometers and (as with Mozart) a cure for syphilis, and although harmless if touched, it can be lethal if inhaled or ingested. Symptoms include rashes, muscle weakness, memory loss, numbness and issues with sight, hearing and speech, with the latter stages of the poisoning resulting in excessive sweating, rapid heart-rate, hypertension and - finally - death. Although organic mercury is commonly found in tuna & swordfish (so long-term consumption should be restricted to 170g per week) it can be potentially deadly over long period of time. 

Sulphar ​Mustard is a cytotoxic (toxic at a cellular level) chemical warfare agent, as used in the World War One trenches, and is more commonly known as Mustard Gas owing to the yellow-brown colour of the gas and its garlic smell. even though the active ingredient is actually chlorine. Although fatal in less than 1% of cases, Mustard Gas causes burns and blistering to the skin, eyes and lungs, which can lead to suffocation, but mostly victims die from secondary infections caused by the burns and  - even if they survive long enough - cancer. 

​Ricin (ricinus communis) derives from the castor oil bean and is so poisonous that even a few grains could kill an adult human. Like mustard gas, Ricin is cytotoxic (meaning it attacks the body at a molecular level; in this case) by preventing the body from synthesising protein, which leads to the failure of all vital internal organs. Although quick-acting, the victim often dies within a week to ten days, but the symptoms often don't occur for at least 24-48 hours. 

​Strychnine, derived from the seed of the tropical Dog Button plant (Strychnos Nux-Vomica), it is a crystalline alkaloid previously used in common pesticides which - when ingested - causes paralysis, asphyxiation, violent muscle convulsions - so powerful that the victim's body appears to jack-knife on itself - and ultimately death within 2-3 hours. Although still used in rat-poison, drug dealers have been known to use it as an added ingredient to alleviate some of heroin's less favourable symptoms. 

​Sarin, a colourless and odourless nerve agent developed during World War Two, it's an organophosphate which is 26 times more deadly than cyanide, which shuts down the body's nerve endings, resulting in asphyxiation, the total loss of all muscle control (including bowel, stomach and bladder), coma and eventually death within an hour. Sarin was used by religious cult Aum Shinrikyo on the Tokyo subway system (20th March 1995), killing 13, injuring 54 and affecting 980+. 

​Tetrodotoxin, derived from the blue-ringed octopus and the puffer fish, both are deadly poisonous but in different ways; the octopus injects its venom via painless bite (storing enough to kill 26 adult humans) and killing its prey in minutes by paralysis, and the puffer fish, which is a Japanese delicacy that is only deadly if you eat it and it hasn't been prepared correctly. Quite why you'd want to eat a poison fish is beyond me?

​VX; an entirely manufactured nerve-agent (by the UK, oh well done us); it's a tasteless and odourless liquid with an amber-like colour, which is more potent than Sarin and causes instant respiratory failure, paralysis and was designed to kill as many people as possible, although thankfully it was outlawed by the Chemical Weapons Convention  in 1993. The UK and USA have destroyed their stockpiles of this weapon, with Russia following suit. As recently used in the killing of Kim-Jong Nam. 

If you "enjoyed" this blog post try; Odds of a US Presidential Assassination, Killer Couples Part 1 & Part 2, Famous British Serial Killers - Where Are They Now? Serial Killers & Murderers Who Were Never Caught, London's Deadliest & Often Forgotten Disasters, Killers Born During a Full Moon, Killer's Star Signs, Serial Killers Who Were On TV, Celebrities Who Have Killed, London's Railway of Death, Serial Killers as Kids and the World's Weirdest Death Rituals

Michael J Buchanan-Dunne is a writer, crime historian and tour-guide who runs Murder Mile Walks, a guided tour of Soho’s most notorious murder cases, hailed as “one of the top ten quirky & unusual things to do in London” and featuring 12 murderers, including 3 serial killers, across 15 locations, totalling 75 deaths, over just a one mile walk.