As the chapters shown before, phosphorus can be deadly, modified to make it a poison. The human body was made with an ability to detoxify many molecules presented in plants and natural insecticides. What it wasn't equipped with is the ability to cope with toxic elements, of which phosphorus is a grouling sample of.
Even with the knowledge of the poisonous characteristics of phosphorus it didn't keep people (in the Victorian Age), from eating it. This came with them eating match heads, with the belief of becoming "smarter", or committing suicide. A lethal dose of phosphorus for an adult is about 100 mg. In other words about a tenth of a gram, which just so happened to be the amount of phosphorus in a box of matches. For a baby, 20 mg, just about 10 match heads would become deadly. The time it takes to kill, is form hours to days. When large amounts are ingested in could take just hours.
Although many deaths to do with phosphorus were planned and done accordingly, there were also many accidental deaths.
And then there are the real murders. For example Dr Bowers, who disposed of his first and second wives, and third for sure. Then the rum and rodine cocktails, rodine being known as rat poisoning, people would easily mix these "cocktails" and give them to there targets.
Sounds chilling and unheard of.. but it happened.
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