oh dear, let me retry that…
1. Carl Scheele (1742-1786)
The genius pharmaceutical chemist discovered many new elements, most famously oxygen (even if Joseph Priestley did publish his findings first and get all the glory), as well as molybdenum, tungsten, manganese and chlorine. But these were the days before OSHA and the knowledge of just how toxic chemical concoctions could be. Scheele had the bad habit of using all of his senses in his work, including smell and taste. Egad. He managed to survive his taste-test of hydrogen cyanide, but cumulative exposure to mercury, lead, fluoric acid, and other nasty toxins finally did him in, leading to his demise thanks to heavy metal toxicity at the age of 44.
2. Elizabeth Fleischman Ascheim (1859-1905)
Upon learning of the discovery of X-rays by Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, California girl Elizabeth Fleischman Ascheim gave up her job as a bookkeeper and enrolled in electrical science school. She was a quick study, and soon purchased X-ray equipment to open one of the first X-ray labs in the country. Along with her physician brother-in-law, she began obsessively experimenting with the medium — often with the two of them spending long days X-raying each other in the name of science. She saw many patients from the Spanish-American War and went on to specialize in dental work, earning a reputation as a remarkable radiologist. Yet she refused to protect herself during experiments and treating patients, saying that it would make her patients uncomfortable with the procedure to see her using protection. She died of radiation poisoning at the age of 46, and is remembered as one of the “martyrs to radiology.”
3. Alexander Bogdanov (1873-1928)
The Russian Bogdanov was a physician, economist, philosopher, natural scientist, science fiction writer, poet, teacher, politician, revolutionary, an early pioneer of cybernetics and organizational science, and founder of the world’s first institution devoted entirely to blood transfusions — the Soviet Institute for Blood Transfusion, which he opened in 1926. He was a pioneer in hematology, and went so far as to perform 11 transfusions on himself, which he declared cured his balding and improved his eyesight. Unfortunately, his last transfusion was tainted with malaria and tuberculosis, putting an end to his life and his remarkable first-person research.
4. Marie Curie (1867-1934)
The discovery of radioactivity by Henri Becquerel in 1896 inspired the research of science power couple, Marie and Pierre Curie. Their brilliant research and analysis led to the isolation of polonium, named after Marie’s homeland, and radium. Marie spent her life conducting radiation research and studying radiation therapy, yet her continual exposure to the elements led to leukemia, which took its toll in 1934. Among her many accolades, she has been the only person to receive two Nobel prizes in science in two different fields: chemistry and physics.
5. Haroutune (Harry) K. Daghlian Jr. (1921-1945)
American physicist Harry Daghlian was part of on the Manhattan Project at the remote Omega Site facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. On Aug 21, 1945, during a critical mass experiment, he accidentally dropped a tungsten carbide brick onto a plutonium bomb core. Oopsy. The mishap caused a critical reaction, and Daghlian quickly tried to knock the brick away, unsuccessfully, and resorted to removing the bricks by hand to halt the reaction. He stopped the reaction, but was exposed to massive amounts of radiation. He died 25 days later.
6. Malcolm Casadaban (1949-2009)
An associate professor of molecular genetics and cell biology and microbiology at the University of Chicago, specialist Casadaban was performing laboratory research on the bacterium that causes the plague when he became sick and died from plague. According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report on the incident, the strain that killed Casadaban had never been known to infect laboratory workers as it was a genetically weakened strain. Casadaban was found to have undiagnosed hereditary hemochromatosis, which likely played in a role in his death.
7. Richard Din (1987-2012)
Researcher Richard Din worked at the Northern California Institute for Research and Education, where the focus of his research had been developing a vaccine to protect against the dangerous bacterium known as Neisseria meningitidis, a strain of bacteria that causes meningococcal disease, and leads to meningitis and bloodstream infections. The UC Berkeley graduate came down with a headache and nausea, and by the next morning his symptoms had worsened enough to require a hospital visit. His condition deteriorated quickly, and he died 17 hours after his symptoms first appeared. The cause? Meningococcal disease from the bacterium he had been working on. No accidents had occurred, and Din was said to have been a fastidious, rule-following worker, but he wasn’t vaccinated for the illness despite CDC recommendations to the contrary. (Although, likely a vaccine wouldn’t help, since it was a vaccine he was working on for a strain that was resistant to vaccine.) Fortunately, about 70 people who came into contact with Din promptly received antibiotic treatment and none of them came down with the illness.
I read the thread title as scientists killed by scissors. Had read halfway through the list wondering why they all died in a different way.
party_pants said:
I read the thread title as scientists killed by scissors. Had read halfway through the list wondering why they all died in a different way.
the warning to not run with scissors resonates even with scientists… experimenting with radium, however, seems fine…
http://www.nytimes.com/books/01/04/15/specials/volcano.html
“When a Volcano Turns Deadly for Those Studying Its Moods
By WILLIAM J. BROAD
The six were killed on Jan. 14 as they gathered chemical and gravitational clues in the cone of the Galeras volcano, stretching 13,680 feet into the cold, thin air of the Colombian Andes. The ground suddenly began to heave. With a deafening roar, the volcano exploded in a riot of incandescent boulders and lava and ash, some thrown miles high.
I read a book by a ex-Russian bio-warfare scientist outlining their secret program. One scientist on the program accidentally stabbed himself with Ebola or Marburg virus or something equally hideous. He died a very agonising death.
there was also the biologist who was drowned by a seal
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2003/jul/24/science.highereducation
A 28-year-old marine biologist has been killed by Antarctica’s most dangerous predator, a leopard seal, while on a snorkelling mission at a British research base.
Kirsty Brown, an experienced diver, was overwintering with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) at Rothera research station on the Antarctic Peninsula when she was dragged underwater by the seal and drowned during a routine mission to check on scientific equipment.
Many years ago when we still had civilised lunches at our conferences, we had a vulcanologist as a guest speaker. They told of someone who was killed by a pyroclastic flow, but sat in their 4WD taking photos as it came towards them, then popped the camera into the case and shoved it under the seat as it engulfed the vehicle. I’m sure they said his body was sitting in the car, the camera was retrieved and the photos survived. I thought it might have been this fellow:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_A._Johnston
but the wikipedia piece doesn’t tell quite the same story.
Nup, found the National Geographic that I chased up for the story. It was Robert Landsburgh.
And here are the pictures:
http://acidcow.com/pics/39912-last-pictures-of-robert-landsberg-15-pics.html
THere are q
buffy said:
And here are the pictures:
http://acidcow.com/pics/39912-last-pictures-of-robert-landsberg-15-pics.html
Seems a silly way to go. He should have made a break for it instead of snapping away to get a few last grainy and rather dull pictures.
The Wall of the Dead: A Memorial to Fallen Naturalists
http://strangebehaviors.wordpress.com/2011/01/14/the-wall-of-the-dead/
Bubblecar said:
buffy said:And here are the pictures:
http://acidcow.com/pics/39912-last-pictures-of-robert-landsberg-15-pics.html
Seems a silly way to go. He should have made a break for it instead of snapping away to get a few last grainy and rather dull pictures.
>Except for the fact that it is impossible to outrun a pyroclastic flow
He was driving a car.
>>Seems a silly way to go. He should have made a break for it instead of snapping away to get a few last grainy and rather dull pictures.<<
I don’t think that was an option Bubblecar. So he just decided to do the best possible. It’s pretty likely the pictures were a bit heat affected, I think.
Pyroclastic flows are waaay faster than a car, Bubblecar.
buffy said:
Pyroclastic flows are waaay faster than a car, Bubblecar.
Not if you leave soon enough.
A pyroclastic flow (also known scientifically as a pyroclastic density current) is a fast-moving current of hot gas and rock (collectively known as tephra), which reaches speeds moving away from a volcano of up to 700 km/h (450 mph).
Pfft, my Senator could have outrun that.
Pyroclastic flows can reach 700km/h. I reckon if you can see it, it’s too late to run.
Moral of the tale: don’t hang around the base of insanely erupting volcanoes taking photos. Or indeed, doing anything else.
Bubblecar said:
Moral of the tale: don’t hang around the base of insanely erupting volcanoes taking photos. Or indeed, doing anything else.
Better to fly around it in a Lear Jet. That at least can do 700 km/h at a short turn if needs be.
>1. Carl Scheele (1742-1786)
The genius pharmaceutical chemist discovered many new elements, most famously oxygen (even if Joseph Priestley did publish his findings first and get all the glory), as well as molybdenum, tungsten, manganese and chlorine. But these were the days before OSHA and the knowledge of just how toxic chemical concoctions could be. Scheele had the bad habit of using all of his senses in his work, including smell and taste. Egad. He managed to survive his taste-test of hydrogen cyanide, but cumulative exposure to mercury, lead, fluoric acid, and other nasty toxins finally did him in, leading to his demise thanks to heavy metal toxicity at the age of 44.
One of my favourite scientists. I didn’t realise that he died so young. He certainly packed a lot into that 44 years. It is amazing to think that he was working in the era of the phlogiston theory, which must have been a restriction in itself.
Arts said:
1. Carl Scheele (1742-1786)
The genius pharmaceutical chemist discovered many new elements, most famously oxygen (even if Joseph Priestley did publish his findings first and get all the glory), as well as molybdenum, tungsten, manganese and chlorine. But these were the days before OSHA and the knowledge of just how toxic chemical concoctions could be. Scheele had the bad habit of using all of his senses in his work, including smell and taste. Egad. He managed to survive his taste-test of hydrogen cyanide, but cumulative exposure to mercury, lead, fluoric acid, and other nasty toxins finally did him in, leading to his demise thanks to heavy metal toxicity at the age of 44.
They could diagnose that back then?
Soso said:
Arts said:
1. Carl Scheele (1742-1786)
The genius pharmaceutical chemist discovered many new elements, most famously oxygen (even if Joseph Priestley did publish his findings first and get all the glory), as well as molybdenum, tungsten, manganese and chlorine. But these were the days before OSHA and the knowledge of just how toxic chemical concoctions could be. Scheele had the bad habit of using all of his senses in his work, including smell and taste. Egad. He managed to survive his taste-test of hydrogen cyanide, but cumulative exposure to mercury, lead, fluoric acid, and other nasty toxins finally did him in, leading to his demise thanks to heavy metal toxicity at the age of 44.They could diagnose that back then?
Based on symptoms in the historical record I’d say.
poikilotherm said:
Soso said:
Arts said:
1. Carl Scheele (1742-1786)
The genius pharmaceutical chemist discovered many new elements, most famously oxygen (even if Joseph Priestley did publish his findings first and get all the glory), as well as molybdenum, tungsten, manganese and chlorine. But these were the days before OSHA and the knowledge of just how toxic chemical concoctions could be. Scheele had the bad habit of using all of his senses in his work, including smell and taste. Egad. He managed to survive his taste-test of hydrogen cyanide, but cumulative exposure to mercury, lead, fluoric acid, and other nasty toxins finally did him in, leading to his demise thanks to heavy metal toxicity at the age of 44.They could diagnose that back then?
Based on symptoms in the historical record I’d say.
Scheele suffered in the final years of his life from what he called gout. On 18 May 1786, when he obviously understood that he was very seriously ill, he married the widow Margareta Pohl. This would allow her to regain the rights to the apothecary that he had taken over just over a decade earlier. Scheele died just three days later on 21 May 1786 at the young age of 43. In Köping’s parish register the reason for his death was listed as consumption.
http://www.iva.se/PageFiles/16585/Minnesskriften%202012.pdf
Soso said:
poikilotherm said:
Soso said:Based on symptoms in the historical record I’d say.
Scheele suffered in the final years of his life from what he called gout. On 18 May 1786, when he obviously understood that he was very seriously ill, he married the widow Margareta Pohl. This would allow her to regain the rights to the apothecary that he had taken over just over a decade earlier. Scheele died just three days later on 21 May 1786 at the young age of 43. In Köping’s parish register the reason for his death was listed as consumption.http://www.iva.se/PageFiles/16585/Minnesskriften%202012.pdf
Fair assumption really, given the evidence. Plus, chronic exposure would look similar to TB back in the day.
Extreme hiker and landscape photographer Kawika Singson caught on fire in his bid to capture a unique portrait photo.
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/how-far-would-you-go-for-the-ultimate-photo/story-e6frfq80-1226680147564#ixzz2ZBY2OGIT
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katia_and_Maurice_Krafft
They did a lot of photographic documentaries which were featured on The World Around Us on Sunday nights when I was a kid. I was saddened when they died in a pyroclastic flow from Mt Unzen in 1991.
Divine Angel said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katia_and_Maurice_KrafftThey did a lot of photographic documentaries which were featured on The World Around Us on Sunday nights when I was a kid. I was saddened when they died in a pyroclastic flow from Mt Unzen in 1991.
Ah, I remember that show and those people.
buffy said:
Many years ago when we still had civilised lunches at our conferences, we had a vulcanologist as a guest speaker. They told of someone who was killed by a pyroclastic flow, but sat in their 4WD taking photos as it came towards them, then popped the camera into the case and shoved it under the seat as it engulfed the vehicle. I’m sure they said his body was sitting in the car, the camera was retrieved and the photos survived. I thought it might have been this fellow:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_A._Johnston
but the wikipedia piece doesn’t tell quite the same story.
I see where you’re coming from… I remember reading something about the last minutes of his life as well as the others who died in the 1980 eruption of Mt St Helens.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_eruption_of_Mount_St._Helens
It wasn’t here that I read about them though. I can’t think of it OTTOMH.
It was a good show. I especially liked the volcano episodes and my sister liked the animal ones… until the animals ate other animals. This was before all that Lion King “circle of life” stuff.
Divine Angel said:
It was a good show. I especially liked the volcano episodes and my sister liked the animal ones… until the animals ate other animals. This was before all that Lion King “circle of life” stuff.
yeah.. one week they featured the lion. When they chased their prey you were all like “go lion, go” then when they showed the antelope and the lion was chasing them we were all, “Go antelope, run!”