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The Chemist Who Poisoned His Colleagues So We Could All Be Safe Today
Dr. Harvey Wiley helped pioneer safety through some dangerous methods
Through much trial and error, humanity has figured out what is poisonous and what is not. A hero in this painstaking process of elimination was chemist Dr. Harvey Wiley, and a group he formed that came to be called “the Poison Squad,” which voluntarily ingested toxic substances so their effects could be studied and thus make things safer for the rest of the world.
Years ago, manufacturers could include just about anything they wanted among ingredients for a product. The lack of regulation and oversight meant people often took their wellbeing into their own hands by consuming items that they often knew very little about what they contained. However, this was all changed by Wiley and his gang of poison gobblers.
Born in 1844 in a rural log home in Indiana, Wiley grew up to pursue education, ultimately earning his M.D. degree from Indiana Medical College in 1871. A series of lecturing positions ensued before he accepted the position of Chief Chemist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1882. He took the job in part because he had recently been turned down for the role of president of Purdue University because he was “too young and jovial.”
