Monstrum Naturae: 'The Power of Poison'

Tuesday 29 September 2015

'The Power of Poison'

Hi everyone!

A while ago, I decided to try and write articles for my blog, again. This is my first one in a very long time. Whoohoo!

Today, I went to an exhibition about poison. Since I live in Rotterdam, I own a Rotterdampas, which is a card I can use to go to museums and exhibits for free! For students the card costs only €12,50 a year, so that's quite a bargain!

The exhibition was called 'The Power of Poison' and was about venomous and poisonous (yes, there is a difference!) animals, toxic plants and the history of all that. It was a very interesting exhibition, though in a very 'American' style.

I made some pictures with my phone, because I forgot to put my memory card back into my camera :( Sorry for the crappy photo's!

They had a variety of living animals in terrariums:

Poison dart frog/ pijlgifkikker
(Dendrobatidae)

Greater blue-ringed octopus/ Grote blauwring-octopus
(Hapalochlaena lunulata)

Common clownfish/ Driebandanemoonvis
(Amphiprion ocellaris)

Another part of the exhibition was about poison in stories. Like the Mad Hatter in 'Alice in Wonderland':

Alice at the Mad Hatters' tea party./ Alice op het theefeestje van de 'Mad Hatter'.

Hatters around 1900 often used mercuric nitrate for felting. The hatters got occupational chronic mercury poisoning. The effect was called 'mad hatters disease' and include tremor and shyness (read more)

Of course, Snow White was also present. And her poisoned apple, too.

Snow White in her glass coffin./ Sneeuwwitje in haar glazen kistje.

Behold the Three Witches of Macbeth! (read more)

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the caldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog!

Two ladies with a shady history; Goeie Mie (Maria Swanenburg) and Lucrezia Borgia (click!).