Poisoned chalice.

Australian Doctor,  November, 2006  by Leavesley, Jim

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HISTORY by Dr Jim Leavesley.

THE downfall of the Roman Empire has been blamed on the poisoning of the population from the lead water pipes, lead-lined wine storage vessels and the 'sweetening' of wine with lead.

Later emperors had few children and tended to be mentally unstable, and recovered skeletons contain unusually high levels of lead. The soft metal was conveniently mined at the Laurion mines near Rome and the workers often had to be replaced due to illness.

Epidemics of what appears to have been lead poisoning also occurred in 7th century Italy and in Germany in the ...

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