The Preposterous Files - Death By Beer

Files from the National Archive reveal preposterous acts both grand and petty. Julian Putkowski distills them down. Question- How many pints of beer a day does it take to kill a woman living in Manchester in 1900? Answer- 1.5. Professor Hugh Pennington is shocked by the scale of death caused by accidental contamination. There are many similarities between how the authorities dealt with the disaster then and his own experience in modern poisonings. Producer: Matt Thompson A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4.