"From the 15th century onwards, people believed the body was made up of different elements which were needed in the right proportions. ""If [they were] not, you used chemicals to put it in order,"" says Totelin. Those chemicals included lead, copper, silver and arsenic.<br /><br />""Arsenic has always been a known poison,"" adds Stein, but its toxic properties did have some benefits. ""It did kill bacteria but would not treat things long term,"" she says. In the 20th century arsenic was used in the first antibiotic treatment against syphilis, known as salvarsan, which was considered a magic bullet in the fight against the disease. It was a much needed alternative to pure mercury."
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