Unknown Narrator / Historian Deborah Blum

He titles this article, Wood Alcohol Poisoning. He's not messing around. He puts the word poison right in the actual article title. So he says, "...the prohibition by our government of the manufacture of distilled liquors will unquestionably lead to much moonshining adulteration and dilution of the liquors offered to the public."

He titles this article, Wood Alcohol Poisoning. He's not messing around. He puts the word poison right in the actual article title. So he says, "...the prohibition by our government of the manufacture of distilled liquors will unquestionably lead to much moonshining adulteration and dilution of the liquors offered to the public."

He's saying to doctors around the country, you know, let people know this is dangerous, this is coming, and arm yourself. He said, I want to send up a signal flare. Please take this as a warning. We're at the very start of this. Essentially, what that piece says, in a beautifully scientific way, is I'm not talking about alcohol, I'm talking about poison.

He's saying to doctors around the country, you know, let people know this is dangerous, this is coming, and arm yourself. He said, I want to send up a signal flare. Please take this as a warning. We're at the very start of this. Essentially, what that piece says, in a beautifully scientific way, is I'm not talking about alcohol, I'm talking about poison.

Before Prohibition really takes off, he's looking the federal government right in the eye and saying, I want to let you know that we're looking at this now. We're seeing people starting to die. This is a terrible idea. Whatever, you know, politics and morality you think is behind what you're doing, the bottom line of what you're going to do is kill people.

Before Prohibition really takes off, he's looking the federal government right in the eye and saying, I want to let you know that we're looking at this now. We're seeing people starting to die. This is a terrible idea. Whatever, you know, politics and morality you think is behind what you're doing, the bottom line of what you're going to do is kill people.

When we're five years into Prohibition, the government is starting to go, okay, this isn't working. What is wrong with the American people?

When we're five years into Prohibition, the government is starting to go, okay, this isn't working. What is wrong with the American people?

Did people die? They died daily.

Did people die? They died daily.