This month we find out drug testing has come a long way, as we read The Poison Trials: Wonder Drugs, Experiment and the Battle for Authority in Renaissance Science, the latest book from historian of science and medicine Alisha Rankin. The book tells little-known stories of medicine in 16th century Europe, such as Pope Clement VII’s personal physician testing a new antidote by feeding poison-laced cake to two condemned criminals. Only one received the cure. Such grisly episodes occurred at a time when fears of deadly poisons were running high among those in power and physicians were scrabbling for cures. As such, Rankin suggests they might be considered an early form of clinical trials. We talk to Rankin about researching and writing the book, and discuss what these stories mean for us today, as scientists search for cures to a public health emergency.

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