History
Castor oil
Ricin can be isolated from the waste mash produced from extracting Castor oil from the beans of the castor oil plant, Ricinus communis. Castor oil is widely used around the world, for everything from food preservatives to cosmetics. Despite this, ricin poisoning from the oil itself is highly uncommon. Medicinally, castor oil has been used as a laxative for centuries and currently, is a common component of skin care products such as acne treatments. Castor oil has also been used to treat hair loss as well as to help reduce scarring. Industrially, castor oil is used to make synthetic soaps such as Turkey-Red, and is also essential in the creation of some artificial rubbers. Additionally, castor oil is widely used as an engine lubricant in everything from jet engines to race cars. However, a large demand for castor oil means cultivation of many castor oil plants and the generation of potentially deadly ricin-containing waste mash.
As the number of uses for castor oil continues to increase, so too does the incidence of ricin use. Ricin was quickly considered a possible weapon after its discovery in 1888, due to the ease of preparation, the commonality of the castor oil plant, and the stability and water soluble nature of the poison.
As the number of uses for castor oil continues to increase, so too does the incidence of ricin use. Ricin was quickly considered a possible weapon after its discovery in 1888, due to the ease of preparation, the commonality of the castor oil plant, and the stability and water soluble nature of the poison.
Ricin
Peter Hermann Stillmark (1860-1923) is credited for discovering ricin in 1888. He detailed his discovery in his doctoral thesis “Über Ricin, ein giftiges Ferment aus den Samen von Ricinus comm. L. und einigen anderen Euphorbiaceen." Stillmark was the first to isolate the highly toxic protein from the castor bean, which he then named ricin. He presented his work at the Univeristy in Dorpat, in czarist Russia.
During both World Wars, bombs and artillery shells were designed as dispersion mechanisms to release clouds of deadly ricin powder. Classified as Agent W in the United States, ricin was determined to be an ineffective military weapon due to the quantities that would be required to have a lethal effect over a large area. Research on the compound continued into the Cold War, up until the Biological Weapons Convention of 1972 where most countries destroyed their ricin stockpiles.
Despite this, ricin has been a popular weapon for terrorists and assassins ever since, even breaking into the world of popular culture with multiple appearances in television and movies.
During both World Wars, bombs and artillery shells were designed as dispersion mechanisms to release clouds of deadly ricin powder. Classified as Agent W in the United States, ricin was determined to be an ineffective military weapon due to the quantities that would be required to have a lethal effect over a large area. Research on the compound continued into the Cold War, up until the Biological Weapons Convention of 1972 where most countries destroyed their ricin stockpiles.
Despite this, ricin has been a popular weapon for terrorists and assassins ever since, even breaking into the world of popular culture with multiple appearances in television and movies.