Research - The most famous witches - Giulia Tofana

 Giulia Tofana can be called the most successful serial killer because not many people know about her. She killed hundreds of men in the 17th century in Italy when she was selling a deadly mixture named after her name Aqua Tofana. This poison includes arsenic, lead and belladonna. Belladonna juice a drop was used by women for making eyes more shiny and luminous. On the other hand, arsenic and lead were ingredients for a facial powder at that time that were used as lighter for the skin. 

Mejanel (-) Aqua Tofana

At that time lots of women were forced to marriage for example to connect two families or just improve their family status. They often were left in abusive men hands who could punish them for nothing, in this relationship woman background did not matter the same as their words and actions. This time women were just an item that could be taken or exchange also they were good to show at the party. This world was much crueller where men have a lead. 

At that time divorces did not exist so left women in loveless, abusive and unhappy marriage leads them to the only option - murder. Giulia that portraits do not exist and information about her is minimal create a special mixture that helped these desperate women get rid of their husbands. Where a few drops of her species are described by her as "sufficient to destroy a man". She sells it undercover as a beauty cosmetic in a small vase that her customers could put it between their own cosmetic and make no suspicion. 

She made this poison because she wanted to help people in abusive marriages. This poison was almost impossible to defect and has slow action on the victims so after taking it the victims look like they died from natural causes such as flu. This mixture was also tasteless and colourless sold in liquid mixed with powder what was easier for women to add to the water, the wine or the soup. 

The first dose creates cold symptoms, during the third dose the man will feel very ill - throwing up, dehydration or diarrhoea also feel a burning sensation in their stomach. In the fourth dose, it would kill the victim. 

For selling this product she opened a cosmetic shop in South Italy where women (there were also a few men who bought this mixture) come to buy cosmetic but mostly for Aqua Tofana. She was doing it for almost 50 years. People that bought this poison were taught how to react during the husband illness and after his death that none of them would be under suspicion of killing their husbands, it worked very well. 

She also was very selective if it comes to her clients, she checked their background if they are trustworthy and it was a great move because none of the people could find any evidence against her. Unfortunately after selling Aqua Tofana to one of her clients and where the woman put this poison into her husband soup and overcome with the guilt she stopped him in the middle of eating it. She did not want to say what she has done with the soup so after bitting her up by the husband she confesses to putting the poison into his meal. After this accident, her husband took her to the authorities in Rome where she was tortured and confessed everything after it she probably was killed there too. 

After hearing about it Giulia wanted to leave the city but instead of it, she hides in the church waiting for a better opportunity. During this time were spread some rumours that Giulia poisoned the water supply in Rome.  The church gives her to the authorities where during the tortures she confessed that she helped kill 600 men between 1633 - 1651. She was forced to get the authorities the names of her clients but she said that she does not remember all of them and gives some random names to them. She was executed among her daughter and three employers in 1659.

After her confess a few clients of her were also executed but for authorities, it was hard to see who really killed their husband thank's to Giulia's poison and who did not so they could not do anything. 

Aqua Tofana becomes a legend at that time which a lot of people were afraid of. Frederic Chopin also believes that he was poisoned by Aqua Tofana even if this accident were a long time after existing the person that created it. He said " I will not last much longer. I am sure that I have been poisoned. I can not get rid myself of this idea that someone has given me an Aqua Tofana" Historian believes that he died of the fever of syphilis or from having to eat undercooked pork. 

References:

Bailey Sarian (2020) Giulia Tofana Killed Over 600 Men With Her Poisonous Makeup https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IoJBV29zMg [02.05.2021]

Wynsteria (2020) The story about Giulia Tofana (Onlne) https://m4rooncherry.medium.com/the-story-of-giulia-tofana-a257e43eee69 [02.05.2021]

Khalid Elhassan (2019) History's Most Prolific and Deadly Female Poisoner Helped Women get Rid of their Husbands (Onlne) https://historycollection.com/historys-most-prolific-and-deadly-female-poisoner-helped-women-get-rid-of-their-husbands/3/ [02.05.2021]

Pierre Mejanel (-) Aqua Tofana https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqua_Tofana#/media/File:L%C3%A9o_Taxil-Myst%C3%A8res_de_la_Franc-Ma%C3%A7onnerie-gravure_85.jpg [02.05.2021]