Tragedies, discussion

As nylon and the plastics revolution became a part of modern life, the figure of Carothers receded tragically into the shadows. The horror of his death, the social stigma attached to mental illness and suicide, and prevailing social codes that discouraged the discussion of personal tragedies contributed to an atmosphere of secrecy that surrounded his life. As late as 1979, the Encyclopaedia Britannica credited Father Nieuwland with the discovery of Neoprene. 

Methyl isocyanate is a very dangerous chemical. It was responsible for the deaths of over 2,500 people, perhaps as many as 10,000 people, in the worst industrial accident ever, that of the carbamate insecticide plant in Bhopal, India on December 3, 1984. It is a very toxic chemical. This tragedy is discussed in more detail in Chapter 25. Methyl isocyanate can be made from phosgene and methylamine, which would circumvent use of the isocyanate. Phosgene is made from chlorine and carbon monoxide, but it is also very toxic and dangerous. 

The Revenger s Tragedy, The Second Maiden s, and The Duke of Milan are examined in more detail in Chapter 4. As discussed in Chapter i, cosmetics are also closely juxtaposed with poisons in Jonson s Sejanus (1603) numerous other plays feature similar variations on this theme. 

As discussed in Chapter 3, painting the face would convey recognizable connotations of idolatry, even if the Lady were still alive. On idolatry in this play, see Susan Zimmerman, Animating Matter The Corpse as Idol in The Second Maiden s Tragedy, Renaissance Drama NS 31 (2002), 215-43. 

The Revenger s Tragedy and the Morality Tradition, Scrutiny 6 (1938), 402,-44, reprinted in Salingar, Dramatic Form in Shakespeare and the ]acobeans (Cambridge Cambridge University Press, 1986), 206-21 Alvin Kernan also discusses the relationship in The Cankered Muse (New Haven Yale University Press, 1959), 223-32. 

Noting Shakespeare s ongoing interest in the figure of Dido, Heather James discusses this passage in the context of examining tragedy s ability to evoke powerful sympathetic, and potentially politically transgressive, responses from its listeners see Dido s Ear, Shakespeare Quarterly 52 3 (2001), 360-82. 

As noted above, other examples of revenge tragedies in which poisons become medicinal by dint of their purgative effect include especially Sejanus and The White Devil, discussed in Chapter i. 

This chapter discusses acute and chronic toxicities of MIC and the possible mechanisms. Although the effect of the accident on the environment, the consequences of consuming polluted underground water, the cause of the accident, legal aspects of the tragedy, and the issues of compensation and rehabilitation of the population are extremely important, these are not covered in this chapter. These can be found elsewhere (Eckerman, 2005 Everest, 1985 Lapierre and Moro, 2001 Sufrin, 1985 Varnia, 1986). Instead, the chemistry and toxicity of MIC are situated in relation to other members of the isocyanate family, all of which are toxic. Also, the cyanide-sodium thiosulfate controversy is briefly discussed. 

Toluene diisocyanate (TDI), methylene diisocyanate (MDI), and related chemicals are industrial components in the poiymerization of urethane coatings and insulation materiais. Most two-part urethane products contain some amount of one of these chemicais, and iesser amounts may oontaminate one-part systems. Methyl isocyanate (the toxin reieased in the Bhopal, India, tragedy) is a carbamate insecticide precursor it is not used in urethanes, has actions different from those of the TDI group of chemicals, and is not discussed here (see Table IV-4, p 593). 

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