[Patti McCracken]

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• This reply was modified 2 days, 1 hour ago by Patti McCracken.

[Patti McCracken]

Hi Cathy,
There were various reasons for cause of death in the register — often it was “apoplexy,” which at the time could mean a number of things: stroke, heart attack, aneurysm — and depending on how the arsenic was dispensed, the victim could die a slow death (hard to even think about) and in that case, the midwife could set the precedent for illness. For example, a high enough dose of arsenic to cause physical symptoms, but not enough to kill, at least initially. In such situations, she could say “Mr. Kovacs has been complaining of stomach pains”, and even call the doctor out, who then agrees there is some stomach ailment that needs treatment. The doctor thereby gives her an unsuspecting alibi, or confirmation that Kovacs was sick. It’s the perfect plan — until it isn’t.
As regards religious life: It is a Calvinist village. When the crimes came to light in 1929-30, many in the press laid a lot of blame on the pastor at the time, who was hastily replaced.
To get a good sense of village life in that region of Hungary, I encourage you to put your hands on a copy of Proper Peasants, an incredible monograph of Abony done some 70 years ago. Important to keep in mind that though the world went on, change was and is slow to come in these remote European villages.

[Patti McCracken]

Author here — Thanks to everyone for chiming in! I’ve been on the road the last couple of days, and this is the first chance I’ve had to check in. I’m happy to answer any questions you have about the book, The Angel Makers in general, my time in Hungary, and so forth. I’m here, so bring it on!

[Patti McCracken]

oops. Available MONDAY, AUG 25TH!

[Patti McCracken]

I am Patti McCracken. I’m the author of THE ANGEL MAKERS: ARSENIC, A MIDWIFE, AND MODERN HISTORY’S MOST ASTONISHING MURDER RING (HarperCollins). The book is the true story of “the arsenic trials” — as the case is known in Szolnok. I spent many, many years researching the book (seed to fruit, the path to publication took 14 years), but my connection to Hungary goes farther back. I first was in Budapest as a Knight International Press Fellow in the mid-1990s. I worked for the Independent Journalism Foundation’s Pest office, running workshops for local reporters. A couple of years later, I moved from the USA to the very east of Austria, where I lived for nearly two decades — Hainburg an der Donau. The closest sizable Hungarian village is Mosonmagyarovar — about 20 minutes away from Hainburg. My presentation is available beginning Monday. I had a LOT of fun with this one!! I brought my sister into the mix, so she “interviewed” me about the book for this presentation. I hope you all sign in to watch, and that you have as much fun watching as I had making!

[Author]

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