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The Preposterous Files

The Preposterous Files: Episode 2: Death By Beer

Episode 2

Episode 2: Death By Beer

Death By Beer

BBC Radio 4 - The Preposterous Files, Death By Beer

In 1900, a mysterious epidemic affected thousands of beer drinkers in the North of England

1900 Manchester. Beer drinkers are dropping dead like flies but no one knows why. Epidemiologist Professor Hugh Pennington draws lessons about modern contamination outbreaks.

Files from the National Archive reveal preposterous acts both grand and petty. Julian Putkowski distills them down.

Question- How many pints of beer a day does it take to kill a woman living in Manchester in 1900? Answer- 1.5. 

Professor Hugh Pennington is shocked by the scale of death caused by accidental contamination. There are many similarities between how the authorities dealt with the disaster then and his own experience in modern poisonings. 


Producer: Matt Thompson
A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4.

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Julian Putkowski presents a series on cases of Civil Service bureaucracy at its worst

Julian Putkowski presents a series on cases from the National Archives that show up Civil Service bureaucracy at its nonsensical and frequently hilarious worst

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