The flying death comes to America

• Autores: Christopher Kemp
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 3161, 2018, págs. 40-41
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • It is 1932 and Richard Gill is crouching on the rainforest floor. He watches as a man lifts a steaming pot off the fire. It has been simmering for days, but now it is ready. The man takes a whip-thin dart and dips it into the tarry black concoction. The paste sticks easily to the tip. It was the first time Gill had witnessed this ritual but it was not to be the last. His former job as a rubber salesman had brought him to Ecuador, and when he found himself unemployed after the crash of 1929, he and his wife Ruth had used their savings to buy some land in the Ecuadorian Andes. He often visited his neighbours, the Canelo. Gill realised that his knowledge and experience put him in a unique position. He decided that he would return to the jungle and bring back a supply of curare. Given that he couldn't walk, it was no small challenge