Poisonous Poo: The Dirty Secret of Lewis & Clark

Today's True Weird Stuff - Poisonous Poo: The Dirty Secret of Lewis & Clark

In 1804, Lewis and Clark set out on their legendary expedition across the American West, unaware that their medicine was slowly poisoning them. Battling chronic constipation from a meat-heavy diet, they relied on powerful laxatives that contained toxic mercury. Nearly 200 years later, archaeologists discovered traces of mercury that confirmed a campsite along the Lewis and Clark Expedition's historic route. Could the mercury-laced medicine have also played a role in Lewis's mysterious death just three years after the expedition ended?

True Weird Stuff is the award-winning podcast hosted by Sheri Lynch.  Surprising, odd, bizarre - and sometimes insane. Always true. Let us tell you a story…