THE POISONER Goeie Mie
10/17/22 • 40 min
3 Listeners
The most prolific poisoner of all time couldn’t possibly have been a woman. Right??! Goeie Mie, “Good Maria,” was such a selfless and kindly nurse that desperate folks in 19th-century Leiden called her when they were sick, knowing she’d come even if they couldn’t pay. But they got worse, and worse, and usually died in misery.
Goeie Mie had life insurance on all of them.
Travel on location to Leiden, The Netherlands with Katie in this spooky Halloween Special!
Guest Josine Heijnen holds an MA in humanities and studies history & theology – naturally she would end up having her own distillery, right? Maneuvering through the financial world right after graduating, she started distilling Goeie Mie Gin, named after Maria Swanenburg ‘the Leiden Poisoner.’ She expanded the business and now spreads these unbelievable-but-true stories in liquid form throughout Europe. (And more to come: do you know the greatest spy of all time, Mata Hari? Or ever tasted something called Radithor?)
Music featured in this episode by Esther Abrami, Aaron Kenny, Román Cano, Kevin MacLeod, and Camille Saint-Saens.
Want to help us “make history”? Become a Patron or Donate here!
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The most prolific poisoner of all time couldn’t possibly have been a woman. Right??! Goeie Mie, “Good Maria,” was such a selfless and kindly nurse that desperate folks in 19th-century Leiden called her when they were sick, knowing she’d come even if they couldn’t pay. But they got worse, and worse, and usually died in misery.
Goeie Mie had life insurance on all of them.
Travel on location to Leiden, The Netherlands with Katie in this spooky Halloween Special!
Guest Josine Heijnen holds an MA in humanities and studies history & theology – naturally she would end up having her own distillery, right? Maneuvering through the financial world right after graduating, she started distilling Goeie Mie Gin, named after Maria Swanenburg ‘the Leiden Poisoner.’ She expanded the business and now spreads these unbelievable-but-true stories in liquid form throughout Europe. (And more to come: do you know the greatest spy of all time, Mata Hari? Or ever tasted something called Radithor?)
Music featured in this episode by Esther Abrami, Aaron Kenny, Román Cano, Kevin MacLeod, and Camille Saint-Saens.
Want to help us “make history”? Become a Patron or Donate here!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Previous Episode
THE GRATEFUL DUCHESS Harriot Mellon
The richest, most famous person you’ve never heard of is Harriot Mellon. An icon of the stage in Regency England, she rose from abject poverty and abuse to become the wealthiest woman in the country. More surprising still: she was the sweetest, most wholesome soul you’ll ever meet.
Guest Dr Ian Mortimer is the author of over twenty books on the history of England, which have sold more than a million copies and been translated into fifteen languages. He’s been described by The Times as ‘the most remarkable medieval historian of our time,’ and is best known as the author of the four Time Traveller’s Guides – to Medieval England (2008), Elizabethan England (2012), Restoration Britain (2017) and Regency Britain (2020). He is currently the president of the Moretonhampstead History Society and vice president of the Mortimer History Society. He lives in Dartmoor (Devon), with his wife Sophie and enjoys visiting historical sites and museums, studying local history, playing guitars, walking in the country and running.
Music featured in this episode was provided by Asher Fulero, Sir Cubworth, Esther Abrami, Joel Cummins, Wayne Jones, and Emmit Fenn.
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Next Episode
THE NURSE Mary Seacole
1 RecommendationsWhat would it look like to live a life without fear? Mary Seacole’s story may hold the answer! She spent her life rushing from one catastrophe to the next, doing anything she could to ease human suffering – without a single thought for her own safety. From disease-infested Panamanian goldmines to the horrific battlefield hospitals of Crimea – Mary spent her life being “relentlessly useful” ...but how on earth did she do it?
Olivia interviews historian Helen Rappaport, author of the fascinating new book In Search of Mary Seacole. Thank you to Penguin Audio for allowing us to use selections from their delightful audiobook production of Mary’s memoir, The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands, which was performed by Yasmin Mwanza. You can also find the full text of Mary’s memoir online here.
Guest Helen Rappaport is the author of In Search of Mary Seacole, The Romanov Sisters, The Last Days of the Romanovs, and many other critically acclaimed titles. She has been a full-time writer for more than twenty-three years, and in 2003 discovered and purchased an 1869 portrait of Mary Seacole that now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery, sparking a long investigation into Seacole’s life and career.
Music featured in this episode was provided by Minivandal, The Tides, Quincas Moreira, Aaron Kenny, the USMC Band, and Jeff Cuno.
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