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Aqua Tofana (literally meaning "the water of Tofana") was either the creation of an Italian woman named Teofania di Adamo or her alleged daughter, Signoria Giulia Toffana, perhaps under the title, "Manna of St. Nicholas of Bari ." The exact ingredients of the mixture are unknown, but it probably contained mostly Arsenic and possibly Belladonna . It was a colorless, tasteless liquid. The poison was sold as a cosmetic or devotionary object in vials that had a picture of St. Nicholas . Legend holds that people used it to poison their unwanted spouses, relatives, and other enemies. Mozart is said to have suspected that it had been used against him. Toffana was arrested in Naples circa 1719 , tortured, and eventually executed by strangulation. She was held responsible for some 600 deaths. Many of the users and purveyors were also executed. |