In 1531, a dinner party in Lambeth, south London, took a deadly turn when guests became violently ill after consuming food allegedly laced with a mysterious powder. The cook, Richard Roose, was accused of poisoning the food and was subsequently sentenced to death by boiling alive by King Henry VIII. Roose's execution was a public spectacle, with the condemned man being bound to a gibbet and subjected to repeated immersions in scalding liquid. According to contemporary accounts, Roose "roared mighty loud" as he endured the two-hour ordeal. The method of boiling as an execution was designed to be a slow and agonizing form of torture. Burns from heat occur when skin cells are destroyed, leading to severe trauma and potentially fatal shock. Thermal injuries can cause soft tissues to contract, resulting in skin tearing and the shrinking of fat and muscles. The NHS lists signs of shock as including a pale face, cold or clammy skin, a rapid pulse, fast, shallow breathing, and un...