Isabella Mueller (crime writer)
To this day, the ruins of Weibertreu Castle in Weinsberg—which the famous senior physician Justinus Kerner saved from ruin by founding the Weinsberg Women’s Association together with six women on December 8, 1823—stand as a testament to one of the oldest aristocratic castles in Germany. This district medical officer also uncovered the accidental murder of the bon vivant Nathan Hertling in 1829. Nathan Hertling was a former imperial and royal first lieutenant who, together with his wife, enjoyed a luxurious life as a man of independent means in Affaltrach. In addition to culinary delights, he also had a passion for wine. But his regular alcohol consumption, combined with his rich meals, often gave him terrible heartburn. Only taking magnesium brought him relief. When Nathan Hertling returned home on March 14, 1829, after a three-day drinking binge, he was plagued, as so often, by excruciating heartburn. His wife sent the servant to his doctor. But the doctor had run out of magnesium, so the servant had to return to his master without the magic remedy. Consequently, despite the late hour, the servant was sent to the pharmacist Friedrich Klotz in Eschenau to buy the magnesium there for 12 kreuzers. The servant had to ring the bell, as the pharmacy was already closed. Around half past nine at night, the sleepy pharmacist opened the door for the servant. The servant told him what he wanted for his master, and then the drowsy pharmacist went to his alphabetically organized medicine cabinet to fetch the magnesium. In doing so, he made a mistake. He reached for the wrong bottle and, instead of the magnesium, took the Magisterium Bismuthi, a basic bismuth nitrate. With the medicine in hand, the servant hurried to his master. The master took the remedy. But instead of relief, the pain grew worse. He vomited, suffered from cramp-like diarrhea, and ran a high fever. His worried wife called for help from the district medical officer, Justinus Kerner, who was initially able to stabilize his condition, but on March 23, 1829, the first lieutenant died at 2 a.m. District Medical Officer Kerner could not explain First Lieutenant Hertling’s sudden death. Eventually, the District Court ordered an autopsy. This revealed that Nathan Hertling had died from bismuth poisoning. This finding led to the pharmacist Klotz, who tearfully confessed to having mixed up the medications. For his tragic mistake, he was sentenced on June 20, 1829, to five months’ imprisonment at Hohenasperg. He was also ordered to pay all legal and medical expenses. This time, Justinus Kerner was not able to shine as a hero, as he had at the Weibertreu castle ruins. Instead, he was able to solve an unintentional murder.
