Analysis Of Persuasive Campaign

J.J. Mosher
Analysis of Persuasive Campaign Paper
Persuasion

Tylenol Murders of 1982

In September of 1982, McNeil Consumer Products (a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson) was faced with a crisis when seven people in Chicago suddenly died from the ingestion of Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules.   Authorities determined that the capsules had been tampered with and each contained 65 milligrams of potassium cyanide.   The amount of cyanide needed to hill a human is around six micrograms, which means that the pills contained 10,000 times that number.   Dr. Thomas Kim, chief of the Northwest Community Hospital at the time of the killings said, “The victims never had a chance.   Death was certain within minutes.”   (Kaplan) (Wikipedia)
Seven lives were lost due to the tampering of the Tylenol capsules.   According to a journal article by Tamara Kaplan of The Pennsylvania State University, 12 year old Mary Kellerman was the first to take the pills and died on the 29th of September in 1982.   That same day, Adam Janus (27) took Tylenol to appease minor chest pains.   Just more than an hour later, Janus experienced a cardiopulmonary collapse and died.   When family members gathered to morn that evening, Adam’s brother Stanley (25), and his wife Theresa (19) both consumed Tylenol capsules from the same bottle that killed Adam.   They were both dead within two days of the incident.   Mary Reiner (27), mother of four, died shortly after taking two Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules on September 30.   Paula Prince (35), a United Airlines stewardess, was found in her apartment dead with an open Tylenol bottle nearby.   And Mary McFarland (31) was the last person to die from the poisonous Tylenol pills.   (Kaplan) (Wikipedia) (Tifft) (Tylenol Murders)
The person(s) that tampered with the Tylenol products were never found.   It is certain though that tampering was the source of poison in the pills.   Almost immediately after learning that consumers had died from their products, the leaders of...