The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1866-08-29
Arc Paper Collars Poisonous /?

The Round Table of June 23l, in an
article upon this subject, says:
The question is of the greatest interest
and Impotence. Invent ID almost by nc.
cident, and at first worn only by young
men in arrears with their washer. woman.
paper collars have now become popular
institution both in this country and Eu.
rope. Ladies have adopted them, and
comparatively f;w gentlemen now prefer
the more expensive but substantial linen.
Thousand of persons, therefore, are deep
ly anxious in regard To tho recent rumor
that these collars are poisonous. Manu-
facturers, who announce every style of
collar and cuff in paper. may be ruined
il their wares are proved to he dctrmcn-
tai to the health of the wearer. but in
such Il matter as this it would be c,imluI
to conceal t c facts.
"A boston paper states that clerk in
wholesale store IN that city was recently
afflicted with painful cluptions about the
neck. Thinking it merely boil, he paid
but little attention 10 il at first but as
the pain grew more intense, he was in.
dnccd TO consult IA physician. who declar
cd that his patient was suffering from the
effects OF poison absorbed in'o the system
from paper collars. The physician also
remarked that he had been consulted in
numerous similar cases, and upon careful
inquiry it was aScertdned that half a dog
en- OF the young clerk. companions, all of
whom wore paper coll ,rs, were constant.
ly troubled with the crtIpiions.
But wthont attempting to argue from
these cases, let us look AT the general facts
in regard TO paper collars. In order to
initiate as nearly aS possible these collars
are cnamclrd. and in this process arsenic
Is used. Everybody knows that the ena-
mel upon visiting card. is poisonous.
Children have died from being allowed to
play with such cards. 1t will be rcmcm.
bcrcd that the first importation of swans
for the Central Pork were poisoned by
IIuv-' l',% -, S,.- ,.,.'..' -
for the swans to cat. One would suppose
that with n knowledge Of facts like these
would long since have aroused the suspi-
con' Of the pubic as TO the danger from
paper collars prepared in the same way as
cardboard but the majority of people
di not r. fleet upon the subject at all, or
fell into the error of bllcvin. that the
enamel w.s only poisonous when eaten.
1t is easily susceptible OF proof, how
ever that arsenic is very dclcteriouS, nc
matter how it mry be absorbed int
the system. When taken directly into the
stomach, it may be more Immediately
fatal; but when it enters through the
pores of the skin and inicciS the blood
its operations are hardly less deadly, thougl
they may he slower. The very name
of the arsenic, derived from the Greek,
announces its power of DESTROYING men
The workmcn who procure it, are obi
ged to dress in costume and helmet u
leather; the eyes protected by glasses
an the noslril, by n wet sponge; AMI il
spite of these precautions and a care.
fully gula.ed diet, they only aver
age thirty years of life. Instances are OF
record of persons who have died from
sleeping IN rooms covered with arscnica
paper, one 81 much in use, is nov amos
completely discarded, because Of the arscn
ie employed in its manufacture. Her,
is n poison, then which is equally danger
Gus, whether eaten, inhaled or absorbed
and which is yet used to enamel the col
lars to he worn around the neck. !
thus enters the system through pores
reaches the blood directly when the SIX,
is lraycd, and being rendered volatile b.
the heat of he body, is also inhaled Il
every breath. Could anything be NOR
DANGEROUS or more pcrnIciuus!
But although we are compelled 10 ans
| wer the question are paper colla,s poi'
onous in the affirmative, some person
may object that they have worn thes
collars long time without parcriving an
serious effects. This may be true, an
= yet the effects may exist. The eruption
$ that afflicted the Boston clerk, were II,
e protests of nature against the poison whic
he was absorbing. In all strong constitu
: tions nature can make such protests an
-, indulgence. But in weak persons ii
poison may be left TO do its deadly wor
without any outward signs Of DANCE
q We recall the case OF an invalid Amer
a can at Paris, who was accustomed
. smoke new clay pipe every day. The
/ pipes were whilencd with arsenic, ms Il
= paper collars are, and the poison was r,
"a leased by the heat of the burning iobacc
,r just ms it released from the paper cola
by the heat of the body. The smok
slowly but steadily declined, and not I
,e i after his deceasc did the physicians di
- cover that they had cured his origin
!, u malady, and that he had died Of arseni
'e al poison.
&c Many men and all the ladies' who we
III paper collars are liable to the same gr'
ual poisoning That they have no cru
ne tionS upon the neck is only proof
nd their greater peril, for il shows that
'e- system is so corrupted or weakened as
il take in the arsenic without that natur
lis healthy resistance which produces sores
he boils. On the other hand, however, il
an quite possible that ladies may be di-figul
Wa for life by unsishty blotches arising fir
re- The use Of these collars and cuffs
!ul they are, at best, only sham and s.