Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-06-14
POISON AND BEAUTY.
What Women Take BelIadouna and
Arsenic sor.

was admlrlng a lady L met IN society,
and was particularly enthusiastic con-
corning her eyes, which flashed with q
brilliancy l had seldom seen edualed:
ooinitentinE on them to physician of
my acquaintance he said, drily-
"Beiladonna."
Upon my replying l 5. had Just, been
reInarking chs was a fine woman and
had such eyes, he laughed at my lgno-
rance, and thought that thepeople from
the Western cities had great deal to
learn when they came to the metropo-
lis. 1t was like those from rural dis
tricts visiting a city for the first time;
| fired up at this; and did battlefor my
beloved West, which thought and acted
for itself, and was only behind New
York in wickedness, etc. After some
good-humored raillery, he asked II L
really did not know what made the
lady's eyes so bright.
I did not, and said so.
He then informed me she took bella
donna for the purpose; that being one
Of the effects it produced. / had never
heard of such thing before, and only
knew there was drug of the name. 1
learned in answer to my question that
it was quite a common thing for wo-
men thus to brighten their eyes. To
be sure, belladonna was a poison pro-
CURED from the deadly nightshade, the
use of which was dangerous in the ex-
IRENE, and certain to produce evil con-
sequences; but what did a woman who
was bent on looking well and attract
ing tonight care how she suffered on
the morrow. Many other things L
Learned in this conversation which L
had never dreamed of, but when l
reached home and spoke of them, l
found l need not have gone all the way
to New York to be informed.
l asked the Doctor, when he told me
these thing, if aforementioned the story
of the priest and the oats. A hostler
went to confession. The priest in
quired if he ever creased the horses
teeth that they might not eat so many
oats. The man replied no. Next time
he came he confessed he had. On the
priest expressing establishment, he
said, Il did not know it could be done,
holy father, until you told me"
l must confess / had somewhat of
this feeling on approaching the subject
at home, but / found that not only
married women, but young girls; more
especially young girls, knew all about
it, and one or two quite school girls
laughed at my ignorance in the matter.
So the West was not so far behind the
East in this particular as had thought.
why So-and-So always takes BELLA
donna when she goes to a party, and
and-eat arsenic they did at school,
and know a good many girls who use
ether" This was said with quite an
injured air, as though was very slow,
indeed, and had done our girls a wrong
by my absence Of knowledge of their
habits and their manner of making
themselves fascinating and agreeable.
Still | insisted that it was only GER
tain class of girls-fast girls-girls of
the period, who resorted to these things;
but I was laughed at for my pains,
however, and sill insist that on this
point am right.
1t was years ago. as have said, that
l was enlightened on this matter, and
since then have known of one terrible
instance of a wOman's ruin from taking
something to make her feel better when
she was going out. She was brilliant,
beautiful woman; had an indulgent hus-
band, and children, was admired and
caressed in society and surrounded by
every luxury at home. She had begun
with only a wee drop when she was
depressed, or did not fee, well, and she
died like any low sot, of delirium ire
mens-died in her bed, it is true, but it
took three or four to hold her there, and
her mother stood at the be side, with
clasped hands and streaming eyes, beg
cling God to put an end to the disgrace
by taking her daughters life.
Not very long ago I saw an account
of the death Of young lady who lived
in one of the small towns near our city,
from taking arsenic. She had con-
tracted the habit of so doing for the
benefit of her complexion, and an over
dose, at time when she desiredtO look
remarkably well, killed her.
Observation has proved TO me that
country girls, particularly girls living
in villages adjacent to large cities, are
quite as much addicted TO the use of
meretricious adjuncts to the toilette as
are those who have scarcely ever been
absent from the hum of city life. The
ingenious, innocent, unsOphisticated
country girl that We read of, Is not IN
digenous to any of the counties border
ing on our great cities. If you Go not
believe it, visit the village Church on
Sunday, and observe the congregation.
know where this girl got her knowl-
edge of arsenic as beautIfier of the
complexion. 1t might have been from
books, from a paragraph in a newspa-
pes, or she may have learned it in the
city. 1t was TO her a fatal knowledge,
and one she shared in common with the
peasantry of Austria, who habitually
make this use of the poison. Austrian
cattle have a particularly sleek, well
conditioned look, which is caused by
putting small quantities of arsenic in
their food. The peasants take it tor
the same reason that they give 1t to
their brutes, and it has the same effect.
The habit of taking arsenic, however,
when once contracted must be continued
for life, as the omission brings incredi-
bic torment, causing the individual to
waste away and slowly die, consequently
a victim to it will make any sacrifice to
obtain a supply. Women have been
known to walk scores of miles, and sell
the earrings out of their ears, the rings
from their fingers, and even the crosses
from their necks to procure it.
A gentleman, who at an early age
began to take the drug, states that
when near thirty he resolved, because
of an illness by which he was attacked.
to discontinue its use, but his strength
failed him, he became wan and enact
ated, had racking pains, and after a
trial of some months, had to return to
his pills. This he did by beginning with
a very small dose, and gradually in
creasing it until he reached his usual
quantity.
Ten years after he had resumed the
taking of poison, he gave his experience.
He was in good health and spirits, but
be was the slave of arsenic, and ex-
pected to be its slave to the end OF his
life. He carried it always about him,
and If the llsual time Dassed without