The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1878-09-26
Peril in Iced Tea.

Beware the cup. In these days of
raging thermometers and busy coro-
ners it is fraught with peril Scien-
titic men, learned men in the profess
sions. have compelled us to drop the
luscious strawberry in terror by
screaming out to us that it would give
us the hydrophobia. They have made
us heartsick with apprehensions by
showing that the tempting peach in
our hands was reeking with the deadly
prussic acid. They have filled our ice
cream with poisonous impurities.
They have forbidden us to drink water
that has passed through iron pipes or
lead pipes, Or that has stood in a
wooden vessel, or lain in cemented
cistern. or rippled from the rock Of the
hillsidos, impregnated with. heaven
and chemistry only know what, awful
substance, until one restriction after
another has made it the only safe way
for man to get drink OF water, for
him to lie down on his back open his
mouth and wait for the shower.
Science has kindly warned MS of the
death that turks in the coffee cup.
The cup that blesses the breakfast
table, impairs the digestion. Large
doses produce palpitation of the heart
1t is adulterated with Venetian red and
sesquioXide of iron. Science has also
warned us against the use of warm tea,
bread and butter, meat vegetables,
fruit. grain, roots berries milk, and
similar articles of food. Singularly
enough, science has not vet assailed
iced tea
But it will not do to permit people
te enjoy this cool, delightful beverage,
simply because it is grateful to the
wearied system during this scorching
weather We must do our duty.
though science may shrink from it,
and tine people may cry out against us.
There is danger in iced tea, and if You
would live long and well shun the
cooling cup. We will cite Il few
instances from long series of careful
~ made experiments.
On the 10th of June. John C. Hemp
stead of West Hill began to drink iced
tea at dinner and supper. lie kept up
this practice for nearly three weeks,
and then one day, going down the
Division street steps, slipped and fell
abradiug the skin on both legs, and
running silver into the ball of his
thumb so far that it made his teeth
ache when he pulled it ont His
clothing was also considerably torn.
When he went home that evening he
learned that his eldest boy had been
whipped at school for sticking pm a
far through another boy as the head
would let it 60. lie was warned tot
quit drinking iced tea, but he persisted
in the practice, and he is now sleeping
in the valley, between West and North
Hill. where he lives, and says he
never felt so we'll in his life. But
may be he lies about it,
Henry Esterfcldt of Eighth street
drank iced tea regularly every sum
mer for three wears. He noticed that
after drinking it about two months
his boots uegau to run over ut the heel.
lie persisted. and on Sunday afternoon
while he was out driving his horse
ran away and smashed Sl7 out of n
borrowed buggy, He paid the money.
but neglected the warning. lie went
on drinking iced tea, and in less than
six months somebody poisoned his
dog.
4 Young woman who did plain sew
ing in this city, while employed III the
family of Ralph Henderson Of Maple
street became addicated to the use of
iced tea She soon ran sewing ma
chine needle through her thumb and
for many days, when she picked up n
cup of iced tea, a sharp pain ran
through that thumb. She refused to
obey the warming, however, and in siN
weeks she was carried away. The man
who carried her away married her first
Last week at the beginning OF the
heated term, two eminent scientific
gentlemen of Burlington took n strong,
healthy, black an an dog and i'm
merscd him a tub OF cistern water, into
which weak solution Of iced tea had
been poured. They held the dogs
head under water fifteen minutes, al
though he struggled violently. thus
showing the natural and instructive
aversion to substance VIII en- intel
ligent human beings blindly and
eagerly drank, and when the gentlemen
took him out of the tub he was dead