The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-11-09

3
believe There are so many feminine
tricks of concealment. For what is paint
given but to conceal the truth? Ii our
eye-lids are pulled does not kindly fashion
permit us the use of flmy lace half veil ?
Tou win be more likely to detect the ar
senic eaters among the pretty shop girls
at this season. Look for those who are
plump, but have cold, creamy, white com
plexions and dropsical looking eye-lids.
Do you know that some of those untortu-
nate girls have actually been compelled to
take arsenic to retain their positions
About three years ago, a young girl, not
more than eighteen years old, came to me
Il was in practice them and asked me to
give her prescription for arsenic and di-
rections for use. / asked her why she
wanted to take it. She replied, ITO fatten
me-" Poor child; she did need flesh, for
she was very thin, and her large, express
siye eyes stood out over her wan cheeks
with the saddest look have ever seen in
a girls face. But the fattening she should
have had would have been from rest, good
food, aud pure airiand she was too poor to
have either l tried to reason with her,
telling her what the evil effects Of the stuff
would be, but it was no use. The fore
woman of the store where she was EN-
ployed had said to her :-"Y GU are SO lean
that you look like deaths head; custom
ers hate to see you about. You will either
have to get fatter or 90 some where else"
GLOW can | get fat p she had asked.
'Take some arsenic" the iorewoman had
said. Her wages were good; the work not
beyond her strength; if she left she might
not soon get so good place again. So
she came to me to help her become an ar
senic eater | would not do so, but n few
months later saw her in that store, and
saw that she had done what refused to
do. She was plump, her skin had wa
terry whiteness, her form had rounded out,
and her eye-lids showed that she had been
taking great deal of poison. l said to
her II see that you got the arsenic,
She simply answered eyes, with a sigh.
Since | had the curiosity to 20 and inquire
about that girl. There was new fore
woman. asked for the girl, aud the an
swer was :-"Oh, she has been gone sew
eral months don't know what has be-
come of her. She got some hideous sort
of skin disease on her face; so bad that
we really could not have her around. She
would have irightened people away
There are a good ma . women who are
fools. They will say to themselves i will
stop before it is too late, and they never
know when that "too late" comes until it
is upon them. 1t is dreadful temptation
to offer to woman-to let her know there
is anything that will make her prettier,
whatever the price to be paid for it, aud
however short the time of its good effect
But it is undoubtedly true that arsenic
eating is great and constantly increasing
evil among our American women. Its use
is confined to no one class The leaders OF
the aristocracy, the demi.monde, the ac-
tress, and the shop girl are equally liable
to be found using it.
The reporter failed to find offered at
open sale in any drug store of number
visited the large arsenical confections or
dragees, but was again and again assured
that they were perfectly well known. No
less than five druggists offered to procure
them in few hours if they were desired.
In but one drug store did there seem to be
any hesitancy about selling arsenic to be
used as beautiher, for with that single
exception some other preparation of the
drug, solution or grauule, was offered in
all, with the assurance that it was ''quite
as good" as the article inquired for Fow-
lers solution is easily obtainable every
where, as is also Donoyan's and De Val
angin's; but III their sale there is frequently
some mild form Of inquiry as to intended
use-some pretense of compliance with the
law regulating the sale OF poisons. When
the granues are called for even that small
fOrmality does not seem to be generally
insisted upon. The granules of arsenious
acid most generally in use are those of
GARNER, Lamoreux L Co., of l-50th and
l-54th Of grain; Bullock 4 Crenshaw of
Philadelphia, Tilden of New York, War
ner q Co., of Philadelphia, and Pellctier
OF Paris-all of about the same strength,
although some run down to l-67th and
1-SOth of grain. \ new preparation,
syrup of arseniate of iron, invented not
long since in Paris, has lately been intro
dueed here; it is asserted that it possesses
all the properties of arsenic without its
toxic action. Arsenic aud iron are anti
dotes for each other, but in this prepara-
ton they are combined, and it can be given
freely in doses of l-10th of n grain, al
though about 80 per cent. of it is arsenic.
1t is claimed that this arseniate of iron
will produce all the good effects for which
arscuious acid is taken, without eutailing
the horrible consequences to be feared
from the use of the latter. 1t is hard to
belle &c, however, that this can be the case.
for the effect sought is not a healthfu aud
natural condition, but diseased one. The
skin really not pumped out by good flesh
and adipose tissue, by the taking Of arse
mic, but is brought to an pdematous or
dropsical condition. Its plumpness is fac
tltlous; 1t Is n watery secretion that pufTs
it out. The loathsome and disfsurino
cutaneous diseases that follow upon that
condition of skin, would naturally, it would
seem, come as the effect of that immediate
cause; whatever might be the primary
cause. Another arsenical importation is
Barboule's arsenical water, and. by the
way, all the imported Yichy water contains
trace of arsenic in solution. Barboule's
water is recommended as having the same
effects as arsenious acid granules; if taken
IN sufficient quantities; aud, if 30, must, of
course, be expected to induce the same
fatal consequences, if persisted in. A
Baltimore firm sell large quantities of what
they call ''sulphide of arsenicum,' by the
use of which, they tell women, ''your com
plexion can be made to rival the lily and
the rose" 1t is to DO taken internally.
and the results promised from its use,
leaving aside the advertisement flourish
are precisely those obtained from the use
OF arsenic in the earlier stages. Besides,
the name avows it to be preparation of
arsenic. Notwithstanding all this it is ad.
verIised as absolutely harmless" and the
proprietors, in response to letters of inquiry
about it, assure women that it sconiains