The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-07-28
WOMEN WHO EAT ARSENIC.
ADDITIONAL FdCTS CONCERNING THE
CONSUMPTION or IIfE DRUG.
The Grave Charge brought by IN ex.Doctor
against Her Professional Sister.-A shop
Girls Story-Among the Drug storcs-Ar-
senic In IuIniture-Ifs 4 se In the stable.

them yesterday. is all true and IL should have
good effect. Whether it will Is another qucs-
ton; women are queer creatures. You know
that before my marriage was II practising
physician. and tell you That women doctors do
more to spread familiarity with thnt drug than
you can lave any idea Of. The female physi-
elan. as Il rule. H. Il person with more energy Of
purpose than either natural judgment or ac-
uurrd knowledge. In her heart OF hearts she
secretly believes that 1t is all nonsense trying
to know SO much about things rs male doctors
try tor nj least profess to try to- Size has Il
deep rooted conviction that she can guess right
pretty nearly every time. both MS to what nils
the patient and what will effect II cure. She has
had to study n little. disagrcenble necessity.
but she pins her faith to books Of recipes. She
has respect for precedent in medicine. Give
her II book recording tho results Of practice,
with the prescriptions ail clearly made out. and
she will almost reverence It. with feeling that
IL 10 q sort OF grand and niabe cookery man
ual. But she Is smart enough TO look ~ wise MS
any old doctor that ever sucked the gold head
OF his cane for inspiration. SO much for the
women doctors. And now for the women who
paironzo them. They have even less sense. /
tell you have treated SO many Tools that some
times / felt that it didn't make much odds
whether killed a few OF them or not. But of
course didn't.
Now here is the point: A foolish woman,
nervous no doubt. with something Of hypo-
chondriac tendency. comes to the family physi-
clan for treatment Probably she needs u tonic.
possibly some mild sedgtiyc. certainly rest and
dieting. Properly treated. there Is not much 10
be made out of her case. But the female phy9-
clan magnihes its Importance to enhance her
own merit. ana takes the opportunity 10 give
the patient mild aud Progressive course Of
arsenic treniinent II ia "A tonic. and, Us the
books inform us. gives a. sense 81 wcll-hcing.'
IrDptrly administered IL II excellent Wlrll-
cine. Well. the patient finds her appetite re-
turning. her nerves easier. her vitality stronger
nnd-bettcr than all else To "a womaH-no,lccs
that she Is getting botor looking. Her skin be-
comes white, with sort OF deilcte trans pArcu'y
uuon which little color hes VITA charming
effect. III w She will Naunt the SIKH of Lrr ply
stefan. The doctor becom.s necrssiy o. her,
prescribed Tor her 10y TINT gifted woman giyrs
out. her good looks quickly hide and ~" has
To rush back for new supply. Some cunuin.
practitioners always supply the arsenic theme
selves, without ever telling what II In. and 30
profess T. change the medic nr, give u prrsrrip-
ton Tor Fowlcrs solution. and send the patient
ABOUT hrr business Ihhl u Mh'Fc tleFc ~ ~
money in the case than was expected. Mind.
don't say that AL women physicians are likr
that. but mnny are; and. from my present point
Have you means Of estimating tho num-
Der OF women in New York addicted to arsenic
Bless you. no. How could hayc2 There
nrc thousands OF them. II you could ransacS
be surprised TO find how large a proportion of
them have phinls oi Fowlrrs solution or boxes
OF arsenic;l dragJcs. or bottles of urscule.u
granulrs rcndy at their hands for accustomed
use. But 1t il not only the women OF good 80
clcty who use H. great deal Is cunsu in"d hy
The pretty saIcswonluu III iashlOnHhlv stores.
There Is lower socinl depth. where the usc q
arsenic 10 ENHANCE personal caurms is stu
more general IL is not 81 easy 10 detect the
arsenic caters on the street as you may have
nine tricks Of conceaiment. For what IS pain,
given Us but 10 conceal the truth: II our eye
lids are pulled does not kindly fashion hermit
us the use OF u iilmy lace hall NelR You viii be
more likely to detect the arsenic eaters among
the pretty shop glrls at this seuson Look for
white onplcxons and drOpsicHl looking eye
lids. Do You know that some OF those uulortu-
hhte girls Laf" actually Ic"n COMPELLED io TAB"
arsenic To rctGn tnrlr pusitiOnSf About three
years ago. a young grl, not more tian eighteen
years old came 20 mo II WAS IN practicr them.
and asked me 10 give hrr pies 'riptun lNr
arsenic and directions for It's u.s.. usked her
why she wanted To- take H. sue reullrd. IT,
iatten me- Poor child; She dd need flesh.
for she was very thin. and her large,
expressive eyes stood out over her wan
cheeks with the saiG"st look have ever seen
have had would have been iron. r,.,t. sold ioo'..
ind pure air; ANA she WIS too poor TO have
either tried 10 !, asun with her telling her
what the evil elects %. the stun would bee. but 1t
was no use. The iorcwonHn Of the store whore
hhe WAS employed had said to her; You are 500
lean that you look like deaths h'ad CUSTOM
ers hate 10 see you about You VIII either have
10 get intter or 70 somewhere eise. How can
get iatF sue had asked. Take some arsenic
good; the work not beyond her strength il she
left she might not soon get So good u Iac"
again. So she came to me to help her become
an arsenic eater would not do so; lut "a Jew
months Inter saw her IN that same store aud
saw that somebody else had done what had re-
fused to do. She was plump. her skin had "a
watery whtenrss. her form Ind rounded out
and her eyellds showed that she had heen tax
Ing great deal ot the poison SAID 10 hcr.
see that you Rot the arsenic She simply
answered Yes; with sigh; Since THE SuNs
article WIS published mad the curiosity To- 20
10 that store and inquire about that glrl. Iherr
was q new iorewoman ! asked Tor the girl
several months. don't know what has become
OF her. She got some hideous sort Of a skin
disease ON her face SO bad that we really could
not have her around She would have fright
ened people away"
II am not sure" said Dr. Alexander b. Mott
whether that article about notwithstanding.
strongly and truthiully as II put the facts. Will
do more harm or good. 1t may awaken some
nrsenic-eaters 10 Il consciousness OF tie terrible
consequences OF the practice, but 1t Will also,
lear. start others into arsenlc-eatng; Tor really
there are good many women VINO are fools.
They Will say 10 themselves. / Will stop heiur"
u Is too late. and they never know when that
TOO lnte comes until It ~ upon them II IS u
dreadful temptation TO oner 10 a woman let
her know there is anything that VIII make her
prettier. whatever the price 10 be paid Tor i. ana
however snort the time OF is good effect. But II
is undoubtedly true that notwithstanding Is n
great and constantly increasing evil among our
American women, especially here IN New York.
Its use is confined To- no one rluss. The leaders
OF the arIstocrary. the deml monde. the actress
using it. know that Il good many actress, p
are addicted To- 1t. aud TINT some have. good rea-
son TO regret having ever become So.
The reporter failed to find offered at open sale
in any drug store of Il number visited the larg"
ursInIcal cOntectlOns or Gragees. but WIS again
and again assured that they We're perfectly well
known. No less than five drugglsts-one IN
Seventh avenue, two in Broadway, one IN Sixth
avenue. ana one IN Fourth ayenLe-Ofiered To
procure them in lew hours II they were de-
sired. In but one drug store dld there seem To-
be any hesltAncy about selling arsenic 10 bee used
us u beautlilrr Tor with that single exception
some other preparation Of the drug. solution,
or granue WAS offered IN all, with the assurance
ina II was 4ute rs good 10 the article IA
CURED Tor Fowler- solution il easily Obtalu-
able everywhere, AS is also DOnoNun's and De
Nhianglns; but IN their sale there Is frequently
some mid form pi inquiry Rs To- Intended Use
some plelrnce 81 con plan - with the law rrgu-
lGIlng the sale of pu.suus. Mnou the gruuulcs
are called tor even that suau lorluulty does not
seem to Do generally insisted upon. The gran
ules OF ars"nlous acid most generally IN use
ure those OF GARNER. LaWnrruA ~ Co.,, of l-juth
and l-2ith OF u grain; bullock ~ Crcu,ntw uf
Philadelphia. Tlldcn ~ NrN york. Warner *
co. OF Philadelphia. and PeArurr 81 Puris-u
OF about the same strength, although some run
down to as low rs l-G7th and -hulh of u gram.
a new PREPARATION syrup ol arsrnlHt" Of lrOu.
Invented not long since IN ParIS. has lately
been introduced here; II II INSERTED that IL los-
I b D..