San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-08-16
Injurious Face Powder and the Women
Who Use II.
From a Brooklyn Letter.

From a Brooklyn Letter
[ went into fashionable uptown
druggists near the junction of Fifth
avenue and Broadway yesterday, and
while waiting for prescription to be
compounded fell into conversation
with one of the clerks. He was a
man of about 45 years, and impressed
me as being accurate and truthful In
his state ments. Various toilet arti-
Giles for woman S use, got up in most
costly and elegant manner, were on
the showcase. l asked him whether
a certain face powder which had
seen largely advertised was injurious
in its effects. .,.'
"Very," said he slowly; lit is very
largely composed of bismuth, and the
effect of bismuth was horribly exem-
plified by the death of that actress in
the Sou 5h the other day from using
too much of it. Still women use it
in lavish quantities without q thought
of the consequences. However, there
is not half the danger to our women
from these external poisons that there
is from the poisons that so beneath
the surface.
"Well," | said with that knowing
air that usually accompanies entire
ignorance, "I've heard a good deal OF
talk about that sort of thing, but l
never believed any of it"
Nevertheless" said the clerk, qui-
ely, lit is true. Our women follow
the habits OF Partisan women very
closely. In Paris the art of beauti-
flying the face and figure is carried to
a higher point than anywhere else on
earth. When the French women be-
gan to use belladonna all the women
Of the world followed. Then the
Parisians were struck with the NOR
phia mania; that was awful. 1t got
so common that women would always
inject morphia hypodermically be-
fore entering a ballroom or saloon.
The immediate effect would be to
make their faces flush, their eyes
sparkle like diamonds, and, as the
poison stimulated the mind, their
conversational powers We're much
more brilliant. But the after effect
was so dreadful that even the giddiest
women were obliged to give it up OF
die at once"
"But do you mean to say that that
habit was followed by New York
women?"
"Assuredly. We sold morphia in
enormous quantities, always, of
course, on physicians prescription.
1t is no safeguard to prohibit the sale
of poison unless authorized by doc
tor, for the doctors are the very men
most to be feared. The French wom-
en- of fashion used to carry little
bottle covered with an ingenious net
work of silver and gold with an in
jecting needle in the end. Ii was Of
ten worn as personal ornament,
and few people suspected that it con-
tanned morphia.
do they all use the drug?"
"Not morphia. That has gone out
of fashion and another and far more
dangerous poison has come ia. AT
senic is now the pet drug. Its con-
sumption during the last few years
has Increased twenty-fold. A woman
is debilitated and run down from one
cause or ano ler snd er physician
gives her arsenic as d tonic. The eff
feet is marvellous and you may trust
woman to appreciate it. Her COM
plexion, which was before sallow and
yellow, becomes a clear, beautiful
white, and her frame, which was
spare, if not skinny, suddenly be-
comes plump and voluptuo is. 1t is
not a natural color to the practiced
medical eye, though it appears so to
every one else, and the plumpness of
person is unaccompar I'd by physical
strength. This Improvement in her
personal appearance is the absorbing
subject of thought with the woman,
and she does not allow it's cause to
escape her. She easily persuades
herself that arsenic will not inluIe
her if she takes it in small quantities,
and her physician is coddled into
prescribing it. We vii no sell he !
poison unless ordered by a fresh pre-
scription every time, but many drug
gists viii keep on compromising The
old dose as long as the victim pays.
There are many dishonest druggists,
but the fault is primarily that Of the
family physician
Rather startling state Of affairs.