The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-10-06
Arsenisal Appetites.

"Do women really use arsenic for the
purpose of beautifying their complex
ions?' prominent druggist was asked.
"Oh. yes. they do," he said, "though
perhaps not as much as they seem to
use it IN New York aud Paris, Judging
from printed or oral reports. sell
quite q deal of arsenic, but compara-
lively very little Of it for the purpose
named by you. You see, arsenic is al
excellent Alternative; it purifies the blood
and clears the skin, But ali reliable
downtown druggists do not dispense IL
lii It's most dangerous form anless upon
a physician's prescription. Most of
what sell goes toF'remove vestiges of
blood dlsease." * ....
Not far away from this one another
druggist was found, whose custom was
Of different kind. "Why, bless YOU"
he remarked, have regular clientage
OF women who use arsenic to enhance
their good looks. Most of them are
fast, to he sure, but there is a sprink-
ling of rofessional ladies and society
bellies among them, who come in here
to purchase the stuff when they are out
shopping. La that way they avoid the
suspicion of the men, they think. But
that's all nonsense because q regular
devotee of arsenic can be picked out of
u crowd. Their complexion is of q dazz-
ling white hue, almost marble white
and not vestige of color remains in the
face. Once know the symptoms, aud
you can always tell arsenic eaters at u
glance. They are not all women.
though. There are more men among
them. Actors and singers, and such
persons whose popularity depends to T.
great extent upon their good looks, fre.
quently nre eaters OF arsenic. Very few
men there are who have not some
blemishes in their complexion, and this
poison remedies that defect. I guess
the fact that most actors and singers are
apt to drink hard occasionally has some.
thing to do with it, because the arsenic
removes all traces of reckless INDULGENCE
in liquor from their faces. One man
know of in this city for a certainty to be
q habltual arsenic eater. He is broker
quite handsome, and great favorlte
with ladies. I met him in a car and
when 1 looked at him and noticed tn @
peculiar pallor of his features Won
dered if his female adnlrers ever srs.
pected how it was brought about.
Actresses, presume, are quite fro
quentIy eaters of arsenic. At least, 1
know of q few myself who do use it.
by them it is generally taken III its pure
state, but IN minute doses, of course.
The quantity has to DO gradually and
steadily Increased, however, to effect
what it is taken for. Inside of a few
months sofunintertgpted OF ed use the devotee
OF this deadly drug may swallow with
lmpunity q dose of it which would kill q
person unused to 1t inside of few hours.
The effects OF the poison are most per-
nlcious, 1t enfeebles the whole system
and predisposes to serious disease. so
that such persons are much less able to
cope with sickness whom it comes than
others. But, for all that, what woman
would stop to think of that once she
knows that arsenic will make hsr more
beautiful and will not directly injure her
II care is exercised? There ls another
poison which some women make use of
to helghten their charms, and is bella.
donna. The very name of it, meaning
beautiful lady" is suggestive. This lB
also taken internally-a tow drops at a
tlme-and its effects are to dilate the
pupil of the eye, to make the eye moro
brilliant, and to Pive 1t full and lust
rous appearance such as very few eyes
have III their natural state. Extreme
care must be taken, though, for il the
dose is only trihe too large serious re-
suits may follow, even blindness.
spasms, and other dangerous symp-
TOMS"
Another veteran in the drug business
was found. IL sell most OF arsenic in
it's prepared state known as Fowler's
Solution, which il the arsenite of potas.
SUM. That is not expensive for it only
costs ten cents an ounce, and ten to
twenty drops suffice for dose. Physi-
clans prescribe it for all kinds of skin
troubles, for which it is specific.
Many people who are troubled With
plmples, for instance, begin to take it,
and, finding that it has very good ef-
feet OH the skin, they continue it's use
after the original trouble no longer OK
lists. The solut OH IL also used for all
manner Of nervous diseases, because it
acts directly on the nervous system.
But TINT IL not what you want to know.
Well, for the beautifying purposes, our
sale OF arsenic III every shape is very
small. l don't think we sell over u pint
u Year for tkat, outside of regular ply
sicians' prescriptions. Whether doctors
will humor their female patients to that
extent that they give them permission
to use arsenic, and then make ont pre-
scriptions for them, il mole than I
know. It's not unlikely ut any ratio. I
only know OF about dozen of our ous-
toners wAo use arsenic for the purpose
mentioned. The common arsenic We
do not give everybody, to be sure, un-
less we know who she is. But Fowler's
Solution we sell to every ono who il not
drunk ut the time, and pays for it. The
trouble with alI those who use arsenic
in every shape is that they l&ust 20 OH
using 1t and increasing the dose. AS
soon iw they give it up they become
dabby and all broken up. You can al.
most always tell those people by their
uneartllly, deathly white faces, which
at the same time are we'll rounded, and
III which no trace of the rudtly hue OF
health Is to be discovered. Belladonna
IL used but Very sparingly by tho ladies.
1t ~ used as IL tlDcture, and but II few
drops at time. The effect of it Is to
make thD eye, look more brilliant"
''And what do you know about tho
use of arsenic ns a beautiticr?" promi-
nent druggist was asked.
''There arc not many who use it of
those that KNOW" answered he. 1t
takes the color entirely out of the face
and gives them That deathliks. morhla