The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1883-08-02

lady in society whose tresses have Dor
rowed sunlight from the blondine bottle,
the reporter called upon a lady out OF
society who readily told what she knew
about it. Her hair was cut close to her
head, which gave her really handsome
classical features the rather masculine
expression which belongs to the lady
whose hair has been banged ali round.
SIT was" she said, "the society ladies
who first began to bleach their hair.
Indeed, you may not believe it, but all
those feminines follies are introduced
by them; we are only the imitators in
such matters. It used to cost us 500
OF first to have it done, but it got
cheaper as soon as the blondine came in.
You can buy it now for ST. two-ounce
bottle, and about three bottles will
bleach the hair, but don't want any
more of it. used 1t for two years and
I'm certain that if I hadn't had my hair
cropped last week, I'd be in Il lunatic
asylum to-day"
what were the symptoms?"
"Loss IF memory at first, which in
creased rapidly; then headache, which
became uncomfortable. Finally 1 went to
the doctor, who found that my system
was thoroughly poisoned. Then I
called in the barber, and you see what
he did," said the lady, passing her hand
over her cropped head.
"Who used to apply the blondine?"
"Those who bieached their hair ap'
piled it themselves of late. There used
to be colored woman named Mary
Young. who did an immense business at
one time bleaching hair. She used to
charge one dollar an application, and
she had about sixty customers whose
hair she touched up every week. She
was making fortune very fast, but one
day she took suddenly sick and died.
The blondine killed her."
"Do you know of any other cases Of
injury from its use?"
II don't know of any one using it who
was not injured. know half dozen
whose health was permanently ruined,
and of one girl who was driven crazy by
it. We're all of us shutting down on
blcndine, and if we have got to have
blonde hair we're just going to get
shaved and wear wigs"
The next place visited was the Office of
DR.. Joseph H. Moore, ut No. 1889 Give
street. Said the doctor
"Most decidedly I do know something
about the effects OF blondine, which is,
perhaps, the most perniciOus article that
is employed by ladies in self adornment.
l will Just mention two cases which came
under my own observation. One OF
these was that of a young married lady
whom attended personally. She was
suffering from intense pains in the head
and back of the neck, which, she said
began shortly after she had commenced
to use blondine, and grew until they be-
came so excruciating that her
mind was threatened. Her description
OF the pain was that it seemed
as though successive strokes of
lightning passed through her skull.
entering deep into the brain and passing
down the cervical column. The only re-
lief she could obtain was by pressing
her hands simultaneously against the
top of her head the back of her neck.
ordered her to refrain from the further
use of the blondine and since then she
has improved, but the effects of the poi
soning are still at times seriously felt.
The strength of a liquid which can de-
stroy the life and color of the hair in q
single application can easily be imagined
anu ltS aoSoIptiou ny tue ehiu leu W a
arrangement of nerve centres of most
dangerous nature. Pain endured by the
patient was purely of a neuralgia nature
which showed that the nerves were affect
ed. The other case was that of u dsmi-
mondaine who had gone through all the
agony l have already described, and,
reaching that stage of the disease where
physical and mental endurance ends,
had became a raving maniac. She was
taken to the Lunatic Asylum, where
after remaining some six months, she
improved sufficiently to admit of her re-
moval. have learned since, however,
that her health is permanently shattered.
These are the only cases Of which have
personal knowledge, but l have been
credibly informed of several others,
among them that of well known lady,
who lost one of her eyes through using
the blondine. Other less severe results
of its use have been brought to my at
tention, and have no hesitation in pro-
nouncing the blondine rs a most dam
gerous agent, the employment Of which
cannot fail to prove detrimental to
health, while its continued application
may result in lunacy or death.-St. Louis