, 1885-09-27
POISON BY THE TON.
ENOUGH ARSENIC IMPORTED TO C.
POPULATE AMERICA


New York Herald
There are imported annually In Til
city from Cornwall. England. and iron
the mines of Austria. Hungary. and 40
hernia. about 900 kegs of arsenic which
a erage 400 pounds Of weight each
! physicians say that IA dose of TWO and o
half grains OF arsenious acid Is pretty Ger
Tain TO prove fatal a little simple igur
ing will therefore show that If the impor
iaiions of a single year were divided VI
into c ual portions corresponding in
number with the number OF inhabitants
in the United States, and each man.
woman. and child took one of those por
lions on u given day. human life would
on that day cease TO exist in the Territory
now covered by the stars and stripes. In
recent years the importation has rapidly
increased. and the fact that numerous
cases Of arsenical poisoning appear from
time to time on the police records and be
fore coroner 5 juries renders an inquiry
desirable as 10 the purposes to which the
enormous shipments Of this deadly min
eral are applied
A reporter visited several Of the great
drug importing houses. and consulted
chemists in reference TO this matter. All
admitted that the quantity of arsenic
used for medicinal purposes IS insignih-
cant, and that the bulk of the importation
- MIN v h1AA AAAEH BAA1AAN NIX
decorating and identifying purposes.
Some Of the chemists while. expressing a
desire not TO he quoted. freely admitted
that health and life were being endan
gered by n too free introduction OF the
poison into articles of everyday use.
A chemist who is engaged in the serv
ices of one of our leading importing
houses, and who is an acknowledged au-
thority among his brethren. said: at is
No aagNaN NIuN N1.. q. r.1a. .a aaalrsI1Enl
handling of arsenic and arsenical prepare
tons result. in serious illness and in heavy
loss of life every year.
is il not u fact that arsenic In one
shape or another is making inroads into
fashionable households year after Year,
This can not BE disputed Arsenic
acid is The very best preserver not only of
fabrics, but OF c%olors, and it is but natural
that decorators should take some risks in
using it, In many Of our fashionable
mansions the bright colors ON the walls
are made fast by arsenic; the same may
be said of the carpets and tapestries. and
ct the gaudy, tinted robes which have q
fascination for some young ladies, "
Does the presence of arsenic in an
Al apt:nent necessarily imply that it must
o an unhealthy place of abodeyH
Nci OF necessity; still. myself would
not care 10 sleep in such a room. Odors
may be given out that are sure to sicken
the stomach if the work is unskillfully
done. In my opinion this accounts for a
good deal of the debility and nervous all.
ments that prevail in fashionable circles
here and elsewhere. Quite recently a
woman lost her eye sight in this city
while cleaning a carpet that was found TO
have its colors fastened with arsenic I
do not believe any physician would main.
tain that il was proper TO place such n
carpet for use in any room.
Are the dangers of using arsenic prep
a%ratious fully recognized by the manu-
f%acturers who use them
They certainly should be: there is no
excuse for ignorance in a matter of this
kind. 1t is our business to import aud
sell our goods under proper safeguards
after that all our responsibility ENDS -
Are there dangers in the preparation of
the article for the market"
The preparation of arsenious acid Is a
most hazardous occupation. The work
men employed generally die before the
age of -. and their mean term Of life
runs from 30 to 30 years. They are com
PEELED to avoid alcoholic drinks, and to
live principally on leguminous vegetables.
with plenty of butter. taking very little
meat. and that fat. To each man two
glasses of olive oil are administered daily. -
To what extent is the drug used as a
medicine2r
"A very small fraction OF the importa-
ton is used for that purpose II is used
US a tonic occas 'oually, and actresses use
ii TO Il pretty considerable extent TO i'm
part II bright hue 10 the complexion aud
luster to the eyes When once used for
that purpose il must be taken right along
or the young lady will find that not only
her dazzling vision but her bodily
energies will melt away with incredible
speed Horse dealers know "a thing Or
two about arsenic, and they also use il -
81 or what purpose2
Take M old railroad horse that has
become cmaciated in the service. or a
br~oken-down racer. and dose him with
arsenic under the advice OF a veterinary
surgeon for a few weeks. his appetite
will come TO him. his old hair will drop
off. and n new coat will come out, and
the animal will become as frolics0me Us a
2-year-old. In the horse market he is
bound 10 bring a good price and the
countryman who buys him will be proud
of his bargain-at least for a day or 50.
When the effect of the drug dies out the
horse falls away aud lie never regains his
strength.
is arsenious acid used illegitimately
by manufacturer
"On this question | think there can be
no uouOt ihtIc may oe Ieckleasness uu-
der the guise of law in using the acid to
fasten colors on paper. carpets. tapestries,
or articles Of wearing apparel. and tech
nicallv speaking there may be nothing
Legitimate in all this. 1t is pretty gener.
ally understood, however, that some con.
fcctioners use arsenical preparations in
coloring their goods, and this is certainly
a most serious %offense. Cases of this kind
crop mp from time to time. many Of
which result fatally. but l know OF no
instance in which the offender received
the punishment he merited. Arsenic is
also used with dangerous results in paint.
ing toys and IN coloring trimmings for
ball dresses All these things should be
stopped by the board OF health. The
public have enough to engage their atten-
ton in dealing with the scores Of legiti.
mate fields of Industry In which the poison
II L..lI.l IN