Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1885-09-11
THE CONSUMPTION OF AR
SENIC,

prompted GnereLO, prOVaOlyl Dy Lne
developments in the Emporia poison,
ing case, the chemical editor of the
New York Herald has been making in
vestigation into arsenic traffic, and de-
clares as the result Of his search that
there is imported annually into New
York City, from Cornwall. in England,
and from the mines of Austria, Hun
gary and Bohemia about 1000 kegs of
arsenic, which average 400 pounds Of
weight each.
Physicians say that a dose Of
two and a half grains of arsenious
acid is pretty certain to prove fatal.
A little simple figuring will therefore
show that If the importations of a
single year were divided up into equal
portions corresponding in number with
the number of inhabitants in the
United States, and each man, woman
and child took one of those portions
on a 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 before ~coroners' juries
renders an inquiry desirable as to the
purposes to which the enormous ship
ments of this deadly mineral are ap-
piled.
A very small fraction of the import
eddrug is used as a medicine. 1t is
used as a tonic occasionally, and
actresses use it to a pretty considera-
BILE extent to impart a bright hue to
the complexion and lustre to the eyes.
When once used for that purpose it
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 have found out that
if they take an old broken down horse
and dose him with arsenic
or a few weeks that his appe-
tite will come to him, his old hair
will drop off and a new coat will come
out, and the animal will become as
frolicksome as a two-year-old. In the
horse market he is bound to bring a
good price and the countryman who
buys him will be proud of his bargain
at least for a day or so. When the
effect of the drug dies out the horse
falls away and he never regains his
strength.
Another fact has been elected that
arsenic acid is the very best preserver,
not only of fabrics but of %colors, 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 of
the gaudy, tinted robes which have a
fascination for some young ladies.
The preparation of arsenious acid
is a most hazardous occupation. The
workmen employed generally die before
the age Of forty, and their mean term
Of life runs from thirty to thirty-fve
years. They are compelled 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.
There is no doubt that arsenic acid
is illegitimately used by manufac-
turers. There may be recklessness in
the guise of law in using the acid to
fasten colors on papers, carpets, tapes
tries or articles of wearing apparel,
and technically speaking there may be
nothing Legitimate in all this. 1t is
pretty generally understood, however,
that some confectioners use arsenic
preparations in coloring their goods,
and this is certainly a most serious Of
Tense. Cases of this kind crop up from
time to time, many Of which result
fatally. Arsenic is also used with
dangerous results in painting toys and
in coloring trimmings for ball dresses
If there is a humane society in
Washington 1t ought to look into the
lamentable condition of things which
the following news item discloses:
The remnants of a number of letters
were received at the d~ead-letter office
Saturday from Marion, Ind, with the
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