The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1885-08-20

Used by Some People-An Indulgence
Which Must BE Continued to Preserve
Life--Facts Stranger than Fiction.
In 1875. at the forty-eighth annual
meeting of the German Society Of Nat
uralists and Physicians. which was held
at Gratz. DR.. Knapp, practicing in Sty-
ria, introduced two male arsenic eat
ers 10 the assembly. One of these men
consumed in their presence about six
grains of white arsenic that is, enough
to poison three men-w without suffering
the slightest inconvenience; and it was
stated that he mad been accustomed to
this state Of things for years. He was
by calling an ex-herd, and. after the
custom of his countrymen, had admin.
istered to the cattle under his charge a
daily dose of arsenic for the purpose of
rendering their hair glossy, and of
otherwise improving their appearance.
He had been so far successful that he
was led to argue that what was good
for the oxen was good for himself; and
that he was to certain extent justified
in his conclusions was proved by the
fact of his being in the enjoyment of
robust health. DR.. Knapps other SUBJ
ject partook of rather more than four
grains of the yellow arsenic-that is, Of
Orpiment-and he, too, had done the
same with impunity for years. This
man sstated that, having to enter q
house in which fifteen persons had died
of typhus fever, he prepared himself for
the attempt by taking q dose of less
than half a grain of orpiment. This
caused some disagreeable results; bu.
the unpleasantness having worn off, he
repeated the dose, entered the house
without contracting the disease, and
was so pleased with the success of his
experiment that he had continued to
take arsenic ever afterward. He, too.
-Was in the enjoyment Of robust health.
We believe that 1t was Mr.. Heisch,
a teacher of chemistry at the Middle.
sex Hospital. who first brought the
subject Of arsenic-eating prominently
before the notice of the profession in
this country. This was some time about
the year 1922, but since then the fact
has again and again been demonstrated
by the researches of medical men and of
travellers, so that now there are few
persons who would venture to express
any doubt on the question. Indeed,
it has long been acknowledged by the
best authorities that arsenic eating is
extensively practiced in the southwest
corner of Austria-that is, in Upper and
Middle Syria. especially In the dis
tricts of Hartberg, Laprecht Loeben
and Oberzeirung, also in Carinthia,
Salzburg, the Tyrol, Lower Austria and
the Erzgebirge. 1t is, to certain ex.
tent, acknowledged that these people
attain a green old age; and it is even
suggested that in some sort they owe
their longevity to the baleful practice,
though there is room for the gravest
doubts on this score. When arsenic
eating was first brought before the no.
tice of the world. 1t was treated as q
gross imposture would be; and the
stories about it were ciassed with those
of Welsh fasting.girls and universal
remedies; indeed, the profession con.
tidently asserted that these Syrian
peasants partook of nothing more un-
wholesome than piece of chalk, for it
was deemed utterly impossible that a
man could, unscathed, consume enough
poison to effect dozen persons, and
certainly enough to kill three.
Fact. however. is stranger than fic-
ton, and fact so strange as this could
not lie unhoticed in the region of myths.
In 1851. Tschudi brought the matter
again prominently forward; and since
that time it has been so clearly demon.
strated. with all the requirements of
sc ent'fic research, that it would be alb.
surd to deny it to be sober reality.
But all the world takes poison in some
form or other every day ether, alcohol,
opium. hasheesh, nicotine, essences and
so oh, and that without calling forth
any particular expression of wonder
/. is so common habit, that with some
people this taking of poisons has be-
come condition of existence. Med
ical men, too. derive some of their bes,
remedies from poisons, and are as rule
we'll justified BY results. But while one
man may take his daily dose of some
narcotic, and another of his medicinal
poison. third man, unfortunately, il
only able to still the cravings of his ap
petite by swallowing q substance
which has probably cost more lives
than any other drug, whatever it may
be-nsmely arsenic.
The arsenic-eater may, it is true, b
fort;fying himself against the machina
tons of secret poisoner. and he ma,
be-indeed, after many years use OF It
be very likely administering dos
of something absolutely necessary +
his existence, thus giving some sort o
coloc to the claim Of the Syrian tina
it lengthens life. At the best, however
it is . playing with danger.
tempting of Providence most reprehen
siblc. and it is . habit so degradin,
that it makes us feel sorry 70
human nature. 1t is. however, vel
known among medical men that arseni
taken internally is useful in many dis
cases. more especially such as affect tn