Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-01-22
THE CLAY-EATING HABIT.
EXPLANATION OF A PECULIAR AND
PERNlcloUs PRACTICE.
A Philadelphia Physician Solves the
Mystery-PhysicaI Appearance Of
the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES and
Stimulating.

years as to why the poor white trash" Of
central North Carolina ate the clay that
is found in that part of the country. 1t
remained for a Philadelphia physician to
solve the mystery. A short time ago DR..
Frank II. Getchell went on a cunning
expedition to North Carolina. His quest
for game led him into the wild country
back Of Salisbury, which is inhabited for
the most part by q miserable race Of be-
ings with only just enough energy to exc
out a wretched existence. These Great
ures are nearly all veritable living skele-
tons, and with exceptions, are addicted
to the habit Of clay-eating.
While shooting wild turkey and other
game in this wild region, DR.. Getchen
made an incidental study of this peculiar
habit Of vice among the inhabitants. 1t
is a mountainous country, and in the
spring little riYulets start out from the
caps Of snow on the mountains, and as
the days grow warmer the little rivulets
become torrents, and great washouts are
being made along the mountain side.
HI HABIT ALMOST UNIVERSAL.
The soil is of q heavy, clavey nature;
but there are strata of clay that is heav-
Ter than the rest, and when the water
rushes down this clay is formed into
little pellets and rolls and accumulates
in heaps in the valley. These little
pellets and rolls are what the clay eaters
devour with as much avidity as a topper
swallows a glass of whisky.
among the poor people Of this sec
ton" said DR.. Getchell "the habit of eat
ing clay is almost universal. Even little
toddlers are confirmed in the habit, and
the appetite seems to increase with time.
While investigating the matter | entered
acabin occupied by one of these poor fami-
lies and saw a little chap tied by the
ankle to the leg of a table, or which was
placed a big dish Of bread and meat and
potatoes within easy reach. The child
was kicking and crying, and / asked his
mother why she had tied him up. She
replied that she wanted him to eat some
food before he went out to
the clay and he refused to do
SO. The woman confessed that she ate
the clay herself, but explained that tho
child's health demanded that it eat some
substantial food before eating any earth.
Almost every one l met in this section
was addicted to this habit. They were
all very thin, but their flesh seemed to
be pulled out. This was particularly
noticeable about the eyes, which had a
sort of reddish hue.
GAIL of the clay-eaters were excessively
lazy and indolent, and all these condi-
tons combined led me to the conclusion
that there must be some sedative or
stimulating qualities, or both, in the
clay, and l determind to find out whether
there was or not. | consequently brought
a lot of the clay home with me and Pro-
fessor Herman and myself made an
analysis of the stuff and discovered that,
instead of clay-eaters, the inhabitants of
central North Carolina should more
properly be called arsenic-eaters.
AsEDATIvE AND STIMULANT.
"All of this clay contains arsenic, but
exactly in what proportion we have not
yet discovered. Arsenic-eating is COM
mon in many parts of the world, and is
practiced to a greater or less extent
throughout. 1t acts as o sedative and
also as a stimulant. The mountaineers of
Syria, Austria, are habitat arsenic-eat-
ers. They are better able to climb the
mountains after eating the poison, and
their explanation is a perfectly reasona-
BILE one, as arsenic acts as a sedative to
the hearts action. The habit is also
prevalent in the Tyrol and in the Alps.
ut is also said that the peasant girls Of
Switzerland and part of Germany and in
Scandinavia eat arsenic to give luster to
their eyes and color to their cheeks, but
this is q matter l have not Investigated.
1t has been shown that arsenic or arseni-
cal fumes are a sure cure for intermit-
tent fever. The inhabitants of a sec
ton Of Cornwall, England, at one time
suffered with this type Of fever, but when
the copper works were established there
the fever disappeared. This was ac-
counted for by the arsenical fumes
created in the treatment Of copper. AS
to whether arsenic eating shortens life,
am not yet prepared to say, but l in
tend Investigating the matter thor
oughly. Philadelphia Times.