The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-03-25
rHE usE or COSMETICS.
A Discriminating Discourse by High Scien-
fific Authority.

tiic Authority.
Americ an Analyst
The face powders vary to an almost indie
scribabie extent. The best are those made from
starch, corn starch and rice These when light
~ busted upon the face or body are agreeable to
the user and probably conducive to health. So
far as clogging the pores is concerned they do
no more harm than the dust dirt with which
dame nature forever showers every o. ject in
the world. Even when the starch powders
mixed with precipitated chalk
or ealcined magnesia great harm
is done from the scientific standpoint.
The latter substances cling better to the skin
and have greater absorbent power for the oil
aud perspiration which perpetually exude from
the minute orifces of the body. Below these
and objectionable are all face powders made exo
clusivelv of chalk and magnesia They APP
Piled with some manual strength and are forced
into the mouths of the pores and sudoriparous
glands They distend the latter and produce
comedones. plmples and what is known as cat
boils. The irritation thus produced accelerates
the flow of blood aud increases the pressure on
the capillaries Their final result is q sodden,
yellow skin, rough, dry, chapped and inelastic:
They have. however, no appreciable chemical
action upon the bodily tissues.
In the next class the villainous powders
made from lead and zinc or which contain
mony. These constitute the bulk of the apothe-
carries stock in trade. They exercise all the
evil results described and besides exert pow
erful chemical action upon ali living tissue.
Though the skin Is supposed TO be waterproof
and lmpenetrable. il possesses wonderful alb
sorbing power upon any substance in contact
with Its surface. Inc mouse painter aOSorOS
lead from his pigments and suffers from lead
collie and lead paralysis. The clown absorbs
bis muth and antimony from his make up" and
invariably pays the penalty of sickness and
observation-disclosures of life itself The
chemist drops potassic bi-chromate his
fingertIps aud suffers for weeks with a chrome
ulcer Tbs society woman scarlet
hosiery, dyed with fuchsine, and undergoeS all
the agony of case of poisoning. So with the
luckless devotees of fashion who kalsomlne
their faces, necks, arms and shoulders with tia
metallic face powders of the present time.
They are bound to have their systems injured.
their constitutions permanently undermined, II
to suffer from severe sickness For ali,
nearly all of the metallic polsons are cumulative
IN their action. Most substances are passed
through the human system with little
trouble. Nature has made provision in more
ways than one for the peck OF dirt" which
every man must eat. If It goes
into the stomach, it is inert and
expelled. If, supposing it to be
mineral water it passes into the circulation, it
IS quickly removed by the kidneys. If more
powerful as in the case of alcoholic stimuants,
the pores JOIN in the excellent work of dis
possessing the intruder. But it is far different
with lead, zinc, mercury and arsenic, the four
best friends of the cosmetic hend, whether the
latter be manufacturer user. The system
seems unable to rid itself of their presence.
Long after death. wheL tree roots and subter-
ranean moisture have dissolved the body away
to mere outlines, the chemist can find in the
last particles of the organism the atoms of ar
senc, lead or mercury that the owner of the re-
mains had taken into his system during life. In
view of these facts it may be laid down a
scientific injunction: Use no face powders that
not starch or rice powders, and second, use
no face powders that contain lead. zinc, bismuth,
arsenic or mercury.
OF the numerous "face Masks" beauty
masks complexion balms" 'medicated
pastes." blooms of youth beauty or loneliness,
Lola Montsz Secrets" pot is good in any
respect The very best Is without value. From
this they range down to the depths of injurious
and ghouish action The best consist of an oil,
fat or glycerine, with some perfume and trife
of gum benzon, camphor, or other drying sub
r%a TfIAca o.4xx 1batu
is the of lard or butter smeared thickly
the face of the The danger
GUS well as disgusting They contain the
ingredient the face powders denounced,
and are even more perniciouS in their action.
Lead colo, lead paralysis. mereurial ulcers,
arsenic sores. boils, carhuncles, assesses.
putrid glands, salvation. sudden badness, and
even more serious Ills be traced to til cir
use, aud will invariably accompany that
long as the human body remains as 1t 10 to-day
Of the rouge preparations, those made from
cochineal and madden are harmless. All others
are bad very bad. and horrible The "eau de
vinaigre" .'rouge vinagre" "camphor wlne,"
'tred pepper wash" ''capsIcum elixir" and the
like, which depend for their effect upon irri-
tating the nerve corpuscles, are unobjection-
preparations which solutions of anilne and
other coal tar colors, are poisonous and should
be prohibited by law
There is little nothing to be said against
the washes used to remove pimples and black
heads They are usually made by dermatolo-
gists of good standing. and do their work prop
erly and in reasonable time. 1t 10 far better.
however, TO depend upon a fine toilet soap
dilute ammonia. gentle but persistent rubbing,
the Turkish Russian bath aud q piece of
lemon. A two weeks course of the latter will
improve any complexion better than all the
washes extant and more than that, will CORE
spondingly improve the general health
So far the carmine cocnineal paste for
the lips, and the Kohl, carbon smokeblack
uneuents for darkenine the eyebrows and eye
lashes concerned, If any woman is foolish
enough to use these ridiculous and glarinely
offensive aids to personal loneliness, she may do
it in the knowledge that she runs risk at
least so far as her health is concerned They
are ali composed of mild and inofensive ingre-
dents, and can nurt nothing unless it be the
feelings of those who have some interest in her