The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1889-04-04

fective. Ard, beside that, physicians
now know more of the action of arsenic
under all conditions of the system, and |
such advance in knowledge has drawn |
from It's Importance as medicine and |
added much to its dignity as poison.
They have learned that in certain dis
eases, while doing good, it was yet |
immediate and the latter remote, or, at |
least, for time remaining concealed.
BY experiments the fact was developed
that animals to which arsenic had been
given in very small doses grew heavier
and fatter, but at the same time there
was also fatty degeneration of the
heart, liver and kidneys.
No other conclusions can be drawn
from a physiological study of arsenic
than there are some diseases in which
it can do much good without doing
harm; among such are chronic affec-
tions of the skin, certain nervous af-
fections, and peculiar states of the
blood. 1t is also clear that unless the
selected-used only in those for which
it is eminently an appropriate remedy
much injury is likely to result sooner
or later. People must disabuse them
selves of the idea, which is so COM
mon, that arsenic in minute doses is
always tonic which can safely be
taken whenever something of the sort
is needed. There never was a greater
mistake made, nor one likely to work a
injury. Take at random hundred
people who need a tonic, and it is safe
to say that by scarcely one out of that
number can arsenic, even in small doses,
| be borne without near or remote injury.
This fact, which can not be disputed,
shows that this powerful poison is safe
only in the hands of thorough physi-
clan, and no one, under any condition,
should ever take it except when duly
prescribed. As for the external use of
arsenic, it is used much less now than
formerly. At one time it was often
employed as caustic in destructive
skin affections, such as cancer, slough
ing ulcers, etc. When applied as a
paste, certain portions of the skin, the
liberated as well as some of the
healthy, are destroyed. After being on
from three to five days, the part COW
cred by the arsenic appears as though
small pieces had been hacked out OF
it, but between the small openings are
little points of healthy skin which have
remained unaffected. The arsenical
paste is the application in common use
by medical charlatans who pretend tC
have an infallible cure. Considering
the peculiar wound which it leaves
after being applied to a cancer, the
pretension that the disease has beer
''drawn out by the roots is easy fol
the ignorant to believe.
A discussion of arsenic would scarcely
be complete without an allusion to it,
: extensive use in trades. On this sub
ject a correspondent to the Druggists
Circular has recently commented. H
stated that some few months ago b.
> examined for large firm of household
, furnishers, as well as for numerou
q private individuals, a number of sam
e Piles of the fashionable Limitation In
: dian muslins' and cretonnes. Nor
f than one hundred samples were exam
: ined, and twenty-three per cent. o
q these were found to contain arsenic il
: appreciable quantities. The colors i
q which arsenic were principally preseu
Y were the terra-cotta reds and the green
: ish browns. As result of experiment
4 it was concluded that under ordinar
4 circumstances there was no danger c
e arsenic poisoning from these goods.
n But, says the writer referred to, i
q two cases samples of these material
|, were brought to me by medical men, i
e which well marked symptoms of arser
s ical poisoning were ascribed to thei
Y use. In one case, some six or eigh
n work girls employed in making u
y some of this material were all take
s i'll with the same symptoms of arsenics
s poisoning. OF course, IN such case
It the material, when pressed with he
n irons, is heated far beyond blood heat
l. and minute particles are detached an
: float in the air of the work-room. Tha
r the arsenic is held very loosely by th
Y fabric was evidenced by dipping som
of the fabric in water; plenty of th
d arsenic was at once taken up by th
O water. It would seem at first as
= this might be due to arsenic havin
!. been used as a preservative for th
s size or starch present as ''stiffening;
d but then these muslins have no sitter
|, ing. I found my infant playing, latel,
Y with a small glazed cardboard box of
n green color that had once containe
It chocolate, and that had been ol
e tanned from one of the automat
If supply boxes. After the manner of il
v fants, he was occasionally sucking thi
y Out of curiosity tested it. and fouu
IT that the surface paper" measurin
is five inches by one and three-fourth
b contained one tenth of grain of viii
3 arsenic. In all these cases the qua
l. tity of arsenic found is small, and