Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-10-24
STlMULANTS.
Some Observations by an English Physi-
cian-How the Pace 10 Kept Up.

| From the New York Sun.
| The discussion Of womans eccentricities and
follies occupies an astonishingly important
! place in tae contemporaneous literature of the
| day. The pessimistic judgment Of those who
| obtain their ideas Of her frailty from lurd lit
erature and cheap sensations, rarely accredits
| her with even minimum of the merit she de-
serves. She is in reality an overworked and
rarely appreciated creature. No greater 1.-THE
| Of tribute is demanded by the world Of the
struggling scribe pursuing the evanescent item
or the poet counting the muse.
Now the effect Of this continual strain upon
| the physique Of delicate women is variously
estimated and the bad habits engendered in
respect to the use Of sedatives and stimuiants
criticised with differing degrees of severity.
| 1t is interesting, then, to review a London
| woman physicians idea of the situation. based
! upon her wide experience with the ilk and
| habits OF women in social place.
| The first point she brings out with respect to
English girls is that the present system of
| physical training is developing them to such
| an extent that their increasing tallness affects
| the average height This is also said to be
| true OF American girls as well. But among the
more robust British maidens there is a pecu-
liar tendency to unequally grown hips or legs
one of which is slightly shor ter than the other
which seems to be strictly an English falling
not observable anywhere else, and, so far a
| mystery as to cause. The gymnastic craze does
not seem to her likely to be carried too far
but she believes that there is great amount
| OF quackery about 1t, great deal that is I'M
scientific and nearly always directed to the
| teachers individual hobbies rather than to
| scientific principals.
''The fashionable woman must be strong to
| endure the routine of London season." con-
| tluues the medical woman. Her indiscretions
in diet, chic fy-are the cause of nearly ali
her troubles" A delicate appetite is no longer
| considered stylish, and the middle-nged ma
tron who dimes at the unreasonable hour Of
| half-past eight consumes six or eight hearty
| courses, with a lump of ice cream on top and a
| glass OF liquor, which IL nothing more or less
| than simple alcohol sweetened and favored
| If she goes to two or three balls after this she
eats and drinks again things still more indi-
| gestible.
With the American woman the creates. fault
| i'll diet is the irregularity with which she eats.
| II she stays in she is inclined to MUNICH some
| kind OF fruit or sweet In the intervals between
| her meals. which effectually destroys her ap-
petite. If she goes out especially il she is hur-
ried, she is likely to start out with little no
| breakfast and shop necessarily until far into
| the afternoon before the necessity of lunching
occurs to her. Then, if she has time, she
| makes feast of croquettes and salads, with
the inevitable ice cream and rich chocolate. If
| she has tickets for matinee muslin sand
wich and cup of tea satisfy her hunger, or per-
ders why she is nervous.
As for the drinking with the fashionable wo-
man In England, the result OF the appalling and
| perpetual strain and the continual late hours
| cause her to waken unrefreshed in the morn
ing, and as she has no desire for break fast
hook and settler take the place of tea, and
glass of port is frequently taken about IL to
strengthen her for her ride. There is more
wine at lunch, and at the fashionable teas rich
cakes and sweets and hearty sandwiches with
mi oil nf win xuin aIna
ner and again at the late supper. and perhaps a
glass OF whisky to go to sleep on. So you see
she consumes quite enough of wine without
| any secret stores OF 1t In her apartments. Eau
| de cologne and sal volatile are consumed in
their peculiar way far too much. because the
tired woman feels constantly in need of stimu-
| lants. 1t has been said that English women
! are not nervous women, but the doctor accuses
them OF being whimsical and fanciful to the
verge OF insanity, and having what our grand
mothers called "vapours," but what we call
| NERVES"
Coca wine is quite fashionable remedy
among English women, and probably corre-
spends with the different sedatives employed
here; but the use OF opium and morphine is
not, it would SEEM SO prevalent as among
| American women, who do not, as a rule, drink
so much wine or ale. Smoking is not confined
to the lawlessness OF Bohemia, but exists in
all ranks and especially among genuine society
women. A lady. patient of good standing has
written to know IL six or eight cigarettes are
not too many for her girl cousin.
The English woman's holiday. like that of
the fashionable woman this side, is simple, the
pursuit of this same unhealthy dissi patton,
pursued under different climatic conditions,
but their outdoor games Of tennis and cricket
are beneiting them to a certain extent, and
are having desirable influence upon dress.
1t would seem that the fashionable woman
would presently become an extinct species
but, despite the croakings, she does continue
to flourish and give impetus to every known
industry for her adjoining and service, and fur
nishes Unlimited Inspiration to the paragraph
hunter and dress reformer.