The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-09-22
SCENTS UNDER
THE SKIN.
Filling the Feminine Body With
Dainty Perfume.
A Most Dangerous Practice That Originated
in Europe One That Is Strongly
Condemned by Physicians.

A half-dozen of New Yorks fashionable
women who returned from Paris early in
the season brought the secret with them.
They guarded it closely at first, but when
others came home from the frivolous city
laden with its knowledge the custom spread
rapidly
And truly no art of pertaining can COM
pare with this surgical operation. Morn
ing Journal reporter met one of the fair
ones who had adopted the new method. Her
entire body seemed pervaded with sweet
ness, thousand times more delicate than
that which is impaired by the daintiest pei
fume. 1t was not the strong odor which
follows the rustic OF 4 gown and strikes one
like blow. 1t stole over one softly, so del
icately soft, so daiatily sweet 1t was
breathed forth from the white round throat
and snowy shoulders. When her hand
rested upon yours it left the shadow Of the
perfume.
Yes, it was discovered in Paris; it was
born of vice and carries with it punish
ment
A beautiful social queen in the gay capital
first lit upon it. Like many another, she
was victim of the opium habit. She
noticed that after injecting, hyr odermically,
a strong infusion of the drug, as was her
habit, her entire body was redolent with its
peculiar and offensive odor. She layed her
self in perfume s. but neither that nor the
sachet-scented clothing could overcome the
| sickening odor of the opium.
An idea came to her. she decided to try
| an experiment She injected few drops of
| perfume into the body as she did the opium.
| Her delight was unbOunded when she found
| that her body breathed forth the delicious
| perfume much sweeter than that given forth
| by the extract directly.
She tried to keep TIE secret, for the dainty
| odOrs with which she was always surrounded
| attracted attention among all the fashionable
| women. But her unfaithful maid diyulged
| it, In a little while dozens Of fashionable
| women had adopted the new method. The
physicians hypodernic syringe became the
"subcutan eous" perfume syringe. and toilet
| table was not fully equipped Without one.
And this was one of the first things which
| American society women, and particularly
those from New York, learned when they
| went TO Paris this summer to ind cut what
was new in the gentle art of making ones
| self
LOVELY AND ATTRACTIVE.
How general is the new method in New
York? Well, in the first place, 1t Is confined
to a particular set, and there are many
| women in that who do not care to employ
| the rather heroic treatment.
| The hypodermic infusion of perfume car
| ries with it some element of danger. Then,
| too, the insertion of the syringe is not alb
| SOlutely painless, and when the single drop
| of blood makes It's appearance 1t makes some
| women become FAINT.
| That is the single objection, that single
drop of blood. A society woman may risk
| death in a hundred ways, yet her courage
fails her at the single liquid ruby that Is
! drawn from her veins.
| A woman can inject the perfume herself
or her maid can do it. American toilet
dealers have not yet placed the sub-culane-
| Gus perfumes syringe III stock. The ordinary
| physicians hypodermlc syringe Will do
| quite as well. Indeed, there Is no differ
| ence between them. These can be purchased
in any drugstore for any price ranging from
| 81 to So.
The erfume is powerful extract, usually
the strongest of the odor that is made. The
quantity injected varies from three - five
drops.
The perfume is usually injected in one Of
| three places and generally in two OF them.
| At first tile society queen inserts the syringe
| in her arm. If she handles it herself she
| selects the left one, she can han lie the
instrument more skillfully with the right.
The cylinder of tue syringe is three
eghths of an inch in diameter and two
inches long The insertion point is an inch
long and about the size of a large needle. 1t
is beveled at the end, making sharp point
The tube running through it's about the
size Of a hair.
The arm is barred nearly to the shoulder
Just where the arm is bent at the elbow the
needle is inserted horizontally about q
| quarter or half an inch. 1t pierceS the Gu
ticie and the epidermis. Then the piston is
| pushed down and the DROPS OF perfume are
| forced into the body.
When the needle is removed the tiny drop
of blood wells forth upon her white arm.
A slight swelling has been raised,
CAUSED BY THE PERFUME.
She gently presses it with her finger with
| a soft rubbing motion. The perfume is
disseminated and the swelling disappears
1t enters the millions of capillarieS, the
| cobweb network of tiny veins which covers
the body. The capilaIies carry it to the
veins, which bear it along through the sys-
tenn to the heart. There it passes into the
lungs and the delicate odor is thrown of
| through the breath. And such a delicious
aroma comes from the cherry lips! No
| baby's breath could be half so sweet. Re
entering the heart the perfume-laden blood
enters the arterlal system and is sent to
every portion of the body The perfume
breatheS forth from every pore of the skin.
The lair belle revels III an intoxication of
sweetness. She places her hand upon an
other and the Od0r fingers there. Perspira-
tion that foul enemy OF sweetness, has no
| terr0rs for her.
After a while she notices that the insertion
| OF the needle in her arm leaves little red
| spot that stands forth conspicuOusly upon the
satiny skin when she wears decolete
gown. Then she decides that she must in
ject the perfume where the work cannot be
seen. Thus IL is that the leg is selected
But madame is not content with the injec-
ton in one place, particularly If she Is going
to ball. Then she wants those beautiful
shoulders to give forth the sweet odors. The
| perfume is then injected in her chest under
the shoulder just where the arm is joined and
where the work of the needle will be coy
cred by the Shoulder-Strap OF the bodice.
The perfumes used are those of which the
fair women are most fond. Those who were
in Paris this summer brought back with them
| some which were made expressly for the
| purpose, and which were very powerful. But
any of the strong extracts of the best makes
will do quite as well. The delicious pierre
ing extracts of violet and crab-apple bios
som are the most popular among the simpler
| perfumes.
But there is danger in the use of the sub
cutaneous perfume syringe, says the New
York Morning Journal, from which the
| above is taken. Some of the extracts are
| poisonous, and. if the system is ruiz down,
| assesses are likely TO follow the injection of
the needle. Physicians strongly prohibit Is
|