The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-06-26
AWFUL ABSINTHE.
THE HORRIBLE DRUG WHICH IS POP
uLAR IN FRANCE

Va AIS ictlfnS-ThG WfclkCalfest In.
toxicant In tho World.
During tho Algerian war, which last
Ell from 1914 to 1917. tho French army
"ero moro III danger from African fo-
Vers than from Algerian enemies Sew.
cral things wcre tried rs antidotcs OF
prevcntfves by tho sllillful army physi.
clans Finally absinthe was hit ON as
the most effective fcbrifugc
mo soldiers were ordered 10 mix il
III small quantities thrco times O day
with the ordinary French wine. The
iuckless happy lucky privatcs grow
10 ilko their medicine, which at first
they sworc at bitterly for spelling with
Its bitterness that beautiful purple vino
gar they fondly fancy is wine But
When absintho alone began to usurp the
Time honorcd place of claret In tho af.
1cctions of tho French army tho evil be-
camc all unmixcd one.
Absintho straight as beverage is a
dircly different thing from absinthc
mixed as medicine or nn occasional
tonic. The victorious army on their
trlumphal return to Paris brought the
habit with them. 1t is now SO wido-
spread through all Glasses of Partisan
society-and Paris gives the cue to
france-that Frcnchmcn Of science and
puDllclsts regard the custom Of nhsinthe
uppllng as vast national evil.
The consequences of tho use-und use
OF this drug ripons to abuse, oven with
men Of unusual will powcr-hns been
III Franco disastrous TO dreadful de-
gree. Many men of remarkable bril-.
lancy have offered up their brains and
their lives on the ivid altar of ubsinthe.
Baudclnire, who translated all Poe's
works into French had terribly gro.
tesQuc passion for tho pleasant green
poison. In ono of his mad freaks this
minor French poet actually painted his
hair tho Same tint as the beverage that
corroded his brain, possibly from All
odd fancy to have the outside of his
head correspond with or match tho in
side
Alfred dc Mussct, who was the F1,n,ch
byron. plus Il tondcrcr nnivcr touch.
also fell victim to the drug after
George Sand gave the final smash to his
fraSmcntny heart Guy dc Maupassant
Is reported to have burned his brains
away with the same emcraldinc flames
The brain disease caused by this drug is
considered almost incurable- Far worse
than alcohol or opium, it can only b.
compared to cocaine for the fcllnnss of
its clutch Oh poor humanity.
Yet we take it occasionally rs an
after dinner settler of digestive debts in
this country, and quito often Us an ap-
pctizer or tonic before meals, while in
New Orleans, throughout the older quar-
ter, little caharets, devoted almost eX-
clusively to the sale of it, are quite
common
What, then, is this dreadful drink
composed of, and how is it made? The
answer is easy enough, though the proc
css, to insure perfection i'll the evil, is
not so. Absinthc may be technically
described as a rcdistillation of alcoholic
spirits mado originally from various
things potatoes, for instance), in
which, to give it the final character.
absinthium with other aromatic herbs
and bitter roots are ground up or mao
Grated, III chemist lingo.
The chief ingredient Is the tops and
leaves of the herb Artcmisia alsinthium
or wornwCod, which grows from two
to four feet i'll great profusiCl under
cultivation and which contains a vola-
tile OIL absinthol, and yellow, crys-
talline, resinous compound called ab-
sinthin, which is the bitter principle.
The alcohol with which this and the
essentials OF other aromatic plants are
mixed holds these volatile oils in solu-
ton
1t is tho precipitation of these oils In
water that causes the rich clouding of
your glass when the absinthe is poured
ON the cracked ico-double cmblcms or
warnings Of tho clouding and the crack
ling of your brain if you take 70 it
steadily. Thus every drink of tho opalinc
liquid is ali object lesson in chemistry
that carries its own moral
Some barrOom Columbus, ambitious
to Guido Dante and add another lower
circle to the inferno, recently invented
or discovered the absinthe cocktail A
little whisky-thc worse the bettcr-a
dash of bittcls, little sugar and plenty
of iced absinthc make about the quickest
and wiclledcst intoXicant i'll the world.
Tho continued use of absiuthc gives
rise to epileptic symptoms rs an external
expression of the profound disturbance
of the brain and nerves One large dose
Of the essence of the wormwood indeed
has been noted as causing almost instant
~ epileptiform commissions III animals
But the drug is not without its uses from
q broad point of view AS the name i'm
plies, it is an anthclmintic, or pretty
sure cure for certain kinds of animal