Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-12-11
WOMEN AND ARSENIC,
IuE RAvAoEs Ov A HABIT WHICH
NAM WOMEN ARE SAID I'd
rNpl'IGG IN.

Arsenic, Of all drugs, 10 wonderful In
lie cosmetic effects. After few months
Dosing the cuticle acquires q pellucid
clearness FREE from spot or blcmlsh, be-
Meath which the fine tracing OF = vein az
the unrestricted play of an emotion 10
exqulsltely pictured. To BE- sure there
are some obstinate sklns which will
yield only 10 = prolonged dosIng, but
there IL further compensation In such
cases through the softenlng Of hsrshness
In the vlssge and . general rounding out
Of what, In this way. becomes lovely
countenance.
Now this pleasing state Of things, like
the uglibess of the sibyl, IL external
only. The woman who uses arsenic for
any length of time draws drafts upon
the near future, which are only redeem-
ed In the bankruptcy Of her health. The
ianguor which externally 10 delicious
proves inwardiy . torture. That ex-
aulslte wilderness Of brow, cheek, nose
aud neck IL concomltant only with an
organic agony Ia comparison With which
the path Of virtue IL triumph Of the
nesh. And when the repose Of the Pill.
Low affords Ia an ugly girl the solscc OF
dreams or SLEEP, her fair. drusged sister
losses like skin In storm, fshtinE
vivid Nightmares. The devil, according
To ~. CypriAn. makes women pay Tor
their beauty. Arsenic, In this respect, u
like the devil.
II may not be known 90 many men, al
though Il undoubtedly IL To most
women, that an Immense business has
grown up all over the country In the
manufacture and sale of What are known
a. arsenic complexion wsfers. In New
York, Philadelphis, Chicago aud Boston
these goods are delivered Ia wagons "a
the retail druggists 90 great has the
trade become. The waters are white
pellets, which must be taken morning
aud night indefinitely. Now, these
goods contain very little arsenic, but
when q woman whose system does not
Yield readily becomes impatient for re-
| suits she has another resource st com
mand. This IL To persuade . medical
friend 20 give her prescription for the
drug or to purchase IL on some pre'ense
At q store. Young girls are the most
frequent victims % this sort. u isa
curious fact that very fc~ women over
10 src arsenic feDds In this country,
which shows the habit 10 he compare
lively recent here.
Hut when q woman once becomes q
user IL the drug In this way there seem.
no escape for her. The horror. Get forth
In The Confessions of an Opium Eater
ar, nothing compared to the ordeal of
the woman Who Il battling the craving
for arsenic. Even fe~ week. abandon
ment Of the drug will convert her lam
guorous beauty Into faded ugllness.
The skin assume. the tint of ancient
whiieva.h. The nose grows nabby, and
the hu. which so sdorns the cheek ca
priciously establishes Itself NJ the tip 81
that olfsc,ory organ. The head gro~.
heavy, ssd the nervous system, lii. the
heroine of any psper-coysrcd romance,
10 torn with contending emotions. \
single look In the mirror makes this
wretchcd creature an arsenic consumer
once more.
Doe. any man deem this an exaggera,-
ed picture, or that We are not suffering
nationally from the habit which !. ~
responsible for ~ Ask an authority on
the drug trad. or any active member III
the board of health ~ such metropolitan
center. a. san Francisco. ~. Louis,
Philadelphls, BOSTON, New York. Chics'
90. III. concerted action which these
bodie. will make has reference only "a
the sale 81 the drug. The Efforts oi
Comml..lOner Edison blm..lf have been
largely rendered nugaiory by the facility
With which small quantitle. ~ arsenic
can be mailed from one city Ia another,
Moreover the legislation ~ the states I.
not uniform. Hut now u !. Intended ~
prevent the sale ~ the drug unless sp.-
,ially prescribed, aud to break up the
trad. In ar.enlcaied no.trums. \ bill
Ia. been prepared and Will be Intro
duccd Into various legislatures 10 TIL.
end.
arsenic In. Away. offered q great
Temptation 20 women" said Dr. Cyru.
Ed.on. reviewing the subject when he
va. asked about n. "iiut. after all. Ne
can only take gentle measures. do not
.ee how We are 10 prevent the use of the
drug unlss. We convince the women tia,
u doe. more harm than good. They eau
slvays procure u by stealth, even " II
he made u mi.d.meanor Ia Traffic In ",
aud then ". would have only aggravated
the evil. Physicians are very careful Va
prescribing arsenic and not lnfr,quently
do not reveal 90 the patient that the
drug ha. been prescribed at all. II !. III
undOub,.d efficacy In .kln diseases"
| u W.. Surgcon-Gcneral wyman who
pointed out, when the snti-ar.enic sglta-
ton began, that there 1. danger from
slavery "a IN. drug In another direction
n give. occasion for q murierou. use III
arsenic, sud will compllca'e the lnyc,,l'
CATION ~ suspicious deaths. Trace. oi
sr.euical poison are nos very vesk y.
evidence. 81 murder. The victim NAV
have been q "hend." Indeed some oi
the most interesting murder eases have
been complicated In this way. Mr..
Maybfick Owed her peculiar type ri
beauty To Indulgence la th. Turing
poison, aud one of the most famous Of
Wilkie Collins novels hinged upon the