The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1895-06-13
SLAVES OF ARSENIC.
Queer Practices of the People Of the Lit
tie DuchS Of Styria.


tie DuchS of Syria.
The habit of arsenic eating by the
| people of Syria, /. duchy of Austria,
has been known to the scientific
world for MANY years. Travellers
who have passed through Syria
have come back with reports on this
! practice, saying that the people Of
that country were accustomed to
taking a white mineral, which was
arsenic.
That, this was SO was denied by
many, who said that the mineral
taken was nothing more nor less
than chalk. There was much discus
sion over the matter, and the sub
iect proved itself of such interest
and Importance that the scientific
societies took the question up and
Investigated it, and it was pretty
well proved that such usage did
exist, but not SO widespread as was
generally supposed. Many physi-
clans have gone there simply to in
vestigate this practice of arsenic eat
ing. While some of them have found
out much about the custom, others
have como away no wiser than when
they went, owing to the secrecy
which exists among those addicted
to the habit. AS it is against the law
to obtain arsenic without a prescrip-
ton from a physician of course those
who do SO are anxious to keep it
quiet There are also found among
the peasants of Salzburg and Tyrol
those who follow the same practice.
In these regions several arsenic
works are situated, and the only
way the employees can stand the
poisonous fumes is by taking the
drug internally, at first in small
doses and gradually increasing the
dose until the system tolerates large
quantities.
1t is probably from these arsenic
workers that the custom spread to
others, principally the lower classes,
as hunters, wood cleavers, stable
grooms and charcoal burners. All
forms of arsenic are taken-the pure
arsenic, the red sulphide and the
yellow sulphide or orpiment.
The arsenic eaters begin with a
dose about the size of pinhead and
increase this amount gradually until
they are taking piece about the
size of pea.
The habit is generally begun at
the age of Is and continued up to
the ages of "a and rs. The users of
hidri, as arsenic is known among
the peasants, are generally long lived
people, but unless at the age of so
they commence to gradually discon-
tinue the use of it they invariably
die sudden death, and the fact that
death occurs occasionally from poi
soning among hidri eaters shows
that even the Styrians are not in
vincible to the deadly effects of this
drug.
The reaSon for this custom is
asserted by some to be for their per-
sonal appearance, but the fact that
the habit exists principally among
the male sex disproves this. 1t is
said by the peasants themselves that
it is done to make them strong and
healthy, and they really are strong
and healthy people.
Enormous quantities of the drug
are taken by some of them. In one
we'll authenticated case the man, q
manager of some arsenic works,
took daily a dose of SO grains, each
dose large enough to kill several
men unaccustomed to its use. An
other strange thing about this case
is, the man began it first by taking
three grains, an amount which we
would consider decidedly dangerous.
On several occasions he attempted to
leave off taking the drug, but was
made violently i'll, only to recover
on resuming his usual allowance
Washington Star.
Touching For Kings Evil.