Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1895-01-26
THE PRICE is HIGH.
oELupED WOMEN WHO EAT
AIRS ENC FOR BEAUTY.
The Deadly Drug Now Generally
Used That Boards OF Health are Con-
sIdering Measures to Restrict ITS sale
An Incentive to Murder.

NHSA AAAesN ARoANhH bA AAnatshh arc NNh-
sIderiag Measures to Restrict It's sale
An Incentive to Murder.
To such extremes has arsenic eating
been carried by the women Of America
that the health boards of thirty cities
and nine states will shortly take meas
ures to discourage the use Of the drug.
The concerted action thus inaugurated
will be unprecedented in its nature
and extent and a source OF surprise to
many persons who have no idea OF the
lengths to which the arsenic habit has
rayaged the health of American wo-
men and girls The first intimation
that any evil existed, says the New
York Advertiser, came in evidences Of
the enormous increase in the trade in
arsenic during the past five years. Gov
ornamental statistics are always very
dry affairs, but anyone curious enough
to compare the figures OF the treasury
and interior departments will be
surprised at the revelations they make
on the subject Of arsenic Now. COM
PARSONS Of these figures with the
health reports show decline in the
diseases for which arsenic is specific.
Thus the health board of New York
first became aware that great quanti-
ties Of the drug were being used with
out the mediation of doctors pre-
scription. But the inductive evidence
that arsenic is the source OF MANY "a
woman's beauty became irrefutable as
time went on. II is becoming more
and more evident that American wo-
men who lead lives which make per-
sonaI attractiveness desirable pos
session are characterized b. a languor
that is melting, by fragility that IL
more emblematie Of the lii than con
sistent with good appetite, and by "A
slow sibilant utterdnce. clear and
resonant, but accompanied BY merry
ous excitability OF the lips Added
to this is the growing rarity Of paig
of rosy checks and the frequency Of
that patlor OF countenance which inn
parts q distinguished air 70 the most
Irregular features
OF course. ii is the effect upon the
skin which tempts 50 many women to
their ar5enicll saryituda. Arsenic. OF
all drugs, is wond erful in It's o3smstic
effects. After a few months dosing
the cuticie acquires a pellucid clear
ness. free from spot or blemish, be-
meath which the fine tracing Of a vein
or the unrestricted play Of an emotion
is exquisitely pictured. To be sure
there are some obstinate skins which
will yield only to prolonged dosing.
but there is further compensation in
such cases through the soften.
ing OF harshness in the yisage
and general rouniing out Of what.
in this way, becomes lovely counter
ance. Now this pleasing state OF
| things, like the ugliness Of the sibyI.
is external only. The woman who
uses arsenic for any length Of time
draws drafts upon the near future,
which are only redeemed in the bank
ruptcy of her health The Ian guur.
which externally is delicious proves
inwardly q torture That exquisite
| wilderness OF brow, cheek, nose aud
| neck is concomitaut only with an Or.
I ganic agony in comparison with which
the path Of virtue is triumph OF the
flesh. And when the repose ot the
pillow affords to an ugly girl the 40l-
AGO OF dreams or sleep her fair
/ drugged sister losses like a skin In a
storm, lighting vivid nightmares.
II may not be known to many nan.
although it undoubtedly Is to most
/ women, that an immense business has
grown up all over the country in the
manufacture and sale Of what are
known as arsenic complexion waters.
In New York, Philadelphia, Chicago
and Boston those goods are delivered
in wagons to the retail druggist. 80
great has the trade become. The
waters are white pellets, which must
be taken morning and night indefn-
| itely Now. these goods contain very
little arsenic, but when a woman
whose system does not yield readily
becomes impatient for results she has
another resource at command This
is to persuade a medical friend to
give her prescription for the drug
or to purchase 1t on some pretcnse al
store. Young girls are the most
frequent victims OF this sort. II is d
curious fact that very few women
over 80 are arsenic fiends in this
country, which shows the habit to be
comparatively recent here.
But when the woman once becomes
the user Of the drug in this way there
seems no escape for her. Even few
weeks abandonment OF the drug will
convert her languorous beauty into
faded ugliness. The skin assumes the
tint Of ancient whitewash The nose
grows habby, and the hue which so
adorns the cheek capriclously estab-
fishes itself at the tip of that olfactory
organ. The head grows heavy. and
the nervous system, like the heroine
Of any paper-covered romance, Is torn
with contending emotions. A single
look in the mirror makes this wretched
creature an arsenic consumer once
more.
Patriotism un Riot.