Evening star., 1895-03-16
THE ARSENIC HABIT.
a Region Where the People Are Ad
dfcted to This Drug.


dfcted to This Drug.
For many years the habit of arsenic eat
ing by the people of Styria, a duchy of
Austria, has been known to the scientific
world. Travellers who have passed through
Styria 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 moth
ing more nor less than chalk. There was
much discussion over the matter, and the
subject proved itself of such interest and
lm portance that scientific societies took the
question up and investigated it, and it was
pretty well proven that such a usage did
exist, but not widespread as was gene
rally supposed. Many physicians have gone
there simply to investigate this practice of
arsenic eating. While some of them have
found out much about the custom, others
have come away no wiser than they went,
owing to the secrecy which exists among
those addicted to the habit. AS it is against
the law to obtain arsenic without pre-
scription from physician, of course those
who do so are anxious to keep 1T 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
flrSt in small doses and gradually increas-
ing the dose until the system tolerates
large quantities.
1t is probably from these arsenic workers
that the custom spread to others, princi
pally to the lower classes. as hunters, wood
cleavers, stable grooms and charcoal burn
ers. All forms of arsenic are taken-the
pure arsenic, the red sulphide and the yell
low suphide. or orpiment.
The arsenic eaters begin with dose
about the size of pins head, and increase
this amount gradually until they are TAX
ing piece about the size of pea.
The habit is generally begun at the age
of fifteen and continued up to the ages of
seventy and Seyenty-five. The users of
hidri, as arsenic is known among the peas
ants, are generally lonS-lived people, but
unless at the age of fifty they commence
to gradually discontinue the use of it, they
invariably die sudden death, and the fact
that death occurs occasionally from poi
sonipg by hidri eaters shows that even the
StyrianS are not invincible to the deadly
effects of this drug.
The reason for this custom is asserted
by some to be for their personal appear
ance, 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 strong and
healthy people.
Enormous quantities of the drug are
taken by some of them In one well-au-
thenticated case the man, a manager of
some arsenic works, took daily dose Of
twenty-three grains, each dose large
enough to kill several men unaccustoined
to it's use. Another strange thing about
this case is the man began it first by TAX
ing 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
III, only to recover on resuming his usual
a