The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1896-11-07
POISONOUS PERFUMERY.


titled to the thanks of the general pub
lie, and especially of the far sex
Thanks to him, people are now able to
measure smells, and it will be their own
fault il they ever again annoy their
own or their neighbors' nostrils with
spurious perfumes.
This curious art of measuring smells
Is known in the scientific world as olfac-
tometry. M. Mesnard has been study
ing it for some years, and has now per-
fected certain delicate instruments by
means of which anyone, even without
the slightest knowledge of physics or
chemistry, can accurately determine
not only the strength of the different
perfumes, but also the changes which
each of them undergoes under the in
fluence of light, heat, humidity and
other exterior forces.
To musk he has especially devoted
his attention, since both natural and
artificial musk are largelyused by man.
ufacturers as the basis of other per-
fumes. He tells us that the action of
humidity is an important factor to be
considered in this connection, since the
moisture of the skin and the humidity
of handkerchiefs and tissues play
great part in modifying more or less the
persistency. the quality, and the
strength of perfumes.
Natural musk" he says, 'being an or.
ganic product, is always more easily
destroyed than artificial musk, which
is a chemical product and less subject to
change. 1t follows that if one forms
bouquet of perfumes by mixing differ.
ent essential natural oils with an ex.
tract of natural musk these different
products viii become gradually modi.
fed with the lapse of time without any
change being noticed in the distinctive
perfume of the entire mixture. On the
other hand, if artificial musk be used
ms the basis of mixture, there will be
lack of homogeneousness, and the result
will lie that the natural perfumes will
disappear first, and after some time
there will only remain the perfume OF
the artificial musk, and this one will
find it hard to get rid of.
MANY cheap perfumes, it is said, have
artificial musk as a basis, and are con-
sequently grossly deceptive, for in
short time all other odors disappear
except that of the chenlically-formed
musk, and this remains with implacable
persistency, so that finally it becomes
absolutely Objectionable. Experiments
which have been tried show that at
certain temperature artificial musk be-
comes tainted and produces a sickenins
effect on those who smell it. Why, then,
is it used. Simply because the olfactory
nerves of those who constantly use such
cheap perfumes become atrophied, and
they do not perceive what horrible
odor they exhale and what nuisance
they are to persons whose sense Of
smell is finer than theirs"
According to M. Mesnard, perfumes
that are pure can easily be. distin-
guished from those that are adulterated.
The former remain ever the same
neither light nor heat having any power
to decompose them. Take, for example,
perfume made from orchids, M. Mes
nard tells us that orchids only exhale
their perfume at certain moments, and
care, therefore, must be taken to extract
it just at those moments. A genuine
perfume of this kind is delightful
whereas an adulterated perfume of this
kind would soon prove delusion and a
snare.
That there is a great deal of adul-
iteration not only in perfumes but also
in many cosmetics is well known to
physicians. Here, for example, are the
ingredients of certain cosmetics which
are, or used to be, very popular: Iodide
of potassa, red precipitate spirit, corro-
sive sublimate, chloric acid, alcohol,
nitrate of mercury, white lead, oxide
of zinc, chloride of lead, cantharides,
iodine, acetate of lead, flowers of sui
phur and extracts of colocynth. Now,
all these ingredients may not be harm
full, but all are certainly not harmless.
The statement. indeed, has been made
that cosmetics containing such ingre-
dents should not be used at all, and that
others less harmless, should be used
very cautiously, and only upon advice
of a physician.
Paul Mantegazza, the noted italian
uutuuf. uhs niduc a SpcCidi stuuy VI tuiS
subject, and the disclosures which he
makes in regard to the composition of
certain well-known cosmetics are very
interesting and instructive. He gives
266 recipes, many of which contain dam
gerous ingredients, while comparative
ly few are harmless.
That there is an immense profit in the
sale of such stuff need hardly be said.
What costs dollar can, as a rule, be
manufactured for few cents. Thus, as
Mantegazza points out, person who
makes an indiscriminate use of such
cosmetics is likely to suffer both in
health and pocket If persons want to
use cosmetics let them do so; only let
them be sure that the cosmetics are
harmless.
AS TO pure odors. the opinion seems to
be growing that there is greater vir-
tue in them than is generally imagined.
1t seems ludicrous to talk about the