The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1897-05-28
MUSK In PERFUMES.
Poisonous Authorizations Used by
Manufacturers. .,..
Odors OF All Kinds Can BE Judged by
a knowledge of Olfaetometry-A New
Science Which May Become Use.
full to the Public.

NJ. Eugene Mesnard is certainly en-
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 if 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. NJ. 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
fuence of light, heat, humidity and
other exterior forces.
To musk he has especially devoted
his attention, since both natural and
artificial musk are largely used 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 a
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 a
bouquet of perfumes by mixing differ
cnt essential natural oils with an eX-
tract of natural musk these different
products will become gradually mOdi-
fled 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
as the basis of mixture, there will be a
lack of hOmOgeneOusnesS, and the result
will be 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 basis, and are con-
sequently grossly deceptive, for in q
short time all other odors disappear
except that of the chemically-form
musk, and this remains with implacable
persistency, SO that finally it becomes
absolutely Objectionable. Experiments
which have been tried show that at a
certain temperature artificial musk be-
comes tainted and produces a sickening
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 a. horrible
odor they eXhale and what a nuisance
they are to persons whose sense of
smell is finer than theirs
According to M. Mesnard, perfumes
that are pure. can easily he distin-
gulshed from those that are atlulterated.
The former remain ever the same,
neither light 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
scare, therefore, must be taken to extract
1T just at those moments. A genuine
perfume of this kind is delightful.
whereas an adulterated perfume of this
Find would soon prove delusion and a
snare.
That there is q great deal of adul-
teration not only in perfumes but also
III 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-
slve 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
fal, but all are certainly not harmless.
The statement. indeed, has been made
that cosmetics containing such ingre-
dlents should not be used at all, and that
others less harmless, should be used
very cautiously. and only upon advice
of physician.
raul Mantegazza, the noted italian
author, has made a special study of this
subject, and the disclosures which he
makes in regard to the composition of
certain well-known cosmetics are very
interesting and instructive. He gives
200 recipes. many of which contain dan
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. he
manufactured for few cents. Thus. as
Aiantegazza points out, a 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; onlv LET
tdem be sure that the cosmetics are
harmless.
AS to pure odors, the opinion seems To
De growing that there is a greater vir-
tue IN them than is generally imagined.
Indignant Indians.
The Wenatchee Indians of WASHING.
ton are protesting against an act of
vandalism and sacrilege committed bv
the Great Northern Railroad COMPANY.
The workmen of the company lately
blasted ont some big rocks near the
Indian settlements, which were covered
with hieroglyphics. The rocks were
the sacred records of the Wenatchee
tribe, and the inscriptions told of their
chiefs and battles and the whole his
tory OF the people. The Indians are
naturally intensely indignant, but it is
frequent occurrence for relic hunters
and tourists in the northwest to rob
the graves of Indians of all sorts of