Year: 1878

Facts Concerning the Consumption of the


Drug-Women Customers.


recent interview with q woman doctor of New
York gives these results:


"Have you any means of estimating the num-
ber of women in New York addicted to arsenic
eating 2"


"Bless you, no. How could 1 have? There are
thousands of them. If you could ransack the bag
gage of the bellies and grandames now at the fash
ionable watering places you would be surprised to
find how large proportion of them have phials
of Fowlers solution, boxes of arsenica dragees,
bottles of arsenica granules ready at their hands
for accustomed use But it is not only the women
of good society who use it. A great deal is con-
sumed by the pretty saleswomen in fashionable
stores There is a lower social depth, where use
of arsenic to enhance personal charms is still more
general. 1t is not so easy to detect the arsenic
eaters on the street as you may have been led to
believe. There so many feminine tricks of
concealment. For what is paint given us but to
conceal the truth If our eye-lids are pulled does
not kindly fashion permit US the use of flmy
lace half veil? You will be more likely to detect
the arsenic eaters among the pretty shop girls at
this season. Looked for those who are plump,
but have cold, creamy, white oomplexions and
dropsical looking eye-lids. Do you know that some
of those unfortunate girls have actually been COM
PEELED to take arsenic to retain their positions
About three years ago, young girl, not more than
eighteen years old, came to me L was IN practice
then,) and asked me to give her prescription for
arsenic and directions for its use. l asked her
why she wanted to take it. She replied, to fatten
me- Poor child she did need flesh, for she was
very thin, and her large, expressive eyes stood
out over her wan cheeks with the saddest look
have ever seen in girls face. But the fattening
she should have had would have been from rest,
good food, and pure air; and she was too poor to
have either. l tried to reason with her, telling
her what the evil effects of the stuff would be, but
it was no use The forewoman of the store where
she was employed had said to her. You are so
lean that you look like deaths head; customers
hate to see you about. You will either have to
get fatter or go some where else How can ! get
fat /? she had asked. Take some arsenic, the
forewoman had said. Her wages were good; the
work not beyond her strength if she left she
might not soon get so good place again. Soshe
came to me to help her become an arsenic eater.
I would not do so, but few months later saw
her in that store and that some had done what
refused to do. She was plump, her skin had
watery whiteness, her form had rounded out, and
her eye-lids showed that she had been taking
great deal of poison. l said to her 81 see that
you got the arsenic She simply answered Yes,
with a sigh. Since had the curiosity to go and
inquire about that girl. There was new forewo-
man. l asked for the girl, and the answer was
oh she has been gone several months. don't
know what has become of her. She got some hid
eOus sort of skin disease on her face; so bad
that we really could not have her around. She
would have frightened people away. There are
a good many women who are fools. They willsay
to themselves, Il will stop before it lis too late, and
they never know when that too late comes until
it is upon them. 1t is dreadful temptation to Of
fer to a woman-to let her know there is anything
that will make her prettier, whatever the price to
be paid for it, and however short the time OF its
good effect. But it is undoubtedly true that ar
senic- eating is great and constantly increasing
evil among our American women. Its use is con-
fined to one class The leaders of the arstocracy,
the emi-monde, the actress and the shop girl are
equally liable to be found using it.


The reporter failed to find offered at open sale
in any drug store of a number visited the large
arsenical confections or dragees, but was again
and again assured that they were perfectly well
known. No less than five druggists offered to
procure them in few hours if they were desired.
In but one drug store did there seem to be any
hestancy about selling arsenic to be used as
beautifer, for with that single exception some
other preparation of the drug, solution or
granule, was offered in all, with the assurance
that it was ''quite as good the article inquired
for. Fowler's solution is easily obtainable every
where as is also Donovan's and De Valangin's
but in their sale there is frequently some mild
form of inquiry as to intended use-some pre-
tense of compliance with the law regulating the
sale of poisons. When the granules are called tor
even that small formality does not seem to be
generally insisted upon. The granules of arseniOus
acid most generally in use are those of GARNER,
Lamoreux Co., of 1-50th and 1-54th of a grain;
Bullock & Crenshaw of Philadelphia, Tilden Of
New York. Warner& Co. of Philadelphia, and Pei
letter of Paris-all of about the same strength al
though some run down to 1-67th and l-SOth OF
a grain. A new preparation, syrup OF arseniate
of ron invented not long since in Paris, has late
:, s,,t. har IL
sesses all the properties of arsenic without its
toxic action. Arsenic and iron are antidotes for
each other, but in this preparation they are COM
bined and it can be given freely in doses of l-10th
of gran although about so per cent. of it is ar
senic. 1t is claimed that this arseniate OF iron
will produce all the good effects for which arseni-
Gus acid is taken, without entailing the horrible
consequences to be feared from the use OF the lat
ter 1t is hard to believe, however, that this can
be the case, for the effect sought is not health
full and natural condition, but diseased one.
The skin is really not pumped out by good flesh
and adipose tissue by the taking of arsenic but is
brought to edematous or dropsical condition
Its plumpness is Fictitious it is q watery secre-
tion that puffs it out. The loathsome and distg-
uring cutaneous diseases that follow upon that
condition of skin, would naturally, it would seem,
come as the effect of that immediate cause, what
ever might be the primary cause. Another arsenl-
cal importation is Barboules arsenical water, and,
by the way, all the imported Nlcny water cohIalhs
a, trace of arsenic in solution. Barboules water
is recommended as having the same effects as
arsenious acid granules, if taken in sufficient guam
titles and if so, must, of course, be expected to


induce the same fatal consequences If persisted IN.
Baltimore firm sell large quantities of what they
call "suphide of arsenicum," by the use of which,
they tell women, "your complexion can be made
to rival the lily and the rose" 1t is to be taken
internally, and the results promised from its use,
leaving aside the advertisement flourish, are pre-
cisey those obtained from the of arsenic in the
earlier stages. Besides, the name avows it to be
a preparation of arsenic. Notwithstanding all
this it is advertised as absolutely harmless" and
the propretors, in response to letters of inquiry
about it, assure women that it contains no arsen
ic" On one or the other side their statements
must be untrue, and sensible women will do well
to avoid this and all other nostrums which are Of
fered for internal use to cleanse the skim" There
is risk enough in going to a regular doctor for
treatment.