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Effects of Arsenic-Eating.

About This Item

  • Title: Effects of Arsenic-Eating.
  • Date: 15 May 1857
  • Creator(s): Walt Whitman
  • Whitman Archive ID: per.00738
  • Source: Brooklyn Daily Times, 15 May 1857: 2. Our transcription is based on a digital image of a microfilm scan of the original issue. Microfilm of original issue held at Pennsylvania State University Libraries. For a description of the editorial rationale behind our treatment of the journalism, see our statement of editorial policy.
  • Editorial note: This piece is unsigned, as was the case for most of Whitman's journalism. However, this editorial is part of a series of texts that deal with a coherent theme that has been identified by the Whitman Archive journalism team as likely authored by Whitman. This decision is based on a combination of historical and (auto)biographical accounts, similarity to contemporary Whitman writings, a history of scholarly attribution, extant clippings retained by Whitman, computational stylometric analysis, and, in some cases, manuscript evidence in Whitman’s hand.
  • Contributors to digital file: Alexandra J. R. Brennan Thara Michaelis Cassandra Jannel Simms Stefan Schöberlein Karie Cobb
  • Cite this page: Whitman, Walt. "Effects of Arsenic-Eating.." The Walt Whitman Archive. Gen. ed. Matt Cohen, Ed Folsom, & Kenneth M. Price. Accessed 16 July 2024. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
  • Source File: per.00738.xml (TEI)
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Effects of Arsenic-Eating.

Travellers in Styria and other parts of Europe state that there exists among the inhabitants a practice of eating arsenic in small doses; that the people indulging in the drug believe it produces a blooming complexion, a brilliant eye, and appearance of embonpoint; that the dose, beginning with half a grain, may be increased to several grains; and that symptoms of poisoning appear when the practice is given up. Medical writers whose attention has been drawn to the subject say, that the adult human subject will bear a small dose of arsenic—one-tenth of a grain per day, or less—without injury. After taking such dose for ten or twelve days the effects above mentioned are produced; but with the improvement in the complexion the doses should be omitted for about a fortnight, during which time the system will purge itself of the poison; a fresh succession of doses may then be taken for ten or twelve days more, and so on.

Such doses are said not only to improve the complexions of ladies, but to render horses more sleek and well looking; and they are also said to improve the wind both of men and horses. The latter, it is stated, will draw a heavier load up hill after a small dose than at another time. The great dangers of the use of so virulent a poison arise either from taking too large a dose at one time, or from neglect to suspend the practice every alternate fortnight or so. With these limitations, it has been contended by eminent authorities that the use of the drug is rather beneficial than otherwise.

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