_Confectionary, Pastry, and Perfumery._
The confectionary-artist is not behind his compeers in trade in the
honourable vocation of sophistication. There are few articles which
owe their paternity to his handy-work, that partake wholly of the
ingredients to which they bear resemblance in name and appearance: all,
almost all, here is the work of “the black art.”
But this is not the worst part of the business. Were any person to be
admitted into the “elaboratorical pandemonium” of a pastry-cook or a
confectioner—were he to see the disgusting appearance of the vessels
in which they manufacture their articles—many of them containing
the ingredients with perfect rims of cupreous matter surrounding
them—were he to regale his eyes with the sight of the most rancid
butter bleaching for the purpose of making pastry, as I have seen, I
am sure that he would hold the productions of the confectioner and
pastry-cook’s shop in abhorrence, and would not consider Dr. Paris’s
denunciation of them, in his useful work on Diet, p. 247, as “an
abomination.” A lady with whom I am acquainted, and who lodged at
different times in the houses of confectioners and pastry-cooks, had so
good an opportunity of witnessing _the cleanliness and wholesomeness_
of their operations, that for many years she has not tasted any
commodity that comes out of their manufactories; and I verily believe
that she would die of hunger before she could induce herself to allow a
scrap of their _delicacies_ to enter her mouth.
But these “artists” not only endanger the health and lives of their
customers by the carelessness and nastiness of their conduct in their
compositions, but they employ preparations of copper, and also of red
lead in colouring their fancy sweet-meats. In the preparations of
sugar-plumbs, comfits, and other kinds of confectionary, especially
those sweat-meats of inferior quality, frequently exposed to sale in
the open-streets, for the allurement of children, Mr. Accum, p. 288,
informs us, that the greatest abuses are committed by means of powerful
poisons. The white comfits, called sugar-peas, are chiefly composed of
a mixture of sugar, starch and Cornish clay (a species of very white
pipe-clay); and the red sugar drops are usually coloured with the
inferior kinds of vermillion or sap green, and often, instead of those
pigments, with red lead and copper. As a yellow colour, cromate of
lead is used, and prussiate of iron as a blue. The stuff called “_hard
rock_,” “_hard bake_,” “_white lollypop_,” and other baby attracting
names, is of an equally deleterious quality. Nor are the ginger-bread
or sweet cakes of the ginger-baker less injurious to the health of
children, especially the “gilt ginger-bread” as it is termed, which
is covered with Dutch leaf,—a composition consisting of an alloy of
copper and zinc, or brass and copper. Indeed, all parents should, as
the author of “THE ORACLE OF HEALTH AND LONG LIFE” observes, anxiously
instruct their children never to buy any thing offered for sale in the
streets: among my acquaintance more instances than one have occurred
in which lamentable results would have been the consequence had not
timely aid been afforded the little sufferers. And for the same reason
it seems necessary to caution parents never to give painted toys
(which are always coloured with red lead, verdigris, and other potent
poisons,) to children, who are apt to put every thing, especially if it
gives them pleasure, into their mouths.
The mischievous consequences occasioned by the use of sugar
confectionary, coloured with metallic and vegetable poisons, are
provided against by the French Government, by being under the
surveillance branch of the police, entitled the Council of Health, by
whom an ordonnance is issued, that no confectionary shall be sold,
unless wrapped up in paper, stamped with the name and address of the
confectioner; and the ordonnance further provides that the vendors
shall be held responsible for all accidents occasioned by confectionary
sold in their shops. M. Chevallier has, in the Journal de Chimie
Médicale for Jan. 1831, discussed this subject with considerable
ability.
“The foreign conserves, such as small green limes, citron, hop-tops,
plumbs, angelica roots, &c. imported into this country, and usually
sold in round chip boxes, are frequently impregnated with copper.”
Indeed, most of the _delicacies_ and “good things” to be obtained in
confectioner’s shops, are tinted with all the colours of the rainbow,
by the agency of lead, copper, brass, arsenic, or some other poisonous
metal.
The presence of lead and copper is readily detected by pouring liquid
ammonia over the article suspected of being adulterated with the first
mentioned metal, which will acquire a blue colour; and sulphuretted
hydrogen, acidulated with muriatic acid, where the second article
is suspected to have been made use of in the adulteration, when the
article will assume a dark brown or black colour. The adulteration by
means of clay may be ascertained by dissolving the suspected article in
boiling water, when the sediment or precipitate at the bottom of the
vessel ready discovers the fraud.
For the purpose of communicating an almond or a kernel flavour to
custards, blanc-mange, and other productions of his art, and to render
them grateful to the palates of his customers, the pastry-cook flavours
them with the leaves of the poisonous plant, the cherry-laurel. And
the basis of his favourite blanc-mange often consists of the shreds
of the dried bladders of horses, the skins of soles, and other
animal membranes, as cheap substitutes for isinglass. Among his less
objectionable sophistications may be mentioned, his fabrication of
creams, custards, tarts, and other kinds of pastry, from rice powder
and skimmed milk.
The negus and lemonade made by pastry-cooks, and the punch of public
and coffee-houses, are made of tartaric acid, as a cheap substitute
for citric or lemon acid.
The perfumers, the keepers of the “emporiums and bazaars of fashion,”
the manufacturers of the “best genuine bears’ grease,” of the
“incomparable Macassar Oils”—of the “Kalydors”—of “Les Cosmetiques
Royales”—of the “Red and White Olympian Dews,” and other prodigiously
grand and etymological titles “breathing the spirit of patriotic
rivalry,” have all exerted their respective wits in the art of
economising expense and “saving a penny.” In fact the tooth-powders,
the dentrifices, the ottars of roses, the musks, the cosmetics, the
lotions, the balsams, the Hungary waters, the Eaus de Cologne, as well
as all the other frenchified _eaus_, the _milks_ and _creams_ of roses,
the pomades divines, the blooms, the pearl-waters, the lip-salves,
the perfumes,—the Naples almond and beautifying soaps,—the cephalic,
Macouba, and other-hard named snuffs, are all vile sophistications,
and (to omit speaking of their injurious properties to the health and
the skin,) contain but little of the ingredients of which the artists
profess that they are made. On this subject I shall address myself
especially to my fair readers: craving leave to premise, that it is
strange that British ladies, to whom Nature has been so bountiful,
should destroy their native charms and have recourse to the wretched
substitutes of art, which ARE DESTRUCTIVE OF BEAUTY, and PRODUCE REAL
DEFORMITY.
As many ladies attempt to improve their complexions by the use of the
pernicious cosmetics, which are continually and unblushingly advertised
as beautifiers of the skin, most of which are either worthless or
dangerous, (for if they have any effect, it is that of conveying
mercury, lead, or bismuth into the system, and too frequently laying
the foundation of diseases which are often dangerous, and sometimes
fatal;) I cannot refrain from advising those “fair ones” who have
been in the habit of using trash of so villainous a nature, that if
they have any of it by them, to throw it away at once, and to be
persuaded that the best cosmetics are exercise in the open air, an
active attention to social and domestic duties, regular hours of repose
at night, and cheerful hilarity and tranquility of mind, and that
those cheap and WHOLESOME remedies will not, as the author of “THE
TOILETTE COMPANION” well observes, fail to animate their countenances
and beautify their complexions beyond the blooms and the balsams, the
Grecian and the Egyptian Waters, the Kalydors and the Macassar Oils,
the Gowland’s Lotions and the Pearl Powders, the Cosmetiques Royales,
the Red and White Olympian Dews, the Essences, the Eaus, and the
Pomades Divines, the Essences Apolloniennes or Tyrian, and the Tonic
Wines, and all the other puffed and delusive nostrums, that knavery,
cupidity, and effrontery, have ever palmed upon a credulous public, by
which dull and lustreless eyes, sallow and shrivelled skins, lifeless
and cloudy complexions, and impaired and ruined health, are infallibly
super-induced: or those simple and easily purchased ingredients, with
a strict attention to cleanliness, that is, well washing the skin every
day, and drying it with a course towel,—or when the head, neck, or
face perspire, rubbing it dry with a towel of the like description,
will, as the author of “THE ORACLE OF HEALTH AND LONG LIFE” says, more
effectually beautify the complexion, preserve the skin pure, soft, and
pervious, and consequently the health firm and unaffected, than all the
frauds that have ever been contrived to cheat and deceive the unwary
or the inexperienced. Cold water, however, should not be used when the
skin is warm, nor very warm water when it is chilled. For as the author
of that clever little work “THE TOILETTE COMPANION, or THE WHOLE ART OF
BEAUTY AND OF DRESSING,” says, “Many a beautiful face, neck, and arm,
have been spoiled by not observing this caution.”
I have mentioned the dangerous consequences from the use of the
repellent cosmetics and other quack nostrums puffed off in the
newspapers; but, as example is more convincing than precept, I shall
present my readers with a few cases of their lamentable results, which
fell under the observation of the celebrated Dr. Darwin.
“Mrs. S. being much troubled with pimples, applied an alum poultice
to her face, which was soon followed by a stroke of the palsy, and
terminated in her death. Mrs. L. applied to her face for pimples a
quack nostrum, supposed to be some preparation of lead. Soon after
she was seized with epileptic fits, which ended in palsy and caused
her death. Mr. Y. applied a preparation of lead to his nose to remove
pimples, and it brought on palsy on one side of his face. Miss S.
an elegant young lady, applied a cosmetic lotion to her face for
small red pimples. This produced inflammation of the liver, which
required repeated bleedings with purgatives to remove. As soon as
the inflammation was subdued, the pimples re-appeared.” (Darwin’s
Zoonomia.) Every person could enlarge this catalogue from the sphere of
his own acquaintance.
I am willing to believe that I have (to use a legal phrase) made out a
sufficient case to prove the inefficacy, nay the DANGEROUS consequences
of cosmetics, and the rest of the long list of et-ceteras for
_beautifying_ the skin. It will now be my duty to direct my attention
to the other frauds and impositions practised under the titles of “hair
strengtheners”—“hair beautifyers”—of “best genuine bears’ grease”—of
“incomparable Macassar Oils”—of “Pommades Divines,”—and the remaining
hair hoaxes and humbugs, played off as hair oils, Russia oils, and
similar puffed nostrums, under pretty and _taking_ titles, by Prince,
Ross and Son, M’Alpine, and the rest of the bear’s grease and hair-oil
men; and I shall feel a singular pleasure should I be the medium
of saving any “lovely or loveable woman” from becoming the dupe of
imposture and deception.
Amongst the various cosmetics recommended by the adventurer for the
dressing room, it must be admitted that none seems more harmless than
those which profess to give a fine curl to the hair. But to assert that
any liquid will, of itself, give a permanent or temporary curl to the
hair is fallacious; though it is true that the application of a weak
soap lye, or a solution of caustic potash, will render the hair more
susceptible of adopting the artificial curl given by putting it into
papers. But then it must be recollected that the effect occasioned
by soap lye or potash is only produced by a complete alteration of
the organic structure of the hair, superinducing a slow but certain
destruction of that beautiful ornament of the human head. This effect
may not be immediately observed, either in youth or in advanced life;
but it is certain and inevitable.
Equally destructive are the various liquid dyes so loudly boasted of,
and extensively advertised, by quacks for colouring the hair; some of
them, indeed, do produce the effect proposed, particularly the black
dyes; but they are all INJURIOUS, especially the black, as their basis
consists always of nitrate of silver, (that is, silver dissolved in
nitric acid or aqua-fortis) or lunar caustic when in a dry state;
but the operation is destructive of the hair, as must be evident to
any one who has seen the effect of caustic on warts on the skin. It
has been well said that if we wish to save our hair, we must first
save our money, by abstaining from the whole list of those puffed and
unprincipled recipes and nostrums that stare us in the face in every
newspaper, and in almost every shop-window.
The folly of giving credence to any of the impudent and disgraceful
impostures for the pretended power of certain ingredients to change
the colour of the hair, must, as the author of THE TOILETTE COMPANION
observes, be evident to every person when he is told that the hair
depends on a peculiar secretion, and that, when that secretion ceases,
which it does from several causes, as grief, fright, ill health, great
mental exertion, age, &c. the hair becomes grey: “for Nature, like
a provident mother, when she feels the powers of life impaired or
decaying, exerts all her energies to support and preserve the vital
organs, and can no longer, from her limited means, supply the outposts
and ornamental parts of the system as before, which therefore suffer
and are sacrificed.”
Nor are the deceits of the base nostrum-mongers for making the hair
grow and curl, or for making the bald pericranium of a nonagenarian
vegetate in all the luxuriance of rejuvenization, the only frauds
practised: equally destructive are the advertised depilatories, the
general basis of which is yellow orpiment, a certain poison if taken
inwardly. It is true that the Turks, with whom bald heads are in
fashion, and also the Chinese, do use this as an unguent, to save the
trouble of frequent shaving; but it should be recollected that those
cosmetics which may be harmless on the head of a robust Janissary,—of a
bashaw of three tails or a fat Mandarin, do not necessarily become fit
adjuncts for the toilette of a “British fair,”—“the lovely daughters of
Albion, Erin, or Scotia,” or even that of an “Herculean delicate,” a
Lilliputian dandy, or a Bond-street exquisite.
Snuff-sniffers and tobacco-munchers and puffers, do ye know what
the delectable ingredients which form part of the articles of your
recreation, are? Have you never heard that snuff is often compounded of
pulverised nut-shells, of the powder of old rotten wood, called powder
post; that the colour is improved by ochre, and the appearance and feel
modified by an addition of treacle or urine? And have you never been
told that the pungency of snuff is increased by the agency of powdered
glass or the muriate of ammonia? Tobacco smokers and “_chawers_,” have
ye never been told that your favourite “_quid_” is often composed of
black hellebore, corrosive sublimate, dried dock-leaves, and a variety
of other _innocent_ ingredients? Oh, dear! what a deal you have yet to
learn before you “become wise as serpents!”