THE 
Preservation of Beauty. 
A TREATISE 
ON THE 
FACE AND SKIN, 
INDICATING 
THE RATIONAL MEANS OF PRESERVING AND IMPROV- 
ING THE SMOOTHNESS AND BRILLIANCY 
OF THE COMPLEXION, 
AND OF 
OBLITERATING FLUSH, PIMPLES, CARBUNCLES, SPOTS, 
STAINS, BLOTCHES, FRECKLES, AND OTHER CUTA- 
NEOUS BLEMISHES OF THE FACE. ALSO, OF 
PREVENTING AND CORRECTING ANY 
DEFORMITIES OF THE FEATURES. 
DR. LEO. 
BY 
GEORGE DE COLANGE & CO., 
NEW YORK: 
No. 8 Bond Street. 
1 87 7. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1877, by 
L. DE COLANGE, 
in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. CONTENTS. 
For a Full Reference to the Contents in Detail, see Alpha- 
betical Index, page 376. 
CHAPTER I.— On Beauty Pages 7-14 
CHAPTER II.— Preservation of the Personal Appear- 
ance and Beauty 15-18 
CHAPTER III.— On the Skin in General — Its Func- 
tions and its Uses 19-22 
CHAPTER IV.— The Skin — Its Anatomical and Physi- 
ological Description — Exhaling Vessels — Absorbing 
Vessels 23-42 
CHAPTER V.— General Hygiene of the Skin — Exterior 
and Interior Causes of Injury to its Beauty — Hy- 
gienic Precepts Regarding the Cleanliness of the 
Skin 43-50 
CHAPTER VI.— The Different Kinds of Complexions 
or Skins: Oily, Dry, Dark, and Fair — Table of the 
Various Diseases Localized in the Different Parts of 
the Skin — Digression on the Difference of Skin in 
Fair and Dark Women 51-57 
CHAPTER VII. — Blotches and Spots on the Skin — 
Influence of the Solar Rays and of Caloric upon the 
Skin — Tan, or Sunburn —Ephelides, or Freckles — 
Observations on the Several Methods of Treating 
Freckles — The Only Manner of Obliterating Them IV 
CONTENTS. 
— White or Dull-Colored Spots on the Skin — Birth 
or Mother’s Marks — Ecchymosis — Description of 
the Best Methods of Obliterating the Nsevi or San- 
guineous Vascular Mother’s Marks — Indian Manner 
of Obliterating Tattoo-Marks Pages 58-81 
CHAPTER VIII.— Herpes and its Different Varieties — 
Treatment of Wet and of Dry Herpes — Transmission 
of Herpes — Itch 82-93 
CHAPTER IX.— On Several Affections Liable to Injure 
the Whiteness and Smoothness of the Skin and the 
Correctness of Form and Outline of the Features — 
Boils and Phlegmons — Cuts — Scars Resulting from 
the Application of Leeches and from the Lise of 
Cupping — Boils and Scalds — Obstructions of the 
Cebaceous Glands: Pimples — Warts 94-106 
CHAPTER X.— The Head 107-109 
CHAPTER XI.— The Face 110-117 
CHAPTER XII.—The Forehead 118-121 
CHAPTER XIII.— The Eyes: their Language, Color, 
Dimension, and Physiognomy — Hygiene of the Eyes 
— Natural Imperfections of the Sight: Strabismus or 
Squinting — Weeping — Blearedness — Ophthalmia 
— Nervous Injuries to the Eye — The Eye-Lashes 
and Eye-Lids — The Eye-Brows 122-144 
CHAPTER XIV —The Nose 145-152 
CHAPTER XV.— The Mouth — The Lips: their Atro- 
phy, Hypertrophy, Chapping, and Withering — The 
Gums — The Teeth: their Anatomy and Physiology 
— Their Wrong Direction during Growth — Their 
Diseases: Breaking and Cracking; Tartar; Inflam- 
mation of the Alveolary Membrane and of the Pulpy 
Kernel; Luxation; Caries or Decay; Stopping; CONTENTS. 
V 
Embalming; Extraction; Transplantation — Artificial 
Teeth — Hygiene of the Teeth — Tooth-Waters or 
Elixirs — Toothache: its Cure by the Pain-Killing 
Elixir Pages 153-185 
CHAPTER XVI.— Badly Smelling or Foul Breath — 
General Precepts of Hygiene for the Perfect Preser- 
vation of the Teeth 186-188 
CHAPTER XVII.—The Cheeks 189-191 
CHAPTER XVIII—The Ears 192-196 
CHAPTER XIX. — The Chin — The Neck: Stiff- 
Neck; Goitre; Scrofula — Method of Effacing Wrin- 
kles 197-202 
CHAPTER XX.— Pathognomy of the Face, or Signs by 
which can be Distinguished Various Moral and Physi- 
cal Affections 203-206 
CHAPTER XXI.— The Hair — Formation and Physical 
Structure — Chemical Constitution — Biography or 
Life-History of a Hair — Management — Baldness — 
Scurfiness 207-223 
CHAPTER XXII.—Cleanliness—Bathing—Soap 224-231 
CHAPTER XXIII.— History of the Cosmetic Art — Cau- 
tion against Dangerous Preparations 232-242 
CHAPTER XXIV.— Hygienic and Cosmetic Formulary 
— A Selection of Ancient and New Formulae, Proved 
by Experience to be Favorable to the Preservation of 
the Beauty of the Skin, and of a Nature to Prevent 
its Deterioration 243-275 
1* THE 
PRESERVATION OF BEAUTY. 
CHAPTER I. 
BEAUTY. 
WHAT is beauty ?—what are its constituents ?— 
on what does it depend ?—are questions which 
have been often asked, and which have been very 
differently answered; but out of the vast number 
of hypotheses oil the subject, which, from time to 
time, have been submitted to the world, there has 
not resulted any undoubted or universally accepted 
theory. 
Personal beauty, and, indeed, all material beauty, 
though dependent on proportion, is inseparable 
from form, without which it can exist neither in 
reality nor in the mind. Beauty, grace, elegance, 
expression, and all similar qualities, are, in this 
respect, attributes of form under certain manifesta- 
tions. The latter of these qualities, though fre- 
quently associated with the first, are in reality 
extrinsic and accidental. So is color, although ap- 
propriate and pleasing hues undoubtedly enhance 
the charms of that which is otherwise beautiful. 8 
BEAUTY. 
In such cases the addition or increment depends 
on the same principles or laws of proportion as 
those of beauty of form. This is shown in the 
beauty and truthfulness of chalk, pencil, and ink 
drawings, and in statues of bronze and of colorless 
marble, in which form alone can be displayed. 
Beauty of form, and consequently beauty of per- 
son, is therefore irrespective of the color of the 
skin or the country of the individual. If the op- 
posite were the case, there could be no standard 
of personal beauty, because the taste shown for 
particular colors and shades of them varies with 
climate and the particular race of men. But 
whilst this is the case with respect to color and 
even expression, there are certain characteristics 
of beauty among all civilized and polished nations 
that possess a sameness and identity under every 
circumstance which, but for the existence of some 
fixed and universal law, would be likely to affect 
them. On examination these characteristics are 
clearly traceable to form, as the material element 
in which the proportion constituting beauty is 
developed; and thus it is shown that in the form 
or contour of the living figure alone resides every 
variety and modification of personal beauty. 
As form may be said to be tbe parent of beauty, 
or that in which abstract beauty can alone reside, 
so color may be called its handmaid. Color, when 
in harmony with form, or when conformable to 
nature and existing associations, is capable of 
enhancing the charms even of the highest perfec- 
tion of which form is susceptible. The graces of BEAUTY. 
9 
THE VENUS OF THE VATICAN. 10 
BEAUTY. 
contour and proportion, the weavy outline, the 
dimpled cheek, the figure of which every part 
melts, as it were, into a perfect whole, become 
still more fascinating when clothed in their natural 
hues. The color of objects, if not the very first 
quality which attracts the attention, is the one 
which does so synchronically with form, and is 
generally that one which is more pleasing to the 
senses ; and when compatible with their designs 
and uses, and when the work of nature herself, or 
in accordance with her examples, the impressions 
it conveys to the mind are commonly permanent. 
The most exalted personal beauty, then, com- 
bines in one individual all the various perfections 
of form — which are immutable — with elegance, 
grace, expression, and color — which are adjunc- 
tive and changeable; but this is ideal or transcen- 
dental beauty, more or less combined with the 
sensuous element. 
The hues peculiar to the human skin are limited 
in number. The apparently great diversity ob- 
served in this respect — exclusive of the African 
races — is occasioned chiefly by a difference of 
shade or intensity, or by the addition of a color, 
which, though differing from that of the fairer 
Europeans, merely modifies, without destroying, 
the flesh-tints peculiar to their skin. Thus beau- 
ty, depending as it does on proportion and form, is 
not confined to any country or any complexion, 
but is common, in different degrees, to the whole 
human race, subject to the conditions previously 
enunciated. 11 
BEAUTY. 
Expression, another quality already alluded to 
as associated with personal beauty, is the repre- 
sentative of the various passions of the mind in 
the features; and has been justly called the 
spiritual part of beauty. Handsome features are 
admitted to be correctly chiselled, and plain fea- 
tures to be irregular, if not grotesque; but the 
character of both is changed by expression. An 
inanimate object gives us more or less pleasure, 
according to the state of mind in which we view 
it; but, strictly speaking, it has in itself only one 
expression, one form, and one degree of beauty; 
while in a human being, in whom spirit dominates 
over matter, the physical part takes its character 
almost exclusively from the mind within. 
The power of intellect, sentiment, and passion, 
in illuminating and modifying the features, must 
be familiar to every observer. It is this which 
distinguishes personal beauty from all other classes 
of the beautiful, and which gives it that endless 
variety of expression, and endows it with those 
spiritual attractions, which are its peculiar at- 
tributes. When the face is animated and glowing 
with the emotions and operations of the mind — 
when the eyes are instinct with noble feelings, and 
the lips curl with the approving smile — when the 
language of the tongue is accompanied with a cor- 
responding modulation of the features—then it is 
that the influence of the mind over matter and the 
utmost fascinations of beauty come into play, its 
latent powers roused into energy, and its inex- 12 
BEAUTY. 
plicable spells thrown around the soul. The ex- 
pressions of internal beauty may be figuratively 
regarded as mental cosmetics, capable of adorning 
physical beauty with the richest and most enchant- 
ing tints, and even raising mediocrity to excellence. 
Blit though depending upon the mind, the expres- 
sions essentially consist of temporary modifications 
of the features arising from change of form, to 
which color is generally, but not necessarily super- 
added ; and they may, consequently, be imparted 
to the marble statue, where form alone is the me- 
dium of exhibiting the constituents of beauty. 
The several component parts of the human body 
are separately susceptible of beauty; but it is only 
when the whole, or the chief of them, possess a 
certain degree of excellence, and the remainder 
are not incongruous, that personal beauty of a 
high order is developed. Without proportion of 
parts beauty cannot exist; because the undue pre- 
ponderance of any one, or more, of these parts, is 
incompatible with the existence of a perfect whole. 
The human race, as a species, may be said to be 
scarcely free from some peculiarity or defect; yet 
instances are common in which extreme beauty of 
features is associated with an ill-formed person, 
and a faultless figure with an irregular or an ordi- 
nary face. In these cases the effect on the ob- 
server usually depends on the dominant quality 
which, from its superior impression on the mind, 
leads the othei’S to be either wholly neglected or 
only slightly noticed. 
The ideas connected with personal beauty are BEAUTY. 
13 
said to vary in different nations. It will, however, 
be found among all those who have attained any 
considerable degree of civilization and refinement, 
and among many who are even in a comparatively 
rude state, that the taste, as far as form and pro- 
portion are concerned, and even expression, are 
nearly the same. Making allowances for the in- 
fluence of climate, habits, and intellectual cultiva- 
tion, and other similar modifying circumstances, 
there is, probably, little or no essential difference. 
This is true of civilized America and modern 
Europe, and applies with nearly equal force to 
the oriental nations, and, indeed, to the whole 
civilized world. Nor has time, extending from 
the age of Pericles to the nineteenth century, 
altered this taste in anything but its intensity. 
The Niobe, the Venus di Medici, the Apollo Belvi- 
dere, still excite admiration in every beholder. 
The effect that beauty exercises on the mind, 
particularly when associated with expression, is 
almost wonderful. Its influence is as extensive as 
our race. Nor is this influence peculiar to the 
human species ; it extends in a diminished degi'ee 
to the whole animal world. It is probable that 
fully one-half of the friendships and affections of 
life are attributable to beauty. The nobler and 
more spiritual passions, and aspirations, and pleas- 
ures of the human soul, and even intellect and 
moral worth, are unfolded and promoted by its 
presence. A mere notice of the influence -of per- 
sonal beauty alone, on individuals and on society, 14 
BEAUTY. 
in all ages of the world, would embrace the whole 
history of the human race. It has, perhaps, owing 
to the lawless passions and vices of mankind, been 
productive of more contention than has been caused 
by ambition, and more misery than has been oc- 
casioned by avarice and gold. But, if such have 
been some of its effects, owing to the sensuous ele- 
ment of man’s nature, in the other scale of the 
balance we have the divine influence of universal 
beauty over poetry, sculpture, painting, and elo- 
quence, over manners, thought, intellect, and, in- 
deed, everything, every art, faculty, and action of 
social life and civilization, which by an elevating, 
inspiring, and guiding principle, can be raised from 
rudeness, mediocrity, or incipiency, to a state of 
progress, refinement, and dignity. 
Ideal beauty — the beauty of the beauty-loving 
Greeks — so commonly supposed to be the result 
of a special inspiration of genius which had noth- 
ing to do with the existing laws of nature, is now 
admitted to be a real existence, in which the per- 
fections exhibited by nature in a whole species are 
concentrated by the master-hand of the sculptor, 
or the artist, in a single figure, or a single con- 
gruity. It is beauty deified, in which art sur- 
passes nature; and in which genius, revelling, as 
it were, with a kind of intoxication, among the 
scattered perfection of natural beauty, composes 
out of nature’s own materials an imaginary being 
peculiarly its own. Such are the sculptures of the 
Grecian deities—those “ statues which enchant the 
world.” CHAPTER II. 
PRESERVATION OF THE PERSONAL APPEAR- 
ANCE AND BEAUTY. 
MUCH labor is frequently employed, and much 
expense incurred, to improve and preserve 
the personal appearance, and to endow it with new 
charms, or to increase those which it already pos- 
sesses. Unfortunately, however, although much 
thought and ingenuity are often expended, or 
rather wasted, on the subject, the peculiar condi- 
tions, physiological, hygienic, and social, on which 
their excellence and permanence depend, are either 
only slightly regarded, or partially acted on, when 
known, and more frequently neglected altogether. 
With some persons, immediate effect, at what- 
ever sacrifice, and irrespective of consequences, is 
deemed of more importance than either health, or 
personal cleanliness, or appropriate modes of dress- 
ing ; and in few, indeed very few, instances, is any- 
thing beyond the “ mere outside effect of the pass- 
ing hour ” for a moment regarded. Hence it is, 
that, in scarcely any other portion of the daily 
routine of life do persons more egregiously err 
than in the means they adopt to carry out their 
wishes in this respect. In general, not a single 16 
PRESERVATION OF BEAUTY. 
thought is devoted to the vital functions of the 
body, or to the structure and offices of the parts to 
which they devote their most laborious efforts; yet, 
on a due attention to these points, both health and 
the personal appearance — even beauty itself— 
depend. “ Are the means I employ natural, or do 
they assist nature? — are they the most efficient 
and rational ?—are they harmless or injurious?”— 
are questions that are seldom self-asked in the 
privacy of the boudoir, dressing-room, or bed- 
chamber. And why is this so? A reply could 
be easily given, and we have no doubt many of our 
readers can furnish one. Habit, and example, 
and thoughtlessness, and indolence, and not in- 
frequently ignorance and vanity, are the powers 
which generally occasion the various conceits, 
practices, and negligence first alluded to. 
Although there is not a single subject on which 
people generally exhibit, in private, more anxiety 
than on their toilet, or one in which they are 
more deeply interested than their perfect appear- 
ance, there is, perhaps, none on which they take so 
little trouble to obtain correct information. The 
fashionable belle and the anxious beau alike adopt 
the suggestion of some ignorant dependant,' and 
submit themselves to the operations and cosmetic 
treatment which they choose to inflict, with a 
degree of resignation and satisfaction, if not of 
delight, which, under any other circumstance, 
would be truly enviable. Others, as well as those 
just noticed, scan with eager eyes the advertising PRESERVATION OF BEAUTY. 
17 
columns of the morning papers in search of some 
expensive and often injurious nostrum, which its 
vendor boldly proclaims possesses the power of 
imparting beauty and renewing the bloom of 
youth and health upon the faded cheek, or of con- 
ferring the luxuriance and rich tints of Circassia 
or Georgia on hair which dissipation or the hand 
of time has rendered scanty or streaked with gray. 
The thoughts of such parties are entirely confined 
to the passing moment, the next soiree, the next 
ball, the next promenade; and, as experienced 
by an eminent author, their vision beyond these 
events becomes entirely dimmed. But the errors in 
these matters arising from indolence, thoughtless- 
ness, and indifference to consequences — the desire 
to save time, trouble, and expense, are greater 
than those already mentioned, and are probably 
more numerous than all the others put together. 
Hence it is that every fashionable ball or party 
adds to the number of the hapless victims of con- 
sumption or some other fell disease, and tinges the 
pallid cheek with the hectic flush, or the hollow- 
ness, that marks their incipient stages. 
The immediate and intimate relations of health 
to the personal appearance cannot be too often 
pointed out, and should be thoroughly understood 
and acted on the every-day affairs of life. On the 
promotion and preservation of the health, chiefly 
depend the improvement of the personal appear- 
ence, and the maturation and maintenance of per- 
sonal beauty. The delicate nature of the forma- 18 
PRESERVATION OF BEAUTY. 
tion and functions of the human body is such, that 
propriety and regularity of dress, living, and the 
like, are of more importance than is generally sup- 
posed, and more than some members of the medical 
profession are ready to admit. It is, however, a 
demonstrable fact, that, apart from the vicissitudes 
of climate and season, and mere accidental circum- 
stances against which human foresight is unable to 
guard, the neglect of these matters is alone suffi- 
cient to account for fully one-half of the maladies 
and sufferings which “ flesh is heir to.” The body 
must be properly nourished and its heat main- 
tained by appropriate food, — it must be properly 
clothed to meet the vicissitudes of climate, situ- 
ation, weather, and individual constitution, — it 
must be freely exposed to the influence of light, 
air, warmth, and the like, and — it must be kept 
clean, and enjoy regularity and sufficiency of exer- 
cise, sleep, and all the habits necessary to mere 
animal as well as polished life, for the full exer- 
cise of its numerous delicate functions, and the 
possession of perfect health. Without these mat- 
ters are attended to, the health will fail, and no 
efforts of dressing, no toilet, however complicated 
and laborious, no subtle cosmetics, will be capable 
of preserving the personal charms from certain and 
rapid decay. CHAPTER III. 
ON THE SKIN IN GENERAL — ITS FUNCTIONS 
AND ITS USES. 
OF all the organs of our frame, the skin pre- 
sents the greatest superficies, covering, as it 
does, the whole exterior of our body, following its 
every curve and inflection ; closing it, as it were, in 
a garment of the most delicate texture, and of the 
most surpassing loveliness. In perfect health it is 
gifted with exquisite sensibility; and while it pos- 
sesses the softness of velvet, and exhibits the deli- 
cate hues of the lily, the carnation, and the rose, 
it is nevertheless gifted with extraordinary strength 
and power of resisting external injury, and is not 
only capable of repairing, but of actually renewing 
itself. The functions it fulfils are various and of 
a most important nature. 
The seat of the various phenomena of the sense 
of touch, it is on its surface that the nerves of that 
sense expand and are exposed, and it is by its 
means that we are brought into connection with 
surrounding objects, it being the first recipient of 
the sensations of pain and of pleasure felt by the 
brain. 
Important as is the part played by the skin as 20 
THE SKIN IN GENERAL. 
a medium of relation, its agency as a secretive, 
exhaling, and absorbing organ is not less impor- 
tant. It is the grand emunctory of the body, or, 
in other words, it eliminates, by perspiration and 
other excretions, all that would be injurious to the 
system, and frees the organs of acrid, irritating, 
and morbific principles resulting from various 
decompositions and secretions. Upon its surface, 
therefore, takes place a real purification of the 
blood. 
After the exhaling vessels come the absorbing 
ones, as numerous as the first, and whose peculiar 
functions are to convey into circulation the gaseous, 
liquid, and oleaginous molecules which they have 
taken up from the surface of the skin. We shall 
see further on the important part they play in our 
system. As in the vegetable kingdom the bark 
or rind protects the sap-wood, so does, in the ani- 
mal, the skin cover and protect the sub-lying or- 
gans. Performing functions towards the interior 
viscera and having a distinct life of its own, the 
skin warns us, by the increase or decrease of its ca- 
loric and of its color, by its moisture or its dryness, 
of the various changes undergone by our health. 
It is so closely related by its functions to the inte- 
rior organs, that health depends in a great measure 
on the regular performance of these functions, and 
this failing, trouble, more or less serious, is sure 
to ensue in our system. 
Many learned physicians and philosophers have 
maintained that with the ancients health was less 21 
THE SKIN IN GENERAL. 
subject to variations, and longevity was greater 
than with us, on account of the frequent use of the 
bath, in which they indulged, together with its at- 
tendant frictions and massings, which preserved 
the cleanliness and vitality of the skin. 
The idea of the possibility of rejuvenating, at 
one time much thought of, was based on the cuta- 
neous absorption of vivifying emanations; and it 
is beyond a doubt that persons who submit their 
skin each day to proper sanitary treatment pre- 
serve the freshness and appearance of youth for an 
extended period. Strict attention to the laws of 
cleanliness, as concerns the skin, is, therefore, an 
indispensable condition of the preservation of fe- 
male beauty. 
The principal characteristics of a fine, healthy 
skin are suppleness, softness, smoothness, freshness, 
and brightness of color, either white or rosy, ac- 
cording to the part of the person it belongs to. 
Transparency, firmness, and elasticity of the tissues 
form the complement of a beautiful complexion. 
The qualities we have mentioned are so indis- 
pensable to this latter, that a special art, that of 
cosmetics, has for its functions the preservation of 
those qualities where they exist already, and the 
development of them where they are wanting. 
If, now, we reflect on the above physiologically 
expressed truths, and understand that the skin is 
really the organ which has the greatest surface, 
which offers the greatest extent, and is in the 
closest sympathy with all the other organs of our 22 
THE SKIN IN GENERAL. 
frame; if, also, we consider the innumerable quan- 
tity of vessels of all kinds, of nerves, of channels 
that percolate it in every direction, and the micro- 
scopic glands lodged in its interior; and if we re- 
member its importance in absorption and excre- 
tion in cases of sickness, more or less serious; if 
we admit that of all our system it is the most ex- 
posed to external surrounding influences; and if, 
finally, we take into account the numerous local 
diseases, determined from either external or in- 
ternal causes, to which the skin is liable, we are 
bound to acknowledge how important it is to keep 
from it all that is of a nature to interfere with the 
free exercise of its functions, and to give it all the 
necessary care and attention. CHAPTER IY. 
THE SKIN — ITS ANATOMICAL AND PHYSIO- 
LOGICAL DESCRIPTION.* 
THE membrane which acts as a covering to the 
whole body is composed of four distinct ele- 
ments : 1, the dermis or cuticle: 2, the papillary 
tissue: 3, the mucous layer or rete mucosum: 4, the 
epidermis. 
THE FIRST ELEMENT, proceeding from the 
interior to the exterior, that is, from the under part 
to the superficies, is the dermis or cuticle, which 
represents the basis of the cutaneous system. This 
element sustains and protects all the other con- 
stituent parts of the skin. 
The dermis is of a fibro-cellulous nature, and 
constitutes a very strong resisting network, with 
closely woven meshes, that are crossed in every 
direction by a prodigious number of nerves, of 
sanguine and lymphatic vessels, of small secreting 
and excreting conduits, and of an infinity of fol- 
* We particularly request the reader to pay great at- 
tention to this description of the skin, and to bear in 
memory the mechanism of its functions, as the best means 
of warning him against many fallacies and so styled cos- 
metics, as injurious to health as to beauty. 24 
THE SKIN. 
licles and microscopic glands which open out be- 
neath the epidermis. 
The internal face of the epidermis rests upon 
the cellular tissues and the muscles; while a vast 
number of small glands, only perceptible by the 
aid of a strong microscope, are settled in its in- 
terior. 
These microscopic glands all possess a canal, 
whose use is to convey to different points the pro- 
duct of their secretion ; these glands are of five 
different kinds, as follows : 
Blennogenous, secreting the white mucous matter. 
Chromatophorous, secreting the coloring matter 
or pigment of the skin. 
Trikogenous, origin of the hairy bulbs. 
Sebaceous, secreting an oily and lubricating hu- 
mor. 
Sudoriparous, secreting the perspiration or 
sweat. 
Situated in the thickness of the dermis, the blen- 
nogenous glands produce a whitish mucous matter. 
An excreting canal starts from the upper part of 
the glands, and opens in the hollow of the papil- 
lary substance. 
The chromatophorous glands, placed by the side 
of the preceding, are also furnished with an ex- 
creting canal opening into the papillary interstices, 
a little below the blennogenous orifices. 
The trikogenous glands, or follicles, are placed 
in the deep portions of the dermis, and open in 
the subcutaneous cellular tissue. THE SKIN. 
25 
The sebaceous glands have the form of small 
elongated utricles or bags, and secrete an oily 
humor of a strong smell, and used to lubricate the 
skin in certain parts of the body. The excreting 
canal of this gland rests against that of the hairy 
follicles and often opens into this latter. This 
explains the occasional appearance of small hairs 
on the extremity of the nose. The sebaceous ori- 
fices, as we shall see further on, are liable to ob- 
structions, which are shown on the surface of the 
skin by black spots, called pimples.* 
The sebaceous secretion varies in quantity and 
odor according to the climate, age, temperament, 
and race. Each individual has a skin and odor 
peculiar to himself. 
The sudoriparous glands are lodged in the fatty 
tissue. They are provided with elastic canals, that, 
twisting in spirals, traverse the whole thickness of 
the skin, and have on its surface an opening with 
a small epidermic valve. Thus, in the thickness 
of the dermis, which is less than one-fifth of an inch, 
there exists five systems of glands, without count- 
ing the sanguine, lymphatic, exhaling, and absorb- 
ing vessels, of which we will speak further on. 
SECOND ELEMENT—The papillary tissue.— 
This is a delicate tissue, composed of capillary ves- 
sels and of nerves running under the epidermis and 
returning on themselves in the form of concentric 
* See, in the formulary of this work, the best means of 
destroying these pimples without affecting the skin. 26 
THE SKIN. 
paraboles. The papillae resulting from this inter- 
lacing are more developed at the tips of the fingers 
than at any other part of the body, and constitute 
the sense of touch. These papillae have a pearly 
tint, and are formed by subcutaneous nerves, which 
return to the plexus from which they started and 
are there lost. The greater the development of 
these papillae, the more exquisite the sensibility. 
Exercise gives to the sense of touch a marvellous 
delicacy, of which remarkable examples may be 
seen in the blind. 
THIRD ELEMENT — Mucous 'pigmentary layer. 
— This layer is formed: 1st. By the mucous mat- 
ter that the excreting canals of the blennogenous 
glands pour into the interstices of the papillary 
substance. 2d. By the coloring matter that the 
excreting channels of the chromatophorous glands 
bring to the surface of the white mucous matter. 
It is from this coloring matter, named pigment, 
that is derived the color and shades of skin of 
the various races disseminated over the surface of 
the globe. The most distinguished anatomists and 
physiologists have ascertained, by the aid of' the 
microscope, that the pigmentary substance is com- 
posed of small, flat, oval bodies. When these bodies 
form a thin and uniform layer, they are limpid 
and transparent; but when they overlay each 
other and render the layer thicker, they lose their 
transparency, and impart to the skin a hue vary- 
ing from yellow to dark-brown and black. This 
phenomenon explains the variations of color of THE SKIN. 
27 
the skin in different parts of the same body. Thus 
the thinner the pigmentary layer, the whiter is the 
skin ; while, on the other hand, its color deepens 
in proportion to the thickness of the pigmentary 
layer, and it is to-day clearly demonstrated that 
the complexion of the cutaneous envelope depends 
entirely on the presence of the pigment. The parts 
of the skin where it is wanting are colorless and 
wan, and are the outward signs of disease known 
as leucopatliy and albinism. 
The different human races offer very clear dis- 
tinctions with regard to the thickness and color of 
the pigment. 
In the white races, it is thin and white, or of a 
pale, pinkish hue. In the copper-colored races 
it is thicker, and of a yellowish tinge. With 
the negroes, it is black, and its very remarkable 
thickness gives it the character of a membrane. 
This circumstance, added to the density of the 
epidermis, causes the skin of the negro to be but 
slightly sensitive to the heat of the sun. 
The pigmentary layers in the white races offer 
various shades, from pearly-white to grayish-brown, 
from which result the different degrees of complex- 
ion, from more or less fair to more or less dark. 
A convincing proof of this fact is shown by 
cicatrices from wounds which have destroyed the 
chromatophorous glands. When a negro receives 
a wound, the skin that covers the cicatrice is al- 
ways lighter than that of the rest of the body. 
With the white races, a deep cicatrice is generally 28 
THE SKIN. 
of a dead color, and never has the rosy hue of the 
rest of the skin. Sometimes, however, the calli- 
dermist has succeeded in restoring the natural 
color to a cicatrice in the face, by directing the 
course of some blood-vessel beneath it. 
Our fair readers will, we trust, understand from 
the foregoing explanations that all the so-called 
wonderful secrets for imparting whiteness to a 
complexion naturally dark or yellow, are simply 
the mendacious assertions of quacks, by which 
they must not allow themselves to be deceived, 
since to change, say the yellow complexion of a 
bilious person, it would be necessary to alter the 
mode of secretion of the chromatophorous appa- 
ratus, a thing hitherto beyond the power of science. 
Nature, the greater number of whose secrets 
are hidden from us, alone succeeds in sometimes 
bleaching black or dark skins by resorption of the 
pigments, and in that case, those parts of the body 
where that resorption has taken place become per- 
fectly white. It sometimes happens that the re- 
verse takes place, the pigmentary layer becomes 
thick, and the hitherto whitest skin assumes a yel- 
low or even a dark-brown hue. These phenomena, 
of which the cause is unknown to us, have.been 
observed by many savants, and occur frequently. 
Buffon and Blumenbach observed, in the case 
of several negroes, that the dark hues of their 
skin gradually changed from yellow and then to 
a dingy white, without there being any signs of a 
disease of the skin to which the phenomena might THE SKIN. 
29 
be attributed. Bonnare speaks of a peasant wo- 
man, the skin of whose abdomen would become of 
a deep brown color at her pregnancy, and resume 
its natural complexion after her delivery. 
Camper mentions a lady of high rank, endowed 
with a very fair complexion and a remarkably 
white skin, who, from the third month of her preg- 
nancy, used to become very dark. As in the case 
of the peasant woman mentioned above, the fairness 
and brilliancy of her complexion would return to 
her about a month after her delivery. Strack 
mentions a German who became as black as a 
negro in consequence of an attack of typhoid fever. 
Lecat, Godwin, Wei, Rostan, and Chomel have 
collected a quantity of curious observations of in- 
dividuals who have undergone a change of com- 
plexion, varying from light yellow to deep black. 
Klinkosh speaks of a negro who, without being 
sick in any way, lost his ebony complexion, and 
got in exchange one similar to that of a white man 
afflicted with the jaundice. 
Caldini has published a curious paper on the 
subject of a negro, who, coming at a very early 
age to Venice, where he worked as a shoemaker, 
lost, as he grew up, his natural color, and was, at 
twenty, of a whity-yellowish complexion. 
In the case of a great number of women, the 
dark hue of the areola of the breast grows darker 
and expands considerably during pregnancy, and 
after delivery gradually reassumes its natural color 
and size. 30 
THE SKIN. 
The learned physiologist Muller has shown that 
in diseases where the skin gets blue and black, as 
in cyanosis and melanosis, this abnormal color re- 
sults from the thickening of the pigmentary layer, 
whose secretions increase according to the kind and 
intensity of the sickness. Finally, a fact which 
every person can observe for himself, is the ap- 
pearance of freckles on the whitest and smoothest 
skins, and which sometimes disappear after an 
attack of illness, or which also grow fainter be- 
tween the ages of twenty-five to thirty, and finally 
disappear altogether. 
The cause of the disappearance of brown spots 
on the skin, is naturally found in the resorption of 
the abnormal pigment which caused them ; but how 
nature proceeds to effect this resorption, we have 
yet to learn. Perhaps science may some day dis- 
cover the secret.* 
FOURTH ELEMENT — Epidermis. — The epi- 
dermis, cuticle, or scarfskin, is a disorganized, scaly 
substance, serving to protect from injury the more 
delicate cutis, and is produced by the mucous layer 
secreted by the blennogenous glands. The trans- 
formation takes place as follows : above the pig- 
mentary layer occurs a slight transudation of the 
blennogenous mucus (rete mucosum). This mucus 
hardens, exfoliates, and is the origin of small 
* After long research and numerous experiments, we have 
at last succeeded in finding means of acting on the pig- 
ment, and destroying the freckles and brown marks that 
afflict so many pretty faces. See, further, page 71. THE SKIN. 
31 
scales overlying each other in the order of their 
formation ; that is to say, that the first formed are 
pushed towards the exterior of the skin by those 
formed more recently. These scales are easily seen 
with the microscope, are totally insensible, and are 
constantly falling, and being renewed, as it is seen 
on the scalp. Other times they thicken and get 
hard, forming a horny substance, such as we see 
on the feet, hands, and all parts of the body sub- 
jected to friction or pressure. Were all the epi- 
dermic layers constantly forming on the surface of 
the skin to remain, instead of falling oft’, the whole 
body would soon become perfectly callous. 
Blacksmiths, miners, woodehoppers, and all who 
perform hard manual labor, have the skin of their 
hands extremely hard and callous. A consider- 
able thickness of this skin can be sliced off with a 
sharp instrument without causing pain. We shall 
see that corns, bunions, and other callosities are 
simply due to the friction or pressure of the epi- 
dermis and its consequent thickening. 
The epidermis possesses no vitality; it is thrown 
like a shield over the nervous papillae to protect 
them from the contact of exterior objects. Intense 
heat or cold thickens the epidermis, and, therefore, 
diminishes the delicacy of the sense of touch. The 
inhabitants of the torrid zone, and those of the 
polar regions, have considerably less sensibility of 
the skin than the peoples of the temperate zones. 
Experience has taught that to perform vesication 
on a negro or a Laplander, it requires double the 32 
THE SKIN. 
vesicating power that is necessary for a European. 
This power of resisting the extremes of tempera- 
ture depends also, according to Lamark, on the 
pigmentary layer, which, in these races, is a real 
membrane. 
Chemical analysis of the epidermis gives for 100 
parts the following result: 
Horny substance . 93.95 
Gelatine 5.00 
Fatty matter 0.05 
Acid and Oxide salts 1.00 
100. 
The entire surface of the skin is riddled with an 
infinite number of small holes, imperceptible to the 
naked eye, and known under the generic name of 
pores. These pores are the orifices of the exhaling 
and absorbing vessels, which play the most impor- 
tant part in the functions of the skin. The number 
of these vessels has been computed at two billions 
one hundred and sixty millions for the whole sur- 
face of the body. 
By these pores the skin is constantly exhaling a 
humor, which is more or less abundant, according 
to temperament, climate, and seasons. The aque- 
ous portion of this humor is vaporized in the air, 
while the oleaginous portion remains on the surface 
of the skin, where it would finally form a scaly 
covering, did not ablution, and the constant fric- 
tion of the clothing worn, prevent it. The skin of 
persons who never bathe or wash, will, on being THE SKIN. 
33 
rubbed, give off a whitish dust, which is nothing 
more than this dried up oleaginous matter. 
SECTION I. 
EXHALING VESSELS. 
This title is given to the excreting conduits of 
the sudoriparous glands. These vessels opening 
at the surface of the skin, and furnished with a 
small valve, are constantly giving passage to an 
exhalation called perspiration, which is sometimes 
insensible and sometimes sensible. The experi- 
ments made by Sanctorius, a celebrated physician 
of the seventeenth century, have told us the exact 
amount of loss our frame undergoes unceasingly 
by medium of the skin, and by perspiration. This 
savant, endowed with a persistency without parallel, 
established himself for thirty consecutive years in 
a scale, and noted each day during all that time 
the increase of his weight after a meal, and the 
decrease after evacuation. He found that he lost 
by pulmonary and cutaneous exhalation: 
In the spring 13£ ounces in 12 hours. 
In the summer 17 “ “ 
In the fall 15 “ “ 
In the winter 7 “ “ 
According to the researches of Lavoisier and of 
Seguin, the mean loss of weight in the human body 
by exhalation is eighteen grains per minute, of 34 
THE SKIN. 
which eleven are due to cutaneous perspiration and 
seven to pulmonary exhalation. 
Immediately after a meal, the exhalation dimin- 
ishes. During a good digestion, the loss is more ; 
while it diminishes when this operation is slow and 
labored. 
The greatest loss is of five pounds in the twenty- 
four hours; the least is of from one to one and a 
half pounds in the same period. 
The abundance and the decrease of exhalation 
are also affected by the condition of the atmos- 
phere and of the body. 
The more recent calculations of the eminent 
chemist Dumas are about the same. 
But these figures, given by the learned experi- 
menters whose names we mention, cannot be 
strictly applied to every person ; for the cutaneous 
and pulmonary exhalation is subordinate not only 
to the climate, to the condition of the atmosphere, 
to the age and profession of the subject; but also 
to the abundance or want of the other secretions, 
such as urine, saliva, etc. There are many per- 
sons who perspire violently while in repose, while 
others do not perspire at all, even in a state of 
activity. Perspiration, when not induced by exer- 
cise, is a mark of weakness, of atony of the skin, 
or the sign of some serious organic trouble, such 
as nocturnal sweating in cases of pulmonary con- 
sumption. According to age, temperature, sex, 
and race, the cutaneous perspiration gives out a 
particular odor, more or less sensible. The per- 35 
THE SKIN. 
spiration of children has little, if any, odor; that 
of adults is scarcely perceptible, while that of per- 
sons of mature age is very sensible. This odor 
is generally more powerful in the male sex than 
in the female; but among the latter, there are 
several who have a very pronounced rank odor. 
These are generally woman not addicted to clean- 
liness, and strangers to the use of the bath. Red- 
haired people perspire freely, and emit generally 
a strong odor. 
Certain races exhale characteristic odors; thus, 
the negro smells of onions, the carib of garlic; 
races, the basis of whose diet is milk, recall the 
smell of that liquid turned sour, and ichtyophagi, 
that is, people whose diet consists entirely of fish, 
have a strong, fishy smell. 
Professor Rayer speaks of a female who came 
under his notice at a hospital, and whose perspira- 
tion was of a strong, musky odor. He ascertained 
that this smell was not caused by any external or 
internal use of this substance, and found, on sub- 
mitting her perspiration to chemical analysis, that 
it contained an unctuous matter analogous to the 
humor secreted by musk-smelling animals. Per- 
spiration also assumes various colors: red, orange, 
blue, yellow, green, etc., as has been observed by 
several physicians, among whom we may mention 
Borel, Barthelin, Alibert, Richerand, Billard, and 
Conradi. This last observed two women, one of 
whom perspired a blue inodorous liquid, and the 
other a green liquid of most offensive odor. 36 
THE SKIN. 
Billard has published some observations of blue 
sweat; the more remarkable, that the skin re- 
mained discolored by it, and resembled the symp- 
toms of the disease named cyanosis. When this 
sweat was wiped off* with a rough towel and the 
part washed with warm water, the skin would 
again assume its natural color. 
The young woman on whose person these re- 
markable phenomena occurred, perspired at the 
slightest exertion, and her countenance, at any 
emotion, became blue, instead of red. She was 
cured by the administration of alkaline mixtures. 
The chemical composition of sweat has occupied 
the attention of several scientists. M. Thenard 
found in a flannel undershirt that had been worn 
for two consecutive months: 
Chlorures of potassium and sodium. 
Acetic acid. 
Calcareous and ferruginous oxides. 
Animal matters. 
All parts of the body do not perspire equally. 
Perspiration is most abundant on the forehead, 
the lips, beneath the arms, the hollow of the chest, 
the hands, feet, etc. 
Persons whose occupations cause them to per- 
spire freely, should wash their entire persons once 
every day, in order to obviate the offensive odor 
that would otherwise emanate from them, and also 
to prevent the closing up of the sudoriparous ori- 
fices. It is well known how dangerous it is to 37 
THE SKIN. 
check the perspiration, and how many diseases 
originate therefrom. It is, therefore, most impor- 
tant to avoid all causes that may delay or inter- 
fere with the exhaling functions of the skin. 
We will here correct an error pretty generally 
shared by the world, on the serious results of check- 
ing perspiration. It is not because the perspira- 
tion can no longer find an exit through the pores, 
seized and contracted by the cold, that the sudden 
check is dangerous, but because tbe vital move- 
ment, or turgessence, which existed on the skin, 
ceasing suddenly, the excitation is as suddenly 
transferred to another part of the body. This 
part of the body is generally the weakest, and it 
happens that, on account of its being unable to 
suffice for this extra vitality, it gets irritated, con- 
gested, and becomes the seat of inflammation more 
or less serious. In some cases the lungs get ob- 
structed ; in others the mucous membrane of the 
stomach, and the bowels are attacked by inflam- 
mation. Too much attention cannot therefore be 
paid to avoid checking the perspiration; and if, by 
neglect or imprudence, this has been omitted, the 
best way to prevent evil consequences is to recall 
at once to the chilled part the excitation which 
previously existed there. 38 
THE SKIN. 
SECTION II. 
As numerous as the exhaling vessels of which 
we have just spoken, the absorbing vessels are 
formed by small offshoots of the lymphatic vessels. 
One of their extremities opens on the superficies 
of the skin, while the other communicates with 
the sudoriferous vessels. The minor bloodvessels 
are also endowed with the faculty of absorption, 
and their rapidity of action in this respect is, ac- 
cording to some physiologists, greater than that of 
the lymphatic vessels. 
The absorbing vessels, as their name implies, 
absorb all the gaseous atoms, both solid and 
liquid, that are small enough to pass through their 
narrow channels, whence they enter the blood, 
which conveys them to the different organs of the 
body. 
It is by a similar absorption that medicinal sub- 
stances convey their specific action on a particular 
organ, and on the knowledge of this elective action 
is based the science of therapeutics, or acquaintance 
with the operation of drugs. 
In the blood are found not only atoms of vege- 
table and animal substances, but also of mineral 
substances as well, taken up by absorption. Mer- 
cury, copper, arsenic, have been found in the blood, 
and in the parenchyma or solid portions of the 
organs. If the absorbed atom is a poison, it will, 
of course, poison the organs it enters. It will, 
ABSORBING VESSELS. THE SKIN. 
39 
therefore, we trust, be easily understood how much 
risk is incurred by the use of toilet waters, oils, 
pomades, ointments, powders, and other cos- 
metics of which the composition is kept a secret. 
Before giving faith to the absurd advertisements 
with which perfumers till the newspapers; before 
buying these waters of Jouvence, these lily whites 
or creams of perpetual loveliness, ladies had better 
consult their doctors. A few moments’ conver- 
sation would suffice to convince them of the entire 
futility of all these preparations, if not of the 
danger of using them. Perfumery should never 
step beyond its natural limits, perfumes, or sweet 
odors. When it does so, and uses active principles, 
it intrudes on the domain of the chemist, and may 
thereby cause serious accidents, for a perfumer has 
neither the instruction nor practice needed for the 
manipulation of substances often poisonous. 
Another form of absorption to be not less guarded 
against, is that of the animal emanations which 
fill the atmosphere in crowded and confined spaces. 
The most dangerous absorption is that of the 
miasma from marshes, or stagnant water, which 
cause the terrible fevers known as marsh or mias- 
matic fevers. Finally, these terrible scourges of 
humanity, the pest, cholera, yellow fever, etc., are 
most probably due to the miasmatic poisoning of 
the air, whose currents infect the countries over 
which they pass. 
Persons who wish to preserve their beauty, 
which cannot exist without health, should care- 40 
THE SKIN. 
fully shun as much as possible the long balls and 
parties which take place in rooms where, ventila- 
tion being insufficient, the air is tainted with the 
breath and the cutaneous emanations of a crowd 
of people, many of whom are afflicted with disease. 
Persons should carefully avoid exposing them- 
selves during the evening, and particularly during 
the night time, to the effluvia emanating from 
marshes, muddy ditches, manure heaps, etc., etc., 
for these centres of miasma and deleterious gases 
act more vigorously at night, and are the cause of 
the majority of epidemics that afflict humanity. 
Cleanliness is next to godliness, is an old Eng- 
lish proverb, and modern science has proved that 
the most prolific source of sickness is dirt. 
Nature has endowed us with the means of know- 
ing when we incur risk through noxious emana- 
tions, for whatever is generally offensive to a deli- 
cate sense of smell, is, as a rule, injurious to health. 
As we have presented some examples of the ex- 
haling functions of the skin, we will now offer a 
few showing its absorbing power. 
The celebrated physician, Fontana, wishing to 
ascertain how much atmospheric water the body 
would absorb during moist weather, weighed him- 
self very exactly, and walked during one hour in 
the country. On his return he weighed himself 
again, and found that his weight had increased four 
ounces. A few days after he repeated the experi- 
ment in very dry weather, and found that the 
weight of his body had rather diminished than THE SKIN. 
41 
increased, whence he concluded that the absorbing 
vessels imbibed the moisture of the atmosphere. 
Professor Rieherand made some experiments 
with the greatest attainable degree of precision 
and exactness. He first ascertained the exact 
weight of his body, then put his hands into a ves- 
sel containing two kilogrammes of water, and kept 
them there during one half hour. He then found 
that the water had lost fourteen decigrammes of 
its weight, which was exactly the amount gained 
by his body on its being reweighed. 
A young man who remained in a bath at 25° 
Cent., during a quarter of an hour, gained ninety 
grammes in weight; but if we allow for the loss by 
pulmonary exhalation, which is estimated at fifty- 
two grammes, we must put the absorption of water 
in the bath at one hundred and forty-two grammes. 
This young man absorbed three hundred and sixty- 
two grammes in three-quarters of an hour, and four 
hundred and sixty-five after one hour’s immersion. 
Sailors deprived of water to drink have been 
known to obtain relief by wrapping themselves in 
sheets wet with salt water. 
Sick people, who could not take food either by 
the throat or by injections, have been fed by being 
wrapped in cloths imbibed with beef tea. A bath 
prepared with a strong decoction of poppy heads 
will act on the bather in the same manner as an 
opiate. 
A bath composed of purgative substances oper- 42 
THE SKIN. 
ates in the same manner as a purgative adminis- 
tered in the usual way. 
The ancients used to purge themselves by means 
of balls called purgatives, which they held in their 
hands. These could only act by absorption. 
Certain medicines are at the present day admin- 
istered either by frictions or by leaving them in 
contact with the skin more or less time. This is 
called the endermatic method. 
Mercurial fumigations have, in many cases, 
caused a great increase of salivation and ulcera- 
tion of the mucous membranes of the mouth. 
A woman having taken a bath in a tub wherein 
her husband, a taxidermist, had forgotten some ar- 
senical paste, was seized with dreadful convulsions, 
and died, poisoned, a few days after. A few grains 
of emetic placed on a blister will produce vomit- 
ing the same as if the powder were swallowed. 
The terrible painter’s colic, called also lead 
colic, is due to the absorption of atoms of lead. 
Arsenic, applied to the raw skin of a rabbit, will 
cause it to die in convulsions, poisoned. 
A drop of hydrocyanic acid put on the eye of a 
pigeon, causes instant death. 
These examples, which we could multiply ad 
infinitum, show sufficiently the great activity of the 
absorbing functions of the skin, and will, we fer- 
vently hope, inspire our readers with a whole- 
some dread and aversion of all the cosmetics and 
secrets whose brilliant label does not bear scientific 
sanction. CHAPTER Y. 
GENERAL HYGIENE OF THE SKIN. 
A BRIGHT, clear complexion is, to a beautiful 
countenance, what the rays of the sun are to 
a lovely landscape. 
Whiteness, smoothness, softness, transparency, 
and freshness of complexion, are indispensable to 
beauty, and without them the utmost perfection of 
form of feature fails to impress. 
The peculiar duty of hygiene, and above all of 
the art of cosmetics, or the art of preserving and 
increasing beauty, is to impart and preserve to the 
skin the qualities above mentioned. 
The fair sex is only too ready to seize with avid- 
ity on all the secrets of the toilet which are so lib- 
erally offered by those whose trade it is to invent 
them, in the hope of adding fresh lustre to their 
charms, or of causing, by the brilliancy of their 
complexion, any defect in their features to pass 
unnoticed. 
The numerous causes of injury to the beauty of 
the skin may be divided into two classes—exterior 
and interior. 44 
HYGIENE OF THE SKIN. 
These, which act directly on the skin, are heat, 
cold, sudden change of temperature, prolonged 
frictions, ligatures, compression, blows, contact with 
substances, acrid, burning, acid, or astringent, such 
as toilet vinegar, badly made soaps, containing an 
excess of soda or potash, cold creams, pomades 
and pastes, either rancid or containing deleterious 
substances, in fact, a mass of preparations manu- 
factured by ignorant perfumers, who only care 
to attract the eye and the money of customers by 
the elegance of the wrapper and the sweetness of 
the perfume, without bestowing a thought on the 
chemical effects of the contents. These sundry 
preparations, of which some do at first appear to 
cleanse, whiten, and soften the skin, in reality 
harden it, make it glassy, and deprive it of its 
natural freshness. Of all these the so-called lily 
or pearl whites are the greatest enemies to the 
skin, and infallibly spoil it after a short time. 
To those ladies who may be ignorant of the fact, 
we will say, that all the whites in use are composed 
of lead and bismuth, metals which not only injure 
the skin, but which cause the nails and teeth to 
grow yellow, and often seriously injure health. 
The only white of which the entire harmlessness 
can be guaranteed, is silicate white, or callidermic 
white, entirely free from lead and bismuth. We 
cannot too often entreat ladies, who care for their 
beauty, to refuse all the marvellous preparations 
of which the composition is unknown to them, and 
EXTERIOR CAUSES OR INFLUENCES. HYGIENE OF THE SKIN. 
45 
to use none but those of which the chemical, phys- 
iological, and medical studies of their inventor 
offer a real guarantee of their wholesomeness. 
General Means of Preventing and Curing Dermic 
Alterations caused by Exterior Influences. — The 
most rational prophylactic means is to withdraw 
the skin from the action of the injurious causes, 
and to give it all the care and attention needful to 
preserve its beauty. 
As the first of all hygienic means, we must 
mention cleanliness, and declare that the neglect 
of it is the greatest foe of freshness and beauty. 
We include in cleanliness general baths, local ab- 
lutions, sponging, frictions, massing, everything 
in short that helps to keep the skin free from 
the impurities that the perspiration and the at- 
mosphere bring to its surface. After this come 
a number of cosmetic preparations, of which some 
are efficacious, but the greatest number useless 
or mischievous, and which are remarkable for 
the strange materials used in their composition. 
Among the rational preparations, we may mention 
those of strawberries, chervil, linseed, mallow, lilies, 
melilot, vine tendrils, honey, bean flour, roses ; the 
juice of melons, of unripe barley; emulsions of 
seeds; pastes; milk of almonds; mucilaginous and 
emollient lotions; ointments and embrocations; 
baths of bran, of milk, of gelatine, etc., etc. We 
will mention as far superior to any of these prepa- 
rations, the snow-cream, the Packer Pine Tar Soap, 
the Milk of Hebe, the callidermic powder, paste, 46 
HYGIENE OF THE SKIN. 
and lotion, the balmy water, and other excellent 
dermic preparations of which the recipes will 
be found in the formulary at the end of this 
book. 
We beg the reader to note particularly that all 
these preparations are strictly hygienic, cosmetic, 
and prophylactic, that is to say, of a nature to 
refresh, embellish, and preserve the skin from any 
deterioration to which it is liable. 
Local affections of the skin, arising from ex- 
terior causes, ordinarily require only external 
treatment; slight irritations, rash or redness 
yield to emollients; ecchymosis or discoloration 
caused by a bruise disappears under resolutive 
applications, such as water whitened with a few 
drops of Extract of Saturn, or, better still, with 
the Milk of Hebe. Surface eruptions known as rash, 
prickly heat, etc., yield in a few days to the ac- 
tion of light aperient medicine, and a few baths, 
as will also slight local affections that are not 
caused by any internal evil. When, however, 
serious irritation, more or less extended, has set 
in, hygienic methods no longer suffice, and medi- 
cal treatment, based on a thorough anatomical and 
pathological knowledge of the cutaneous organ, 
becomes indispensable. 
In the different chapters treating of the com- 
monest of skin diseases, we will carefully point 
out the treatment specially suited to each. 
INTERNAL CAUSES OR INFLUENCES,— 
Among the number of internal causes which attack 47 
HYGIENE OF THE SKIN. 
the beauty of the skin, the first and most impor- 
tant are diseases of the blood, ringworm, scrofula, 
rachitis, etc.; debilitating sickness, melancholia, 
late hours, excesses of all kinds, abuse of alcoholic 
stimulants, of spices, salted or smoked meats, bad 
water, etc. It will be easily understood that the 
cure of affections of the skin springing from these 
causes, concerns the art of medicine, and not that 
of hygiene. 
For if the firmness of the flesh, the purity and 
softness of the skin, and brightness of complexion, 
are the result of the perfect equilibrium of all the 
functions of our organization, how can we hope to 
whiten a yellow skin with cosmetics, when the yel- 
low is the result of too much bile, or of its excre- 
tion being prevented, and retained in the blood, as 
in the case of jaundice ? Can it be expected that 
cosmetics will impart the roses of health to a cheek 
whose paleness is due to the state of amemia of its 
owner, to the irregularity of the female organs, to 
late hours, to abuse of pleasure, etc. ? No, indeed! 
it would be a vain and idle hope; all the cosmetics 
in the world are useless against these sources. 
Recall health first, and freshness and beauty will 
follow. 
HYGIENIC PRECEPTS REGARDING THE CLEANLI- 
NESS OF THE SKIN. 
By the use of the bath, sponging and ablutions 
remove from the skin all the impurities which 
nature eliminates and throws to the surface. Take 48 
HYGIENE OF THE SKIN. 
frequently tepid, never hot, baths, to which add 
some subcarbonate of soda or potash, in order to 
attack and remove the fatty part of the deposit. 
Be frequently rubbed and massed to remove any 
oily residue which cover some skins. A great 
many persons wrongly imagine that their skin is 
clean after leaving the bath, but they have but to 
rub their skin hard to see that the simple bath 
has removed none of the impurities that adhere to 
the surface of their bodies. Frictions and knead- 
ing of the flesh or massing, are indispensable to 
thoroughly cleanse the epidermis. 
Body linen should be changed often; persons 
wearing flannel next their skin should change fre- 
quently, as the woollen is easily impregnated with 
the animal emanations. 
Keep, by means of frequent ablutions, repeated 
several times a day, if necessary, the face, hands, 
and feet strictly clean. Pay particular attention, 
in fact, to all parts of the body exposed to be soiled 
from the exterior, and to those where the sebaceous 
glands exhale their products. 
Keep in perfect order, by incessant care, the func- 
tions of the cutaneous organ; for these functions 
are intimately connected with health, and the 
slightest obstacle to their free exercise is equiva- 
lent to a warning of sickness. Finally, give good 
heed that exterior agents, such as heat, cold, the 
sun, irritating substances, blows, frictions, etc., do 
not hurt the skin, nor attack its smoothness, soft- 
ness, and whiteness. 49 
HYGIENE OF THE SKIN. 
There exists but one real cosmetic that thoroughly 
cleanses the skin, softens and polishes it, and that 
is the Callidermic Paste. This paste, an invaluable 
discovery of medical and chemical science, is, ac- 
cording to all who have used it, the dermophile of 
all others. Packer's Pine Tar Soap, however, is an 
excellent substitute for it. 
The face and hands should never be washed in 
water either too cold or too hot. If, during the 
winter, a person cannot get other than ice-cold 
water to wash with, he must be careful not to go 
near the tire immediately afterwards. 
Ladies can protect themselves perfectly from the 
rays of the sun by means of gauze veils and para- 
sols. White is the best color for the veil, which 
is equally serviceable to protect the wearer from 
the cold and from the wind. The snow-cream 
is an excellent preventive against sunburn and 
chilblains; and persons of tender skin, who may 
be compelled to expose themselves either to the 
rays of the summer sun, or to the biting blasts of 
winter, will do well to slightly anoint their faces 
with snow-cream as an addition to the protective 
powers of the veil. This is a certain method of 
preserving the brilliancy and freshness of the com- 
plexion under the most trying circumstances. On 
re-entering the house, let the face be wiped with 
a soft towel, and any impurity that has attached 
itself to the skin will immediately leave it, and 
the complexion will be as brilliant and fresh as 
when the person left the house. 50 
HYGIENE OF THE SKIN. 
The disorders caused by colds, inflammations, 
sore throats, toothache, etc., etc., are so many foes 
against which beauty has to protect itself. The 
commonest causes of these disorders are to be 
found in the sudden changes of temperature, 
against which it is almost impossible to be pre- 
pared. Consequently, all persons on leaving a 
ball-room, a theatre, or any place where the tem- 
perature is high, and where their attire is generally 
light, should be careful to wrap themselves up well, 
to retain the heat of the body and not suffer from 
the sudden change from hot to cold. It is advisa- 
ble to retire to bed as soon as home is reached, as 
the tepid atmosphere of the bed and repose restore 
the equilibrium of the system. 
But if troubles of the mind, sharp or chronic 
sickness have dried up, discolored, or otherwise in- 
jured the skin, if this organ has become the seat 
of eruptions, pimples, blotches deeply seated, it is 
useless to apply to hygiene for a remedy. It is to 
the physician, and not to the perfumer, that one 
must refer, and each one should be more than 
afraid of quack remedies and nostrums. 
Each person afflicted with a disease of the skin, 
owing to either some internal wrong or general 
disorder, should be perfectly convinced of the 
uselessness of a purely external remedy, and the 
wisest and best thing to be done is at once to con- 
sult a physician who makes a specialty of skin 
diseases. CHAPTER YI. 
THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF COMPLEXIONS 
OR SKINS. 
Oily skins, dry skins, dark skins, and fair skins. 
ALTHOUGH offering ill all individuals the 
same elements and same texture, this human 
envelope, the skin, differs in a most distinct man- 
ner, according to races, climates, temperaments, 
professions, sexes, ages, etc. There is a vast dif- 
ference between the sunburnt skin of the wife of 
an Arab of the desert and the soft, tender skin of 
a Mauresque or an Odalisque, as also between the 
rough-tanned skin of a country woman and the 
delicate, almost ethereal complexion of a New 
York or Baltimore belle. There exists also dif- 
ferences, easy to note, between the skin of sanguine, 
or full-blooded, bilious, and lymphatic persons. 
These differences generally depend on the greater 
or less development of the vascular, glandular, 
nervous, cellular, and adipose tissues of the skin. 
For brevity, and to be well understood, we will 
divide the different kinds of skin into two grand 
categories : oily and dry. 
In the first category will be placed all the oily 
skins, which rest on an abundant cellular tissue, 52 
THE DIFFERENT COMPLEXIONS. 
of which the vessels, the lymphatic and sebaceous 
glands, are very large, and which supply, there- 
fore, more abundant secretions and excretions. 
This kind of skin is generally connected with a 
moist temperament. 
In the second category, we place the dry skins, 
which repose on a cellular tissue less rich, more 
rare, of which the secretions and excretions of all 
kinds are less abundant. These skins belong to 
dry, nervous, and bilious temperaments. 
With regard to the numerous shades of color 
found in the white races, these depend upon the 
primitive temperament, that is, the constitution 
at birth. Thus, white and its various shades are 
natural to sanguine or full-blooded temperaments, 
and to the idiosyncrasies or blendings of these 
temperaments.— Dark or brown color and its 
shades belong to bilious and nervous tempera- 
ments, and to their idiosyncrasies. 
The color of the skin, as we have already shown 
in Chap. IV., is positively given by the pigmentary 
layer. Now all the recipes and marvellous se- 
crets to whiten brown skins are audacious lies; 
for to obtain the promised result, it would be 
necessary to transfer to a bilious subject the pig- 
mentary matter of the skin of a sanguine sub- 
ject ; a thing quite impossible. 
This description, imperfect as it is, will suffice 
to show to people of the world, that the hygiene 
of these two descriptions of skins cannot possi- 
bly be the same; and that fatty bodies, oleaginous THE DIFFERENT COMPLEXIONS. 
53 
substances, mucilaginous, and emollient articles, 
all of which are most favorable to dry skins, 
would not be at all suitable to oily and moist 
skins; while astringents, tonics, articles of a desic- 
cating tendency perfectly favorable to fat skins, 
would be injurious to dry cuticles. 
It is the same with all cosmetic substances and 
preparations. Before using them, it is most essen- 
tial to know their chemical composition, and the 
kind of skin to which they are to be applied. 
TABLE 
OF THE VARIOUS CUTANEOUS DISEASES, LOCAL- 
IZED IN THE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS AND IN- 
TEGRANT PARTS OF THE SKIN. 
Before going any farther, we think that it will 
be equally instructive and profitable for the reader 
to see at a glance the numerous groups of the dis- 
eases and imperfections of the skin, according to 
their locality and the symptoms they show. 
Several eminent physicians have made micro- 
scopic studies of the diseases of the dermis, and 
their labors have led them to the conviction that 
each cutaneous affection had its distinct seat in the 
different layers which compose the dermis, and that 
each affection had its distinct character according 
to the place it occupied. 
The skin is, as we explained in Chapter IV., 
composed of four elements : 54 
THE DIFFERENT COMPLEXIONS. 
Epidermis. — Papillary, nervous and vasimlar 
tissue. — Mucous layer (rete mucosum). — Dermis. 
This last contains five systems of microscopic 
glands : the Blennogenous, the Chromatophorous, the 
Trikogenous, the Sudoriparous, and the Sebaceous. 
It is, moreover, crossed by a prodigious quantity 
of sanguine and lymphatic vessels, which form the 
vascular tissue. 
When, by any cause, one or several of the ele- 
ments of the skin is irritated, inflamed, or in any 
way injured, a sickness peculiar to each one ensues, 
as we will attempt to show. 
Epidermis.—The thickening of this produces 
corns, bunions, and other horny productions. The 
epidermis being, however, an inert and lifeless sub- 
stance, the real cause of epidermic alterations must 
be found in the blennogenous glands. 
Papillary Tissue. — Prurigo, or the Itch, nettle- 
rash, etc., have their seat in this tissue. 
Vascular Tissue. — This is the affected place in 
cases of erysipelas, measles, etc. Its attrition, its 
breaking, give rise to ecchymosis, or the effect of 
bruises; its dilation causes sanguine spots or 
marks. 
Mucous Layer, blennogenous glands. — The in- 
jury of these glands causes eczema, scurfy, and 
herpetic eruptions, etc. The atrophy of this layer 
renders the skin liable to chilblains; its hyper- 
trophy, or excess of local secretions, produces 
corns, warts, scales, and other horny excrescences. 
Chromatophorous Glands. — These glands, by THE DIFFERENT COMPLEXIONS. 
55 
their greater or less secretion, are the cause of all 
the partial coloring or discoloring of the skin. 
Thus freckles are due to the thickening of the 
pigment secreted by these glands; the marks of 
sunburn result from their injury. The limited or 
circumscribed discoloration of the skin is occasioned 
by the decrease or absence of the pigmentary secre- 
tion. Albinism is produced by the total want of 
this pigmentary secretion. 
The Trikogenous Glands, according to the cause 
that affects them and the degree of injury, give 
birth to the disorders known as lichen, an eruption 
of small red pimples, favus, a sporadic eruption, 
baldness, alopecia, a sudden falling off of the hair, 
and in some countries, as in Poland, the Plica polo- 
nica, an abnormal growth of the hair, which be- 
comes extremely sensitive, accompanied with an 
offensive exudation. 
Injuries to the Sebaceous Glands result in acne, 
or carbuncles, impetigo, an eruption of pustules, 
lupus, or boils, and mentagra, which peculiarly 
affects the chin, etc. The dilation of the excreting 
conduits of these small glands produce pimples, or 
little black spots, with which some persons faces 
are covered. 
The Sudoriparous Glands that are injured, pro- 
duce morbid sweats, sudamina, miliary eruptions, etc. 
Finally, the subcutaneous cellular tissue, on 
which rests the dermis, is the seat of furuncles, or 
boils, of phlegmon, or inflammation of the tissue, 
and of other inflammations which terminate in 
either resolution or suppuration. THE DIFFERENT COMPLEXIONS. 
This glimpse at the localized diseases, to which 
the skill is liable, is doubtless very imperfect, since 
each one we have mentioned could occupy a volume 
to itself; but we speak only of superficial injuries, 
belonging to the domain of hygiene; we write for 
the general public, and particularly for ladies ; 
and, therefore, are brief, in order not to be tire- 
some, and strive to be clear and concise, the better 
to be understood. 
The study of the glance we have given, as the 
attentive reader of the chapter treating of the phys- 
iology of the skin may see, is the key to this work. 
It is indispensable to study it thoroughly, if one 
wants thoroughly to understand the morbid changes 
to which the skin is liable, and to know the means 
that hygiene, or medicine, possesses to meet and 
overcome them. 
We will here claim the attention of our readers 
to a most remarkable fact: 
Several diseases or disorders of our system, very 
common in the present day, such as rheumatism, 
lumbago, superficial affections of the skin, leucor- 
rhoea, etc., were scarcely known to the ancient 
Greeks and Orientals ; why ? . . . Because the bath 
was in almost daily use with them, and frictions, 
massing, kneading the flesh, scraping the skin with 
instruments specially adapted to the purpose, all 
of which are still in existence in Mahomedan coun- 
tries, entirely cleansed the surface of the body, 
kept up the vitality of the skin, and favored the 
free exercise of its exhaling and absorbing func- THE DIFFERENT COMPLEXIONS. 
57 
tions. Hence, this immunity from nervous and 
cutaneous diseases. It is impossible to ignore that 
the obstacles created by dirt to the circulating 
function is the great primary cause of a number 
of diseases of more or less gravity. 
DIGRESSION. 
OK THE DIFFERENCE OF SKIN IN FAIR AND 
DARK WOMEN. 
The skin of fair-haired women is, as a rule, 
whiter and more rosy than that of dark-haired 
women; but the latter is generally of a finer 
grain and consequently softer to the touch. It 
is also nearly always free from the freckles which 
often disfigure the skin of fair women, and particu- 
larly those who have red hair. Dark skins are 
also less subject to pimples and other superficial 
cutaneous disorders. To speak physiologically? 
the feminine principle is more developed in fair 
than in dark women, her carnation is more bril- 
liant. Long, fair tresses, crowning perfection of 
form and feature, make up the ideal of the Venus 
Anadyomene, rising from the bosom of the sea. 
Not less beautiful is the dark woman endowed 
with the same perfection of form, while, if her 
complexion is less dazzlingly brilliant, it is, as a 
compensation, of longer duration. CHAPTER VII. 
BLOTCHES AND SPOTS ON THE SKIN. 
BLOTCHES or stains which are developed be- 
neath the epidermis and diminish the bril- 
liancy and smoothness of the skin may be divided 
into two classes: 
In the first class may be placed all the stains 
due, either to the thickening of the pigmentary 
substance, such as sunburning, freckles, and hepatic 
blotches ; or the discoloration or absorption of this 
pigment, as in leucopathia or white spots on the 
skin ; or, finally, the formation of pigmentary cells, 
containing granular pigment similar to that ex- 
isting on the choroide of the eye, as in cases of 
lentigo or freckles, in marks and signs, brown or 
black spots, and in the various black stains of 
the skin called Melanoses. 
When a portion of skin marked with these 
spots is macerated in water, the coloring matter 
remains firmly adherent to the dermis after the 
epidermis is removed and resists repeated wash- 
ings. 
The second class includes the light red spots 
and deep red spots that are caused by the dilation 
of the blood-vessels, or by the erection of an 59 
SPOTS ON THE SKIN. 
erectile tissue as in port-wine marks, etc., and vul- 
garly attributed to unsatisfied wishes of pregnant 
women and called in consequence Noevi Materni. 
According to this division, based on the physi- 
ological causes of the affection, it has seemed to 
us that the natural name for the first should be 
'pigmentary blotches or spots, and for the second 
vascular sanguine spots. 
INFLUENCE OF THE SOLAR RAYS AND OF CALORIC 
UPON THE SKIN. 
The sun is one of the greatest foes of a white and 
brilliant complexion. Exposed for some time to 
the ardor of his rays, the skin assumes a brown, 
yellow, copper-colored hue, that we call sunburning. 
Sometimes the skin gets wrinkled, and if it con- 
tinues to be exposed to the sun, it may, in propor- 
tion to its delicacy, be afflicted with irritation and 
with fiery redness. 
An atmosphere too hot or too cold, too strong 
or light, or total obscurity, are equally injurious to 
the skin, which under their influence becomes 
ruddy, brown, or faded. The skin needs the 
protection of a soft half light. Like flowers and 
fruits, which, sheltered from the sun’s ardent rays, 
present odors and flavors less strong, but of the 
greatest delicacy, so the skin requires a slight 
shade of fading ere it reaches the highest degree 
of whiteness. The farmers’ wives of Europe, who 
toil in the fields, exposed to the fiercest rays of 
the sun, and the city belle, who passes her life in 60 
SPOTS ON THE SKIN. 
the half light of the boudoir, prove the correct- 
ness of this statement. A still more striking ex- 
ample is that of the Arab and the Moresque 
women: the first, constantly exposed to the rays 
of a burning sun, have a yellow, copper-colored 
complexion, while the last, always kept enclosed 
in the harem, have a perfectly white complexion. 
SECTION I. 
PIGMENTARY BLOTCHES, TAN, OR SUNBURN. 
The name of tan or sunburning is given to that 
brown or yellow tinge that overspreads those parts 
of the body exposed during a certain length of 
time to the effect of the sun. The solar influence 
is not confined to the epidermis alone, but acts 
also on the pigment or coloring matter of the 
skin, of which it increases the secretions and 
deepens the color. 
The radiating heat of a furnace or of a fierce 
fire produces the same effect as do the solar rays, 
and firemen have the skin as brown and as tanned 
as have men exposed to the sun. 
Intense cold also darkens the color of the skin; 
thus, the two extremes of heat and cold produce 
identically the same effects. For this reason the 
inhabitants of the polar regions present about the 
same color as those of the equator. 
People can readily understand that the sun 
should produce tanned or brown skins; but they 61 
SPOTS ON THE SKIN. 
find it difficult at first to understand how the same 
effect can be produced by means of cold. The 
physiological reason of“ this is as follows: 
The intense cold acts first on the capillary cir- 
culation of the skin, which is slackened in propor- 
tion to the greater or less degree of cold. This 
diminished rapidity of circulation diminishes the 
sub-epidermic secretions and sometimes even sus- 
pends them entirely. When the person who has 
been exposed to the cold with the above given 
effects enters a warm room, a reaction immediately 
takes place, and it then happens that the circula- 
tion and the secretions of the skin momentarily 
suspended renew their action, with a vigor in pro- 
portion to the intensity of the cold, and the secre- 
tion of the pigmentary matter is increased in the 
same ratio. Now, if an increase of thickness im- 
parts a darker hue to the pigmentary humor, this 
must necessarily become visible through the dia- 
phanous epidermis as an object would through 
transparent gauze. 
The Best Way of Getting Rid of Tan or Sunburn- 
ing.— Old works which treat of cosmetics are full 
of recipes against sunburning, but the least evil of 
these recipes, more or less complicated, is their 
utter worthlessness. It is rare that they are not 
of a nature to injure the skin. 
There exists two rational modes of destroying 
sunburning: the first is to deprive the skin for 
several days of the action of light, and to keep it 
saturated with moisture by keeping applied to it 62 
SPOTS ON THE SKIN. 
an emollient poultice, which must be renewed as 
soon as it begins to get dry. The second plan, far 
less inconvenient than the first, simply requires 
the application during fourteen hours of a mask 
of paste composed of equal parts of rye and lin- 
seed meal. This mask was, with the ladies of 
ancient Rome, an indispensable article of every- 
day use. The Patrician ladies and belles of Rome 
always wore, when in the house, a cosmetic plaster 
over their faces, and put it off and on as a modern 
belle does her dressing-gown. Juvenal, in one of 
his satires, tells us that a Roman husband of his 
time seldom saw his wife’s face at home. The 
Venetian ladies of the present day cover their faces 
with a mask very similar to keep up the freshness 
of their complexion. The slave dealers, who sup- 
ply the harems of the East, are in the habit of 
making the young girls, who form their stock in 
trade, keep, while travelling, their faces covered 
with a clear mucilaginous paste. This protects 
their skin from the action of light and heat, and 
when, after the journey, this covering is removed, 
the skin appears blanched, and of a remarkable 
milky whiteness. 
A more certain method, and without the trouble 
and annoyance of poultices and plasters, is the 
Callidermic powder, of which we give the recipe 
at the end of this work. Make with this powder 
a very thin paste, of which put several coats oil 
the face. By preventing insensible perspiration 
during the night, this coating keeps the skin in a SPOTS ON THE SKIN. 
63 
local vapor bath, which softens the tissues and 
bleaches the epidermis. In the morning wash off 
with the callidermic lotion, as indicated in our 
formulary. Experience has shown us that the 
Callidermic powder is the best of all remedies 
against sunburn. 
EPHELIDES, OR FRECKLES. 
Sec. 1. Freckles are yellowish or brownish spots, 
more or less deep in color, and of various sizes. 
It was, for a long time, thought that they were due 
to the direct action of the solar rays, until it was 
noticed that they were most frequent on those parts 
of the body always covered with clothing. 
Freckles are of various sizes and shapes. Some- 
times they are small and irregular, and sometimes 
large, covering a large surface of the skin. On 
some persons they invade the whole neck and 
shoulders; with others they cover the face like a 
mask. 
The freckle, so-called, is nearly always due to 
some excitement of the skin from inward causes, 
and which, extending itself to the ehromatopho- 
rous glands, produces an over-supply of pigmen- 
tary humor, whence the spot. Seen under a micro- 
scope, or often by the naked eye alone, the freckle 
is slightly above the level of the skin and makes 
a little protuberance. A remarkable phenomenon, 
peculiar to the freckle, is the suppression of all 
perspiration on its surface, which remains always 
dry when the surrounding skin is quite moist. 64 
SPOTS ON THE SKIN. 
This would prove that the exhaling function does 
not operate on this point. 
Treatment. Light or recent freckles do not re- 
quire internal treatment. To cause them to dis- 
appear all that is requisite is to treat them with a 
concentrated solution of sulphuret of potassium, 
added to a little sulphydrate of ammonia; or, bet- 
ter still, with the sulphurous lotion, indicated in 
the formula. The following is the way to apply 
it successfully: 
First, moisten the spot with lukewarm water, 
wipe it dry, and theu touch it several times, so as 
to thoroughly impregnate it, with a camel’s-hair 
pencil dipped in the sulphurous lotion. This oper- 
ation must be repeated several times a day, par- 
ticular care being taken to wash the freckle with 
tepid water before touching it with the pencil. In 
four or five days the spot will blanch, the epider- 
mis fall off in dust, and the skin will resume its 
normal aspect. 
When the mark is caused by an exciting diet, 
or by any irritation of the digestive organs, it is 
called a hepatic spot, from having at first been 
thought attributable to the liver. This supposi- 
tion has not yet been satisfactorily proved. The 
hepatic freckle is found most frequently on persons 
of a bilious temperament, and on women whose 
menses are difficult and irregular. The freckle 
that develops itself during pregnancy generally 
disappears after delivery. Sometimes, however, it 
remains. SPOTS ON THE SKIN. 
65 
The hepatic spot most usually yields to the 
various sulphurous preparations, and above all to 
the sulphurous lotion, referred to above, aided by a 
little light opening medicine, sulphur baths, and a 
cooling diet. Should it not yield to this treat- 
ment, we advise the use of the bi-iodure of mercury 
pomade, which nearly always effaces the spot. 
This pomade, or ointment, of which we give the 
prescription, also cures the spots known as syphi- 
lidos. 
R. Purified hog’s lard 780 gr. 
Bi-iodure of mercury 325 gr. 
Rub the spots gently with this, when at least 
they do not occupy much space. When they are 
very large and cover considerable ground, the 
frictions should be confined to one spot at a time, 
and then attack the other, until they have all dis- 
appeared. Many practitioners prefer the following 
prescription: 
Perchloride of mercury 33 gr. 
Tincture of cantharides 160 gr. 
Distilled water 8 oz 
This lotion acts more effectually and more 
rapidly; its effect is an irritation of the skin, 
accompanied by itching, swelling, and subsequent 
desquamation of the epidermis. 
Sec. 2. How many charming countenances, 
white shoulders, plump and rounded arms, and 
delicately moulded hands are afflicted with a 
quantity of small pimples or tan spots, which 66 
SPOTS ON THE SKIN. 
appear to vanish during the winter, only to re- 
appear as bright-hued and often more numerous 
during the summer? These disheartening spots, 
which are a variety of freckles (Ephelis Lentigo), 
against which have long been exercised in vain 
the resources of cosmetic art, destroy the attract- 
iveness of the whiteness of the arms, neck, and 
bosom, deteriorate the brilliancy of the complex- 
ion, and considerably injure the transparent ef- 
fect of the flesh. 
Do means exist of combating these evils, or at 
least of mitigating them? We will treat of this 
subject in this article, and beg our readers of 
both sexes to thoroughly consider the importance 
of a question that will enlighten them as to the 
entire uselessness of any product of perfumery to 
destroy freckles on the skin. 
According to the latest anatomical works, and 
to our own experiments, freckles are solely due 
to the accidental but persistent formation of pig- 
mentary cells filled with granular pigment and 
situated beneath the epidermis. 
As we are writing for the general public, and 
not for professionals, it may be necessary to state 
that the granular pigment is a substance analo- 
gous to the coloring matter of the skin, but 
darker in hue, and offering the appearance of 
small granulations, around which cells are formed. 
A single spot of sunburn, for example, will contain 
fifteen or twenty of these granulations. 
In some portions of the animal organism, such 67 
SPOTS ON THE SKIN. 
as the eyes, the hair, the areola of the nipple, 
normal granular pigment is found, but in all 
other situations its formation is accidental or ab- 
normal.—These formations of granular pigment 
are not uncommon, and are to be met with in 
various organs of the body — the liver, the lungs, 
the spleen, etc., and in the disease of the skin 
known as melanosis; in the brown spots, or birth- 
marks, and in freckles. This granular pigment 
is the principle and the cause of all the black 
coloring which is found spread over the surface 
or in the interior of the organs or on the skin’s 
surface. 
We have just said that freckles are situated 
immediately beneath the epidermis, and it would 
therefore appear easy at first sight, seeing at how 
little a depth they lie, to efface them by penetra- 
ting tbe epidermis, and, if necessary, destroying it, 
in order to act directly upon the spot and destroy 
or dissolve it. Unfortunately, the coloring matter 
of these freckles has resisted all means employed 
up to the present. 
The chemical composition of the granular pig- 
ment is as follows: 
Carbon 73 per cent. 
Oxygen 16 “ 
Hydrogen 4 “ 
Nitrogen 3 “ 
Silicions ashes 4 “ 
As will be seen, the pigment is rich in carbon, 68 
SPOTS ON THE SKIN. 
which renders its complete discoloration or bleach- 
ing impossible. 
According to Pearson, it does not lose its color 
in either water, alkalies, or acids, even at a boiling 
point; sulphuric acid alone dissolves it. Accord- 
ing to Julius Vogel, the pigment resists sulphuric, 
chlorhydric, and acetic acids, ammonia, and potas- 
sium ; but Henle says he observed that potassium 
did dissolve it. 
The pigment burns at a high degree of heat, and 
gives off water, empyreumatic oil, and carbonated 
hydrogen gas, and leaves a reddish ash. 
It will be understood, from what we have writ- 
ten above, how difficult it is to attack a freckle 
directly, and to cause it to disappear. All these 
waters, creams, and pomades, sovereign remedies 
against cutaneous spots, all these marvellous secrets 
loudly proclaimed infallible, have no more effect 
on freckles than they would have on a block of 
wood; and if these cosmetics contain any substances 
of an acid, irritating, or corrosive nature, they will 
injure the skin, and may give rise to irritations 
always troublesome, and sometimes seriously affect 
the general health. We hope people will be warned, 
who, by their violent desire to find some remedy 
for the imperfections of their complexion, or to 
improve it, swallow every bait offered them in the 
shape of the pompous advertisements of quacks 
and charlatans. There exist in reality but two 
methods of treating freckles. 
The first is that employed by nature, when she 69 
SPOTS ON THE SKIN. 
makes them vanish, as she sometimes does, either 
during sickness, or without any appreciable change 
in the system. This method is the resorption of 
the pigmentary granulations. The question is, 
therefore, to impart to the absorbing vessels suf- 
ficient force to operate the resorption of the gran- 
ular pigment which causes the spots. There is 
some chance of success by first exciting the skin 
by frictions and aromatic fomentations, and then 
putting a permanent pressure on the spots. This 
proceeding enabled us to efface successively a great 
number of spots on the chest of a person who un- 
derwent our treatment. The physiological conse- 
quence of the compression is to destroy the pig- 
mentary cells, and to cause the resorption of the 
granulations they contain, and which are carried 
off by the circulation of the blood. It is, however, 
difficult, to say the least of it, to maintain a con- 
tinuous pressure upon the skin of the face, even if 
persons could be found with sufficient patience to 
support it. The second method consists in soften- 
ing the epidermis, and rendering it penetrable to 
such solids, or liquids, capable of destroying the 
pigmentary granulations. 
The ancients boasted of a mixture of vinegar, of 
honey, bitter almonds, the irritating juices of sev- 
eral bulbous plants, of acid fruits, and of a whole 
lot of articles, which might certainly injure the 
skin, but could never touch the stain. The mod- 
erns, enlightened by physiological and chemical 
science unknown to the ancients, have tried sev- 70 
SPOTS ON THE SKIN. 
eral plans, of which the results have been negative 
or mischievous. 
Doctor Withring pretends to remove freckles by 
an infusion of horseradish in buttermilk; the per- 
sistent use of this irritates the skin without affect- 
ing the freckles. 
Copland speaks highly of a solution of sub- 
borate of soda in rose-water. It is innocuous, but 
perfectly useless. 
Pearson attacks freckles with a solution of 
corrosive sublimate of arsenic. This method, as 
rough as dangerous, should be rejected, as it is not 
only likely to corrode the skin and leave perma- 
nent marks on it, but it may also poison the entire 
system. 
Bottmann prescribes the washing the freckles 
several times a day with the following liquid: 
Distilled water 20 parts. 
Caustic potash 1 “ 
Same danger as with the above, save the poi- 
soning. Aliberts and Richerand recommend the 
washing of the spots with strongly oxygenated 
water. This will violently irritate the skin with- 
out in the least affecting the spots. 
For several years past, physicians have success- 
fully used periodide and perchloride of mercury 
in certain cases of skin diseases, that resisted other 
treatment. This success suggested the idea of em- 
ploying perchloride of mercury against freckles, 
and druggists sold it for that purpose. From the SPOTS ON THE SKIN. 
71 
druggist’s laboratory this mercurial salt passed to 
the perfumer’s shop, whence it is now sold as a 
pomade, an extract, a lotion sovereign against 
freckles. We have already said that derchloride 
of mercury, or corrosive sublimate, is a violent 
poison, that should only be handled by a physician 
or a chemist, and we repeat that people cannot he 
too careful in avoiding these substances, of which 
the improper use may be fatal to beauty and to 
health. 
We had under our own observation the case of 
a young lady who, in consequence of using a spe- 
cific against freckles, had her forehead disfigured 
by permanent cicatrices. 
Following up the studies of our predecessors, 
and after several years of experience, we have 
come to the conviction that it is impossible to 
efface freckles by chemical agents; but we have 
discovered an agent that enters into combination 
with the spot, modifies its color, attacks and de- 
stroys the pigmentary cells, and after a few days 
detaches it entirely from the skin. We have 
named this agent the Chemical Anti-Freckle Water 
(,see Formula No. 24). 
Method of Employing the Chemical Water to De- 
stroy Freckles.— First remove any grease that may 
adhere to the surface of the skin, by washing it with 
the Pine Tar Soap, and after carefully drying, dip 
a camel’s-hair pencil in a solution of gum arabic, 
and with it coat all that part of the skin which 
is free from spots or freckles, leaving the latter 72 
SPOTS ON THE SKIN. 
untouched. The motive of this is to insulate the 
spots and to protect the other portions of the skin 
from the action of the chemical water. 
When the coating of gum is perfectly dry, take 
another eamel’s-hair pencil, and dipping it into the 
chemical water, touch repeatedly all the freckles 
until they are of a brownish-black hue. Then 
wait for the effect. 
The following is what takes place in the tissue 
of the spot, which is composed, as we have already 
said, of a strong proportion of carbon. 
The chemical water penetrates and impregnates 
the spot, filtering through and fixing itself in the 
tissue without any chemical combination, exactly 
as does the coloring matter in the carbon. The 
chemical principle of this water thus settled in 
the spot reacts slowly on the pigmentary atoms 
and completely disintegrates them, without inter- 
fering with the surrounding skin, protected as it 
is by its coating of gum. Once the molecules dis- 
integrated, the spot changes its character and be- 
comes a foreign substance, held in its place by 
the thin layer of epidermis, which covers it, and 
all that is needful to remove it is to destroy this 
thin layer. To do this, on the following day 
repeat the operation as above described, but pre- 
viously rub the skin gently with a very fine pum- 
ice-stone, in order to wear away the epidermis film. 
The destruction of the film is indicated by the 
appearance of a little serous matter, which gradu- 
ally hardens on exposure to the atmosphere, and 
forms a light transparent crust. SPOTS ON THE SKIN. 
73 
On about the sixth or eighth day this crust falls 
off, taking with it the freckle that is encrusted in 
it. There will remain for a few days afterwards 
a slight reddish depression, similar to that which 
follows a slight scratch, but this will vanish in a 
few weeks. 
When freckles are light and of recent forma- 
tion, particularly when on very fair and delicate 
skins, they will frequently disappear by the use 
of Packer s Pine Tar Soap, which is the least irri- 
tating of all soaps, and certainly the best tar soap 
in use. 
WHITE OR DULL-COLORED SPOTS ON THE SKIN. 
Leucoderma, Albinism, Morphea, Leucopathia.— 
These spots, irregular in form and of various sizes, 
are occasioned either by the discoloration or by 
the destruction of the pigmentary layer of the 
skin. Nature herself often finds the remedy for 
this discoloration ; but when this remedy is too 
long delayed, we advise a diet rich in carbon 
and repeated frictions on the spots, so as to stimu- 
late the pigmentary layer and increase its secre- 
tions. The following prescription is excellent for 
these frictions: 
Tincture of pepper 5 oz. 
Camphorated alcohol 5 “ 
Liquid ammonia 1 “ 
After having well rubbed the spot with this mix- 74 
SPOTS ON THE SKIN. 
ture, anoint it with the trikogenous ointment. 
Under the influence of this strong stimulating 
treatment, the chromatophorous glands are started 
from their torpor and secrete pigmentary humor, 
and this being absorbed by the roots of the micro- 
scopic hairs of the face, percolates them, and re- 
stores gradually the natural color to the place 
where it was wanting. Several physicians pre- 
scribe a slight blister on the discolored part, and 
thus get a prompt cui’e. 
NiEVI MATERNI, 
OR BIRTH-MARKS. 
Under this general term are comprised all the 
signs and marks on the skin with which a child 
is born. We will not now stop to discuss the 
origin of these marks, which were formerly attrib- 
uted to desires and strange fancies of women while 
pregnant. 
There are two kinds of ncevi materni; the first, 
spots more or less brown or yellow in color, belong- 
ing to the class of pigmentary spots; the second, 
spots of a red hue, ranging from strawberry color 
to deep purple, and belonging to the class of vas- 
cular sanguine spots. 
These ncevi vary in size, shape, and hue, gener- 
ally remaining as they first appear. Sometimes, 
very rarely, however, they extend with age and 
grow to a considerable size. There have been SPOTS ON THE SKIN. 
75 
cases of spots of the color of port wine, originally 
very small, invading in time the whole face or 
the whole limb. 
The pigmentary ncevi materni, or those which 
have an origin analogous to that of freckles, should 
be treated in the same manner, only, the spot being 
larger and deeper, the treatment requires to be 
continued for a longer time and to be more ener- 
getic.* We will, further on, give several remedies 
recommended by eminent physicians who have 
paid special attention to these marks. 
SECTION I. 
SANGUINEOUS VASCULAR SPOTS. 
These spots are due to the dilation, to the exu- 
dation, or to the rupture of the sanguineous vascu- 
lar network ; they are of a light-red color when 
produced by the arterial system, and of a dark-red 
or purple when due to the veinous system. They 
are of four kinds: petechia, cyanosis, ecchymosis, and 
birth or mother’s marks. We will not deal with the 
first two, which belong more especially to medi- 
cine; but will treat of the last two, as belonging 
more particularly to the subject of this work. 
* Several surgeons have succeeded perfectly in getting rid 
of birth-marks of a brown color by the use of the chemical 
water. Among other cases we will mention one of a lady 
who was freed of a large hairy spot upon the cheek in the 
space of twenty-three days by the persistent use of the 
chemical water. 76 
SPOTS ON THE SKIN. 
Ecchymosis. — After a contusion or compression, 
more or less violent, of the flesh, the dark-blue 
color which the skin presents shows that the san- 
guineous capillaries have been broken and that 
there exists an extravasation of blood in the cu- 
taneous tissue. Slight bruises or contusions are 
of no importance, and heal readily of themselves; 
but if the contusion is severe, and the sanguine- 
ous effusion is considerable, as may be seen by the 
extent and deep color of the ecchymosis, it would 
take, if left to itself, too long a time to heal, and 
it becomes necessary to have recourse to those rem- 
edies recognized as the most efficacious. 
These are compression and the application of 
bandages, soaked in discutient water, to the bruised 
part. 
Compression is employed with success in cases 
of bruises on the head and face and other places 
which allow of bandages being firmly held thereto. 
Discutients are applied as local baths, lotions, or 
topics; they hasten the absorption of the extrava- 
sated blood, and shorten the duration of the ecchy- 
mosis or bruise. Pure cold water, or water slightly 
aromatized, water whitened with a few drops of 
liquid subacetate of lead, or benzoic alcobolate, 
and bread poultice, are the best discutients we can 
recommend. 
We also strongly recommend the Milk of Hebe, 
which is very easily applied in the following man- 
ner : To about half a pint of water add a few drops 
of the Milk of Hebe, until it acquires the color of 77 
SPOTS ON THE SKIN. 
milk, and with it soak a cotton or linen cloth sev- 
eral times folded. Apply the cloth to the bruise 
and keep it constantly moist with the water with- 
out removing it. In a few days the bruise, from 
blue, will become yellow, and will finally disappear. 
All other topics generally used, such as soap dis- 
solved in water, salt and water, wine, camphorated 
spirits of wine, etc., etc., are much less efficacious. 
Ncevi.—The sanguineous vascular birth or mother- 
marks, covering a large space, are usually consid- 
ered indelible. Still we think that by operating 
a ligature of the principal arterial or veinous trunk 
that supplies them with blood, the spot would lose 
its color, and then, maintaining a continued pres- 
sure, resorption would take place. This method, 
which appertains entirely to surgery, is worth 
trying. 
Spots of this description, when of small extent, 
can be obliterated by several means. We give 
the most certain methods herewith: 
hogson’s method. 
Dr. Hogson has employed a simple and easy 
plan to destroy birth-marks on very young chil- 
dren, by vaccinating them on the mark itself. The 
inflammation which occurs after vaccination de- 
stroys the mark, which is replaced by the white 
cicatrice or scar, called a vaccination mark. We 
recommend parents whose children are afflicted 
with birth-marks, and that have not yet been vac- 
cinated, to try this, remedy. 78 
SPOTS ON THE SKIN 
lafargue’s method. 
Dr. Lafargue uses, with success, a plan very 
much like the preceding, and which consists in 
operating upon the surface of the mark six or 
eight punctures with a needle or a lance, of which 
the point is dipped in a drop of croton tiglium oil. 
This little operation is performed in the same way 
as vaccination. Thirty or thirty-six hours after 
the inoculation of the croton oil, the birth-mark 
is transformed into a kind of boil, which becomes 
heated and painful. The work of inflammation 
disorganizes the colored tissue of the mark and 
throws it off* by suppuration. After seven days 
the boil decreases, heals, and leaves but a small 
mark, less disagreeable to the eye than the pre- 
vious one. 
CREOSOTE WATER FOR BIRTH-MARKS. 
The Journal de Chirnie Medicate gives, as hav- 
ing been employed with success, the following pre- 
scription : 
Creosote oz. 
Biver Avater 10 oz. 
Mix the two thoroughly and with them soak a 
piece of fine linen, which apply to the mark and 
keep it there by a bandage. The linen must be 
kept well soaked with the creosote and water. 
After a few such applications, the epidermis will 
swell, and, bursting, give rise to a slight abrasion, 
that must be covered with a piece of diachylon ox SPOTS ON THE SKIN. 
79 
court-plaster, in order to produce a favorable dis- 
charge. In a few days the spot is carried off by a 
kind of serous suppuration, and is replaced by a 
small cicatrice, that finally disappears also. 
Some persons have pretended that liquid sub- 
acetate of lead, applied by means of small compress- 
es, frequently renewed, would cure erectile tumors 
and efface birth-marks. This is erroneous. 
There remains to be described an ancient pro- 
cess, that can be performed without danger on any 
one that does not shrink from the prick of several 
needles fastened together in a bunch. 
INDIAN MANNER OF OBLITERATING TATTOO-MARKS 
AND BIRTH- OR MOTHER-MARKS. 
Tattooing is, as is well known, an operation 
which consists in puncturing or incising the skin, 
so as to introduce beneath the epidermis any kind 
of coloring matters. Dissection of skin that has 
been tattooed, shows that the coloring matter of 
the tattooing is incrusted in the pigmentary layer, 
of which it takes the place. This fact being 
proved, it becomes necessary to find some chemi- 
cal agent that has the property of discoloring the 
incrusted matter. Those who considered this dis- 
covery impossible were not quite correct, as we 
have succeeded in discoloring red, yellow, and 
green colors. Black alone resists, being composed 
principally of carbon, and it is to mask this black 
or bluish color that the Indians have been accus- 
tomed, time out of mind, to perform a new tattoo- 80 
SPOTS ON THE SKIN. 
ing over the old, in order to cover up the first, and 
they do this in the manner described in the follow- 
ing incident: 
Bernadotte, when a private soldier, had the 
emblems of the French republic tattooed with 
gunpowder on his arms, and much regretted hav- 
ing done so when he became the king of Sweden. 
A Bavarian surgeon succeeded in effacing these 
marks by the Indian operation, as follows: 
The tattooed spot was first washed in tepid 
water, dried, and then rubbed with a linen cloth 
in order to excite the skin. The mark was then 
covered with a half liquid mixture of white lead 
and vermilion, of the same tint as the flesh, and 
every tattoo-mark was pricked over again with 
three fine needles fastened together. The points 
of the needles were frequently dipped in the color- 
ing matter in order that it might thoroughly pen- 
etrate the punctures. If this operation is well 
performed, the old tattooing is entirely concealed 
beneath the new, which being of the same color as 
the flesh is, of course, imperceptible. 
This operation can also be performed on nsevi 
or birth-marks of moderate size, and if the color 
has been carefully matched to the tint of the flesh, 
the birth-mark is hidden under an imperceptible 
tattooing. 
To efface tattooing done with red, green, yel- 
low, or other colors, it is requisite to surround 
the place with a little wall of paste, and place a 
drop of chemical water on the spot to be discol- 81 
SPOTS ON THE SKIN. 
ored. Then prick the skin, as in the operation 
we have described above. The chemical water 
will penetrate by the punctures to the tattooing 
matter and destroy its color. The better to in- 
sure success, the blood from the punctures must 
be wiped off occasionally and the chemical water 
renewed. After the operation, an embrocation of 
oil of sweet almonds, or, better still, of creme-neige, 
will allay the irritation. 
Ncevic Tumors.— Pediculate birth-marks, having 
the form of erectile tumors, and resembling, more 
or less, strawberries, raspberries, currants, cherries, 
etc., etc., should always be treated by ligature in 
the following manner: The base of the tumor is 
encircled by a waxed silken thread with a running 
knot, which is drawn as tight as can be borne. The 
knot is then made fast and the two ends of the 
thread, cut off about an inch long, are secured by 
a small patch of court-plaster to the skin. On the 
following day take off the old thread and put on a 
new one, which draw tighter still, and continue 
doing this until the tumor fades away, dries up, 
and falls off of itself. 
When the nsevic tumors are large, always con- 
sult a doctor. CHAPTER VIII. 
HERPES AND ITS DIFFERENT VARIETIES. 
THE general terra of Herpes is used to designate 
certain affections of the skin, whose principal 
characteristic is the power they have to be trans- 
mitted hereditarily or by contact. Many cele- 
brated physicians, in the first rank of whom are 
Alibert, Rayer, Kunckel, Cassenave, and Choedel, 
have done good work, and published some excel- 
lent books on skin diseases, and it is from them 
that we shall draw our information, avoiding, 
however, as far as possible, the scientific classifica- 
tions, that would only confuse the majority of our 
readers. 
A profound etiological study of herpetic affec- 
tions has caused them to be divided into two cate- 
gories : 
1st. Herpes produced by exterior causes, and 
which are essentially local. 
2d. Herpes caused by interior trouble, of which 
they are only one of the symptoms. 
We will only speak here of the first; the 
others, generally serious, require medical treat- 
ment, more or less long, careful, and energetic. 
Without troubling ourselves with the innumera- HERPES AND ITS VARIETIES. 
83 
ble scientific terms used to distinguish each sepa- 
rate form and kind of herpes, such as, favas, eczema, 
pytiriasis, porrigo, lichen, psoriasis, etc., etc., we 
will, as the simplest and best understood, adopt 
the following classification : 
1. Dry herpes, known by the epidermic matter 
they evolve, and which is called scales and scabs, 
giving them a dusty appearance. These dry 
herpes have their seat in the mucous element and 
mucous follicles of the skin. 
2. Wet herpes, generally raw, and discharging a 
humor which forms a crust. This kind of herpes 
is situate in the sebaceous glands of the skin. 
Knowing the exact position of the evil, it would 
appear easy to expel it, and a slight herpes on a 
healthy child, offspring of healthy parents, is very 
easily cured, if taken at its first appearance. 
Chronic or extensive herpes, which are symptoms 
of internal disease, or which are caused by some 
constitutional evil, are more difficult to cure, and 
require medical treatment. That the evil of herpes 
is hereditary, is one of the best established facts 
of pathological science, and every person so af- 
flicted should consult a physician experienced in 
the treatment of diseases of the skin, and follow 
closely his prescription. Slight and recent cases 
of herpes, particularly those caused by contact, of 
which we now treat, generally yield to a cooling 
diet and to emollient lotions. Should these be 
without effect after five or six days, the emollient 
lotions should be changed for lotions of salt and 84 
HERPES AND ITS VARIETIES. 
cold water, to which a few drops of tincture of 
iodine have been added, or finally with sulphide 
of potassium. Two or three baths will afterwards 
complete the cure. Herpes of long standing, or 
that have become chronic, require treating accord- 
ing to their nature and peculiarities. We will 
give in brief the most efficacious ways of obtain- 
ing a cure. 
SECTION I. 
TREATMENT OF WET HERPES. 
Many practitioners speak very highly of the 
virtues of carded cotton-wool placed on the herpes. 
This cotton must be removed every night, by means 
of a lotion of water, stimulated with a few drops 
of sulphidrate of ammonia. After the lotion ap- 
ply a fresh layer of cotton-wool, and continue the 
treatment until a cure is effected. 
Dr. Rayer’s ointment has obtained a great suc- 
cess in curing sundry affections of the skin, and a 
great number of persons have got rid of herpes by 
its use. We here give the recipe: 
White precipitate 15 gr. 
Fresh lard 300 “ 
Dr. Kunckel, author of a valuable work on the 
application of preparations of copper to diseases 
of the skin, tried on a great number of cases of 
severe herpes the effect of an ointment of bi-oxide 
of copper. One of the first results of this oint- 
ment is to increase the violence of the symptoms HERPES AND ITS VARIETIES. 
85 
for a few days; the irritation seems to become 
more intense, and the discharge is more abundant, 
but in a short time both diminish, the disgorged 
tissues fall in, and the affected part is covered with 
thin scales, similar to gold-beaters’ skin. These 
finally falling off, reveal a skin perfectly sound 
and healthy. 
Several German physicians have proved, in 
many cases of herpes, the specific virtues of tinc- 
ture of iodine. This tincture is applied with a 
small camel’s-hair pencil, and is accompanied by 
a feeling of heat, amounting sometimes to that of 
a burn, according to the greater or less sensibility 
of the patient. The affected spot must be touched 
twice a day with the pencil dipped in the tincture 
of iodine. Sometimes this gives rise to small vesi- 
cles on the surface of the herpes, that discharge a 
yellow matter. Some eight to ten days suffice for 
a cure, when the herpes is not of a virulent nature. 
Many doctors, who have specially devoted their 
attention to diseases of the skin, exclusively use at 
the present day mercurial and arsenical prepara- 
tions in their treatment of herpes. This treat- 
ment, although successful, may be open to the 
charge of being dangerous, as both bi-chloruret of 
mercury and arsenious acid are deadly poisons. 
We think it would be better to abandon their use, 
when the disease is curable with substances en- 
tirely free from danger. 
We therefore call the attention of medical men, 
who make a specialty of skin diseases, to the value 86 
HERPES AND ITS VARIETIES. 
of the various preparations of iodine and of iodide 
of sulphur, in all cases of herpes of the worst kind. 
A great many observations of the entire success of 
this treatment have fully convinced us that iodine, 
combined in various ways with sulphur and with 
potassium, may be regarded as a specific in the 
majority of cases of herpes. 
We here give a brief description of a course of 
treatment we have always found to succeed. First 
etiolate and thoroughly cleanse the affected part 
by the application of a poultice composed of equal 
portions of linseed meal and rice flour, which is to 
remain on all night, and after removal wash the 
skin carefully with tepid water. Dry it thorough- 
ly and then paint it over several times with a brush 
dipped in a tincture of iodine. Afterwards cover 
the spot with a piece of linen to prevent the con- 
tact of the air. Repeat the operation the follow- 
ing day, and the third day cover the affected part 
with a piece of diachylon, which leave on all night. 
In the morning remove it and apply iodide of sul- 
phur in the place of the tincture of iodine, after 
washing the herpes with a lotion composed of a 
tablespoonful of iodide of sulphur to a wineglass- 
ful of warm water. After drying the spot it must 
be painted over several times with a pencil dipped 
in pure iodurate of sulphur. Continue this treat- 
ment until a cure is effected. It will not take long. HERPES AND ITS VARIETIES. 
87 
SECTION II. 
TREATMENT OF DRY HERPES. 
Dry, crustaceous, floury herpes can be treated 
in very nearly the same way as the wet herpes. 
Baths, fomentations, emollient lotions, and, above 
all, a liberal use of linseed-meal poultices are in- 
dispensable to clean and soften the affected tissues, 
which are generally hardened, so as to render them 
more easy to be penetrated by the medicinal sub- 
stances. 
Spots on the face, of a mealy or dusty appear- 
ance, and superficial herpes, which are very com- 
mon with young persons, whose skin is very deli- 
cate, yield in a few days to the influence of the 
sulphurous lotion, of which we give the prescrip- 
tion in the formulary attached to this work, and 
which must be used as follows : 
Wash the affected part with tepid water, wipe it 
dry, and then touch it several times with a camePs- 
hair pencil dipped in the lotion. Leave it for ten 
minutes, and then repeat the application. An 
irritation, violent in proportion to the extent of 
the evil, will be felt. The skin will redden, swell, 
discharge, and show all the symptoms of irritation. 
There is no cause to be alarmed at this, as it will 
soon cease. Should, however, the irritation be too 
painful, it can be allayed by fomentation with tepid 
water, or by anointing with snow-cream. Some- 
times a single application of the sulphurous lotion 
suffices to effect a cure; in other cases several days 88 
HERPES AND ITS VARIETIES. 
are necessary. It is easy to recognize the signs of 
success, which are as follows: The irritation pro- 
duces, after a few hours, a discharge of humor, 
which, gradually hardening, form a skin, or thin 
white crust. After a few days this crust falls off, 
and discloses a perfectly healthy skin beneath. 
After the cure is effected, it is well to bathe the 
spot with water, to which has been added sufficient 
of the lotion to turn it yellow. This will prevent 
any return of the disorder. 
In the case of herpes of long standing, the above 
described operation should be repeated every five 
days, until the root of the evil be thoroughly ex- 
tirpated. 
Mixed with six times its volume of water, the 
sulphurous lotion may be used with great advan- 
tage in several cases: 1st, by penetrating the epi- 
dermis, it neutralizes the acrid humors and im- 
purities which soil its surface; 2d, it effaces and 
prevents pimples, red spots, powdery efflorescences, 
etc.; 3d, it renders the skin white and healthy; 
4th, it makes known whether the cutaneous organ 
is healthy or morbid. On healthy skins it pro- 
duces a scarcely sensible irritation, while on skins 
that are not in good condition, although having 
the appearance of it, it produces a redness and a 
very lively irritation, that yield to emollients. 
In the case of herpes covered with a scaly crust, it is 
necessary, as we have before said, to soften and 
loosen the epidermic scales which cover the herpes, 
before attacking it with preparations of iodine and HERPES AND ITS VARIETIES. 
89 
sulphur. The treatment to be followed is about 
the same as that described above for wet herpes, 
with a few variations required by the greater or 
less rapidity of the cure. 
When the evil will not disappear under the 
forms of treatment we have given, it must be con- 
sidered as due to some internal disorder, and it be- 
hooves the person afflicted to have at once recourse 
to the skill and experience of a good physician. 
SECTION III. 
TRANSMISSION OF HERPES. 
This disease is eapable of being communicated 
by contact, and is the more liable to be so when 
the weather is warm, the skin moist, and the ab- 
sorbing faculties of the individual most active. 
Parents cannot be too careful in keeping their 
children from the contact of diseased persons, and 
should never allow these to kiss their little ones. 
Persons should avoid shaking hands with those 
afflicted, and using things belonging to them, 
particularly their razors. This advice may seem 
strong to many, but when we reflect on the im- 
mense trouble caused by the disease, and the se- 
rious damage it does to beauty, we must allow 
that we cannot be too careful. Dr. Poujol gives 
us an instance to prove how much the contact of 
a person afflicted with herpes is to be feared. 
“ I knew a dentist,” says he, “ afflicted with an 
eczema (raw herpes) on his right hand, impart the 90 
HERPES AND ITS VARIETIES. 
disease to eight or ten students that passed through 
his hands. Herpes were developed on the faces 
of these young men four days after he touched 
them.” 
I could mention several cases of children who 
became affected after having been kissed by per- 
sons who showed no outward symptoms of herpes, 
but who had its principles in their blood. 
A final proof that herpes is contagious, will be 
found in the following observation: 
It is well known that the itch is due to an insect 
(acarus) which insinuates itself beneath the epider- 
mis, and certain kinds of herpes are also occa- 
sioned by a parasite, which perfectly resembles 
the Jcermes of vegetables. The works of Raspail 
tend to confirm this. He relates the following 
incident: 
A child of fifteen was seized with a violent and 
almost insupportable itching in the region of the 
right breast, which was followed by a redness that 
gradually extended to the dimensions of a silver 
dollar. Two days after, other spots became visible 
at the distance of a few lines from the first, and 
closely resembled empetigo or raw herpes. With 
the help of a strong glass, small black spots could 
be seen incrusted in the tissue of the larger spots 
or marks, and on these being removed, leaving a 
pretty large cavity, there ran from this a clear 
liquid. Observed under a strong microscope, 
these little spots appeared, by their form and de- 
velopment, to be closely analogous to the micro* HERPES AND ITS VARIETIES. 
91 
scopic insects known as Icermes, which attach them- 
selves to the leaves and bark of plants. These 
insects remain always in the same spot, lay their 
eggs, and terminate their existence by being de- 
voured by their progeny, who emigrate to a short 
distance and follow in the steps of their parents. 
From this it happens that each successive genera- 
tion and migration of Icermes produces a circle of 
dots concentric to the original spots. The first 
circle shows the first generation, the second the 
succeeding one, and so on. 
The specific cause of the evil being ascertained, 
Raspail placed a compress, saturated with cam- 
phorated alcohol, on the affected spot, and the 
itching ceased immediately, the progress of the 
recent spots was arrested, and very shortly the 
older spots disappeared. In three days there were 
no traces left of either. 
Thus, according to what we have just written, 
several kinds of herpes are due to parasites, be- 
longing either to the vegetable or animal kingdom, 
and the knowledge of this fact allows of our draw- 
ing the following conclusion : The best and surest 
way to destroy the evil, is to destroy the parasite 
that gives rise to it and continues it, and the 
agents therefor are either camphorated spirits of 
wine or salt and water, to which is added a little 
ammonia, according to Raspail; but these agents 
may, under certain circumstances, violently irri- 
tate the skin and occasion a great deal of trouble, 
and they are not invariably successful. Water, 92 
HERPES AND ITS VARIETIES. 
with creosote or oil of bitter almonds, in which a 
few drops of tincture of iodine have been mixed, 
will prove a favorable substitute. 
SECTION IV. 
ITCH. 
Microscopic observations have clearly proved 
that this disgusting disorder is due to the presence 
of a parasite (the acarus), which gets beneath the 
epidermis and provokes an irritation, characterized 
by small whitish pimples, filled with serous matter, 
and accompanied by a violent itching. The itch 
is communicated with the greatest ease, either by 
immediate contact or by the contact of the linen 
and clothes of any one afflicted. The contact 
allows of one of the insects, or some of its eggs, to 
lodge on the hitherto healthy person, and these 
propagate with rapidity. 
The simplest and promptest way to destroy the 
acarus is to bathe the affected spot with the follow- 
ing lotion: 
Iodide of sulphur, or of potassium 150 gr. 
Water 32 oz. 
After using this, and when the skin is cracked 
or chapped, anoint the part with the following oint- 
ment : 
Powdered stavesacre 150 gr. 
Boiling fat 16 oz. 
This ointment has been tried with great success HEEPES AND ITS VARIETIES. 
93 
in many cases of itch by Dr. Bourguignon, its in- 
ventor. 
After continuing this treatment twice a day for 
five days, take a bath, and use plenty of soap. 
We have substituted Spanish camomile for the 
stavesacre with good effect. 
In the event of the disease resisting this treat- 
ment, we recommend the use of sulphide of lime 
in powder. 
Take 25 grains of this substance in the hollow 
of the hand, pour a few drops of oil thereon, and 
with it rub the affected part. Two or three baths, 
with plenty of soap, are indispensable during this 
treatment to thoroughly cleanse the skin. 
A little mild sudorific medicine assists the action 
of the sulphide of lime and hastens the cure. The 
most rapidly acting remedy against the itch is cer- 
tainly the following: 
In the morning take a bath of soap and water, 
and on leaving it, rub the skin with the sulfuro 
alcaline ointment of Helmerich, which is made as 
follows : 
Flower of sulphur 20 parts. 
Carbonate of potash 10 “ 
Fresh lard 80 “ 
About midday repeat the friction. At four 
o’clock take another bath of soap and water, and 
again use the ointment afterwards. At night, be- 
fore going to bed, give another friction with the 
ointment, and the next day, after a good bath, 
always with soap, the itch will have disappeared 
entirely. CHAPTER IX. 
ON SEVERAL AFFECTIONS LIABLE TO INJURE 
THE WHITENESS AND SMOOTHNESS OF THE 
SKIN AND THE CORRECTNESS OF FORM 
AND OUTLINE OF THE FEATURES. 
SECTION I. 
BOILS — PHLEGMONS. 
ABOIL is an inflammation limited to a small 
portion of the skin, situated in the extension 
of the subjacent cellular tissue, which, starting 
from the inner surface of the dermis, forms on its 
outer surface the areolse of the mucous substance. 
This inflammation generally terminates in the 
mortification of the cellular extensions, and by 
their expulsion in the form of pultaceous matter, 
called the core. 
The best way to get rid of a boil is to kill it as 
soon as it makes its appearance, by piercing the 
top with a needle and pressing out a few drops of 
blood. Then cauterize the wound thus made by 
means of a pencil dipped in concentrated liquid 
ammonia. If the inflammation is too far advanced 
to allow of its treatment in that manner, it is then 
requisite to keep the boil covered with an emol- 95 
BOILS, CUTS, ETC. 
lient poultice, or with a maturative ointment, to 
ripen it, and then await the expulsion of the core 
by suppuration. 
Where several boils succeed each other con- 
stantly, and for a length of time, that is to say, 
that when hardly is one boil healed than another 
makes its appearance, the patient should adopt a 
cooling diet and light regimen, and if the digestive 
canals are not irritated, a little opening medicine 
may be taken, and will in most cases correct the 
vicious tendency of the skin to produce boils. 
The 'phlegmon only differs from the boil in being 
of larger size. It is to be treated in the same way. 
SECTION II. 
CUTS. 
Cuts or incised wounds are usually caused either 
by instruments of steel, or by sharp fragments of 
glass, flint, etc. They affect the tissues either 
superficially or deeply, and generally occur on 
those parts of the body that are the most exposed, 
such as the face, neck, arms, and hands. 
According to the degree of perfection of healing 
the cicatrice becomes imperceptible, or leaves an 
indelible trace very injurious to beauty. We will 
give succinctly the best mode of effecting a cure. 
The first thing to do with an incised wound, is 
to ascertain that no foreign bodies are in it, as may 
happen when the cut is produced by the breaking 96 
BOILS, CUTS, ETC. 
of glass, etc. If there are such things, they must 
be carefully removed. Wipe off the blood, and 
bring the edges of the wound carefully together, 
retaining them there firmly by strips of diachylon, 
if the cut is large, or with court-plaster if but a 
small one. These strips should be firm and in 
good number, so as to perfectly prevent any change 
of the position of the edges of the cut, through 
any forced motion of the injured part. The plas- 
tic lymph transuding from the divided vascular 
branches will then glue the parts together, and 
forms a white line on the surface, indicating where 
the cut was. 
It is important to remark that exposure to the 
air materially lessens the rapidity of a cure, and 
the chances of cicatrization without suppuration. 
A cut of which the edges are well united, and 
kept so for from six to eight days, will be perfectly 
cicatrized, but the slightest hiatus left between the 
lips of the wound will prevent their joining per- 
fectly and promptly. In the case of wounds ac- 
companied by great hemorrhage or loss of arterial 
blood, that cannot be stopped by ordinary means, 
it is advisable to have recourse to haemostatic reme- 
dies, of which the most efficacious are a solution 
of ergotine, and the water of Brocchieri. This 
latter is regarded as the very best of haemostatics. 
When applied by saturating a cloth with it, and 
placing it on the cut artery, it arrests the hemor- 
rhage very promptly, and greatly assists the cica- 
trization. BOILS, CUTS, ETC. 
97 
If the wound is very deep, and the loss of blood 
so great as to cause anxiety, the assistance of a 
surgeon becomes indispensable. 
SECTION III. 
SCARS RESULTING FROM THE APPLICATION OP 
LEECHES, AND FROM THE USE OF CUPPING. 
When a serious attack of sickness necessitates 
the application of leeches, or of cupping, on any 
exposed part of the body, such as the face, neck, 
bosom, or shoulders, very small leeches should be 
selected, in order that the bites they leave be im- 
perceptible, and care should be taken that these 
bites heal quickly, and without suppurating. The 
scarifications necessary in the operation of cupping 
should always be light, for scars caused by deep 
incisions are disagreeable and indelible. Cupping 
is rather a means of obtaining a revulsion of the 
skin than a loss of blood. 
SECTION IV. 
BURNS AND SCALDS. 
Few injuries have had more nostrums and quack 
remedies offered for their cure than burns. Every 
country quack has for sale an infallible ointment 
for burns, and every old country woman has a 
specific of her own, the best and only good one, 
probably handed down to her from remote an- 98 
BOILS, CUTS, ETC. 
tiquity. We warn our readers particularly against 
all these so-called remedies, which are more gen- 
erally dangerous than beneficial. The treatment 
of all burns can be resumed in two ways : — Arrest 
the inflammation which always ensues; when this 
is impossible, moderate its violence by therapeutic 
means. We will not here treat of serious burns, 
or of burns over a large extent of surface; these 
belong to the surgeon, and we will confine our- 
selves to burns of a comparatively slight nature. 
Burns on the fingers, hands, face, and other parts 
of the body, which are usually exposed, should 
receive immediate attention, under penalty of an 
unsightly scar, and sometimes of a wound injurious 
to the freedom of motion. The best and most 
rational way of treating a burn is as follows: 
When one or several fingers have been burnt or 
scalded, dip them immediately into pure liquid am- 
monia, when the pain will immediately cease. 
Keep the burnt part in the ammonia for the space 
of five minutes, then withdraw it, and put it into 
cold water for one minute only. Dip the burnt 
place again in the ammonia for five minutes, and 
again in the cold water for one minute. Continue 
this operation for from thirty to forty minutes, 
and afterwards wrap the bura in cotton-wool or 
batting, and let it rest. Should the pain reappear, 
repeat the alternate immersions in water and am- 
monia, but in the majority of cases the first course 
Avill suffice to prevent unpleasant consequences. 
If the place where the burn has occurred will BOILS, CUTS, ETC. 
99 
not allow of immersion, the ammonia must be ap- 
plied by means of a cloth folded several times, 
and well soaked in pure ammonia, which press to 
the affected part for five minutes, then apply a 
cloth soaked in cold water for one minute, reapply 
the ammonia for five minutes and the water for 
one, and so on for the same length of time as with 
the first plan by immersion. Afterwards cover 
the place with cotton batting. 
Under the influence of this mild and easy treat- 
ment, there is no blister filled with serum, no pain 
is felt, and the next day the epidermis presents a 
hard and horny surface. This falls off in a few 
days in scales, similar in appearance to cuttings 
of gold-beater’s skin. 
We have purposely written pure ammonia in 
italics, as several doctors have declared that this 
article is caustic, and that it is irrational to bum 
a place already suffering from a burn ; yet it is a 
well-known popular habit to hold a burn as close 
to the fire as can be supported, in order to harden 
the epidermis. This method is painful, while the 
use of pure ammonia obtains the same result, and 
allays the pain at the same time. 
We will now proceed to give the physiological 
explanation of the way in which the ammonia acts 
upon the tissues. 
Ammonia possesses very remarkable diffusive 
properties; it liquefies the blood when this has a 
tendency to coagulate, and re-establishes a slack- 
ened circulation. 100 
BOILS, CUTS,.ETC. 
This property has been taken advantage of in 
cases of stagnation of the blood in the brain, in 
cases of intoxication. On the other hand, ammonia 
exercises a caustic action on the living epidermis, 
and its continued contact produces a blister. On 
the burnt surface of the skin, however, the effect 
is different. 
The bum has destroyed the vitality of the epi- 
dermic tissue; the white fluids secreted by the in- 
numerable vessels of the vascular tissue of the skin, 
being no longer confined by the epidermic layer, 
rush to the burnt spot, raise up the thinned epi- 
dermis, and form small blisters full of serum. The 
ammonia having the property of hardening the 
burnt epidermis, restores it the lost force and re- 
sisting power, makes it adhere to the mucous tissue, 
and renders the gathering of serum impossible. 
Besides, its diffusible action compels the fluids, 
whose course was momentarily and suddenly ar- 
rested, to resume their regular flow, and keeps 
them away from the burnt part. 
Another method of cure, when the burn is not 
severe, and there is no ammonia handy, is by means 
of cotton-wool, and is easy to apply. First dip 
the burnt part in cold water to repel the fluids 
that rush to it; dry it carefully, and wrap it in 
a thick layer of cotton batting, which secure by a 
band of muslin. Five or six hours after change 
the cotton for fresh. The application of this cotton 
entirely allays the pain, and prevents the formation 
of blisters. After a few days nothing will be seen BOILS, CUTS, ETC. 
101 
on the burnt skin, but the hardened and shining 
epidermis, that in a short time will fall of itself, 
without leaving a cicatrice. We cannot too 
strongly recommend this simple plan, which is 
within the reach of all. 
Physicians use as a specific, in cases of burns, 
anoleo-calcareous liniment, of which we give the 
recipe in the formulary at the end of this work. 
The effects of this liniment are far from satisfac- 
tory, and we have taken note of five or six cases 
where it has entirely failed. When the liniment 
was removed, the burned place presented a dis- 
charging sore. We, therefore, have good reason, 
we think, to prefer to this, which is not a specific, 
cotton-wool and ammonia. 
SECTION V. 
OBSTRUCTION OF THE SEBACEOUS GLANDS. 
In the chapter treating of physiological anatomy, 
we spoke of these small glands, and deem it use- 
less, therefore, to describe them anew. 
The skin in certain portions of the body excretes 
an oily matter called sebaceous humor. 
Now, when the excreting canals of the utricles, 
or the small glands which supply this matter, are 
obstructed, the sebaceous humor, not being able to 
find an issue, becomes hardened, and either gives 
rise to a local irritation of the skin, showing itself 
by an irruption of small white-tipped pimples, or 
of little white concretions having the shape and 102 
BOILS, CUTS, ETC. 
appearance of millet seeds, and which, with very- 
few exceptions, are always situated on the eyebrow, 
or close beneath the eyelid, on the upper part of 
the cheek, or around the base of the nose. 
The promptest cure for pimples is to puncture 
them on their apex, as soon as they appear, and to 
squeeze them till a small white core, which is the 
principle of the irritation, is expelled. A slight 
exudation of sanguinolent matter follows the ex- 
pulsion of the core, and in a few hours the pimple 
will sink down to the surrounding level. The 
humor that exudes from the puncture forms a 
slight crust, or scab, which falls off itself in a few 
days, and carries with it all traces of the pimple. 
If, instead of the above plan being adopted, the 
pimple be allowed to ripen naturally until it breaks 
of itself, it will take from seven to eight days, and 
the original centre or focus of the inflammation 
will be marked by a red spot or scar, that will re- 
main for weeks, and sometimes for months. 
The small miliary concretions that appear on 
the eyelids, the upper part of the cheeks, and on 
the sides, or at the root of the nose, are painless, 
and simply blotch the skin. They are really 
foreign bodies lodged beneath the epidermis, and 
all that is necessary to do to get rid of them, is to 
scratch the skin slightly, and expel them by gentle 
pressure on either side. 
The excreting ducts of the sebaceous glands are 
also liable to obstruction and to a swelling, which 
render their orifices more or less visible on the sur- BOILS, CUTS ETC. 
103 
face of the skin. The curdled matter that fills 
their openings is easily expelled by pressure. 
In some cases the small black pimples caused by 
these secretions of sebaceous humor are so numer- 
ous as to cover the whole face, and resist the action 
of any amount of washing with soap and water. 
To cure this unsightly stain, milk of bitter almonds, 
acidulated with a few drops of lemon juice, has 
been recommended; but, like several other reme- 
dies, such as anointing with oil of nutmegs, with 
honey, with cream mixed with lemon juice, it is 
perfectly useless, and the specks remain. 
There exists but one effective way of dealing 
with these spots, and that is to clear out the ducts, 
and to destroy the black speck at their mouth. 
This result is obtained by rubbing the spots with a 
paste made into tablets, and which we have named 
detersive, because it cleanses and polishes the sur- 
face of the skin instantaneously. 
The detersive and bleaching qualities of these 
tablets are most remarkable; it cleanses the skin 
admirably from all spots and impurities; it de- 
stroys the black specks we are now treating of, and 
contracts the sebaceous ducts which produce them ; 
it polishes the epidermis, and imparts to it a white- 
ness not attainable by any other means. 
Mode of Application.—Rub the affected parts with 
the tablet, so as to whiten it all over, and then with 
a little Pine Tar Soap on the tip of the finger; rub 
the skin in every direction, so as to spread the 
paste, and cause the specks to disappear. If this 104 
BOILS, CUTS, ETC. 
first operation does not succeed, rub the tablet 
again over the part, and anoint it as before, till 
the spots vanish. By repeating this operation once 
a week for a month, the skin will be entirely freed 
from these unsightly little black spots. 
Spots of this kind, but of a considerable size, 
which make a little dent in the skin, must be 
treated differently. A plan which always succeeds, 
and which we strongly recommend, is to destroy 
the follicle, in which the speck is situated, and 
which is accomplished in the following manner: 
First prick a very fine needle perpendicularly into 
the spot, as far as is possible without causing pain, 
then give a slanting direction to the needle, and 
pull it out violently, so as to tear the cap or cover- 
ing of the follicle, and press firmly with the finger, 
to expel the black speck slightly tinged with 
blood. When the rent is complete, the follicular 
cap gets inflamed, and the result is an internal 
cicatrice, that obliterates forever the excreting 
duct of the sebaceous gland. This little operation 
should only be performed on specks of a large size, 
and only on a few at a time, for if too many are 
treated the same day, it may cause pain, and a 
violent irritation of the surrounding parts. When 
the scratch or puncture is cicatrized, use, from time 
to time, the detersive tablets. BOILS, CUTS, ETC. 
105 
SECTION VI. 
WARTS. 
The unsightly excrescences called warts, are well 
known to all; but what is less generally known, is 
that their apex is situated in the fibrous layer of 
the skin, and that they project their roots to the 
surface of the epidermis. 
Warts spring from one or two fibrous extensions, 
which, passing through the mucous layer of the 
skin, are divided into rootlets, whose greater or less 
number influences the size of the wart. Hence it 
follows that by destroying the roots, the wart is 
not destroyed, and it must be attacked at the 
head. 
There are three kinds of warts—pendant, round, 
and flat. There are persons whose hands are 
covered with warts; and this has given rise to the 
idea that the contact of these inequalities of the 
skin’s surface, and particularly that of the blood 
that comes from them if cut, was contagious. This 
has yet to be proved. 
A number of methods, some of them very strange, 
have been employed for the destruction of warts. 
We will mention some of the best and most simple. 
Pendant warts can be cut off, either with a sharp 
instrument, or by being tied with a waxed silken 
thread. Make a ligature as close to the base as 
possible, and draw it as tight as can be borne. 
Fasten the silk firmly, and in a few hours draw it 106 
BOILS, CUTS, ETC. 
still tighter. Practice this for two or three days, 
until the wart dries up and falls olf. 
For flat and round warts the best plan is to cut 
them to the quick, and after having wiped off the 
blood, touch the wound with a very fine camel’s-hair 
pencil moistened in nitric acid. Instead of a pen- 
cil a tooth-pick may be used, but great care must 
be used that only a very minute drop of acid 
be allowed to touch the wound, for more would 
eat too deeply into the skin. The wart must be 
touched in this manner several times a day, and 
when the disconnected roots appear they must be 
pulled out with small tweezers. When this is 
done the cure is complete. 
Persons who have several warts close together 
on the same part of the body, are advised to attack 
the larger ones only, as experience tends to show 
that the destruction of these generally entails that 
of the small ones. When warts are so numerous 
as to cover the fingers, the hands, or any other 
part of the body, the use of caustic would be too 
long and too painful, and we therefore advise the 
following mode as being very successful: Cover 
during the night the part affected with warts with 
a piece of diachylon, or, better still, with a poultice. 
The following day wash it in vinegar and water, 
dry it and rub it with salts of ammonia. Rub the 
part four or five times a day, and continue the 
treatment for from three to five days, when the 
warts will fall off themselves. If the salts of am- 
monia do not produce the desired effect, salts of 
savin may be substituted. CHAPTER X. 
THE HEAD. 
THE head, the noblest part of naan, which ren- 
ders him superior both in beauty and intelli- 
gence to all other animals, is endowed with a 
remarkable malleability during the first stages of 
existence, and will assume and retain any shape 
that may be imparted to it. 
If we refer to history, we find that the peoples of 
antiquity were in the habit of altering the natural 
shape of their children’s skulls to suit their ideas 
of beauty. Hippocrates speaks of the Macroce- 
phali, so called on account of the length of their 
heads. Strabo mentions the Sigynes, a people 
living near the Caucasus, equally remarkable for 
the posterior elongation of the cranium. From 
time immemorial the bonzes or priests of China 
have had heads of almost conical shape, and this 
peculiarity which distinguishes their caste is due 
to the manipulation to which the skulls of their 
children are submitted during infancy. Some 
tribes of America and of Oceanica offer still more 
singular examples of distortion of the head. Some 
are square, some triangular, some are elongated, 
and some flat; sometimes they are perfectly spher- 108 
THE HEAD. 
ical. Among these heads, which all appear singu- 
lar to our ideas, some are monstrous and frightful 
to the extreme. 
Travellers who have ascertained the truth of the 
foregoing statements, and have tried to discover 
the cause of these deformities, all agree in saying 
that the mothers shape the heads of their babes by 
means of small boards or sheets of lead fixed to 
the skull by bandages. In some countries moulds 
of clay are used to press the head. A few years 
of this operation suffice to give the desired shape. 
The nose, the eyelids, the lips, and ears are also 
moulded and shaped as fancy or fashion dictates 
with equal ease. The Hottentots flatten their 
children’s noses; the Peruvians lengthen theirs by 
continual pulling. Plutarch tells us that the an- 
cient Persians considered that a long and aquiline 
nose was the only one considered worthy of adorn- 
ing the countenance of royalty, and consequently 
the cradle of a future king was always surrounded 
by eunuchs, whose special business it was to con- 
stantly pull the nose of the embryo monarch, in 
order to give it the required majestic length. The 
Chinese greatly admire eyes half open and slanting, 
and their women, from the earliest age, pull and 
pinch their features till the desired effect is obtained. 
Some races think a great deal of thick lips; others 
consider long ears a charm, and nothing is easier 
than to acquire this most hideous development. 
The hair is also susceptible of alteration of length, 
thickness, and color. 109 
THE HEAD. 
PHYSIOGNOMY.—A head relatively too large 
for the body, as in the case of children and dwarfs, 
is a sign of a heavy, sleepy, and indolent disposition. 
Heads that are too small mark a light, giddy, or 
frivolous disposition, not capable of application to 
serious study. A head of the medium size is the 
most favorable to intelligence and good sense. By 
large and small heads we mean, of course, abnor- 
mal want of proportion to the body. 
This rule is, besides, subject to very wide ex- 
ceptions. Cuvier, the great French naturalist, 
had an immense cerebral development, and Wil- 
liam Pitt, who was prime minister at the age of 
twenty-four, had a remarkably small head. CHAPTER XI. 
THE FACE. 
THE “ human face divine ” is the most attrac- 
tive of all sights, says an eminent French 
writer, and it is, therefore, not surprising that it 
has been in all ages the object of most particular 
care and attention, especially with the fair sex. It 
is certainly the most striking part of the person, 
and that which possesses the greatest individuality. 
It is by the face that a person is known and dis- 
tinguished from others, and the eye naturally 
rests on it in preference to any other part of the 
body. 
The vascular network that underspreads the epi- 
dermis of the face and the large number of minute 
subcutaneous muscles combine to give it life and 
movement. Each part of the countenance has its 
own expression; each cluster of muscles its sepa- 
rate language; each fibi’e, as it contracts or ex- 
pands, under the influence of nervous action, forms 
some trait on the surface of the face, which may 
be likened to a painter’s canvas, where the physi- 
cal and moral affections are portrayed, and where 
human passions always leave their impress. It is 
to this facility possessed by the features of acting THE FACE. 
separately or together that is due the infinite va- 
riety of facial expression. 
Our thoughts, our sentiments, our various emo- 
tions, all find in the muscles of the face their own 
individual expression ; and the contraction and ex- 
pansion of the muscles, and the varying color of 
the skin, express all the different shades of joy, 
sorrow, love, hatred, fear, etc., etc. 
In the case of irascible, hot-headed people, de- 
pressions varying in size may be noticed at the 
base of the nose and near the base of the eye- 
brows. A permanent smile on the lips creates 
wrinkles round the base of the nose and in the 
cheeks. Melancholy and meditation depress the 
eyebrows and wrinkle the skin of the forehead. 
The wrinkles at the corners of the eyes, vulgarly 
called crow’s-feet, are caused by the incessant con- 
traction of the orbicular muscle of the eyelids, and 
the contraction itself arises from too strong a 
light, grief, passions not of a joyous nature, old 
age, etc. Relaxation of the muscles and loss of 
flesh also cause wrinkles, but they are effaced with 
the recovery of health and fat. 
Emotions, slight and of short duration, leave 
no traces on the features; but lively emotions, if 
frequently undergone, and lasting some time, do 
finally impress their mark. During youth the 
countenance is free from these impressions for the 
reason that the emotions are at that age of a fugi- 
tive nature; but as man advances in age, as his 
passions increase in intensity, certain muscles of 112 
THE FACE. 
the face are in constant action, while others are 
always in repose. This unequal division of labor 
of the muscular action is the real cause of the lines 
and wrinkles marked on this or that part of the 
face. Physiognomists divide the movements of 
the face, resulting from mental influences, into 
three classes: expansive, oppressive, and convulsive 
expressions. 
Expansive expression is made manifest by the 
expansion of the features. The forehead is clear 
and serene, the eyebrows, slightly raised towards 
the centre, are immovable, the eye is bright, the 
nostrils are dilated, the curve of the mouth is 
stretched and its extremities elevated, the cheeks 
are raised and rounded, a smile appears and rests 
on the lips, which are animated by a brilliant 
carnation. Such are the evidences given by the 
countenance of joy, love, happiness,'hope, etc. 
In oppressive expression, created by fear, remorse, 
regret, disappointment, etc., there is to be noticed 
the relaxation of the greater number of the mus- 
cles and the lengthening of the features, a dis- 
coloration of the skin and a general anxious, sor- 
rowful, and downcast look. 
The convulsive expression is characterized by 
the sudden action of the muscles; the features are 
drawn and stretched, the eyebrows are violently 
contracted, the eye remains wide open and emits 
flashes, the jaws are firmly closed, and the skin is 
sometimes cold and discolored, and sometimes red 
and inflamed. These convulsive movements, in THE FACE. 
113 
reality a nervous attack, are soon transmitted to 
the entire system, as is often seen in outbursts 
caused by anger, hatred, revenge, despair, etc. 
These expressions and alterations of the physi- 
ognomy are due to the increase or to the diminu- 
tion of the muscular irritability. In violent or 
sudden passions there is an increase; in sad or con- 
centrated passions there is a decrease. 
This brief description will, we trust, explain the 
important part played by the muscular system of 
the face, and that it is by wisely governing the 
action of a particular set of muscles that the coun- 
tenance reveals the various expressions of beauty, 
nobleness, calm, joy, and grief, of which we have 
just spoken. 
The beauty of the face depends on the harmony 
of the features; but the basis of this beauty lies in 
its perfect oval, and in proportion to its near or 
far approach to it the face gains in beauty and 
nobility or loses its charm. 
The oval should be formed by two lines, which, 
starting from the symphisis of the chin, expand as 
they ascend aud rejoin each other at the top of the 
forehead, so as to describe an arc of a circle. The 
greatest width of the oval should be towards the 
point corresponding to the temporal extremity of 
the eyebrows. 
The oval of a woman’s face, less wide at the 
frontal region, is on that account more graceful; 
its expansion occurring below the point corre- 114 
THE FACE. 
sponding to the commissures of the mouth, imparts 
a greater degree of delicacy to the chin. 
The face has been, moreover, divided by physiog- 
nomists into three transversal zones of equal width. 
The first extends from the top of the forehead to 
the eyebrows ; the second, from the eyebrows to the 
base of the nose; and the third, from the base of 
the nose to the extremity of the chin. The perfect 
regularity of these three zones is one of the indis- 
pensable conditions of a beautiful countenance. 
PHYSIOGNOMY. —A broad full face is gen- 
erally a mark of a gay and jovial temper, not much 
given to reflection. A face drawn together, small 
and thin, indicates reflection, prudence, an anxious 
and reserved mind. A plump, fresh, round face, 
marks a lymphatic organization, neither vigorous 
nor energetic; a good disposition, but slow and 
indolent. A bony countenance, with high cheek 
bones and a sharp chin, shows a bilious tempera- 
ment, a temper firm, decided, obstinate, full 
of vigor, and capable of most energetic action. 
Wrinkles before old age denote moral or physical 
sufferings, and a secretive, difficult, suspicious 
temper. Faces of which the two sides are not 
symmetrical, or which offer any irregularity of 
feature, such as a twisted or crooked nose, one 
cheek larger or less colored than the other, the 
mouth or the eyes not perfectly straight, are proofs 
of unevenness of temper. The reason of this is to 
be found in the inequality of size and power in 
the two hemispheres of the brain. The double THE FACE. 
115 
senses, like those of sight and hearing, when their 
force is not exactly the same on both sides, convey 
unequal impressions to the brain, and hence the 
want of correctness of appreciation and one-sided 
ideas. 
HYGIENIC REMARKS.—While each separate 
feature of the face demands its special hygienic 
care and attention, it is to education and moral 
culture that we must look for that eloquent, speak- 
ing expression of the sentiments which animate 
the human race. When children are ill-treated, 
beaten, kept in a perpetual condition of passive 
submission and fear, they will naturally assume a 
false, hypocritical cast of countenance, while if, on 
the contrary, they are brought up in the enjoy- 
ment of judicious liberty and treated with judi- 
cious confidence, their whole physiognomy will 
breathe frankness and joy. 
Remove from children all painful sensations, 
and their faces will be frank and open; for the 
feelings impress upon the countenance the various 
workings that characterize them. 
Just as the calm waters of a lake reflect the bird 
or the cloud that passes above them, so do the 
features reflect the varied emotions of the mind 
and of the soul. 
The face being, as we have just shown, the part 
of the body that first strikes the eye and attracts 
the attention, we must not be astonished at its 
being the principal aim and main object of the 
calliplastic and cosmetic arts. And what a num- 116 
THE FACE. 
ber of receipts have been invented for its embel- 
lishment—what an array of processes to diminish 
and conceal its imperfections have been presented 
to the world ! Unfortunately, the majority of the 
marvellous secrets which help to fill the adver- 
tisement pages of our journals never succeed in 
obtaining the promised result; in fact, they not 
unfrequently produce one exactly different from 
that anticipated by the buyer. 
We trust we have in our preceding chapters 
clearly satisfied our readers as to the reasons why 
all these numerous quack remedies are unavailing. 
If we consider attentively we shall see that all 
cosmetic inventions aim at one thing, and that is 
to impart to the skin a whiteness, a carnation, and 
a brilliancy that it has not naturally; but it seems 
never to have struck those who have hitherto 
written treatises on beauty, to seek how to act 
upon the form, to give regularity to features that 
may be lacking in symmetry and proportion, to 
straighten them when they are out of line, in 
short, to correct what the features may have faulty, 
and thereby to render them agreeable to contem- 
plate. 
We believe that if brilliancy and delicacy of 
completion form one of the conditions of beauty, 
the regularity and correctness of the features form 
at the same time a condition none the less essen- 
tial, and we can safely maintain that it is easier to 
modify the form than to alter the color. 
The age preceding puberty is, of all others, the 117 
THE FACE. 
most favorable for ealliplastic* modifications and 
for receiving, by means of that art, the precious 
gift of beauty. 
Later on, it is still possible to give regularity 
to form and feature, but the facility diminishes 
as years increase, and, consequently, enlightened 
mothers should lay to heart the precepts this book 
attempts to inculcate, and apply them early to 
their children. 
The passionate desire for beauty, so natural to 
woman, the violent desire of every mother that her 
children be handsome, and their perseverance in 
the practice of everything they think likely to add 
to their personal advantages, all combine to give 
them faith in the success of ealliplastic reform, and 
we do not hesitate to say that every intelligent 
lady will, by following our advice, become skilful 
in the ealliplastic art. 
With each feature, and each part of the body, 
and each organ we describe, we shall be careful to 
give ample detailed information of the various and 
most advantageous hygienic ealliplastic methods 
of correcting wrong lines and of modifying forms 
misshappen or deformed. 
* xaAoj, beautiful; rrXaariKO;) form. CHAPTER XII. 
THE FEATURES AND ORGANS OF THE FACE. 
THE FOREHEAD.—The forehead is the most 
elevated, the most extended, and the most 
characteristic feature of the face. It forms its 
crown and increases its majesty and beauty. It is 
well known that the width, height, and regularity 
of proportion of the forehead give the measure of 
the intellectual faculties. The laxity of the.skin 
of the forehead, its folds and wrinkles, indicate the 
passions that have stirred and still stir the human 
breast. In other terms, the anterior and superior 
part of the bony structure of the skull gives, by its 
form and dimensions, the sum of the moral faculties 
of the individual, and the cutaneous part, by its 
tension, its relaxation, and its wrinkles, indicates 
the use he makes of these faculties. 
A really fine forehead should be correct in all 
its proportions; neither too high nor too low, 
neither too round nor too flat; the hair should 
crown it and curl symmetrically round the tem- 
ples, so as to contribute to the purity of the oval 
of the face, for if a bald-head is not very agreeable 
to the eye, a forehead on which the hair descends 
too low is less agreeable still. THE FOREHEAD. 
119 
PHYSIOGNOMY.—The forehead, from its start 
to just below the eyebrows, may be considered as a 
numerative table of the character of the individual 
and his aptitude for the arts and sciences. Fore- 
heads high and well proportioned, are the unerring 
indices of great intelligence. The large and prom- 
inent forehead of the Olympian Jupiter, and of 
the Minerva of the Parthenon, seem swelling 
with eternal wisdom. Contracted, narrow, and 
low foreheads indicate, on the other hand, a weak 
intellect, and often idiocy. People with a pliant 
disposition, and disposed to flatter, have reced- 
ing foreheads; obstinate, quarrelsome, disagreeable 
characters have nearly always straight foreheads. 
Foreheads too large or too small in proportion to 
the size of the head, are generally an indication of 
a weak mind, wanting in initiative and energy. 
Bound foreheads mark courage, will, obstinacy, 
while square foreheads show well-balanced minds, 
constant in tastes and firm of purpose in their un- 
dertakings. Bugged, uneven foreheads show cun- 
ning and dissimulation, and persistence in impos- 
ture, whence the expression, “ a brazen forehead.” 
Foreheads wrinkled horizontally show moral con- 
centration and reflection, and those that are wrin- 
kled vertically are an indication of hot temper and 
inclination to anger. Smooth, open foreheads de- 
note peace of mind, calmness of the soul, and 
amiability of temper. 
HYGIENE.— The forehead should never be 
compressed by the head-dress or any kind of orna- 120 
THE FOREHEAD. 
ment, and it requires the same attention to clean- 
liness as the rest of the face. 
When the forehead is low, narrow, and con- 
tracted, its size can be artificially increased by 
pulling out the exuberant and superfluous hair 
that covers the top of it. This plan simply affects 
the appearance, and has no influence whatever on 
the cerebral organs, while there does exist a means 
that acts internally, developing and increasing the 
volume of the brain. To obtain this magnificent 
result, it is requisite at an early age to give to the 
functions of the brain a sustained activity, by 
cultivating the intellectual faculties ; and as a con- 
sequence the forehead will gain in height, will ex- 
pand and soon bear the stamp of intelligence. 
The celebrated Spurzheim mentions a very re- 
markable case in connection with this matter. 
A man of thirty years of age with a very low fore- 
head, and endowed consequently with very little 
intelligence, having all at once taken up the study 
of the sciences, the great phrenologist took a very 
exact measure of his cranium. After four years 
of uninterrupted study on the part of the man in 
question, his head was again measured, and was 
found to have sensibly increased in size; and 
finally, a few years later, the studies still continu- 
ing, the man’s head was found to have become 
more than three-quarters of an inch larger. 
To efface wrinkles on the forehead in the case 
of young persons who have contracted the bad 
habit of working the subcutaneous muscles of that THE FOREHEAD. 
121 
feature, we recommend the use of a strip of new 
linen dipped in a mixture of equal parts of alcohol 
and white of eggs. This band or fillet should be 
applied to the forehead before going to bed, and 
be worn every night until the wrinkles have dis- 
appeared. 
We shall have occasion to speak further on of 
another method of effacing wrinkles. CHAPTER XIII. 
THE EYES. 
THE eyes, those priceless lamps which guide us 
through our social life, and reveal to us the 
splendors of nature, those ardent furnaces whence 
flash the fires of love, the sparkle of enthusiasm, 
and the lightnings of genius ; brilliant mirrors 
which are rendered radiant by pleasure or obscured 
by the shadows of grief; the eyes are not only the 
faithful interpreters of our intimate affections, of 
our passions, but they also speak that silent lan- 
guage which penetrates the souls of others—a lan- 
guage full of eloquence, rapid, varied, and univer- 
sally understood the wide world over. 
It is in our eyes, says Buffon, that the image of 
our secret agitations is depicted and can be rec- 
ognized. 
The eye appertains more closely to the soul than 
any other organ ; it seems to touch it and to par- 
take of all its feelings, expressing its most lively 
passions, its most stormy emotions, as also the 
sweetest affections, and the most refined thoughts. 
These the eye renders in all their force, in all 
their purity, just as they spring into existence; it 
transmits by rapid strokes to another soul, the THE EYES. 
123 
fire, the action, the image of the soul whence they 
emanate. The eye receives and reflects at the same 
moment the light of thought and the warmth of 
feeling, and is at once the sense of the mind and 
the language of the intellect. The eyes have con- 
sequently a language whose power cannot for an 
instant be doubted. 
Among the immense variety of expressions 
which go to make up the language of the eye, we 
will mention the most powerful only : 
The sweet and amiable glances of beauty ; the 
open look of frankness ; the sly look of hypocrisy ; 
the inflamed look of passion; the pale and chilling 
look of indifference; the pressing look of desire ; 
the sparkling look of joy and pleasure; the dull 
look of suffering; the timid look of innocence ; the 
bold look of impudence; the cast-down look of 
chastity ; the lascivious look of lust; the assured 
look of confidence ; the furtive look of jealousy ; 
the indiscreet looks of curiosity ; the fixed look of 
stupidity ; the penetrating look of the man of 
intellect ; the shifting look of frivolity ; the 
sidelong look of pride, scorn, and disdain; the 
flashing look of anger; the anxious, uncertain look 
of dread and fear; the decided look of courage ; 
the calm and settled look of wisdom; the bright 
and radiant look of hope; the cast-down look of 
despair; the fixed look of inspiration and ecstacy ; 
the troubled look of guilt; the assured look of the 
just, etc., etc., etc. 
But it is above all in the mysteries of love, that 124 
THE EYES. 
the language of the eye displays all its wondrous 
eloquence. 
What a precious resource do the eye3 not afford 
to young lovers, who, living under constraint, have 
no other means of communicating to each other 
their fears and their fondest aspirations? 
What other language than that of the eye could 
render with such charm, such perfection, the in- 
toxication of bliss? 
What we have said will, we think, show that 
the eyes not only receive external images, and 
communicate them to the brain, but that they also 
transmit outwardly the living expression of the 
varying emotions of the soul and heart. The finest 
and most beautiful eyes are those that the most 
efficiently fulfil these double functions of giving 
and receiving. 
COLOR AND DIMENSION OF THE EYE. — It 
is well known that the part of the eye called the 
iris, is of various colors in different individuals. Of 
these, the favorites are blue and black. Tastes have 
always varied as to the superiority of these two, 
and the question is not only not settled yet, but in 
all probability never will be. Dai’k eyes have 
more petulance, more fire, and indicate an ardent 
soul and lively passions, while blue eyes have a 
softer, a more tender gaze, and are evidences of 
a tranquil mind, a tender heart, and calm incli- 
nations. 
It is not our province to attempt to decide the 
question as to the superiority of eyes of either THE EYES. 
125 
color; it depends entirely on taste, and we leave it 
undecided. Some prefer dark eyes, others blue; 
a sufficient proof that both are equally charming, 
lovely, and worthy our fondest admiration. 
However it may be, the particular color of the 
eyes is no exclusive condition of their beauty; and 
perhaps their form is of greater importance. Eyes 
too large or too small, too close to each other or 
too far apart; eyes that are too round, or that fol- 
low a slanting direction, are not perfect, and de- 
tract from beauty. Large eyes, like those the 
Greek artists gave to Juno and to Minerva, have 
majesty only, and want grace. When the same 
artists attempted to depict Venus, the goddess of 
beauty, they gave to her eyes the attractive almond 
form. Lastly, the eyes should be in proportion 
with the dimensions of the oval, and of the features 
of the face, to combine with them a harmonious 
and perfectly graceful whole. 
PHYSIOGNOMY. — Eyes that are large and 
stare at vacancy, denote generally stupidity and 
credulity. Eyes always rolling and wandering, 
are signs of a mind ill-balanced and giddy. Small 
eyes, deeply seated in the head, reveal an envious, 
malignant spirit; and eyes drawn down at the 
inner corners are generally to be found in persons 
of incommunicative disposition. Cunning and hy- 
pocrisy are indicated by small gray eyes, hidden 
under bushy eyebrows and half closed eyelids. 
Large, protuberant eyes are a mark of memory, 
and a large eye, injected wTith blood, is an indica- 126 
THE EYES. 
tion of lust. Good faith, frankness, and honesty, 
are evinced by a clear eye, widely opened, and 
with an eyelid free from wrinkles. Genius may 
be seen in a large bright eye. An eye that is 
round, clear, and sparkling, proves a hot, imperi- 
ous, domineering temper. Sometimes the eye gets 
rounder than it was, gaining in height what it 
loses in breadth, under the influence of admira- 
tion, as if it tries to open itself beyond its limits, 
the better to take in the object it gazes at. 
Bright black eyes denote activity, energy, and 
lively passions. Blue eyes belong to calm, mild, 
timid, and sometimes false dispositions. As a rule, 
one should mistrust yellowish-gray and greenish- 
gray eyes; they denote something cat-like. 
The look is a ray of the soul transmitted by 
the eyes. According to its power, its activity, or 
its mildness, it fascinates, startles, terrifies, or it 
caresses, attaches, and intoxicates by its charm. 
The look of some individuals possesses a power 
which weak organizations cannot resist, as is clearly 
proved by the very remarkable facts relating to 
animal magnetism. 
SECTION I. 
HYGIENE OF THE EYES. — Healthy and 
well formed eyes should be neither too widely 
opened, nor too closed; the sclerotic coat, or what 
we vulgarly call the white of the eye, should be of 
a bluish-white, and the corner perfectly transpar- THE EYES. 
127 
ent. The color of the eyes cannot be changed; 
but it is possible to modify the opening by much 
repeated pulling; in which case, the height lost is 
gained in the width. The conformation of the 
eye opening slantingly and half closed by the 
upper eyelid, is peculiar to the women of China, 
and is arrived at by constantly repeated twitch- 
ings of the upper eyelid and of the external angle 
of the eye. 
Protuberance and sinking of the eyes are both 
imperfections that detract from the beauty of the 
countenance. When the protuberance is not due 
to a fault of conformity, it is caused by a super- 
fluity of the fatty tissue which lines the bottom of 
the orbit and pushes the eyeball forward, and the 
remedy for this is the same as would be to diminish 
fat on any other part of the body. The want of 
fatty tissue causes the eye to sink below its normal 
level, and this fault can be corrected by a sub- 
stantial regimen of nature to cause increase of 
adipose matter. 
Too strong a light, and also insufficiency of it, 
fatigue the eyes, and predispose to ophthalmia and 
sundry other diseases that have received special 
names. Darkness increases the sensibility of the 
eye, and distends the pupil, so that, if after re- 
maining for a long time in obscurity the eyes are 
suddenly exposed to the full light of day, a paraly- 
sis of the retina and consequent blindness may 
ensue. The light reflected from snow and from 
whitewashed walls causes a very injurious dazzling 
of the eyes. 128 
THE EYES. 
The sunlight reflected from the sands of the sea- 
shore and of the desert destroys the eyes, and 
many of the European soldiers who fought there 
in the beginning of this century, returned entirely 
blind. 
To preserve the eyes in all their integrity and 
purity, it is necessary to avoid the foregoing causes 
of trouble. Burning the midnight oil should also 
be avoided as much as possible, and be stopped 
the moment the eyes begin to feel fatigued. 
Healthy eyes should never be washed with any- 
thing but pure, clear water; a fine sponge satu- 
rated with this will perfectly suffice to remove all 
the impurities due to the secretions of the lachry- 
mal glands and the follicles which open on the 
edge of the eyelids. 
When excessive work or long watching has 
reddened the eyes and swollen the eyelids, the 
best means to allay the irritation is rest of the 
organ and emollient lotions; the use of spectacles 
of blue-glass for a few days is also recommended. 
There is another very simple way, which has 
always succeeded with us, and we give it here: 
Take two or three pieces of very fine linen, which 
double several times. Dip one of these pieces into 
very cold water and press it against the irritated 
eye, keeping it there as long as it is cold, that is, 
until the heat of the inflamed part has destroyed the 
coldness of the compress. When this occurs change 
the compress of linen for another, also dipped in 
cold water, and keep on constantly applying a cold THE EYES. 
129 
linen as soon as the one on gets warm. Do this 
till the blood-vessels of the eye and eyelid are 
sufficiently contracted by the cold to prevent the 
blood from dilating them. This very simple 
remedy, within the reach of every one, will gen- 
erally arrest incipient ophthalmia. 
Should, however, the irritation continue, and 
become chronic, the following eye-water must be 
used to bathe the eyes: 
Astringent Resolutive Eye-water. 
Sulphate of zinc | 
Sulphate of copper / rs‘ 
Alum 15 “ 
Camphor 7 “ 
Distilled water 8 oz. 
Dissolve and filter through paper. This eye- 
water applied cold, tones the eyelids very effectu- 
ally. 
SECTION II. 
NATURAL IMPERFECTIONS OF THE SIGHT. 
Certain defects of the sight are natural, and are 
due either to the conformation of the eyeball, or 
to some injury to the nerves. 
Short- or near-sightedness is caused by the too 
great convexity of the cornea and of the crystal- 
line lens. 
Long- or far-sightedness is due to the flattening 
of the same parts of the eye. 
The natural remedy for these two imperfections 130 
THE EYES. 
is, for short-sighted persons, concave glasses, and 
for long-sighted ones, convex glasses. 
Short-sightedness does not always happen at 
birth, but is sometimes caused by a habit with 
some children of looking too closely at what ex- 
cites their curiosity. In this case the evil is sus- 
ceptible of being cured ; all that has to be done is 
to remove the objects the child is looking at, and 
compel it to do so at a reasonable distance. This 
needs constant care on the parents’ part. 
STRABISMUS, or Squinting.—The eye, in its 
natural state, obtains its motion by means of six 
small muscles, whose powers are in perfect equili- 
brium. When this equilibrium, or antagonism 
between the six muscles, is destroyed, the eyeball 
is drawn to the side of the strongest, hence four 
kinds of strabismus: The convergent, the divergent, 
the upward cast, and the downward cast. 
These four varieties of strabismus may be com- 
bined among themselves and get mixed so as to 
produce mixed or complicated strabismus, whereby 
the eye will be turned in all directions ; but the 
fact remains, that the eye will be always drawn 
aside by the muscle which is not in equilibrium 
with the others. 
Strabismus is nearly congenital, but is 
also sometimes hereditary. Several cases of stra- 
bismus are mentioned as having occurred in in- 
fancy, either owing to the child’s cradle being 
placed sideways to the light, or through some ob- 
ject placed on the left or the right of the child, THE EYES. 
131 
attracting its eyes continually, and thus making 
them diverge. This kind of strabismus is easily 
cured by a special course of ocular gymnastics 
adapted to the case. Skilful surgeons of modern 
times, in several countries, who have undertaken 
operations for strabismus, both successfully and 
otherwise, have defined, after profound study, two 
kinds of this evil: One mechanical, always capable 
of cure by tenotomy, or severing of the muscles of 
the eye; the other optical, which should never be 
operated on, as it never can be so successfully. 
This last form of strabismus is due to the loss of 
power, or to paralysis of the muscles of the eye. 
We trust we have, by the few lines above, carried 
out our intention of explaining to our readers the 
causes of this misfortune called strabismus, or 
squinting, and which is not uncommon. 
SECTION III. 
weeping (Epiphora). 
This affection, which is accompanied by little, 
if any, pain, is excessively disagreeable, and de- 
tracts considerably from the beauty of the coun- 
tenance. It is desirable to get rid of it as soon as 
possible. 
If we examine closely the edge or border of the 
eyelids, close to the internal angle of the eye, we 
shall perceive two small open spots, which are 
called the lachrymal spots. These spots are the 132 
THE EYES. 
Orifices of the lachrymal ducts, whose function it 
is to produce tears. 
The lachrymal ducts are two thread-like pipes or 
tubes, which creep through the thickness of the 
eyelids and convey the tears to the lachrymal bag, 
situated in the interior angle of the orbit. 
This bag, or lachrymal reservoir, is contracted 
at its lower extremity, and is funnel-shaped, in 
order to let the tears fall into the nasal canal 
which opens at its upper extremity into the lach- 
rymal bag; and, after a passage of from nine to ten 
lines, reaches the nasal cavities where it pours the 
tears. 
When this beautiful apparatus is injured, or 
works ill in consequence of damage to any of its 
parts, the tears, perverted from their natural -chan- 
nel, find their outlet on the exterior of the cheeks. 
This causes weeping. 
Three ways can be used to cure this infirmity : 
1st. Free the lachrymal and nasal ducts, either 
with injections with a syringe especially adapted to 
the purpose, or by means of a fine silver or plati- 
num wire. A horsehair is often sufficient to clear 
the obstructed lachrymal ducts. 
2d. Open the lachrymal bag and insert, by 
force, a small silver tube to re-establish the com- 
munication by the nasal duct. 
3d. Perforate the unguis, or thin sheet of bone 
between the eye and the nose, and insert a wisp 
of cotton wool, which must be kept there until 
an artificial channel is formed. THE EYES. 
133 
These delicate operations can only be performed 
by a skilful surgeon ; we simply mention them for 
the information of those of our readers who may 
be afflicted with this infirmity. 
SECTION IV. 
BLEAREDNESS (Lcippitudo). 
The edge of the eyelid is garnished with small 
glands or follicles, that secrete a humor, yellowish 
in color, oily, and of a nature to facilitate and to 
soften the contact of the eyelids during the action 
of winking or blinking. When under the influ- 
ence of chemical irritation, this humor becomes 
thick and concrete, it produces what is generally 
known as blearedness, and causes the eyelids to ad- 
here to each other during sleep. The local treat- 
ment for blearedness consists in fomenting and 
gently washing the affected place with tepid or, 
better still, emollient water, in order to free the 
eyelids from the hardened humor without pulling 
them. 
The general treatment should consist in proper 
means of curing the disease which causes the pal- 
pebral* irritation, and consequently blearedness. 
In rare cases, where the evil is caused by the re- 
laxation of the glands and membranes of the eye- 
lids, the following eye-water produces favorable 
results : 
* From palpebra, eyelid. 134 
THE EYES. 
Fortifying Ophthalmic Water. 
Distilled camomile water 450 grs. 
Liquid acetate of lead u 
Camphorated spirits of wine J 
Sulphate of zinc 30 “ 
We find sometimes in aged persons a puffing up 
and turning outwards of the mucous membrane 
of the eyelids, called in medicine, ectropion. 
This most unpleasant and disagreeable disease is 
caused by the neglect of the care due to the eyes 
when they are fatigued or unwell. The moment 
ectropion declares itself, a physician should be con- 
sulted, for, although the disease is curable in its in- 
cipient stage, it is incurable later. 
SECTION Y. 
OPHTHALMIA. 
Formerly the word ophthalmia included all the 
diseases to which the eye is liable ; to-day, thanks 
to the immense progress made by medical physi- 
ology, the word is only applied to the inflamma- 
tion of the membrane of the eye, called the con- 
junctiva, whence the word conjunctivitis, which 
perfectly locates the disease. The most frequent 
causes of conjunctivitis are: great extremes of heat 
and cold, too strong a light, the reflection of light 
on rocks and burning sands, irritating gases, for- 
eign substances in the eye, dust, sand, hairs, eye- 
lashes, flies, etc., in fact, everything that can injure 
the soundness of the conjunctive membrane. THE EYES. 
135 
The interior causes are: sudden check of the 
perspiration, persistent hemorrhage, discharges, 
periodical fluxes, the repercussion of diseases of 
the skin. Herpetic, scrofulous, and syphilitic dis- 
eases sometimes induce special kinds of ophthalmia. 
Treatment. — We shall only consider here real 
and slight conjunctivity, which generally yields 
to a low, restricted diet, cooling, refreshing, and 
mildly aperient beverages, to emollient lotions, and 
complete rest to the eye affected. After a few days 
of this hygienic treatment, recourse can be had, in 
order to hasten the cure, to astringent lotions, such 
as a decoction of Provins roses, or of rinds of 
pomegranates ; to eye waters, containing subace- 
tate of lead, or sulphate of zinc. If the ophthalmia 
should not yield to these remedies, and require 
blistering, irritating, ointments, leeches, cupping, 
etc., we recommend at once consulting a physician. 
SECTION VI. 
NERVOUS INJURIES TO THE EYE. 
There are certain injuries to the optic nerve and 
to the retina, which are all the more serious that 
they may prove to be precursors of Amaurosis, or 
paralysis of the retina, and lead sooner or later to 
total or partial blindness. These injuries are gen- 
erally accompanied with strange phenomena, that 
give great anxiety to the patient, and are known 
under the following names : 
Amblyopia, or weak sight — dim sight. 136 
THE EYES. 
Diplopy, double sight — one object appears 
double, or as two. 
Hemiopia, power of seeing only half of objects. 
Myiodiopsia, seeing an appearance of corpuscules 
compared to flies flying about in the atmosphere. 
Hemeralopia, night blindness. 
Nyctalopy, power of seeing objects at night, or by 
a half light, but inability to see in the light of day. 
To resume: light or mild affections of the eyes 
will generally yield to a dietetic regimen, and to 
the cares of hygiene ; but a serious attack, accom- 
panied by grave symptoms, demands energetic and 
continued treatment, and in some cases an opera- 
tion. In order to avoid so great a misfortune, we 
most strongly advise recourse, at the very begin- 
ning of these last-named diseases, to the services of 
a good oculist, for which of our senses could we not 
more easily dispense with than that of sight, that 
inestimable treasurer, the loss of which would 
plunge us into the shades of eternal night — the 
greatest misfortune which can afflict poor hu- 
manity. 
SECTION VII. 
THE EYELASHES. 
In order to contribute with the greatest effect to 
the attractiveness of the looks, the eyelashes should 
have a proper length and thickness ; their scarcity 
detracting from the beauty of the eye, and their 
total absence injuring it materially. THE EYES. 
137 
A very simple way of increasing the growth 
and thickness of the eyelids is to anoint their roots 
slightly every night with the trikogene pomade; 
and snip the fine points of them with small scissors. 
Five or six cuttings will generally suffice to obtain 
a satisfactory result. 
Long, thick eyelashes have a double advantage; 
protecting, in the first place, the eyeball from the 
effect of too bright a light and too fierce a heat, 
against dust, small bodies, and insects that fly 
about in the atmosphere, and in the second place 
they form the most beautiful frame possible for 
the eye. 
The women of the East increase the darkness 
of their eyelashes, by dyeing them of a blue-black 
color. Many of our dramatic artists use upon the 
stage for the same purpose the receipt No. 54, 
which we give in the formulary at the end of this 
woi’k. 
The small glands which lubricate the edges of 
the eyelids supply, sometimes, too abundant a 
secretion, and this often happens in the case of 
adults, when their eyes, fatigued by long watching, 
feel a pricking sensation. This secretion increases 
during sleep, and, as a consequence, on awaking, 
the eyelids are glued together. The only hygienic 
remedy is to bathe the eyelids with lukewarm 
emollient water, in order to detach very gently, as 
we said above, the glutinous humor. If, in spite 
of rest and the use of emollient water, this humor 
should continue to form, it would be then neces- 138 
THE EYES. 
sary to use the resolutive astringent eye-water of 
which we give the receipt on page 129. 
The eyelashes are subject to a vice in the direc- 
tion of their growth, named, technically, trichiasis. 
Instead of growing outwardly they do so inwardly, 
and by their contact, continually irritate the eye- 
ball. This wrong direction of these delicate and 
slender hairs may cause very serious trouble, and 
even the loss of sight. Several plans have been 
tried to remedy this evil; the oldest of which is to 
force the hairs that persist in growing iii the wrong 
direction to remain on the outside of the eyelid by 
sticking them there with small strips of court- 
plaster until they resume their natural direction. 
In the present day, the favorite plan is to pull out 
the eyelash with a pair of small pointed tweezers, 
when only a small number of the hairs are growing 
inwards, and to continue thus extracting them as 
fast as they grow again. Some skilful surgeons 
operate on the eyelash but once and destroy the 
follicle by cauterization, which they effect by in- 
serting into the orifice left by the extirpated hair 
the point of a very fine needle, of which they then 
heat the other end in the flame of a candle. The 
follicle thus cauterized is killed and the eyelash 
never grows again. 
When the trichiasis is general, that is to say, 
when it affects all the lashes of the eyelid, a surgi- 
cal operation becomes indispensable, and consists 
in removing, with a pair of convex scissors, a seg- 
ment of the skin of the eyelids. The retraction THE EYES. 
139 
which takes place during the cicatrization brings 
the lashes back to their normal direction. 
Two skilful practitioners have attempted to 
regenerate the eyelashes by implantation, and de- 
clare that they succeeded in garnishing with eye- 
lashes eyelids that had been without them for a 
length of time. Dieffenbach, after having pulled 
a hair from one part of the body, transplanted it 
immediately to another part of the body in an 
aperture made by the prick of a large needle, and 
several hairs took root and grew. By the same 
process the surgeon Dzondi is said to have per- 
formed the marvellous feat of garnishing with 
hairs an eyelid made with a fragment of the skin 
of the cheek. Without testifying to the truth of 
these statements, we believe that such a thing is 
possible, for the following reasons: 
All physiologists agree in regarding the pilous 
or hairy system as an animal vegetation, offering 
a strong analogy with earthly vegetation; this 
latter grows and develops by aspiring the juices 
of the earth, and hairs grow equally by absorbing 
animal juices. The cellular layer of the skin is to 
the hair what the soil is to the plant; therefore, if 
a hair be torn out with its bulb intact, and be im- 
mediately transplanted in the cellular tissue, it is 
not impossible that it should take root, and that 
a follicle should come into being around the bulb 
thus transplanted. 140 
THE EYES. 
SECTION VIII. 
THE EYEBROWS. 
The eyebrows are indispensable, both to the or- 
nament and to the expression of the countenance, 
and may be compared to the shadows which, in a 
picture, throw forward the lights and forms. Their 
wrong direction, their too great or too small size, 
their absence, give an entire change to the physi- 
ognomy. 
The beauty of the eyebrows consists in the dark 
and brilliant hue of their thick and silky hairs, in 
their being clearly defined and slightly arched, 
and, lastly, in the perfection of their extremities, 
of which the two towards the centre should be 
thick and round, and the others terminate in a 
sharp point. 
Some people consider it an embellishment to the 
face when thick and bushy eyebrows meet in the 
centre and form an unbroken line just above the 
nose. Others, more in accordance with our own 
ideas of beauty, find this junction a great blemish. 
The Turkish and Moorish women are in the 
habit of dyeing their eyebrows with a preparation 
of sulphate of iron and gall nuts, which they call 
“surme” (see Formulary). The dark color of this 
surme has given rise to a metaphor, which they 
use frequently as an expression of grief: “Our 
hearts are covered with surme like unto our eyebrows, 
and our eyes are bathed in tears.” 
These ladies make use of the surme by spread- THE EYES. 
141 
ing it along both eyebrows, so as to give them the 
appearance of meeting and forming an unbroken 
line. The effect is not pleasant to our taste. Dif- 
fering from this, the Greek woman’s idea of beauty 
is that they should be widely apart and very 
slightly arched, and approaching as nearly as 
possible a straight line. To pi’oduce this effect 
they pull out all the hairs that grow over the nose 
and that tend to arch the eyebrows ; the extremity 
that is nearest the nose is bushy, and the other is 
trained down to a fine point; finally, the clearness 
of the lines is such that they are compared to two 
rapid strokes with a pencil. This graceful arrange- 
ment of the eyebrows gives an additional charm 
to a lovely face. 
PHYSIOGNOMY.— Implanted in a spot where 
the skin is very loose, and which the muscles 
move about in every direction, the eyebrows obey 
instantaneously all the moral impulses, and their 
form, direction, movements, and color, are the 
positive expression of an individual’s temper. 
Straight eyebrows are signs of a good temper, 
a lively conception, and a good heart. Lightly 
arched, they show wit and kindness. When too 
much arched they have a hard, cruel aspect. 
Thick and closely planted eyebrows foretell correct 
judgment and great wisdom. Petulance, vivacious- 
ness, and giddiness are indicated by irregular eye- 
brows. The more the eyelids descend towards the 
eyes, the more will the mind be serious, profound, 
and stable; while the mind loses in force courage 142 
THE EYES. 
as the eyebrows are higher up the forehead. A 
large span between the eyebrows is generally found 
in people whose imagination is lively and temper 
pleasant. The various motions of the eyebrows 
express the sad and dark passions — pride, vanity, 
disdain, anger, fright, etc. Jupiter is supposed to 
have made Olympus tremble every time he frowned. 
Finally, with regard to color, faintly colored eye- 
brows are a mark of weakness, as dark and bushy 
eyebrows are of force. 
According to Herder, the unbent eyebrow is 
the rainbow of peace, and the frowning eyebrow 
the bow of discord. 
Pliny, the elder, has said: “A part of the soul 
resides in the eyebrows, that move at the order of 
the will.” 
According to Lavater, the eyebrows alone can 
give a positive index to a person’s disposition. Ac- 
cording to Pernetti, one of the parts of the face 
which is the surest mirror of the thoughts, is the 
eyebrows. 
HYGIENE OF THE EYEBROWS.—A bad di- 
rection of the eyebrows, as well as their too great 
thickness, can be cured either by the use of the 
Depilatory paste, without arsenic, to make fall the 
hairs that overstep the line of the arch of the eye- 
brow, or by pulling them out, after the manner of 
the Greek ladies as soon as they appear, with 
small tweezers made on purpose. If the latter 
plan be adopted, the use of a little oil, or, better 
still, snow-cream, is needful to allay the irritation 
which may follow. THE EYES. 
143 
The growth and the development of the eye- 
brows may be hastened both by anointing them at 
night with the trikogene pomade and by cutting 
them with scissors or a razor. Persons who adopt 
this last method should not forget to rub the spot 
with the trikogene pomade, whose stimulating prop- 
erties will excite the growth of the hair. 
A very simple plan, which is followed by re- 
markable success, is the application of ice. After 
having cut the eyebrow with very sharp scissors, 
or shaved it with a razor, pass a piece of ice over 
the shaved spot for a few minutes. The reac- 
tion which takes place in consequence of the 
cold will cause the blood to rush to the spot, and 
then, with the sensible increase of heat, the nu- 
tritive juices will reach the pilous follicles in 
greater abundance; hence these are drawn up by 
the bulbs, and the hair of the eyebrow grows in 
proportion to the juices they receive. After the 
reaction, and when the skin of the eyebrow is 
warm, rub it with trikogene pomade. Persons 
who object to cutting the eyebrows entirely off, 
need only half do so, that is, cut only to within a 
few lines from the roots. The ice must be applied 
in the same manner, which must be repeated two 
or three times a day until a vigorous growth re- 
wards the trouble taken. 
DYEING THE EYEBROWS—Ladies of a lym- 
phatic temperament, whose eyebrows are faintly 
marked, or very light colored, can, without the 
slightest inconvenience, dye them a beautiful black 144 
THE EYES. 
with the kromatogene or hygienic dye, entirely with- 
out danger for the eyebrows and eyelashes. This 
dye, which resembles in nothing the hair-dyes in 
common use, and which has none of their unpleas- 
ant smell, imparts such natural shades and gives 
such satisfactory results that hair-dressers have 
named it the method par excellence. CHAPTER XIV. 
THE NOSE. 
TVTOTHING is more rare than a really perfect 
nose; that is, one which unites harmony of 
form, correctness of proportion, and proper affinity 
with the other features. 
The following are, according to the rules of art, 
the conditions requisite to the beauty of this organ: 
The nose should have the same length as the 
forehead, and have a slight depression at its root. 
From its root to its extremity it should follow a 
perfectly straight line and come exactly over the 
centre of the upper lip; the bridge of the nose, 
parallel on both sides, should be a little wider in 
the centre. The tip should be neither too thin nor 
too fleshy, and its lower outline neither narrow nor 
too wide. The lobes must be gracefully defined 
by a slight depression. Seen sideways the lower 
part of the nose will have but a third of its total 
length. The separating integument should divide 
the nasal cavities into two equal parts, and the 
nostrils, round at the start, arched in the centre, 
and ending in a point, must be exactly similar. A 
nose so formed is not only handsome, but also, 
according to Lavater, indicates a fine morale and 
a remarkable mind. 146 
THE NOSE. 
From this slight sketch, it will be readily seen 
that the nose is the feature which presents the 
greatest number of imperfections and oddities. 
The author of the Encyclopedia of Beauty points 
out the numerous irregularities of this feature 
very clearly when he says: 
“ For one nose that is well made and well pro- 
portioned, how many do we meet with that are 
badly formed and incorrect in shape ? How many 
noses do we not see too small, too short, too thin, too 
flat, too big, too wide, too sharp! how many too large, 
too long, too thick, too square, etc? How many 
with the bridge too rounded or too hollow, that 
stray from the straight line, whose nostrils are too 
narrow, too broad, too closed up; how many 
hooked noses, twisted noses, noses terminating in 
a ball, or like the beak of an eagle or a parrot ? 
We should never have done enumerating all the 
varieties of noses from the little flat nose to the 
fiery proboscis of the drunkard.” 
PHYSIOGNOMY.— A straight nose, of which 
the profile is scarcely curved, indicates calm se- 
renity and majesty. The ancient Greeks gave this 
form to the noses of the gods and goddesses of 
Olympus, and our modern sculptors have followed 
their example. A long, pointed nose is a sign of 
sagacity and of sharpness. A nose that is short 
and thick shows simplicity, want of foresight, 
and sometimes brutal passion. Thin, sharp noses, 
belong to minds inclined to scoff, and thick noses 
to heavy, dull dispositions. An aquiline nose THE NOSE. 
147 
belongs to concentric passions, and argues will, 
courage, a will firm, persistent, ambitious, aiming 
at authority. A round nose indicates a good, gen- 
erous, compassionate disposition. The same shaped 
nose with lengthened nostrils shows a tendency 
towards impatience. 
A turned-up nose is a mark of very variable 
tastes and inclinations, inconstancy, and eccen- 
tricity ; it often coincides with impudence. 
In Cleopatra and Roxalana we see types of these 
latter forms of nose. The flattened nose is a dis- 
tinctive mark of a violent disposition and brutal 
passions; it is the least civilized of all forms of 
noses ; is common to savage races, and is the only 
form found in the negro. Noses that are twisted 
or turned on one side, show a mind like them- 
selves; they deprive the countenance of all dis- 
tinction, and on a face with a receding forehead, 
it proves evil propensities. Small nostrils are 
peculiar to timid people, and elongated ones to 
enterprising and often foolhardy individuals. 
HYGIENE OF THE NOSE. —The nose is the 
most prominent organ of the countenance, and the 
centre around which all the other features are 
grouped. It should be placed in the centre of the 
face, and not deviate from the median line. The 
delicacy of its outline and the symmetry of its 
proportions are entirely indispensable to the har- 
monious whole, and a nose that unites all these 
conditions is very rare. Art can give them, and 
render a nose faultless in its direction and in its 
shape. 148 
THE NOSE. 
The nose acquires too great a development in 
size only by the excess of nutritive juices it turns 
to its own use, and, therefore, a too big nose ought 
necessarily to diminish when submitted to regimen, 
that is to say, when it is deprived of its nutriment. 
This result is obtained by means of a small 
compressing apparatus, provided with two steel 
branches in the form of double eye-glasses, and 
which, exercising a specially directed pressure on 
the dorsal artery of the nose, prevents the blood 
from reaching it, cuts off its supply of nutriment, 
and consequently arrests its development. 
The orthopedist Aubry having noticed a sensi- 
ble decrease of size in the noses of some persons 
who habitually wore eye-glasses, held in place by 
means of a spring compressing the bridge of the 
nose, adopted the idea of causing children with too 
large noses to wear similar spectacles during the 
night. This plan succeeded perfectly in arresting 
a too great development of the nose. 
A flat nose is easily modified in youth by re- 
peated pulling and pinching — pulling the point 
and pinching the sides at the bottom of the feature. 
If the development of the nasal organ can be 
arrested by depriving it of nutritious juices, it 
stands to reason that its size will be increased by 
an abundant supply of these juices, and on this 
invariable physiological law is based the art of 
increasing the size, or of lengthening noses that 
would otherwise remain in the condition of a 
tubercle for want of nourishment. A small, with- THE NOSE. 
149 
ered nose must be submitted to often repeated 
gentle frictions with the aromatic tincture indi- 
cated in the cosmetic formula, in order to excite 
the skin and subjacent muscles, and thus draw to 
the spot a greater number of nourishing juices. 
Besides this, the organ should be frequently pulled, 
in order to lengthen it. If the nose becomes pain- 
ful under this treatment, cease at once, and only 
resume it on the following day or day after that. 
The fault of too small nostrils is very easily 
Corrected by means of little pellets of prepared 
sponge used in surgery. These pellets, introduced 
into the openings of the nostrils, swell by moisture 
and operate a dilation insensible, but very power- 
ful. As the dilation increases, the size of the 
pellet must be increased until the required en- 
largening is reached. 
A well-known orthopedist gives an account of 
the widening of the nostril by this process in the 
case of a girl of eighteen who had nostrils of un- 
equal size. One was very open and the other so 
small that the barrel of a quill pen would hardly 
enter it. After thirty-five days of dilation by the 
sponge, the nostril obtained the size of the other 
one. 
It is well known that dilation is employed in 
surgery to give to orifices dimensions suitable to 
the working of the organs, and is always success- 
ful as well as painless. 
The fault of too great width of nostril is easily 
corrected in youth, by limiting the nutrition of the 150 
THE NOSE. 
organ, but at an age when the nose has reached 
its full development it is too late to do this. It 
may be palliated by repeated pinching, and then 
the nostril will gain in length what it loses in 
width. 
If we consider attentively, we shall see how very 
few countenances there are that offer noses per- 
fectly straight, that is, that strictly follow the 
median line without deviating in the least to the 
right or to the left. This scarcely perceptible 
deviation is caused by the habit of wiping the 
nose either to the right or to the left, and of always 
doing it on the same side. Parents who notice this 
incipient fault have only, in order to obviate it, to 
make their children wipe their noses on the oppo- 
site side from what they are accustomed to, till 
the error is corrected. 
We know a very charming girl, who was in de- 
spair because her nose inclined to the left, and we 
advised her always to use her handkerchief to the 
right. She at first laughed at the simplicity of 
the plan, but as a woman will try every means to 
correct her physical failings, she followed our ad- 
vice for a whole year, and was rewarded by seeing 
her nose perfectly straightened. 
When the inclination of the nose is due to the 
deviation of the nasal partition, this can be straight- 
ened by stuffing the inclined nostril with wads of 
lint and by frequent pulling on the side opposite 
the deviation. 
Heat and cold, irritating odors and powders, THE NOSE. 
151 
affect the nasal mucous membrane and dull the 
seuse of smell. Snuff-taking is no longer the 
fashion, fortunately for all parties, for a nose 
smeared with snuff was never a cleanly nor an 
attractive spectacle. 
The bad habit of scratching the nose and of 
using woollen, cotton, or silk pocket-handkerchiefs 
may injure the skin of the nose; linen does not 
produce this effect. The handkerchief should be 
changed frequently, particularly in cases of cold 
in the head. If the sides of the nose are chapped 
by cold or by the running of mucous excretions, as 
is the case when suffering from cold in the head, 
emollient lotions are recommended. Frictions 
with a softening ointment are also advisable. The 
snow-cream is the real specific in this case. 
The mucous membrane which lines the nasal 
cavities gives rise, particularly in men, to those 
hairs in the nose which have a very unpleasant 
appearance. Many try to get rid of these hairs by 
pulling them out; but this plan is liable to serious 
objections, as it may cause, among other things, a 
violent inflammation of the pituitary membrane, 
deep ulcerations, swelling of the cartilages of the 
nose, and sometimes even caries and mortification. 
Some cases have occurred where, for having pulled 
out imprudently the hairs in the interior of the 
nose, persons have suffered intolerable pain, and, in 
consequence of inflammation of the cartilages, their 
noses have assumed the proportions of a potato. 
Depilatory pastes and powders are equally dan- 152 
THE NOSE. 
gerous, as the membrane that lines the nasal cavi- 
ties is extremely delicate. The only plan that 
incurs no danger, is to cut off the hairs with scissors 
as they inquire it. 
When, by accident or disease, the nose has been 
entirely destroyed, the only remedy is rhinoplasty, 
or the formation of a new nose. This operation, 
which is almost always successful, consists in cut- 
ting from the arm or the forehead a piece of skin 
in the form of a nose, and grafting it in the place 
of the missing organ. CHAPTER XV. 
THE MOUTH. 
THE mouth is the part of the face which merits 
the most attention, and which necessitates the 
most care. Lively red lips, white and well-set 
teeth, rosy gums, and pure breath, are qualities 
which cannot be too much valued ; while the con- 
trary defects must be considered as an immense 
misfortune, chiefly for young people. A mouth 
fresh and kept in good order can be compared to 
a rose that we want to see expand; an unclean 
mouth inspires disgust, and when it opens we turn 
aside to avoid the vitiated breath which comes from 
it. We cannot, therefore, be too lavish of the hy- 
gienic cares that the mouth necessitates. 
A mouth, to be pretty and attractive, must be 
neither large nor small; rosy, firm, erectile, and 
medium sized, are the qualities most appreciated. 
The lines of the upper lips must mark a light de- 
pression at their centre, to form the nasal gutter; 
and go from there to join, on each side, the lines 
of the under lip, with which they unite into two 
delicately drawn commissures. 
The mouth is the altar on which love deposits 
its numerous offerings, and friendship revives its 154 
THE MOUTH. 
ties; it is also the organ of speech — that precious 
faculty granted to man only, and which establishes 
his superiority over all other living creatures. The 
harmonious articulation of words and the charm 
of the voice depend on the good conformation 
and the integrity of the several parts which com- 
pose the mouth. If the lips, the tongue, and the 
teeth are injured in their substance, or are want- 
ing, the speech is more or less altered, and more 
or less defective. 
At all times poets have taken the mouth as the 
home of smiles, the abode of that eloquent laugh- 
ter which, rippling on the lips, from one side to 
the other, are the faithful expression of the affec- 
tions of the heart and of the soul. The truth is, 
that poets could not find a more sweet and at- 
tractive throne than a pretty mouth. 
The family of smiles is very numerous, and it 
must be so, since every smile has its distinctive 
character, and expresses a distinct thought or sen- 
timent. 
There are smiles which denote goodness, sweet- 
ness, affability; and others which express irony, 
sarcasm, insult; the former are bright, cheerful, 
witty; the latter are petulant, immoderate, incon- 
sistent. 
Modesty, candor, innocence, possess a most 
charming smile; brutality, cunning, imposture, 
vice, have a false, repulsing smile, which hurts the 
eye and chills the heart: the first are open, affec- 
tionate, and graceful; the others conceal deceitful 
and mean and petty feelings. THE MOUTH. 
155 
It has been said that the smile is the ther- 
mometer of the qualities of the heart, and that we 
must distrust people who have a false smile or 
never laugh. This is true; and it is certain that 
the smile expresses not only the variety of our 
sentiments and affections, but also their most 
evanescent shades. Pride, ostentation, prudery, 
foolishness, disdain, contempt, raillery, doubt, con- 
viction, rapture, protection, etc., etc., have all their 
peculiar smiles. 
The smile is the most powerful weapon of love 
and the most expressive language of beauty; what 
does not this mute language tell us ? 
Lastly, in the family of smiles there are two 
intimate brothers; the one is the interpreter of 
love, the other of voluptuousness. The first pre- 
cedes and accompanies pleasure; the second hovers 
for some moments on the lips and melts in volup- 
tuous languors. Oh ! how eloquent the smile which 
promises the raptures of love and the transports 
of mutual happiness! 
Without presuming to confine the flow of joy 
and pleasure in a didactic circle, we will show our 
fair readers that there is an attraction, a grace, a 
perfume, in a smile as in other beauties of nature. 
Now, the symmetrical concourse of all the features 
of the face is needful to make a smile attractive 
and graceful, for if one side of the face were to 
remain immovable while the other would act, the 
result would be a very grotesque one. 
A smile must never go beyond a certain line 156 
THE MOUTH. 
traced by propriety, for if it does, it becomes 
ridiculous ; excessive shouts of laughter convulse 
the features and produce a horrid grimace; a 
studied and habitual smile completely changes, 
after a time, the character of the face — it pro- 
duces furrows and precocious wrinkles, and spoils 
beauty forever. 
To sum up the matter, the smile is the comple- 
ment of the attractions of the mouth ; it is to the 
face what color is to flowers, what the sun’s rays 
are to nature. A graceful smile corrects ugliness 
and embellishes a plain face, while a disagreeable 
smile distorts the purity of lines of a handsome 
face and makes it appear ugly. It is therefore 
necessary to repress at an early age the vicious 
muscular contractions, which provoke the irregular 
or excessive expansion of the face, and give it a 
trivial expression. 
We therefore strongly advise ladies to conform 
themselves to our precepts, or, better still, to con- 
sult often their mirrors, and to make the smile a 
study — the same as we do of art, postui'e, and 
carriage. The most handsome woman will not 
please without the attractions of the smile ; she 
will find courtiers, but no true and sincere admirers, 
because a disagreeable smile is by itself repulsive. 
Lastly, the eloquence of smile is no less power- 
ful than the eloquence of look; love and beauty 
use these two languages with equal success. Fer- 
vent love interrogates with a pressing, irresistible 
look, and timid beauty answers with an enchant- THE MOUTH. 
157 
ing smile. Let us ask those who have loved, if 
there be anything more eloquent, more persuasive, 
than such a smile ? 
.But we must guard ourselves against incessant 
laughter, and not forget that, when this becomes a 
habit, it disfigures the prettiest face ; under its in- 
fluence the eyes contract themselves, the skin near 
the angles of the eye forms folds, and presents 
wrinkles similar to those that we see generally on 
the face of mad people. 
PHYSIOGNOMY.— A widely open mouth ex- 
presses astonishment or stupidity. A mouth that 
falls in and with thin lips, denotes a subtle, sharp, 
deceitful mind. The same mouth, tightly closed and 
drawn in a right line, announces regular habits, 
punctuality, economy, and frequently covetous- 
ness. Sensual appetites have their abode on thick 
and fleshy lips; the under lip, when thick and 
falling, is a sign of lust. Pale and faded lips are 
a sign of poor health, of general debility; while 
full and ruddy lips are the mark of general health. 
The mouth forming a distended bow is found in 
persons full of themselves, swelling with pride and 
vanity. A projecting upper lip belongs to good- 
ness. Anger makes the lips grow pale, but fades 
them, while love and desire swell them. 
Large and wide jawbones are an almost certain 
sign of stupidity and brutality. In general, all peo- 
ple with large jawbones have a narrow cranium. 
A wide mouth means voracity, courage, confidence 
in one’s strength. A small mouth announces cold- 158 
THE MOUTH. 
ness, timidity, a diffident, narrow, and little en- 
lightened mind. According to the most celebrated 
physiognomists, a person afflicted with too small 
a mouth never possesses that loviugness that we 
meet in middle-sized mouths. To mince, to speak 
lispingly, is so customary with small mouths, that 
all people who want to talk mincingly and af- 
fectedly begin with lessening their mouth. 
The degree of pression of the lips the one against 
the other is in direct ratio with firmness of char- 
acter. Discretion is shown by lips kept close to- 
gether, as if one was fearing the escape of a 
dangerous word or sign. A scornful and haughty 
lip comes near to the nose and causes the under 
lip to advance. Good nature and credulity leave 
the lower lip slightly falling. The two lips pushed 
forward mark miscontentment, disappointment, 
deception. This physiognomonic expression of the 
mouth, called pout, is too frequently illustrated by 
women tenacious in their exigencies and insisting 
upon being obeyed. 
Great teeth jutting out and overlaying the 
teeth of the lower jaw, mark a want of energy, 
malignity, and sometimes evil passions. 
Teeth small and inclining inwards, indicate 
finesse, or an unruly, impatient, and sometimes 
vindictive character. 
When the canine teeth are very long and sharp, 
we may augur voracious instincts and an aggres- 
sive disposition. 
These short reflections on the mouth illustrate THE LIPS. 
159 
the important part that this organ has to play in 
life, and will convince our readers how necessary 
it is to give it the most careful hygienic attention. 
SECTION I. 
THE LIPS. 
HYGIENE OF THE LIPS. —The beauty of 
the lips consists in their form and color, and in 
the delicacy and the freshness of their tissue. 
Lips either too thick or too thin, are disagree- 
able ; pale, faded, or chapped lips show ill health, 
or a sickness of long standing. 
Cases of malformation, such as hare-lip, coarc- 
tion, growing together of the lips, or serious acci- 
dents, demand surgical care, and sometimes the 
application of chiloplasty, or the formation of an 
artificial lip, to replace the one wanted. We will 
confine ourselves here to such imperfections as can 
be cured without the help of a surgeon. 
SECTION II. 
ATROPHY AND HYPERTROPHY OF THE 
LIPS. — The lips are liable to suffer from atro- 
phy, that is, fail to receive the necessary nutritive 
juices, and remain, consequently, too thin, or they 
may suffer from the other extreme, and acquire a 
development that renders them hideous to behold. 
Nothing is easier than to remedy the first fault, 
the patient having but to suck his lips frequently, 160 
THE LIPS. 
to pull them out with his fingers, and to bathe 
them often with some irritating liquid, in order to 
bring a greater supply of blood to their tissue. 
The size of the lips will thus be increased in the 
same way that the nutrition of a limb will aug- 
ment when submitted to repeated exercise. 
The thickness or hypertrophy of the lips, par- 
ticularly that of the lower lip, which sometimes 
remains pendant, is more difficult to cure; still, 
fairly satisfactory results may be obtained by 
keeping as much as possible in action the orbicu- 
lar muscle of the lips. Make it a task to contract 
it as often and as long as possible, and, as an aux- 
iliary means, wet the lips frequently with astrin- 
gent water in order to draw the tissue closer, and 
to render the work of contraction the least trouble- 
some possible. The “ stimulating pomade,” of which 
we give the formula at the end of this work, can 
also be advantageously used. 
If these methods do not succeed, recourse must be 
had to a small compressive apparatus of leather, 
made to fit the lips closely and exactly, lined 
with fine linen imbibed with astringent water. 
This apparatus is fitted over the lip, which it 
presses in all directions, and moderates its local 
circulation. Sometimes the pressure causes a 
slight feeling of numbness, which can be made to 
cease immediately by removing the apparatus. 
It must be worn all night, and, if possible, during 
a part of the day, and persisted in for a long time. 
Should it get painful, it can be laid aside until the 
following day. There have been several examples THE LIPS. 
161 
of large lips brought to their normal size by the 
use of this little apparatus. 
SECTION III. 
CHAPPING AND WITHERING OF THE 
LIPS. — This may occur from several causes, which 
also deprive the lips of their color, and produce 
boils and pimples. When these affections are not 
the visible evidences of internal disease, and are 
simply due to a local cause, such as cold, excessive 
heat, contact with irritating substances, etc., they 
can be cured without difficulty or inconvenience. 
Persons should favor, by emollient lotions, the 
progress and ripening of pimples that appear on 
the lips after fevers, as they show the expulsion 
by nature of the morbid principle which affected 
the health. 
There are people who, impatient to get rid of 
a pimple, that injures the appearance of the lips, 
hasten its drying up by cauterizing it with a very 
hot toast of bread. This cauterization does, in 
fact, produce an exterior crust, but irritates so 
violently the interior as to give at once rise to 
throbbings similar to those that preceded the first 
coming of the pimple. 
In our opinion, the best mode of cure is repeated 
applications of snow-cream, which hastens the pro- 
gress of the pimple without irritating it. 
Withered lips can be restored by bathing them 
in some tonic water, of by anointing them with 162 
THE GUMS. 
an exciting ointment, of which we give the recipe 
in the formulary of this work. 
Chapped lips, without being more difficult to 
cure, require more time and care. The first thing 
to be done is to withdraw them from the influ- 
ences which caused the trouble, and keep it up. 
Among these influences may be included cold, 
contact with highly spiced condiments and irri- 
tating substances. The lips should then be bathed 
several times a day with an infusion of elder-flow- 
ers, and anointed with cucumber, or any other soft- 
ening ointment. The snow-cream, of which we 
have already spoken, is the finest specific against 
chapping and pimples. 
SECTION IV. 
THE GUMS. 
THE GUMS.—The firmness, carnation, and pu- 
rity of the gums are a sign of the health of the 
mouth. Gums, either pale or flabby, of a brown- 
ish-red, swollen or bleeding, prove a bad state of 
health. As the soundness of the gums depends on 
the hygienic care daily given to the mouth, and on 
the general health of the individual, it will at 
once be seen how important it is to follow exactly 
the principles of hygiene we give at the end of this 
chapter. 
HYGIENE OF THE GUMS.—The hygiene of 
the gums is closely connected with that of the 
teeth, for what will hurt the one is injurious to 
the other. To preserve the freshness and firmness THE GUMS. 
163 
of the gums, the following things must be sedu- 
lously avoided : Beverages, acid, too hot or too 
cold, all excesses in eating and drinking, and 
consequently indigestions. The mouth should be 
rinsed after every meal, and the teeth kept scru- 
pulously clean without exaggerating the use of the 
tooth-pick and tooth-brush, for the most common 
cause of injury to the gums is the neglect of 
hygienic cares. When the teeth are suffered to 
get incrusted with tartar, the gums very soon get 
swollen, painful, and bleeding. The natural rem- 
edy is to remove the tartar, to clean the teeth each 
day, and to use astringent, aromatic mouth-washes. 
The Pkilodontine water, given in our formulary, is 
excellent to clean and give firmness to the gums. 
We wish to particularly caution our fair readers 
against the use of hard tooth-brushes, which many 
persons erroneously suppose give a better polish 
to the teeth, whereas, in fact, they irritate the 
gums, make them bleed, and finally loosen the 
teeth. A great many of the long, fang-like teeth, 
that are such a blemish to otherwise charming 
faces, are due to the use of too hard tooth-brushes. 
Soft brushes cleanse with equal efficacy, and have 
none of the objections of the former. 
When the gums affected with atony are of a 
pale, wan color, it is very needful indeed to use 
stimulating tonic lotions, such as the pkilodontine 
water, mixed with about three times its bulk of 
pure water. Swollen and bleeding gums are healed 
with gargles, at first mildly astringent, and after- 164 
THE TEETH. 
wards with styptic lotions. It is even sometimes 
requisite to scarify the gums slightly to thoroughly 
relieve them. 
The gums and the mucous membrane of the 
mouth are sometimes afflicted with small fungosi- 
ties and slight ulcerations or sores. When these 
sores get to a certain extent, so as to render the 
mouth noisome, they must be touched with sul- 
phate of copper, cut in the shape of a pencil, or 
with the following mixture : 
Juice of houseleeks 1 oz. 
White honey 1 “ 
Sulphate of aluminum 75 grs. 
Touch the sores two or three times a day with 
a small brush or camel’s-hair pencil dipped in this 
mixture. Astringent gargles, sweetened with honey, 
will materially assist the cure. 
If the sores and ulcerations are occasioned by 
internal diseases, cancer, scrofulous or scorbutic 
affection, it is absolutely necessary to refer to the 
physician, that the evil may be attacked at its root 
and its further damages arrested. 
SECTION V. 
THE TEETH. 
The teeth are organs necessary for three dis- 
tinct purposes — the beauty of the face, pronuncia- 
tion, and mastication. The loss of the upper in- 
cisors causes the falling in of the corresponding THE TEETH. 
165 
lips, and also the projection of the lower lip. The 
loss of a single incisor creates a painful, sibilant 
sound in the pronunciation. The absence of a 
great number of the molars renders mastication 
incomplete and ineffective ; the food improperly- 
chewed renders the work of the stomach difficult, 
and is the cause of bad digestion. 
It is therefore of the greatest importance to re- 
place the natural teeth, as soon as they are lost, by 
artificial ones. 
In what concerns the adornment of the mouth, 
and the beauty of the face, the whiteness and reg- 
ularity of the teeth becomes indispensable. Beau- 
tiful white teeth are proofs of a healthy mouth, and 
of the cares of cleanliness daily given to it; they 
improve a smile and correct the fault of too large 
a mouth; and we may safely say, that teeth which 
conform to all the conditions of form, perfect line, 
and whiteness, are one of the principal beauties of 
the face. 
“ Had the fair Helen but lost a tooth,” writes an 
author, “ the siege of Troy would never have taken 
place, and the divine Iliad had never been written.” 
When a woman, endowed with beautiful eyes, a 
well-shaped nose, a fine forehead, and magnificent 
hair is afflicted with bad teeth, she pleases, she is 
admired as long as her features remain in repose; 
but should she venture on a smile that opens her 
lips and show her teeth, incrusted with tartar or 
blackened with decay, her beauty is at once for- 
gotten, and previous admirers avert their looks 166 
THE TEETH. 
almost involuntarily, as they say to themselves: 
What frightful teeth, what a repelling mouth! . . . 
Persons afflicted with this infirmity are not igno- 
rant of the impression of disgust that the sight of 
their misfortune produces, and they avoid, conse- 
quently, laughing as much as possible. If they 
are compelled to give any sign of hilarity, it is in 
such a constrained manner, through the attempt 
not to open the mouth, as to make the laugh re- 
semble a grimace more than anything else. 
A person otherwise homely of feature, but hav- 
ing a fine set of teeth, causes, when he or she 
laughs, the unpleasant part of the face to be for- 
gotten in the admiration excited by the charms of 
the mouth, to which the eyes are at once turned. 
All around are heard the words: what beautiful 
teeth, and this compliment is a consolation for the 
want of beauty elsewhere. 
Dirty teeth, covered with tartar, or decayed and 
swollen gums, are the signs of either constitutional 
evil, or of a guilty disregard of the principles of 
hygiene, and are marked to other senses than that 
of sight by foul breath, a most disgusting infirmity. 
SECTION VI. 
ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF THE 
TEETH.— Everybody knows what a tooth is, but 
everybody does not know its mode of formation 
and organization. This, a few lines will suffice to 
teach them. THE TEETH. 
167 
The teeth are composed of two substances — en- 
amel and bone; the enamel, which only appears 
from where the tooth leaves the gum, is the hard- 
est part of the whole, and will strike fire against 
steel; the bony, or interior portion, less hard than 
the enamel, is, however, harder than the other 
bones of the body on account of the great quantity 
of calcareous matter which enters into its composi- 
tion. Each tooth has two distinct parts — the root 
and the crown; the first, firmly set and incased in 
the alveola, is pierced by a narrow channel, which 
gives passage to a nerve, to an artery, and to a 
vein. Teeth which have several roots have a cen- 
tral cavity, into which each root, pierced by the 
channel just mentioned, sends its nerve and its 
blood-vessels. 
The formation of the tooth takes place in a 
capsule placed in the bottom of the alveola, which 
secretes a gelatinous kernel, that gradually hardens 
and becomes a bony substance. This bony sub- 
stance, which is the real tooth, becomes covered on 
its upper part with a thin coating of enamel, also 
secreted by the capsule. This work of nature is 
most marvellous! The tooth is not itself sensible ; 
but the membrane which lines its cavities, and on 
which expands the dental nerve, is endowed with 
the most exquisite sensibility. On this membrane 
act heat and cold, and it is to it that, being irri- 
tated by contact with the air, when the body of 
the tooth is pierced by caries or decay, we owe the 
horrible pangs of toothache. 168 
THE TEETH. 
The dentist’s art has reached such a degree of 
perfection in the present day, and especially in 
this country, treatises on dentistry are so complete, 
and skilled dentists everywhere so numerous, that 
we will confine ourselves to pointing out the ills 
and affections which our readers can themselves 
remedy without any mechanical aid. We shall 
point out the best means of keeping the teeth in 
good order; and we advise that, in every case where 
our advice is not followed by the anticipated con- 
sequences, recourse should be had to a skilled 
dentist, whose hand and instruments nearly always 
obtain a marvellous success. 
SECTION VII. 
WRONG DIRECTION OF THE TEETH DURING 
THEIR GROWTH. 
LATERAL DEVIATIONS.—A tooth whose 
natural exit is obstructed by any obstacle, will 
pierce the wall of the alveola on the inside, and 
more frequently on the outside, and continue to 
grow in the same wrong direction. By consulting 
a dentist in time this fault can be corrected, but it 
is very difficult when the tooth has attained its 
full growth, and extraction is often the only 
remedy. 
OBLIQUE DEVIATIONS.—Another kind of 
deviation, more common, but less difficult to 
correct, is that where the tooth, on leaving the 
alveola, leans either behind or before, or when, THE TEETH. 
169 
instead of presenting itself squarely to the dentary 
arch, it presents itself sideways. These errors are 
of little importance; a slight compression in the 
first case, an often repeated twist or turn in the 
second, will soon make the tooth resume its proper 
position. 
SECTION VIII. 
TEETH TOO FAR APART OR TOO CLOSE 
TOGETHER —The fault of teeth too far apart 
from each other is easily corrected by the applica- 
tion of a ligature of waxed thread of India-rubber, 
or of gold wire, whose constant action never fails 
to draw the teeth properly together. 
The opposite fault, of teeth being too closely 
set, can, when the evil is not great, be remedied 
by the use of the file. If this is not sufficient, a 
tooth must be extracted, and such is the case when 
the extent of the jawbone’s upper surface is not 
in proportion with the width of the teeth. The 
space left by the drawn tooth allows of the proper 
expansion of the others, which soon fill up the 
void, and entirely prevent the fact that a tooth is 
missing from being noticed. 
Dentists employ three different modes of operat- 
ing in this case — ligatures, the inclined plane, 
and springs — each of which has given rise to a 
number of inventions more or less ingenious, by 
dentists wishing to obtain the desired result in the 
most efficacious manner. 170 
THE TEETH. 
SECTION IX. 
DISEASES OF THE TEETH. 
The teeth are subject to several diseases, some 
of which are external — such as the wearing, break- 
ing, cracking, softening, or entire loss of the enamel, 
tartar or calcareous coating, etc., etc.— and some 
internal, such as the inflammation of the alveolary 
membrane, dentary neuralgia, caries, etc., etc. 
The first of this category of diseases is caused 
by exterior influences, the action of acids and of 
certain dentifrices, but the most frequent and un- 
doubted cause is to be found in extremes of heat 
and cold, particularly when the changes from the 
one to the other are too sudden. The habit of 
eating and drinking things either too hot or too 
cold is very prejudicial to the health of the teeth. 
People that drink tea or that eat soups, as a 
general thing, have usually yellow teeth and lose 
them early, while people that take both food and 
drink at a natural temperature have beautiful 
white teeth, which they keep to a great age. The 
Arabs, the Turks, and other half-civilized races, 
are a proof of what we assert. 
The moist air of foggy countries, of lands on the 
borders of rivers, lakes, and marshes, is also a fatal 
cause of injury to the dental organization. There 
are some countries in Europe where the people 
have extremely bad teeth and lose them very early, 
but we must say that the neglect of proper hy- 
gienic care has a great deal to do with this. 171 
THE TEETH. 
All acids are very injurious to the teeth, and 
their continued action tends greatly to soften and 
destroy the enamel. Persons who have a pro- 
nounced taste for acids should always be most 
careful to rinse their mouths immediately after 
partaking of them. There are powders and pre- 
parations for the teeth, composed of tartaric acid 
and carbonate of potash, which cause great injury 
to the teeth, and of which the sale ought to be 
prohibited. 
BREAKING AND CRACKING.—Teeth acci- 
dentally broken can be mended as easily as any 
other bones of the body, but require a much longer 
time, seven or eight months being requisite for 
their perfect joining. When a tooth is broken at 
its root, it must be kept perfectly immovable to 
obtain a cure. When a tooth is broken at the 
spot where it leaves the gums, it can be fixed firmly 
by means of a plate of gold or of platinum, which 
will maintain the contact of the fractured surfaces. 
A crack, less serious than a fracture, can be 
cured by the same means, in a much shorter space 
of time. 
The loss of the enamel does not, as is generally 
supposed, cause the inevitable caries or decay of 
the teeth, but it renders them more susceptible and 
less beautiful, while by proper care they can be 
still preserved in a sound condition. 
TARTAR.— This, which encroaches upon the 
teeth of persons who do not take proper care of 
their mouths, is not, at its outset, a disease, but 172 
THE TEETH. 
if suffered to continue, it attacks the gums and 
sometimes penetrates the alveola, separates the 
teeth, loosens them, and causes them to fall out. 
Tartar consists of phosphate of lime mixed with a 
mucous substance. At first soft and sticky, it 
fastens itself to the base of the teeth, and hardens 
as succeeding layers cover the older ones, till 
finally it invades the entire jaw and entirely buries 
the teeth. We will here give two examples of the 
wonderful incrustation which may invade a mouth 
deprived of all hygienic cares : 
A young girl just in her teens, for some reason, 
found herself deprived of the necessary appliances 
for keeping her teeth clean, and tartar invaded 
them to such an extent that they finally disap- 
peared beueath it. When at the age of fifteen, she 
returned to society, it was supposed that all her 
teeth were decayed, as they were of a color that 
offered a most disagreeable contrast with her other- 
wise remarkably beautiful features. This young 
lady, who had so long been most unhappy on ac- 
count of her deformity, felt at the age of twenty 
such violent pain in her teeth that she was com- 
pelled to consult a dentist. This dentist found on 
examining the mouth of his patient, that her teeth 
were entirely invaded by tartar, and undertook to 
remove it. He succeeded ; each tooth, as he de- 
livered it from its black, unsightly covering, ap- 
peared of dazzling whiteness, and he soon brought 
to light twenty-eight pearls free from the hideous THE TEETH. 
173 
covering which had so long concealed them and 
disfigured so charming a mouth. 
This case of the preservation of the teeth be- 
neath a layer of tartar is, however, extremely rare, 
and it scarcely ever happens that the dental organ 
is not materially injured by it. An example we 
will now give will show the evil effects of allowing 
tartar to accumulate for several years upon the 
teeth. 
In consequence of a severe and long attack of 
sickness, the teeth of a youth of seventeen became 
covered with a heavy layer of tartar, to which 
neither he nor his parents gave heed. At the age 
of twenty, both rows of teeth had vanished beneath 
this hideous plaster; the gums were severely ul- 
cerated and his breath smelt dreadfully offensive. 
Violent pains and continual loss of sleep com- 
pelled the youth to go to a dentist; but it was, un- 
fortunately, too late, and the calcareous layer was 
so dense and hard that the ordinary instruments 
used by dentists were of no avail. The dentist had 
to use a chisel and mallet; but after breaking off 
a portion of the tartar, he found the teeth beneath 
rotten, and out of the alveola, while the alveola 
itself, invaded by the tartar, was, like the gums, 
so deeply ulcerated that the whole was an offen- 
sive, putrid mass. Seeing this, the dentist would 
not take the responsibility of a case that seemed so 
doubtful, and urged the youth to enter a hospital. 
This he did, but, in spite of the best of care, he 
sunk and died in a few months from mortification, 174 
THE TEETH. 
which set in in the jaw-bone, and of a general de- 
rangement of the mucous membrane. 
Parents should take warning from these exam- 
ples, and pay strict attention to the dental system 
of their children, taking them frequently and reg- 
ularly to the dentist, in order to secure for them 
in the future the beauty and the goodness of such 
valuable organs. 
The origin of internal diseases of the teeth can 
be attributed to many causes, such as constitu- 
tional evils, scrofula, rheumatism, gout, herpetic 
diseases, scurvy, etc. All these may more or less 
injure the teeth. 
INFLAMMATION OF THE ALVEOLARY 
MEMBRANE AND OF THE PULPY KER- 
NEL. — It sometimes happens that a tooth, sound 
to all appearance, causes such intolerable pain that 
its owner insists on having it extracted. This pain 
is caused either by the inflammation of the mem- 
brane that lines the alveola, or of the medullary 
membrane of the root, or by dental neuralgia. In 
this case it is well to avoid extraction, for there is 
good reason to hope that the pain will vanish with 
its passing cause, and that the tooth will return to 
its natural condition. If, however, the remission 
of pain lasts but a short time, and a fresh attack 
as bad as the first affects the tooth, this latter must 
be extracted, as it is now sure that there exists, 
either in the root or in the alveola, an organic 
malady. Some dentists do not agree to this, urg- 
ing, perhaps rightly, that to extract a tooth that THE TEETH. 
175 
has no external signs of injury, is an error, and 
advise, to prevent any return of pain, that luxa- 
tion be resorted to. 
SECTION X. 
LUXATION OF THE TEETH. 
This operation consists in raising the tooth and 
half tearing it from its alveola, so as to break the 
nerves and blood-vessels that enter its root. After 
the luxation, or its dislocation is thorough, the 
tooth is pushed back into its alveola, and being 
henceforth deprived of its supply of nourishing 
juices and nervous stimulants dies, and may be 
considered exactly as an artificial tooth. 
SECTION XI. 
CARIES OR DECAY. 
This is the greatest, and, unfortunately, the com- 
monest of diseases which attack the teeth. We 
will not here enter into considerations of all its 
various forms of dry, wet, yellow, black, etc., etc., 
but simply say that caries is to the teeth what 
the gangrene is to the fleshy parts of the body. 
The caries or decay of the teeth is first shown by a 
yellow or brown spot, which spreads and increases, 
if not arrested, until the whole tooth is destroyed. 
At its outset caries is not painful, and some 
forms of the disease will attack a tooth and cause 
it to fall in pieces without any pain ; but when the 176 
THE TEETH. 
hole caused by the decay penetrates to the dental 
nerve, the pain occurs, and becomes more or less 
intense, in proportion to the extent of the evil and 
of the irritability of the sufferer. 
SECTION XII. 
CURE FOR CARIES. 
Three different plans have been recommended 
for the stay and ultimate cure of caries: cauteriz- 
ation with a red-hot iron, cauterization by means 
of strong acids, and the ablation and removal of 
the affected spot by use of tbe file and of scaling. 
Cauterization with a red-hot iron is very pain- 
ful, does not always succeed, and may cause the 
tooth to crack. The same operation by means of 
strong acids is less difficult, but it has the evil of 
softening the adjacent parts of the tooth, and to 
cause them to fall off in small pieces. Further on 
we will say a few words on the various secrets to 
cure toothache, which are generally of no avail, 
and, at most, simply dull the pain for a moment. 
The best way is to attack the evil with the file and 
scale, and this concerns the dentist. If, after a 
certain time, a fresh spot should be found upon the 
filed surface, the dentist’s instruments must again 
be used for they are the only means of preserving 
a tooth attacked with caries, and of preventing the 
spread of the decay to its neighbors, for it is rare 
that a decayed tooth does not communicate its 
disease to those next it. THE TEETH. 
177 
We cannot too often repeat the advice to ex- 
amine frequently the teeth, or to have them exam- 
ined by a dentist, in order to preserve them from 
this dangerous evil. As soon as a spot upon the 
enamel is visible, there is no time to lose, it must be 
at once removed, and this is all the easier for being 
done promptly and when the spot is but super- 
ficial. If delay allows it to grow deep, what was 
at first a mere spot becomes an eating decay, that 
can only be arrested by the removal of the affected 
spot. 
STOPPING DECAYED TEETH. — This opera- 
tion is performed in order to delay the inevit- 
able destruction of a tooth seriously decayed, and 
which the person does not wish to have extracted. 
Before introducing the metal it is requisite to 
thoroughly cleanse, cauterize, and scale the cavity ; 
the metal, gold or silver leaf, is then introduced 
in small pieces, and pressed down firmly until the 
hole is well filled. This kind of filling lasts but a 
little time, as fragments of the metal are contin- 
ually being detached, and the work has to be done 
over again. To obviate this, Darcet’s fusible metal 
has been invented and improved upon by Regnard. 
This metal has the advantage, by being melted, of 
filling perfectly the cavity and forming one mass. 
Another metal, called by its inventor silver paste, 
appears superior to that of Darcet’s, as it does not 
require the use of fire, and hardens gradually, 
allowing of its being taken out if the operation has 
not been properly performed. This metal is pre- 178 
THE TEETH. 
pared of virgin silver reduced to a very fine pow- 
der and quicksilver. When the two metals are 
well amalgamated, they are put into a bag of goat- 
skin and submitted to heavy pressure, which drives 
out the mercury through the pores of the skin. 
The residue obtained is a pretty compact paste 
that is kept for use in a stoppered glass bottle. 
This paste is used cold, and is forced into the 
cavity of the tooth by means of a small rammer. 
After a few days the mercury evaporates, leaving 
the silver in a solid form, which perfectly fills every 
anfractuosity of the decayed cavity. 
We will here remark, that it often happens, in 
consequence of filling with fusible metal, that a 
violent inflammation in the medullary canal takes 
place; the matter that cannot find an outlet causes 
intense pain, and it becomes necessary to remove 
the filling to allow the gathered humor to escape. 
This inconvenience has caused the method by 
sheets of gold and silver to be preferred to that 
by fusible metal. 
EMBALMING- THE TEETH.—Some years ago 
a process was advertised for embalming decayed 
teeth and preserving them from rotting. This is 
one of those trade advertisements that will not 
stand reflection, for if the decayed tooth is still 
attached to life by its nerves and blood-vessels, it 
is impossible to reduce it to the state of a mummy 
without killing it. If it is dead, that is to say, if 
its nerves and vessels are entirely destroyed, of 
what use is it to embalm a lifeless bone? In a THE TEETH. 
179 
tooth that is entirely dead, caries and decay cease 
of themselves, and the tooth is like an artificial 
tooth, only needing the cares of cleanliness. A 
dislocated tooth is in the same condition. 
EXTRACTION OF THE TEETH.—This oper- 
ation, less painful than is generally supposed, re- 
quires several instruments in a skilful hand. This 
is not the proper place for a description of all the 
various methods, and we must refer our readers, 
curious in this matter, to works treating of the 
mechanical part of the dentist’s art. 
TRANSPLANTATION OF TEETH. — We will 
say but a few words on this subject, an immoral 
operation in opposition to our ideas, and of which 
the success seems to us very doubtful. Formerly, 
a wealthy person who had a decayed tooth, pur- 
chased a good sound tooth of a poor person, and 
the dentist having first extracted one tooth, imme- 
diately extracted the other and inserted the sound 
tooth, yet bleeding, in the alveola from which the 
bad one had just been extracted. It was pretended 
that the tooth thus transplanted would take root 
and live again, but this is more than doubtful, as 
the nerve and vessels can never accord perfectly 
so as to re-establish circulation. We allow that 
transplantation may produce an effect similar to 
dislocation, that is, that the tooth transplanted 
into a strange alveola may get fixed by the cohe- 
sion of the surroundings without taking root. 
ARTIFICIAL TEETH.— Whenever one or 
several teeth are missing, the beauty of the face 180 
THE TEETH. 
and the distinctness of the pronunciation suffer, and 
artificial teeth must be made use of. These teeth 
are made of various substances, such as elephant, 
hippopotamus, and sea-cow ivory. Some are made 
of various pastes of great hardness, but the ma- 
jority of dentists are inclined to think that the 
human teeth, which are in some countries an 
article of trade, are the best of all. The putting 
in of either single teeth or partial or complete sets 
is an essential part of the dentist’s profession, and 
requires a great amount of skill and intelligence. 
We can only advise our fair readers to choose a 
talented dentist. 
Having now explained the utility of the teeth, 
their errors of direction, their various diseases, and 
the means of remedying them, we will proceed with 
the most essential part of this short treatise, the 
prophylactics of the teeth, that is to say, their 
conservation by hygienic care. 
SECTION XIII. 
HYGIENE OP THE TEETH. 
Dental hygiene comprises all the means and 
cures taught us by experience to protect these 
organs from injurious influences, and to secure 
their perfect preservation. We particularly wish 
to impress upon our readers the importance of 
never neglecting the following advice: 
Never eat or drink anything too hot or too cold, 
avoid keeping acids or acid substances long in the THE TEETH. 
181 
mouth, and do not use too many acid eatables or 
drinkables, such as fruits, pickles, vinegar, etc., 
and always rinse the mouth out after using them-— 
we will show presently how injurious they are to 
the enamel; avoid all chances of shocks, pulls, and 
pressure ; never try to crack nuts, the stones of 
fruit, etc., as this may cause the enamel, or per- 
haps the whole tooth, to crack. We strongly ad- 
vise ladies, who, when sewing, are accustomed to 
cut their thread with the teeth, to break them- 
selves of so bad a habit, for the constantly repeated 
pulls shake the incisors, and cause them to fall out. 
There exists a great sympathy between the scalp 
and the teeth, and we therefore advise persons to 
be careful when they have their hair shampooned 
or cut, for the action of damp cold has always a 
bad influence on the teeth, and may induce swel- 
ling, congestion of the gums, toothache, and some- 
times decay. 
Avoid altogether the use of tooth-powders of 
which the composition is unknown, for generally 
those which whiten the enamel contain acids in 
dangerous quantity. The whiteness so produced 
is ephemeral, the tooth soon gets yellow, and loses 
its brilliancy forever. True, the acids destroy the 
tartar, but they also destroy the enamel, softening 
it and acting on it as nitric acid does on marble, 
producing an effervescence on the place it touches, 
to the cost of its substance. Such is the result of 
the dentifrices sold by quacks ; the moment the 
blackest teeth are touched by these magic powders, 182 
THE TEETH. 
they get white, and the vulgar, only judging by 
the effect of the moment and ignorant of the later 
consequences, hasten to buy the marvellous powder 
or wash. The law should prevent, by all means 
in its power, this dishonorable trade, and not allow 
the credulous to lose at the same time their money 
and their teeth. 
Not only should dentifrices be free from acids, 
but should also be free from too strongly styptic 
materials, which may at last dry up the gums and 
loosen the teeth, and from very hard substances, 
such as coral-powder, ground oyster-shells, etc., 
whose friction wears out the enamel. 
The use of the toothpick is indispensable to free 
the interstices between the teeth from the small 
fragments of food that stick there, and which give 
a bad odor to the breath, turn the enamel yellow, 
and otherwise injure it. 
The toothpick should always be made out of a 
very flexible quill, as any other material would be 
too hard, and might, through an involuntary move- 
ment, force the tooth, crack the enamel, and wound 
the gum. For this reason toothpicks of metal, or 
of any hard substance, should be looked on as 
dangerous. 
The use of the tooth-brush is entirely indispensa- 
ble. The best are those made of badger’s hair, as 
the soft friction they impart can in no way injure 
the gums, and they fulfil the conditions of hygiene 
better than' hard brushes. Every morning, on 
rising, the brush should be dipped into a glass of 
water, perfumed with a few drops of philodontine; THE TEETH. 
183 
have a little tooth-powder, without acid, put on it, 
and with it the teeth must be rubbed gently in 
every direction, that is, in front, behind, and the 
sides of the dental arches, without hurting or fa- 
tiguing the gums. After brushing the teeth, rinse 
the mouth with the same perfumed water, which 
should be tepid in the winter and of natural tem- 
perature in the summer. 
Tooth-Powder. 
Vegetable charcoal, well pulverized 1 oz. 
Powder of red quinquina, “ 1 “ 
Carbonate of magnesia §- “ 
Mix these thoroughly together, and perfume the 
powder with a few drops of essence of lemon or of 
peppermint, according to taste. 
This recipe combines all requisite conditions, and 
cannot be otherwise than beneficial to the teeth. 
TOOTH-WATERS, OR ELIXIRS.—These tooth- 
waters, or washes, are the natural auxiliaries of 
tooth-powders, when compounded with proper in- 
gredients; but we think it our duty to tell our fair 
readers that the majority of these elixirs coming 
from the apothecaries’ or the perfumers’ shops are 
nothing more than diluted spirits of wine colored 
with cochineal and perfumed with a few drops of 
essence of peppermint. 
All tooth-washes have the same bases, and if 
any one of them is superior to another it must be 
on account of the greater purity of the ingredients 
employed, since all are compounded with the same 
articles and in the same manner. Yet, there is 
not a dentist, a perfumer, or a druggist, who has 184 
THE TEETH. 
not his tooth-wash or elixir, which he declares 
superior to any other hitherto invented or to be 
invented. For our part, we will simply recom- 
mend the Eau Philodontine, which we judge from 
experience to unite in the highest degree all the 
qualities to be found in a tooth-wash. When 
properly put up, the Eau Philodontine, taken in 
the form of a few drops to a glass of water, and 
so used to rinse the mouth, purifies the breath, 
renders the mouth healthy, destroys any unpleas- 
ant odor arising from the presence of foreign 
bodies in the interstices of the teeth, gives tone to 
the gums, and prevents the loosening of the teeth, 
which last is always a dangerous sign. In a few 
words, the use of this water, combined with that 
of the dentifrice, of which we have just given the 
receipt, is the surest means of preserving the fresh- 
ness of the mouth, the purity of the breath, the 
whiteness of the enamel, and the teeth from decay 
— that fearful disease of the bony substance which 
always entails the loss of the organ. 
We here refer our readers to the formulary at 
the end of this work for the best means of manu- 
facturing at home a really hygienic dentifrice. 
Parents should inculcate, at an early age, on their 
children the habit of washing their mouths after 
eating, before going to bed, and on rising. It is an 
excellent way of preserving the teeth and keeping 
the breath pure. If, through carelessness or sick- 
ness, the teeth have been neglected and their bases 
have become covered with a yellow mass, it is use- 
less to try and remove it by the means of the brush THE TEETH. 
185 
and tooth-powder, as it can only be done by scrap- 
ing off the tartar with a dentist’s instrument, com- 
monly called scaling. We speak here for persons 
who have passed the age of puberty, for the teeth 
of children must never be touched with a steel 
instrument — the enamel being too soft, would be 
probably injured. It is only after the age of six- 
teen or seventeen that these instruments can be 
safely used. The dentist will be, however, the best 
judge whether, in case of incrustation of the teeth, 
he can use his instruments without risk. 
Before speaking of foul breath, we will say a 
few words on odontalgia or toothache, which causes 
often such intolerable agony, and claim the dis- 
covery of a sedative powerful enough to allay it 
as promptly and effectually as possible. 
Several anti-odontalgic mixtures enjoy a well- 
deserved reputation, but we recommend the 
ANTI-ODONTALGIC WATER * as the best of 
all remedies against toothache. This water, whose 
smell and taste are far from unpleasant, is sedative 
and cauterizing in its action, which is confined to 
the dental nerve, and most easily applied. For 
the upper jaw, press a small ball of cotton imbibed 
with the water into the cavity of the decayed tooth. 
For the teeth of the lower jaw, proceed in the 
same way, or dip a toothpick, or the head of a 
pin, in the liquid and let a drop fall into the hole 
made by the caries. Do this once or twice, and 
close up the cavity with a small piece of cotton. 
*See the formulary. CHAPTER XVI. 
BADLY SMELLING OR FOUL BREATH. 
THIS infirmity is all the more objectionable 
when persons afflicted with it take no precau- 
tion to modify it. It arises from various causes, 
and is due sometimes to a severe affection of the 
pulmonary or gastric organs; sometimes to the 
stagnating deposits of mucous matters in the nasal 
cavities from whence they cannot find egress, owing 
to the flatness of the bones of the nose ; sometimes, 
again, to the existence of a polype, or of an ozena, 
a disease of the pituitary membrane. 
In any of these cases, it is necessary to consult 
a medical man, and if he deems the disease incura- 
ble, the bad smell should be concealed as far as 
possible by masticating continually strong aro- 
matics, such as nutmegs, cloves, cinnamon, mace, 
etc., etc. The Roman ladies used, with great ad- 
vantage, troches, or lozenges made of the leaves of 
myrtle and gum-mastic, kneaded together with old 
wine. The women of the East chew gum-mastic 
to perfume their breath, and European ladies use 
peppermint lozenges, cachou, etc., for the same 
purpose. If the bad smell is caused by the state 
of the stomach, we advise water of chloride of lime, 
or 'pastilles of charcoal, as having the property of 
absorbing and destroying the gases of the stomach. BADLY SMELLING BREATH. 
187 
In the much more frequent cases of foul and 
fetid breath being caused by want of cleanliness 
and decay of the teeth, a good dentist will soon 
restore the mouth to a healthy condition by ex- 
tracting the decayed teeth and rotten stumps, and 
cleaning the good ones. On leaving the dentist’s 
office, all that is henceforth to be done is to pre- 
serve the cleanliness of the mouth by daily care 
and attention, of which we will give the precepts. 
GENERAL PRECEPTS OF DENTAL 
HYGIENE 
FOR THE PERFECT PRESERVATION OF THE TEETH. 
1. Every morning on rising, and every evening 
on going to bed, the teeth should be rubbed with 
a soft brush of badger’s hair dipped in a dentifrice 
free from acid. See Formulary. 
2. Never take food either too hot or too cold; 
and avoid particularly taking an iced beverage 
immediately after hot soup; nothing is more fatal 
to the teeth than sudden changes of temperature, 
as these affect the enamel, turn it yellow, and some- 
times crack it. 
3. After eating sour food or fruit, the teeth 
should be washed and wiped with a cloth to pre- 
vent the acid attacking the enamel. 
4. After each meal it is necessary to remove, by 
the help of a toothpick, all fragments of food that 
may be in the interstices of the teeth, and wash 
them with tepid water in winter, and water of the 188 
BADLY SMELLING BREATH. 
natural temperature in the summer. When we 
reflect on the evil consequences induced by the 
rotting of these fragments, such as bad breath, 
spots upon the enamel, and sometimes caries, we 
shall at once see the importance of following the 
advice we have given. 
5. Never break walnuts, filberts, fruit stones, or 
any hard substance between the teeth. Never use 
the incisors to cut thread, untie knots, or as pincers 
to hold or pull out anything with. 
6. Abstain from using all dentifrices of the com- 
position of which you are ignorant, because, as a 
rule, those that whiten the teeth instantaneously, 
contain acids in a proportion fatal to these organs, 
their enamel gets quickly yellow, and forever loses 
its polish. The best tooth-powders are made of 
charcoal and cinchona, and an honest dentist will 
never recommend any other. 
7. Finally, if, by circumstances of temperament, 
climate, or sickness, one or several of the teeth be- 
come decayed, at once consult a dentist, for he 
alone can obtain a speedy cure. Persons that 
visit their dentist regularly are thoroughly con- 
vinced of the truth of the axiom, “ a good dentist 
keeps more teeth in the mouth than he takes 
from it.” 
And it is but justice to say that the dentists of 
the present day, and particularly of this country, 
are as skilful as learned. Many of them are the 
authors of works that prove their profound knowl- 
edge of the anatomy and the physiology of the 
dental organs. CHAPTER XVII. 
THE CHEEK3. 
THE cheeks have been considered by physiog- 
nomists as the ground work or bed on which 
lie the sensitive organs of the face. The expres- 
sion of the cheeks consists in their natural or acci- 
dental color, in their roundness or their hollow- 
ness, and in the furrows and wrinkles with which 
they are marked. 
Beautiful cheeks are neither too flat nor too 
round, neither too thin nor too plump ; their lat- 
eral lines should symmetrically and without break 
form the graceful outline of the oval of the counte- 
nance. The skin that covers the cheek should 
be of the greatest purity and of the greatest deli- 
cacy of texture and complexion, for the smallest 
pimple, the slightest spot, will deteriorate from 
their freshness. 
Too much color, like too little, injures their 
perfection, and the dimples which indent certain 
cheeks in the act of laughing may possess a pecu- 
liar charm of their own, but are not in strict ac- 
cordance with the canons of beauty. 
PHYSIOGNOMY. — According to social posi- 
tion, age, temperament, the passions, and the state 190 
THE CHEEKS. 
of the health, the cheeks have a great significance 
for the physiognomist. On them we note the 
blooming flush of youth and the flaccidness of old 
age ; we see joy, sadness, health, suffering, gen- 
erosity, selfishness, refinement, coarseness, austere 
thought; and on them the ravages of the passions 
leave their impress. One loves to press the lips 
to a blooming cheek whose beauty is still further 
heightened by a graceful smile. The hollow 
cheek, on the contrary, the cheek deeply furrowed 
with wrinkles and scarce covered with flesh, in- 
spires repulsion. Plump and round cheeks belong 
to infancy. Chubby cheeks denote a gay and 
jovial disposition, void of care, and inclined to 
pleasure and good cheer. A haggard, dried up 
face, bespeaks a sad, anxious humor, and physical 
or moral suffering. Flat cheeks show little natural 
wit and a great deal of indifference. Grief furrows 
the cheeks; experience and shrewdness mark them 
with gently undulating lines. Triangular depres- 
sions in the cheeks reveal envy and jealousy. 
Laughing dispositions have prominent cheeks and 
the commissures of the mouth slightly raised. 
Cheeks which ascend towards the cheek bones are 
an indication of a tender and generous heart. 
HYGIENE. —Cheeks can err by contrary ex- 
tremes; that is, they can be either too full or too 
thin. Too full, they render the face puffy, and 
too thin, they render it sharp and hollow, which 
is the more disagreeable of the two. When the 
size of the cheeks is part of a general stoutness, it THE CHEEKS. 
191 
must be diminished by the adoption of a lower 
scale of dietary ; while if it is caused by congestion 
of white humors, as is the case with persons of 
lymphatic temperament, an exciting regimen must 
be resorted to. When the falling in of the cheeks 
is the result of general thinness and leanness, a 
generous dietary is the only efficacious remedy, and 
as the body gains flesh, so will the cheeks fill out. 
Dry cupping, applied several times a day to each 
cheek, has been much vaunted as a powerful 
auxiliary of the fattening plan, the flow of blood 
brought about by this little operation giving great 
activity to the organs. With regard to color, it 
may be frequently observed that one cheek is paler 
than the other in the same person; and in this 
case the only rational means of bringing both 
cheeks into perfect harmony, is to practise fre- 
quent frictions with an exciting liquid on the paler 
cheek in order to cause a more lively circulation 
in its tissue. Dry cupping, also, applied from time 
to time, will attract the blood to the affected spot, 
and will, in time, impart the required richness of 
color. CHAPTER XVIII. 
THE EAKS. 
IT is extremely rare to meet with ears that are 
perfectly formed, and yet their aid is indispen- 
sable to the harmonious whole of the features. 
This want of perfection in the shape of the ear is 
probably due to certain head-dresses that interfere 
with it, compress, flatten, and deform its pavilion. 
Many women are right when they conceal their 
ears beneath their hair, for some ears are the very 
reverse of beautiful. 
The ears, to be beautiful, must be placed neither 
too high nor too low, as either of these defects in- 
jures the purity of the oval. They should be 
neither too large nor too small, nor too narrow 
nor too round, nor too fleshy nor too thin, nor 
flat nor detached, nor red nor discolored. The 
pavilion should present an even, uniform edge or 
rim, for flat, rimless ears are unpleasant to behold. 
The grooves, elevations, and cushions should be 
well formed and proportioned; the lobes short, 
round, and detached from the cheek are indispen- 
sable to the beauty of the ear. When too long 
they want in grace. 
PHYSIOGNOMY.—Small, well formed ears THE EARS. 
193 
denote wit and vivacity. The lobe free and well 
detached marks a good temper. A wide, smooth 
ear shows a weak mind, as does a flat, long ear 
vanity and foolishness. A short, thick, and badly 
shaped ear is a bad sign, declaring gross senti- 
ments. A thick, red, warm ear indicates a strong 
tendency to sexual pleasures. Broad ears, very 
close to the head, with lobes ending in a point, are, 
in young people, a certain sign of early stoutness 
and corpulency. 
HYGIENE. — Badly formed ears, thick, long, 
and flat, etc., are a singular blemish to a pretty 
face, and all evil direction and malformation 
should be remedied as far as possible. 
When the pavilion of the ear is flattened, and, as 
it were, stuck close to the surface of the head, this 
fault can be remedied by passing a large tress of 
the hair behind the ear, so as to push it away from 
the head and bring it forward. At night-time the 
hair can be replaced by a small pad of fine linen. 
To obtain a satisfactory result, this course must be 
persisted in for a long time, for it is only after 
years of it that the pavilion becomes detached and 
loses its bad direction. 
In the case where the pavilion is inclined for- 
ward, an opposite plan must be followed, and the 
ear straightened by being kept fixed to the head 
by means of a fillet, the hair, or ribbons, until it has 
assumed a correct position. 
Should the lobe of the ear be of too great di- 
mensions, which produces a very ungraceful effect, 194 
THE EARS. 
the only way of obviating the defect is to cut off 
the excess with a very sharp pair of curved scissors. 
Some surgeons perform this operation by first mark- 
ing with ink the form they intend the ear to have, 
and then at one cut of the scissors remove the ex- 
uberant parts. 
This little operation, which frightens many, is 
not very painful, and, we may add, that if it were 
the fashion, there would be few ladies who would 
not readily submit to it. 
The want, or too small size of the lobe, can be 
corrected by frequent pullings, and, better still, by 
wearing ear-rings sufficiently heavy to draw the 
lobe downwards. 
If the orifice of the auditory passage happens to 
be narrowed, or closed up by the falling over of the 
protuberances known as the tragus and anti-tragus, 
some dilating substance, such as prepared sponge, 
must be used to enlarge the one and push back the 
other; but as this operates very slowly, the best 
way would be to excise these protuberances, an 
operation which is not painful, and of which the 
cicatrices heal very promptly. 
The ears require constant daily cleansing to pre- 
vent the accumulation of cerumen, or wax, a yellow 
humor secreted by the mucous membrane of the 
auditory passage, for not only does the accumu- 
lated cerumen cause disgust, and render a person 
open to the suspicion of being dirty, but it also 
obstructs the internal system of the ear and causes 
deafness. The ears are cleaned by means of a THE EARS. 
195 
small instrument of ivory or tortoise-shell, the 
greatest care being used to operate with tender- 
ness, so as not to irritate the membrane. Should 
the cerumen have been allowed to harden and 
become dense, or if it is deeply situated, an in- 
fusion of marsh-mallows or lukewarm milk must 
be injected by means of a syringe. We advise 
people with delicate hearing and very sensible to 
shocks, to place a small wad of cotton in the 
auditory passage whenever they anticipate hear- 
ing the report of artillery, of fireworks, or any 
other violent noise. This should be done also by 
bathers who are in the habit of diving. Should an 
insect by chance penetrate into the ear, a thing of 
very rare occurrence, as the cerumen is most objec- 
tionable to the race, an injection, by means of a 
syringe, of fresh almond or olive oil, will cause its 
death or its injection. That neither graceful nor 
charming insect, the earwig, owes its name to an 
imagined propensity to penetrate people’s ears — 
an insect office seeker! 
We will here especially caution our fair readers 
of doing anything injurious to the ear, as many un- 
wittingly do through excess of cleanliness. 
The tympanum or membrane, which transmits 
by its vibrations the sense of sound to the brain, is 
extremely delicate and very liable to be pierced 
or broken. Once this occurs, the sense of hearing 
is lost. We therefore urge the greatest precaution 
in using any hard instrument, or too violent and 
frequent use of the syringe in dealing with this 
exquisitely delicate organ. 196 
THE EARS. 
The tragus, the anti-tragus, and the lobe of the 
ear are sometimes the seat of small tufts of hair 
or bristles, which often attain to an inconvenient 
length, and are not pleasant to behold. They can 
be got rid of by being pulled out one by one; or, 
should this plan prove too painful, they can be 
extracted by means of the depilatory powder of 
which we give the receipt in the formulary of this 
work. If both of these methods are objectionable, 
the hairs can be cut off with scissors as soon as 
they appear. Pulling them out, if carefully done, 
offers no danger. 
Ear-rings are not by any means indispensable to 
the beauty of the face, and are a fashion which 
comes to us from the most savage people. An ear 
pierced by a hole is certainly less beautiful than 
one in its natural condition. No sculptor has 
ever given ear-rings to a statue of Venus. 
We advise ladies who like this style of orna- 
ment always to select the smallest and lightest, in 
order that the lobe of the ear may not be injured. CHAPTER XIX. 
SECTION I. 
THE CHIN. 
THE chin is the point where meet the two 
opposite lines which form the oval of the face. 
Its shape, always determined by that of the bone 
of the lower jaw, differs according to the races of 
people; it is square with the Northern people, 
rounded or lengthened with those of the South. 
PHYSIOGNOMY.—Fleshy double chins are 
usually the mark or the result of sensuality. The 
angular shape of the chin denotes cunning and 
readiness of wit. Flatness or inclining inwards 
show coldness and egotism. A square chin indi- 
cates great firmness of character, pushed sometimes 
to the extent of obstinacy. Big chins, heavy wit. 
Small chins, weakness, timidity. Pointed or sharp 
chins, a jesting mind. Bound chins having dim- 
ples on them, show a gay and kind disposition. 
The delicacy of the chin is a proof of the delicacy 
of the mind ; a chin that is wide and long, indicates 
the contrary. 
When beneath the chin there forms a roll of 
fat (double chin), it is, alas! a sign that youth is 
departing from us. A little later, several longi- 198 
THE NECK. 
tudinal lines make their appearance in the form 
of cords, starting from the symphysis of the chin, 
and ending near the larynx — signs of old age 
which come always too soon. 
HYGIENE.— The differences in length of the 
lines of the chin, are one of the causes of the 
variation of the facial angle in various individuals. 
The accumulation of adipose matter beneath the 
lower jaw, produces what is called a double and a 
treble chin. 
When the lower maxillary bone falls too much 
inwards, as happens in the case of an incomplete 
development of its arcade, there ensues a deformity 
that a man can conceal beneath a long and bushy 
beard, if he is fortunate enough to be endowed 
with that masculine appendage. 
The deformity produced by the advancing of 
the lower jaw, can be remedied by the inclined 
plane, a little apparatus which gradually forces 
the teeth of the lower jaw to pass behind those of 
the upper. This treatment is the business of a 
surgeon, to whom we beg to refer our readers. 
SECTION II. 
THE NECK. 
This part of the body, although devoid of any 
active expression, has, as well as all the other 
parts, its beauties and its attractions. The pivot 
on which the head turns in almost every direction 
— the neck — should be of medium length; if too THE NECK. 
199 
long, it would isolate the head from the shoulders ; 
if too short, it would confound those two regions, 
and hinder the motions of the head; if too thick or 
too thin, it would not be in harmony with the rest 
of the body. 
According to the beautiful proportions fixed by 
ancient Greece, the neck should be twice the length 
of the nose, and be thick in proportion to its length. 
Slender at the upper part, broader at the lower, 
rounded and springing well from the shoulders, 
devoid of any marked depressions of muscles or 
tendons, the neck should support the head in a ver- 
tical position without any stiffness. 
PHYSIOGNOMY. — A thick, short neck is an 
index of physical force and coarse tastes. A 
long and slender neck shows a weak, suspicious 
mind, void of force and consistency, easily dis- 
couraged. A short neck belongs to robust people; 
a long neck to delicate people. The first are sub- 
ject to apoplexy, the last to diseases of the chest, 
phthisis, etc. 
A supple neck marks the flatterer. A stiff neck 
is proverbially the sign of obstinacy, presumption, 
and pride. Persons inclined to voluptuousness 
have the neck rounded ; it swells and renders the 
jugular vein apparent. It is on the neck, just 
below the chin, that appear the first ravages of 
time with the fair sex. The delicate, fine curves, 
to which has been given the name of the necklace 
of Venus, disappear, alas, but too rapidly beneath 
wrinkles and folds of adipose. 200 
THE NECK. 
The variety of necks extends to all the animal 
kingdom. Among most quadrupeds, as with the 
human race, this variety coincides with the degree 
of strength or weakness with which they are en- 
dowed. 
HYGIENE. — Most complicated in its anatomy, 
the cervical region is liable to a number of faults 
and defects, of which we will only summarily men- 
tion the chief. Punctures, burns, various kinds of 
wounds, congestion of the glands, abscesses, boils, 
pimples, and other affections of the skin, injure 
more or less the beauty of the neck, and should be 
treated with the greatest care, so as to leave no 
scar or hideous blemish. 
SECTION III. 
STIFF-NECK — GOITRE — SCROFULA. 
The first of these, stiff-neck, yields readily to 
emollients, sedatives, and local baths or fomen- 
tations. The plan is to keep up a constant moist- 
ure at the place. Goitre and scrofula, the first 
so frightful, and the other leaving very disagree- 
able scars, may be, if not completely cured, at 
least considerably modified by hygienic and medi- 
cal treatment. Necks, whose stoutness or thinness 
depends on a corresponding condition of the rest 
of the body, can also be diminished or increased. 
Any wrong attitude or position of the neck is also 
capable of being remedied under proper surgical 
care. WRINKLES. 
201 
SECTION IV. 
METHOD OF EFFACING WRINKLES. 
Bad habits, frequent contractions of the mus- 
cles of the face, provoked either by too strong a 
light, by continual gayety or grief, create, after 
a certain time, abnormal furrows and lines in the 
countenance, altering its expression and beauty. 
When wrinkles have been formed from the above 
causes in faces still youthful, it is possible, with 
the help of perseverance, to efface them in the fol- 
lowing manner: 
Cut some small strips of very adhesive court- 
plaster, then pinch the wrinkle between the fore- 
finger and thumb, so that the furrow is obliterated, 
and with the other hand apply the plaster across 
the wrinkle, holding it till it adheres firmly. This 
application, made before going to bed, is intended 
to obliterate the furrow in the skin, and to keep it 
so during sleep. 
If this plan does not succeed in getting rid of 
the wrinkle permanently, the following plan will 
probably do so : 
Cut out two small patches of court-plaster, place 
a silk thread on the gummed side of one of the 
pieces, which stick to the ungummed side of the 
other piece, thus holding one of the extremities of 
the silk, sandwiched as it were, between the two 
patches. Prepare two other patches in the same 
manner, and when they are dry and firmly fastened 
together, stick one of them on each side of the 202 
WRINKLES. 
wrinkle, and when firm, pull gently on the threads 
in opposite directions. The skin follows the im- 
pulsion of these gentle pulls, and when the wrinkle 
has disappeared, tie the two ends of silk fast to- 
gether. This little apparatus, kept on for several 
successive nights, will generally efface any furrows 
in the skin. 
When wrinkles are situated in the middle of the 
cheeks, they can be obliterated by keeping con- 
stantly in the mouth, between the inside of the 
cheek and the convexity of the dental arcade, 
some round body, such as a small ball of boxwood, 
of citron-root, or any other hard wood. 
Dry frictions, combined with aromatic lotions, 
may in some cases restore the suppleness and elas- 
ticity of the skin. We cannot too strongly advise 
ladies never to use the waters, ointments, pastes, 
etc., recommended by quacks, as they all contain 
salts of lead or of zinc, that are always injurious to 
softness and suppleness of the skin. These appli- 
cations act for a few days, but after that the reac- 
tion makes the evil greater than before, furrows 
grow deeper, and wrinkles become more visible. 
Wrinkles caused by the general leanness of the 
body, will always disappear beneath the effects of 
a generous nourishing dietary. CHAPTER XX. 
PATHOGNOMY OF THE FACE, 
Or Signs by which can be Distinguished various 
Moral and Physical Affections. 
IT is an undoubted fact that derangement of 
health, and affections both moral and physi- 
cal, are all reflected on the face; and the study 
and the knowledge of these signs are of the greatest 
use to the physician in forming his diagnosis, and 
to the physiologist in judging the instincts and 
passions of the subjects of their study. This sub- 
ject would, of itself, require a volume, and we can 
but touch lightly upon it. 
The pathognomic signs of the face have two 
causes : The system of the circulation, and the 
nervous system. 1st. All changes of color and 
complexion of the skin are caused by the blood. 
2d. Nervous phenomena have their origin either 
in the cerebrum, the cerebellum, or the spinal 
marrow. 
The trouble arising in any of these systems is 
clearly read by perfectly defined signs, as we 
shall see. 
Redness of the face indicates an abnormal flow 204 
PATHOGNOMY OF THE FACE. 
of blood in the vascular tissue of the skin of this 
locality. Thus, in inflammatory fevers, after vio- 
lent muscular exertion, the face flushes and be- 
comes of a fiery red. Certain emotions of the 
mind produce the same effect — the blush of 
modesty, the flush of shame. 
When the arterial vascular tissue of the skin, 
under the influence of a spasm or a mechanical 
occlusion, fails to give passage to the blood, the 
face acquires a leaden hue. Paleness of the face 
is also one of the symptoms which mark several 
kinds of sickness, and is seen in cases of fainting 
fits, momentary weakness, etc., during certain vio- 
lent emotions, fright, intense auger, etc. Ha- 
bitual pallor of the countenance indicates a weak 
constitution, enfeebled by sickness or insufficient 
nourishment. In cases of chlorosis or pale com- 
plexion, the face becomes of a greenish white. Can- 
cerous diseases impart a deep yellow or ginger- 
bread hue. Diseases of the liver produce hepatic 
blotches and freckles, particularly on the forehead. 
Pregnancy leaves sometimes a large brown stain 
on the face. Jaundice gives the whole body a saf- 
fron hue. The action of the sun revives freckles 
that winter had effaced. 
A dreadful disease, phthisis ! generally known as 
consumption, imparts a bright red spot to the 
upper part of the cheeks, while all the rest remain 
pale; the eyes shine in hollow orbits, and towards 
evening and at night the forehead is bedewed with 
sweat. These are unmistakable signs of pulmo- PATHOGNOMY OF THE FACE. 
205 
nary consumption. Alas, all the time that death is 
remorselessly urging its victim towards the tomb, 
the invalid is fondly flattering himself with the 
hope of a speedy restoration to health. Adynamic 
fever gives to the features a ghastly paleness. 
As puberty approaches, and during that period 
of life when the blood, in rapid motion, inflates 
the organs, the face grows red and white alter- 
nately. The abuse of certain enervating pleasures 
is detected by a brownish circle round the eyes, 
deepest at 'he lower eyebrow. The difficulty, or 
the too great abundance of the monthly tribute, 
may both produce the same effect on women of 
weak and delicate constitutions. Redness of the 
whole face, added to its swelling, gives reason to 
fear an attack of apoplexy. A pale forehead, 
bathed in perspiration, is a warning of indigestion. 
The lips and the tongue furnish signs no less pre- 
cious to diagnosis. The lips, the edges and the 
point of the tongue of a fiery red, indicate an acute 
inflammation of the stomach. The tongue, when 
entirely red, shows intestinal inflammation. A 
yellowish deposit on the tongue shows an irritation 
of the bile. A black coating of the tongue accom- 
panies typhus fever, while the coating is white in 
cases of gastric troubles and rheumatism. A 
trembling tongue, with the tip deviating to one 
side, tells of an injury to the brain. Paleness of 
the lips is a sign of weakness and of anemia. Blue 
lips lead one to fear aneurism, apoplexy. The lips 206 
PATHOGNOMY OF THE FACE. 
are subject to a marked deviation in cerebral 
affections. 
The various tics of the face, involuntary wink- 
ing or blinking of the eyelids, spasmodic contrac- 
tions of the muscles of the nose, of the lips, of the 
ears, as well as the tics and contractions of the 
trunk and of the limbs, show that there is some- 
thing more or less wrong with the nerves that 
cause these movements. 
We might enumerate an infinite number of ex- 
amples, but think we have given enough for our 
readers, and we do not wish to encroach on the 
domain of surgery and physic. CHAPTER XXI. 
THE HAIR. 
IF there be one point more than another in which 
the tastes of mankind appear to agree, it is 
that rich, luxuriant, flowing hair, is not only beau- 
tiful in itself, but an important, nay, an essen- 
tial auxiliary to the highest developments of the 
personal charms. Among all the refined nations 
of antiquity, as in all time since, the care, arrange- 
ment, and decoration of the hair formed a promi- 
nent, and generally the leading, portion of their 
toilet. The ancient Egyptians and Assyrians, and 
other Eastern nations, bestowed on it the most 
elaborate attention. The ancient Jews, like their 
modern descendants, were proverbial for the lux- 
uriance and richness of their hair, and the care 
which they devoted to it. 
In modern times, the high estimation in which 
a beautiful head of hair is held, is probably as 
great as at any former period of the world’s history. 
It is still regarded as an important ingredient in 
manly beauty, and as one of the very essentials of 
feminine loveliness and fascination. All persons 
are proud of it — all covet it — all admire it. 
Indeed, it may be truly said, that all people, ex- 208 
THE HAIR. 
cept the most indolent, vulgar, and degraded, are 
more or less sedulous in their endeavors, in pri- 
vate, to improve their hair, and by tasteful ar- 
rangement to set it off to the best advantage. 
The hair, though devoid of sensibility and un- 
susceptible of expression under the influence of 
the will and the ordinary mental feeling, like the 
mobile portions of the face, and though it may be 
popularly regarded rather in the light of a para- 
sitic growth than as an essential portion of the 
body, is capable of being affected by the stronger 
emotions and passions, and even of aiding the ex- 
pression of the other features. 
There have been cases known of the hair stand- 
ing literally on end under the sudden influence of 
horror or terror. The passions, which so frequently 
wreck both mind and body, have their effect on 
the hair, which is in full sympathy with our 
mental and physical organization. 
There also have occurred cases of the hair sud- 
denly turning gray under violent and sudden 
emotion. Its doing so in consequence of lengthened 
suffering, is well authenticated in history, and we 
need but to recall to our readers’ memory the 
cases of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the equally 
unfortunate Marie Antoinette, of France. 
THE FORMATION AND PHYSICAL STRUC- 
TURE OF THE HAIR is very complicated and 
beautiful. On careful and minute inspection, it 
is seen to consist of elongated horny filaments 
or tubes, which derive their elasticity and flexi- THE HAIR. 
209 
bility from their attenuated form. It is secreted 
and formed by certain minute conical-shaped 
glands, called the “ hair bulbs,” and certain vessels 
called the “ hair capsules,” both of which are 
lodged in the network of the cutis or true skin. 
The rudimentary hairs are elaborated in the 
first in a semifluid state, and assume the form of 
a fluted pith, which is then invested by the cap- 
sules with a semi-transparent, horny sheath, giving 
a tubular and twofold structure to the hair. As 
these rudimentary hairs develop themselves and 
harden, they push themselves gradually through 
certain pores or passages of the skin called the 
“ hair tubes,” or “ hair canals,” and appear at the 
surface in the form of true hair, of which the text- 
ure becomes harder the farther it extends from 
the skin. These tubes are lined with a thin layer 
of cuticle, which adheres to the base of the newly 
formed hair next the bulb, forming the white 
sheath or ring observed round the base of a 
forcibly plucked hair, which is popularly, but 
incorrectly, regarded as its root. They are also 
placed obliquely, and not perpendicularly, in the 
skin, by which the “ set” or direction of the hairs 
on the surface of the head is determined. It is 
the form which these canals assume in their course 
outwards that gives some of its external character- 
istics to the hair. In the Caucasian races these 
tubes are generally straight, or only slightly cur- 
vilinear ; the exceptions being in those who have 210 
THE HAIR. 
wavy or curly hair, in whom these canals are 
more or less serpentine or spiral. 
In the African races they are rather intricated 
and contorted, and hence the crisp, grisly nature 
of the hair of the negro. 
It may be further remarked, that the sheath or 
tube, that forms the visible portion of the hair, is 
not cylindrical, as it appears to the unaided eye. 
Under a magnifier of small power it is seen to be 
jagged, like the teeth of a saw, owing to being 
formed, as it were, of a succession of inverted 
cones, so arranged as to fit into and receive each 
other, the separations inclining inward from the 
root upward. 
The hairs being thus formed and protruded 
through the skin, continue to grow until they 
acquire the length peculiar to the species of the in- 
dividual, by incessant additions to their lower ex- 
tremity within the skin ; and they are continually 
repaired and kept in a state of vitality by the 
fluids that pervade their pith or centre. 
Nor is this all. Nature has provided suitable 
glands around the base of the hairs to secrete oily 
matter, for the purpose of keeping the skin soft 
and easily permeable, and the hair itself soft, flex- 
ible, and glossy. In a state of perfect health this 
supply never fails, and is always sufficient for the 
purposes for which it is intended. 
THE CHEMICAL CONSTITUTION OF THE 
HAIR consists chiefly of indurated albumen, to- 
gether with a little gelatine, or matter that yields THE HAIR. 
211 
it. Soft and very flexible hair is said to contain 
the most gelatine. Vanquelin discovered that the 
hair contains two different kinds of oily matter: 
the one white and bland, common to all hair; the 
other, colored, and on which, in part, the particu- 
lar color of the hair depends. Small and variable 
quantities of mineral substances are also found in 
the hair. In light-colored hair magnesia is found, 
and in black and dark-colored hair, iron and sul- 
phur. It is the presence of these last that mainly 
gives to dark hair its color. Fur, wool, bristles, 
and spines, in their chemical nature, structure, and 
mode of formation, resemble hair; as also, to a 
very great extent, do the feathers of birds. 
THE BIOGRAPHY OR LIFE HISTORY OF A 
HAIR resembles that of the microcosm, of which it 
forms a part. Human hair is perennial; and un- 
less its connection with the skin be severed by vio- 
lence, the effects of disease, or the premature decay 
of the hair-bulbs from any of the numerous causes 
liable to affect them, it preserves much of its vigor 
and integrity to a late period of life. In most ani- 
mals the hair is deciduous, and is cast annually; 
but it is not so in man. 
In infancy and early childhood the hair is gen- 
erally pale, soft, thin, and very flexible. As the 
age increases, it gradually becomes more abundant, 
darker, coarser, and stiffer. In healthy youth and 
early maturity it reaches its prime, or state of 
greatest luxuriance and beauty, and thus it con- 
tinues for some years in a nearly stationary condi- 212 
THE HAIR. 
tion. Then it usually gradually, very gradually, 
becomes thinner and weaker, and slowly loses its 
glossiness and some of its color. Next, owing to 
the decreasing vigor of the circulation of the scalp, 
and its attenuation consequent on the progress of 
life, the hair commences falling off from the crown 
of the head, and soon afterward from the partings, 
which widen and become more conspicuous. The 
comb and brush may now be perceived to remove 
a greater number of weak hairs than heretofore, 
the place of which is not filled up by fresh ones as 
formerly. This state may continue for some years, 
or even until a late period of lite, the hair merely 
gradually growing weaker and sparser, and the 
crown more extensively bald; but usually more 
marked changes occur. About or soon after the 
middle age, and sometimes even before it, gray 
hairs begin to appear. At first they are few in 
number, and far apart; but time soon multiplies 
them, and in a few years they become sufficiently 
numerous to affect the general hue of the hair. 
The crown of the head, by this time, is probably 
wholly denuded of hair, and that on the other 
parts, where it still remains, is rapidly growing 
thinner and weaker, until little is left, and this 
only on the lower portion of the sides and the back 
of the head. By the process of decay this is, ere 
long, blanched to a silvery white, and almost gen- 
eral baldness ensues — the usual accompaniment 
of old age. 
The hair, however, does not always maintain its THE HAIR. 
213 
integrity and slowly sink into a state of decay by 
gradual changes in the manner just mentioned. 
On the contrary, a number of influences, avoida- 
ble and unavoidable, are constantly at work to 
deteriorate this one, and to hasten the others. 
Among these may be mentioned uncleanliness, 
mismanagement, the use of improper cosmetics, 
impaired health, disease, anxiety, watchfulness, 
irregular habits, intemperance, excessive indul- 
gence of the passions, exposure to the weather and 
to the vicissitudes and extremes of climate, want 
of fresh air and exercise, keeping the head un- 
healthily hot and close, excessive or repressed per- 
spiration, undue pressure, accidents, and the like, 
from one or more of which the cases of premature 
grayness and baldness, now so common, in general 
arise. Indeed, it may be observed, that whatever 
proves injurious to the skin, also proves injurious 
to the hair-bulbs imbedded in it, and consequently 
to the hair itself. 
It may be laid down as a law, to which there 
are no exceptions, that the vigor, luxuriance, and 
beauty of the hair, uniformly correspond to the 
state of health of the scalp from which it grows. 
Whilst the scalp is soft and thick, and the blood 
circulates with healthy vigor through its vessels, 
as is the case in youth and the early years of ma- 
turity, the hair-glands and capsules have ample 
space to exist and to work in, and ample materials, 
in the shape of healthy arterial blood, out of which 
to elaborate their secretions. It is during this state 214 
THE HAIR. 
that the hair reaches its highest degree of luxuri- 
ance and beauty; and it maintains these as long 
as the health and vigor of the scalp continue. 
As soon as the vigor of the circulation in the 
scalp begins to decline, whether from age, disease, 
or other causes, it suffers gradual attenuation. 
The functions of the air-bulbs are thus more or 
less impeded, and as the attenuation proceeds, 
they are ultimately arrested altogether. The 
former produces weak, thin hair ; the last, bald- 
ness. The smoothness, thinness, and partial trans- 
parency of the bald scalp of the aged has probably 
been observed by our readers. 
THE MANAGEMENT OF THE HAIR, under 
the ordinary conditions of life and health, like that 
of the skin, is extremely simple, and should be either 
based on principles derived from the physiological 
facts already presented to our readers, or of a nature 
that will not interfere with the healthy functions 
of the hair-producing organs. The chief of these, 
and, indeed the essential ones, involve the neces- 
sity of keeping both the hair and the skin of the 
head perfectly clean, and the former arranged in 
the direction in which it naturally lies, subject 
only to such little deviations as may be necessary 
to adapt it to the position in which it is usually 
worn; and this arrangement and position should 
be constantly followed on each occasion of dress- 
ing it. 
The hair, after a preliminary application of the 
dressing-comb, should be gently and assiduously THE HAIR. 
215 
brushed straight or downwards in all directions 
round the head, until it be rendered quite smooth 
and apparently free from scurf. The motion of 
the hand may now be changed gradually, until it 
assumes a direction upward and across the head, 
or one contrary to that in which the brush was 
previously used. This direction of the brush 
should be continued for a short time. It has the 
advantage of not exerting any strain on the hair 
of the crown and of the partings, and of removing 
all the scurf that escaped the first brushing. A 
similar gradual change in the motion of the hand 
to the direction in which the brush was first used, 
will restore the hair to its former position, and 
again smoothly and equally distribute it around 
the head, from the crown downwards. 
If curling-irons or crisping-tongs (objectionable 
things) be used, now is the moment to do so. The 
hair may now be parted and adjusted with the 
comb, the coarser end being first used, then again 
well brushed to give it smoothness and set, and 
lastly receive any final adjustment to bring it 
into the usual position and style adopted by the 
wearer. 
The oftener the comb and brush are used the 
better it will be for the luxuriant smoothness and 
set of the hair. This mode of treating the hair is 
the best when it is desired that it should present 
an easy, flowing appearance, and be gracefully af- 
fected by the motions of the head and body. 
Besides this daily attention to the hair, some- 216 
THE HAIR. 
thing else is necessary to insure its cleanliness and 
beauty, and the perfect health of the skin of the 
head from which it springs. For this purpose the 
head should be occasionally well washed with soap 
and water, using an abundance of the latter, and 
taking great care afterwards to thoroughly rinse 
out the whole of the soap with the same water in 
which the head has been washed. The water may 
be either tepid or cold, according to the feelings 
or habit of the person ; and if the head or hair 
be very scurfy or dirty, or hard water be used, a 
few grains of soda (not potash or pearlash) may 
be advantageously added to the water, and will 
increase its detersive qualities. After the hair has 
been washed, which should be done quickly, though 
thoroughly, it should be freed as much as possible 
from the water by pressure of the hands, and then 
wiped with a soft, thick towel, which should be 
done with care, to avoid entangling it. 
In ordinary cases, this act of cleanliness should 
be performed once in every week; but if the head 
be much exposed to dust and dirt, or is very scurfy, 
or the person perspires very freely, it should be 
performed semi-weekly, or even oftener. 
THE CUTTING OF THE HAIR is a point con- 
nected with its management which is generally lit- 
tle understood, yet there is not merely artistic skill 
required to do this becomingly and beneficially, 
but also the application of principles founded on a 
knowledge of the growth and structure of the hair. 
As a rule, hair-cutters and hair-dressers are igno- THE HAIR. 
217 
rant of these principles, and conduct their opera- 
tions in a very careless way, immediate effect in 
reference to the personal appearance being the 
only object which they aim at. Thus, according 
to the common practice, the strong, luxuriant hairs 
of the lower portions of the head get unduly short- 
ened, whilst the weaker, and probably the decaying 
hairs of the crown and around the partings, are 
left of extreme length, and often not cropped at 
all. Now, if there be anything serviceable in 
strengthening weak and decaying hairs, it is fre- 
quent cutting, and being kept moderately short. 
But such hairs grow feebly, and are of inferior 
length to their vigorous neighbors, which thus in 
general overtop and conceal them, and shield them 
from the scissors of the hair-cutter, who, indeed, 
neither thinks of them, nor takes the trouble of 
looking for them. But it is on attention to these 
weak and impoverished hairs that the whole art 
of beneficial hair-cutting depends, and to do this, 
some trouble, and more time and skill are required 
than are usually devoted to the operation. 
TO IMPROVE THE GROWTH AND LUXU- 
RIANCE OF THE HAIR when languid or de- 
fective, the only natural and perfectly safe method 
that can be adopted is to promote the healthy action 
of the skin of the scalp by increasing the vigor of 
the circulation of the blood through its minute 
vessels. For this purpose nothing is so simple 
and effective as gentle excitation of the skin by 
frequent, continued friction with the hair-brush, 218 
THE HAIR. 
which has the convenience of ease of application 
and inexpensiveness. The same object may be 
further promoted by the application of any simple 
cosmetic wash, or other preparation, that will 
gently excite and stimulate the skin, or exercise 
a tonic action on it without clogging its pores. 
TO IMPART SOME DEGREE OF WAVI- 
NESS OR CURLINESS TO THE HAIR, when it is 
naturally straight, and to render it more retentive 
of the curl imparted to it by papers, or by other 
modes of dressing it, various methods are often 
adopted, and different cosmetics employed. The 
first object appears to be promoted by keeping the 
hair, for a time, in a state intermediate between 
perfect dryness and humidity, from which differ- 
ent parts of its structure being unequally affected, 
in this respect, will acquire different degrees of re- 
laxation and rigidity, and thus have a tendency to 
assume a wavy or slightly curly form, provided 
the hair be left loose enough to allow it. For this 
purpose nothing is better than washing the hair 
with soap and water, to which a few grains of salt 
of tartar (carbonate of potash) have been added, or 
it may be slightly moistened with hair-wash. The 
moistened hair, after the application of the brush, 
should be finally loosely adjusted as desired with 
the dressing-comb, and the effects will occur as the 
hair dries. 
The hair is subject to various deviations from 
the healthy standard, all of which, as already 
stated, depend immediately on the state of the THE HAIR. 
219 
scalp, from which it springs, and indirectly on va- 
rious causes, of which we have already enumerated 
the principal. Among them the following may be 
deserving of special notice: 
The gradual decay and impoverishment of the 
hair, shown by its becoming finer and thinner, with 
greater or less loss of its brightness and color, and 
a larger quantity than usual being removed on 
each application of the comb and brush, whether 
premature or the result of advancing life, is most 
likely to be arrested, or retarded, by attention to 
the general health and habits, and careful avoid- 
ance of any article of head-dress or other matter 
which is known to be prejudicial to the hair. The 
special treatment may consist in daily, or as fre- 
quently as possible, washing the hair in cold water, 
gentle, continued friction with the hair-brush, and 
the use of mild stimulating applications, so as to 
produce a slight but sensible irritation of the skin 
of the scalp. Habitually a disordered stomach, 
bowels, or nerves, and particularly biliousness and 
dyspepsia, frequently affect the hair in this way, 
and should be met by medical treatment, of which 
antacids and tonics, as quinine and iron, should 
generally form a part. When either of these two 
last affections is present, a physician should be 
consulted who will, by his skill, effect more than 
mere topical treatment could do. 
BALDNESS, especially of the crown and fore- 
part of the head, whether act ual or impending, may 
be a natural consequence of man’s infirmity on ac- 220 
THE HAIR. 
count of old age, and in which case it must be 
looked upon rather as an evidence of failing vigor 
than as a disease, or premature, and produced by 
various causes. 
Baldness is common after severe fevers, and after 
erysipelas and other serious inflammatory affec- 
tions of the scalp ; and it is frequently caused by 
external pressure, friction, or violence, want of the 
necessary exposure of the head to the air, and by 
such other local actions and conditions which, when 
long continued, interrupt the normal functions of 
the skin. 
Persons with a consumptive, scorbutic, scrofu- 
lous, or syphilitic taint, or of a general bad habit 
of body, are apt to lose their hair early. In these 
cases, the loss probably arises from debility, or 
paralysis of the vessels of the skin, and the conse- 
quent insufficient action and nutrition of the hair- 
bulb. When it occurs in persons of, or under, the 
middle age, and apparently enjoying good health, 
it may be often traced to the pernicious practice 
of constantly wearing a hard, non-ventilating hat, 
or to disordered stomach and liver, hard drinking, 
irregular habits, late hours, or the like. Excessive 
anxiety, or grief, and intense study and thought- 
fulness, also tend to promote the early decay and 
loss of the hair. The natural baldness of the aged, 
and frequently the premature baldness of earlier 
years, particularly in the studious and grief-worn, 
arises from the reduced energy of the circulation 
in the vessels of the scalp, and its consequent grad- THE HAIR. 
221 
ual attenuation, until it becomes too thin to afford 
sufficient space for the performance of the func- 
tions of the hair-bulbs and their associated organs, 
and too scantily supplied with blood for their due 
nutrition and support. In such cases it will be 
found that, owing to this attenuation, the scalp 
covers a larger portion of the skull than it previ- 
ously did when vigorous, and that its sides have 
somewhat receded from the top of the head, so that 
the roots of the remaining hairs descend lower on 
the forehead, temples, and the sides and back of 
the head than formerly. This may be perceived 
by applying the open hand to the part, and then 
gently closing the fingers, when the scalp will be 
drawn into its original position, and will then ap- 
pear loose and wrinkled over the upper portion of 
the head thus operated on; and this in a manner 
very different to what occurs when the top of the 
head is covered with hair. 
When the hair suffers a marked deterioration in 
quality, and ceases to grow, or grows languidly, and 
falls off in large quantities without being replaced 
by new growths, particularly if, at the same time, 
the usual healthy formation of scurf ceases, and 
the scalp looks pale, and exhibits a perceptible 
loss or diminution of its natural warmth, sensi- 
bility, softness, and plumpness; or, in other words, 
shows the usual signs of gradual attenuation, the 
approach of baldness may be suspected. It is now 
that remedial treatment has the best chance of 
success, and, if promptly and skilfully adopted, 222 
THE HAIR. 
will generally arrest, or greatly retard the progress 
of decay, and not infrequently restore the hair to 
its pristine condition. The treatment should be 
of the nature above mentioned, but everything 
must be carried further, and every preparation 
employed, to be serviceable, should be considera- 
bly stronger than in the previous case. The fric- 
tions with the haii’-brush should be more frequent 
and longer continued, and the daily ablutions in 
cold water more rigorously performed ; or, what is 
better, replaced by a cold shower-bath, taken on 
rising in the morning. When greasy preparations 
are used, it is advisable to wash the head with soap 
and water once a day. During this treatment the 
hair should be kept rather short by frequent cut- 
ting ; and if no manifest improvement occurs in 
the course of three or four weeks, the head, or at 
least the upper portion of it, may be shaved once 
or twice a week, and a wig or a scalp worn for a 
time. The effects of keeping the hair short, or 
closely cropped, or shaved, is to stimulate the 
hair-bulbs, and to cause them to spend on the 
stumps, and on the formation of new hair, the 
whole of the hair-producing and nutritive matter, 
which would otherwise, for the most part, be taken 
up by the length of hair removed. Hence, the re- 
maining hair generally grows thicker, stiffer, and 
stronger the oftener the razor or the scissors are 
employed, and new growths arise; and this fre- 
quently when all other means of restoring the hair 
fail. Besides this, friction and medicaments can THE HAIR. 
223 
be more conveniently applied to the skin when bare 
than when covered with hair. 
The strength of the external applications for daily 
use, whether wash or lotion, oil or pomade, should 
be sufficient to produce a pleasant glow of warmth, 
and slight, very slight rubefaction of the skin of 
the scalp, which should be promoted by gentle fric- 
tion. Without this occurs, and continues with little 
abatement during the interval between their appli- 
cation, they do no good whatever. A proof of their 
favorable action is afforded by the scalp feeling 
warm to the hand when placed in contact with it. 
When there is actual baldness, the same treat- 
ment should be followed; but if the portion of the 
skin implicated be extensive, friction with the 
hand, a piece of flannel, or a coarse towel, will be 
preferable to that with the hair-brush. 
Scurjiness of the hair, when of an ordinary and 
trifling character, is not a disease, but results from 
want of cleanliness, and particularly from the non- 
use, or insufficient use of the hair-brush. Scurf is 
a natural and healthy formation, and, within cer- 
tain limits, is most abundantly produced when the 
hair grows most rapidly. It may be kept from 
accumulating, but it cannot be prevented. 
Finally, we must caution our readers against 
placing any reliance on external applications, un- 
less their action be assisted by due attention to 
diet, exercise, ventilation, regular habits, and such 
other matters as tend to promote the general health 
and vigor of the body. For all advice on these 
matters, we again refer our readers to a physician. CHAPTER XXII. 
CLEANLINESS — BATHING — SOAP, ETC. 
THAT cleanliness is essential to the health, com- 
fort, and personal appearance of the individ- 
ual, is so generally admitted that even those who do 
not practise it are compelled, by their feelings of 
decency, to speak in its praise. It is impossible to 
speak too highly, or to say too much in favor of 
personal cleanliness. It enhances every charm, 
and creates new ones peculiar to itself. It invigo- 
rates all the numerous functions of the body and 
of the mind. It is capable of rendering the most 
ordinary agreeable, and even the sick and the de- 
formed companionable. Beauty itself, without its 
talismanic influence, ceases to attract, or soon palls 
and satiates the senses it so lately ravished. It 
is a mark of politeness and good breeding, and is 
capable of inspiring the most refined sentiments, 
affections, and passions. Without it man is unfit- 
ted for social intercourse, and his presence in com- 
pany would prove a manifest cause of offence. It 
has been justly observed, that ‘‘the different na- 
tions of the world are as much distinguished by 
their cleanliness, as by their arts and science.” 
The more they are advanced in civilization and CLEANLINESS, ETC. 
225 
refinement, the more they consult this part of po- 
liteness. No one perfectly clean in his person can 
be absolutely disagreeable; whilst no amount of 
personal charms in features, figure, or complexion, 
can render an individual companionable without it. 
In its relation to health, personal cleanliness is 
of the very highest importance. During life, the 
skin, as we have seen in preceding chapters, is con- 
tinually subjected to abrasion, and continually un- 
dergoing the processes of reproduction and decay, 
by which the cuticle or scalp-skin, its exterior por- 
tion, is being constantly thrown off as effete and 
useless matter, in the shape of very minute scales 
or dust. This, mingling with the oily, saline, and 
aqueous matter of the perspiration, and the waste 
particles of the dross, dust, etc., acquires sufficient 
adhesiveness to attach itself to the surface of the 
body, and to the clothing. In this way, unless the 
accumulation be daily removed by friction and 
washing, the channels of the perspiration become 
choked, and the functions of the skin, as a respira- 
tory organ, interfered with, or even partially sus- 
pended. 
The ill consequences of uncleanliness, and par- 
ticularly of a dirty skin — a skin loaded and ob- 
structed with adhering refuse matter discarded by 
itself—are numerous and serious. Such matter 
forms a favorable medium for the absorption, and 
the transmission to the internal portions of the 
body, of noxious effluvia, vapors, and gases, mias- 
mata, and the aerial germs of infectious and con- 226 
CLEANLINESS, ETC. 
tagious diseases. It is said that “ the greater part 
of (contagious) poisons are conveyed to us through 
the external surface of our bodies; and it is fully 
proved that poison already communicated has been 
by cleanliness removed, before it could actually 
produce any bad effects.” 
Such are the immediate effects of neglected ab- 
lution of the skin, and the neglect of other acts of 
personal cleanliness ; the further consequences are 
of an equally serious character. The blood being 
deprived of one of its sources of oxygen, and of 
one of the outlets of its carbon and saline matter, 
becomes deteriorated, the functions of nutrition 
imperfect, and the temperature of the body les- 
sened. The matters that should be thrown out of 
the system through the skin are retained, and have 
to be eliminated by other organs. The lungs, 
the kidneys, the liver, the bowels, are each, in 
their turn, overtasked to perform the functions 
of another organ. At length they suffer from ex- 
haustion, the health is disturbed, and incipient dis- 
ease follows. The predisposition exists, and only 
waits for an exciting cause to give it full develop- 
ment. The period of incubation may be short or 
long — weeks, months, even years — according to 
the age and constitutional vigor of the person ; but 
the evil day comes at last, and skin-diseases, ner- 
vous affections, diarrhoea, liver-complaint, con- 
sumption, dropsy, visceral obesity, or some other 
serious disease of the vital organs ensue, destroy- 
ing the last remnants of beauty, and rendering 
life uncomfortable, if not a burthen. CLEANLINESS, ETC. 
227 
However important and beneficial the free and 
frequent use of water for personal ablution may 
be, the effects arising from the immersion of the 
body in it, as in the practice of bathing, are far 
more extensive and complete. What the one does 
usefully, but not completely, the other accom- 
plishes readily, satisfactorily, and perfectly. There 
is no absolute succedaneum for the entire bath. Its 
physiological effects are peculiar to itself, and of 
the utmost importance in hygiene, pathology, and 
medicine. Nor is the action of judicious bathing, 
in the promotion of personal comfort and happi- 
ness, and personal beauty, less remarkable. In- 
tellectual and moral vigor are also gradually, but 
materially, influenced and promoted by its benefi- 
cial action on the system ; for mind and conscience, 
being linked to matter in the “ house we live in,” 
become perturbed or lethargic, in almost exact 
accordance with the fluctuations of our physical 
health. The soul and mind cabined within the 
confines of a dirty skin can no more exercise their 
godlike prerogatives of highest reason and activity, 
than the prisoner in a felon’s cell can exercise his 
limbs with the vigor and agility of a free man. 
Healthy imagination thus becomes dormant and 
extinguished, and conscience itself obtunded or 
degraded into vice. 
The preceding recommendation of bathing ap- 
plies chiefly to the warm bath and the tepid bath, 
which are alike adapted to the delicate and the 
robust, and to every condition of climate and 228 
CLEANLINESS, ETC. 
season. Cold bathing is only suited to the most 
healthy and vigorous, and can only be practised 
during the warm months of the year, and in a 
mass of water that has been for some hours ex- 
posed to the rays of the sun, and sufficiently large 
to permit of the heat of the body being maintained 
by swimming or other active exercise. The shower- 
bath is an exception to these remarks, and is a con- 
venient and invigorating substitute for other forms 
of bathing. The plunge-bath is also a partial ex- 
ception ; but it should be carefully avoided by those 
who are predisposed to heart disease or brain dis- 
ease, or to congestion of any of the great viscera. 
Sea-bathing, from its stimulating and invigorating 
action on the skin and the whole nervous system, is 
not only most agreeable, but highly salutary, when 
indulged in at the proper season. It has also the 
important advantage over bathing in fresh water, 
that persons seldom take cold from it. As an 
agent for promoting and preserving the softness 
and delicacy of the healthy skin, and the bright 
hues of the complexion, it is, however, inferior to 
the warm bath and the tepid bath. 
“ Water,” says Wilson, “enables us to remove the 
pellicles of impurities previously spoken of from 
our bodies; and it effects this purpose by its quality 
of dissolving saline matters, and holding in tempo- 
rary suspension those which are insoluble. There 
are, however, certain substances for which water has 
a natural repulsion, and over which it consequently 
exerts no influence until assisted by a chemical 229 
CLEANLINESS, ETC. 
power. These substances are oily matters of all 
kinds, and the skin, as we have seen, is abundantly 
provided with an unctuous secretion. The chemi- 
cal power which is called into use for the subjecting 
of the oil is soap; soap renders the unctuous product 
of the skin freely miscible with water, and hence is 
an invaluable agent for purifying the skin. I am 
aware that certain substances, termed ‘ wash-pow- 
ders/ are occasionally used as substitutes for soap; 
they are rubbed on the skin with the hands, and act 
in the same manner that crumbs of bread do upon 
a chalk drawing. But draughtsmen well know that 
they cannot remove the chalk which has entered 
the crevices of the paper, nor can they, indeed, 
restore the surface to its original whiteness and 
purity. Neither can wash powders follow the in- 
numerable apertures of the skin, nor enter the 
mouths of the pores otherwise than to obstruct 
them. A skin cleaned in this manner may always 
be detected by a certain kind of shining, not to 
say greasy, polish, and the whole complexion looks 
mellowed into a kind of tone, as we say of pictures, 
in which dirt and time have softened and matured 
the tints. Soap is accused of being irritative to 
the skin, but this is an obvious injustice done to 
soap, for soap never irritates the delicate skin of 
infants. Depend upon it, that when soap does 
cause irritation, the error is in the condition of 
the complainant, and betokens either an improper 
neglect of its use, or a state of susceptibility of the 
skin verging on disease of that membrane. The use 230 
CLEANLINESS, ETC. 
of soap is certainly calculated to preserve the skin 
in health, to maintain its complexion and tone, 
and prevent it from falling into wrinkles ; and if 
any unpleasant sensations are felt after its use, 
they may be immediately removed by rinsing the 
surface with water slightly acidulated with lemon- 
juice.” 
The best soap we can recommend is Packer’s 
All-Healing Pine Tar Soap. It is unsurpassed 
for the adult’s toilet, bath, scalp diseases, and all 
eruptions of the skin. In the case of very young 
children, and during their infancy, while the skin 
is tender and sensitive in the highest degree, it 
rarely fails to prevent cutaneous eruptions, chafing, 
etc. As a cleansing and deodorizing wash for 
wounds and old sores, it is much superior to any 
other soap. We may also state that the Tar Soap 
is a very valuable remedy for those cutaneous dis- 
orders which so frequently disfigure and destroy 
what might otherwise be cloudless beauty. It is 
of no use to attempt to disguise such impairments 
by covering them over with cosmetics. The Tar 
Soap removes them and establishes in their stead 
that healthful, brilliant, natural cuticle, which 
must be the basis of all beautiful complexions. 
(See Formula No. 56.) 
The opinion that the warm bath is relaxing is 
erroneous. It is only so when persons remain in 
it too long, or take it too often. As a rule, fifteen 
to twenty minutes is a sufficiently long space of 
time to indulge in it; and the best part of the day 231 
CLEANLINESS, ETC. 
is either immediately before retiring to rest, or 
before dressing in the morning; preferably the 
first, as a night of refreshing sleep is almost sure 
to follow it. Neither this, nor any other bath, 
should be taken on a full stomach, nor soon after 
a meal. It is better to allow a couple of hours to 
elapse before doing so. Nor are those who in- 
dulge in a warm bath more liable to take cold than 
others. On the contrary, they are less so, unless 
they wilfully expose themselves, insufficiently clad 
(particularly about the neck and chest), to draught 
or cold air. 
The warm bath and the tepid bath are adapted 
to every age of life. The first is particularly con- 
genial to the young, the delicate, and those declin- 
ing in years. By means of it these last can often 
not only retard the effects of time upon them and 
prolong their lives, but preserve to themselves the 
faculties and personal feelings and enjoyments of 
their former years to a ripe old age. 
It may be useful to the reader to know the 
ranges of the temperature of water appropriate to 
the respective baths. These are given in the fol- 
lowing table: 
TEMPERATURE, FAHRENHEIT. 
NAME. RANGE. COMMON AVERAGE. 
Cold bath 33° to 75 50° to 55 
Temperate bath...75 “ 82 78 “ 80 
Tepid bath 82 “ 90 85 “ 86 
Warm bath 90 “ 98 93 “ 94 
Hot bath 98 “112 105 “ 106 CHAPTER XXIII. 
COSMETICS. 
BY the word “ cosmetics/’ we understand the 
art of cultivating, developing, and preserving 
the beauty of the person, and, in a wider sense, the 
art of correcting its defects and concealing any 
natural or accidental imperfections; in short, to 
hide plainness beneath an attractive mask and im- 
part to homeliness the appearance of beauty. 
This art, skilfully practised, renders the skin 
supple, gives firmness to the flesh, regularity to the 
features, and relief to the outlines ; it softens the 
curves and adorns the human form with those de- 
licious attractions which the ancients have deified 
in the lovely form of Venus. 
The origin of this art is lost in the darkness of 
ages; for both sexes, of all times and of all coun- 
tries, have regarded beauty as a gift from heaven, 
a sweet reflex of divine perfection. It was not 
long ere woman learned the power of beauty as a 
means of conquering and enslaving the stronger 
sex, and learned also, but too soon, that her power 
ended with the loss of her charms. Consequently, 
what efforts did she not make to obtain from art 
{From the Greelc Koa/xdv, to embellish.) COSMETICS. 
233 
and science the precious talisman which should 
preserve her beauty! Her efforts were rewarded, 
for if we believe the legends of antiquity, the 
children of Esculapius devoted themselves to its 
discovery, and succeeded in finding it. 
According to the accounts that have come down 
to us, the cosmetic art of those distant periods pos- 
sessed marvellous secrets — to whiten dark skins, 
restore freshness to the faded complexion, the per- 
fect roundness to the withered bosom,to embellish 
the features, give graceful curve and outline to the 
limbs and to the whole human form, that perfec- 
tion of form which we so admire in the ancient 
statues—all this was, say they, easy. May we not, 
however, suspect a little exaggeration in this, and 
accept the account “cum grano salts” The an- 
cients were eminently poetical, and we all know 
that poetry has considerable license to amplify and 
adorn the subjects it takes in hand. According 
to them, their gods and goddesses often came on 
earth, and did not consider it derogatory to fall in 
love with mortals. We are told that Venus gave 
some celestial toilet-water to Adonis and to Phaon, 
two young Greeks, who, after rubbing themselves 
with it, became the handsomest men of their time. 
All of us have heard of the miraculous qualities 
attributed to the Fountain of Jouvence. We can- 
not accept these stories literally, but may allow 
that there is a grain of truth in these fables of 
mythology. 
The cosmetic art was always widely cultivated 234 
COSMETICS. 
by the Orientals, who considered beauty as a gift 
from heaven ; but it was in classic Greece that 
physical beauty obtained its greatest triumphs and 
received the most brilliant adoration. Ancient 
history is full of the names of beauties immortal- 
ized on account of their charms. 
It must not be thought that the practice of 
the art of embellishing was, with the ancients, 
entrusted to unskilled hands, as is too frequently 
done in modern times. Numerous historical docu- 
ments give undeniable proof that, with the Greeks 
and Romans, several very eminent physicians did 
not think it beneath them, or unworthy of their 
serious studies, to give their attention to cosmetic. 
Their labors and consequent discoveries gave great 
impulse to the art, and rendered great service to 
the fair sex in particular. Among these physicians 
we will mention : Theophrastes, Criton, Herodicus, 
Aristseus, Dioscorides, Musa, Celsus, Galen, etc.; 
and among the ladies: Medea, Aspasia, and Cleo- 
patra wrote several treatises on cosmetics, which, it 
is to be regretted, have not come down to us. 
From all these accounts, more or less true or 
exaggerated, we have good grounds for supposing 
that cosmetics was not with the ancients a vain 
and idle art. Cultivated by the disciples of Hip- 
pocrates, the art was closely connected with that 
of medicine, which healed the diseases of the skin ; 
to orthopoedy, which cures and straightens errors 
of form ; and to hygiene, which prevents sickness 
and cures disease. We venture to say, and think COSMETICS. 
235 
that the majority of people will agree with us, 
that, as we are grateful to the physician who 
restores us to health, we should be equally so to 
the professor of the cosmetic art, who prevents 
ugliness and restores deteriorated beauty. 
Two reasons may be given why, in this age of 
such immense progress, the art of cosmetic has 
remained behind other branches of art. The first 
of these is the indifference of scientists, who con- 
sider beneath them works shared in by the trader 
and the charlatan, and the second is the ignorance 
of medical chemistry on the part of the inventors 
and makers of the secrets of the toilet. There 
can be no doubt that if cosmetics had been the 
object of serious study, the art would have pro- 
gressed like the sister arts of materia medica and 
orthopoedy have done, and would have obtained 
positive results. 
At the present time, when all branches of 
science tend to be localized, that is, when each 
special branch occupies the entire attention of 
some savant who devotes himself to its study and 
improvement, it is much to be regretted that 
cosmetic does not find its specialists. 
Since there are oculists, dentists, orthopoedists, 
etc., etc., why should there not be cosmetists? 
Every practitioner takes charge of some specialty— 
one Seating exclusively the diseases of the chest, 
another the diseases of the stomach, another of the 
skin, etc. Why should there not be properly quali- 
fied practitioners, who would devote themselves 236 
COSMETICS. 
exclusively to the treatment of the deformities of 
the features, imperfections of form' of figure, of 
color; to correct awkward and ungraceful ges- 
tures and movements; in one word, to contend 
against ugliness, and to replace it by grace and 
beauty? It would be a noble mission, and the 
man of science who would devote his time and his 
knowledge to embellish and beautify his fellow- 
creatures would certainly be more than rewarded 
as to fortune and renown. 
Let us hope that the day is not far distant when 
cosmetics, like medicine, will have its practitioners 
and its formulary. 
The name of “ cosmetics,” generally confined by 
the trade to a few of the secrets of the toilet, really 
belongs to all preparations of a nature to entertain 
the beauty of the body ; above all, that of the face, 
and to preserve it from the injuries of time, that 
pitiless destroyer who each day carries off some 
portion of the charms. 
Good cosmetics should be sought after, not only 
by ladies afflicted with any cutaneous defect, but 
also by every one, in order to retain as long as 
possible the freshness and suppleness of the skin, 
and to preserve the attractions of youth, that fly 
from us, alas! but too rapidly. 
But beware! Caution and discrimination are 
more than ever necessary here ; a crowd of charla- 
tans are always on the watch to take advantage of 
this irresistible desire of women to appear young 
and beautiful. They offer, at high prices, com- 237 
COSMETICS. 
pounds guaranteed to meet every case, and of 
which the pretty label and attractive way of put- 
ting up materially assist to deceive feminine credu- 
lity, and convince them that they really do acquire 
by their purchase the power of rendering homely 
women beautiful and old women young. 
Unfortunately for persons of a confiding and 
credulous nature, these cosmetics, whose composi- 
tion is unkhown, produce almost always an effect 
diametrically opposite to the one expected, and 
victimize the unfortunate who put faith in them. 
The majority of these “ treasures of beauty ” are 
composed of injurious substances, such as lead, 
bismuth, mercury, arsenic, lime, potash, nitrate of 
silver, nitric and sulphuric acids, etc., etc. 
The preparations into whose composition these 
substances enter are most frequently dangerous; 
they very often arrest the cutaneous secretions, 
drive back the humors that nature seeks to elimi- 
nate by the pores of the skin, and give rise to 
disorders and diseases which it is sometimes very 
difficult to cure. Physicians speak of them as 
giving rise to very serious absorptions, and some- 
times to cases of poisoning. The victims of these 
dangerous cosmetics find out, when it is too late, 
that, far from recovering its pristine bloom, their 
skin becomes dry and of a leaden hue; the wrinkles, 
which seemed for a short time to have vanished, 
reappear deeper than before, the eyes get inflamed, 
the lips have a faded look, the skin assumes a livid 
hue, the teeth decay, and the breath is fetid from 238 
COSMETICS. 
a general caries. These signs may all be observed 
in great capitals, in the centres of civilization, of 
quackery and vanity, and it is far from uncommon 
to notice Aspasias prematurely wrinkled, Lais with 
red and swollen eyelids, Phrynes half bald, and 
toothless Ninons. 
The physician Bacher, who has so energetically 
thundered against cosmetics with metallic bases, 
gives some frightful examples of diseases that have 
been caused by their use — convulsive tremblings, 
palpitations, syncopes, incurable tetters, abundant 
salivation, loss of the teeth, ulceration of the gums 
and decay of the jaw-bones, breath of a most offen- 
sive smell, dropsy, jaundice, etc., etc. ; finally, en- 
tire deterioration of the whole system, poisoning, 
and a cruel death ! 
This doctor mentions the case of a lady of 
wealth and fashion who was in the habit of cover- 
ing her face, arms, and neck with a cosmetic hav- 
ing white lead for its base, and on this would paint 
the course of the veins, the better to deceive the 
eye. 
This unfortunate victim of ignorance and van- 
ity suffered at first from a fetid salivation, lost her 
teeth soon after, and died of dropsy, with a gen- 
eral congestion of the abdominal viscera. 
At the present day, more perhaps than in the 
time of Bacher, a number of poisonous substances 
have passed from the druggist’s laboratory into 
that of the perfumer. Thus the majority of the 
pomades to prevent the falling of the hair, and to COSMETICS. 
239 
invigorate its growth, contain cantharides in consid- 
erable quantities. Certain cold creams for beau- 
tifying the skin and removing pimples, redness, 
blotches, etc., conceal bi-chlorine of mercury or ar- 
seniate of potash in their composition. The greater 
number of waters, lotions, elixirs, etc., for the re- 
moval of sunburns, freckles, carbuncles, etc., hold 
in solution either cyanure of potassium or corrosive 
sublimate, two terrible poisons! . . . These dan- 
gerous substances, which should never be used but 
by the special prescription of a physician, or made 
up by others than chemists and druggists, may oc- 
casion the most serious accidents. 
But let it be most thoroughly understood that 
what we say here, is not by any means to be ap- 
plied to all cosmetics indiscriminately. There ex- 
ists many whose materials are entirely innocuous, 
and which render great services to beauty. Of 
these are the preparations which we recommend 
in these pages. All of them have been submitted 
to the strictest analysis, and proved to be com- 
posed of nothing but the most wholesome ingre- 
dients, compounded by men of experience, accord- 
ing to the prescriptions of skilled chemists. 
A cosmetic, to be thoroughly good and safe, 
must be based on a physiological knowledge of 
the skin. All that are otherwise, should be at 
once rejected as dangerous. 
We have already said, that the human skin can 
be generally divided into two categories — oily shins 
and dry skins; now, substances that suit the one 240 
COSMETICS. 
will not suit the other. This is so clear as to 
require no demonstration. 
The art of cosmetics, based on the physiology of 
the organ of the skin, recognizes three classes of 
the articles of which it treats. 
THE FIRST CLASS.—This includes all waters, 
liqueurs, oils, fats, pastes, powders, and other simple 
substances which have not suffered any chemical 
combination. Thus spring or river water, at va- 
rious degrees of temperature, cold, tepid, or warm, 
either plain or with the addition of gelatinous, 
emollient, aromatic, or other substances; the juice 
of melons, cucumbers, of green barley, and of 
other vegetable products; powders, almond pastes; 
baths of bran, of milk; infusions and decoctions 
of mucilaginous plants; distilled waters of roses, 
of plantain, of bean flowers, of orange flowers, and 
the “ bloom of youth,” the “ Packer’s Pine Tar 
Soap,” and others which cannot possibly injure the 
skin or impair its action, are the only cosmetics 
suitable to persons whose skin is perfectly healthy. 
But when the skin has lost its brilliancy, its fresh- 
ness, and its suppleness, either by the action of heat 
or cold, or in consequence of some internal or ex- 
ternal sickness, it becomes sometimes necessary to 
have recourse to the next class. 
THE SECOND CLASS.— This comprises: first, 
the cosmetics of the first class which have under- 
gone some preparation, some combination between 
themselves or with other substances, such as waters, 
compound liquids, aromatic emulsions, etc.; sec- COSMETICS. 
241 
ondly, macerations, infusions, decoctions, incor- 
porations and distillations of several combined 
substances, acting with more or less rigor upon 
the skin ; waters, liquids, and pomades, in which 
are mixed, dissolved, or incorporated salts, rosins, 
extracts, essences, or any other substances having 
exciting, tonic, astringent, or detersive qualities. 
These cosmetics are more generally used by per- 
sons past the first bloom of youth, and of lymphatic 
temperament, in order to contract, vivity, and 
give tone to several organs which have lost their 
original freshness. But caution here becomes neces- 
sary ; for, while their use in moderation is benefi- 
cial, their abuse is always injurious. A temporary 
tone and a contraction of short duration may be 
followed by relaxation and flaccidness; for the 
greater number of preparations w7hich contain me- 
tallic salts, and above all acids, dry up the skin, 
attack its secreting and excreting functions, tan 
and harden it, and give it in a short time the yel- 
low tinge of age. Persons who are desirous of pre- 
serving the freshness of their complexions should 
proscribe these preparations. 
THE THIRD CLASS.— Cosmetics of this class 
belong to the materia medica, and their preparation 
is the business of the pharmaceutist. They are 
generally salts, dangerous substances, which possess 
certainly curative powers, but whose use demands 
all the skill and experience of the medical man. 
Now, the cosmetics of this class, among which we 
distinguish arsenical, mercurial, coppery, antimo- 242 
COSMETICS. 
nial, leaden preparations, etc., etc., belong naturally 
to medicine, and cannot be included in our work, 
which is not written for the medical profession. 
To conclude, it is said that a person well versed 
in the wheels and mechanism of a machine is able 
to direct it. By the same rule, in order to under- 
stand the action of cosmetics on the skin, and to 
use them properly, it is indispensable to know all 
its constituent parts, its admirable structure, and 
the functions of this membrane. We therefore 
again recommend our readers to peruse the chap- 
ter of this work which treats of the anatomy and 
of the physiology of the skin, as its study will 
enlighten them on the art of rational and hygienic 
cosmetics, and warn them against the possible dan- 
gers of traditionary recipes and the seductions of 
quackery. CHAPTER XXIV. 
HYGIENIC AND COSMETIC FORMULARY. 
Selection of Ancient and New Formulae, Proved by 
Experience to be Favorable to the Preservation of 
the Beauty of the Skin, and of a Nature to Pre- 
vent its Deterioration * 
WHEN the skin has suffered injury, either 
through the action of an ardent sun or of 
violent cold, or in consequence of its coining into 
contact with any acrid or irritating substances, and 
has thereby become yellow, wrinkled, reddened, 
sunburnt, or chapped, it is indispensable to have 
recourse to good cosmetics, in order to restore it to 
its pristine state. Without doubt nature would, if 
left to herself, finally free the skin from the browned 
epidermis, from sunburns, pimples, and accidental 
blotches which stain its purity; but this labor of 
elimination would be too long for impatient beauty, 
and art has stepped in to the aid of nature, and 
recommends in such cases a number of prepara- 
tions, of which we give only the best and most 
efficacious. 
* All the products mentioned in this chapter can be ob- 
tained through the Franco-American Commercial Agency, 
8 Bond street, New York. 244 
FORMULARY. 
No. 1.— Emulsive Cosmetic Water. 
For Sunburn. 
Fresh Almonds 1 oz. 
Pound in a marble mortar, adding successively: 
Rose Water 8 oz. 
Orange-Flower Water 8 “ 
When these are perfectly blended, add: 
Tincture of Benzoine J oz. 
Pulverized Borax j “ 
This water will not remove sunburn, but it will 
soften and refresh the skin. 
No. 2. — Virginal Rice Water. 
Hulled Rice 2 oz. 
River Water 1 lb. 
Boil until reduced one-third, strain and add: 
Juice of Water-cresses § oz. 
Virginal Tincture 10 drops. 
This water has the reputation of well cleansing 
the skin, and freeing it from redness and pimples. 
It is an old formula, of which many ladies speak 
highly, but we do not guarantee its efficacy, as the 
Virginal tincture is only a solution of gum benja- 
min in alcohol, which cannot be but injurious to 
the skin. 
No. 3.— Callidermic Lotion. 
To Refresh the Complexion and Free it from Pimply and 
Floury Eruptions. 
This lotion consists of two bottles; the liquid 
produced by the mingling of the two possesses the 
virtues stated in its name. 245 
FORMULARY. 
First Bottle (White). 
Iodurated Iodine 2 parts. 
Aqueous Solution of Hyposulphite of Soda.. 1 part. 
Second Bottle (Yellow). 
Liquid Sulphide of Potassium 1 part. 
Distilled Water 6 parts. 
Essence of Lemon in sufficient quantity to perfume it. 
These preparations require filtering several times. 
Persons who have not the requisite vessels for oper- 
ating, will do well to purchase this lotion ready- 
made. 
Mode of Use.— Half fill a small china bowl with 
the liquid in bottle No. 1. Then add one or two 
spoonfuls of the contents of No. 2, and the result 
will be a yellowish sulpho-iodurated milk, excellent 
to cleanse the skin from all pimples and eruptions. 
Bathe the face and do not wipe it, and repeat the 
bathing every few seconds for some time. It can 
also be applied by imbibing with it a cloth folded 
several times and laying it on the skin. It is an 
excellent way to refresh, cleanse, and soften it. 
No. 4.—Softening Cosmetic Water. 
Roots of Marsh-Mallows 2 oz. 
White Bread Crumb 1 “ 
Water 1 quart. 
Boil until reduced one-third, strain through a 
cloth, and add: 
Yolk of Eggs 1 oz. 
Fresh Cream 1 “ 246 
FORMULARY. 
Whip the whole for five minutes, and perfume 
with a few drops of Tolu balsam. 
This water must be prepared the same day on 
which it is to be used. It has the virtue of moist- 
ening and rendering supple dry skins, and to re- 
store bloom and freshness to faded complexions. 
The face should be washed with it three or four 
times a day; and to obtain a more effectual result, 
it is well to dip some pieces of fine linen in the 
water and apply them to the face before retiring 
to rest. 
No. 5. — Balmy Water. 
Crushed Strawberries 2 lbs. 
do. Raspberries 1 “ 
Milk I “ 
Pulverized Benzoin 31 grains. 
Distill in the water bath. 
This water is a good cosmetic, which refreshes 
and perfumes the skin. 
No. 6. — Tar Water. 
Purified Tar 2 oz. 
Water 1 quart. 
Put the tar in a glazed pot; pour in the water 
and stir it round several times a day with a spatula, 
or a small stick. Continue doing so for eight days, 
when the water will have acquired the desired de- 
tersive qualities. Some people add the juice of a 
lemon. 
Tar water is, it is said, a good preservative 
against itch, superficial herpes, and other cutane- 
ous efflorescences. (For Tar Soap, see Formula 57.) FORMULARY. 
247 
No. 7.— Hydrolat of Beans. 
To Remove the Effects of Heat from the Face, and to Refresh 
the Shin. 
Bean Flowers 1 lb. 
Rose Leaves 7 oz. 
Spring Water 1 quart. 
Distil in the water-bath until about a pint of 
liquid is produced, and then add the distilled pro- 
duce of the juice of two lemons, and perfume to 
taste with essence of bergamotte. Pour the mix- 
ture into a bottle, cork closely, and put aside for 
future use. To use it, dip a fine linen cloth iuto 
the mixture, and place it on the face every evening. 
In about seven or eight days the red blotches will 
have considerably decreased in intensity of color. 
No. 8.— Hydrolat of Honey. 
White Honey 1 lb. 
Benzoin oz. 
Pulverized Borax £ “ 
Distil in the water-bath, and it will give a clear, 
limpid water that may be considered as the quintes- 
sence of flowers, inhaled by the bees to make their 
honey. This water, it is said, gives great brilliancy 
to the complexion. 
No. 9.—Virginal Milks. 
The tinctures sold by perfumers under the name 
of virginal milks should be avoided as not only 
injurious to the skin, but as being also dangerous. 
They are generally composed of salts of lead, or 248 
FORMULARY. 
of resins, dissolved in alcohol. Salts of lead dry- 
up and tan the skin; resins are liable to penetrate 
the pores and choke the excreting conduits, thus 
causing several cutaneous diseases. This simple 
statement will show the dangers incurred by using 
these milks. The milk, or rather the emulsion, 
according to the following formula, is the only 
one we can recommend to all persons careful of 
the freshness of their complexions: 
Sweet Almonds 1 oz. 
Bitter Almonds “ 
Rose Water 6 “ 
Make an emulsion of these secundem artem, and 
add: 
Benzoate of Soda 15 grains. 
No. 10.—Milk of Hebe (Lait d’ Hebe). 
To take the place of the virginal milks, which, 
as we have before said, are always injurious, wre 
give the following formula, which is not yet known 
to the world, and which is without doubt one of the 
best cosmetics that can be used. It softens the 
epidermis and impregnates it with a most delicious 
perfume. 
This preparation, which can be made at home, 
gives very curious results. 
Preparation. 
White Curd Soap | lb. 
Water 1 pint. 
Melt the soap in the water in a stew-pan, on a FORMULARY. 
249 
slow fire, adding a little carbonate of potash to 
assist the operation, and, when thoroughly melted, 
throw upon the mass as much sulphate of magnesia 
as is needful to coagulate the soap which is at the 
top. Strain the whole through a sieve or cloth, 
and there will remain a clotted mass, which is 
magnesian soap. After letting it drain thoroughly, 
throw it into a marble mortar and beat it, adding 
slowly alcohol at 33°, and continue stirring with 
the pestle until about one quart of alcohol has been 
poured in. Add 
Fresh Castor-Oil 1 oz. 
Stir quickly to well incorporate the oil, and 
when the materials are perfectly amalgamated, fil- 
ter through filtering paper. After this first filtra- 
tion, add: 
Benzoic Acid \ oz. 
Essence of Badiane \ “ 
“ “ Carvi i “ 
“ “ Verbena £ “ 
“ “ Lemon i “ 
“ “ White Thyme | “ 
Tincture of Tolu Balsam I “ 
Stir thoroughly to incorporate, and then filter 
again. It is needful, sometimes, to filter several 
times, until the liquid is perfectly clear and limpid. 
Mode of Use.— Pour into a glass, bowl, or basin 
of water a spoonful of the Milk of Hebe, and the 
result will be a soft, unctuous, creamy liquid, which 
imparts suppleness to the skin, and also, after a few 250 
FORMULARY. 
days of its use, all the brilliancy of which it is sus- 
ceptible. 
TOILET VINEGARS. — All toilet vinegars are, 
as a rule, injurious to the skin, and should, for 
that reason, be banished from ladies’ toilet-tables. 
These vinegars have for a long time enjoyed a 
great reputation, for the reason that no one has 
hitherto taken the trouble to note their effects upon 
the cutaneous organ, and consist of an alcoholic 
solution of resins, with the addition of acetic acid. 
We have already shown the injury caused to the 
skin by resins, and physiologists and hygienist doc- 
tors all agree that the effect of acids on the skin 
is to harden it and render it liable to chapping. 
Our own experience has shown us that the only 
good dermophiles are: for oily skins, the milk of 
hebe; for dry skins, the snow-cream; the callidermic 
lotion for skins affected with redness, pimples, and 
other surface eruptions; and Packer's Tar Soap, 
which, besides being excellent for the toilet, pos- 
sesses great curative power, and is a remedy equally 
simple and reliable. 
In spite of our objections to vinegars, we give 
here a formula of one very aromatic and less inju- 
rious than the others, and which can be very ad- 
vantageously used to sprinkle rooms in order to 
purify them. POEMULAEY, 
251 
No. 11. — Acetic Tincture, or Toilet Vinegar, 
Alcohol @ 33° 2 lbs. 
Eau de Cologne 1 lb. 
Tincture of Tolu Balsam 3 oz. 
“ “ Benzoin 1^“ 
Essential Oil of Lavender 1 “ 
“ “ “ Cloves i“ 
“ “ “ Cinnamon “ 
When the essential oils are dissolved in the 
alcohol, add: 
Acetic Acid 9 oz. 
If it is wished that the acid flavor predominate, 
add a little more acid. 
Color can be given by means of orchella root. 
COSMETIC PASTES. — There are in existence 
a great number of these pastes for cleaning the skin, 
and nearly all composed of the same materials — 
almond meal, honey, oil, and soap. These pastes 
are generally defective, for the reason that if they 
cleanse the skin it is due to the potash and soda 
they contain ; but they do not soften it. If, on the 
contrary, they do soften the skin through excess of 
oil, they do not cleanse it. 
We will first give the best formula of the most 
celebrated pastes, and will then come to the most 
perfect of all, the callidermic paste, which takes 
its name from the qualities it possesses of embel- 
lishing the skin. 
No. 12. — Paste for the Complexion. 
Flour of Barley 5 oz. 
White Honey 1 “ 
White of Egg I “ 252 
FORMULARY. 
Beat the whole together so as to form a paste 
of about the consistency of honey, and perfume it 
with a few drops of orange-flower water. Apply 
this to the face on going to bed, and leave it on 
until the next morning, when it can be removed 
by the help of warm water. This preparation is 
much used, it is said, by the Venetian ladies to 
obtain brilliancy of complexion. It resembles 
closely the mask of the ladies of ancient Rome. 
No. 13. — Transparent Paste. 
Jelly of Starch 5 oz. 
Castor-Oil 6 “ 
Potash Soap 6 “ 
Alcohol 12 “ 
This preparation is bad on account of the quan- 
tity of alcohol used to dissolve the fatty bodies, and 
render them transparent; it hardens the epidermis. 
Our motive in giving it here is to warn our fair 
readers against such preparations. 
No. 14. —Paste of Almonds and Honey. 
To Soften and Whiten the Hands. 
Meal of Bitter Almonds 1 lb. 
Oil of Sweet Almonds 2 “ 
Honey 2 “ 
Yolk of Eggs £ oz. 
Melt the honey separately, pour the almond 
meal into it and knead it together with the yolk 
of egg, and knead it again, after adding the oil of 
almonds, until a firm paste is produced. This 
paste softens the hands, but does not cleanse them. FORMULARY. 
253 
No. 15. — Horse-Chestnut Meal Paste. 
Same formula as the preceding, only changing 
the almond meal for meal of horse-chestnuts, and 
the yolk of egg for four ounces of soap. 
No. 16. — Strawberry Paste. 
To Refresh the Complexion and Perfume the Skin. 
Fresh Strawberries J lb. 
Gum Tragacanth | oz. 
Powder of Violets | “ 
Crush the strawberries, mix and stir them up 
with a sufficient quantity of rose-water to form a 
half liquid paste, which apply to the face at night, 
and wash off next morning with tepid water. This 
operation repeated for three successive nights will 
remove sunburn and heat of the skin. 
No. 17. — Callidermic Paste. 
For Softening, Refreshing, Embellishing, and Perfectly Clean- 
ing the Skin. 
This paste is one of the best of all cosmetics, 
and unites the three qualities that should belong 
to every good toilet cosmetic : 1, cleansing perfectly 
the epidermis without hardening or irritating it; 
2, polishing and whitening it; 3, giving it that 
exquisite velvety bloom which is to the skin what 
perfume is to flowers. 
As this preparation requires a large apparatus 
and a great deal of skill to make, besides consist- 
ing of many very delicate ingredients that need the 254 
FORMULARY. 
handling of a skilled operator, we will not here 
give the formula. 
We therefore recommend our readers to buy it 
ready-made, as it would be almost impossible for 
an ordinary person to make it up themselves in a 
satisfactory manner. 
Ho. 18.— Detersive Paste. 
For Effacing Black Specks from the Face, and Perfectly 
Cleansing the Skin. 
The detersive qualities of this most excellent 
paste are very remarkable: it cleans the skin from 
all stains and impurity; dissolves the little black 
pimples and contracts the sebaceous ducts that give 
rise to them ; it polishes the epidermis, and gives 
it a lustre unattainable with any other cosmetic. 
As its composition is the special property of its 
inventor, we are not allowed to give the formula 
of this preparation. 
No. 19.— Callidermic White. 
The Only One vjhich is Not Injurious to the Skin. 
All the whites for the complexion known, under 
whatever name or title the perfumer may endow 
them with, are simply two: ordinary white (car- 
bonate of lead) and pearl white (sub-nitrate of 
bismuth). These two metallic salts are the most 
dangerous enemies of the skin, and are liable to 
cause, by their absorption, very serious injury to 
the health. Under their action the countenance 
fades, takes a leaden hue, and becomes covered with 255 
FORMULARY. 
little black specks. These whites have the further 
disadvantage of turning black when brought into 
contact with sulphurous emanations. The calli- 
dermic white, free from lead, bismuth, tin, sulphate 
of barytes, etc., etc., far from being hurtful to the 
skin, is, on the contrary, most favorable to it, as it 
possesses the power of cleansing and softening it, 
and is, moreover, not liable to change of color. 
The callidermic white is made with silica in im- 
palpable powder, filtered talc, and a white, earth 
called leucodermic, that is, whitening the epidermis. 
No. 20.— Callidermic Powder. 
Fresh Eye-flour 5 oz. 
Powder of Marsh-Mallows ... 2 “ 
“ “ Violets 2 “ 
“ “ Dextrine | “ 
Mix thoroughly, so as to make a homogeneous 
powder. 
We have already said that the ladies of ancient 
Greece and home were in the habit of applying 
to their faces a mask composed of emollient sub- 
stances to freshen their complexions. The same 
result is obtained with the callidermic powder by 
simply wetting it with tepid water, and applying a 
coating of it to the face. After it has been on five 
or six hours, wash it off with warm water, and 
bathe the face with cold water perfumed with a 
little Milk of Hebe. The skin will then be found 
to have acquired all the desired whiteness and 
softness. 256 
FORMULARY. 
No. 21.— Composite Powder. 
To Whiten and Soften the Hands. 
Flour of Blanched Almonds 1 lb. 
“ “ Rice \ “ 
“ “ Florence Orris Root 1\ oz. 
Soap Powder 1| “ 
Mix and pulverize all these materials, which per- 
fume with about twenty drops of any essential oil 
preferred. 
This powder, moistened with a little water, is 
used to soften and whiten the hands; but is not 
equal in its results to the Callidermic paste given 
above, and to the Pine Tar Soap, given under 
No. 56. 
No. 22. — Circassian Cosmetic. 
Cut a lemon in two equal parts, take out the 
inside and turn the skin inside out. Keep it for 
one night in a cool place, and next morning beat 
up the yolk of an egg and pour it into the lemon 
rinds. The essential oil of the lemon, combining 
with the yolk of egg, forms, it is said, an excellent 
cosmetic for softening and cleansing the skin, and 
removing freckles. 
No. 23.—Camphor Ointment. 
To Remove Stains from the Face. 
Camphor £ oz. 
Grind it in a mortar with a few drops of alcohol, 
add the juice of a lemon and a sufficient quantity 
of honey. Beat up the whole so as to form a half 
liquid paste. 257 
FORMULARY. 
First wash the face with Packer's Tar Soap, and 
when it is thoroughly clean and dry, apply to the 
skin a coating of this ointment, which suffer to dry. 
The application must be renewed for several 
days in succession. The effect of this preparation 
is scarcely up to our expectations. On the con- 
trary, it has often happened that the delicate skin 
of several ladies has been irritated by the acid of 
the lemon. 
No. 24. — Lotion to Remove Freckles. 
Borate of Soda 3 grains. 
Bose Water f oz. 
Orange Flower Water. f “ 
Put up secundem artem. 
This formula, taken from Bouchardat’s Phar- 
macy, is not injurious to the skin ; but is of no real 
use against freckles, which cannot be deprived of 
their color, as we have already shown in the arti- 
cle of this work treating of pigmentary stains. 
There is but one way of destroying these spots, and 
that is by using the water to which we have given 
the following name: 
No. 25. — Iodurated Chemical Water. 
For Lentigo and Pigmentary Spots■ 
Iodine | oz. 
Iodure of Potassium | “ 
Dissolve in oz. distilled water. 
Touch the spots with a camel’s-hair pencil dip- 
ped in this solution, which is slightly caustic. 258 
FORMULARY. 
This water is also a good remedy for furfura- 
ceous herpes. 
No. 26. — Sulfo-iodized Lotion. 
A Sovereign Remedy for Freckles and Herpes. 
Iodurated-iodite 1 oz. 
Sulphite of Potassium J “ 
Mix the two liquids, which will become white 
and of a clouded appearance, depositing a sedi- 
ment. Filter several times, until the liquid be- 
comes of a clear yellow in color. 
Touch the freckles or herpes with a pencil dipped 
in the mixture ; it is very rare that a cure does not 
follow in a few days. 
POMADES. — Originally, pomatum, or pomade, 
was a fragrant unguent or ointment in the com- 
position of which, as the name implies (Lat. po- 
mum, an apple), apples entered as an essential and 
characteristic ingredient. Old authors describe 
it as a soft ointment prepared of apples,#lard, and 
rose-water. The term has, however, long lost its 
original signification, and in England and this 
country is applied to any solid, greasy substance 
used in dressing the hair. In France, besides the 
“ pomatums ” of the English perfumers, it em- 
braces the scented fats employed in preparing 
extracts and to impart fragrance to other prepa- 
rations, and various compounds of a corresponding 
nature used as skin-cosmetics. 
The goodness of a pomade depends on the purity 
and selection of its component parts, and on the 
mode of its preparation. Pomades that have been FORMULARY. 
259 
melted or made over a fire are bad and liable to 
quick deterioration; those made by beating in a 
mortar are the best and will keep for some time. 
No. 27.— Trikophile Pomade. 
Excellent for the Hair. 
Purified Veal Fat, entirely free from odor.. 6 oz. 
Spermaceti 2| “ 
Juice of Lemon or Verjuice 4 “ 
Pippin Apples 1 dr. 
Unskimmed Milk 2 oz. 
Virgin Wax 10 drs. 
Alcoholic Extract of Cinchona 7\ “ 
Oil of Sweet Almonds 9 oz. 
Perfume to taste. Make into a pomade secundem 
artem. 
No. 28.— Ferruginous Pomade. 
Anti-Calvitic Tonic. 
Possessing the double virtue of arresting the fall 
of the hair and preventing its turning gray. 
Snow-Cream 11 oz. 
Fresh Flower Pomade 5 “ 
Strong solution of Tannin 1 “ 
“ Sulphate of Iron.. 5 drs. 
This pomade must be beaten up in an iron 
mortar. Add the sulphate of iron after the fatty 
substances are well triturated, and the tannin last 
of all. Beat up until the whole mass has assumed 
a dark blue color. 
CREAM CERATES. — To Nourish and Soften 
the Skin.— These pomades are made of spermaceti 
and oil of sweet almonds, and have been adorned by 
perfumers with many names, such as cream of ml- 260 
FORMULARY. 
tanas, cold cream, serkis, etc., etc. They are really 
all the same, only varying in odor. We give here 
the general composition. 
No. 29.— Cold Cream. 
Oil of Sweet Almonds 5 oz. 
Spermaceti 1 “ 
White Wax “ 
Kose Water 1 “ 
Tincture of Benzoin drachm. 
Melt the wax and the spermaceti in the bain- 
marie, and pour them together into a marble mor- 
tar and let them set; then pound them up with a 
wooden pestle until they are entirely free from 
lumps, and pour in slowly the rose water, and 
beat until it is thoroughly incorporated. Finally 
add the tincture of benzoin and beat again. The 
more this cerate is beaten the whiter it becomes, 
and to be quite perfect must resemble cream in 
appearance. 
This preparation possesses very softening quali- 
ties, and calms any irritation of the skin, renders 
it supple, polishes the epidermis, and is peculiarly 
suitable to dry skins. 
All the preparations known as Pomade of the 
Sultanas, Circassian Cream, Dew of Spring, etc., are 
composed of the same substances, and only vary in 
their perfume. 
All preparations containing salts of lead, of 
zinc, of tartar, of potash, etc., etc., as do so many 
offered for sale by perfumers, are dangerous for 
a healthy skin, and should not be allowed on the 
toilet table. FORMULARY. 
261 
No. 30. — Cucumber Pomade. 
Considered Excellent for Softening the Skin. 
Fresh Lard 8 oz. 
Cucumber 1 lb. 
Ripe Melon 1 “ 
Lemon Juice or Verjuice 4 oz. 
Pippin Apples 1 drachm. 
Unskimmed Milk 2 oz. 
Remove the rinds and the seeds from the mel- 
ons and cucumbers, cut them into small pieces, and 
put the whole of the above materials in a cucurbit, 
and warm them for five hours by means of the 
water-bath; then strain off the pomade through a 
fine sieve and let it cool. 
Several druggists melt the pomade and strain 
it a second time to render it more light and unctu- 
ous. It is then run into pots and hermetically 
closed. It must be kept in a cool place. 
This cosmetic enjoys a high reputation, but it 
must absolutely be used while perfectly fresh. It 
will be easily understood that the vegetable sub- 
stances and the milk which enter into its composi- 
tion are sure to ferment and spoil in the course of 
a few days, and the pomade to become thereby in- 
jurious to the skin. 
We will here remark that the greater number 
of pomades sold by druggists and perfumers, under 
the name of cucumber pomade, are nothing but 
cold cream, to which a little dextrine is added to 
give it the odor of cucumbers. This is a hint to 
the ladies. 262 
FORMULARY. 
No. 31. — Pomade Rosat, or Lip Salve 
For Cracked or Chapped Lips, Hands, and Breast. 
Oil of Sweet Almonds 2 oz. 
White Wax 3 drachms. 
Spermaceti 5 “ 
Orkanet Root (tied up in a cloth) 5 “ 
Melt slowly in the bain-marie until melted, pour 
into a mortar, stir with the pestle, and add: 
RoseWater 5 drachms. 
Sulphate of Zinc 2| “ 
The sulphate of zinc must first be dissolved in 
the rose water. 
Beat up the mixture smartly until the water is 
thoroughly incorporated ; perfume with a few drops 
of rose water and run into pots for future us. 
Use this pomade several times a day to anoint 
the cracked or chapped places, and a cure will 
rapidly follow. 
No. 32.— Pomade and Lotion. 
To Prevent the Hair Falling Off. 
See article on the Hygiene of the Hair. 
No. 33.— Cream of Cacao Pomade. 
To Nourish and Soften Dry Skins, and Allay Heat of the 
Complexion. 
Spermaceti oz. 
White Wax \ “ 
Oil of Sweet Almonds 2| “ 
Cacao Butter \ “ 
Melt in the bain-marie or over a slow fire, and FORMULARY. 
263 
pour the mass into a marble mortar. When cold, 
beat it well until smooth, and add 
Powder of Violets 3 drachms. 
Stir well with the pestle to incorporate this last, 
and perfume with a few drops of tincture of amber. 
No. 34.— Snow-Cream. 
The snow-cream is infinitely superior to all cos- 
metics known, even to the celebrated cucumber 
pomade, of which we have given the composition 
above. We guarantee it to be above all others — 
softening, unctuous, and refreshing. 
The snow-cream not only cures all irritations of 
the skin, but it also refreshes and purifies it, and 
protects it from all injurious influences. It may be 
used with advantage, instead of rose pomade, in 
cases of chapping of the lips, hands, or breasts. 
It is a sovereign remedy in cases of cutaneous 
irritations. 
No. 35.— Pomade for Chilblains. 
The most simple remedies are the most natural 
and the most efficacious. There are in existence 
more than a hundred waters, lotions, or ointments 
for the cure of chilblains, but very few of the whole 
number are worth anything. 
The formula that we give below has never been 
known to fail when properly used. 
Snow-Cream 1 oz. 
Gallic Acid \ drachm. 264 
FORMULARY. 
Dissolve the gallic acid in a sufficient quantity 
of rose-water, and incorporate the solution with the 
snow-cream, by triturating and beating it in a mar- 
ble mortar, and add 
Tincture of Tolu Balsam 3 drops. 
Beat up anew, and when the mass has become a 
semi-consistent, smooth paste, pour off into pots. 
Mode of Use.— Turn a pair of kid gloves inside 
out, and coat the wrong side with a thick layer of 
this ointment; turn the gloves back again,and put 
them on. Wear these gloves for three days, being 
careful not to remove them. By the fourth day, 
if all pain and irritation have disappeared, ex- 
change these gloves for kid gloves that have not 
been anointed with the pomade. These it is neces- 
sary to wear until the seventh day, to protect the 
hands from cold. The cure will be then found to 
be complete. 
No. 36.— Astringent Pomade. 
Snow-Cream 1 oz. 
Tannin 1 drachm. 
Sulphate of Zinc 1 “ 
Rose Water 5 “ 
To be used in certain cases of relaxation of the 
organs. 
No. 37.— Stimulating Pomade. 
Red Pepper, in very fine powder 2 drachms. 
Plain Cerate 8 “ 
Essences of Cloves and Cinnamon 6 drops. 
Good for cases of artony of the lips, nipples, etc. FORMULARY. 
265 
Fo. 38.— Aromatic Tincture. 
Excellent when used in Frictions, to give Tone to the Skin in 
Cases of Atony. 
Best Cinnamon, broken up fine...lO drachms. 
Pepper, in pods, “ “ “ ... 5 “ 
Cardamom 8 “ 
Powder of Cinchona 3 “ 
Aromatic Powders,. 2 oz. 
Alcohol @ 44° 16 “ 
Let these digest for a fortnight; pass by pressure 
and filter. Keep the tincture in a closely stop- 
pered bottle. 
This tincture can be advantageously used in- 
stead of arnica in cases of bruises, sprains, etc. 
No. 39.—Balsamic Tincture. 
Excellent Tonic for Pale, Wan-looking Gums. 
Catechu 1 oz. 
Myrrh 1 “ 
Peruvian Balsam 2 drachms. 
Spirit of Cochlearia. 4 oz. 
Reduce the first three of these to powder and let 
them macerate during six days in the spirit of 
cochlearia; then filter. 
This tincture is the best that can be used for 
atony and relaxation of the gums. It can be used 
sweetened with honey as a gargarism, putting 
one or two spoonfuls of the tincture in a glass of 
water. 266 
FORMULARY. 
No. 40. — Mixture. 
For Aphthae of the Gums. 
The mucous membrane of the mouth and gums 
is sometimes the seat of small ulcerations, called 
aphthae, which, when they are not the symptoms 
of internal malady, are easily cured by touching 
them with a pencil of sulphate of copper or with 
the following mixture: 
Juice of House-Leeks 1 oz. 
Honey of Roses 1 “ 
Sulphate of Alumina 20 grains. 
Touch the sores several times a day with a 
camel’s-hair pencil dipped in this mixture. The 
cure will be accelerated by a few astringent 
gargles. 
No. 41.—Tooth Powder. 
Pulverized Charcoal 1 oz. 
Impalpable Powder of Cinchona 1 “ 
Carbonate of Magnesia | “ 
Mix thoroughly and perfume with any essence 
preferred. This powder is indubitably far supe- 
rior to any of those offered for sale, and of which 
the majority contain acids or hard substances; 
we have already explained that acids soften and 
destroy the enamel of the teeth, and that hard sub- 
stances wear it out by friction. 
The only powder superior to this, is the fol- 
lowing : FORMULARY. 
267 
No. 42. — Superior Tooth Powder. 
Pulverized Charcoal 1 oz. 
Powder of Cinchona J “ 
“ “ Catechu \ “ 
“ “ Pyrethrum “ 
Carbonate of Magnesia J “ 
Mix by pounding in a mortar, and add a few 
drops of peppermint. 
This powder, superior to all others, preserves 
the teeth from decay, prevents the formation of 
tartar, absorbs and destroys the objectionable odor 
arising from substances between the teeth, pre- 
serves the enamel, and strengthens the gums. 
No. 43.— Pain-killing Elixir. 
The Best Remedy for Toothache. 
Every one knows what a dreadful, intolerable 
disease is toothache, which often continues with 
unabated violence for hours and even days to- 
gether. Among the many remedies extolled for 
this evil there are a few, such as creosote, which 
allay the pain ; but they are not always sure, and 
they have the disadvantage of being, either by the 
taste or smell, most disagreeable to many persons. 
It was therefore necessary to find some cure that 
should not have these disadvantages. 
The pain-killing elixir fulfils all the required 
conditions ; it arrests and cleans dental caries, cau- 
terizes the nerve, and kills the pain almost in- 
stantaneously. 
To Use. — Put into the decayed tooth a small 268 
FOEMULAEY. 
ball of cotton-wool steeped in tbe liquid, and the 
pain will cease as if by magic. 
This elixir is the property of a French chemist, 
who has not allowed us to give the formula. 
No. 44.—Water for Badly Smelling Breath. 
Chlorate of Lime 1 drachm. 
Spring Water 1 quart. 
Filter after solution, and add : 
Essence of Peppermint 1 oz. 
Sugar 6 “ 
Wash the mouth, and gargle with this mixture, 
which will destroy all unpleasant smell. 
When badly smelling breath is caused by an 
affection of the stomach, or by gases developed by 
that organ, we recommend charcoal in the form of 
pastilles or troches, as possessing the property of 
destroying these gases. 
No. 45.— Charcoal Tablets. 
For Badly Smelling Breath. 
Finely powdered Vegetable Charcoal 1 part. 
White Sugar 1 “ 
Plain Chocolate 3 “ 
Mucilage of Gum-Arabic sufficient quantity. 
First grind up the chocolate with the sugar; then 
add the charcoal little by little, and finally, with 
the mucilage, make the mixture into tablets of 
about eighteen grains each. Put one of these in 
the mouth from time to time, letting it melt while 
moving the tongue from side to and swallow- FORMULARY. 
269 
ing the saliva, which will have acquired the prop- 
erty of annihilating the fetid gases contained in 
the stomach. 
The following preparations are also good for the 
same purpose: 
No. 46.— Pastilles of Catechu and Magnesia. 
Catechu 1 oz. 
Magnesia 1 “ 
Sugar 10 “ 
Mucilage of Gum Tragacanth,with Cin- 
namon Water sufficient quantity. 
Make according to the rules of art pastilles of 
about twelve grains each. 
No. 47.— Disinfecting Pastilles. 
Catechu 1 oz. 
Magnesia \ “ 
Sugar 4 “ 
Essence of Lemon, j 
“ “ Cinnamon, V 10 drachms. 
“ “ Peppermint, ) 
Mucilage sufficient quantity. 
Make into pastilles of about fourteen grains each. 
No. 48.— Eau de Botot. 
For Cleaning the Mouth, and Rendering it Healthy. 
Brandy ® 72° 1 lb. 
Crushed Aniseed 13 drachms. 
Cloves 4 “ 
Cinnamon 4 “ 
Essence of Peppermint | “ 
Cinchona 4 “ 270 
FORMULARY. 
Let these substances macerate for eight days in 
a large glass bottle, filter, and add : 
Tincture of Amber 2 drachms. 
Cochenille in sufficient quantity to give a red color. 
This water, which was patented, is not a new 
discovery, for the formula has been found in 
several works on therapeutics of the eighteenth 
century. 
No. 49. — Philodontine. 
For the Preservation of the Teeth and Gums. (Superior to 
the Botot Water.) 
Cloves 5 oz. 
Cinnamon 3 “ 
Aniseed 5 “ 
Guaiacum 4 “ 
Cinchona 3 “ 
Catechu 4 “ 
Pyrethrum 4 “ 
Spirits of Wine 3 quarts. 
Macerate during twelve days and filter, then 
perfume it with 
Essence of Peppermint 5 drachms. 
“ “ Cinnamon 2 “ 
Shake the liquor well in order to obtain the 
solution of the essential oils, and add 
Alcholate of Cochlearia 10 oz. 
This splendid elixir is far superior to the Eau 
de Botot, and is a better dentifrice, as it possesses 
tonic and astringent principles that contract the 
gums and prevent the loosening of the teeth, which 
do not exist in the first. FORMULARY. 
271 
No. 50. — Superior Cologne Water. 
Alcohol 3 lbs. 
Tincture of Melissa 3 oz. 
Essential Oil of Lemon 10 drachms. 
“ “ “ Neroli 1 “ 
“ “ “ Cedrat 5 
“ “ “ Portugal 5 “ 
“ “ “ Bergamot 9 “ 
“ “ “ Verbena 1 “ 
“ “ “ Lavender 2 
“ “ “ White Thyme 2 “ 
Tincture of Benzoin 5 “ 
Mix perfectly by shaking the bottle; suffer it to 
rest for a few hours, and then, before bottling off, 
add 
Tincture of Ambergris 2| drachms. 
This cologne water, far superior in strength and 
delicacy of perfume to all others, is to be recom- 
mended also for its tonic qualities. 
No. 51. — Depilatory Water. 
Orpiment (Yellow Sulphuret of Arsenic)... \ oz. 
Quicklime 1 “ 
Boil in one pound liquor potassse. To ascer- 
tain whether the boiling is sufficient, dip a feather 
in the liquor, and if the vanes fall off it must be 
taken off the fire, being at the proper degree of 
strength. 
This water is very powerful, and is only fit for 
persons whose skin is hard and insensible. Fine, 
delicate skins would be hurt by it, as it might take 
off the epidermis as well as the hair. 272 
FORMULARY. 
No. 52.— Depilatory Powder. 
(Rusma of the Orientals.) 
Orpiment (Yellow Sulphuret of Arsenic)... J oz. 
Quicklime 4 “ 
Starch in Powder 3 “ 
Pulverize these iugredients, mix them thor- 
oughly, and keep them perfectly dry in well stop- 
pered bottles. 
When required for use, mix a little of the pow- 
der with water, and the lime giving out heat, it 
will make a very good depilatory. Apply it to 
the spot off which you wish the hair to fall, and in 
a few minutes the desired effect will follow. Rub 
off the dried paste, and the hair will drop with it. 
This paste is liable to irritate the skin violently 
and burn the epidermis; besides, the word arsenic 
is sufficient to cause alarm. It became, therefore, 
necessary to find a depilatory that should possess 
the qualities of the Rusma without its faults, and 
this has been done in the preparation of which we 
here give the formula. 
No. 53. — Depilatory without Arsenic. 
This depilatory, entirely free from any poison- 
ous substance, acts promptly and without any 
danger. 
Sulphydrate of Soda 4 oz. 
Hydrated Lime in Powder 3 “ 
Powdered Starch 13 drachms. 
Dissolve the sulphydrate in ten ounces of hot FORMULARY. 
273 
water, and with it sprinkle the lime placed in a 
china bowl. Stir it in every direction, so as to 
obtain a clear paste, and then add the starch by 
degrees, so as to get no lumps. When the paste 
is perfectly homogeneous, pour into thick glass 
pots and cork hermetically. 
No. 54.— Oleo-Calcareous Liniment for Burns. 
Lime Water 1 lb. 
Oil of Sweet Almonds 2 oz. 
Shake violently in a wide-mouthed bottle; let it 
rest, and afterwards skim off the soapy mass that 
will be found floating on the top. Apply this 
soapy mass to the burnt place, and cover it with a 
layer of cotton-wool. Leave this dressing on until 
the burn is healed. It is, however, our duty to 
say that this mode of treating burns often gives 
time for suppuration to form, so that a raw wound, 
which takes a long time to heal, ensues; while 
liquid ammonia, as we have already said, stops the 
effect of the burn immediately, and prevents the 
white fluids reaching the spot and forming blisters 
there. 
No. 55.—Dye for the Eye-Lashes and Eye-Brows. 
Used by the Women of Greece. 
Gall-Nuts 13 drachms. 
Sulphate of Iron 2| “ 
Water 5 oz. 
Boil the gall-nuts in the water for half an 
hour, strain through a linen cloth, and add to the 274 
FORMULARY. 
strained-off water the two and a half drachms sul- 
phate of iron. Boil again until it is reduced two- 
thirds, and then pour into a bottle for future use. 
It can be perfumed with a few drops of essence of 
thyme or of carroway. 
Dip a small camel’s-hair pencil in this mixture 
and pass it over the eye-brows and on the edge of 
the eye-lids at the root of the eye-lashes. Repeat 
the operation three times, and a bluish tinge will 
result, causing the eyes to appear more open longi- 
tudinally, and giving softness to the looks. 
Some ladies use burnt cork for the same opera- 
tion ; but the plan is doubtful, as the color does 
not remain fast. 
No. 56.— Pine Tar Soap. 
The universal appreciation that Packer's Tar 
Soap has received from physicians and others, 
fully warrants us in recommending it as the best 
for all toilet purposes, and for the hygiene of the 
skin. 
The heating qualities of pure pine tar are un- 
questioned, and every physician will bear witness 
to the healing effect of the terebinthinates and 
balsams. Balsam of fir, tolu, and copaiba are 
used in irritations and ulcerations of the mucous 
surfaces, and their influence is specific upon such 
ailments. They would be useful in skin diseases 
as well, if they could be conveniently applied ; but 
the balsams, like tar, are sticky, and not cleanly to 
smear upon the skin, and therefore they are not FORMULARY. 
275 
used. The mere mingling them with the soap, by 
stirring them in while the latter is in a melted state, 
is of no use, as no considerable portion of tar or 
balsam can be thus incorporated. What is needed 
is to saponify the tar, and thus make it soluble in 
water and capable of being brought into contact 
with the skin without offence. 
It is well known that the largest proportion of 
the soap consumed is made from animal oils or 
soap-fat, which is collected and used in various 
stages of decomposition, and is liable at least to 
the admixture of foreign ingredients, which have 
been known to be positively injurious to the skin. 
This source of evil is obviated by the exclusive 
use of vegetable oils and refined pine tar in the 
production of Packer’s Tar Soap. 
The manufacturing of soap is an operation 
requiring much time, chemical knowledge, and 
extensive apparatus. It would be, therefore, use- 
less to attempt giving the formula of this soap 
here, and we prefer relying on the'numerous guar- 
antees of the medical profession that this soap, 
manufactured in New York, and which can be 
purchased at first-class druggists’ and fancy goods 
stores, is the best and healthiest that can be used. INDEX. 
PAGE 
A BSORBING Vessels 38 
1A Acetic Tincture 251 
Albinism 27,73 
Almond and Honey-Paste 252 
Amaurosis 135 
Amblyopia , 135 
Anti-Odontalgic Water. (See 
Pain-Killing Elixir.).. ... 267 
Aphthae of the Gums, Mixture 
for 266 
Aromatic Tincture 265 
Artificial Teeth , 179 
Astringent Pomade 264 
Baldness 219 
Balmy Water 246 
Balsamic Tincture...., 265 
Bathing 226 
Beauty, On., 7 
Birth-Marks 74 
Blearedness 133 
Blotches on the Skin 58 
Boils 94 
Burns , 97 
“ Liniment for 273 
CALLlDERMlC Lotion 244 
Paste 253 
“ . Powder ..... 255 
White 254 
Camphor Ointment..,256 
Caries of the Teeth ,..., 175 
Cerumen 194 
Chapping of the Lips 161 
Charcoal Tablets 268 
PAGE 
Cheeks, The 189 
Chemical Water 257 
Chilblains, Pomade for 263 
Chin, The 197 
Circassian Cosmetic 256 
Cleanliness 224 
Cold Cream 260 
Cologne Water, Superior 271 
Complexion, Different Kinds 
of. 51 
Composite Powder 256 
Cosmetic Pastes - 251 
Cosmetics 232 
Cream Cerates 259 
Cream of Cacao Pomade 262 
Crow’s Feet... . ill 
Cucumber Pomade 261 
Cuticle 23 
Cuts 95 
Depilatory Powder 272 
Water 271 
Dermis 23 
Detersive Paste 254 
Diplopy 136 
Disinfecting Pastilles 269 
Dye for the Eye-Lashes and 
Eye-Brows . 273 
The 192 
-J Earwig 195 
Eau de Botot 269 
Ecchymosis 76 
Embalming the Teeth 178 INDEX 
277 
PAGE 
Emulsive Cosmetic Water...... 244 
Ephelides 63 
Ephelis Lentigo 66 
Epidermis 30 
Epiphora 131 
Exhaling Vessels 33 
Extraction of the Teeth 179 
Eye-Lashes 136 
“ Dye for 273 
Eye-Brows 140 
Eye-Lids 136 
Eyes, The 122 
Face, The no 
Far-Sightedness 129 
Ferruginous Pomade 259 
Freckles 63 
Forehead, The 118 
Foul Breath 186 
Charcoal Tablets.. 268 
Disinfecting “ .. 269 
“ Pastilles 269 
Water 268 
Glands 54 
Goitre. 200 
Gums, The 162 
Hair, The 207 
Head, The 107 
Hemeralopia 136 
Hemiopia 136 
Hepatic Spots 64 
Herpes 82 
Horse-Chestnut Meal Paste... 253 
Hydrolat of Beans 247 
“ “ Honey 247 
TODIJRATED Chemical Wa- 
-1- ter 257 
Itch 92 
T ACHRYMAL Spots and 
Id Ducts 131 
Lappitudo 133 
73 
PAGE 
Leucopathy 27, 73 
Liniment for Burns 273 
Lip Salves 262 
Lips, The...., 159 
Lotion to Remove Freckles..., 257 
“ Sulfo-Iodized 258 
MILK of Hebe 248 
Mixture for Aphthae of 
the Gums 266 
Morphea 73 
Mother’s Marks., 74 
Mucous Pigmentary Layer.... 26 
Myiodiopsia 136 
NiEVI Materni 74 
Neck, The 198 
Nose, The 145 
Nyctalopy 136 
Odontalgia i85 
Ointment, Camphor 256 
Oleo-Calcareous Liniment for 
Burns 273 
Ophthalmia..... 134 
PACKER’S Pine Tar Soap... 274 
Pain-Killing Elixir 267 
Papillary Tissue 25 
Paste, Callidermic 253 
“ Detersive 254 
“ for the Complexion 251 
“ Horse-Chestnut Meal... 253 
“ of Almonds and Honey 252 
“ Strawberry 253 
“ Transparent 252 
Pastes, Cosmetic 251 
Pastilles of Catechu and Mag- 
nesia 269 
Pathognomy of the Face 203 
Perspiration 33 
Philodontiue 270 
Phlegmons 94 
Pimples 102 
Pomade, Astringent 264 
“ Cream of Cacao. 262 278 
INDEX. 
PAGE 
Pomade, Cucumber 261 
“ Ferruginous 259 
“ for Chilblains 263 
“ Rosat 262 
“ Stimulating 261 
“ Trikophile 259 
Pomades 258 
Powder, Callidermic, 255 
“ Composite 256 
RHINOPLASTY 152 
Scalds 97 
Scrofula. 200 
Scuriiness 223 
Sebaceous Humor 101 
Short-Sightedness 130 
Sight, Natural Imperfections 
of the 129 
Skin, Anatomical and Physi- 
ological Description 23 
Skin, Functions and Uses...... 19 
“ Different Kinds of Com- 
plexion 51 
Skin, Blotches and Spots on... 58 
Smile 154 
Snow-Cream 263 
Soap, On 230 
“ Packer’s Pine Tar 274 
Softening Cosmetic Water 243 
Spots on the Skin 58 
Squinting 130 
Stiff-Neck 200 
Stimulating Pomade 264 
Stopping Decayed Teeth 177 
Strabismus 130 
Strawberry-Paste 253 
PAGE 
Sulfo-Iodized Lotion 258 
Sunburn........ 60 
SurmO..... 140 
THAN 60 
-L Tar Soap 274 
Tar Water 246 
Tartar 171 
Tattoo-Marks 79 
Teeth, The 164 
Tincture, Aromatic 265 
“ Balsamic 265 
Toilet Vinegars 250 
Toothache 185 
“ Pain-Killing Elixir 267 
Tooth-Brush 182 
Tooth-Pick 182 
Tooth-Powders 266 
Tooth-Waters 183 
Transparent Paste 252 
Transplantation of the Teeth.. 179 
Trichiasis 138 
Trikophile Pomade 259 
Tympanum 195 
-JJNGUIS 132 
TTINEGARS, Toilet 250 
V Virginal Milks 247 
Virginal Rice-Water 244 
WARTS 105 
Weeping.. 131 
White, Callidermic 254 
Withering of the Lips 161 
Wrinkles, Method of Effacing. 201 
THE END. THE 
F ranco-American 
Commercial Agency, 
No. 8 BOND STREET, 
NEW YORK. 
THE FRANCO-AMERICAN AGENCY under- 
takes the purchase, at Lowest Wholesale 
Prices, of all Articles of French Manufacture, such 
as objects of Art, Music, Books, etc., etc., to any 
amount, from One Dollar upward. 
It also takes charge of Sampling Articles of all 
descriptions, and forwarding them to any ad- 
dress. 
Particular Attention will be paid to all Legiti- 
mate Business, requiring Personal Intervention, 
Attention, and Confidential Care, which will be 
transacted with Promptitude and Discretion, and 
without Fees being demanded in advance. 
All Information, of whatsoever nature, sought 
for by mail of the Agency, will be immediately 
furnished Free of Charge. 
The Agency gives special care to the Supply- 
ing of PERFUMERY and ALL TOILET ARTICLES of 
the best French and English Makers. Any Arti- 
cle of this nature will be procured at the Shortest 
Notice and at the Lowest Wholesale Prices.