Quiz «Uncommon usage of arsenic»

The poison made them feel constantly weak, which lent a charm of fragility and sophistication.

Nope! Arsenic helped to achieve the ideal of beauty of that time: pale porcelain skin without freckles and wrinkles. In the Victorian era, only women of easy virtue wore makeup. Deadly pale skin, sunken cheeks and large eyes was the picture of English beauty in the 19th century. Young girls drank arsenic, sprinkled their face with ammonia tincture to enhance the effect and "moisturized" the skin with phenol. Decent ladies didn't use shadow, but for lush eyelashes and eyebrows it was recommended to apply mercury-based products. And to make the gaze languid and captivating, belladonna was dripped into the eyes, which often led to blindness.

The poison was used as a last resort if a woman faced dishonor.

Nope! Arsenic helped to achieve the ideal of beauty of that time: pale porcelain skin without freckles and wrinkles. In the Victorian era, only women of easy virtue wore makeup. Deadly pale skin, sunken cheeks and large eyes was the picture of English beauty in the 19th century. Young girls drank arsenic, sprinkled their face with ammonia tincture to enhance the effect and "moisturized" the skin with phenol. Decent ladies didn't use shadow, but for lush eyelashes and eyebrows it was recommended to apply mercury-based products. And to make the gaze languid and captivating, belladonna was dripped into the eyes, which often led to blindness.

Arsenic helped to achieve the ideal of beauty of that time: pale porcelain skin without freckles and wrinkles.

Correct! In the Victorian era, only women of easy virtue wore makeup. Deadly pale skin, sunken cheeks and large eyes was the picture of English beauty in the 19th century. Young girls drank arsenic, sprinkled their face with ammonia tincture to enhance the effect and "moisturized" the skin with phenol. Decent ladies didn't use shadow, but for lush eyelashes and eyebrows it was recommended to apply mercury-based products. And to make the gaze languid and captivating, belladonna was dripped into the eyes, which often led to blindness.

At that time arsenic was considered the best prophylactic against tuberculosis.

Nope! Arsenic helped to achieve the ideal of beauty of that time: pale porcelain skin without freckles and wrinkles. In the Victorian era, only women of easy virtue wore makeup. Deadly pale skin, sunken cheeks and large eyes was the picture of English beauty in the 19th century. Young girls drank arsenic, sprinkled their face with ammonia tincture to enhance the effect and "moisturized" the skin with phenol. Decent ladies didn't use shadow, but for lush eyelashes and eyebrows it was recommended to apply mercury-based products. And to make the gaze languid and captivating, belladonna was dripped into the eyes, which often led to blindness.