Arsenic eaters were people who regularly consumed small amounts of arsenic. Its use was particularly common in the 19th century in Styria and Tyrol, where arsenic is known under the names Hidrach or Hittrach, dialect for metallurgical smoke, and was a by-product of glass production (in the glassworks) and ore smelting.
This term can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when arsenic was already in use as a stimulant.
Arsenic eaters, known as dippers, are also known from the southern states of the USA. Consumption was done by putting a piece in the mouth and sucking it in a similar way to rock candy, or by sprinkling finely ground arsenic on bacon or bread.
In Austria, its use is said to have been widespread until the Second World War.
Effect
In very low doses of about 2 mg, the intake of arsenic creates a feeling of warmth in the stomach. The cause of this is the local irritation of the gastric mucosa, as can also be observed when alcohol is ingested. In this dosage, arsenic increases appetite and general well-being. Due to the increased appetite, arsenic eaters gain weight – a circumstance that fraudulent horse dealers used to use to give lean, emaciated horses a healthy, fiery appearance by giving small doses of arsenic. Especially the hair became nice and smooth and shiny. Ernst von Bibra writes in his 1855 book The Narcotic Stimulants and Man that horses in Vienna were regularly given arsenic, either mixed with the feed or by tying a cloth bag with the substance to the bit bar of the bridle. Horses that had to transport loads through the mountains were also given arsenic.
In addition to the performance-enhancing effect, the intake for cosmetic reasons also seems to have played a role at times. Von Bibra reports that arsenic was also used for a healthy appearance. The weight gain associated with the intake probably corresponded to the beauty ideal of the 19th century – an effect that women in Austria also took advantage of and allegedly ate arsenic tartlets for this purpose until the first half of the 20th century. However, this cosmetic use seems to have been the exception. In fact, it was more mountain farmers and forest workers who took arsenic as a kind of tonic to increase performance.
Habituation
Like nitrous oxide, lithium, bromine compounds or xenon, arsenic is one of the inorganic psychoactive substances. The habituation of arsenic eaters to the substance is remarkable. While normally just 0.1 g of arsenic ingested orally can be fatal, arsenic eaters accustomed to it can tolerate three to four times this amount without serious symptoms of poisoning. Even though the exact mechanism is not yet fully understood, it is not a true tolerance for arsenic. Rather, absorption via the stomach and intestines seems to be greatly reduced. Severe symptoms of poisoning have also been observed in arsenic eaters when a fraction of the orally tolerated amount was administered by injection.
The habituation to orally ingested arsenic may be one reason why the custom of eating arsenic could arise in the first place. Even in ancient times, the substance was a popular murder poison. In order to be at least somewhat armed against poisoning, people protected themselves at that time by slowly getting used to the various poisons. For example, the anecdote of Mithridates VI is well known, who had immunized himself against poisons to such an extent that the poison suicide did not succeed after his defeat against Pompey and he had himself stabbed. Presumably, the stimulating effect of arsenic was discovered for the first time through the slow increase in dose in such immunization trials.
The sudden discontinuation of arsenic leads to significant withdrawal symptoms, which manifest themselves in tiredness, fatigue and difficulty concentrating.
See also
Literature and sources
Arsenic eater – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Richard M. Allesch: Arsenik – seine Geschichte in Österreich. Archive of Patriotic History and Topography. Vol. 54. 1959, Klagenfurt: Kleinmayr. 302.
- Ernst von Bibra: The narcotic stimulants and the human being. Verlag von Wilhelm Schmid, 1855 (full text in Google Book Search).
- Ludwig v. Hörmann: Genuß und Reizmittel in den Ostalpen – Eine volkskundliche Skizze. Z. Dt.-Österr. Alpenver., 1912. 43: p. 78–100.
- Wolfgang Schmidbauer, Jürgen vom Scheidt: Handbuch der Rauschdrogen. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2004, ISBN 3-596-16277-7
- Simon Brugner, Rob van Hoesel (eds.): The arsenic eaters. Fotoband. Breda : The Eriskay Connection, 2018 ISBN 9789492051356
- Helmut Schubothe: Arsenvergiftung. In: Ludwig Heilmeyer (ed.): Lehrbuch der Innere Medizin. Springer-Verlag, Berlin/Göttingen/Heidelberg 1955; 2nd edition ibid. 1961, pp. 1203–1205, in particular p. 1203 with note 1.
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