PICK-ME-UPS-A WARNING.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 4541, 3 December 1889, Page 1

PICK-ME-UPS-A WARNING.

Tbe St. James' Gazette had an artiale on "Pick-me-ups," which went into unnecessary details, and waa less likely to act aB a warning than to point out a oourse which some might have remained ignorant of. Customers are supposed to be seen going into a chemist's shop : a oustomer of decidedly nervous aspect will be treated to a morning draaght of tlnoture of capsicum, bromide of potassium, bromide of ammonium, and sal volatile. "A very nice nerve-restorer and brain toulo indeed," bo the chemist saya ;■ "and bromide is really very harmless." With regard to the salesman's remark about the harmlessness of "bromide," it 1b permissible to differ very widely from him. If we aould do bo, we would rather prefer to forget than to remember the' fact • that a man well known in London literary circles a few years ago, who waa everywhere acknowledged as one of tho most brilliant classics and talented journalists of the age, helped to destroy himself qaite as quickly by " bromide " as ever he did by careless living. Another popular pick-me-up—liquor strichnia, tlnoture of orange, and disulphate of quinine. And stryohn'.ne, so you are told, must be harmless, for certain pick-me-up drinkers can take ten grains at a time. We cannot help people from taking polaon by Bmall doses save by warning them of the insidious nature of pick-me-ups, and pointing to the many tragedies which might have been averted if evil habits had never been began.