POISON IN CREWEL-WORK.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1215, 20 January 1886, Page 6

POISON IN CREWEL- WORK.

It is a very common practice with ladies who indulge in crewel-work as a pastime to nip off the threads with their teeth instead of with a pair of scissors or some other instrument. Pew people know the danger which attends such a habit, but the following fact reported by an Adelaide paper, should cause crewel-workers to regard it with positive fear, and induce them to exercisa greater care. A young lady resident at Port Lincoln, who devotes a good deal of her leisure time to crewel- work, has been confined to her bed for some weeks through simply biting the ends of the threads. Green silk was the prominent color used, and the constant application of the cord to the tongue transferred a large quantity of the poison contained in the dye to her system, the poison manifested its presence in an unmistakable manner. The symptoms were very similar to those which follow arsenical poisoning. Sickness, giddiness, pains in the head, and a constant craving for cool drinks verified the impression formed as to the cause of the lady's weakness. Dr Atkins, the local practitioner, attended her, and successfully coped with the attack. All the poison has been abstracted from ' the ' system, but the lady is still in a very weak state, and it will probably be some time before she recovers. Orewej.workers should note this, and use their scissors.