About a year ago I discovered a series of books that is absolutely fantastic.
They're called
Uncle John's Bathroom Reader. Every story is short enough to be read in one sitting (get it). Seriously, pick one up. They're great.
Just check this out...from Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges into History. Where else could you learn about this?
MAKEUP TO DIE FOR
Today, courageous women everywhere scorn the perils of bankruptcy to keep themselves supplied with the latest clothes and makeup. But that's nothing compared to the brave ladies of history who risked their lives daily for the sake of beauty.
Snow-white skin was the sign of nobility, wealth, and delicacy to the fashionable women of the 16th century. Their eyes had to be just as bright, and their cheeks and lips just as red, as that forerunner of fashion, Queen Elizabeth herself. Few came by the painted-doll look naturally. Here are a few favorite recipes from that era (and their sometimes lethal side effects).
VENTIAN CERUSE
Ingredients: vinegar and white lead.
Desired effect: For that pale white skin. It was applied to the face, neck, and bosom.
Side effect: Lead poisoning, which in adults can cause increased blood pressure, digestive problems, kidney damage, nerve disorders, sleep problems, muscle and joint pain, and mood changes - not to mention turning the skin a sickly gray.
SOLIMAN'S WATER
Ingredient: sublimate of mercury.
Desired effect: To remove spots, freckles and warts.
Side effect: Polishes off the outer layer of skin, but also corrodes the skin underneath. Teeth fall out prematurely, gums recede, and a buildup of mercury in the system will eventually cause insanity.
Bargain alternative: For Elizabethan women on a budget, there was always a mixture of sulfur and borax.
Side effect: Borax causes a sloughing of the skin, but can also cause blistering and facial twitches, and in large amounts can induce fever, vomiting, and eventual coma.
BELLADONNA
Ingredient: Belladonna, also known as deadly nightshade. And not for nothing.
Desired effect: Drops in the eyes for that bright sparkle. It was also used to redden lips and cheeks.
Side effect: Belladonna contains atropine, which in large doses causes delirium, convulsions, and coma. Extremely poisonous.
PERMANENT RED OF FUCUS, a.k.a. FACEPAINT
Ingredient: red mercuric sulfide.
Desired effect: To redden lips and cheeks.
Side effect: Also made of mercury, so the side effects are the same as Soliman's Water, above. Namely teeth fall out prematurely, gums recede, and a buildup of mercury in the system will eventually cause insanity.
Bargain alternative: a mixture of hard-boiled egg-white, cochineal (made from a South American insect that is dried and crushed, producing a deep red dye), and gum arabic.
Side effect: This one is actually harmless. For once, real value for less!
Bonus Material
DIRTY ROTTEN ROYALS
While the ladies were beautifying with deadly creams and potions,
everybody was stinking in a era in which baths were often annual occasions. Some stunk more offensively than others, however.
Peter the Great of Russia seldom washed and, like an 18th century rock star, left a trail of trashed accommodations behind him. One British gentleman presented his government with a bill for £350 (about $47,000 U.S. today) after Peter and his henchman stayed at his house. The group had torn up furniture, smeared vomit and excrement on the floors and walls, and used the paintings for target practice. This must have been particularly galling for his hosts, because Peter had a phobia about cockroaches and insisted that every room be sparkling clean and guaranteed free of critters before he would enter.
Double-Bonus Material
At the height of its power, Sparta had 25,000 citizens and 500,000 slaves.
In 1892, Italy raised the minimum age for marriage for girls to 12.
The most important book series in my life.
