THE SKIN. 67 



are nothing else than powdered talc or French chalk ; others, 

 a mixture of the same with common chalk ; a third order con- 

 tains starch-grains mingled with the preceding one, or both, 

 By starch-grains I would be meant to signify the preparation 

 known as ( violet-powder,' which really has no more to do with 

 violets than it has with cabbages or cucumbers; being really no- 

 thing else than starch-grains odorised by orris-root irisfloren- 

 tina, sweet-smelling iris a root that smells not unlike violets. 



Much discrimination is used by perfumers in selecting a 

 proper sort of starch-grain. Whencesoever starch comes, it 

 has the general characteristic of being in grains. These are 

 readily made manifest under microscopic examination, and 

 are then found to be different, not merely as to size, but as to 

 shape. Hence it is that the investigator can tell whether one 

 kind of starch be mingled or adulterated with another. For 

 example, arrowroot genuine arrowroot is starch obtained 

 from the Maranta arundinacea. It happens to have an agree- 

 able taste, and hence is so valuable for dietetic uses. It is 

 more expensive than the starch of wheat or of potatoes ; than 

 starch indeed generally, hence it is often contaminated. 



The grains of wheaten starch happen to be large and 

 coarse; hence the material, although it will do very well for 

 hair-powder, is not satisfactory when used as a complexion- 

 powder; the grains are too staring. Horse-chestnut starch 

 has been much employed for this purpose ; so in like manner 

 the starch of ordinary chestnuts; in short, perfumers have, 

 or pretend to have, each a speciality. Nothing whatever 

 can be alleged against any starch pure and simple when used 

 for toilet purposes; on the contrary, it imparts a softness 

 and a freshness both salutary and delightful. 



Violet-powder hardly comes under the definition of a cos- 

 metic. When made-up with other ingredients to constitute 

 the so-called pearl-powder, is it injurious then ? That will 

 depend on the character of the materials with which it is 

 compounded. On white-lead I have already pronounced. 



