Birth control : un-natural and irrational, or natural and rational?


UN-NATURAL and
IRRATIONAL-

ol\
NATURALand
RATIONAL-





"HE RBVTHI^

BIRTH CONTROL
UN-NATURAL AND IRRATIONAL

or

NATURAL AND RATIONAL?

Controlling Births

Some authorities place the use of contraceptive
devices in the United States at about thirty million

a week, and the number of abortions at more than
two million a year, twice the number of births.
Is this situation wholesome?

Unnatural That abortion is a tragedy in the life
Control of a woman and that it is unnatural,

will not be disputed by many. That
the use of artificial means to prevent conception is
similarly unnatural appears from the fact that
violence is done to nature in its most fundamental
processes, namely, in the generation of a human
being. Its unnatural character appears likewise
from the harm that it causes. There is a growing
unanimity among physicians of experience to the
effect that -the habitual use of contraceptives not
infrequently causes injury to the generative or-

gans, induces cancer of the womb, brings on ster-
ility, shatters the nervous system, etc. Admissions
to that effect have been made by many advocates
of contraception. We will quote one of the fore-
most among them. Dr. van de Velde, a Dutch
gynecologist, known the world over for his writ-
ings, says : “There is no ideal contraceptive and
there never will be. By an ideal contraceptive, I un-
derstand one that will not cause any inconvenience
or disturbance, that will exclude the possibility of
doing harm to the user herself, and that is at the
same time fool-proof.” It is true that conditions
may arise when contraception, prescinding entirely
from the moral problems involved, may be the
lesser of two physical evils, but it remains an evil
just the same, and retains its unnatural character.

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Irrational In one sense, the most tragic aspect
Control of abortion and contraception is this

:

there is no need of paying the ter-
rifically high price they demand in order to obtain
the purposes intended. If there ever were irrational
procedures, abortion and contraception are such.
The spacing of births, or even preventing them alto-
gether, if circumstances make such practises advis-
able, can be obtained in a natural and, hence, in a
rational way. All this is set forth in the booklet,

— CONCiP CALENDAR *
[ 4 ]

|~HE ROVTHh]„



HE RHYTH

Natural and The Rhythm of Sterility and Fer-
Rational tility in Women: A Discussion of
Control the Physiological, Practical, and

Ethical Aspects of the Discoveries

of Drs. K. Ogino (Japan) and H. Knaus (Austria)
Regarding the Periods when Conception Is Impos-
sible and when Possible, by Leo J. Latz, A.B.,
B.S., M.D., Member of the Staffs of Loyola Uni-
versity Medical School and Alexian Brothel
Hospital, Lecturer at the St. Elizabeth Hospital
and Mercy Hospital Training Schools for Nurses,
Secretary of the Cosmas and Damian Associates,
Chicago. The booklet is published by the Latz
Foundation, a corporation not for profit, organized
to discourage the practise of contraception and abor-
tion and to reduce the evils resulting therefrom.
The Foundation invites all who are concerned at
the - harm that results from these practises, to
assist in its endeavors. A practical method of
cooperating would be to help in the judicious dis-
tribution of this pamphlet which can be had free
upon request.

The Ogino-Knaus Discoveries
The Skeptics Most readers of these lines—and

there may be many a physician
among them—will shrug their shoulders, perk their
lips in ridicule and maintain : “Ifs the bunk,
there is no such thing as a safe, natural way of
spacing births, much less, of preventing them alto-
gether, without making ‘superhuman demands' upon
husband and wife, i. e., without demanding complete
sexual abstinenceA Some of those who speak
thus are thinking of the Capellmann theory which
has been abandoned. But none of these skeptics
can be familiar with the recent discoveries, in
regard to the rhythm of sterility and fertility in
women, by the scientists Prof. Dr. K. Ogino, Chief
Attending Physician of the Gynecological Depart-
ment of the Takeyama Hospital, in Niigata, Japan,
and Prof. Dr. Hermann Knaus of the University
Women’s Clinic, Graz, Austria.

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mRHYTHI
The Ogino-Knaus Theory

The Rhythm The central thought of the Ogino-
Theory Knaus theory, as explained in The

Rhythm, is this: The period of
sterility in a woman, i. e., the time when it is
impossible for her to conceive, is more than three
times as long as the period of her fertility, i. e.,
the time when she can conceive. To be specific,
a woman whose menstrual cycle is twenty-eight
days cannot conceive during twenty-two to twenty-
three days of that cycle and can conceive only
during five to six days. These days can he deter-
mined without much difficulty if the directions
given in The Rhythm are followed. In other
words : As in most of her processes, Nature ob-
serves certain periodic movements in the genera-
tion, not only of animals (these are well known
by breeders), but also of human beings and these
periodic movements are called “The Rhythm of
Sterility and Fertility.”

In the brief space of this folder, it is, of course,
impossible to give more than the main points of
the theory. For a fuller treatment the reader must
turn to The Rhythm.

Female Sexual Organs

The Father In reading what follows, the reader
Cell will find the above figure helpful.

When performing the marriage act,
the father deposits in the body of the mother (the

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JHE FUdYTHI^

vagina, A) millions of minute organisms which
are called, in scientific language, spermatazoa, but

which, for our purposes, may be more easily iden-
tified by being called father cells. In structure,
the father cells resemble the larval mosquito, hav-
ing an appendage like a tail, which serves for pur-
poses of locomotion. Some enter the mouth of the
uterus (B) and passing through the uterus (C),
enter one of the Fallopian tubes (D). These tubes
are about five or six inches long and have a diam-
eter approximately the same as that of the lead in
a lead pencil.

The Mother The ovum or egg, which, for the
Cell sake of convenience, we will call the

mother cell, is prepared in one of
the ovaries (E). Every month one of these mother
cells reaches maturity, leaves its tiny room (sac),
is caught up by the fringed end (F) of one of the
Fallopian tubes, taken up into the tube (D), and
then carried forward towards the uterus (C). If
it meets a father cell and is united with it, a
human being comes into existence. This union is
called conception. The human being coming into
existence and potentially possessing all the organs
of a full grown man is very much smaller than
the period at the end of this sentence. The embryo
remains in the tube (D) for about eleven days, and
then proceeds to the uterus or womb (C) where
it fastens itself into its folds and grows, until after
nine months the phenomenon of birth takes place.

All of this seems as impossible to understand as
the mysteries of faith and is inexplicable except
on the supposition of an infinitely wise and omnip-
otent Creator.

Menstruation If the mother cell does not meet a
father cell, it dies after a few

hours, is propelled through the tube (D) into the
uterus (C) and, being dead, is expelled together
with the mucuous substance and blood that had
been stored up in the womb to serve as food and
shelter for the expected embryo. This phenomenon
is called menstruation.

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-JHE RfcJYTHj*}-

The Heart of Menstruation is the key to
the Rhythm Theory the rhythm theory. The

^
scientific research, con-

ducted independently of one another, by the two
scientists, Dr. Ogino and Dr. Knaus, has estab-
lished the time when ovulation occurs, i. e., the
time when the mother cell breaks away from the
ovary. Together with other scientists they have
further established that the mother cell can live
only a few hours if it is not fertilized, and that
the father cell has a fecundation span of only two
days. From these three basic facts they logically
conclude that if the marriage act is performed dur-
ing the two days before, on the day of, and (under
certain circumstances) on the day following, ovula-
tion, conception will take place with physiological
inevitability. But if the marriage act is performed
at any other time, conception is impossible.

What has been said above in explanation of the
Ogino-Knaus theory may be represented by means
of

The Rhythm Graph

M—Menstruation F—Fertility
S —Sterility O—Ovulation

Application of the Rhythm Theory
How can a woman apply the rhythm theory to

her specific case? This question is answered in
detail in The Rhythm. A simplification of the
directions is offered by the Latz Foundation in the
form of a device, which, when properly adjusted,
will tell a woman at a glance the precise days when
she can conceive and the days when she cannot
conceive. The device is called Concip or Marriage
Calendar and has been approved by Prof. Doctor
Knaus as in accord with his theory.

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-JHE RBYTHr^j-

The Concip or Marriage Calendar

Conditions In order to use the calendar effec-
for the Use tively a woman must know her cycles
of the accurately. It is suggested that she
Concip have an ordinary calendar handy so
Calendar that notations can easily be made on

it. Every month the precise day,
beginning with midnight, is marked, on which the
first sign of the menstrual flow made its appearance.

Short
,
Normal, The next important matter is to

Long Cycles count the exact number of days
that lie between menstruations,

beginning with the day on which the first traces of
blood appeared. The majority of women will find
that they have normal cycles, i. e., cycles ranging
between 26 and 30 days. A series of six of these
cycles may appear as follows, though, possibly,
the differences may not be quite so pronounced

:

27, 29, 28, 30, 28, 28. Some women have short
cycles, i. e., cycles ranging between 21 and 25 days,
while others have long cycles ranging between 31
and 36 days. For all of these groups calendars
can be provided. Women who have regular cycles
outside the limits of 21 and 36 days will have to
follow the directions given in The Rhythm.

Irregular When cycles are very irregular, e. g.,
Cycles 29, 37, 41, 33, 28, 38, the rhythm

theory cannot be applied. The person
concerned should continue to keep a record
of her cycles, should try to discover the cause of

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-JHE RHVTHrj-

the irregularity, and, for that purpose, should con-
sult a physician. The irregularity may have been
caused by the use of contraceptives. These must
be discontinued in order to give nature a chance
to restore the normal functioning of the gen-
erative organs. As soon as regularity returns

,
that

is, as soon as the cycles do not vary beyond four
or five days, and remain within the limits of
twenty-one and thirty-six days, a calendar can be
provided and followed with assurance. This rule
applies likewise to premature and delayed men-
struation when its cause is definitely known, for
instance, emotional stress, over-exertion, sudden
change in climate, childbirths, etc. Conversely, if
extraordinary conditions develop which may cause
irregularity in menstruation, the calendar should
not be followed. The rhythm theory holds only
for normal women under normal conditions.
When placing an order for a calendar, it is neces-

sary to indicate the longest and shortest cycles that
are considered normal. Delayed or premature men-
struation may be disregarded, if extraordinary
causes can account for it.

Is the Rhythm Theory Reliable?
The Rhythm Is the theory which is explained,
Theory discussed and espoused in The
Is Safe Rhythm safe? Can it be relied

upon ?

For complete answers to these questions, the
reader must turn to The Rhythm. Here, only
a very brief summary of the arguments can be
given.

1 . The rhythm theory is vouched for by Prof.
Dr. Ogino and Prof. Dr. Knaus, two of the most
distinguished scientists of our day. They are gyne-
cologists who devote all their energies to the prob-
lems involved. It is quite apparent that these two
university professors could not afford to jeopardize

their professional standing in a matter of such
importance, and that they could not expose them-
selves to become the laughing stock of their fellow

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m
scientists and of the world, by advocating and by
continuing to advocate theories for which they
lacked incontrovertible proofs, the result of care-

ful experimentation and observation.

2. The rhythm theory is the easiest of theories
to disprove

,

if it were wrong. Every fertile mar-
ried couple could furnish the refutation. More
than fifty thousand of the marriage calendars re-
ferred to above are in use and no case is on record
where it failed, provided the directions given were
followed.

3. Corroborating evidence is supplied by physi-
cians and by married people from every part of the
world. James J. Walsh, M.D., Ph. D., assures us in
The Homiletic and Pastoral Review for December,
1932:

u
The observations and experiments of Drs.

Knaus and Ogino have been rather thoroughly cor-
roborated by a number of clinical investigators, that
is, physicians in actual contact with patients in vari-
ous parts of Europe who have been devoting special
attention to the subject The Latz Foundation has
evidence and continues to collect evidence from
those who have followed directions contained in
The Rhythm or who have used the Concip Calen-
dar. Friends of the Foundation are requested to
cooperate in this direction.

4. It is well known that conception frequently
fails to result from sexual intercourse. How is this
phenomenon to be explained? It is reasonable to
assume that a condition exists among the females
of the human race similar to that among the fe-
males of animals that are similar in structure.
Among the latter there are relatively long periods
of sterility and very short periods of fertility.
Cows, for instance, have a cycle of twenty-one
days, nineteen of which are sterile. The rhythm
theory fits into the observed facts of human gener-
ation with a nicety that is surprising.

Moral Aspects of the Rhythm Theory
Is the application of the rhythm theory ethically

and morally permissible? For a complete answerTo
this all-important question, we must refer the
reader to The Rhythm.

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RfcjYTiyM.



"HE RHYTHM

First of all, let it be definitely understood that
the Latz Foundation utterly repudiates the Mal-
thusian theory of over-population, that it does not
favor childless or one child families, as a general
rule. It most emphatically does not believe that
herein lies our social and economic salvation. Our
social and economic ills cannot, and must not be
remedied, even if they could, by depriving married
people of the blessings and joys of parenthood.

Ideals of the The purpose of the Latz Founda-
Latz Founda- tion is to combat contraception and
tlon abortion and to reduce the mount-

ing physical and mental misery, the
increasing moral deterioration, and the great finan-

cial losses that result therefrom.

Even more than that, it has the positive objective
to help buttress the foundation of our civilization,

the family. It hopes to make its contribution in
this direction by enabling married people to have

a happier and finer home life by bringing into the
world healthier, stronger children, with a richer

physical, emotional and mental heritage. And this
it hopes to achieve by spreading, the information

and advice contained in The Rhythm.

Dignity of Parents who will accept this guid-
Parenthood ance from the Latz Foundation will

know definitely when they are per-
forming the act which will bring into existence a
new human being, when they are cooperating with
God in the creation of one of His children. Having
that knowledge they will bring to the act the meas-
ure of reverence and devotion and love which con-
scious cooperation with the Creator spontaneously
evokes. They will prepare themselves for the act
which involves such tremendous consequences, by
avoiding all those sinister influences—such as
violent emotional excitement, excessive use of

alcohol, nicotine and drugs in general—which exert
a blighting influence upon their progeny.

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JHE RHYTHI^

Blessings of The Latz Foundation is absolutely
Parenthood convinced that children are a great

blessing to married couples from the
psychological, the physiological, the social and the
moral point of view, and that the complete objec-
tives of married life cannot be realized except
through the influence that children bring to bear
upon their parents and upon one another.

The Rhythm Theory But along with all this the
Is Ethical Latz Foundation likewise

holds that conditions of a

physiological, economic or social character some-
times develop which make it desirable, not to say
imperative, that births be spaced and, in exceptional
cases, be prevented altogether. Where such condi-
tions obtain, as is shown in The Rhythm, it is
ethical to take advantage of the rhythm of sterility
and fertility. Such a procedure is in accordance
with the laws of nature and with the dictates of
reason, hence, can be denominated “natural and
rational.”

JHE RHYTHM)

The Rhythm, we may be permitted to say in
passing, is printed with the “approbation” of the lo-
cal authorities of the Catholic Church, the most con-
sistent and persistent opponent of contraception and
abortion. Every married couple intending to make
use of the rhythm theory owes it to themselves to
read the third part of the booklet, in which the
ethical and moral aspects of the theory are dis-
cussed. Viewpoints are expressed there that will
be enlightening as well as comforting to husband
and wife, who are seeking a deeper meaning of the
functions of married life.

The Rhythm is written in a simple style that
will be easily understood by the average reader.
The booklet contains helpful illustrations, is attrac-
tively bound in blue, flexible, gold-stamped, covers,
and can be placed in a pocket or a purse. A few of
the hundreds of recommendations which it has re-
ceived follow

:

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1HE RHVTHhj-

VIEWPOINTS
Dr. Latz builds up his thesis in regard to the

rhythm of sterility and fertility in women with
inescapable logic. The Ogino-Knaus theory must
become the zvorking knowledge of every practicing
physician.

Henry Schmitz, A.M., M.D., LL.D., F.A.C.S.,
F.A.C.R., Professor and Head of the Department
of Gynecology, Loyola University School of Medi-
cine. Attending Gynecologist, Mercy and Cook
County Hospitals, etc.

The book seems so good to me and so utterly
timely that I believe steps should be taken to bring
it to the attention of all the clergy, not only in the
United States, but, throughout the world. I am
convinced that this should be done and done vigor-
ously. Very Rev. J. W. Hynes, S.J., President,

Loyola University, New Orleans, La.

One can hardly do better than quote with full
approbation the closing words of the introduction
of Father Joseph Reiner, S.J.: “No physician, no
nurse, no social worker, no clergyman can afford
to disregard the information contained in this
book.” America.

We do not know of a more potent antidote to the
contraception heresy so wide-spread today, than this
explanation and justification of what Dr. Latz
rightly calls the only rational method of birth
control. Arthur Preuss, Editor,

The Fortnightly Review.

. . . that there is a “safe period” . . . zvould

thus seem to be established. The physicians mak-
ing this declaration are . . . serious workers in the
field of gynecology and obstetrics who have had
large opportunities for observation and give their
carefully drawn conclusions in the matter.

James J. Walsh, M.D., Ph.D..

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Print)



There is nothing more charming than a
mother with her child in her arms

9
and there

is nothing more venerable than a mother among
a number of her children—Goethe.

-THE RHYTHM-

[ 16 ]