I LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES, BY HUGH SMITH, M. D. TO WHICH IS ADDED, A LETTER ON CORSETS, AND COPIOUS NOTES, BY AN AMERICAN PHYSICIAN. THIRD EDITION ji^f^^t NEW YORK: "o3g^ H. C. SLEIGHT, CLINTON HALL. BOSTON : PEIRCE AND PARKER, 9 CORN HILL 1832. <^ "lb Southern District of New York, ss. BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the twenty-ninth day of March, A. D. 1827, in the fifty-first year of the Independence of the United States of Ame- rica, Henry C. Sleight, of the said district, hath deposited in this ofiice the title of a book, the right whereof he claims as proprietor, in the words following, to wit : " Letters to Married Ladies, by Hugh Smith, M. D.; to which is added, a Letter on Corsets, and copious Notes, by an American Physician." In conformity to the act of Congress of the United States, entitled " An act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned;" and also to an act, entitled "An act supple- mentary to an act, entitled An act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors and propri- etors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned, and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, and etching historical and other prints." FREDERICK I. BETTS, Clerk of the Southern District of J^cw York, LC Control Number tmp96 030411 CONTENTS PAGE. Introductory Letter. 1 Preface. 13 LETTER I. Of Marks. — The imaginary consequences of frights and longings. A candid inquiry into the merits of this doctrine. 23 LETTER II. Of Marks. — Showing that such blemishes may happen independently of the mother's imagina- tion. 39 LETTER III. Of Miscarriages. 49 LETTER IV. Mother's Miik.~The natural and best food for Infants. 61 LETTER V. Arguments in favour of Suckling. — As well for the mother's sake, as the child's ; and the evils to be apprehended in delivering children to the care of foster nurses. 71 LETTER VI. The Management of infants from the birth.-- With directions for putting them to the breast. 79 LETTER VII. A natural and easy method of Suckling Child- CONTENTS. i'en. — This duty proved to be a pleasure, rather than a fatigue. 87 LETT EH VIII. The proper method of Weaning Children. 97 LETTER IX. The safest method of Rearing Children by hand. 1 07 LETTER X. The general Management of Children, from the time of weaning, till they are about two years old — with observations upon the cutting of teeth. 121 LETTER XI. * The general Management of Children, from two years old, till they leave the nursery. 135 LETTER XII. The necessity of Cultivating the Dispositions of children, to render them amiable and virtuous. 143 LETTER XIII. Of Milk. — Its properties examined— the dif- ferent kinds of miik compared with each other — - and their particular virtues explained. 157 LETTER XIV. The Sick Chamber, with directions also for Invalids. 167 LETTER XV. Old Age — By virtue rendered truly honorable. The steps by which we mounted into life, shown to be the easiest and best paths to descend into the grave. 187 ADDITIONAL LETTER On Corsets. 199 INTRODUCTORY LETTER, BY THE AMERICAN EDITOR. When a book is to be published, no matter what its na- ture, no matter who the author, a few scattered sen- tences must be brought together, and inserted after the title page ; not for the purpose of being read, but only to be over-looked ; and after it is completed, it is called either "An Introduction," or a ''Preface." In con- formity to custom, therefore, I have huddled together a few sentences about one thing and another, supposing, of course, that no one will ever read them. A short time since, the editor of this little volume, enjoyed the happiness of seeing a niece of his, a young lady for whom he entertains the greatest esteem, united to the man of her choice, — the object of her affection. She requested him to draw up some general directions and give her, — ^just such instruction and advice as he thought would be of use to her in the capacity of a mother. Her education had been such as to keep her in utter ignorance of things which she found now inti- mately concerned, more than herself. She, like hun- dreds and thousands of our young ladies, knew not how to fulfil many duties, which she now found herself called 1 il INTRODUCTORY LETTER. upon to perform. Her time had been occupied in the attainment of many branches of education, which she discovered to be capable of yielding her very little pro- fit, and the true value of v^hich she found was mostly vanity. What greatly added to her embarrassments was, she had buried her mother, — that sure counsellor, that elder portion of herself, that sweet soother of life's rugged path. She now became sensible that the loss of a fond mother, and one whose judgment and whose ex- perience were worth possessing, was a loss upon which she had not calculated ; a loss she found totally irrepa- rable. Surrounded with every blessing which wealth could procure, an indulgent father could supply, and an affectionate husband heighten, she discovered that neither wealth, father, nor husband, could supply the place of a mother in her new situation. Ye who have enjoyed the envied privilege of having a mother to guide, to coun- sel and to direct you — a mother to explain and smooth over the ten thousand little difficulties, and apparently trifling circumstances, during the first months of the married state, are not aware of the magnitude of the blessing you possess, and are equally unable to imagine the irreparable loss this amiable young lady sustained. To supply, in some measure, this loss, and to fulfil a request I could not deny, I searched around in order to find some plain familiar author, which I could cheerfully put into her hands : and of all which I examined, and they were neither few nor small, I met with none which more fully met with my approbation, than •^ SmitKs Letters to Married Ladies,'"'^ INTRODUCTOKY LETTER. HI The grand objection to most works of this nature, books written to put into the hands of mothers, is, they contain directions and instructions better calculated for physicians than for mothers ; and thereby bewilder and alarm, where no such effect was intended : it is no dif- ficult point, I am aware, to determine the precise line of distinction, and completely separate the duties of the one from those of the other. Of the most pains-taking individual, afler he has completed his task, some will be ready to say, " he has fallen short in portraying half the duties of the mother," while others may say, "he has done a great deal more." But notwithstanding this, there is one point I shall hold sacred, one right which may not be infringed ; no direction should ever be given to the mother^ calculated to make her the physician of her child. In this respect, I think Buchan, and Herdman, and Burns, and a host of others, have greatly erred. The moment you license a mother, or a nurse, to prescribe and ad- minister, you allow a liberty which may prove fatal to the subject. If any prescription is necessary, (and the necessity should be more than imaginary,) it certainly requires to be a judicious one, and one exactly adapted to the circumstances of the case. A little superficial knowledge, or that which may be obtained from deceit- ful experience, without one particle of sober reflection, is not sufficient to know the when, and what, and how, of a medical prescription. It should always be con- sidered a matter of serious moment for any person, but more especially for a child, to take a dose of medicine. iv INTRODUCTORY LETTER. There can be no question but thousands of valuable lives are yearly sacrificed by the injudicious prescriptions of ignorant women. Is it conjectured their nostrums are harmless and innocent, and if they can do no good, they certainly can do no harm ? I tell you nay ; — we have no authority for considering any prescription, how- ever gentle and mild, as harmless and inoffensive ; for if it offends in no other way, it does by taking the place of a more active remedy, and thereby passively becomes the cause of unmeasured mischief. It takes the physician, who appropriates all his time to his profession, many years of laborious study, and hard earned experience, to acquire the knowledge necessary to prescribe with tolerable success ; and the more he labors, and the older he grov^rs, the more sensible he becomes of his ignorance ; and yet the inexperienced nurse, the bold and ignorant hand of one who cannot know, may be licensed to do it. In this view of the case then, does it not clearly ap- pear that those books calculated to encourage the igno- rant to undertake a business requiring so much nice dis- crimination, so much correct judgment, are far more likely to produce a greater amount of evil than of good ? I would, therefore, advise every parent who has any re- gard for the health and comfort of his family, or any desire for economy, never to lay his hand upon any book for the purpose of being instructed in the art of home-made prescription ; and let it be a motto engraven upon the bracelets of every nurse, never to assume THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PHYSICIAN, either by inter- INTRODUCTORY LETTER. fering with the economy of nature, of which she knows nothing, or with the philosophy of a judicious medical prescription of which she knows, if possible, much less. The objections, therefore, which I form to Buchan's "Advice to Mothers," and '^Herdman on Infants," and others which I might mention, are, that while they contain matter of paramount importance, and matter excellently well arranged and forcibly set forth, and (es- pecially the first,) elegantly dressed, that as a whole, they are more befitting the library of a physician than that of a mother, notwithstanding they contain a vast amount of information and instruction, which is indis- pensable to the correct management of the nursery. I am of opinion that the work of Dr. Smith is, for the most part, free from these faults, (if faults it will do to call them,) and hope that the notes which have been add- ed, will not make them less worthy the acceptance of the public than they have been without them. I found the letters were out of print, and that an edition of them might probably be disposed of; and to make them more acceptable, I have, in many places, altered the text so as, if possible, less to offend the eye of delicacy. The additional letter, on Corsets, appeared to be called for, because the habit of wearing them is becoming universal, and thousands of ladies are daily girting them- selves up, without any knowledge of their injurious ef- fects, and without any idea of the extent of mischief they are causing themselves. If my labor has the ef- fect of preserving the life of only one young lady, it will not have been in vain ; but if it should produce the 1^ VI INTRODUCTORY LETTER. still greater effect of causing Corsets to be held in dis- repute, and banished for ever from the toilet, to the cells of the mad-house, and within the bars and the bolts of the prison, whence they originated, it will be an ample compensation ; but which, considering the power of pre- judice and the infatuation of fashion, I dare not anti- cipate. In the notes which I have added, I have endeavored to keep in view the grand object of these letters,- — that of allaying unnecessary fears, and quelling needless purtur- bation, as far as could be done consistently with truth. In what I have had to do with this little book, I have aimed at perspicuity, more than elegance, — at matter, more than manner. It is hardly to be expected that a physician, no matter how correct a scholar he may have been at the period of his leaving college, should retain in his writing all the rules of criticism which were once taught him, especially if an extensive and laborious practice in his profession occupies his time and en- grosses his attention. How far I have succeeded in ma- king myself understood, and how far I have attained the object I have contemplated, remains not with me to de- termine. I do not, however, feel wilhng to close these introduc- tory remarks, without noticing one or two little faults in which many ladies, and especially the unmarried, are apt to indulge themselves ; and which appears to be owing more to a false idea of modesty, or an affected degree of sensibility, than to correct or natural feelings. One thing is, their apparent terror and alarm at the INTRODUCTORY LETTER. Vll sight of blood. So prevalent are these expressed feel- ings, that in cases of emergency, it is, oftentimes, next to impossible to obtain from them the least assist- ance. Especially do we see it when their friend, to whose relief the physician is summoned, is to be bled ; not one can be found to help ; not one to hold the bowl ; and, not unfrequently, a neighbor must be sent for, before the operation — the terrible operation — can be performed I To such young ladies, (if any such should perchance cast their eyes upon these pages,) I would say, overcome these affected terrors, — yield not to the temptation, but rather determine to suffer a lit- tle while, than to be the subject of such unenviable timidity. Another censurable practice is, a concealing of the truth from your physician. Recollect, when called upon to prescribe, it becomes necessary that he should be informed of all your symptoms : it is not for you to judge what symptoms are essential, and what are not, to influence his prescription ; and no one can tell the amount of evil this folly may bring upon the patient. There is no necessity for a bold, unblushing declaration of the whole truth ; but on your part, there should be no desire to conceal, and no effort to hide the true state of the case. I am unwilling to ascribe any thing of this kind to modesty. True modesty never interferes, in any respect, with health ; it must be nothing less than mock modesty, bearing no alliance to that lovely charm which sheds such lustre over every female grace. No men delight more to see modesty shine forth conspicu- Vlll INTRODUCTORY LETTER. ous in the female character, than physicians ; and none, I am sure, do more abominate its counterfeit ; and, ge- nerally speaking, I think I may say, without fear of contradiction, that few men are better able to detect it. Certainly, no class of men have a better opportunity of studying human nature ; her book lies open all the while before their eyes, and, usually, they are pretty thorough- ly acquainted with every leaf Ladies, therefore, should be upon their guard, how they exhibit the mere pre- tence of character before any one, but especially before physicians. A third evil that I would mention, which, although, perhaps, not as common an occurrence as those already noted, is still of equal, if not greater magnitude. It is that of deviating from the prescriptions of your physi- sician, or in any way interposing your own judgment, which may serve to counteract his. He leaves you di- rections, and to those directions you should implicitly adhere ; indeed, they cannot be infringed upon without danger to yourselves, and injustice to your physician. The former may appear, if you reflect, that from the prescription, a certain effect is expected, and cannot be produced, if the means to produce it be neglected. The injustice to your physician may appear, if you reflect, that his subsistence depends upon his practice, and the extent of his practice usually upon his success in the management of disease ; and how can he calculate upon success, if interference with his prescriptions should be tolerated ? It is exceedingly disgusting to hear pa- rents, or others, when a physician is about prescribing INTRODUCTORY LETTER. IX for any member of their family, to say, " Doctor, won't it do to give such and such a thing ? — Such and such a person was just so, and tried it, and it helped them di- rectly. — Why ! Doctor, don't you think that is too large a dose for such an infant, or for such a delicate person ? — I am afraid to give it this^ I am afraid to do tliat^ I am afraid it will do more hurt than good. — Oh, Doctor, have you not taken blood enough ? why, you will kill him by bleeding him. — Surely, you are not going to put on so large a blister ! why, that is enough to produce fever itself 1" and ten thousand such like exclamations, which are too common to need repetition. Let me ask you ; if you have no confidence in your physician, why employ him ? And if you have,— why act as if you had not? Why trammel him, and fetter him in this manner ? — Rather would I never prescribe — I would sacrifice my interest in the most wealthy family, if my prescriptions must pass the ordeal of their judgment. I must practice without such restraints, or I shall not practice at all. I would rather carry the hod, or drive the cart ; and so would any physician whose soul was not smaller than a ''microscopic mite." The last evil which I shall mention, requires me to premise, that it is by no means confined to the female sex ; and I am not certain, but they are more free from it, than their "wiser companions." I allude to the ra- pid extinction of gratitude. Perhaps, gratitude never runs higher upon our earth, than it does toward the physician, who, by a judicious interference of the heal- ing art, has been the happy instrument of snatching INTRODUCTORY LETTER. from the yawning jaws of death, some endeared com- panion, and restored such an one to arms just ready to hang down in despair. One would be ready to think, that an attempt to express the amount of such raptu- rous feehngs by ghttering dust, would almost be offering an insult to gratitude ; and yet, strange as it may ap- pear, Ihave lived to see such gratitude entirely cancel- led by less than a dozen dollars. The bill is very apt to sweep off every vestage of good feeling, especially if some months chance to intervene between the ser- vices rendered, and the payment of the bill. This leads me to observe, that the compensation given to physi- cians, is usually inadequate to the services rendered. No bills are generally paid with so much reluctance as those of the physician ; and one great reason, (as I said,) why it is so, is, because they are usually left so long unsettled, and memory being so treacherous, the nature and the value of the services are forgotten. The extravagance of physicians' bills is proverbial ; and yet how few — how very few — die rich, or ever lay up any thing against a day of adversity ! No class of men deserve more to collect together a little heap of this world's provender, than physicians ; their labor is incessant ; night or day, rain or shine, sick or well, they must observe the beck of all who demand their services, be they rich or poor, bond or free, with a soul or without one ; not a day out of the seven, not an hour out of the twenty -four, can they call their own. If such a life does not deserve a rich compensation, no toil, or labor, or anxiety, does. INTRODUCTORY LETTER. XI My advice to you, then, is, remunerate your physician while gratitude feels warm, and before it is possible to forget the value of his services ; and I will engage his bill will more commonly be thought low and moderate, than high or extravagant. PREFACE TO THE LAST LONDON EDITION. It would be ungrateful not to acknowledge the candor with which the public have been pleased to receive this little volume, although it contains some doctrines re- pugnant to the present opinions : the honorary degree which a respectable university were pleased to confer upon the author as a token of their approbation, de- mands likewise his acknowledgment, and emboldens the doctor to hope th^ his observations are not entirely erroneous. With a view, then, to promote the happiness and comfort of his fellows-creatures, and to preserve helpless infants from their present almost certain destruction, Dr. Smith earnestly recommends the perusal of these letters to such persons as are likely to have a young family ; to those whose duty may require their attend- ance in a sick chamber ; and likewise to invalids. The maxims insisted on throughout are agreeable to the laws of nature ; and the author trusts that he has rendered them evident to common sense : they are the result of an assiduous attention to the duties of his pro- fession ; and it may with truth be added, that they have the further sanction of successful experience. XIV PREFACE, It is only necessary to observe, that the treatise, ac- cording to a promise, made some years ago, is dedica- ted to the ladies, under the title of " Letters to Married Ladies :" and as a familiar style is aimed at, it is pre- sumed that the digressions will not only be thought alloM^able, but even a relief to the subject itself, natu- rally dry and unentertaining. If the opinion with respect to those marks which are incident to children at their birth should be supposed chi- merical, yet the design, it is hoped, will prove a sufficient apology. Perhaps it may induce some others to pursue the inquiry, and thereby fully illustrate the fact ; in which case the author will give up his opinion, as freely as he now delivers it to the public. In considering my intended subjects, the familiar style of letter-writing appeared the most eligible ; and particularly, when I reflected upon the absurdity of using technical language, in an address to the ladies. The three first letters will not, I hope, be esteemed foreign to my purpose, as they seem to me altogether introductory to the design. I was induced to add the last letter, upon old age, in order to make the series of letters complete ; having now, in this collection, taken up man from the first period of his existence, and car- • ried him through the various stages of life. It being much to our present purpose, and intimately connected with the following letters, I shall transcribe a part of the introduction to a popular work, published about twelve months ago. ^^ Experience in physic is the wisest patli to tread : PREFACE. XV and considering what poor crazy constitutions too many of the human race unhappily sustain, and the various disorders which even the most robust are Hable to, no one can be too particular in remarking such innocent remedies as may relieve slight indispositions, and con- sequently prevent terrible and fatal diseases. ^^ Good nursing is a point which has either been too much neglected, or mistaken ; nevertheless, it is of the first consequence towards the cure of diseases, and the preserving of delicate and feeble constitutions. It is equally so to render advanced age easy and comfortable, and to preserve helpless infants. To speculative minds it must be" matter of astonishment to observe the fatality among children, which the following table of births and infant burials, collected from the bills of mortality, of the city of Dubhn, presents for their serious consideration. In Total number Barials under Burials under of births. 5 years of age. 2 years of age. 1762 15351 10659 8372 1763 15133 11163 8200 1764 .16801 9699 7673 1765 16374 9948 8073 1766 "" 16257 10197 8035 1767 16980 9449 7668 1768 16042 10670 8229 1769 16714 10061 8016 1770 17109 10121 7994 1771 17072 9447 7617 10)162833 10)101454 10)79877 16283 10145 The average upon the last ten years. 7987 XVI PREFACE, " Thus we see that almost two thirds of the children born in that metropohs and its environs are totally lost to society : 16283 are, upon the average, the annual births ; 10145, the infant burials ; and, what deserves particular attention, 7987 are cut off before they are two years old, which is more than three fourths of those children who die under five years of age. How ardent- ly, therefore, is it to be wished that such a fatality could be prevented ! — It may be prevented. " Is it not affecting, that so many beings, just enter- ing into life, should be so untimely cut off, to the detri- ment of society, and the affliction of their weeping mothers ? It is, truly, a subject of commisseration, a scene which draws a silent tear from the eye of hu- manity, and pierces the wounded bosoms of afflicted parents. Above three fourths of these little innocents fall a sacrifice under two years old. It is well known, that the Thrush and Summer complaints generally ter- minate their existence in the early months ; and if they survive these maladies, the time of teething too fre- quently brings on the fatal catastrophe. '^ Could we but conquer the prejudices of the times, and abolish unnatural and absurd practices — could we but restore that natural and simple method of rearing children, which the All Wise Giver of life has suffi- ciently pointed out — did we but confine them to that nutriment, which he has prepared for their first state of existence — and consult that reason which he has be- stowed upon us, to conduct them forward — all would be well — But, alasl indolence and luxury forbid the PREFACE. XVli task ! Nevertheless, to the rational few the following remarks are submitted. " The Thrush and Summer complaints are, in the author's opinion, artificial diseases, and both of them usually occasioned by improper food ; such as all kinds of pap, whether made from flour, bread, or biscuit : they all cause too much fermentation in an infant's stomach, and irritate its tender bowels beyond what nature can support. This appears to him to be the evident cause of the before-mentioned complaints. " When infants are past this period, the danger in cutting their teeth is justly to be feared. This difficulty proceeds altogether from a weakness of constitution, arising from the same first mismanagement in point of diet : and here a train of dreadful symptoms present themselves ; the head, the stomach, the bowels, are all at times terribly affected ; a general wasting of the body frequently ensues ; and unconquerable fevers prevail, which generally terminate in convulsions and death. ^^To prevent all these unhappy consequences,- let us but for a moment reflect that every mother is designed by nature to foster her own child. If the breast is not to be obtained,* cow's milk is in general to be preferred to any kind of food that can be invented, because it is nearly similar to that w^hich nature intended." I sincerely wish the hints thrown out in the following letters may be attended to ; as the success of rearing children, and the preserving infirm and aged constitu- tions, greatly depends upon good nursing ; much more indeed than it does upon the application of medicine. 2* XVlll PREFACE. For although, by the medical art, many violent and dan- gerous diseases may oftentimes be prevented from pro- ving fatal ; yet, even when the doctor has taken his leave, the good nurse must still be vi^atchful, "to re- store again the invalid to a healthy and vigorous consti- tution." I was apprehensive that many objections would be started, both against my opinions and maxims ; which, indeed, was a leading motive for concealing my name in the first edition : but as I hope I have spoken with candor, and as I mean to persuade, rather than to find fault, it is to be wished, that the younger part of the female sex at leasts whom it more nearly concerns, will not receive this little present with such unconquerable prejudices, as would probably have been experienced from their grand-mothers. If, by addressing their un- derstanding, I should be happy enough to convince their judgment of the propriety of the following observa- tions, I trust they may prove in some measure beneficial both to themselves and their future daughters, in the exalted characters of wives and mothers. There is a certain respect due to our ancestors and their customs ; and, for my own part, ' I would never embrace new maxims or opinions, but upon full convic- tion of their claiming preference to old ones. Still it should be remembered, the mind was never designed for a state of slavery ; therefore, when once our reason is truly convinced of former errors, let the sanction for such mistakes be never so redoubtable, there is a glori- ous freedom inherent in human nature, that prompts a PREFACE. XIS generous mind to revoke erroneous opinions, and adopt, those systems, which, upon mature deliberation, shall appear more rational. And whenever the contrary disposition is discovered, it altogether shows a want of candor, and points out an obstinacy, not only culpable with respect to our private characters, but deserving of censure, as it regards society ; for such a temper tends to prohibit every kind of discovery, that may either im- prove our own knowledge, or benefit our fellow-crea- tures. All our knowledge with respect to infants, must be obtained from observation alone ; as no one ever pre- tended to remember those sensations and wants which he himself experienced in the earliest days of childhood ; therefore, a careful attendance is required in the nurse- ry. When infants are properly managed, there is but seldom an occasion for the help of medicine ; and should it be necessary to call in assistance of this kind, as they are totally incapable of relating their distress, it requires an accurate observation,* together with a cir- cumstantial account from the nurses who attend upon them, to enable a medical practitioner to form a right judgment of their diseases. LETTER I, OF MARKS. LETTER I. Of Marks — the imaginary consequences of* frights and longings, A candid inquiry into the merits of this doctrine. Prejudices, which have been imbibed in our early clays, received from those we esteem and reverence, and supported by the authority of past ages, must needs make impressions upon the most candid and ingenuous minds ; particularly when almost every day produces strange and wonderful stories to corroborate the sup- posed fact. The various blemishes frequently discovered upon children at the birth, have been generally considered as the effect of fright, or a disappointment of the mother's longings : and, indeed, this opinion has so far prevailed, that it has been, for a long time past, looked upon as incontestible. Should any one, therefore, presumptu- ously dare to deny this amazing pecuHarity in pregnant women, and the consequent effect upon the embryo, he must expect nothing less than the general censures of the female world. Besides, the many positive asser- tions upon this head, from the most sensible persons of undoubted veracity, will naturally lead a prudent man to speak with caution against the doctrine. Nevertheless, it surely cannot be improper to make a candid inquiry into so wonderfld a phenomenon. 24 liETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. It is a subject by far the most interesting to the la- dies : it comes, indeed, particularly under their cogni- zance : for the dreaded evil affects the fair sex much more essentially than it does ours.* With my female friends, therefore, I beg leave to discuss this important point. It is by every one allowed, to the honor of this na- tion, (and let particular commendation be given to the daughters of Great Britain themselves,) that in the edu- cation of young women, learning, and the polite improve- ments, are much more attended to in this age than formerly ; accomplishments which not only render their manners more engaging, but qualify them .likewise for the happy domestic life ; and contribute muchto adorn these amiable and sweetly-endearing companions of the social hour. How essentially necessary is such a friend, to make life comfortable and happy. t What a lustre does every good and accomplished wo- man add to the matrimonial state 1 — She must by every reasonable man be considered not only as the partner of his bed, but of his very soul. I can at this time readily call to mind many such ex- alted characters, to whom in a most particular manner I now address myself: — women, whose enlarged minds are capable of a much greater depth of reasoning than these speculations will afford ; and in whose company I have oftentimes enjoyed the happiness of friendly con- versation^ — with whom, upon different occasions, I have, * See Note 1, f See Note 2. LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 25 in part, entered into the subject of this, and the follow- ing letters. It is, indeed, at the request of several of these ray worthy female friends, that I have beqn in- duced to collect ray thoughts, in order to give them to the public. Ignorance, my fair readers, is the parent of credulity and superstition. Knowledge is the conqueror that triuraphs over such terrible foes. How much is the understanding enlightened and improved by the use of letters! When, therefore, we consider that the art^f printing was not discovered until the fifteenth century, and it was a long time after that before it became uni- versal in Europe, we shall not greatly wonder at the bigotry and rudeness of manners in our ancestors ; and we shall cease to reflect upon those credulous times. To the score of ignorance we are to place the many and hideous stories which have been formerly related of apparitions, goblins, and witches, that have at times in- fested different parts of Europe ; and even in England have claimed the attention of civil and ecclesiastical power : instances of which are to be found in our history. At this period I believe there are but few who give credit to such romances. The Spectator and his co- temporaries pretty well cleared the country of witches. AlS to ghosts, the last that made its appearance was the notorious Fanny of Cock-lane ; and this arch spirit was effectually laid, as it is called, in a court of justice ; where the gentlemen of the law carefully collected her ashes, and, like alchemists, turned them into gold ; so 3 ^6 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. that there is no fear of any more spirits rising from her urn. We are now fully convinced of the ridiculous fallacy of such bugbears ; and at this time there is scarcely a female but can enjoy, without one dreadful apprehen- sion, a cool and silent walk by moonlight : a pleasure their mothers could hardly be persuaded to partake of; for, not longer than half a century ago, if a dauntless virgin had thus presumptuously ventured, the affrighted parents would have been apprehensive for their daugh- ter, lest she should, some time or another, be punished for such impious audacity. Thus we see prodigies and wonders daily vanishing, in proportion as hterary knowledge, and the general improvement of the understanding, are cultivated. To some future season, perhaps, we must postpone the elucidation of marks, the supposed consequences of frights and longings : yet, if this matter should be a subject of dispute with the ladies for the present, I doubt not that a little time and candid observation will commit the very idea of such romantic opinions, toge- ther with that of frights, and every other superstitious error, to eternal oblivion. A fright is generally believed to have the same un- lucky effect upon pregnant women, as a disappointment of their wishes will produce. Hence they are perpetu- ally racked between hope and fear, to the torment of themselves, and every body about them ; and are some- times so extravagant with regard to a wish or longing, as not to be satisfied but at an immense expense : for LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 27 we have heard that these strange cravings are not alto- gether confined to the palate ; they sometimes extend themselves to equipage, jewels, dress, baubles, &c. As a proof that such chimerical notions even at this time prevail, the reader is desired to attend to the following relation. Since the first edition of this work went to the press, the author happened to dine, in company with a lady in the family way totally free from prejudice, at the house of an intimate female friend, who has a heart truly good and sympathetic. Her teeiping visitor took notice of a toy ; it was a pigeon-house made of Staffordshire ware, and in a baby-house would appear a proper ornament : yet the forebodings of this good matron, lest her fi*iend should have entertained a longing for it, operated so strongly, that she kindly ordered it to be put into her visitor's carriage. The lady strongly objected to it, but to no purpose ; insomuch that she was obhged to take the pigeon-house home. But not to dwell upon such like particulars, which, nevertheless, have been fi-equently introduced in support of whimsical desires, and which are continually magni- fied in the relation, we shall confine our remarks to the general manner in which this magic operates. As I have universally been thought an infidel in mat- ters of this kind, the ladies have treated me accordingly ; nay, frequently, when I have begged quarter, it has been cruelly denied me ; which cautions me at this time to be modestly humble and diffident. I shall assert 28 LETTERS TO MAKRIEB LADIES. nothing ; but by fair and impartial inquiry endeavor to search out the truth. In consequence of my supposed want of faith in these affairs, there is scarcely a female I am acquainted with, who does not treasure up every surprising story^ of this kind that she hears, to tell it me with all the advantages that a persuasive tongue can give, in order to bring about my conversion. I verily believe, that, by the assistance of these my good friends, I could furnish a large folio volume of such histories. It is a spacious field for the fancy to rove in. A variety of preternatural marks in living persons may be produced every day : nor can the ex- istence of these extraordinary appearances be denied ; for that is incontestible, as every one can vouch. The true cause of such wonders, therefore, is the subject of our pursuit. In the first place, I shall make bold to declare, that I never met with one of those blemishes which altogether struck my fancy with respect even to the imaginary likeness ; or which, as to the supposed cause, engaged my rational confidence. I have been showed a mark that was compared to the rhind of bacon, and told a strange story of the mo- ther's longing for a gammon. I fancied it to be like the tinge of a mulatto, and congratulated the parents that it was not altogether swarthy. A lady of my acquaintance has oftentimes declared * See Note 3. LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 29 that she is marked with a perfect pig ; but I never could obtain the sight of this rarity, it not being conveniently situated for public inspection. A little while ago, I was in company with her mother, an elderly woman, and quite a stout champion, as I found, for marks and blemishes, in consequence of frights and longings. Upon a particular inquiry, it appeared that she was un- acquainted with the accident, until some considerable time after the birth ; and then, from the appearance of the mark, she very well remembered the occasion of it — w^hich was this. When she was very near her time, her husband and self w^ere invited to the house of a relation, bving at some distance, who, she knew, had some very fine sucking pigs. They both thought the ride would be too much for her ; but she recollects her having said, that she would go at all events, if she was sure they w^ould dress one of the pigs for dinner. How- ever, the husband went alone, and returned in the eve- ning with a quarter of a pig that had been dressed on purpose for their dinner, her relation knowing she w^as fond of it. But, alas! as her evil genius would have it, ivhen she sat down to supper, she could eat but very little ; and at that time unluckily rubbed the part with her hand, where her daughter is marked, which she is very certain, occasioned the form of a pig. I asked her how the child could be marked, since she had her desire ? No matter for that, answered she : though I had the pig, the child to be sure must be marked ; because I longed for it nice and hot, with good plum sauce and gravy, but was obliged to eat it cold. We 3* 30 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. all laughed heartily at the conclusion, though, as the reader may judge, from different motives ; but the old lady thought she had obtained a complete victory. I have given this little history, to show the absurd manner in which these things are usually accounted for. It will be also proper in this place to remark the noto* rious dissimilarity* between such blemishes and their supposed originals. We are to take notice, likewise, of the ease with which the fancy is imposed upon, or imposes on itself in such cases, even to infatuation ; magnifying the most trifling conjectures into the strong- est confirmations. How often do women rack their minds, to find out the origin of these marks 1 which evidently proceeds from their aversion to be thought capable of producing an offspring with any imperfec- tions ; and their servants and nurses, considering it actually as their business, are always ready to help them out upon these occasions. Fruit, wine, boiled lobsters, fresh salmon, and such like things of a red color, are the most common marks ; and there is scarcely a family in the kingdom, but some one or more of them can produce instances of this sort. These strange effects, we are told, not only happen to the human race, but also, how wonderful to relate ! —to brutes. There is a worthy family, whose veracity is not to be doubted, that are firmly persuaded of the following fact ; of which they were all spectators. I ^ See Note 4. LETTERS TO MARniED LADIES. shall deliver the account, as nearly as possible, in the lady's words, who favored me with the relation. Her father's favorite cat happened to produce a kit- ten, which, to the surprise of all the family, was marked on the back with a rat. As the kitten grew, the rat increased likewise ; till, at the end of some months, it dropped off the kitten, quite perfect in its form ; — and the lady had it in her own hand. I was questioned, very particularly, whether I could any longer doubt the consequences of longings and frights, since it even ex- tended to brutes — -for, continued she, what could be the cause of this, but the creature being disappointed of some rat she was pursuing ? Thus closely pressed, I begged her yet to pardon my want of belief. As to the cause, I was silent about it ; that there was a substance upon the kitten, which fell off, as related, I had no doubt. What then could I doubt? — That their own imaginations deceived them. How was that possible ? — Much more so than they were aware of. Where is the rat, madam ? Thrown away long ago. That is unlucky ; for, had I seen it, probably it might have struck me as resembling an owl, or some other thing altogether as extravagant. It was downright obstinacy in me ; for I would not believe any thing. I further said, had it been a rat, I thought she would have wanted courage to touch it — even sup- posing it to be dead ; and had it been alive, it would certainly have run away, and prevented her. This pleasantry abated somewhat of the earnestness of our 32 lETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. argument ; and a laugh made us very good friends— but I was an incredulous man. I have heard of a woman surprised in the street, when she was very near her time, by a person with a withered arm : upon her return home, the fright threw her into labor, and she was delivered of a child with a withered arm. How can we possibly believe such an immediate effect as this to be produced ? — Is it to be credited, that the mother's terror should instantly blast the arm of the child, thus rendering it similar to the object of horror ? And if this be rejected, how can we allow the total loss of a limb from a similar cause ? — Could it be anni- hilated ? This no one will assert. If not, supposing the effect to take place, and the arm or the leg should be separated from the body, what becomes of it ? Such divided part is never to be found upon these occasions. On the contrary, where there is an addition to the form, proceeding also, as we are told, from fright ; such, for instance, as a toe or finger extraordinary, an arm or a leg ; in the name of wonder, from what source can those exuberances be so immediately produced ? Is it not astonishing, that such credulous infatuations should thus beguile our reason ? Not to trouble my fair readers with any more of these relations, which, by prejudiced persons, are accounted undeniable, I shall just mention a few facts for the con- sideration of the candid. A lady of my particular acquaintance, during the Cime of gestation, was unfortunately overturned in a liETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 33 coach ; by which accident, as she endeavored to get out, the first joint of her second finger was entirely broken off. This was an alarming circumstance to all her friends, and the dreadful apprehensions of the child's being born a cripple disturbed every one ; but, to the great astonishment of her acquaintance, she was deli- vered of a fine and perfect boy. An eminent practitioner relates a story to this effect, which is equally to be credited, as happening under his own observation. A lady of quality being in convulsions, the family sent for the doctor in great haste. He found her upon the bed, extremely ill indeed. When her ladyship came a little to herself, she cried out, The black cat! the black cat ! — her well known particular aversion to this domestic animal seemed to point out the cause of the disaster, of which till now they were entirely ignorant ; and the servants diligently searched for the object ; when in a tub, placed to receive the rain-water near her ladyship's dressing-room window, poor puss was discovered. This sight so terribly affected the lady, that her fears were ever uppermost, and she was miserable until the time of her delivery. Neither could her friends pacify her, nor the arguments of so able a man as her physi- cian bring her to reason. Notwithstanding all they could say, she was fully persuaded her child's face would be like this black cat's. At length Lucina smiled propitious on its birth ; and her ladyship's ap- prehension's vanished, upon being brought to bed of a 34 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. lovely boy, without either mark or blemish of cat or skin. Just about the same time, it happened that the same gentleman attended another lady in her confinement of a boy also. The boy had a small darkish spot upon the forehead. He was curious enough to interrogate the mother about it, and she most ingenuously declared, that she was neither sensible of any fright or longing during the whole time of her gestation. Had this blemish happened to the child of the noble parent, the doctor truly observes, the black cat would undoubtedly have occasioned a remark£lble anecdote in the history of her ladyship's house ; — for, by all her family and friends, it would have been looked upon as an incontestible proof of these prodigies ; and, give me leave to add, with much more seeming plausibility, too, than the generahty of these stories can boast ; because the lady had declared her apprehensions at the time of the supposed injury. I shall here add another instance of an apprehension altogether as fruitless, as that of the noble lady. It was made known to me, in consequence of reading the above to a particular friend, who immediately replied, that he was under great anxiety for his wife, upon ac- count of her being terrified at the sight of a person who had a very unhappy blemish on her face. The wife of this gentleman, by chance going to St. Paul's church, was placed in a stall exactly opposite to the unfortunate object, which affected her so much, that her devotion LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 35 was entirely lost ; and she talked of this poor woman continually after she left the church. In a few weeks this lady went again to St. Paul's, and was unluckily placed opposite the same person ; which so distressed her, that she dared not venture there any more. Surely this is as striking an instance as we can suppose. I told my friend I was glad he acquainted me of it before his wife was confined, and that I should pay great attention to the consequence ; but at the same time desired he would endeavor -to make both himself and wife very easy, assuring him, on the observation of myself and others, how little room there was to be under any dismal apprehension on this account. To finish the story, his wife was soon deli- vered of a fine and perfect child. Since which, this lady has declared her apprehensions so terrified her, that she dared not to look at the child, till she collected from the conversation of her attendants, that the boy's face was free from blemish. What a cruel suspense and painful sufferance must this have been to a mo- ther !^ Not long ago I was in the chamber of a lady newly delivered : her mother being present, took me to the window, and in great distress acquainted me the child had a large mark upon the right side of its face ; that she was terrified at the thoughts of breaking it to her daughter, and begged me to acquaint her of it. Ac- cordingly, after congratulating my patient upon her own "^ See Note 5. 36 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. health and a fine child, in the course of conversation, I jocosely told her that we were at a loss to account for a pretty spot upon the child's face, and must desire her to inform us of the occasion of it. After a very minute recollection, she frankly confessed she did not remem- ber any one thing that she longed for during her preg- nancy, neither could she any how account for the accident. A variety of other circumstances might be enumera- ted, to discredit, though many stories are related to confirm, this wonderful affair. I shall not, however, introduce further particulars, though divers have hap- pened within my notice ; but conclude this letter with remarking, that in every instance before related, where the misfortune of a blemish was apprehended, it did not happen ; and in the other cases, where marks appeared, they were entirely unexpected, and the cause of them totally unknown to the mothers ; which, I may venture to say, has always been the case. If, therefore, women would wish to be credited in these stories of frights and longings, let them declare, before they are delivered, like the two ladies mentioned in this letter, that they have marked the child, and made known the cause of it. Nothing less can prove this fact ; and, till then, even the possibiUty of it may very reasonably be doubted ; for surely we may conclude that so remarkable an effect of sympathy can never take place, without the immediate and most certain knowledije of the mother. LETTER II, OF MARKS LETTER II. 0/ Marks — showing that such blemishes may happen independently of the mother s imagination. As to longings, I doubt not but every person must have been sensible of such inchnations. I can answer for myself, that when indisposed, and my stomach rather weak, I have many times suffered not a little, in being- disappointed of a thing that seemed particularly to strike my fancy : surely I may be allowed to say, that the prejudices of female education are likely to encourage such inclinations to a much greater degree in pregnant women, whose appetites are usually weak and fanciful ; and, as it is the case in every passion when too extrava- gantly indulged, I take it for granted, ladies may be sometimes very much hurt by such a disappointment, independently of superstitious, tormenting apprehen- sions. I would wish to arm every female breast with the resolution necessary for her own happiness. Yet I do not deny but upon a thousand occasions the ladies suffer, unavoidably as it were, from fear ; and mate- rially so in the present instance. Women, from the delicacy of their frame, and the particular mode of education in polite countries, are, without doubt, much more under the dominion of fear 40 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. than men, who are continually spurred on by custom and vigor to exert their courage. This renders a variety of objects, although terrible to the fair sex, so familiar to ours, that contempt alone is oftentimes a security against many such horrible intruders. We confess, then, that women are exceedingly sub- ject to fear : it is also granted, that, in things they long for, they may be painfully disappointed. It is not de- nied but that there are oftentimes very extraordinary appearances at the birth, which the fancy likens to a variety of things ; but it does not therefore follow, that we are bound to believe such marks or blemishes to be the effect of fright, or the consequences of a parent's disappointment. In the first letter, we gave several relations on both sides of the question : I shall now beg leave to propose a few queries, which, if allowed, in my opinion, seem in part to account for these extraordinary appearances ; and what cannot be illustrated upon a rational inquiry, why may we not suppose to proceed from hidden acci- dental causes in the operations of nature ? Since ex- crescences upon trees, plants, and indeed blemishes on almost every kind of animals, (of which daily expe- rience will convince a common observer,) seem strongly to authorise such a conjecture ; I say^ why may we not suppose this to be the true reason, without the assist- ance of a wonder-working imagination ? Will not an inflammation upon the eye frequently produce an universal redness over that part which otherwise appears beautifully white ? LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 41 What is the cause of this surprising alteration? Must not there ever have been a fluid circulating in those tender vessels ? — And must not that fluid be, ne- cessarily, limpid ? Are not those vessels, therefore, unless injured, too small to admit the sanguinary fluid in its compact and red state ? And does it not evidently appear, that they must be considerably distended, before the red blood can be ad- mitted, which denotes this inflammation ? Save where the virgin blush brings the blood into the cheek, or the rosy colored nymph rivals our courtly beauties ; — does not the whiteness of the skin, in almost every part of the body, plainly show that its vessels equally deny the admission of this red fluid ? We are told, by curious inquirers, that, for several months after conception, the embryo receives its sup- port from a limpid fluid, and that the form itself is nearly limpid, or colorless. If so, are not the vessels of an unborn child, as it arrives nearer to the birth, gradually enlarged, so as in the proper parts to give admission to this red sanguinary •fluid ? May not, therefore, some accidental pressure — the violence of a sudden jolt — or the shock received by a false step or a fall, with a variety of other casualties,* convey such an injury to the tender embryo, as upon some part of the skin to occasion a similar efiect to that of the eye ? -i" See Note 6. 4^' 42 LETTEKS TO MARRIED LADIES. Do we not oftentimes observe inflammations in the eye to be in a manner habitual ? Why may we not then suppose these delicate vessels, when thus distended,'to be so oppressed by the particles of the fluid which rush into them, as never more to be able to recover their natural size ? Hence these parts, and these parts only, giving ad- mission to the red blood — is it not probable that they may assume the various forms, which in various infants are imagined to resemble so many different things ? The cure of the before mentioned inflammation of the eye, frequently depends, not upon bleeding, but upon constringing the vessels, and restoring them to their original state, so that they again only admit their proper limpid fluids ; and perhaps, if astringent applica- tions were used at the birth, w^here a strong pressure could be made upon the particular part, many of these blemishes might, in a great measure, if not altogether, be removed. Such are our conjectures on the cause of those marks which are totally of, or approaching to, a red color. But there are other blemishes, which, at first sight, my readers may take for granted cannot be accounted for by this way of reasoning ; such, for instance, as appear to be of a light and dark brown, of a chocolate and black color. Nevertheless, ladies, let us candidly pro- ceed. A blow sometimes stains the skin yellow ; if the part be much bruised, the tinge is deeper, and frequently hirns quite black. A curious observer must have no- LETTERS TO MAERIED LADIES. 43 ticed, in those persons who, from violent blows, have received such contusions as are vulgarly called black eyes, that the skin, before it returns to its natural color, assumes a great variety of different hues ; all proceed- ing from the same first cause. Is it not then probable, that some such accident happening to an unborn child, may produce a similar effect ? This perhaps will be allowed : but why then should such blemishes continue in children, since they usually disappear in the case be- fore mentioned ? However, to proceed in the inquiry : Such effects being admitted, their permanency, then, is the difficulty to be overcome. Let us consider, that, although in mature life, the constitution has generally strength sufficient to repel most accidents, not instantly mortal, yet in childhood, and old age, the powers of the body are overcome by very slight injuries. In the meri- dian of fife, those parts of the body, which are disfigured by accidents, most commonly recover themselves ; ne- vertheless, many instances are to be produced, even in adults, where the skin contiiiues discolored. Bruises and other injuries upon the skin, particularly in feeble constitutions, frequently occasion marks that never dis- appear. The same is likewise observed upon the legs of those who are accustomed to sit too near the fire, in which case we say they have burnt their shins ; and old sores generally leave such marks. I have seen many of these lasting blemishes. My readers probably recollect the fact, and also that such injured parts assume a variety of colors ; black, red, brown, motley, &.C., much 44 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. resembling those which are supposed to proceed from the force of imagination. Since, therefore, we find such like appearances are sometimes permanent in the different periods of life, what can be said to disprove their continuance in in- fants, when supposed to happen either before or at the time of delivery ? For surely we may conclude, the more delicate the form is, it Avill prove the more sus- ceptible of injuries, and those injuries will last the long- er ; the tender vessels, in such cases, not being so able to recover themselves. And as we 'often find it to be so in the feebleness of age, and in a variety of other in- stances — why may we not in the tender embryo also suppose these blemishes sometimes to remain, and be durable ? But if you think the above reasoning not sufl[iciently plausible, let us consider the difference of complexion in different persons of this country — but principally the different colors of Europeans and Africans : and since we find afpearances so diametrically opposite in the skins of persons, why may not the same contrast in some measure take place in the skin of one and the same person, through a kind of error in nature from her intended scope ? Nay, do not those blemishes called freckles, and more especially moles, which frequently make their first ap- pearance in advanced life, and are often covered with hairs — I say, do not these, with the common excrescen- ces of warts, &c. show us how easily most of the differ- ent colors and appearances may be produced at any LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 45 age ? And though the cause of these is full as little known as the matter under present consideration, was the effect ever deemed miraculous ?^ Now is it to be wondered at, if these sportings of nature should bear a resemblance to some one or other of the vast variety of objects in the animal or vegetable creation ? Or in fact, if -they bear no such real resemblance, cannot the imagination readily suppose they do ; in like manner as, when looking upon the clouds, we easily discern men, horses, trees, forests, flocks of sheep, ar- mies, and indeed every thing which the most fruitful invention can form ? Some further rational conjectures might be added ; but they would probably in this place be considered as too technical for the generality of my readers : I shall, therefore, wave them at present ; for I think there has been already enough said upon this subject, to check, at least, if not entirely to subdue, these reigning infatua- tions. Now if the doctrine of marks, in consequence of frights and longings, should prove to be nothing more than prejudice, ladies will avoid the continual distress which, in these circumstances, they labor under ; for sorry am I to say it, but at present it seems as fashiona- ble to cultivate such dispositions in young married wo« men, as to recommend matrimony itself. On the other hand, supposing all that has been ad- vanced should prove to be chimerical ; the removing of * See Note 46 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. the apprehension, by which I mean the foreboding fears of the mother, will be to remove the greatest part of the evil ; and surely it is time enough at the birth to discern an imperfection. This, indeed, is a point which the strongest advocates for the force of imagination must not only allow, but likewise approve of its tendency ; since fortitude is the only preventative, according to their favorite system, against the miserable consequen- ces of frights, and disappointed longings : for if such a degree of courage can be obtained, as will prevent fear, and such a degree of resolution maintained, as will pre- vent the mind being hurt, upon any casual disappoint- ment of the inclination, the evil itself is at once reme- died ; because the imagination will never painfully dwell either upon objects of disgust or inclination ; and con- sequently blemishes can never happen from such causes. I trust that my attentive and intelligent readers will not be displeased with the discussion of this very inte- resting subject,^ ^ See ^^te 8. LETTER III OF MISCARRIAGES LETTER III. Of Miscarriages, We are now, my dear ladies, entering upon a subject which requires some circumspection, to divide the pro- vince of the physician from the advice of a friend. There are, undoubtedly, constitutional errors which oftentimes prevent women from becoming joyful mo- thers ; and they may be hindered also by accidental cir- cumstances. Both these considerations, however, be- long to the physician. In a word, therefore, these di- rections do not extend to such remote causes ; my counsels at present being designed to assist you in your own sphere. The desire of children is evidently predominant in al- most every female disposition : it must be certainly ow- ing to the wise ordination of Providence, that their edu- cation is so admirably calculated to encourage this fond- ness. How engaging are the childish amusements of a daughter ! — Let us picture an innocent little girl fondly caressing a waxen image, dressing and undressing it with all the pomp and importance of a tender mother. What a delightful employment ! — how amiable does the child herself appear ! — and so endearing is this female province, that it is justly remarked to grow up with the sex into life. 5 60 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. I have, with inexpressible pleasure, seen many young ladies, women grown, happily amusing themselves at their younger sister's baby-house, and often discovered a crimson blush, that genuine mark of female modesty, arising from their being somewhat confused in suffering themselves to be thus unexpectedly surprised. There are, indeed, some persons who have declared an aversion to children. I have painfully suffered from the enumeration of the difficulties and inconveniences which they describe parents to labor under, who have the care of a little family. Selfish and unsocial con- siderations ! God has universally manifested, that the whole human race are dependent upon one another ; and those per- sons, who think and act thus narrowly, can neither be accounted good characters in themselves, nor worthy members with respect to society. But, alas ! they are strangers to the feelings of parental fondness. Certain I am, that, if it be your good fortune to be- come happy mothers, your children, those dear pledges of love, if prudently educated, prove not only an en- gaging comfort to yourselves, but a great and lasting security for the affections of your husbands. Trust me, there is a time when the charms of beauty must cease, and the passions of youth bend to the majesty of wis- dom : — 'tis then good nature and good sense, with that essential ingredient, a cheerful disposition,* will, in a great measure, secure your conquest ; and a charming =*' See Note*9. LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 61 offspring will assuredly contribute to unite parents in the lasting bonds of friendship. How desirable, therefore, are children !^ Even po- verty itself does not prevent the sanguine wish for them. Let us then endeavor to promote their safe and happy increase. The difference of constitution in women is an impor- tant affair : there are some who upon every trifling occasion are subject to miscarriages — others, again, who, in spite of the most direct and powerful means, are often compelled to bear the token of unwarrantable amours ; and there are instances even of married wo- men, who, not supposing themselves in the family way, have been treated in the most likely manner to bring about an abortion — but all in vain. A remarkable story of this kind occurs to my memory, which I relate from my own knowledge. An honest laboring man and his wife lived together many years without having children ; and they both were beyond the meridian of life, when the poor woman was supposed to be afflicted with a dropsy, t From time to time she advised with several eminent physicians, who, from her appearance and the account she gave, treated her as dropsical ; administering the most powerful re- medies against that disorder. At length she grew so corpulent, that all hopes of a cure were given over, and the operation of tapping was recommended. The husband's circumstances being ^^ See Note 10. i See Note IL 52 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. narrow, and the expense of this illness putting it out of his power to employ a surgeon, the poor woman was advised to go into the hospital : this, however, she re- fused. A week or two after this, the husband called, with a most joyful countenance, to inform me his wife was brought to hed^ and that both the mother and child were likely to do well. I was at that time very young ; but my reflections upon the oddity of the event, determined me to be always very particular in the examination of dropsical female patients. Thus we see in this woman, and in a variety of other cases, where impious efforts have been used to promote a miscarriage, that nature, in spite of great violence, sometimes will not be interrupted. Let us then aim at assisting her in this great work, where the constitution appears not able to go through with it ; and point out the most rational means to pre- vent abortion. Our first letter, over and above the inquiry concerning marks, longings and frights, greatly tends to this mate- rial end. Women of a delicate form, and too great sensibihty, are the most liable to miscarry :* such also are the most likely to imbibe, and to be affected by, the prejudices we there wished to caution them against. The power of fear is undoubtedly sovereign over most persons; and this, as it frequently occasions miscar- riages, is truly to be dreaded. If, therefore, the preju- * See Note 13. LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. dices were discountenanced, the unhappy fear itself would assuredly cease. And further, there is nothing tends more to render life happy, either to men or women, than to conquer, as much as possible, the passion of fear. This is the mon- ster, which in some degree subdues us all, and too fre- quently makes mankind miserable. There is no calami- ty but would easily become supportable, could we divest ourselves of fear ; and daily experience proves women to be mott subject to its tortures. How many trifling insects, that a man continually spurns from hhn, ruffle the breast of females, and throw them into the greatest agonies !* The evil, therefore, is seated in the imagination ; for it is the dreadful apprehension of their own mind that torments them ; which, by a firm and steady resolution, may generally be overcome. Fortitude is an inestima- ble jewel. However difficult the task appears, the earliest and strongest prejudices may commonly be conquered.! I am sensible, that sometimes it wdll require great pains, and never can be done but by the strength of reason. Would you, my very susceptible friends, follow my ad- vice on this subject, a thousand accidents might be avoided, that hourly happen to you upon this, and many other occasions. Reason was bestowed upon us, both for the preserva- tion of our health, and the promotion of our happiness. * See Note 14. t See Note 15. 5* 54 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. The abuse of it as necessarily destroys the one as the other. How do we continually reflect upon ourselves for in- conveniences, mental as well as corporeal, that arise from inconsiderateness and folly ? Believe me, ladies, miscarriages are frequently brought about by impru- dence. When a wife has the pleasing prospect of be- coming a mother, it is no longer a time to be revelling in midnight assembhes. Such a conduct not only de- prives her of her natural rest, but also endangers her health, and thereby oftentimes promotes this dreaded evil.* In this, and every other point, I beg leave to caution you against falling into wide extremes. Some ladies I have seen, madly running up and down, and jumbhng all the town over, in the most jolting hackney-coach that could be procured ; and, although at the same time they complain of being shaken to pieces, yet this they say, is to prevent the accident. Others never step out of doors, nay, nor so much as go up and down a pair of stairs, for several months : this also is to avoid the dan- ger. Again, let me warn you of both extremes. Be this your guide — whatever exercise you are capable of taking without fatigue, indulge — but no more.t Never, in this point, regard the example of others. Because your friend can do this and that, it is no reason you should ; II . I . _■! II I . ■ I ' ^ -1= See Note 16. t See Note 17. LETTERS TO MAHRIED LADIES. OO and if the attempt gives pain, it should certainly be avoided. I need not caution the present age against the perni- cious custom of lacing too tightly ; for a lass of fifteen, in the dress of our times, would in the last age have been supposed to be only in dishabille. I do not mean to condemn, but to praise the ladies for giving themselves room in the waist ; nevertheless, ex- tremes, you know, are not advised. There is a certain medium in every part of life, which is the je-ne-sais-quoi that constitutes the agreeable. It is as uncommon now to see a young girl crooked, as it formerly was to see one perfectly straight. I be- lieve no one denies that their shapes were greatly in- jured by the stiffness of their stays, and by being laced so exceedingly close. This pernicious custom was fre- quently the cause of a bad state of health, and threw many young women into consumptions. We now rare- ly see ladies fainting in public places ; but when they did not allow themselves room to breathe, it happened every day.* This prudent alteration, therefore, so serviceable to maidens, is still more necessary for married wo- men.! There is another caution at this time to be observed. I have frequently beheld, with pain, divers ladies too apt to be lifting and playing with heavy children : there are ^ It is to be hoped the ladies will not again lace themselves up^ to display fine shapes ; the author, however, wishes to warn thejg^ against so pernicious a fashion. t See Note IS. 66 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. certain sympathetic emotions, altogether natural and laudable, which prompt them to it ; and far be it from my thoughts to deprive them of so tender and ge- nerous a gratification : nevertheless, to see a delicate little form, very near her confinement, stop a bouncing boy, and catch him in her arms, is really an alarming sight ; many miscarriages happen from such inconsider- ateness ; and, if our conjectures are not wrong, many blemishes also by these means are probably occasioned. But there is a practice indiscriminately used, even to this day, worse than all the rest ; and that is, bleeding.* Whether a woman be robust or weakly, if she is preg- nant, she must be bled. Has she any pains ? No mat- ter. Is she in health ? Yes. But she must lose blood. Why ? Because she is with child. Her mother always did it, and her grandmother, aye, and her great-grand- mother too, time out of mind ; and therefore can the propriety of it be doubted ? — These are the general ar- guments used by women in favor of bleeding, when they are in perfect health : but if any slight indisposition happens, be it ever so foreign to their particular situa- tions, and which, perhaps, at another time, would pass unnoticed, dreadful consequences are apprehended, if they are not bled : nay, indeed those little temporary in- conveniences which generally and unavoidably attend advanced pregnancy, in their mistaken opinions, call aloud for bleeding. In our two former letters, we took notice of the diffi- * See Note 19. LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 67 culty that attends rooting out fixed and prevailing preju- dices ; and I am apprehensive that this is as deeply seat- ed in the minds of women, as those of which we there treated. However, let us ask the assistance of reason also, in this particular, and search a little into the merits of the custom. Is not the infant supported by the mother ? When there are two to be supported, is not more nourishment required than for one of them only ?* Is this then a time, without any real necessity, to sport with the blood of a weakly and delicate woman ? No — surely not. Let me therefore beg of you, my ingenuous friends, to consider this matter in a rational light. I have given a plain and easy clue to pursue the inquiry ; and the subject will not permit me to enter more fully into it with my fair readers, without assuming the character of the physician, and without advancing those things, which may, in this collection of letters, be considered as an af- front to delicacy. To your own thoughts then I commit it ; and will conclude this letter with saying, that, though I do not deny but there are cases which require bleeding, yet I caution you against doing it at random, and, indeed, without very good advice : at the same time, I firmly be- lieve such instances rarely happen to those who are not of a robust constitution, and am fully persuaded, that many women are daily injured by this wrong practice. * See Note 20. LETTER IV. OF MOTHER'S MILK LETTER IV. Mother s Milk — the natural aiid best food for Infants, I HAVE endeavored to set forth the ridiculousness of women terrifying themselves, and every body about them during their pregnancy, with evils that most pro- bably are altogether imaginary. I would wish my fe- male readers to consider this subject in a more exten- sive view, and to aim at greater fortitude than the sex can generally boast, in the common occurrences of life ; when the tenderness of men is not so much engaged, and when the ladies cannot reasonably expect such kind allowances as are made at this particular time. Think me not severe ; a faithful monitor must speak with free- dom ; the man who is blind to this foible, must be insen- sible to your charms, and unworthy of your confidence. Your happiness is at stake, much more so than a super- ficial observer may imagine. Female vivacity softens the rugged paths of life ; and, believe me, self-love ope- rates powerfully, even upon the most generous minds. The woman who indulges gloomy ideas — who is conti- nually brooding over melancholy — ^who, in her hours of domestic retirement, is perpetually rendering herself miserable, and her most intimate acquaintance, and dearest relatives, unhappy — such a mistaken being must 62 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. only expect the cold eye of pity. However powerful her personal attractions, she will ultimately banish her husband and her friends. It will be found her greatest misfortune, and at a time too when it is irretrievable, to have, once had the merit to gain, perhaps^ a valuable heart, when she has not discretion enough to keep it. The importance of the subject will, I hope, apologize for this digression. We have also earnestly labored to conquer the preju- dices concerning marks, in consequence of frights and longings ; and have exposed the fabulous histories of those wonders. We have likewise shown how the un- derstanding may be deceived by the forms of fancy ; and have no less earnestly endeavored to explode the mistaken custom of bleeding indiscriminately, during pregnancy — pointing out, upon rational principles, the absurdity of all. A task equally arduous in every part ; a thousand prejudices being imbibed against the whole. Another subject at this time presents itself to view — I mean that of women suckhng their own children ;^ against which, the present obstinately received opinions are still more unaccountable than the former ; as no- thing but a strange perversion of human nature could first deprive children of their mother's milk. Give me leave, therefore, to observe, that milk is the natural sup- port which the great author of our being has provided for our infant state : and I am heartily sorry the present See Note 21. LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. manner of bringing up children puts me, in some mea- sure, under the necessity of proving milk to be the best food that can be given them. Milk is a nourishment produced from the various kinds of food taken in by the mother. Her stomach breaks and digests the aliment, which, after various operations of nature, becomes so far animalized as to be a kind of white blood : from whence animal bodies at all times receive their constant support and recruit. This, there- fore, being admitted — until an infant's powers are suffi- ciently strengthened to perform so great a business as that of digestion, the mother, by the all-wise appoint- ment of Providence, from her own breast supplies it with the means of life.*. Hence no other nourishment appears so proper for a new-born child.* For the farther information and satisfaction of my fe- male readers, and to convince them that milk is the most propel nourishment for tender infants, I think it will not be improper to give a concise account of the manner in which grown persons receive their constant recruit and support from their daily food. Whether it be animal or vegetable diet, or a mixture of both, taken into the stomach, the quality of the food is so far altered by the digestive process, that a milky nutriment is produced from it ; and as the aliment passes through the bowels, this milk is taken up by a great number of fine vessels, which, from their destined office, are called the milky vessels ; and through them * See Note 22. 64 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. it is conveyed into the blood for our support : and, as before observed, nature has so admirably contrived the animal fabric, that mothers are likewise enabled to sup- port their young from this constant supply, which at the same time, also affords to themselves their own proper nourishment. This is the grand scheme of nutriment : for, when these particles of our food, which afford us sustenance, are thus taken up by the milky vessels, the grosser parts are, by the same wonderful construction of the bowels, rejected and evacuated, in a manner well known to every one. Whoever, therefore, gives this argument a rational consideration, will, I trust, be led to acknowledge milk to be not only the natural, but the best and most strength- ening nourishment that infants can possibly receive ; be- cause their digestive faculties are, at this time, incapa- ble of producing a good and proper milky nutriment from any kind of food which can be given to them. The author of nature has universally committed the support of infants, and the early part of children's edu- cation, to women ; if it were not thus ordained, he would undoubtedly have furnished men also with milk for the nourishment of their young ;^ and experience convinces us, that women are much better qualified, both by nature and custom, for this important concern. This system of -nursing, therefore, is peculiarly addressed to the fair sex, who are most interested in it, and who will ^ Bee Note 23. LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 66 most sensibly feel the happy or miserable effects of the manner in which they discharge this first great trust which is reposed in them. Here, indeed, a mother will assuredly reap the happy fruits of fortitude, and those likewise of a lively, cheerful and obliging disposition. This subject will be treated at large in the twelfth let- ter ; nevertheless, give me leave to observe, in this place, that such as the mother is, generally speaking, such will be the first, and most probably the most du- rable impressions received by the child. It therefore naturally follows, that infants, whose minds are early accustomed to agreeable objects, and whose expanding ideas are gratified with pleasing sensations, unabated by slavish fears — such, and such only, as they rise into life, will possess that generous gratitude, which prompts them to consider it as a first great duty to contribute to the happiness of their parents. I am exceedingly offended, whenever I observe a child, grown to a man or woman's estate, who shows, upon any occasion, a want of respect or duty to its pa- rents ; and more particularly so, if such slight or con- tempt be exercised toward a good mother. Unnatural monster ! to be wanting in respect to her who bore him in her womb — who cherished and supported him with her milk — and for many years after his birth, gave up her own pleasures and recreations entirely for his sake — and who had no cares but for his welfare. I would have a mark set upon the forehead of such a barbarous savage ; and he should be hunted from the society of men. 6* (^6 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. Those mothers, who, by a foolish indulgence spoil the tempers and dispositions of their children, are un- doubtedly culpable ; but the example of a violent, pas- sionate, yet neghgent and insensible father, is equally or more to be dreaded. A mother has this plea, that she en- deavors, at least, at the time, to make her child happy ; and it may be said, in excuse for her conduct, that she is to be pitied, in not knowing better : but there is no excuse, either to God or man, that can be urged to mi- tigate the vice and folly of such a father : the iniquity resteth with himself alone ; for the benevolent author of our being is not to be arraigned upon this or any other occasion. How provident is nature in all her works ! How won- derfully indulgent to man, and other helpless animals, in their first state of existence, by thus enabhng the mother to feed her young with nourishment drawn from her own body, until such time as the offspring has ob- tained strength sufiicient to provide for itself! This gracious bounty is abused only by man, the most intelli- gent of earthly beings ; whose misuse of reason leads him astray,^ whilst humble instinct directs all other parts of the creation aright. If we look around us, we shall find every animal that gives suck, carefully fostering her young : and other en- joyments are no more thought of, until they are capable of providing for themselves. An example by which mankind might profit much : but the strong impulse of '^ See Note 24. LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. passion, in this and many other instances, subdues our reason. Did we consider the benefit of our children more, and the indulgence of our selfish inclinations less, the race of man would be more healthy, strong and vi- gorous, than we can at present boast. But, alas ! such is the depravity of human nature, that it would be in vain to enlarge upon this topic of complaint ; it is there- fore our present business to prevent, as much as possi- ble, the future growth of these evils. Let us, my friends, as you are all interested in the in- quiry, compare the success of mankind with that of the other animals in rearing their young. A little observa- tion will convince us, that greater numbers of the hu- man race are lost in their infancy, than of any other species ; for near one half the deaths, within our bills of mortality, happen to children under five y^ars of age.* And farther, compare the opulent with the rus- tic, the success is still exceedingly different. How- many children of the great, fall victims to prevailing customs, the effects of riches ! How many of the poor are saved by wanting these luxuries ! Again, compare the success of such as suckle their own offspring, with that of those who commit them to the care of nurses, or bring them up by hand ; and we •shall there likewise find an amazing diffierence : but more of this hereafter. ♦ From these considerations, it is evident, that naturt> is always preferable to art ; whence the brute creation ■^ Bee Note 25. QS LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. succeed better than the human, in preserving their own species. And the peasant, whom necessity compels to follow nature, is, in this respect, happier than his lord. Those mothers also, who in spite of custom, pride, or indolence, will take their little ones to their breast, must have more comfort and success, than those who cruelly consign them to the care of foster nurses ; thereby de- nying them that food, which is not only the most pro- per, but is ordained likewise for their infant state. Let me then entreat those who are desirous of rear- ing their children, not to rob them of their natural breast. Would they wish them to be healthy and beau- tiful, let such mothers give suck : for even wet nurses, we shall find, are very little to be depended upon. LETTER V. OF SUCKLING. LETTER V. .Arguments in favor of Suckling — as well for the mother^ s sake^ as the chiWs — and the evils to he apprehended in delivering children to the care of foster nurses. Health and beauty are desirable, and the latter in par- ticular to women. They must, in this case, be uni- ted ; as it is impossible for a woman to be truly beauti- ful, who wants health. Disease bhghts the rosy bloom upon the cheek, turns the delicate whiteness of the skin into a sallow hue, and destroys the enchanting lustre of the eye. How insufficient is it for a lovely maid to make a conquest, if she cannot keep it, as a wife ! It is not at present my province to enlarge upon the accomplishments of the mind. How necessary they are to secure the affections of a husband, every prudent woman knows : and she must be equally sensible, that the elegance of her person is also to be regarded ; an advantage which those who are in a bad state of health have scarcely spirits to attend to : besides, illness too often renders the sweetest dispositions cross and peevish. Those who are happy enough to have children, run the greatest risk, not only of losing them, but of de- stroying their own health and beauty, by repelling their milk immediately after delivery. It never can be done without producing a fever. Oftentimes tumours, and 72 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. cancers in the breast, owe their origin to this pernicious custom ; asthrnatical complaints, and lingering diseases, are frequently occasioned by it ; and, too commonly, the immediate death of the mother follows from such ill management. Consider, my fair pupils, for your own health's sake, and for the sake of your future happiness, how necessa- ry it is to preserve such dear pledges of mutual love. By these powerful ties, many a man, in spite of impetu- ous passions, is compelled to continue the prudent, kind, indulgent, tender husband. Did you but thorough- ly know the secret impulses of the human heart, you would not risk the loss of your children, by unnaturally denying them the means of life. Let not the mistaken husband insinuate, that you will be less charming in his sight, by doing your duty to your little ones : many, many instances have I known, of weakly and delicate woman, who, at my particular re- quest, have suckled their children, and thereby obtained a much better state of health ; nay, they have been more pleasing in their persons, after thus becoming hap- py mothers ; and their husbands have, with pleasure, acknowledged their improved charms. There may be some cases in which it is not prudent for a mother to give suck ;* but these instances very rarely happen : and there may be some women, who, although, they are ever so desirous, cannot suckle ; this, however, is but seldom to be urged. I sincerely LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 73 sympathise with those unfortunate ladies, who are thus deprived of a happiness, only known to those who en- joy it. What shall we say under these necessitous cir- cumstances ? Shall we advise such mothers to employ a wet-nurse ; or to bring their children up under their own management, according to proper rules which shall be laid down in a following letter ? They are both, in my opinion, wTetched necessities. Yet, was an in- fant of my own thus unhappily situat^^d, without hesitation I would prefer the latter ; for much is to be apprehend- ed from a child's sucking a strange woman: nothing less than absolute necessity would make me comply with it. Too often diseases, and those of the worst kind, are imbibed from the breast.*" It is a shocking truth, but vicious inconstancy is become so universal, even among the lower rank of people, that many women offer them- selves, and are daily employed as wet-nurses, who are laboring under dreadful and infectious diseases. Yet, supposing you can arrive at a satisfactory assurance in this point, there is a certain cleansing quality in the milk of a w^oman immediately after child-bearing, exceeding- ly necessary for the new-born babe in order to prepare its stomach and bowels for future food : this you very rarely can obtain from a wet-nurse. There is yet a further evil to be dreaded : as it is through necessity alone that a woman will desert her ®wn infant, and take another to her breast, she may be ^' See Note 27. 7 74 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. induced, by the advantage she gains, to conceal her be« ing again with child, and continue to suckle the infant, till it pines away and dies, for want of proper nourish- ment. Thousands have been sacrificed by these means. Should they however escape, in either case, they are, too generally, miserable beings ; for, in consequence of the first, diseases of the glands, known by the vulgar name of the king's evil, and other terrible complaints, succeed ; and in the latter, the rickets, summer com- plaints, and many other maladies, proceeding from a weakly and relaxed habit of body, most commonly ensue. On the other hand, disease and death are the usual consequences of the present erroneous method of bring- ing children up by hand. Scarcely one in four of these little innocents live to get over the cutting of their teeth ; and the vitiated blood of those that escape, occasioned by improper nourishment, generally renders them in- firm, or short-lived. Almost every complaint to which children are subject, appears to me to proceed original- ly from an improper management of them ; for the young of all other animals are full of health and vigor. And moreover, independently of these misfortunes, the future happiness of the parent herself, is greatly in- terested in this maternal concern ; as it generally falls out, that those children who are neglected by their mo- thers during their infant years, forget all duty and affec- tion towards them, when such mothers are in the de- cline of life ; and this contempt from a child, is nothing less than plunging a dagger into the breast of its pa- LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. iO rent : and besides the cruel pangs which she must una- voidably experience from this want of duty, daily obser- vation convinces us, that widows frequently suffer not a little, even for the common conveniences of life, by the means of those very children, who, if properly educated, would have probably become their support and com- fort. Such are the melancholy prospects attending the pre- ent unnatural practice of wet and dry nursing ; from which a curse is oftentimes entailed upon a generation, of w^hich parents ought to esteem themselves the au- thors. How terrible soever these things appear, I es- teem it my duty to acquaint mothers in particular, what a risk they run in thus hazarding the health and Uves of their children, together with their own present and future hap- piness ; and sincerely hope I may imprint the same ob- jections upon them, that daily experience in my profes- sion presents to me, against these pernicious customs. Oh ! that I could prevail on my fair country-women, to become still more lovely in the sight of men ! Be- lieve it not, when it is insinuated, that your bosoms are less charming, for having a dear little cherub at your breast. I speak from the feelings of a man, and of one too, who has an universal and generous love for the vir- tuous part of your sex. Trust me, there is no husband could withstand the fond soHcitations of an endearing wife, would she be earnest in her desire of bringing up her own children. Rest assured, when he beholds the object of his soul cherishing and supporting in her arms the propitious reward of wedlock, and fondly traces his 76 LETTERS TO MARRIED LAPIES. own lineaments in the darling boy, it recalls a thousand dehcate sensations to a generous mind : perhaps he drops a sympathetic tear in recollecting the painful throes of the mother, which she cheerfully bore, to make him such an inestimable present. His love, ten- derness and gratitude, being thus engaged — with what raptures must he behold her, still carefully intent upon the preservation of his own image I How ardent soever such an one's affections might be before matrimony, a scene like this will more firmly rivet the pleasing fetters of love : — for, though a beau- tiful virgin must ever kindle emotions in a man of sen- sibility, a chaste and tender wife, with a little one at her breast, is certainly to her husband the most exquisitely enchanting object upon earth : — and surely, ladies, had fashion but established this laudable custom among you, it would prove so truly amiable, as not only to ex- cite the emulation of your maiden friends to worthy conquests, but also raise their ambition to shine in cha- racters thus dignified. How greatly then would you contribute to the fehcity of your own families, and of mankind in general. LETTER VI. OP INFANTS LETTER VI. The management of Infants from the birth — with directions for putting them to the breast, Happy, thrice happy woman, now become a joyful mo- ther, nurturing her young ! Say, tell me, you who know the rapturous dehght, how complete is the bliss of en- folding in your longing arms, the dear, dear fruits of all your pains ! — pains now no more remembered. Long may you preserve the darhng, and be doubly blest in its future beauty, health and virtue ! I am not unmindful, my charming friends, of the pre- judices necessary to be conquered, before so material a benefit to mankind, as that which I am to picture out in this letter, can be generally obtained. In my last, the misfortunes attending the neglect of this duty were fully explained ; and as I have frequently succeeded among the private circle of my friends, by addressing their understanding, I trust to the candor of the more ingenuous part of your sex, for my success in public. My endeavor, therefore, throughout, shall be to con- vince you that I have reason and truth on my side. Happy then shall I think myself,, and amply rewarded for my trouble, if I am fortunate enough to meet with your approbation : because your observance of the rules laid down in this little manual must necessarily 80 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. follow. Much depends upon your maternal care in the first stage of life ; it is a pleasing duty, to which you are honorably called, both by nature and the custom of all nations. I am truly sensible, that, according to the present mistaken manner of suckling and rearing children, the business is a fatigue, which frightens many at the first attempt ; it is a method altogether culpable and unna- tural. To this letter particularly belongs the first man- agement of them. In my next, I shall point out the subsequent errors, and lay down some general rules, that will not only prove beneficial to the child, but make the task of suckhng easy and delightful to the mother : even the polite and gay may cheerfully undertake this, at present laborious, employment, without greatly inter- fering with a social life — for the gloomy ideas of a nursery will vanish. The paths of nature are easy and dehghtful. Come then, my fair friends, and let us fol- low her, step by step. We have before observed, that a child brings its im- mediate nourishment into the world with its birth. Man is born in sorrow. The fatigue and pain of delivery, both to the mother and the child, require rest ; and, gene- rally, where no improper means are used, they both directly fall into a sweet refreshing sleep ; during which time the milky vessels of the breast are dilated. Thus, with prudent management, in a short time a small flow of milk will be obtained. The child, replete with nou- rishment at its birth, awakes equally refreshed with the LETTERS TO 3IARRIED LADIES. 81 mother, and by eagerly sucking the nipple encourages its more plentiful supply.'*^ Sometimes there may be a little inconvenience with the first child ; but this is rendered still greater by keep- ing it away, perhaps two or three days, from the mother, and suffering her attendants to draw her breasts, which generally occasions sore nipples. The gentle, easy, and frequent suction of an infant, will not only prevent this inconvenience, but gradually invite the milk, there- by relieving the mother from a troublesome burthen : the nipple also, by this means, will be drawn out, so that the child may suck without further difficulty. This is the lesson nature teaches ; and wise are they who observe her precepts. As to an infant's clothing, the lighter it is, and the more unconfined, the better ; very little covering is ne- cessary : and the future deformities of shape, &c., not to mention the deplorable loss of health, sometimes proceed from the dress being too heavy, and confined, at its first entrance into life.t I am entirely against an infant's receiving any nou- rishment until it can be put to the breast ; and much more so against cramming it with what nurses call pap. The stomach is not yet fit for any other food than what nature has prepared. Art cannot produce a diet with such an affinity to animal blood, as to render it proper for the tender bowels of a new-born child. The cries of an infant are generally occasioned by the ^ See Note 2S, t See Note 29. 82 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. uneasiness it suffers, either from its dress, or in conse- quence of thus cramming it. The complaints of chil- dren in these early days, as I before observed, and like- wise the difficulty in cutting of teeth, which I shall hereafter speak of, proceed almost entirely from this wrong practice. Summer complaints, offensive stools, and most disorders in their bowels, are altogether occa- sioned by improper food. Custom has rendered this ridiculous practice so uni- versal, that the good women continually complain it is impossible for a child to remain without food till the milk comes.* Let any mother make a fair and unpre- judiced trial, and experience will convince her of the truth of our maxim. How are other animals supported ? Nature, in no one part of the creation, is so imperfect, as to be in- debted to the wisdom of man to rectify her works. And suppose a case, in which the milk does not flow so soon as in general it is expected, let the child, under such circumstances, be put to the breast again and again ; a very little nourishment will at present suffice, and that will most commonly be obtained from the nipple ; if it is not, a little warm milk and water, with a small quan- tity of white sugar, is the only nourishment, in my opinion, that is proper to be given : this advice I have caused to be strictly followed, and have happily experienced the good effects of it in an infant of my own, who scarcely received any support from the breast * See Note 30. LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 83 till after the third day from the birth. Follow, my dear ladies, these rules ; and where there are an hmidred acci- dents that now happen to mothers, in consequence of milk fevers, and to children, in consequence of being denied the breast, you will rarely find one. I am con- vinced of the truth of my assertion by experience, and, therefore, am the more bold in recommending it to you, and to the public. LETTER VIL OF SUCKLING. LETTER VII. v4 natural and easy method of Suckling children. This duty proved to he a pleasure rather than a fatigue. Now then, my nearly interested friends, let us observe those parts of the creation where instinct only can direct, and for once learn a lesson from the tender brute. Be- hold those animals which are familiar to us, how suc- cessful they are in bringing up their young ! animals that give milk to three, four, five, six, and sometimes more of their offspring at a birth. How well and hap- py are their dams ! What unremitting care do they take of their nurslings ! They never desert them, until time has given to their bodies strength sufficient to provide for themselves. Provident nature ! — and shall mankind alone distrust thy goodness ? Let us learn^ and be wise. Never more suffer it to pass for an argu* ment, that a woman, who is capable of bearing a child^ has not strength to suckle it, when the little creatures that surround us can rear a whole family at once. O that I could convince you of the breast alone being a sufficient support for the most robust of children \ Consider nature well in all her works ! Let ignorance and prejudice no longer prevail ! Believe this solenm truth, almost every woman is capable of supporting her babe ; and great will prove the advantages, both to 88 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. herself and her infant. When it is confined altogether to the breast it gains strength every day, and defies dis- ease. The mother, under these circumstances, would not again conceive so quickly ; and miscarriages would theireby be, in a great measure, prevented ; unless hur- ried on by frequent bleedings, and other mistaken prac- tices. If, for the sake of your famihes, you value your own lives, attend to this indisputable fact. You yourselves know how many women are ruined in their health by not suckling their children ; and what numbers are continually sacrificed by unskilful methods of treatment, at the time of their delivery. You may — you should support your young ; the task is easy and delightful, and the thriving child rewards your pains. It is not laborious. I would not wish to see you slaves : the tender delicacy of your frame forbids the very thought. The method is plain and easy — only follow nature. Sleep is essentially necessary to life ; and that the stomach should sometimes be at rest, is as essentially necessary to health ; both these things the mother and child equally require. Thus the slavish part of the business is set aside ; for it is an absurd and erroneous custom, after stuffing it continually in the day, to keep a child at the breast all night. This counteracts the operations of nature, not only by depriving it of its rest, but also, from a constant fulness, the powers of the in» fant body are prevented from exerting themselves in a proper manner upon the aliment received. Hence the stomach and bowels are enfeebled, and thereby rendered LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 89 incapable of producing such wholesome nourishment as a child would otherwise obtain from its food ; to which grand purpose, sound sleep and abstinence are equally conducive. On the other hand, the mother, being continuaUy disturbed during the night, is also prevented from assimilating that good and perfect milk, which would otherwise be produced from the food of the day.* Hence she becomes ill, grows tired of her task, and the crude milk proves noxious to the weakened bowels of the infant. Thus disappointment and death frequently succeed. I know it will be urged by some, that it is impossible to keep children quiet and at rest, during the night, and that they cry for food. Let them be managed from the birth agreeably to the directions here given, and then I beheve few persons will complain of their being trouble- some. One reason why children do not sleep well by night is, that they are indulged too much in the cradle by day, when they should have exercise. Another still greater reason, I am inclined to think, proceeds from pain in the first passages, occasioned by improper food ; for I will venture to affirm, that almost every child's bowels, from the present wrong management, are in a state of disease, which too frequently grows up with it into hfe ; and thus in infancy the lurking cause of a bad constitution is oftentimes established. When their little stomachs, irritated by too large a * SeeN^teSI. 8* 90 LEISTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. quantity, and the bad quality of food, become somewhat empty ; a pain, probably like what we call the heart- burn, and acidities at the stomach, awakens them from their disturbed slumbers ; and these little creatures can then only discover their uneasiness by crying. Hence nurses, partly for their own quiet, and partly through a mistaken notion that children cry only for nourishment, cram them until they are quite gorged. Such infants eagerly devour whatever is given them, because the re- ception of food takes off that too great sensibility of the stomach which caused the pain.^ A similar effect to this, grown persons, troubled with the complaints I have now mentioned, must every day experience upon taking nourishment ; for it always affords a present re- lief Four or five times in the twenty-four hours are suffi- cient for a child to receive the breast ; and let the fol- lowing rules be nearly observed. About six or seven in the morning, after which the child may be allowed an hour or two's sleep ? — again, an hour after the mo- ther has breakfasted — and a third time, if she pleases, before dinner — a fourth time, at five or six o'clock in the evening, being two or three hours after dinner — and lastly, between ten and eleven, just before she goes to rest. Now, by those mothers who have servants to take offl the laborious part of the management of children, this, surely, cannot be deemed a fatigue : that the task itself] •^ See Note 3.2. LETTERS TO MARBIED LADIES. 91 ~ .-v'"'- ■■■ ■ . - - ■■:—■ — - I-jjj : ^ is a pleasure, the fondness of nurses towards children at the breast fully proves ; and that it is an indispensable duty, the feelings of human nature evidently proclaim. In the early months, sleep may be indulged during the day; but exercise should also at proper intervals be given to children. As they grow stronger, sleep should be less encouraged, and exercise increased. There are several points of management that I have no fault to find with ; and, among others, think it need- less to dwell upon the necessity of keeping children dry and clean ; it is so evident, that few nurses are culpable in these particulars. But as to rocking children, the custom is altogether absurd. He was an ingenious man who invented a mouse-trap, though none but a fool first thought of .a cradle ; it was certainly invented to save the attendants trouble, for which, by the by, they sufier more in return. I never permitted a cradle to disgrace my nursery. Infants, if well, sleep without this lullaby-labor ; and such forced dozings generally render them peevish and watchful in the night ; which is the most proper time both for them and their nurses to enjoy their rest.^ At the end of six or seven months, when the four first teeth ought to appear, children should be kept awake and exercised as much as possible ; by which time, if managed properly, they will generally gain strength enough to shoot these teeth, and the others will, in due course, be cut with ease. * See Note 33. 92 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. Thus you will avoid an evil that sweeps away great numbers ; of which, however, I shall speak more fully in another letter ; for it is entirely owing to the weak- ness of their bodies, that children cut their teeth with so much difficulty, and that it is attended with fever, con- vulsions, and death. This weakness of body is but little understood ; for if a child be bloated with fat, which too generally happens when it is improperly fed, the parents and their friends call it a fine child, and admire how it thrives — when, alas ! that very fat is the disease which renders its con- stitution thus feeble : for if the butcher did not kill lambs and calves when they become immoderately fat, they likewise would die as frequently as children. Which death may be justly attributed to the preposte- rous method, so generally in use, of giving them too much crude unsalutary nourishment ; and not managing them, in other respects, as nature requires, to strengthen the body from the food received. After what has been advanced concerning the early part of infant management, give me leave to observe^ that the arguments enforced upon this important sub- ject, are submitted to the consideration of those mothers who are desirous of preferring a rational system to bigotted maxims and opinions. I would wish them to be attended to, and I trust that they will merit their ap- probation. I do not expect the foregoing rules to be invariably adopted from the birth. I know very well, and it is obvious to those who have been attentive to children, that infants require some more, and others less LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 93 attendance, especially during the first month or two ; and a certain time is necessary, even under the most prudent management, to accustom them to our wished- for habits. There is a wide difference between know- ing what is right, and doing it ; and oftentimes^ although we may be desirous of strictly following the most pru- dent maxims, difficulties will unexpectedly arise in the first attempts. Let me, therefore, desire you to aim at the above regulations, which, by perseverance, will soon become practicable ; and then, determine for yourselves how greatly they will contribute to your own ease and comfort, as well as to the advantage of your children. LETTER VIII OF WEANING LETTER VIII. The proper method of Weaning children. Tn my last letter I condemned the present erroneous method of suckling and feeding children, and recom- mended a plain and easy way of rearing them to six or seven months old, upon a rational plan, pointed out by nature in many different parts of the creation ; and which, most probably, was strictly followed by man- kind in the early ages of the world, before luxury, pride, and indolence, crept into society. Ancient history never could have boasted of so many strong and vahant men, had not mothers in their infancy, given strength and vigor to their constitutions ; and the cause of the present pusillanimous, feeble, weakly, and diseased race of mortals, may in some measure be ascribed to the want of this earliest maternal care. Let us talk with the plain and simple husbandman, who has a nursery of trees under his direction ; he will tell us it is not sufficient for the stocks to be good of their kind ; for, unless they be secured from rude winds, and properly cultivated, so that they may receive nou- rishment, they will never thrive. It is literally the same in animal life ; there are un- fortunate mothers who daily and wofuUy experience the Q 98 BliTTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. ■• .. •■ . "- ,--...- .„ ■ " ■ ■ - aii-\- truth of this argument. How many women are blest with fine children, not a blemish, nor the mark of a disease about them at their birth ; and yet before many months past, for want of prudent care and proper nou- rishment, do they not waste away and die ? I need not say more ; the tears of many of my gentle readers, at the unhappy recollection, will sufficiently testify the fact. May such tears prove a warning for their future conduct ; and, trust me, my honored matrons, your sorrow will be turned into joy— a joy of the tenderest nature, generous and truly laudable I Let not man, in the vanity of his heart, triumph in a superiority over the fair sex ! for to them alone it be- longs to lay the foundation, not of what he is, but what he should be — healthy, strong, and vigorous. You, ladies, from an hero in the cradle ; and courage is re- ceived from the breast. Gratitude in return, demands a protection to you from man. With yourselves, there- fore, it remains to render him capable of that protec- tion. Thus nature, my fair ones, ordained your im- portance in the creation. But to return to the husbandman ; he will again tell us, that when his trees have received their infant strength, and their roots begin to shoot, it is necessary to trans- plant them from the nursery to a more extensive soil, in order that they may arrive at their natural perfection. So you, my friends, have brought the child through its infant state, by the tender nourishment of the breast^ must, at the time of weaning, (which, in ray opinion, is LETTERS TO HARRIED LADIES. 99 best postponed until it be near a twelve-month old*) transplant your Uttle nursery likewise to a more exten- sive soil ; that is, you must afford it more copious nou- rishment, in order to bring it to maturer life. Yet, as great skill and caution are required on the part of the husbandman, in this business of transplant- ing, so great judgment and care must be shown by you, in this your province of weaning children ; for custom has so far deviated from nature, as to render the great- est circumspection necessary to point out the happy medium. A further care, therefore, at this time, demands our attention. Man, according to the present mode, parti- cularly in England, is greatly supported by animal food. A sudden transition from one extreme to another, is al- ways dangerous ; and every material alteration, to avoid inconveniences, should be brought about step by step. If nature ever intended us to destroy the animals around us for prey, surely we may conclude this food never could be designed for our use, until such time as we had teeth to eat it. Many ill consequences arise from persons devouring their meals too eagerly ; and if the stomachs of men are oppressed, by not sufficiently chewing their meat,! cer- tainly the weak and tender stomachs of children, who have not as yet teeth sufficient to break it, must be still less fit to receive it altogether whole. Animal food, then, at this time of life, is absolutely '^ See Note 34. t See Note 35. 100 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. forbidden, from reason and reflection ; but as it is in some measure necessary to prepare them for their future method of living, broths and jellies may now be given sparingly, and as they increase in strength and age, more plentifully. Hereby the animal juices are received, which contain the only nourishment in flesh, without any labor to tbe stomach ? and let it be remembered, that the juices of full grown animals are to be preferred to the younger and fattened kind ; but more of this in its proper place. Let children, at this time, be fed once or twice a day, with about a quarter of a pint of broth, and a little bread mixed in it. When you give a stiff" jelly, a large teacup full is sufficient ; but I would recommend as much warm water, or milk with it, and likewise a little bread. The breast should not be allowed them now so so often as when they were wholly confined to that nou» rishment ; in short, every meal that you thus introduce, should supply one of the stated times of suckling. Thus are they gradually and insensibly weaned from the breast, and accustomed to animal food, without any pi- ning on their parts, or much trouble to the mother. Having shown the proper manner of putting a child to the breast, and likewise the most prudent method of taking it away ; we shall, in the next letter, point out the safest rules for bringing children up by the hand : but another observation or two, will not be improper in this place. The gravy, which runs out of meat, upon cutting it when brought to table, is exceedingly wholesome, being LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. lOl nothing more than the pure juices of the flesh. A few spoonfuls of this beef or mutton gravy, mixed with an equal quantity of warm water, and a little salt, make very good broth. I mention this, because parents gene- rally imagine it .to be unwholesome for children ; and oftentimes, when I have recommended it, some good old lady has stoutly opposed me, alleging that it fills a child with humours ; whereas^ on the contrary, this is the only part of flesh that produces good nourish- ment. Here let me protest against the custom of not suflfer- ing children to eat salt, for fear of the scurvy ; not making a distinction between salted meats, and salt €aten with meat. In this point also, strong prejudices are frequently to be combatted with ; for many a time have I been told by persons of reverent years, that child- ren were not suffered to eat salt in former days ; ad- ding, perhaps, with a significant shrug, that the present age think themselves much wiser than their forefathers. '' Animal food, which has been any considerable time in salt, becomes hard, and requires more force to break and digest it, proper for nourishment, than weak sto- machs are capable of exerting; consequently, salted beef, pork,* and such like things, are improper for child- ren." Nevertheless, salt in itself, is so far from producing tho scurvy, that it is now generally supposed to be its great- est antidote ; otherwise, why do so many thousands ^^ See Note 36. 102 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. yearly flock to bathe, and drink sea- water 1 There iSj further, a certain stimulating quality in salt, that greatly promotes digestion ; and whatsoever assists that office, must, of course, rather contribute to purify the blood, than to render it foul ; which is the aupposed cause of the present frequently imagined, but oftentimes only a fashionable disease — called the scurvy. I have been repeatedly thanked for the following in- formation. A table spoonful or two of salt, put into a quart of spring water, is a most excellent wash to cleanse the skin, especially if the face be well rubbed with a coarse cloth some little time after it has been washed with the salt and water. By this means the pores of the skin will be kept open, and no obstructed perspiration will remain, which is the cause of carbuncles and those red pimples which are generally mistaken for the scurvy. It is this stimulating and cleansing quality of salt, that makes the sea-water so useful to those who are troubled with eruptions ; therefore, by the above proportion, the water is rendered still more efficacious, and will clear the face and neck of heats and pimples which frequently disturb the ladies. I cannot bear the modern prostitution of the words, female delicacy : the duties of a mother are, by some, thought to be indelicate ; and the appellation is now given only to disease and sickness ; for a woman must become a walking ghost to be styled truly delicate. I frequently lament^ that the idea is not more strictly con- fined to mental accomplishments ; nevertheless, I wish roy fair friends to bestow every rational and laudable at- LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 103 tention to render their persons neat, elegant, and enga- ging- " Naked in nothing should a woman be, But veil her very wit in modesty ; Let man discover, let not her display, But yield her charms of mind, with sweet delay." I cannot conclude this letter better, than by ob- serving, that, although beauty stands like a cypher when alone, every additional qualification increases its merits ten-fold ; and the less sensible of it the possessor her- self appears to be, the more it will always be regarded by the admiring world. " What's female beauty but an air divine, Through which the mind's all gentler graces shine 5 They, like the sun, irradiate all between. The body charms because the soul is seen ; For what's true beauty but fair virtue's face. Virtu© made visible in outward grace." LETTER IX, OF REARING BY HAND. LETTER IX. The safest method of Rearing ehildrea h'y hand.. We have hitherto, my fair ^ philosophers, been carefully observient of, and obedient to, the laws of nature. Her paths are infinitely various. Every step we take, affords new and engaging prospects. We have traced man from the first period of his existence, and have followed reason and instinct, to give him strength and vigor in the earhest part of life. So fair a dawning promises a robust and healthy constitution ; nevertheless, necessity obhges us to proceed to a farther speculation. Let it, therefore, be the business of this letter to in- quire how nearly art can supply the place of nature. Let us endeavor to point out a method to those unfor- tunate mothers, who are, through necessity, deprived of the happy enjoyment of suckling their own children. It may not prove unworthy the attention of those, who, by choice, commit them to the care of others. I pro- pose to carry my observations in this letter, as far as my instructions have been given to the valuable and truly praiseworthy matrons, whose duty to their family over- balances every other consideration. By and by, when the suckling is about to be weaned, and the. dry-nursed child brought equally forward, the rules of diet will b^e 108 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. the same for both ; on which account I went no farther in my last letter, than the proper period for introducing broths, jellies, &c. All other considerations will be brought under general directions. Mother's milk, we have shown to be the natural and most proper support for tender infants* ; it is a digested fluid, already animalized, and therefore most proper foi^ the nourishment of children. This remark also shows^ that the infant body is, by nature, designed to receive only a liquid nourishment ; a hint particularly necessary to be attended to at this time, as it altogether obviates the general objections against confining children to mill^, in preference to thicker victuals, of which I shall speak more fully, before I conclude this letter. We have taken notice how tender the stomach and bowels of infants are, and have thence inferred, that al- most every complaint they are afflicted with, proceeds from the improper quality of their food : and the too large quantity given them, also increases the disease. We took notice, that the digestive powers of a new- born child are incapable of producing a kind nutriment, even from bread, and therefore exclaimed against feed- ing them with what is called pap. But suppose it to be otherwise ; what a poor pittance of support does such a mother allow to her child, who gives it only bread and water i I have seen many fatal instances of such strange ma- nagement. We ourselves should think it hard, indeed, and nothing but dire necessity could compel us to liv^ thus sparingly ; besides, how would our flesh waste, and LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 109 our strength decay ! If so, surely it cannot be proper for an infant, whose bones have not as yet strength suf- ficient to support its frame. How is it possible for a child to thrive under such treatment ? Perhaps some will allow a little milk to be mixed with its food, but very sparingly ; because they imagine it stuffs the sto- mach, and fills a child full of phlegm. Idle and ridicu- lous are these, and all other arguments that can be urged against this natural and salubrious diet. Milk is here spoken of in general terms ; because I intend, in a subsequent letter, to examine the several properties of different milks, and to remark the purpose to which each kind seems best adapted. Cow's milk being mostly used, and in my opinion the most proper, in general, to answer our present design, I would there- fore be understood to recommend that, if no other kind is particularly mentioned. I know very well that many persons, and perhaps some gentlemen in the practice of physic, will differ from me in opinion, when I prefer cow's milk to every other kind of nourishment, in the early months, where it is necessary to bring a child up by hand. Let me beg of them only to make the experiment, as I speak from experience ; and if they have reason to censure me af- terw ards, we shall meet upon equal terms ; till then, at least, I shall hope for candor from every one. It has frequently been suggested to me, that cow's milk is too rich, abounding also with too much cream, and that being of a fat oily nature, it will relax more than strengthen. But, however, this fault is not 10 110 LETTEKS TO MARRIED LADIES. much to be apprehended from the milk used in and about London. Supposing it to be the case in the coun- try, which I am far from allowing, you may let it stand till the cream rises to the top, and use the skimmed milk ; or by boiling deprive it of the greatest part of this oily quality, which collects itself upon the surface, and may then be readily taken off; or it may be diluted with water. These doubts being removed, the milk of cows ap- pears, I think, to be the most proper substitute we can make, for that of the breast ; and will answer best, after the first month or two, without boihng, unless it purges the child ; in which case, boiling it will generally pre- vent the inconvenience, proceeding in all likelihood from its oily particles. I have no objection to a small quantity of white sugar being mixed with it, particular- ly if the child be costive ; and indeed this may frequent- ly be of use, to prevent its too great tendency to be- come acid, from whence disorders of the bowels some- times arise.* * Let it be remembered, that, through this system of nursing, children are supposed to be free from disease, and that I am to be considered not as the physician, but as the friend : when they are ill it is the business of those persons who have the care of them, to direct a proper food ; and upon many occasions, milk maybe so managed, as to prove greatly instrumental, even as a well-adapt- ed nourishment, to their recovery. In too laxative a habit of body, for instance, rice and cinnamon may be added ; but then care .Should be taken, that the rice be well boiled in water, before it is mixed with the milk. In the summer complaint, I frequently direct the following diet, for infants : Boil a table spoonful of ground rice, with a little cinnamon, in half a pint of water, till the water is nearly consumed ; then add a pint of milk, and let the whole gently LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. Ill One remark I shall beg leave to make, which comes in here with propriety. We have taken notice in a former letter, of the cleansing quality of mother's milk, upon its first coming into the breast. Now, where child- ren are debarred from receiving it, a substitute of some gentle purgative is highly proper, to give such a stimu- lus to the bowels, as nature has provided by the mother's means. What I have experienced to be the best calcu- lated for answering this purpose, is something of the following kind. Suppose we say, syrup of violets and oil of almonds^ of each^ one ounce^ with four or five grains of rhubarb,^ This composition being shaken, will pretty well unite. A teaspoonful may be given as often as you find it ne- cessary. In case the milk be thrown up in a curdled state, a small quantity of salt will generally prevent it ; a cir- cumstance I would wish to have attended to ; as many children are subject to this complaint ; and it is a me- thod I have seldom known to fail, unless they are great- ly overfed. Whenever a child throws up the milk, it is to be considered as a complaint, and particularly so if it appears curdled ; because it has then passed through the first change it undergoes in the stomach, and conse- quently discovers that the stomach itself is too feeble to execute its further oflSce. In this case, sometimes the simmer for fi^e minutes, strain it through a lawn sieve, and make it palatable with a little sugar. This food corresponds well, in such complaints, with the curative intention. '^.SeeNote37, 112 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. stomach abounds with too great an acidity, but more frequently it is loaded and oppressed by the quantity which has been given to the infant. Milk always cur- dles in the stomach ; and it is only a vulgar error to ^uppose the contrary ; for by this means, it becomes a substantial ahment, and affords a proper nourishment to children and other animals ; whereas, if it continued in a fluid state, it would contribute but little to their sup- port. What we have next to observe, is the quantity of milk proper to be given to a new-born child, in the twenty- four hours. What think you, my dear ladies, of a Win- chester pint being a sufficient quantity for the day and night ! Methinks I hear an exclamation — O barbarous man i Under a pretence of correcting us, he intends to starve the little helpless creatures. Was there ever such a cruelty heard of before ? Allow a child only a pint of milk in a day ! Why, it would eat two quarts of pap, and still cry for more. Yet, after all surprise, an infant in' the month will receive, from one pint of milk, more real and good nourishment, than from ten quarts of pap, as it is called ; indeed I might say more nourishment than from any other kind of support : for, notwithstanding the juices which afford sustenance are all hquid, it is necessary they should contain the essence of substantial food : and although a man who is accus- tomed to daily labor, would soon be emaciated by living continually upon broths, yet milk alone would support his strength and spirits, because it curdles in the sto- mach, and therebv becomes a more solid and nutritious^ LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 113 aliment. And, farther, let me again remind you, that not only the human species, but likewise all other ani- mals, receive their continual nourishment from a milky juice which is prepared in their own bodies from the aliment received, as was before explained in the fourth letter. There are, as we have mentioned, very great errors in the quantities as well as the qualities of infants' food.* It was before observed, that the stomachs of children should not be always crammed fiill. To this it is, in a great measure, owing, that they are so continually pu- king : a circumstance looked upon, by some, to be na^ tural and wholesome, who preposterously encourage this disposition by frequent vomits. But, surely, nature never intended more nourishment to be received, than is ne- f cessary for our support. Does any person in a good state of health, after a moderate and proper meal, ever find an inclination to throw it up again ? Are the young offspring of other animals constantly puking ? How, therefore, can it be supposed natural for children to do so ? A little reflection would soon convince such su- perficial observers of their error ; for you will rarely find a child throw up its food, when properly nursed. If one pint of milk, therefore, in the first week or two, be too little, it is an error on the right side ; for it appears to be enough to support the child ; and much worse consequences are to be apprehended from giving it too much. We must, every one of us, have often ex- * See Note 38. 10* ♦ 14 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. perienced how necessary it is to be hungry, in order to rehsh our food ; and that to be continually indulging, palls the appetite. Certainly then, it must be equally necessary that the infant stomach should sometimes know the sense of hunger. Would not three or four pints of milk, in the twenty- four hours, support a grown person ? If so, undoubted- ly, one third part is amply sufficient to nourish a new- born child. But I would not be understood to cavil scrupulously for a spoonfuU or two ; I only mean to as- sist the candid inquirer in this most essential part of the management of children, who are denied the breast. We come next to ascertain the proper quantity to be given for a meal. A quarter of a pint is fully sufficient to be taken at a time ; and let the hours of feeding, as well as every other particular, be regulated according to the rules laid down in the seventh letter. In ten days, or a fortnight, you may increase the daily allowance a quarter of a pint : and at the end of a month, you may allow a pint and a half in the- twenty-four hours : an- other half-pint may be gradually permitted by the time it is three months old ; and this quantity, if the child is voracious, may be still increased to three pints in the day ; v/hich, I am persuaded, if the milk be good, will prove sufficient : and this allowance will, I hope, cancel the severity of every matron's censure. Having now given you my thoughts upon this part of infant management, there is but one rational objection that strikes me, against the propriety of so plain and simple a method of bringing children up by hand. LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 115 Their natural food is allowed to be milk — but it may be urged, that the human milk, in consequence of the mo* ther's diet, is more strengthening than that of cows, asses, or any species of brutes. Granted — ^but then again this argument equally proves, that cow's milk par- takes more of a vegetable nature than the milk of wo- men ; and, during, the early months, all that the advo- cates for the present custom would contend for, is — what ? pap, panado, &lc, which are of the vegetable kind ; and therefore, their arguments require no farther answer. Were it proposed to add some proper broths to cow's milk, after the first four or five weeks, where there is no circumstance particularly to forbid it, the de- sign would appear reasonable, m supplying the supposed deficiency of the animal property ; and it is a point I would readily join in, nay, it is what I mean to recom- mend towards the end of the third month. I frequently order milk and broth to be mixed together, and think it proper food. But let every such meal, however, as be- fore advised, supply the place of the usual milk. In whatever way you manage children, be careful not to feed them over-much. There is yet a circumstance of great moment to be attended to, and, if rightly comprehended by my fair pupils, will convince them, that the allowance for the earlier months is amply sufficient ; it is the manner in which infants ought to be fed. Surely it is wrong .to put a large boat full of pap into their little mouths, suffering them to swallow the whole of it in the space of a minute ; and then perhaps, from 116 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. their cries, to ply them with a second, which is no soon- er down than thrown up again. We have mentioned the ill consequences of grown persons devouring their victuals too eagerly ?* and ex- perience must often have convinced every one, that a much less quantity than we generally take, if eaten lei- surely, and well chewed, will suffice for a meal ; and also that, after such meals, we seem more comfortable, and are inclined to pursue either business or pleasure with far greater ease to ourselves. On the contrary, from a too hasty and hearty meal, the stomach will be distended over-much, which is always productive of in- dolence, and a tendency to sleep. The same must cer- tainly hold good, with respect to infants. Besides, to obtain milk from the breast, nature wise* ly obliges them to earn their nourishment by the labor of drawing it. The stream being exceedingly small upon the milk's first coming into the breast; it requires a long time to procure a quarter of a pint ; and the very exercise fatigues them, before they have received too much. This, in my opinion, fully proves tTiat quantity to be sufficient for a meal. There is nothing, therefore, wanting, I hope, to com- plete our system, but a contrivance to supply the place of a nipple, that the child may still labor to obtain its support ; which alone will greatly prevent the error in quantity. I have seen some inventions of this kind, by means of parchment or leather sewed to the pointed =« See Note 39. LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 117 end of a horn, which is no bad thought, and capable of great improvement. The Hollanders, when they travel, have a small pewter vessel, somewhat in the form of a cone, which is filled with milk, and a piece of sponge covered with a linen cloth is tied over the smaller end. This serves the children very well as an artificial nipple ; for it is observed, that a Dutch woman seldom or never gives suck to her child before strangers. We have plainly demonstrated, that infant nourish- ment, particularly in the early months, is designed by nature to be altogether liquid : against such contri- vances, therefore, I cannot see an objection. Would you, my fair friends, undertake this pursuit, from the happy fertility of female imagination, I am certain a little experience would point out to you a ready and convenient method to answer every purpose ; and I am thoroughly satisfied, the happy consequences would amply reward your pains — by preserving many dear little innocents, that daily fall a sacrifice to reple- tion or over-feeding. P. S. — Since this book made its first appearance, I have contrived a milk-pot for my own nursery upon the above principles ; it appears to my family, and to many of my patients, preferable to those now in use, and may probably be still farther improved. For the satisfaction of my readers, I shall give a description of it. This pot is somewhat in form like an urn ; it contains a little more than a quarter of a pint : its handle, and neck or spout, are not unlike those of a coffee-pot, except that the neck of this arises from the very bottom of the pot, 118 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. and is very small ; in short, it is upon the same principle as those gravy-pots which separate the gravy from the oily fat. The end of the spout is a little raised, and forms a roundish knob, somewhat in appearance like a small heart ; this is perforated by three or four small holes : a piece of fine rag is tied loosely over it, which serves the child to play with instead of the nipple, and through which, by the infant's sucking, the milk is con- stantly strained. The child is equally satisfied as it would be with the breast : it never wets him in the least ; he is obliged to labor for every drop he receives, in the same manner as when at the breast ; and, greatly in re- commendation of this contrivance, the nurses confess it is more convenient than a boat, and that it saves a great deal of trouble in the feeding of an infant ; which is the greatest security to parents, that their servants will use it, when they themselves are not present. LETTER X. OP CUTTING TEETH LETTER X. v'i general management of children^ from the time of Weaning^ till they are about two years old — with observations upon the Cutting of Teeth. I AM just now returned from a nursery, where, with sin- cere pleasure, I beheld a happy mother with a pretty little puppet at her breast, which she had the satisfaction of saving in its earliest days, by her amiable affection and tenderness ; an infant born under melancholy cir- cumstances, when the mother herself was afflicted with a terrible quincy in her throat, and had been confined to a sick chamber five or six weeks before her delivery. ^o one expected the life of the child, and the mother's was equally doubtful. Nothing but the greatest care on her part could have saved the infant ; and, had it been committed to any other person, the diseased state of its bowels at the birth would, probably, very soon have put a period to its existence. Judge, ye considerate fair, indulge with me the plea- sing reflections of this good woman ! Behold her, fondling at the breast a smiling boy, to whom she not only gave a being, but generously preferred his welfare, and dared, even contrary to the advice of her friends, to suckle him, thereby endangering her own, to preserve the life of her child. May gratitude and duty expand within his breast, and prompt him virtuously to reward 11 122 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. this truly maternal affection I May he, in future years, become the pleasure and support of her declining life I This amiable mother has three other little ones, that for health and beauty stand almost unrivalled ; all nur- tured under her own wing — supported by her breast. What an encouragement is this to follow nature I Her heart was never torn by the bitter reflection of not having done her duty to her family. Example glorious ! worthy of praise — worthy of imitation ! But to return to our present point : the suckling be- ing weaned, and the dry-nursed child brought equally forward ; we shall now join our different nurseries to- gether, and endeavor to make them thrive under one general direction. I must, however, beg leave to mention, that as I be- fore advised to have the child kept to the breast till it is near twelve months old, and have also pointed out the prudent manner of introducing broths and jellies, pre- parative to weaning it entirely ; so this letter is design- ed to recommend a proper management of infants from the period of one to two years of age. The best method likewise having been laid down for bringing children up by hand, upon those principles that approach nearest to nature, which surely renders them unexceptionable ; and having indulged them with broths and jellies earlier than the sucking child ; I shall sup- pose these also gradually brought on to the twelfth month, and thence proceed with both together. I most earnestly recommend that they be strictly con- fined to the following diet, and not fed oftener than LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 123 three, or four times at most in the twenty-four hours. The quantity for each meal may now with propriety be considerably increased ; it will be longer, therefore, of consequence, before the stomach becomes empty. Thus, for instance, let their breakfast, at six or seven in the morning, be half a pint of new milk, with about two ounces of bread in it. The second meal should be half a pint of good broth, with the same quantity of bread ; let this be given about ten or eleven in the morning. The third meal, about two or three in the afternoon, should be broth in like manner : and their supper, about six in the evening, new milk and bread, the same as for breakfast. When you substitute jellies, or gravies, for broth, let them be always plain and sim^ pie ; and a less quantity will prove sufficient. If children are thirsty between their meals, a little barley-water and milk may be given them ; but I would not too frequently encourage this custom. From hence, the general intention appears through- out, to decrease the quantity of milk, as you introduce other substantial and proper nourishment — though I would always allow children a pint of milk each day.* Biscuits, sweet-meats, sugar plums, &c., all which tend to spoil the appetite, are highly improper, and ought to be looked upon as one of the pernicious effects of luxury. Where is there a child, unaccustomed to. such indulgence, that would not be equally pleased with a crust of bread ? It is not my business here to enter * See Note 40. 124 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. SO philosophically into the doctrine of nourishment, as to contend with those who suppose it altogether to proceed from the saccharine qualities of food : but allowing them the utmost force of their arguments, I answer, that nature will always prove the best chymist, to separate these sugar-like particles from the aliment we take in. So much for the present, with regard to the regulation of their diet. As to other particulars : little or no sleep should now be permitted in the day. Air and exercise are greatly to be recommended. Let them rise as early as you please ; and the sooner they are put to bed, when the evening begins to shut in, the better. Their clothing should now, and indeed always, be light and easy. By no means suffer children to be confined in very warm rooms, but accustom them, by degrees, to those varia- tions of the seasons, which they w^ill be compelled to struggle with in future life. It is a great misfortune for children to be brought up too tenderly. Should Providence hereafter design them to contend with difficulties, how little capable will they be of conquering them ? The child, thus nurtured, most commonly grows up too delicate and feeble to encoun- ter hardships. Should necessity, or chance, hereafter lead him to seek his fortune on the raging seas, or to bear his part in the hardy service of his country by land ; how pitiful will such a man appear ! How unequal to the necessary toils of sieges, storms, and tempests ! — But, however, this great error, to the credit of good LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 125 mothers be it confessed, is, of late years, much cor- rected. I beg leave, my fair friends, to say something con- cerning their being put upon their feet. With respect to the time, the strength of the child must determine that period. Of this be assured, that all children will show an inclination to walk, as soon as their bones have acquired a firmness sufficient to support the body. I am fearful many heavy children are injured by exci- ting their feeble efforts to walk too soon. Doubtless it is a convenience and ease to nurses to set them upon their feet, as they do not then require exercise in the arms ; and consequently are not so great a trouble and fatigue to those who have the care of them. But it is a fault entirely to be condemned, and what I particularly caution you against ; because, v/hoever you may have to attend upon your children, they will certainly encou- rage them to walk, for reasons above mentioned. Therefore, throw aside your leading-strings, and your back-strings, and every other crafty invention which tends to put children forwarder than nature designed. Our young plants are to be cultivated without art. The industrious gardener, it is true, can boast of his exotics, and early fruits, by forcing their growth. Yet say, ye sons of Epicurus, are your grapes or pines, thus raised, equal to the produce of their natural climate ? And not- withstanding the merit of your gardener, who is thus ca- pable of gratifying this high zest of luxurious extrava- gance ; even in this your boasted pride, a simple clown Avould be wise enough to expose your folly, by the 11* 126 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. honest preference which he would give to nature. Such as the fruits are, watery and insipid ; such also are the plants thus forced, weakly and tender ; susceptible of the shghtest injuries, and exposed to continual dangers : such, likewise, are the poor feeble infants, forced upon their legs before nature has designed them ; while others, managed without art, like fruitful vines, defy the inclement seasons, and triumph in their natural strength and vigor. I do not mean, from what has been said upon this subject, to prevent tkem^ when they really show an inclination to walk, but to admonish you against being too precipitate. It is, in my opinion, a good method to suffer the little creatures first to crawl upon a carpet, or any other convenient place ; permitting them to tumble about as much as they please. By this means, an ex- ercise will be given to the body and limbs, without their continuing in one position long enough to hazard a distortion, from too great a weight of body. Thus let them, by degrees, learn to walk upright, which their own inclinations, in imitation of those about them, will prompt them to, full as soon as nature designed. I shall now beg leave to offer a few hints with respect to the teeth : a circumstance this materially to be at- tended to^ as woful experience daily convinces us. Children are teazed with cutting of teeth from four or five months, till they are two years old, and upwards ; nay, some are so backward as not to have their com- plete number till they are turned of three years old. I shall not enter into the distinction of teeth, but speak LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 127 ©f them in general, so as to give a competent idea of the precautions I mean to recommend. It is also very uncertain with respect to the exact time of their shooting any of their teeth ; but this also, I believe, chiefly depends upon the strength of the con- stitution ; and if the rules laid down in the preceding letters be properly observed, you will generally find children cut all their teeth by the time they are about two years old. You will, likewise, rarely meet with an instance of their being cut with difficulty. It has been already taken notice of, that the reason of their being backward in their teeth, and so many children lost on this account, is entirely owing to a weakness of body, which is a fact that scarcely any one will deny. Yet, where the constitution is not strong enough of itself, as a great assistance may be obtained by lancing of the gums, let not a false tenderness prevent fond mo- thers from allowing such rehef to their little babes, in the excrutiating tortures they suffer by the cutting of teeth. The operation is not to be deemed pain ; for if you put any thing with a sharp edge into their mouths, they will save you the trouble of doing it, by pressing hard against the instrument, and cutting the gums themselves. When the teeth are discernible to the sight or touch, there is very little sense of feeling in the gum ; their tortures proceed from the sensibility of a membrane which surrounds the tooth. If that membrane is suffi- ciently divided, although the gum should again unite, there will be no more trouble ; for teeth thus lanced 128 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. will gradually advance without future pain. Never, therefore, I say, let a prejudice like this hinder you from relieving such poor little helpless creatures."^ There are many persons, who, about the age of twenty, have two, and sometimes four, additional teeth, at the furthermost part of the jaws ; and, from the time of life in which they appear, they are called the teeth of wisdom. Let me desire such wise ones, sensible of the pain upon this occasion, to reflect how insupportable it must be to many infants, who perhaps are cutting the whole of their teeth almost at once ; at a time, too, when their tender frames are but little capable of bear- ing pain. Many grown persons are obliged to have such teeth lanced ; let them declare how^ much relief they found from this simple, but useful operation. Candid reasoning, from experience, is the surest way to conquer prejudices ; and those who give themselves leave to think upon the point with candor, will, I doubt not, allow the force of this argument. It may not be unseasonable, in this place, to give a caution, which those who lance teeth would do well to observe ; as carelessness or ignorance in the operation frequently frustrates the intended benefit. Let me ad- vise you not to depend upon old women, or nurses, who undertake to do it with crooked sixpences, and such like ineffectual means, We took notice a little above, that the pain arises, not from the gum, but from the sensibility of the mem- * See Note 4L LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 129 brane which surrounds the teeth. It is not, therefore, sufficient to make a longitudinal incision into the gum, that being too commonly done without dividing this membrane ; in which case, instead of good, it does hurt. After cutting through the gum, the instrument should be drawn round the tooth ; and the person should be satisfied, that it grates in every part against the tooth, which will effectually divide this too sensible membrane. Where the gum is exceedingly tough, a transverse incision ought likewise to be made, and with these precautions, the operation will assuredly succeed. Parents cannot be too careful in this particular ; for I have often observed ill consequences from the careless- ness before mentioned.* In my observations upon children that are lost be- tween the age of five months and three years, I have found they are generally carried off either by sudden convulsions, or what is called a tooth-fever, or a wasting of the body : in the two last cases, the scene likewise is commonly closed with convulsive fits. The original cause of these disasters having been frequently noticed to proceed from the wrong ma- nagement of children, it appears equally evident to me, that the immediate cause of these fits almost always arises from want of strength in the constitution to cut the teeth. It is true, the bowels sometimes are greatly affected, which, indeed, generally attends a wasting of the body ; but then the immediate cause of such com- * See Note 42. 130 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. plaints, at this time, is most commonly the teeth : for if children are capable of enduring the improper aliments before mentioned, in their most tender state, during the first four or five months ; surely, ^vithout some more active principle, the vital powers would not afterward be by them aione subdued. This makes me particularly solicitous to recommend lancing of the gums, before it is too late to assist child- ren ; being firmly persuaded that many might be saved^ who daily fall a sacrifice to those complaints for want of it. Among many other instances that I could relate, to show the necessity of admitting this operation before the strength of the child be decayed, and its body wasted, I shall conclude this letter with a remarkable case of this sort. A poor woman in the neighborhood, some time since, brought her child to me : he was, apparently, a stout, fine boy, and then about nine months old. She desired my advice for an eruption the child had all over his body, which she called the scurvy : but I found it nothing more than some pimples, proceeding from the improper quality of its food ; and in fact, notwithstand- ing the chubby appearance of the boy (which, in reality, was nothing more than bloated fat,) he was actually of a very weakly frame, as appears by the sequel — and I think it necessary, as a farther confirmation of my asser= tion, to inform you, that his father was at this time be« tween sixty and seventy, his mother not less than four or five and thirty years of age. LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 131 Near or quite six months afterwards, the same woman came to beg the favor of me to look at her child again, who, she said, was dying. I saw an infant worn away to a mere skeleton ; and, upon inquiry, I found it to be the same chubby, fat boy I had seen before. He lay panting for breath, and had taken httle or no nourish- ment for twenty-four hours. Upon examining the little patient, there was not a tooth appeared. The cause of the disease, therefore, was immediately evident to me ; but I told her it was too late to be of service, for I found the child could not recover. However, to satisfy the mother, I advised lancing the gums. To the astonishment of every one about the child, sixteen large teeth were cut out ; but the gums being very much hardened, for want of this operation, it was with no small difficulty now performed. The immediate relief which the child received, surprised them all still more. From a convulsive state that he before lay in, he instantly recovered, took notice of every body in the room, and, during the time I staid, eagerly devoured a considerable quantity of nourish- ment. The grateful parent thanked me a thousand times, and reflected upon herself for delaying to apply to me before. But, alas ! I foresaw it was only a temporary relief, his strength being utterly exhausted. I left her, without giving the least hopes of his recovery ; and the next morning the child died. A reflection upon this case, I take for granted, is entirely needless. It is evi- 132 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. dent, had the teeth been cut in due time, this fatal acci- dent would not have happened. It is, indeed, a topic of serious concern ; but as it comes under the class of diseases to which infants are subject, it cannot be enlarged upon in this httle volume. Some opinions, and medical observations, are thrown out in the introduction to these letters, which, if care- fully attended to, may assist the inteUigent parent in her endeavors to preserve the lives of such little innocents. A table of births and infant burials is also inserted, which proves the melancholy truths I am aiming to esta- blish. LETTER XL OF THE NURSERY 12 LETTER XI .i general management of children, from two years old^ till they leave the nursery. The cultivation of the mind I have intentionally re- served for the subject of my next letter ; for which rea- son I shall nov;^ finish my observations upon nursing, and endeavor to point out the safest and most prudent method of introducing children into the mode of living, cus- tomary in their respective families. At length, after surmounting the difficulties and in- conveniences attending the cutting of their teeth, we have now set them upon their legs ; to the no small joy of the mother, and the relief of those servants whose business it is to wait upon them. We have hitherto permitted bread, milk, and the juices only of flesh ; and before we advance any farther, I beg leave to make the following remarks, by which my intelligent readers may profit. The food of man, in all its various shapes, however tortured and disguised, is still confined to animal and vegetable productions. Of vegetables, bread is the most valuable preparation, as the experience of ages proves. That made from wheat flour is still the most strengthening, and ever to 136 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. ■^ be preferred by those who have the means of obtain- ing it. The milk of cows, although it may be supposed not to partake so much of a strengthening nature as the human milk, those creatures feeding altogether upon vegetables, is, nevertheless, to be considered as a food partly animal, and partly vegetable, prepared also under an all-wise direction. Gravies, jeUies, and broths, we know, are animal juices ; either spontaneously flowing from flesh, upon cutting it, after it is dressed ; or obtained by a macera- tion of it in water. From these reflections, therefore, it appears, that in the regimen already permitted, the most valuable sup- plies of life are granted, and in a manner the best adapted to infant constitutions ; requiring but little ex- ertion of the digestive faculties, and gradually intro- ducing that nutriment, which, as the body becomes stronger, it must prepare for itself from the grosser ali- ments. The intention of what has been said is to encourage, as much as possible, the continuation of this diet a little longer ; and, indeed, some of the finest children I ever saw, have been chiefly confined to a food like this, for the first five or six years. But although I strongly re- commend it, and am conscious that children, unac- quainted with the indulgence of variety, would be per- fectly satisfied without animal food ; yet I am persuaded that the culpable fondness of most parents will initiate them, too early, into the luxuries of a plentifiil table. LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 13' It is true, we made an observation, that nature never intended flesh for our food, until we had teeth to eat it ; but it by no means follows, as soon as we have our teeth, that with an unbounded freedom we are to devour ani- mal food. Remember, likewise, ye too indulgent pa- rents, it has been before observed, that every alteration in our manner of living should be brought about step by step, hasty transitions being always dangerous : and let this teach us to be cautious in our manner of admitting flesh into the meals of children. After what has been advanced, and after having given you my opinion, that it is yet time enough to suflfer children to eat flesh, I now leave this very important point to the discretion of parents : however, permit me to recommend, that when flesh is first introduced into their food, at whatever time it may be, this part of their diet should be allowed them but sparingly ; and a regard, also, should be paid to its quality. The flesh of domestic fowls, beef, mutton, and full grown animals in general, is the best. Crammed poul- try, calves, and house-fed lambs, kept up to fatten, are improper, because their juices yield by far less nourish- ment. Hence, beef tea, and mutton broth, are preferable to those made from lamb or veal. The flesh, also, of such young fattened animals does not pass away fi*om weak stomachs so easily as the other. High-seasoned gravies and soups, made dishes, and salted meats, are ever to be avoided ; though salt with their meats may be allowed, for the reasons before given. 12^ 138 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. Although it is not meant to confine them at this age so strictly to bread, I am by no means for permitting too free a use of vegetables ; being convinced, that some complaints of the bowels, in children more advanced in life, proceed from this error, and particularly worms :* since, if the eggs of these insects are not taken in, to- gether with these productions of the garden, on which they harbor and feed, yet this food at least affords a con- siderable quantity of slime, which, stagnating in the bowels, serves as an habitation for these pernicious lit- tle animals. This is my reason for allowing a little wine, now and then, to be given to children, and I am persuaded that I have seen its good effect. Care should be taken in the choice of vegetables ; those of the mealy kind, that approach the nearest to bread, are to be preferred, such as potatoes, rice, &c. Turnips are also good. Lettuces, and some few others, may, in moderation, be given to them, which your own prudence must point out. The kitchen preparations of milk, such as custards, blamange, white-pots, &c. are exceedingly proper ; and in this kind of food a greater variation may be indulged with less harm, being, for the most part, equally good and innocent. Salop mixed with milk, may be granted as oflen as you please ; and let it be remembered, that it is the best way of giving that nutritious vegetable to children and invalids. Eggs are good ; and if the yolks be beaten up with warm milk, without boiling, they ^ Bee Note 43. LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 139 afford the best nourishment; yet, however they are dressed, never suffer children to eat them, if the yolks be hard. Puddings, in general, are likewise good ; but the most simple are best. Tarts and fruit pies may be allowed in moderation. Shell fish,^ and, indeed, most other kinds, may, now and then, be given ; but the firmest are to be preferred. These are the most prudent directions that occur to my memory ; but, after all, those are wisest who do not pam- per young children with too great a variety. I shall not trouble you with the curative part of dis- eases incident to children, that being altogether the con- cern of the physician ; though it would give me a real pleasure to see such complaints treated of, in a masterly manner, by some accurate observer of nature.! This present system of nursing is intended only to manage children so as to prevent illness ; and it has cost me no small pains to separate the two provinces, which, I hope, is effected to the satisfaction of my readers. As to rhubarb, Gascoign's powder,f magnesia, &c. every mother's observations in some measure direct a proper use of them ; but when disorders do not give way to such simple methods, there is no time to be lost. I beg leave, therefore, to caution parents, who can ob- tain the advice of an experienced practitioner, not to depend upon their own judgments so far, as to suffer a continuance of complaints until they exceed the power See Note 44. r See Note 4.5-. t See Note 46. 140 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. of relief. Delays are always dangerous, with respect to disease, even in grown persons ; but they are much more so in children, because they have not equal strength, and consequently sooner sink under bodily infirmities. LETTER XII. CULTIVATIING THE DISPOSITION. LETTER XII. The necessity of cultivating the Dispositions of children^ to render them amiable and virtuoics. Confess, ye worthy parents, who know the height of earthly bhss, what temptations in Ufe could prevail upon you, after two or three years of age, to part from the dear, dear offspring of your mutual love ? Ye tender mothers, speak! I generously applaud an affection thus fondly riveted in the female breast, and answer for you, ladies, that nothing upon earth could prove equivalent to such a loss. Ten thousand soft enchantments bind them to your very souls. This is the time in which their little fond endearments begin to operate ; their every action is wonderfully en- gaging, and their pretty lisping tongues are one univer- sal harmony. How exquisite is the delight to view their expanding minds — now catching sound, that quickly rises into sense, beaming a happy prospect of future un= derstanding I Here the volume of man begins — even at this time the fertile genius glows. How transporting is their sweet sensibility ! O powerful nature, how unspeakably strong are thy ties ! What heart, unless strangely perverted, can resist thy impulse ? Hence arises the unspeakable difference of a laudable and virtuous passion, compared with an unchaste and vicious life. My God! that men should 144 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. waste their health and fortunes in the stews with harlots^ rioting in obscene and brutal pleasures, where the ra- tional being is sunk even below pity ! Such conduct, in the cooler hours of thought, if ever they reflect, must cause nothing but anguish and re- morse ; on the contrary, by cultivating a chaste and honorable love, such wretched libertines might become the joyful parents of little smiling families. What an al- ternative is this ! Be dumb, ye lawless rovers ; it is an enjoyment beyond your comprehension, for virtuous minds alone can relish it. What number of debauchees, in different climes and ages, worn out by guilty intemperance, mournfully la- ment their cursed fate, in not being blest with an heir to succeed to their half-ruined fortunes ! Considerate Pro- vidence 1 thus to disappoint them — for what, but impurity and disease, could they give birth to ? Happy, thrice happy decree of nature, that virtue alone can claim a smiling and a healthful progeny. This is a theme worthy of an abler pen. How often has prattling innocence disarmed the rugged fierceness of a brutish nature, and melted down the rage of pas- sion into more than female softness ? How often, I say, by these means, is a man of wrath insensibly dissolved into tenderness and love 1 I must tear myself away from the digression : should I indulge my zealous incli- nation, a volume of panegyric would fall short of the subject.^ ^ See Note 47. LETTERS TO 3IARRIED LADIES. 145 The human mind, in its infant opening, has been justly compared to a blank sheet of paper, susceptible of every impression ; whence it may be supposed, children receive their prejudices and inclinations from the dispositions of those persons to whose care they are entrusted, in like manner as these letters convey the sentiments of the author. That any children are born with vicious inclinations, I would not willingly believe. When I hear parents exclaiming against the bad dispositions of their own children, I cannot help oftentimes secretly condemning the parents themselves, for introducing such vices into their habits. Instinct, even in brutes, produces a ten- derness for their young — a harmless society amongst their neighbors — a passive fear towards their enemies — and violence seldom is discovered but against those ani- mals which nature has appointed for their support. Can we then imagine that a worse than brutish fierceness should be naturally discernible in our infant state ? — that spite, mahce, anger, and revenge, such diaboHcal pas- sions, should tyrannize before we are capable of self- defence? The very supposition seems to me an ar- raignment of Providence in the noblest part of the creation, and appears to be inconsistent with the justice of a benevolent Deity.* It therefore becomes every mother to be watchful of her own conduct, and perfectly satisfied of the disposi- tions of such servants as she entrusts with the care of * See Note 48. 13 146 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES^ her children, at this susceptible time of life ; when even the more affectionately these persons treat them, the worse consequences are to be apprehended, if their own tempers are not good : for as children are gratefully fond of those who use them kindly, they are by far the more likely to imbibe the bad quahties of an indulgent atten- dant ; and, on the contrary, to profit by good examples. Objects that attract the eyes delight us first : the plea- sures from hearing are the next. From sight and sound ideas take their gradual rise. Hence, a partial fondness is formed by children towards those whose province it is to attend upon them ; and for this reason they are more fond of their nurses, who are constantly prattling to them, than of parents neglectful of their infancy. The want of duty and affection in children towards their parents, so much to be censured, and so generally Complained of, often proceeds from this early misma- nagement. The indifference, also, of too many parents towards their children, frequently owes its origin to de- priving themselves of the enjoyments of their little ones at this engaging season of life. Even to an uninterested person, the expanding of an infant mind is a delightful entertainment ; but to good parents, the pleasure and attachment must certainly prove exceedingly more agreeable and lasting. We must, indeed, pity those whom necessity deprives of this happy solace, but utterly condemn such whose inclinations drive their little nurs- lings from them. Unnatural and mistaken persons, who, if they are punished with undutiful children, suffer only in consequence of their own neglect ! LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 147 Would you, my tender and considerate matrons, wish to see your children truly amiable ? Be then ever care- ful of yourselves. Endeavor, also, as much as possible, to prevent violent excess of passion in your husbands. This is a laudable task, and much more in the power of women than they generally imagine. Trust me, my fair ones, truly prudent and good wives, by bending a little to the rugged, headstrong, and boisterous disposi- tions of some husbands, may, for the most part, civilize them ; and by their endearing and soothing manners, in spite of early vicious habits, compel them to a behaviour of tenderness and love. Thus, by the example of an engaging deportment on your part, you will soften their tempers, so as to render them good husbands, good fa- thers, good masters, and valuable members of society. While, on the other hand, vindictive and peevish wo- men not only forfeit this female importance, but too frequently estrange their husbands' affections from them : and need I say that this want of harmony and sincere friendship, between man and wife, is a dangerous pat- tern for their children ? From the strong force of example, it becomes in a manner natural to the children of such persons to give an unbridled loose to every impulse ; nay, their emula- tion is soon engaged to become equally tyrannical with their parents. On the contrary, where no such prece- dents are before their eyes — where impassioned and youthful love keeps pace with sentimental friendship— where the polite and well bred man shows a virtuous in= clination towards his wife ; and they both join in a pro- 148 LETTERS TO SIARRIED LADIES. per regard for their children — how much reason have we to expect that their young and tender minds will be impressed with virtue ! Nay ! I dare aver, that, iBrom this rectitude of behaviour, such parents will generally be rewarded with good and dutiful children. With respect to the management of children, how shall we draw the Hne between indulgence and severity ? Although they are diametrically opposite to each other, it is scarcely possible to be done ; nay, it cannot be de- termined, so as to admit of absolute decision. Children necessarily require a different treatment, even from their natural disposition, as it is usually called ; and a conduct indulgent to some, will prove the greatest severity to others. Let it, therefore, be remembered, that our plan is to subdue the first irregular emotions in the bud, so as to prevent them from rising into passions, I would, then, at all events, earnestly recommend tern- per and forbearance to those who have the government of their infant years. Kind treatment, good words, and a generous encouragement, to most dispositions, will prove equal to every thing that you require of them : and if they can be conquered by such laudable and gen- tle means, you not only carry the first points in the most eligible manner, but accustom them also to an obliging behaviour, and excite their emulation to endeavor to please. Carefully, therefore, observe every emotion that is praiseworthy, and let a reward accompany it ; for the encouragement of one virtuous impulse will have a LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 149 much happier effect than the correction of a hundred faults. Such are the impressions necessary to form a virtuous mind, and they will certainly grow up into their habits. On the contrary, where children's dispositions are un- toward ; if they be subdued by harsh words, threats, and chastisement, how are their tempers ruffled by such treat- ment ! — and what is to be expected but that they consi- der severity and violence as the only means for them to obtain any point over others, whom they may have a future occasion to contend with ? What a wretched foundation of perpetual disquietude ! Where reproof is necessary, mortification is undoubt- edly the best means of correction ; and let an acknow- ledgement of the fault prove the means of reconcilia- tion. ''*■ And next to rights pray condescend T' acknowledge doing wrongs my friend." This humbles them in their own opinions ; it necessarily begets shame ; and before a disposition is hardened into vice, shame will always produce amendment. Moreover, in this case there is no object for resent- ment, that great support of pride ; consequently it initi- ates them to consider thoroughly their own conduct, and of course to dwell upon the cause for which they are thus humbled. What, therefore, can more thoroughly conduce to render children amiable as they grow up, than the accustoming of them to a retrospection of their 13* 150 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. own behaviour, and to an inward condemnation of their faults, of which their making a concession is sufficient proof ? Even in the most trifling promise a parent can make to children, I most earnestly recommend that it be reli- giously adhered to ; otherwise you teach them a shock- ing lesson of deceit. For equivocation and falsity, their mortifications ought to be exceedingly severe ; but in every point where you find it necessary to correct ; be sure you make them truly sensible of their error : at the same time, in every misdemeanor, be thoroughly satisfied that it proceeds from a culpable emotion, before you reprove it ; for it sometimes falls out, that wrong actions may proceed fi-om laudable intentions. How often in life does it happen, that exceptions are taken against a friend, who is at that very time actually meditating the angry person's advantage ; and yet, per- haps, appearances so blind him that he thinks of nothing but revenge, until an eclaircissement takes place, when he as passionately reproaches himself for his ingratitude ! The case is still harder with children ; for, when they are punished wrongfully, it is seldom that they have it in their power to clear themselves ; and farther, they may probably suppose their own good emotions to be the guilty cause, and thereby endeavor to suppress a rising virtue. Indulgence over much is liable to produce effects equally bad, as extreme severity ; for as the latter inures them to every act of violence, so the former encourages LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES, 151 the breach of every civil duty that thwarts their selfish inclinations. But the greatest misconduct of all arises from these two opposite ways of management being united together in the widest extreme ; when one moment the little creatures bones are almost broken for a fault of which it is scarcely sensible, and the next moment it is fondly cherished to reconcile it to the mistaken parent ; and in return, not improbably, indulged in exercising its rage upon toys, in torturing birds, dogs, cats, and such-like domestic animals, as infant tyranny can lord it over ; and permitted, also, at the window, to sport with the lives of little buzzing insects, that fall a sacrifice to wanton cruelty. The child who is fondly and foolishly indulged, pro- mises only a melancholy prospect ; but where, on the other hand, as is too generally seen, an occasional seve- rity inures it to cruelty, the disposition is inevitably ruined. The consequences of such severity and such indulgence fill the mind with every disagreeable appre- hension : and, indeed, what can they produce but inor- dinate desires, brutish rage, and violence ? Those parents who are happy enough to subdue their own passions, and thereby set their children proper ex- amples, will have very little cause for complaint against them : on the contrary, such as are perpetually quarrel- ling with each other, with their children, servants, and every body around them, cannot expect much peace and comfort from their rising famiUes. But if they will take this friendly advice, to correct their own errors 152 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. only once, for every hundredth time they chastise others, it will probably bring about some amendment in them- selves ; and the force of their example must surely pro- duce the best effect upon their household.* We have now conducted children through the differ- ent stages of helpless infancy, and gradually introduced them, though as yet but junior characters, upon the grand theatre of life ; where the happy effects of such careful regulations are generally to be distinguished. As to literary improvements, they properly come under an- other jurisdiction, and, therefore, claim your future con- sideration. Nevertheless, a condescending obliging- ness, a sweet affability, an unassuming sensibility, and a modest deportment, ever denote the proper education of a female mind. In like manner, prudence, abstemious- ness, and virtuous dispositions in men, most frequently proceed from the good impressions of childhood. Severe stripes, and harsh usage, add fuel to a turbulent and re- vengeful spirit, and too frequently render a sullen boy maUcious : on the other hand, the indulged and spoiled child commonly turns out an abandoned libertine. Thus, my fair ones, you may easily discover how much society is interested in your motherly conduct, at this early time ; ^' for, as the twig is bent the tree will grow ;" and the seeds of iniquity, in those dispositions where virtue is not planted, unavoidably, as it were, take root, and spring up without much cultivation. Every notorious vice shows an utter contempt for the * See Note 49. LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 153 moral duties of life ; and the man whose character is infamous, seems but little to regard the opinion of others : therefore the good fame and chastity of women become his ridicule and sport. Such men are continually as- saulting their virtue, and aiming at their seduction. Of consequence, the darhng, who has never been curbed in the early impulses of erroneous incUnations, will prove to be very little capable of subduing the tempestu- ous passions of youth ; which will not only hurry him on to his own ruin, but also, too generally, occasion the disgrace, infamy, and destruction of many unfortunate young women. Thus it appears, how greatly the happiness and pros- perity of the fair sex are affected by the sensual miscon- duct of ours ; insomuch that, in the present instance, women as well as men must feel degraded. LETTER XIII OF MILK. LETTER XIII. Of Milk — Its properties examined — the different kinds of Milk cmi- pared with each other — and their particular virtues explained. Milk has been recommended, in several letters, as the proper food for infants ; and in the fourteenth and fifteenth it is again spoken of, as being equally neces- sary for invalids*^ and aged persons. It shall, therefore, be the business of this letter to examine so far into the qualities of milk, and into the milk of different animals, as may enable us to determine what kind of milk is, upon different occasions, to be preferred ; which will take in every thing, not elsewhere observed upon this subject. Milk was before remarked to be a kind of white blood, prepared by the mother for the support of her young ; so far we may speak of it in general terms In different animals, therefore, it is reasonable to suppose, and fact confirms our supposition, that the qualities of milk are also different : hence, by first ex- amining into its general properties, and from those principles, setting forth the peculiar variations in the milk of different animals, we shall arrive at the desired conclusion. ^ See Note 50. 14 158 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. In milk, by stepping into the dairy, we may discern three principal component parts. After it has remain- ed some time in an undisturbed state, the cream floats upon the surface. It is the least in quantity, though most nourishing, of an oily, balsamic substance, and inflammable in its nature, as the butter, which is made from it, plainly demonstrates. A lady, before whom I once made some experiments, asked me why the cream floated upon the surface ; for being, continued she, the thickest part, ought it not rather to sink to the bottom ? I told her, it was the thickest part, to be sure, but at the same time it was also the lightest ; specifically so, as oil is lighter than water, and therefore rises to the top. The cream being taken off", the remaining milk ap- pears bluish, and thinner than before ; and when thus robbed of its thick, creamy part, it consequently is not so smooth to the palate. On the addition of runnet, or, indeed, any acid, a separation of the two remaining parts soon takes place, and we discover the curd. This, being the heaviest, when separated from the whey, falls to the bottom. It is the least valuable part of the milk, glutinous in its nature, and composed of the most earthy particles, be- ing also of an astringent quality. The third and only remaining part, being the whey of the milk, is the largest in quantity, of a diluting and cleansing property. Let us now by this standard compare the different LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 159 kinds of milk, mostly in use with us, and apply them to the purposes for which they seem best calculated. The human milk, when drawn from the breast, has exactly the same bluish appearance as cow's milk when the cream is taken off. It affords very little cream, and but a small qu iiitity of curd ; therefore the whey consti- tutes the chief part : but the more healthy the woman is, and particularly if between the age of twenty and thirty, the more her milk abounds with rich creamy balsam, and the more it also contains of the curd or earthy particles : probably from her constitution being, at this time, in full vigor, and the digestive powers, therefore, more* perfect. These observations will point out the best substitute, where the breast is denied, and will likewise direct those who prefer wet-nursing, in the choice of the more proper person ; for there is, in my opinion, an equal objection against the milk of a very young girl, as against that of a woman almost past child-bearing. The cleansing quality, before taken notice of, in a breast of new milk, will also, together with reason and expe- rience, shaw the propriety of recommending those wo- men who have not been long delivered. Ass's milk is generally allowed to be the nearest to the human, and, according to the above experiments, we find it so, abounding mostly with whey, and having little of the cream or curd in it. Hence, after a severe fit of illness, where the body is much emaciated, and the stomach weak, or where the blood is loaded with sharp, acrid humors, the cleansing quality of ass's milk deserves 160 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. a preference to that of any other animal which is used for this purpose. In consumptive cases, or where there is a slow, habitual fever, it is justly to be preferred, until such time as the constitution may have gained a little strength, when the more nourishing ought to supply its place. Mare's milk is esteemed to be much the same as ass's ; but this, indeed, is in very little use. Cow's milk comes next under consideration. This appears to be the richest and most nourishing of any of the brutes' milk here mentioned. It abounds with a great deal of cream ; for, after standing twelve hours, and being skimmed, it appears equal to any other milk. It contains also a large quantity of curd ; and, after ail, even the whey is by far more nutritious than any other. We observed that ass's milk, in the experiments^ mostly resembles the human. Why then not prefer that to cow's milk, for the food of children ? I do not totally deny the use of this milk for that purpose ; but in our part of the country, it is very expensive, and cannot be obtained in any large quantity ; for which reason it would be impracticable to bring it into general use.* There is, likewise, another reason which inclines me to give a preference to cow's milk ; for, notwithstand- ing the similarity of human milk to that of asses, the first may well be supposed most strengthening, since women usually feed on animal, as well as vegetable •^ See Note 51, LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 16 i diet, while the brutes we speak of are confined entirely to vegetables. Whence, if we substitute ass's milk, we shall fall short of the nourishment nature designed for us ; and, therefore, for a young child, who requires a heartening diet, the milk of cows, in my opinion, is pre- ferable, as the richness of it is, in some measure, ade- quate to the supposed difference in the qualities of human milk, and that of other animals. The milk of sheep and goats consists mostly of the curd, or earthy particles : hence, where the blood ves- sels are injured by acrid humors, and frequent bleedings happen from this cause, or where children are subject to the rickets, from a weakness of the bones, that milk, which abounds mostly with the curd, or cheesy part, seems best calculated to answer the intention ; its earthy, mucilaginous, and astringent property having the greatest tendency to heal such ruptured vessels, and to give a firmness to the bones ; but as these milks possess less of the cleansing power, it will, in most cases, particularly in bleedings, be propter to use the more attenuating kind first. We have now examined the different milks familiar to us, and, from their different properties, pointed out the end each sort seems best calculated to answer ; whence every person will quickly be determined which to give the preference to in particular complaints. When any one first begins to eat milk, especially if it be one indulging freely in the luxuries of the palate, it may probably purge a little ; but such inconveniences will most commonly be removed, by accustoming the 14^^ 162 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. constitution to the use of it ; and boiling the milk will, in a great measure, prevent this effect. I have always remarked, that those, who, by reason of a pampered appetite, complain of milk and vegetables being windy, and not agreeing with them, are the very persons who most require such a diet ; for it is the debauched state of the stomach and bowels, that occasions their uneasi- ness, which this regimen seems the most likely to correct. I have recommended a little salt to be mixed with milk, before it is given to children, if they are apt to throw it up curdled, and shall mention the experiment which induced me to give that advice ; since it is equally worthy the attention of grown persons, some of whom make this an objection to their eating milk ; as I am inclined to believe such precaution will render it agreeable to most constitutions. I put two ounces of milk, warm as it came from the cow, into a tea-cup, with a little common salt ; I put the same quantity, of the like warmth, into another tea- cup, without salt ; then dropping a very little distilled vinegar into each, a hard curd presently appeared in that milk which had no salt in it, while the other with the salt was scarcely altered. I tried the same experiment again, with a large tea- spoonful of runnet, and observed the milk, which had the salt in it, to continue in its fluid state, while the other grew thick and turbid, and almost instantly separated into curds and whey. This last experiment answered the best, and is much more to our purpose LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 163 than the former. From these hints, it seems reasona- ble to conclude, that salt, taken with milk, might equally prevent the too hasty curdling of it, where there is a great acidity in the stomach ; in which case, the curdled milk having too quickly assumed a solidity, be- comes troublesome ; and because it is not as yet designed to pass into the bowels for the office of nourishment, a part of this load is generally discharged by vomiting. Moreover, the stimulating quality of salt will greatly assist a weak digestion, and thereby facili- tate the passage of the milk from the stomach into the bowels ; and from experience, in recommending it to children who used to throw up their milk in a curdled state, I am fully convinced of its utility. In all cases, where infirmities or age require a pru- dent regimen, I have directed a similar care to that of dieting children. Milk, therefore, comprehends a very material part of such food ; and I am fully persuaded, that, if it were more universally used, the world, in general, would be greatly benefitted. I do not, how- ever, mean to be understood, that I debar those from a reasonable quantity of animal food, who are capable of digesting it. But such as are emaciated by illness, or have the misfortune to labor under gouty complaints ; such, also, as are consumptively inchned, or those who have crazy, infirm constitutions, and are subject to an habitual feverish disposition, will do right to eat flesh only once in the day, and, for the rest of their nourish- ment, to live almost, if not altogether, upon niilk. LETTER XIV OF THE SICK CHAMBER. LETTER XIV. The Sick Chamber — with directions^ also, for Invalids. We are now, my dear ladies, entering the sick cham= ber, in which, as well as in the nursery, many amiable characters may be drawn. Here, the conjugal affection of a wife is laudably displayed — the tender love of a mother fondly exerts itself — the gratitude and duty of a daughter are conspicuous — the good sister, also, endears herself to a worthy brother — and female friendship wears a thousand additional charms ! * Let us picture a truly tender and good wife, in this exalted character ! Let us suppose, that she has de- served recompense, by restoring to her chaste and long- ing arms the distinguished choice of her youthful love, ennobled by a generous sympathy of virtuous inclina- tions ? Let us imagine this happy man perfectly recovered from a dangerous and painful illness ; to which reco- very her unwearied attendance proved greatly instru- mental ; his mind, likewise, impressed with every thought a consciousness of such an obligation can in- spire I Behold the husband admiring her transcendant excellency ; while the honest tear, perchance, trickling down his cheek, betrays the big emotion of a grateful heart. ^^ She, on her part, with looks of cordial love, 168 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. awhile in silent rapture glows — then on bended knees adores her Maker" — returns most fervid thanks, for that her prayer of sorrow has been heard, that He has gra- ciously restored the husband and the father I How great must be their reciprocal felicity ! I shall now proceed to those instructions which are necessary for the proper execution of this friendly office. There is a certain impertinence frequently proceeding from laudable motives, which, nevertheless, is totally culpable : I mean, the desire of our acquaintance to visit a sick chamber. It is oftentimes, I acknowledge? the effect of tenderness, ill placed, and a real concern, imprudently expressed. In general, those visits should not be permitted, I every day experience the ill effects of them. When, indefed, a patient is upon the recovery, and capable of sitting up three or four hours at a time, the company of a friend, who knows how far to engage with propriety in conversation, is a sweetly refreshing so- lace ; but locks, bolts, or bars cannot be too strong to keep prating gossips, at all times, out of a sick cham« ber.* During a fever, it is a load sufficient for any patient to bear the disease. Quietude on his part, and silence on the part of those about him, ought universally to be imposed. It is not a time for the mind to be engaged either in the pursuit of business or pleasure. This leads me to a consideration of the utmost im- portance ; and as I am not speaking as a physician, but '-^ See Note 52. LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 169 as a friend, it comes properly within that province, and I hope it will be seriously attended to by every reader. If it is now prejudicial for any one to think, even of the common concerns of life, how much more injurious must it prove, to have the mind engaged in that great work of settling, forever, our worldly affairs ! Would you, my rational friends, wish to be freed from an intolerable burden, never postpone this important business until you are upon a bed of sickness. Not to say how incapable the judgment at such a time will often prove, perhaps to the detriment of some deserving friend, or not unlikely to the confusion of a whole family, the very mention of it from any about us, or the conscious necessity in ourselves, must exceedingly hurry and de- press the spirits, when tranquillity and support are essen- tially necessary : for what can such an idea convey, but death ? — A last will and testament is one of the most solemn acts of hfe, and ought never to be postponed till the agonizing moments of death.*" The chamber, proper for a patient, is of no small mo- ment. There ought to be a free circulation of air, whe- ther it be in the summer or winter. I never would have any person confined to a room without a chimney ; it is equally necessary in the warmer season for the purpose of discharging the offensive vapors of disease, as it is in cold weather, by means of a little fire, to bring the air to a due temperature, which also contributes to remove the like offence. * See Note 53, 15 no LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES, To you, my female friends, this concern of nursing belongs. It is an important, and oftentimes a fatiguing task. I would willingly engage you in it upon principle, and, therefore, shall endeavor to show that man and wo- man were born for each other's support and comfort. Their respective dependence upon each other is, un- doubtedly, the wise ordination of Omniscience. I cannot speak of this mutual obligation, without be- ing mindful of the beautiful passage in our immortal Milton's Paradise Lost, book the fourth, where Eve gives Adam an account of herself ; and I shall intro- duce the description at length, as a quotation from this author can never be deemed impertinent. Let us at- tend to the mother of mankind ! — To whom thus Eve reply'd. " O thou ! for whom And from whom I was form'd ; flesh of thy flesh ; And without whom am to no end ; my guide And head ! what thou hast said, is just and right. For we to him indeed all praises owe, And daily thanks ; I chiefly, who enjoy So far the happier lot, enjoying thee Pre-eminent by so much odds ; while thou Like consort to thyself canst no where find. That day I oft remember, when from sleep I first awak'd, and found myself repos'd Uader a shade, on flowers ; much wond'ring where And what I was, whence thither brought, and how. Not distant far from thence, a murmuring sound Of waters issued from a cave, and spread Into a liquid plain, then stood unmoved. Pure as th' expanse of heaven : I thither went, LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 171 With inexperienc'd thought, and laid me down On the green bank, to look into the clear Smooth lake, that to me seem'd another sky. As I bent down to look, just opposite A shape within the wat'ry gleam appear'd, Bending to look on me ; I started back. It started back ; but pleas 'd, I soon return 'd ; Pleas'd it return 'd as soon, with answering looks Of sympathy, and love : there I had fix'd Mine eyes till now, and pin'd with vain desire, Had not a voice thus warn'd me, " What thou seest. What there thou seest, fair creature, is thyself ; With thee it came and goes : but, follow me, And I will bring thee where no shadow stays Thy coming, and thy soft embraces : he Whose image thou art : him thou shalt enjoy Inseparably thine, to him shalt bear Multitudes like thyself, and thence be call'd Mother of human race." What could I do, But follow straight, invisibly thus led. Till I espy'd thee f fair indeed, and tall, Under a plantan ; yet, methought, less fair, Less winning soft, less amiably mild. Than that smooth watry image : back I turn'd ; Thou following cry'dst aloud, Return, fair Eve ; Whom fly'st thouf whom thou fly'st, of him thou art. His flesh, his bone ; to give thee being, I lent Out of my side to thee, nearest my heart, Substantial life, to have thee by my side Henceforth an individual solace dear : Part of my soul, I seek the3 ; and thee claim, My other half I — With that, thy gentle hand Seiz'd mine ; I yielded ; and from that time see How beauty is excell'd by manly grace And wisdom, which alone is truly fair," 172 LETTERS'TO MARRIED LADIES. To illustrate my argument of our mutual dependence. I must beg leave to indulge myself, and hope likewise to entertain my reader, with another quotation from the same author. Adam, desirous of retaining the angel Raphael, relates to him what he remembers, since his own creation, and among other things, that which is to our purpose, his first meeting and nuptials with Eve. After recounting his dream, wherein he was informed of her creation, he proceeds : — " I wak'd To find her, or forever to deplore Her loss, and other pleasures all abjure. When out of hope, behold her ! not far olF ; Such as I saw her in my dream, adorn 'd With what all earth or heav'n could bestow To make her amiable ; on she came, Led by her heav'nly Maker (though unseen,) And guided by his voice ; nor uninform'd Of nuptial sanctity, and marriage rites : Grace was in all her steps, heav'n in her eye, In every gesture, dignity and love I I over-joy 'd, could not forbear aloud. — This turn hath made amends ! Thou hast fulfilPd Thy words. Creator bounteous, and benign ! Giver of all things fair ! but fairest this Of all thy gifts I nor enviest. I now see Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, myself Before me ; woman is her name ; of man Extracted : for this cause he shall forego Father and mother, and to his wife adhere ; And they shall be one flesh, one heart, one soul. She heard me thus ; and though divinely brought. LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 173 Yet innocence, and virgin modesty, Her virtue, and the conscience of her worth, That would be woo'd, and not unsought be won ; Not obvious, not obtrusive, but retir'd, The more desirable : or, to say all, Nature herself (though pure of sinful thought) Wrought in her so, that seeing me, she tum'd ; I follow 'd her ; she what was honor knew, And, with obsequious majesty, approved My pleaded reason. — To the nuptial bow'r I led her, blushing like the mom : all heav'n, And happy constellation^ on that hour Shed their selectest influence : the earth Gave sign of gratulation, and each hill : Joyous the birds ; fresh gales, and gentle airs, Whisper'd it to the woods, and from their wings Flung rose, flung odors from the spicy shrubs. Disporting ! till the amorous bird of night Sung spousal, and bid haste the ev'ning star On his hill top, to light the bridal lamp. Thus I have told thee all my state, and brought My story to the sum of earthly bliss. Which I enjoy : and must confess to find In all things else delight indeed ; but such As, us'd or not, works in the mind no change, Nor vehement desire ; these delicacies I mean of taste, sight, smell, herbs, fruits, and flowVs, Walks, and the melody of birds : but here Far otherwise ! transported I behold. Transported touch : here passion first I felt. Commotion strange ! in all enjoyments else Superior and unmov'd : here only weak, Against the charm of beauty's powerful glancci Or nature fail'd in me, and left some part Not proof enough such object to sustain ; 15* 174 LETTERS TO 3IARRIED LADIES. Or from my side subducting, took perhaps More than enough : at least, on her bestow'd Too much of ornament : in outward show, Elaborate ; of inward, less exact. For well I understand, in the prime end Of Nature, her th' inferior ; in the mind, And inward faculties; which most excel : In outward also her resembling less His image who made both; and less expressing The character of that dominion given O'er other creatures. Yet, when I approach Her lovelmess, so absolute she seems. And in herself complete, so well to know Her own ; that what she wills to do, or say. Seems wisest, virtuousest, discreetest, best : All higher knowledge in her presence falls Degraded y Wisdom, in discourse with her. Loses discountenanc'd, and like folly shows : Authority and Reason on her wait. As one intended first, not after made Occasionally i and (to consummate all) Greatness of mind, and nobleness, their seat Build in her loveliest, and create an awe About her, as a guard angelic plac'd." How exquisitely charming are these descriptions ! what valuable portraits of the first human pair ! The lines elegantly strong ! the colourings beautifuUy rich ! Then again the amazingly soft and delicate touches of this great master of the human feelings, wherever we cast our eyes, enchantingly appear ! What can more fully show our mutual dependence ! — So amiably engaging to each other, our first parents, in this poem, are described, that the labor of either. LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 173 whereby the other was benefitted, must prove a real pleasure. What an example for the encouragement of matrimony I O that we could more generally display the character of Adam ! Then you, my fair ones, would strive more ardently, in gentleness and love, to imitate this first of women. If man would endeavor to curb unlawful inclinations, cherishing and comforting the wife of his bosom ; if he would fondly regard her charms and virtues ; what emu- lation must such a conduct excite in every female breast, to give honor and dignity to her husband ! Let men but begin the reformation, and I will be accountable for the right behaviour of the generality of your sex. Nevertheless, the culpableness of man will not excuse the folly of woman ; and this piece of advice, from a real fi-iend, the ladies will do well to observe. I know my fair pupils will tell me, that although a husband may have follies and vices, yet, if he is but a sensible man, they can overlook them, and cheerfiilly submit to their lord and master — but who, say they, can be governed by a fool ? When once a woman has drawn her lot, it is not only her duty, but the height of policy, to make the best of it. Let her choice prove ever so disagreeable, or sup- posing that she was led into such a marriage by the cruel compulsion of her friends, still honor and obedience are required on her part. By giving importance to a hus- band, (even those husbands we are now speaking of, for others will command it,) a wife merits, and generally 176 LETTERS TO ]\IARIIIED LADIES. obtains, praise and adoration, not only from him, but from the whole world. On the contrary, the mistaken wife, who in company degrades, and upon every occasion tauntingly reproaches her husband, thus making him, poor man, the con- temptible butt to level her triumphant shafts at ; not- withstanding she imagines her own wit and superior talents are happily displayed, to the entertainment and admiration of her friends ; beheve me, ladies, by those very friends she must ever be condemned ; and let her merits, in other respects, be ever so great, this culpable part of her behaviour they must assuredly despise. But to return from our present wandering, which I intentionally followed as an encouragement to virtue, a consistency of character, and mutual love ; being con- vinced that these qualifications will make even a con- stant attendance in a sick chamber not altogether un- pleasing. Now then let us pursue our farther care, where female tenderness can assuage the severest bo- dily pains, and render the greatest misfortunes of life at least supportable. In every disorder, physic and good nursing ought to go hand in hand : and I am the more desirous of giving my opinion with respect to good nursing, as I mean to oppose it to poor and bad nursing, which has been too much the unlucky and mistaken practice of the sick chamber: for under the vague idea of inflammation, and inflammatory diseases, even bread and water have been sometimes accounted too great a support for the patient. But with pleasure, we now see physicians act LETTERS TO HARRIED LADIES. 177 upon more rational principles ; and would wish to con- vince you, ladies, whose province it is, of the propriety of supporting patients under every disease.* The sick chamber is our subject ; but it is also to be understood, that the precautions here laid down will prove equally necessary, where invalids are permitted to attend to the common affairs of life ; for, without a pru- dent regulation in our method of living, few constitu- tional or long existing ails can be removed, or even rendered in any degree light, and easily to be borne ; but I am clearly convinced, that it is very possible for many infirm persons to pass comfortably through a to- lerable length of life, and, at last, to pay an easy debt to nature. The observations, therefore, upon children and aged persons, are equally applicable to those w^ho, by ungo- verned passions and intemperance, have ruined their health ; for in either of these cases, where the bodily powers are enervated, and the digestion weakened, a proper, light, and nourishing diet is as necessary to re- store health, as it is to support the young, and preserve the aged. Every disease is to be considered as a deviation from health ; and a fever is the means made use of by nature to fi-ee the body from something that is noxious. Ought we, therefore, to counteract her in this her own great work ? Ought we not rather cautiously and prudently, like a valuable handmaid, to tend upon her movements, * See Note 54. 178 JLETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. and generously support her in the design she aims at ? Surely this appears to every one reasonable. However, where there is a fever, or great weakness of the body, or where the body itself is emaciated, an alteration from the common manner of living is cer- tainly necessary. To these points, therefore, I shall confine my advice, as other considerations come under a medical direction. Few persons are constrained to keep their chambers, who are not troubled with great loss of strength, or feverish complaints ; either as the first cause, or as symp- toms accompanying other diseases. Supposing then these circumstances, the constitution being thus re- duced, or nature laboring to throw off a disease, the body certainly requires a nourishment of the most sim- ple kind ; by simple, I mean easy of digestion, but let it at the same time be comfortable. The stomach and bowels must, of necessity, be equally affected with the other parts of the body, and consequently unable to perform their offices upon the common supports of life. Animal food, therefore, is particularly to be forbid- den : and I am sorry to be obliged to blame the fond- ness of parents, and those who assist in sick chambers, for too frequently indulging patients thus unwarrantably. Give me leave to observe, if flesh be permitted during the existence of a fever, or when the body, by illness, is exceedingly weakened and emaciated, from the inca- pacity of the digestive faculties, the nourishment pro- duced must be imperfect, crude, offensive ; and conse- LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 179 quently, instead of a support, must add an additional weight to the disease. But, at the same time, let it be remembered, that, as a support is necessary, good broths, wine whey, jellies, panado, a beverage of wine and water, &c. are to be discretion ally permitted ; and, indeed, the inclination of the sick person will generally determine the propriety of these things ; for where they are hurtful, an universal loathing of them commonly takes place. These and such like sippings, being easy of digestion, are not only the most proper for a diseased state of the stomach and bowels, but they also supply the body with a necessary nourishment to uphold its strength under the disorder. It is a point at present acknowledged by all good physicians. It is, in my opinion, a circum- stance minutely to be dwelt upon ; for wofiil experience has often convinced me, that the rashness of an obsti- nate nurse, in one unlucky hour, has counteracted the operations of a well regulated, and otherwise success- ful, regimen. Although I would debar patients from animal food, where there is a feverish complaint, nevertheless I do most earnestly recommend a generous, but discretionary, support of easily digested and comfortable liquid nou- rishment, in every fever. I mean, that barley water, mint and balm tea, with such like drinks, will not suffi- ciently support the strength of a patient under any kind of fever, even for a few days, and much less for as many weeks. As to the distinctions of inflammatory, nervous, and putrid, it is not my business to enter upon them 180 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. here ; but supposing the fever to be inflammatory, the patient is, or ought to be, confined to bed, and a breath- ing sweat encouraged. Will not then an already almost digested and innocent liquid nourishment answer the physician's aim, at the same time that it supports the patient ? Experience has convinced me of its utility. I cannot help, therefore, strongly recommending it ; for I am too apprehensive that many lives are daily lost for want of this necessary support. I am laboring to prevent that mistaken care, which is commonly called starving a disease, and to set aside the dreadful apprehension that a little innocent nourishment given to a person in a fever, is still adding fuel to the fire. By these errors the ablest assistance is oftentimes baffled, to the cost of the patient, and, not unlikely, to the dis- grace of a worthy practitioner. Be assured, that it is more eligible to endeavor to support, and build up again, a shaken, diseased, and tottering frame, than to attempt to pull it down. Never let this be done but by the ex- press command of wisdom and experience ; for it is a serious affair at all times to deprive a tenement of its foundation and strength. It is much to be wished, as it surely must prove a general advantage, that physicians would more particularly direct the regimen of diet in sick chambers. The punctuality of nurses, and those who attend upon the sick, in the administering of medicines, is of no small import. It is a cruel reflection upon the honest part of the profession, that practitioners consult the num- ber of their fees, or the length of their bills, more than LETTERS TO MAKKIED LADIES. IBl the health of their patients. Such iniquity is but very seldom, I hope, if ever, practised ; and such aspersions are never cast upon the character of physicians, but by ungenerous, ungrateful, and sordid minds. And as few persons employ any but those of whom they entertain a good opinion, let me warn you, as a friend, not to in- dulge a suspicion which betrays a mean soul, and most probably wiU, at some time or other, produce fatal con- sequences to yourselves. Great relief, nay, oftentimes, perfect health, is assuretfy to be obtained by the help of medicine. Great evil, nay, too frequently, certain death, ensues from a jealous contempt, or wanton ne- glect of this salutary aid. I must speak of another mistake, with regard to the management of linen. A patient cannot be hurt by changmg wet, filthy, and offensive linen, for that which IS dry, clean, and comfortable ; provided this be done with proper care, not to give cold during the time of shiftmg the clothes. Linen which is perfectly dry and clean, is, at all times, to be preferred to that which has been used ; for the latter may have absorbed offensive vapors, of which the former must be entirely free. Against this observation, I am convinced there are great prejudices ; nevertheless ^ose who employ their reason but for a moment will see the propriety of the present caution.* A free circulation of air is essentially necessary not only to carry off the offensive vapors of disease, but also See Note 55. 16 182^ LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. to the recovery of the patient ; nay, even to the pre- servation of those who attend upon the sick. It is true, that a fire is proper in cold weather, for reasons before given ; but at the same time the chamber ought to be no more than comfortably warm ; for where this degree of heat is exceeded, faint sweats are likely to exhaust the patient's strength, whereby he sinks, perhaps, under a disease, through which, probably, he might otherwise have been supported. Having now cautioned you against the most material errors, which at present recur to my memory, I will beg leave to observe what poor creatures men in gene- ral are, when necessity confines them to a sick chamber ! If we reflect upon this scene, ought we to complain of the spirits of women ? 1 scarcely ever find a man, in sickness, support himself so well as a woman does. Men are, for the most part, depressed in their spirits, to the greatest degree, when they are ill. Be it then with gratitude remembered, that in a sick chamber, the pleasing vivacity, and, let me add, the true philosophy, of a kind female friend, prove essentially necessary. A good nurse will, in a great measure, alleviate our bodily infirmities, by supporting our spirits in time of sick- ness, e A man, by striking and superior abilities, industry, and good fortune, is sometimes lucky enough to raise himself, aggrandize his family, and bring to his wife conveniences far beyond her expectations. But what are all these things, compared to the comfort, and ten- der support, which she in return can largely bestow LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 183 upon him ; at a time, too, when the infirmities of nature will not suffer such an exalted favorite of fortune to relish any one enjoyment of life ? Ask this very hus- band when he is stretched on the bed of sickness, and rendered helpless by disease ; — ^let us fancy him, too, almost expiring under excruciating agonies — and now put the question to him, — Which is more eligible, for- tune or health ? He will assuredly answer, that one mo- ment's ease is more desirable than all the splendid ad- vantages he may have obtained. In like manner, the truly affectionate and sympa- thising concern, the delicate deportment, and careful attendance of a good wife, in these scenes of painful sufferance, more than overbalance every thing that is in the power of the most successful husband to bestow upon her ; and it is a truth which truly generous minds will every gratefully acknowledge. A man under these circumstances, with some regard to his accustomed manner of living, and the particular disease, is to be considered as a child; and conse- quently ought to be submitted to female management. Your care, therefore, will of course direct you to seek the assistance of able and experienced physicians. May their skill conquer the disease, while you generously support his strength and spirits ; and thereby greatly contribute to restore again the invalid to a healthy and vigorous constitution ! LETTER XV. OF OLD AGE 16* LETTER XV. Old Age — hy virtue rendered truly honorable. The steps by which ive mounted into life^ shown to be the easiest and best paths to de- scend into the grave. Spring, summer, and autumn, have their various and engaging charms ; and there is something pecuHarly pleasing in each transition ; but stern winter can boast of nothing besides the fruits of the preceding seasons. The Hfe of man is often, with propriety, compared to the progressive year ; and the only happiness that can be expected in old age, must arise from the reflections of a well spent life ; at which time, being likewise the winter of our days, every person may generally reap the fruits of a past virtuous conduct : — for although the be- numbed limbs deny the body their usual support, and the hoary head trembles on its withered shoulders, there are valuable comforts yet in vStore for those, who, like the industrious ant, have been wise enough to trea- sure them at the proper season. Such a good man or woman, one would hope, has wherewithal to procure the indulgences their years re- quire, and a sufiiciency to requite the attendance of a faithful servant. Join to these a farther blessing, that, perchance kind heaven has bestowed, a dutiful and good daughter to support their infirmities, and, by her affec- tionate tenderness fully to repay them for the pains of 188 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. her education, and that parental anxiety, which must necessarily have been sustained during her youth. Here, I say, the wisdom and tender indulgence of a kind pa- rent is amply rewarded, by the fostering care of a truly virtuous and affectionate child. These are inestimable comforts ; and such is the easy decline that Providence intended to old age — thus to close life with a not unhap- py period. Let us, my amiable friends, picture a worthy and aged man in his second infant state. Let us with com- posure attend him to the gates of death, there to dehver him up into the bosom of his Creator ! Let us indulge a rational sorrow, but at the same time support that calmness and serenity which denote a religiously inform- ed mind. Let us consider this as a debt we must assu- redly pay, and that it puts an everlasting period to the calamities of this life ! Whence may be drawn this com- fortable conclusion ; that, if to the uttermost of our power we have contributed to the great end for which we were created, our future state of existence must be happier than the present. Come then, let us approach the chamber of deatl) 1 Let us advance to the bed of this good parent, and be- hold his calm and resigned countenance ! Although we shall find it a solemn scene, yet there is nothing so ter- rible in this sight, as the world generally imagine. But draw the contrary character, that of a wicked man in his last moments ; and it must be shocking indeed. As ripened and mellow fruit drops, untouched, from the tree to its mother earth ; so the good old man falls LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 189 peaceably into the grave, and mingles again with the common dust from which he originally sprang. -" The blood It loiters still ; and now it stirs no more. This is the period few attain ; the death Of nature ; thus (so heaven ordained it) life Destroys itself, and could these laws have chang'd, Nestor might now the fate of Troy relate, And Homer live immortal as his song." It is the vicious alone that have reason to be terrified at the thoughts of death ; but we are describing the up- right man, not unhkely taking a last and affectionate farewell of his lovely and dutiful daughters; exhorting them to the practice of virtue, and recounting the re- wards attendant upon it. The eldest, perhaps, in her willing arms supports the expiring sire, while the young- est administers some refreshing cordial to detain, for a moment, the fleeting spirit. Meanwhile the tranquil parent, peradventure, gently rebukes the falling tear, prophetically foretelling that their last moments shall be peaceable like his — and blesses them with his dying lips. For such characters, delineated more at large, and which are worthy of our admiration and reverence, I must refer my gentle readers, for the female one, to that great mastej of human feelings, Mr. Richardson, in his history of sir Charles Grandison. How beautifully is honorable age exemplified in the character of Mrs, Shir- ley ! The account there given of the latter part of her life will assuredly dehght and instruct every one. The death of lady Grandison, how inexpressibly interesting ! 190 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES, Although her temples were covered with untimely snow, yet, in ^le character of wife, parent, and christian, her exalted virtue has shone unrivalled ; and when the aw- ful period approached, behold her departure, like the setting sun, — leaving husband, children, and a world of friends, to mourn the eternal absence of her cheering rays I The whole work contains a noble system of morality, and is highly to be recommended to all young persons. These useful lessons will be still more instructive, when read in the company of those who are capable of ma- king proper remarks. This being premised, virtuous emulation will ever be most excited in young minds from the characters which appear real^because example always proves stronger than precept. Thus entertain- ment and improvement will go hand in hand. For the other character, I mean that of the good old man, no one has excelled the ingenious and learned Dr. Armstrong, in his Essay upon Health. The whole poem, indeed, is written in a masterly style, and con- veys many useful instructions, truly worthy of perusal ; but his description of honorable age, is inimitable ; and although very concise, nevertheless it contains a volume of panegyric. I shall beg that gentleman's leave to transcribe it. — How to live happiest ; how avoid the pains, The disappointments, and disgusts of those Who would in pleasure all their hours employ, The precepts here of a divine old man I could recite. Though old, he still retain'd LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 191 His manly sense, and energy of mind. Virtuous and wise he was, but not severe ; He still remember'd that he once was young ; His easy presence check'd no decent joy. Him ev'n the dissolute admired ; for he A graceful looseness when he pleas'd put on, And laughing could instruct. Much had he read, Much more had seen ; he studied from the life, And in th' original perus'd mankind. Such characters render old age desirable, lovely, and truly honorable. The odium of peevish and morose vanishes, while our reverence and admiration stand alone engaged. Who would not wish to be that old man, whose calm tranquillity far surpasses the transient and passionate enjoyments of youth ? Happy children, blest with such happy parents ! From this description, I hope to interest the tender passions of my fair readers, so as to make them cheer- fully contribute to the comforts of their aged parents, while they yet live. A dutiful daughter must ever make a good wife and tender mother ; and to a prudent dis- cerning man, it is certainly one of the greatest recom> mendations in the choice of a companion for life. On the other hand, a cruel and undutiful child is the most odious and unnatural monster upon earth ; inso- much that the Chinese are said to punish such crimes with the greatest severity. It is recorded in their histo- ry, that if a son should be known to kill, or so much as strike his father, not only the criminal, but his whole fa- mily would be rooted out, their dwelling razed to the ground, and its foundation sown with salt; nay, Le 192 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. Compte adds, that the inhabitants of the place where he lived, would be put to the sword ; as they conclude there must have been a total depravation of manners in that clan, or society of people, who could have bred up among them so horrid an offender. How beautifully has our inimitable Shakspeare drawn the two contrasted characters, in his description of Lear and his three daughters ; where the two elder appear like Satan's evil angels, while Cordelia, the poor Cor- delia, is an exalted example of filial tenderness and affection ! To your peculiar province, is this last great duty con- signed : to instruct you, therefore, in the proper execu- cution of it, a few useful observations may not be unsea- sonably introduced. In a former letter, we likened infancy to a tender plant ; where we taught the best method of rearing it. so as to make it flourish in the garden of the world. The summer having produced you the fair fruit of this goodly tree ; and the autumn of your parent stock having ripened your understanding ; it is but meet that such knowledge should direct you, at this frozen season, to cherish the decaying root from whence you sprang. We have taken notice of the helpless state of child- hood, before the body has acquired strength sufficient to prepare its own nourishment ; we have shown the time when instinct and reason direct us to provide for ourselves ; and particularly observed, that animal food was never designed for our use, until we had teeth given ns to eat it. LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 19o Let US continue these speculations, and regard the natural growth of our bodies, together with the increa- sing strength of our constitutions. Behold the child, whom you lately fondled in your arms, now contending with his play-fellows in boyish sports : again, observe liim who lately returned from school with his satchel in his hand, now panting foremost in the chase : and now see manhood stamped upon the downy cheek. Let us likewise remember the equally gradual declension. At length the sturdy son supports his feeble sire ; for he who, in his youth, was swiftest in the race, is now scarcely able to uphold his tottering limbs. The man of war, whose sturdy arm wielded the blood-thirsting sword of battle, is now bending under the weight of his own body. Behold, his sinews are dried up, and the purple current that bounded in his veins, now heavily and scarcely creeps along. In every part ahke, the powers of this wonderful machine decay. The teeth, designed both for use and ornament, robbed of their beautiful enamel, become unsightly, and drop out of the sockets ; the penetrating eye, that searched into the very abyss of thought, is altogether useless, or but dimly discerns the rays of light. Manly fortitude is now no more ; and wisdom itself retires from the decayed mansion. Such IS the almost universal condition of old age, properly called our second childhood ; and plain are the infe- rences to be drawn from hence. If a light and easily digested nourishment was neces- sary before our bodies had obtained their proper strength, r^urely a similar method of living is the most proper when 17 194 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. they have lost it ; and therefore — the steps by which we mounted into life, are the easiest and best paths to descend into the grave. The digestive powers of age are equally enfeebled with the members of the body ; and, undoubtedly, the same reason that forbade the use of flesh, before we had teeth, points out the necessity of gradually declining it as they decay. There are, indeed, some few persons toothless, who are not far advanced in life ; but such constitutions are generally feeble, and therefore the pre- cautions are not unapplicable to them. These arguments being rightly understood, there will be little occasion to enlarge upon this subject ; as the directions for the management of children, from the time of weaning them, until they may be entrusted to the care of themselves, comprehend every necessary in- struction for the regimen of old age ; and those persons act wisely who consider it as a second childhood. I need not be more particular on this head, as few, I am persuaded, will suppose this period to commence with themselves, before it is necessary for them to con- form to these rules. Age, undoubtedly, requires indulgence ; but at the same time, indolence creeps on it imperceptibly. Those persons suffer least from pain, who rouse themselves to a state of activity ; and there are exercises well adapted even to advanced life : an additional warmth of cover- ing is at this time necessary ; yet those act most pru- dently who do not accustom themselves to very warm LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 19; clothes, and very warm rooms, while they are capable of enduring the variations of their natural climate. Nevertheless, one remark must not escape our obser- vation ; I mean, the happy effect of temperance through hfe : it not only prevents disease as we are upon our journey, but enables us to receive the intended benefit, and cordial support, of wine, and other comfortable sip- pings, in this time of need. Nature, in a temperate person, obtains fresh vigor and spirits from such exhila- rating juices ; but where the constitution has been ac- customed to excess, no advantage, in the decline of life, can be derived from their use. I have now fulfilled my present design ; and through every letter have aimed at conveying my observations in a rational and amusing manner ; calculated, I hope, to please, at the same time that I wish to instruct. It is a topic, which, in different parts of it, has been handled by very able men ; and yet has generally, I believe, been esteemed a dry subject, particularly by the ladies, to whom it essentially belongs. This dislike seems, probably, to have arisen from the style not being suffi- ciently void of terms of art ; for the taste, as well as the judgment, must be pleased, when we mean to en- counter prejudices, and to correct long estabhshed errors. It will give me a particular satisfaction, if I have so far succeeded in my undertaking, as that the present collection of letters may deserve a place in the ladies library ; and perhaps this little volume may sometimes 196 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. prove the companion of the nursery and sick chamber, or even afford an hour's amusement in a carriage. It is intended, my fair, to render your characters truly amiable ; and I trust will be received as a present from a sincere friend to the sex. Where tenderness, good- nature, sense, and virtue, are beautifully blended in a female form, our admiration and love are equally enga- ged ; and where this proves to be the case, every man is, surely, desirous of contributing to the service of per« factions so irresistibly engaging — such, at least, is the resolution of Ladies, Your devoted, Humble servant, HUGH SMITH. ADDITIONAL LETTER ON CORSETS 17 / ADDITIONAL LETTER ON CORSETS, BY THE AMERICAN EDITOR. Right glad should I be, if ladies, at the present pe- riod, deserved the high commendation paid them by Dr. Smith in his third letter ; but I feel it my duty, as a friend to humanity, as an admirer of the female sex, and especially as one of the acknowledged guardians of the public health, to say, that Corsets, with all their para- phernalia, are as great a curse in our day, as were stays* in the last century. I would condemn Corsets, either with, or without busks : they are a slow and a fashiona- ble poison, which has laid many a lovely form, at an un- timely hour, prostrate with the listless dead. Parents have been prematurely robbed of their fondest hopes ^ ■^' Corsets is onjy another name for stays, the terms are synony- mous; the construction of the former, as nov/ worn by our ladies of fashion, is in a]most every v/hit similar to the slays of our :xrand-motheri?. 200 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. and husbands of their choicest jewels, through their pernicious effects. What avails all the care, anxiety, and tender watchfulness of parental fondness during the years of infancy and childhood ? Why all their solici- tude to protect from pestilence that walketh in darkness, and the arrow that flieth by noon-day ? Why so much toil, expense, and self-denial, to avert impending evils, by guarding the system against those hideous and loath- some diseases, which, left to themselves, would, per- haps, speedily place it beyond the reach of farther mis- fortune ? Why all this, I ask ? If a foe more daring and more deadly, is to be cherished, and invited to take pos- session. If an enemy more cruel, and more powerful is to stand in readiness, to snatch away the precious pearl. But strange, unaccountable, infatuation ! Corsets are established in fashion, and the mother and the daughter alike, are strenuous advocates for their use. Because they are fashionable^ you wear them — utterly regardless of the consequences — notwithstanding the mournful les- son perpetually passing before your eyes — wilfully im- molating, to this depraved, deluded, phantom of a god, that life which the great Giver of life, gave to you to preserve, until, by his own mandate, he shall call upon vou to render it un. -^^ It is not thine. Bat only in thy keeping for a season.*' Should I call the practice of wearing Corsets a crime, you may be apt to start with surprise ; but, nevertheless, LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 201 I do consider it a crime, and a cruel and a black one too ; — and if your indignation begins to burn, because I call it a crime, it may possibly burst into a flame, when you find me classing the crime with that of self-murder ; — at all events, you may judge me unnecessarily severe, and harsh, in the use of terms. If my language is se- vere, and harsh, and I am ready to allow that it is not as mild and soothing as you are wont to hear, for the subject does not admit of it ; still I am thinking an im- partial judge would determine, that it is not far from the truth. At all events, retain your patience for a moment or two, until we look a little into the state of the case. The experienced lawyer knows, that to address the^eZ- ings of the court, is a speedy way to gain his cause ; but the moralist finds, that unless the judgment be address- ed, and convinced, the effect of his harrangue is but little more durable than the early cloud, and the morn- ing dew. To your understandings then, carefully fi*eed from all bias, (if that be possible,) let me address my- self. You do not hesitate to pronounce that individual a self-murderer, who, by obstinate and habitual intempe- rance, finds for himself a dweUing with the dead, before he had lived out half his days. And why associate the idea of suicide, with that of the habitual drunkard, if intemperance is not a wilful, obstinate, deliberate, al- though sometimes, it is true, a protracted destruction of life, an uncalled for termination of existence. Now, in eff^ect^ I ask, where is the mighty difference between this disgusting, this brutal vice, and the prac- 20£ LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. tice of wearing Corsets ? Tf I am not very greatly mis- taken, the principal difference will be found to be but a shadow, and hardly that. In effect, then, what is it ? I grant you, that in appearance, in outward show, there is a difference, because, with habitual intemperance we are accustomed to associate a long train of disgusting, revolting ideas ; for when we think of a drunkard, it seems almost impossible, at the same time, to avoid thinking of sloth, idleness, brutality, squalid poverty, and rags, to whose assistance death appears to come as a very kind messenger, to prevent his any longer bear- ing about with him here below, his accumulated weight of suffering, shame and infamy. Not so, I grant, with the more fashionable mode of destroying life. Fashion, that fickle goddess, so devotedly worshipped by the gay, the wealthy, and the proud, has passed a decree in fa- vor of Corsets, but avowedly opposed to intemperance ; consequently, among her subjects, the one is held in high and prominent estimation, and the other in disre- pute. Waving, then, as a matter of httle moment, this trifling difference, — trifling in comparison with the co- incidence of their effects — let us see, if, upon a closer examination, the difference will appear to be so great : you may find the parallel between them much nearer than what you have accustomed yourselves to imagine. 1 . They both lay the system under a heavy contribu- tion of unnecessary irritation. 2. They both disorder the digestive organs, by ren- dering the gastric juice unfit for, and unable properly to perform the essential process of digestion. LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 203 3. They both effectually, though by slow, and at first almost imperceptible degrees, steal away the appetite. 4. They both interrupt the functions of that very ne- cessary organ, the liver, by preventing a healthy secre- tion of bile, or preventing its free passage into the bowels ; and thereby causing inflammation and its fre- quent successor, the formation of matter, and the long train of misery and wretchedness, attending that now very fashionable disease — the " liver complaint." 6. They both induce distressing affections of the bowels, which are sometimes found to be totally ungo- vernable ; not yielding to the influence of medicine, but rather aggravated, even by the most judicious interfe- rence of the healing art, till death renders useless any other efforts of friends or physicians. 6. They both produce debility, and prostration of strength, which no tonics can remedy. 7. They both rob the system of its necessary quanti- ty of nervous energy ; and hence ensue pantings, and tremblings, and faintings, after the least exertion. 8. They both render the system ripe for disease of any kind ; so that in prevailing fevers, or sickly seasons, their victims are the first to sicken, and the first to die. 9. They both so paraUze the system, that when disease of any kind attacks it, medicine is found not to produce its wonted effect, and requires to be given in entirely different doses from what is customary under other circumstances ; and therefore may be expected to produce other effects, than those at first intended ; and your physician, notwithstanding his skill may already 204 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. have been displayed more than one hundred times be- fore your' eyes, becomes very unjustly, and very cruelly censured — at the unfairness of which ingenuousness must blush. 10. The last point of resemblance between the effects of Corsets and of intemperance, which I shall now no- tice, is, that they both, at an untimely hour, lay their victims in the grave, and, in my humble estimation, both alike loaded with guilt, in the eyes of Him who seeth as not man seeth, — and you may calculate eternity's day- book to tell the same story to the universe. Having, as I think, sufficiently established the coin- cidence of the two habits, as to their effects upon the constitution, I may here be permitted to mention some of the points in which they differ ; such as, the one pro- duces a red face, the other a white one ; — the one a *• brandy breath," the other a putrid one; — the one a stupid, dull, and snoreing companion, the other a peevish, fretful, and sleepless one ; the one, for the most part, affecting males, the other females ; — the one bene- fitting distilleries, tavern-keepers and grog shops, the other apothecaries and physicians ; the one rendering a woman sick of iife,i£she must be tied to a drunken hus- band, the other rendering a man sick of life, if he must be impoverished by a wilfully distempered wife ; — the one under the operation of these causes, becomes addicted to his cups, the other to her phials ;-^the one desires a jo- vial companion with his glass, the other the doctor with his catholicon : — the one charges indisposition to any thing but the intoxicating draught, the other offers any LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 205 excuse for indisposition but Corsets ; — the one resembles a bloated mass of staggering matter, the other a decorated skeleton, stalking forth with lifeless anima- tion ;— the one has too much latitude to move in, the other cannot move for the want of it ; — intem- perance, for the most part, retains its victim in durance vile, for a long time ; while the other, often- times, makes the term of punishment much shorter. But lest I might be thought to be jesting, I will carry this comparison no farther. It may be objected, however, that I have taken the very extremes of either case, and thereby weaken the cause I meant to strengthen. To this I reply, — that as long as some cases have produced such extremes, we are at liberty to suppose that others may also do it ; and that, oftentimes, it is the know- ledge of these extremes, which causes the abandonment of a course of evil. I ask the individual who begins by taking only a dram in the morning, what security he has, that he will not die a sot ? At first, his excuse may be plausible ; he drinks, and presently his allowance be- comes doubled, — and still, to himself, his excuse may be sufficient; but show him the probable termination of such indulgences, paint before him the extreme case of one, who, from such small beginnings, has, at length, been reduced to the very verge of existence, and if any thing will produce resolutions of amendment, it will be that. So of those in the habit of wearing Corsets ; they commence the practice, but cannot calculate upon its termination. They have no warrant sufficient to insure them against their very worst effects ; and she who puts 18 206 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. them OD, knows not but hers may be an extreme case, and that she may be the individual whom Corsets may destroy. It is the same with any human evil : we can be made sensible of its magnitude, or of its importance, only by looking at its extremes. View a female labor- ing under a consumption ; her cheeks painted with the hectic glow, and her complexion alabastered by extreme debility, reclining upon her couch, enjoying the momen- tary refreshment of '•'• nature's sweet restorer, — balmy sleep," presenting a picture of beauty seldom surpass- ed. A person uninformed of her disease, might easily imagine her in the enjoyment of perfect health ; but men- tion her malady, and, because he knows its usually fatal effects, the extremes of its danger, his heart insensibly rises with compassion, and perhaps his eye ghstens with the tear of sympathy ; so by drawing a picture of the extreme effects of Corsets, the truth, that they must al- ways produce some injurious consequences, becomes greatly enforced. If, then, there is so much resemblance between the effects of Corsets and those of ardent spirits, and if it be admitted, as it must be, on all hands, that individuals addicted to the latter vice, are guilty of suicide, (al- though the ladies may not thank me for the comparison,) I think I have already clearly made it appear, that those addicted to the former vice, are no less guilty of the like offence, against the laws of God, and against the best feelings of our nature. And the following lines of the immortal Blair, may be more applicable to those LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 207 who wear these life-goads, than some may be willing at first to admit. " But if there's an hereafter, (And that there is, conscience, uninfluenced, And suffer'd to speak out, tells every man) Then must it be an awful thing to die ; More horrid yet to die by one's own hand. Shall nature, swerving from her earliest dictate. Self-preservation, fall by her own act ? Forbid it Heaven ! -Unheard of tortures": Must be reserved for such ; these herd together : The common damn'd shun their society, And look upon themselves as fiends less foul." Perhaps many a one will be ready to say, ^' I don't believe one word of it ; how can it be, when so many wear them ? I have known many persons, who, for years, have laced themselves a great deal tighter than I do, and have found no inconvenience from it. It can* not be, that Corsets are such dangerous things." I have very often heard ladies talk like this, but what then ? What is the weight of such arguments, in such a cause ? even admitting them to be true, (which I would have you remember, I do not,) will any one pre- tend, that, because a child now and then falls down a pair of stairs, and sustains httle or no injury, that such falls are attended with no danger ; — that, because one man can jump from a garret window and not hurt him« self, that therefore, another should do it expecting im- punity ; — that, because some persons love fat, and relish 208 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. it every day, that therefore, fat is not offensive to any sto- machs ; — that, because some men can digest nails, and clam-shells, that therefore, all men can ; — that, be- cause the small pox does not kill all M^hom it attacks, that therefore, it is never fatal, and its effects never to be dreaded. You can doubtless see the fallacy of such reasoning ; you can see the absurdity of drawing such conclusions from such premises ; but if the ab- surdity of the one be so clear, why not the absurdity of the other ? are not the cases parallel ? Were it not for the intervention of prejudice and fashion, I believe you could see the absurdity of the one, as clearly as you can that of the other. I will tell you a story : A certain nobleman, who had been guilty of acts of injustice, which he found pro- fitable to himself, in the administration of some public business, could not be persuaded of his fault, and would not confess his crime. An aged and venerable bishop, present, took a pen and wrote on the palm of his hand the word "God," and holding it up to the nobleman, ask- ed him if he could see that word ? he said he could ; he then took from his pocket a guinea^ and covering the word with it, again asked the nobleman if he could see it ? he answered that he could not, to be sure ; the venerable prelate then asked him, why ? Now, where prejudice and fashion interfere, it is quite as difficult for any one to see their duty, as it was for this nobleman, when his interest intervened ; and may we not fairly conclude, that if it were not for the interference of these obstacles, you could see the absurdity of the one, as clearly as that of the other. LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 209 But you will remember, I said 1 did not admit the truth of your premises ; for although there may be cases wherein the irritation may be very shght, I beheve there are very few, if any, where there is none. How can it be otherwise ? Any full grown person, in the enjoy- ment of health and vigor, has a lateral expansion of the ribs, amounting to from one to two inches in circumfe- rence, at every inspiration of the lungs ; that is, at every breath that is drawn ; this you may easily convince yourselves of, if, when you are in an undress, (unless your chest has been so long compressed as not to ad- mit of this expansion, which is not unfrequently the case,) you will take the trouble to pass a tape around your waists, and measure the difference there is in your circum- ference, when your lungs are empty, or when they are full of air : when you are troubled with a cold, or your breathing becomes impeded in any way, this is sensibly in- creased. Now the materials of which your Corsets are made, do not admit of this expansion, — if they did, they would not suit you purpose ; and is it not clear, that, if the lungs cannot expand in the way the all-wise maker of our frames intended, they must in one less con- genial — if they do at all ; and, consequently, your Cor- sets, by not permitting the lungs to expand the ribs, force them to play perpendicularly, as it were, and be- labor the stomach, and the liver, which are only separa- ted from the bottom of the lungs by a thin muscle, call- ed the diaphragm, or mid-riff, which is now called upon to do double duty. This constant and unnatural pres- sure upon the stomach, the Hver, and in short* all the 18* ilO LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. contents of the abdomen, becomes a great source of uneasiness. This oftentimes becomes almost insup- portable after a hearty meal, for the stomach cannot carry on its important function of digestion without bitter, and sometimes loud complaints. The evil is greatly increased by the board, the steel, or the bone, which stands a daring monster, right in front ; — as a lash, eternally goading on the deluded victim, to punish- ment and death. The uneasiness is frequently so great, that the witching hour of night, is hailed with pleasure, when you can, for a little while, lay aside these thorns of the flesh, and enjoy a momentary repose ; yes, and oftentimes, long before the hour of retirement, will you watch an opportunity, and slyly rid yourselves of this unpleasant companion. Often, indeed, have I blushed for ladies, when, by a side glance, I have noticed this ; and often too, has the blush crimsoned their own cheeks, when, by a hem or a cough, they have been com- pelled to drown the dull music of the screaking cord, or the hollow, rumbling, mutter, of the poor suffering te- nants within. Is not this the truth ? and think you all this can be endured with impunity ? It cannot, indeed, it cannot ; our life-strings are not tough enough to bear it ; and it is only owing to the kind law of nature, — which enables the system, step by step, to habituate itself to a degree of irritation, which, crowded at once upon it, would snap the brittle thread, — that allows your system, often- times, so long to support such grievous burthens ; — it is not because Corsets are not hurtful, but because your LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 211 life is so tenacious. Many persons have been known to swallow from one to two ounces of laudanum, without doing themselves any apparent injury, when, by long continued babit, they had become accustomed to its use ; but only give one half, or one quarter of that quantity to one not famihar with its effects, and the con- sequence w^ould, in all probability, be fatal. It is the same with Corsets ; only lace up a person in full vigor of manhood, one who has never been punished with a strait jacket, but who has always been permitted to breathe in the manner intended by his Creator ; lace up such an one in the manner ladies of fashion are in the habit of lacing themselves, and compel that individual thus to remain for four and twenty hours, and if the ir- ritation does not produce fever, and set the system on fire, it will only be because there are no inflammable materials within its grasp ; and I will venture to say, keep him in this cramp only one week, and life itself would become extinct. You may imagine this to be al- together gratuitous, but I can assure you it is not ; simi- lar effects may daily be seen in mad houses, where the attendants are obhged to confine the poor raving maniac in a strait-jacket, in order to keep him from doing vio- lence to himself, or those about him ; and if care is not taken that they be not buttoned too tightly, they inva- riably produce fever. The strait-jacket of the maniac is nothing like as tight as your Corsets, and yet see how they dread them ; the very threat of using them, will often prevent the necessity of putting them on. And who. unacquainted with the fact, would be wailing to 212 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. believe, that our delicate fair ones searched the cells of bedlam, and actually institute an appendage to their dress, which is the dread and the abhorrence of the bedlamite. Perhaps, you may not be aware, how very particular the Great Architect has been in the construction of your chest ; how very nice and exact, every part exter- nal to the lungs, is adapted to the functions to be car- ried on within. There are no less than forty-one bones, laid as the grand ground work of this curious fabric ; there are more than sixty joints in it, so as to admit of motion in every way. The breast bone itself, or that perpendicular bone connecting the ribs anteriorally, against which ladies press so unmercifully the upper part of their busk, is only six inches in length, and, in youth, has no less than two joints in that short space. The lower extremity of this bone is tipped with a piece of cartilage or grizzle, about two inches in length, which frequently remains elastic until the de- cline of life, and readily yields to any pressure, either from without, or from within. So important did your Maker think it, to order and provide that the essential process of respiration should be carried on without any, — nay, the least possible impediment. And yet, forsooth, because fickle fashion hath issued her decree, the potsherd becomes wiser than the potter ; all this wise construc- tion is discovered to be unnecessary, and it is conjec- tured, that it may be meddled with, and disorganized, and the daring hand of the intruder go unpunished. Only for one moment, take a glance at the astonishing LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 213 operations, which are continually carried on within this bony cavity. Here is the heart, the center of circu- lation ; — that grand fountain, which sends forth, with ir- resistible power, the blood to every — the remotest part of the body ; — the grand reservoir, which also receives the blood, with all the impurities it has collected dur- ing its round of circulation, — receiving it only to send it through the lungs, to be purified, by the air which we inspire ; — it is sent into the lungs of a dark black color, it leaves the lungs of a florid red ; — constituting a process the most grand — the most wonderful, v*^hich has ever attracted the attention of philosophers. Here, too, is another receptacle, no less important, no less wonderful, — it is the thoracic duct ; it lies all along that portion of the back bone, entering into the formation of the chest ; its use is, to receive that small portion of nourishment which has been separated from our food ; and to deposite it in the blood vessels, to be sent throughout our system, to nourish and support every part ; and without which, we must starve. Within this cavity then, we find contained the complicated machi« nery for carrying on the circulation of the blood, the process of respiration, and likewise that of chylification. Take also a glance at the contour of the whole. A front view of a well formed chest, one which has been fashioned only by the hand of its maker, presents you %vith a figure resembling that of a half oval, being about four inches broad at the upper part, and ten at the lower ; the abdomen and thorax together, forming a long oval, similar to that of an egg ; but in the lady of 214 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. fashion, these present a figure similar to that of a dou- ble oval ; or, if you will allow the comparison, similar to a kidney potatoe. Of course, you must see that you form a stricture, a narrowness, a separation where your maker did not see fit to make one ; and, strange to tell, those ladies who can make their waists the smallest, are considered the most beautiful, — -those nearest perfection, who most nearly resemble the wasp ; — I mean, in figure. To say the least of it, is it wise, let me ask you, to interfere with such a curious piece of workmanship ? Ask your own understandings ; does it look at all reasonable, that it can be interfered with at pleasure, and without detriment to the machinery with- in ? What would you think of a person, who should take his watch, and to suit his fancy, should hammer it oval, instead of leaving it round, as it came out of the hands of the artificer ; and if warned, before hand, that he would injure its machinery, should only laugh at his advisers, while he persisted in his folly ? Would you not be led to suppose, either that he cared nothing for the watch, or else, that he was mad ? and yet, his folly is not as great, in your eyes, as is your folly in the eyes of all who know any thing of the machinery of the hu- man frame : in as much as we consider the machinery within your chest, more valuable than the machinery within the case of the watch : from such sheer madness, then, preserve yourselves. I have already taken notice of some of the injurious effects of Corsets upon the system. It has not been my intention to illustrate the different injuries, or to enter LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 215 fully into the philosophy of either. I am not writing a treatise upon the diseases which they produce or aggra- vate. I mean only to throw out some loose hints, if possible, to warn ladies of their danger ; whether my feeble voice be heard or not. Two or three more of their injurious effects remain to be taken notice of It is a fact, well known to physicians, that there is scarcely any power equal to continued pressure, where it can be conveniently applied, for the removal of glan- dular swellings. This principle operates powerfully up- on those two, not only highly ornamental, but essentially useful glands, situate upon the superior and anterior portion of your chest. The constant and unyielding pressure of your Corsets, very gradually, cause an al- most total disappearance of these glands, and not un- frequently, an entire absorption of them takes place ; so that many of our females, before they are five and thirty, or thereabouts, are actually obliged to use some deceit, in order to produce the appearance of breasts, or else appear as the saucy Peter Pindar said of Mrs. Dina, " Having no swell, No lovely swell, no more than on a cat. For lo ! was Dina's neck, I grieve to tell, As any touchstone or a flounder fiat." With many ladies it is often a matter of very serious lamentation, when they pass the rubicund, (as some wag- gish pensmen have seen fit to denominate the hne be- tween the girl and the old maid,) and yet no plan could 216 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. be better adapted to hasten that period, than to level down these two attractive prominences. One would think, this of itself presented a consideration amply sufficient to bring Corsets into disrepute; especially when you remember, that in their flight, they lure away almost every visible charm from the countenance, and leave behind little more than a dry and withered plant. Another evil, and one that is of infinite importance to those who ever expect to become mothers, is, that they do most constantly cause a " growing-in' ' of the nipple, so that necessity compels an artificial one to be substituted ; the pain and inconvenience of which, does not unfrequently cause that distressing complaint, can- cer in the breast ; or if the evil should not be quite so melancholy as to produce such a catastrophy, still, few escape the comfort of a gathered breast, the very men- tion of which strikes such terror to the mind of any who have once experienced its agony. As a burnt child dreads the fire, so with equal certainty do such ladies dread a gathered breast. That Corsets either produce consumptions, or always aggravate any tendency to diseases about the lungs, seems to be a fact which ladies themselves do not often deny ; — it seems so reasonable, especially where a pre- disposition to that disease exists, — that any cause calcu- lated to impede the free play of the lungs, and to hin- der the free passage of the air through every part of them, must necessarily promote the kindling up of the flame, and continue to fan it until vitality shall be con- sumed. That Corsets have been one cause, and no in- LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 217 considerable one either, of loading down the bills of mortality with consumptions, I have no doubt. I do not pretend, that they are the only cause which operates to produce the alarming increase of that protasn malady, but I know of no one cause more effectually calculated to bring on the disease, where other causes favor its production: — and where other causes do actually fa- vor its production, if it were not for the interposition of this one cause, the individual might, in all probabili- ty, live for much greater usefulness, and die like a shock of corn, fully ripe, free from any traces of this species of decay. Where the lungs are not fully expanded, an inflammation of them may exist undetected : It frequent- ly requires a full inspiration to discover the presence of disease in these parts ; and the longer a disease of this character remains unprovided for, the more seated becomes the attack, and sometimes the more hidden its nature ; because, the incipient symptoms may give rise to others, and may possibly lead the mind of the in- quirer, off from the true source of the evil, — and what was only the secondary, receive the attention which pro- perly belongs to that which was incipient. And, per- haps, we have not before our eyes, a more pitiable in- stance of blind infatuation, than when we see young la- dies, who have reason to think they have a predisposi- tion to consumption, and acknowledge the danger such persons are in, lace themselves in Corsets ; still unable to resist the influence of fashion ; notwithstanding it may be said that death itself, almost stares them in the face ; 19 218 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. yet they must wear them, determining, it would seem, rather to be out of the world than out of the fashion. Another evil, and by no means the least, because it is the last which I shall mention, is, that Corsets do cause that distressing, that once rare, but now com- mon complaint, distortion of the spine : and by tran- sposing the language of Dr. Smith, we may say, it is as uncommon now to see a girl perfectly straight, as it was to see one crooked before this appendage to fe- male dress was revived. It is satisfactorily ascertained, that nothing contri- butes more to form a crooked spine, than a torpid, or inactive state of the muscles connected with it. The Hindoo, vows he will never more use his arms ; he locks his hands upon his head, vowing never to remove them : the muscles of his arms wither, and shrink away to nothing ; and did he want to use them ever so much, they would be found utterly useless. It is the sledge and the hammer, which gives the blacksmith such prover- bial strength in his arms. It is the exercise of dancing, which gives the dancing master such proverbial power in his feet. Those persons who carry immense loads upon their heads, have the muscles of the spine and of the neck, proportionably increased in size, and of course in strength ; and not a crooked spine is known among them. Tailors, too, are proverbially, the most erect walkers we have ; (those, I mean, who sit upon their board ;) and the reason is, because the muscles of their neck and of their spine, are in such constant exercise ; having to support the head, and half of the body, in a LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 219 half falling condition, for hours together. Birds, too. which are ever on the wing, have the muscles of the breast, large and powerful, while those which are ac- customed to fly but httle, and use their legs more, have the muscles of the thigh proportionably increased in size and power, while those muscles, which are not so constantly called into action, are comparatively weak and slender. - 1 mention these facts, drawn from correct observation, and familiar objects, to show that muscular exertion is the grand appointed means, not only of increasing the mus- cular power, but likewise of keeping the system itself in health ; and that muscular inactivity must necessarily be followed with a diminution of the size of the muscle, and consequently of its strength. Therefore, by plain infe- rence, it must follow ; an inert, dormant state of the mus- cles of the spine, must necessarily produce debihty in those parts : and if it is the peculiar province of these mus- cles, to retain the spine in an erect position ; when any cause intervenes to rob them of their energy, and induce debility, we can easily account for an inclination of the spine to one side or the other. That Corsets are calcula- ted to produce this effect, it appears to me, requires but half an eye to discover ; and that they do produce it, facts incontestibly prove. When put on only moderately tight, or what ladies might call very loose^ they prevent the mus- cles from fulfilling the part allotted to them, and from in- activity, gradually lose the power of keeping the body erect ; then the body must inchne, and it usually does, to the right side ; — and what was at first a local com.« 220 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. plaint, often, very often, as too many suffering objects can testify, becomes the centre and the source of univer- sal disease. Hence, necessarily, arise faintings in pub- lic assemblies, or crowded, or over-heated apartments ; unaccountable prostration of strength, almost without exertion ; and a long train of fashionable evils, '^ too te- dious to mention J^"^ An author of the last century mentions, that mothers commonly laid their daughters upon their faces, on the floor, and with one foot upon their backs, tightened the cords. It is to be hoped, that such brutahty does not exist among us, although I fear the force used by push- ing with the knee against the spine, and puUing with the hands, is not very far inferior. Many mothers, however, even at the present day, are in the habit of putting Corsets upon their young chil- dren, in order to make them straight, as they tell us. Oh, I wish that I could convince them that this was the right way to make them crooked. You may, perhaps, make them look more erect while they have them on, but you cannot calculate, indeed, you cannot calculate the extent of mischief that is secretly brewing within. Let the muscles of the back be put in exercise, by en- couraging the child to romp and play, to hop, skip and jump, and my word for it, no stooping, no crooked spine will ever disfigure your daughters. And besides, what security have you, that when these young and tender plants shall be transplanted from the nursery, into the more open field of life, — when only a few more years shall have gone over their heads, — that some other mode LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. of fashion will not be introduced ? You, yourselves, have witnessed a remarkable change in this respect, only within a few years ; and you have no assurance that a change as great, will not again take place within as short a period. Fortune itself, is not more fickle than fashion ; and then all your pains-taking trouble, may be attended with unavailing regret, or bitter remorse. In order to show you that others think as -I think, and the more effectually, if possible, to convince you of your error, I will take the liberty of treating you with an extract or two, from some of our most celebrated me- dical writers ; and if those who ought to know, are not credited with the best knowledge, I know not to whom to refer the case. *^ As I am satisfied of their mischievous effects, I cannot help bearing my testimony against the indiscri- minate, and very improper use which is daily made of them. " They are used with the design to prevent growing children from becoming crooked or misshapen ; and this they are supposed to do, by supporting the back bone, and by forcing the shoulders unnaturally backward ; the former they cannot do ; and in all cases where the spine is weak, and thereby inclined to deviate from a right figure, the latter action of these instruments must con- tribute to, rather than prevent such deviation ; as will appear to any who will, with any attention, examine the matter : if instead of adding to the embarrassments of children's dress, by such iron restraints, parents would throw off all of every kind, and thereby give nature an 19* 222 LETTERS TO MA^RRIED LADIES. opportunity of exerting her own powers ; and if, in all cases of manifest debility, recourse was had *to friction, bark, and cold bathing, with a due attention to air, diet, exercise and rest, the children of the opulent would, perhaps, stand a chance of being as stout, as straight. and as well shaped as those of the laborious poor." Potfs Surgical Works, " Women have a very bad custom of lacing them- selves in stays, made of whalebone, &c. both day and night : in these, the whole trunk of the body is kept firm by the stays, which, girding the belly tight, bear upon the bones of the ilhum,* and, at the same time, prop up the axillae.! Hence the strong muscles of the back, which serve to raise and keep the trunk of the body erect, are kept without action ; and as the same muscles scarce act while a person is lying in bed, hence, although the stays are laid aside in the night time, yet the muscles remain almost without action. For this reason, those wretched women, w^ho have been accus- tomed to use these stays from their childhood, cannot afterward lay them aside, but the whole trunk of their body will fall forward, the muscles of the back being rendered inactive, which, in a strong laboring person, keep the spine firm and erect, although a heavy load is laid upon the shoulders, as we see in porters. ^^ I have seen, not without pity, such wretched wo- men, who durst not leave off* their stays, even in the night time, having frequently experienced, that they '• Hip bones, t Arm pit?. LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 223 could hardly turn themselves in bed, much less raise themselves up in it, or support themselves upright with- out them. For this reason, a slight palsy of the lower extremities seems sometimes to follow." Van Swieteri's Commentaries, '• I cannot but advert, on this occasion, to the ill judged practice of mothers, who, with a desire of giving their daughters a fine shape, or of preventing, or remo- ving deformity, endeavor to effect it by the fashionable use of stays, and other equally bad means of support. The materials of which these are usually formed, are either whalebone or steel, and therefore yield little to the natural action of the parts to which they are de~ signed to give support. The motion of the intermedi- ate parts of the spine, must, by this means, be greatly circumscribed ; the action of the muscles attached to the trunk impeded ; the necessary determination and circulation of blood through their substance lessened, and, of necessity, their size and power diminished ; thus defeating the object in view, and increasing or perpetua- ting the deformity they are intended to remedy. The same may be also said of pressure made on the chest, by any other similar means, which may impede the free action of the muscles of resoiration." Ward on the Spine. The last quotation which I shall make, is from the excellent author of '' Advice to Mothers," who wrote when ladies had, in a manner, given up the use of stays, and before their second introduction, under the name of Corsets. " Yet, during the prevalence of so strange an 224 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. infatuation, [meaning the wearing of stays,] while de- formity was deemed beauty, all renlonstrances on the subject would have proved unavailing. It would then have been useless to employ such arguments, as now carry conviction to the unprejudiced mind. We may at present observe, with the hope of being listened to, that nature, when left to herself, gives every animal, ex- cept those who are formed for swiftness, a prominancy about the middle. If this is not only compressed, but the belly squeezed close to the back bone, obstructions of the viscera must ensue ; and no great knowledge of the human frame is necessary to satisfy any person, that such obstructions must prove fatal to health. When the vessels that take up and convey the nourishment to the body, have their functions by any means impeded, the whole system must suffer, and at length perish, by a gradual decay. But nothing can so effectually im- pede the functions of those soft parts, as pressure. The stomach becomes incapable of performing the grand office of digestion. The midriff is forced upwards ; — - the cavity of the chest is thereby lessened, and sufficient room is not left for the proper play of the lungs ; — a difficulty of breathing, coughs, and pulmonary consump- tions, are the natural consequences.*" Some ladies tell us they wear Corsets for comfort — they feel so comfortable with them on. Would you think it a sufficient excuse for the intemperate man to continue his revelry and his cups, if he should tell you, as they all will, that he feels so happy, and so comfortable, while under the influence of the intoxicating liquor : LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. 22, would you not think his excuse a very lame one ? Bui if it is true, that you do feel so comfortable with them en, (which, by the by, I do very much doubt,) why not wear them at night, as welLas in the day ? I confess, I did know one who was consistent enough to do it ; but I believe very few are willing to punish themselves all night, as well as during the day. I scarcely ever remember to have found a lady, who acknowledged that she laced tight. Their uniform lan- guage is, " You talk about my Corsets being tight : it is no such thing ; they are always as loose as a rag upon me ; see, I can get my hand any where under them. No, I think it very hurtful to lace as tight as such, and such an one does ; I would not do it for any considera- tion." All I have to say to such persons, is, merely to put to them two plain questions. If your Corsets are so loose as you pretend they are, (for I cannot but be- lieve, that in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, it is nothing but guilty pretence,) why, I ask, wear them at all ? and how happens it, that your bodies are indent- ed, where there ought to be a fulness — straitened for room, where you want room the most ? Some ladies, in their more serious moments, tell us, they do these things to please others, not themselves ; they think it makes them look more comely, more genteel than they otherwise would : — but rest assured, there is no charm about them, and you will scarce find one, whose opinion you respect, and who possesses but a tolerable knowledge of the animal economy, who will give you credit for your pains. I hope, then, you will reflect upon 226 LETTERS TO MARRIED LADIES. what I have thus humbly offered, and that you will be enabled to see your error before it is too late. Say not, as some have often ,done, ^^ When I find they injure me, then I will slacken my hand, or lay them entirely aside, but not till then." Unfortunately, that period is oftentimes too late to permit the evil to be averted. Long before then, it often, as it were, becomes inwrought in your very systems, and no power, however salutary in other cases, may be found able to eradicate it. Our health once lost, is something like a character once impeached, — the blemish is very apt, ever afterwards to remain. Health is a jewel, too precious to be trifled with ; a jewel, the value of which we only know Jiow to estimate, but by its loss. If, therefore, it ever is praiseworthy to avoid the very appearance of evil, I hope, that ere long, it may be considered equally praiseworthy, to avoid the very ap- pearance of Corsets. Set it down as a rule you may always find true, that whosoever tells you they are harm- less, either knows nothing about the construction of your systems, or has very little regard for the health and hap- piness of the fairest portion of God's creation. I remain, &c. THE EDITOR. NetV'YorJc, April 3, 1827. VOTES. NOTES. Note I. — Pa^e 24. Notwithstanding the evils resulting from a belief in these notions, are more immediately interesting to fe- males, (as our author very justly observes,) yet, no one can for a moment be unmindful of the peace and happi- ness it would occasion an affectionate husband, to find his wife rising superior to these whims ; and, instead of continually loading his ears with a long sad tale of ail such apprehensions, and imaginary anxieties, (as is too much the case, even in this enhghtened age, and among the most enlightened circles also,) to have that time oc- cupied in conversation, more agreeable, more instruc- tive, and more becoming an intelligent, and reasonable being. Note II. — Page 24. It cannot be denied, that within a few years, female education in this country, has undergone an improve- ment, and has received a polish and a lustre, which does honor to the intelligence of these United States, and which has so justly received the high commenda- tion of some late European travellers ; — yet it is to be feared, that still, too great a value, and too high a de- gree of importance, is attached to those acquirements, which, generally speaking, are as evanescent as child- hood itself; and which are usually laid aside, almost as 20 230 soon as the female becomes a mother. I imagine i! will scarcely be questioned, by the thinking part of so- ciety, that if eight, or even nine tenths of the time, which is now commonly wasted at the piano forte, embroidery, &c. &c. was employed in improving the mind and storing it with useful knowledge, which might reasonably be expected to come in play when the indi- vidual becomes introduced upon the stage of action, that she would prove to be not only a more useful mem- ber of society^ a more agreeable companion, and, by far, a more prudent wife,— but would ever possess, with- in herself, a source of pleasure, and a spring of enjoy- ment, which would never fail to yield a constant supply of excellent fruit. It would bring with it a degree of sa- tisfaction and contentment, for which she might in vain look, and look, again and again, to almost all the orna- mental branches of her education. It is therefore, ar- dently to be Vtished, that the public would demand, in the education of our females, more attention to the in- tellectual and less to the mechanical branches, (if I may be indulged with such an expression.) And besides, in medioaHty of attainment in any under- taking, and more especially in the ornamental branches of a young lady's education, there certainly can be no- thing enviable, nothing deserving praise, — the favorable opinion of fond parents, to the contrary, notwithstand- ing. And is it not affecting to think, how many there are who squander away large sums of money to obtain for their daughters, this phantom of education ; and w^ho, after all their pains and labor, are compelled to sit down only half-way winners of the prize 1 Disregarding the particular endowments of nature, — fit or unfit,— because it is a fashionable accomplishment, young ladies must devote a goodly share of their time to it : — is it painting, = — taste or no taste, they must paint ; is it music, — ear or no ear, voice or no voice, they must perform. So that, if nature has not endowed them, their parents seem determined to do it themselves. The folly of attempting, 231 ilie indiscriminate attainment of these branches of edu> cation, merely because they are fashionable, without duly and judiciously considering the capability of the in- dividual, will, I think, clearly appear, when we consider how few of those who have attended to them, ever ar- rive at the seat of superiority, ever merit the crown of praise. w* Not all Of mortal offspring can attain the heig^hls Of envi'd life ; Only few possess Patrician treasures, or imperial state," An extract from Miss Hannah More, is so very appli- cable to many of our young ladies, that I cannot resist the pleasure of inserting it. " But though a well-bred young lady may lawfully learn most of the fashionable arts ; yet, let me ask, does it seem to be the true end of education to make wo- men of fashion dancers^ singers^ players^ painters^ ac- tresses^ sculptors^ gilders^ varnishers^ engravers^ and embroiderers? Most men are commonly destined to some profession, and their minds are consequently turn- ed each to its respective object. Would it not be strange if they were called out to exercise their profes- sion, or to set up their trade, with only a little general knowledge of the trades and professions of all other men, and without any previous definite application to their own peculiar calling ? The profession of ladies, to which the bent of their instruction should be turned, is that of daughters, wives, mothers, and mistresses of families. They should be therefore trained with a view to these several conditions, and be furnished with a stock of ideas, and principles, and qualifications, and ha- bits, ready to be applied and appropriated, as occasion may demand, to each of these respective situations. For though the arts which merely embellish life, must claim admiration ; yet, when a man of sense comes to marry, it is a companion whom he wants and not an artist. It is not merely a creature who can paint, and 232 play, and sing, .and draw, and dress, and dance ; it is a being who can comfort and counsel him ; one who can reason, and reflect, and feel, and judge, and discourse, and discriminate ; one who can assist him in his affairs, lighten his cares, sooth his sorrows, purify his joys, -Strengthen his principles, and educate his children. '•'' That injudicious practice, therefore, cannot be too much discouraged of endeavoring to create talents which do not exist in nature. That their daughters shall learn every things is so general a maternal maxim, that even unborn daughters, of whose expected abili- ties and conjectured faculties, it is presumed, no very accurate judgment can previously be formed, are yet predestined to this universality of accomphshments. This comprehensive maxim, thus almost universally brought into practice, at once weakens the general powers of the mind, by drawing off its strength into too great a variety of directions ; and cuts up time into too many separate portions, by sphtting it into such an end- less multiplicity of employments. 1 know that I am treading on tender ground ; but I cannot help thinking that the restless pains we take to cram up every little vacuity of life, by crowding one new thing upon an- other, rather creates a thirst for novelty, than know- ledge ; and is but a well disguised contrivance to anti- cipate the keeping us in after-life more effectually from conversing with ourselves." Petrarch was once consulted upon the question of female education, and as the story is a pretty one, and the application good, you will pardon me if I give it to 3^ou. '^ A lady who had heard of Petrarch's reputation, consulted him on a subject in which he was much inte- rested. She was an Italian ; her father was a man of wit and merit, and had given his daughter an education superior to what was usually bestowed on young women at that time. From her earliest years she was inspired Hy Wxe muses. The people of the world made a joke of 233 her, and said, 'the business of a woman is to sew and spin ;— cease to aspire after the poetic laurel, lay down your pen and take up the needle and the distaff.' These words discouraged her ; she was tempted to renounce poetry, yet could not determine, without reluctance. In this situation she addressed Petrarch in a poem, the sense of which, is as follows : '' O thou, who by a noble flight has arrived so early at the summit of parnassus, tell me what part I ought to act. I would fain live after I am dead ; and the muses can alone give me the life I desire. Do you ad- vise me to devote myself to them, or to resume my do- mestic employments, and shield myself from the cen- sures of vulgar minds, who permit not our sex to aspire after the crowns of laurel or of myrtle ?" Petrarch repHed thus : " Idleness, and the pleasures of the table, have ba- nished all the virtues ; the whole world is changed ; we have now no light to direct our way ; the man inspired by the muses, is pointed at ; the vile populace, who think of nothing but advancing their interest, say, ' of what use are crowns of laurel and myrtle ?' Philoso- phy is abandoned, and goes quite naked. O thou, — whom Heaven has endowed with an amiable soul, be not disheartened by such advice — follow the path you have entered, though it is but little frequented."* Besides the inutility of the principal part of ornamental education, the very acquisition of those branches is at- tended with ill consequences — in as much as they do not permit that due proportion of exercise which is so necessary to health. Exercise should be an indispen- sable regulation in all schools, and especially in all fe- male schools. Ward, in his excellent little treatise on diseases of the spine, makes some very just remarks, which are as applicable to our schools, as they are to those of England, and to American as to English ladies. * Dobson's Petrarch. 20* 234 •'• This disorder," says Ward, in inquiring into the causes which may operate in producing so many in- stances of crooked spine, '-^ appears, not only from our observation, but that of others, to be of increasing fre- quency, more particularly among females in the opulent classes of society ; a circumstance which, perhaps, may be attributed to the present mode of education, in which greater attention is paid than formerly to the cultivation of the mind and female accomplishments, and less time, consequently, allowed for the bodily exercise necessary to the preservation of health. In no instance, perhaps, is the zealous regard of parents for their children more misapplied than in an over-craving desire for high at- tainments and polite accomplishments, at the expense of what is of infinitely paramount importance ; by which the future enjoyments of life are either much circum- scribed or destroyed, and the individual rendered the sub- ject of misery. The system acted upon in many of our boarding schools, in the education of females, I consi- der, in this respect, materially defective. The plan pursued, in most of the seminaries, is, to allow of little more than the exercise of walking ; it being deemed in- decorous or indelicate to run, or use any more active mode of exercising the body. This restraint is evident- ly a contradiction to the laws of nature, which disposes the young, in all classes of animals, to active exercise, and is designed as the means of producing a greater in- clination for food, and, consequently, of improving the powers of assimilation, and favoring the progressive grow^th of the body ; and in proportion as its wants be- come less, and no longer, require such assistance, the inclination diminishes with declining age."^ NoTB III.— Page 2S. A FAMILY with whom the editor is well acquainted, iiave a very pecuhar mark upon their foreheads, extend- Ward on the Spine. 235 ing a little way upon the bridge of the nose ; it is of a triangular shape, with undefined edges, and from one and a half to two inches in diameter ; but what is sin- gular, it only makes its appearance during mental excite- ment. And when tranquillity is restored, no blush is perceptible. It appears upon the father, the daughter, and two of the daughter's children. Another evil, and one of quite a different description, resulting, as was supposed, from an unsatisfied longing of the mother, I met with the other day while repro- ving a young man for intemperance : his wife replied. '^ poor fellow, he can't help it." ^^ Can't help it, I won- der why ?" ^^ Because it is an affliction which has been laid upon him, and he can't help it." In further con- versation, I found that a short time before the indivi- dual Vv as born, his m.other longed for a drink of spirits. and she did not gratify herself. And for more than thirty years, she has continued to mourn her folly, fully bebeving, that had she only taken a drink at that time, as she w^ anted, the evil of brutal intemperance would never have been allotted to her son. Of all lonmn^s. and of all effects of longings, this, I think, is a match for any ; — but why wonder at any thing produced by su- perstition ? Note IV,— Page 30. This is a circumstance for which the credulous be- lievers in this strange doctrine, — a doctrine caused by ignorance, and fanned by superstition, — can find no in- telhgible answer. If you ask them, why the mark looks so little like what their imaginations have conjectured that it does, and their mothers tell them that it must ? you put them to their ^'" wit's end," and the candid are oflen obliged to confess they cannot tell. The want of resemblance is usually so great, that the eyes, unaided c would never guess the original. A short time since, in conversation with an elderly lady upon the subject of marks, longings, ^c. she was 236 highly displeased with me, because I said, I did not be- lieve that it was more possible for the mother's imagination to mark the child while it was in the womb, than after it had made its escape. She told me that her son had a rat on his thigh ; that when she was four months '^ on her way," she went down cellar, and was intolerably frightened by a rat which run across her foot, and when the child was born, he had a perfect rat upon his thigh, and after that, how could I disbelieve it ; — why, I might as well try to make her believe the moon was made of green cheese. The following dialogue took place be- tween us : — " Does it look like a rat ?" " Yes, exact- ly." '' Has it a head and ears ?" '' Why, no." " Has it four legs ?" " No, it has not any legs." ^^ Well, has it a tail ? for you know all rats have tails." " You are only making fun of me, — no, to be sure it has not." "•Do you think any one would suppose it was a rat, if you should not tell them?" ''•I don't know that they would, but what of that, — as long as I know, that's enough." I told her, perhaps, in this instance, it was ; but observed, that as long as ladies were taught to be- lieve such notions as these, they must be continually harassed with distressing fears, while in the family-way, and more especially if they had been frightened by any object. Note V. — Page 35. Dr. Moore relates the following story, within the sphere of his knowledge : '• A lady who had great aversion to monkies, happened, unfortunately, during the course of her pregnancy, to visit in a family where one of those animals was the chief favorite. On being shown into a room, she seated herself on a chair which stood before a table upon which this favorite was already placed : he, not naturally of a reserved disposition, and rendered more petulent and wanton by long indulgence, suddenly jumped on the lady's shoulder. She scream- ed and was terrified ; but on perceiving who had treat- 237 rL !k V^"'"*'*' familiarity, she actually fainted- ^?. h /'^K^'' '^' remaining course of her pregnancy she had the most painful conviction that her child^vS be deformed by some striking feature, or perhaps the whole countenance of this odious monkey. ^ ^ ^i«n r ^^"^u °^-^^''*"' '^'^ "°* overcome this impres- tTe 4tf 'f ^ ™^f °^ ^-^^ P^'"^ ^he often lamented through lif/. ™\'*""^te child, who was doomed ?n 3 wl° ''^u^ ^^^"* * ^"™^" ^«"1 in the body of midwife, wUh a lamentable voice, for a sight of her un- ;°i""l °^^^P"ng'.«nd was equally pleased and surpri- sed, ivhen she received a fine boy in her arms. After cd?-'"^'*^' ^*'',\^^"' ™""*^^' ^" '^^ ^^Pt"re of this hPr i ?'^ ^"'' happiness, from pain and misery, there w' T^"^ ' u"*^ '''" '"^^^^'"^ '"^^^^^ her, tha he^rnf * another child. ^Another!' exckimed She, then It is as I have dreaded, and this must be the nionkey after all.' She was, bo;ever, once r^ore ha^ ply undeceived; the second was as fine a boy as the vn ;^ 1^'^ ^^^"^ ^""^^ ' *^^y Sy<^''' to be comely youths, without a trace of the monkey in either theiV faces or dispositions." ' «uner men Note VI. — Page 41. I MUST confess myself at a loss, to conceive the ne- cessity of supposing external injury necessary to mark the infant in the womb. Marks often appear on parts of the child which do not come in contact with the mo - ^ZX l:^° "^^ "''?'^' ^* ^^^"t' it i^ questionable, whether a blow or a jolt suiBciently severe to produce an external mark, would not be abundantly sufficient to cause an organ so highly sensible as the womb, to rid Itself of Its contents. Furthermore, if thev are owing to inflammatory action, produced by external violence, have we not the right to expect some of the conse^ quences of inflammation ? Now one of the nmst common consequences of inflammation from a blow, is suppura- 238 tion ; but who ever remembers to have seen a mark ex- hibit any signs of having once discharged matter ? and. allowing that it had undergone inflammation and suppu- ration, and had discharged itself, it certainly is not rea- sonable to expect a red, or a brown mark, but a white one ; for this process always leaves a white scar. Again, if a bruise, or any other external injury is capa- ble of producing these blemishes before birth, it may be expected they would, at, or after the birth of the child. Now, perhaps, there is no possibility of applying any thing hke the degree of pressure, to the infant in the womb, as its head necessarily^ receives during its pas- sage into the world ; and yet how rare are marks about the head ; they sometimes appear upon the face, it is true ; but these are not the parts which receive the greatest injury. It is presumed these reasons are sufii- cient to show, that marks cannot reasonably be the re- sult of blows, jolts, or bruises, and not only so, but I con- ceive it entirely unnecessary, to make even such a con- jecture, or allow the possibility of such an occurrence, with so little impunity. Note VII.— Pa^^ 45. The ingenious author here asks a question, and leaves the reader to form an answer. And he might have added, that all who do believe the imagination of the mother capable of affecting the shape and appearance of the infant already formed within her womb, notwith- standing their unwillingness to acknowledge it, do actu- ally give credence to present reality of miracles. How can it be otherwise ? Let me state a case for you, and perhaps the strongest one you can well conceive of. A lady yesterday became extremely frightened at a man with a contorted arm and a disfigured hand ; to-day she is taken in labor, and before to-morrow is confined, and her oflfspring has the distressing misfortune to bear about a contorted arm, or a disfigured hand, resembling, per- chance, in some measure the one, which only the day 239 before caused such terror to her mind. Now should you say, as do those who beheve in these doctrines, that this was all caused by the fright the afflicted mother experienced, you must attribute the absence of paijij inflammation, sivelling, &c. to nothing less than a mira- cle. Pain, inflammation, swelling, and death itself, are the common attendants upon so tremendous, so man- gled a fracture. Why do not the splinters of bone work through the skin, and do violence to the mother? Why should not the inflammation extend, the parte mortify and drop off", or the little sufferer die in consequence of the injury] If the imagination of the mother has the power of producing such extensive injuries, so expedi- tiously and free from the usual concomitants of injuries, you can account for it on no other principle, than that of miracle. Imagination can kill, and imagination can cure, as a very wise head once expressed himself; but imagination cannot break bones. Had this accident happened only a few hours later, — after the child had been brought into the world, — all the long train of sad consequences I have enumerated, would necessarily take place. Note VIII.— Page 46. In a former note, I had occasion to point out what it appeared to me these blemishes could not be, and now, if in a very few words, I should endeavour to show what they may be, I hope I may not be thought as step- ping beyond my province. I have not the smallest de* sire of making mothers more learned in these matters, than what is deemed meet for their own comfort and happiness. To tell them they have wrong notions about these things, and incorrect ideas respecting their origin, without telling them what is considered to be a more tational philosophy concerning them, would not be do- ing as I should wish to be done by ; it would be deem- ngd unfair play indeed, and I could certainly expect then> to return me nothing but ungraciotss thanklessness for all MO my labor. And, surely, if I can give them views which will, in any measure, allay their tormenting fears, they and their husbands must ever feel grateful. I would not wish to forget that I am addressing ladies, and not physicians. There are three kinds of blemishes sometimes visi- ble upon children at their birth, exclusive of deformity of parts, whether from deficiency or redundancy. 1. Moles or Httle elevated pimples, generally, though not always, without color, and usually crowned off with a little tuft of hair. They are as common upon one part of the body as upon another ; and where the mo- ther has one, it is very common for some of her child- ren to have one like it ; and often in the same situa- tion. 2. Colored blotches, having their seat beneath the scarf skin, in the net work, as anatomists call the se- cond layer of our integuments ; having no elevation of surface ; possessing no symptoms of disease, and always remaining through hfe without any other inconvenience, but what results from their color and situation. They may occur upon any part of the body, and some affirm, that they appear more frequently upon the face than elsewhere ; but how this is, I cannot determine. They are of various hues ; red, brown, scarlet, or yellow. They are supposed to arise from a deposition of some coloring matter, at a very early period of gestation. It is well known, that sailors, from superstitious no- tions, often mark themselves upon their arms and breasts, with different shaped figures ; by depositing un- der the scarf skin, various colored paints, by means of sharp pointed needles ; which marks remain through life. This second species of blemish is something of the same kind, not however performed in the same way, but deposited by the hand of Him who fashioneth us as he pleases. 3. The SUPERFICIAL ANEURISM, or a congcries of mi- nute blood vessels, collected together upon the skin. 241 communicating freely with each other, and always rai- sed above the surface ; of a very florid red color, and constantly liable to profuse, and sometimes fatal bleed- ings ; to pain, swelling, and inflammation. This spe- cies is frequently curable, by judicious treatment, so that they may be made almost totally to disappear. They doubtless receive their formation very soon after conception. Sometimes they increase to a conside- rable size after birth, and inflammation and pressure often put a period to their growth. These are some of the diseases which are visible up- on the skin of new born infants ; and, as well might we attribute all the diseases under which helpless infancy suffers, to the influence of the mother's mind, as to at- tribute to that cause, those which occur before birth. Why should it be thought so mighty strange, so insur- mountably impossible, for the foetus to be subject to disease, when disease attacks it, oftentimes, so soon af- ter it is born ? To those who still would desire to know more of the cause of these unpleasant productions, I would say, when we can tell why the hair of one is black, and that of another white, — why the eyes of one should be blue, and those of another grey, — we may be able to tell why children are sometimes thus marked at their birth. Note IX.— Page 50. " Let me play the fool : With mirth and laughter, let old wrinkles come ; And let my liver rather heat with wine, Than my heart cool with mortifying groans. Why should a man, whose blood is warm witliin, Sit like his grand-sire cut in alabaster ? Sleep when he wakes ? and creep into the jaundice By being peevish." •' Cheerfulness or good humour has the happiest in- fluence on the body and mind ; it gives a salutary im- pulse to the circulation of the blood, keeps all the vital organs in easy and asrreeable play, render the outward 21 242 deportment highly pleasing, while the perpetual sun- shine within^ spreads a fascinating loveliness over the countenance. Its opposite, peevishness or ill humour, embitters life, saps the constitution, and is more fatal to beauty than the small-pox, — because its ravages are more certain, more disgusting, and more permanent." ^' It is during pregnancy also, that every woman should be doubly attentive to preserve the utmost sweetness and serenity of temper, to dispel the glooms of fear or melancholy, — to calm the rising gusts of anger, — and to keep every other unruly passion or desire, under the steady control of mildness and reason. The joy of be- coming a mother, and the anticipated pleasure of pre- senting a fond husband with the dearest pledge of mu- tual love, ought naturally to increase her cheerfulness, and would certainly produce that effect, were not those emotions too often checked by a false alarm, at the fancied danger of her situation. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance to convince her, that her terrors are groundless ; that pregnancy is not a state of infirmity or danger, but afibrds the strongest presumption of health and security ; that the few instances she may have known of miscarriage or death, were owing to the improper conduct of women themselves, besides being too inconsiderable to be compared with the countless millions of persons in the hke condition, who enjoy, both then, and afterwards, a greater degree of health than they ever before experienced." " Though the chilling influence of fear, and the de- pression of melancholy, are very injurious to the mo- ther's health, and to the growth of the foetus in her womb ; yet anger is a still more formidable enemy. It convulses the whole system, and forces the blood into the face and head with great impetuosity. The danger is increased by the usual fullness of the habit in preg- nancy. When the blood runs high and rapid, a vessel may burst, and in such a part as to terminate, or bring into great peril, the existence of both the mother and 243 child. Cases often occur of the bursting of a blood vessel in the brain, occasioned by violent gusts of pas- sion. There is no doubt, that passionate women are most subject to abortions, which are oftener owing to outward violence, or internal tumult, than any other cause. " I have already laid it down as a fixed principle, that a state of pregnancy is not a state of infirmity or dis- ease, but of increased sensibility ; and that the changes which a woman then feels in herself, though sometimes accompanied with a little pain or uneasiness, are but notices of her situation, or warnings against indiscre- tion or intemperance. " The alleged or fancied wants of the child, may be urged as a plea for some little excess, or an excitement to more than ordinary gratifications ; but it requires on- ly a moment's reflection, on the part of any woman of common sense, to be convinced, that what disorders herself must injure the contents of her womb ; and that the injury is the greater, in proportion to the deUcacy and the slow expansion of those contents. To over- step the bounds of temperance in the early stage of pregnancy, from an idea of the embryo's wanting such suppHes, would be almost as frantic as to drown an in- fant, for the purpose of quenching its supposed thirst, or gorge, it even to bursting, in order to satisfy the era- vings of imaginary hunger."^ Note X.— Page 51. '' Some women would sooner forgive us for supposing they had taken a false step, than for thinking that they could not have children ; so that we must be exceeding- ly careful, to avoid any hints which they can construe as implying that. All these cases requiring great care, we should break them very slowly. The woman can- * Advice to Mothers, 244 not bear, the husband cannot bear, nor can any of the friends bear, to hear that it is no such thing."* Note XL — Page 51. The editor well remembers to have heard Mr. Cooper of Guy's Hospital, relate in his lectures, an instance of error in judgment, similar to the one here recorded, with this diiference only, the operation was performed; and when no water followed the instrument, as the ig- norant operator expected, not dreaming that his judg- ment could be wrong, he actually made a second at- tempt ; when, petrified and astounded, he found, but too late, that he had not only ruined his own character, but had greatly endangered the poor woman's life. Note XII.— Pa^e 51. Mistakes, on the other side of the question, are also made, and are not of very unfrequent occurrence either. '^It seems the most unaccountable mistake in the world," says a late anonymous, but ingenious writer, ^'for a woman to consider herself pregnant when she is not ; and yet it is amazing how common a complaint this is. It seems a very odd mistake to make ; but yet we may suppose it for many reasons. The time of life most incident to the error we now speak of, is that in which a woman is apt to indulge in the pleasures of the table ; this will produce indigestion, and sickness in the morning, though it will be attended with flatulency. The woman, for fear of killing the child, loosens her stay strings, which has the good effect of giving the wind more room to rumble and stir, which is again obstinate- ly mistaken for the motion of the child. From her ta- king largely the enjoyments of the table, she increases in size, and her breasts participate of the general ful- ness. : This is explained to be milk coming into them. "We must always recollect, that whenever we are ^ London Practice. 245 consulted by a woman in this situation, we must express ourselves guardedly. We may say, no doubt she is with child, but we have some doubt with regard to her reck- oning on her confinement. We may ask if she has been sick in the morning, all the time from that she first reck- oned ? She will say, '' No, certainly ; but do you doubt my being with child ?" ^' O no, there is little doubt of that ; but stomach complaints will, at times, arise in a very strange way ; you have felt the motion of the child, I suppose ?" "O yes." "But have you ever felt a limb coming up, or a knee pressing, as if it would come through your side ?" '''Why, no, not so plain as that, certainly ; but I have felt it move so often, that there can be no doubt." "Aye, but are you sure that it might not be wind ?" "Why, dear me, sir, you never doubted it before." " Oh, I don't doubt it now ; but wind will do this, and feel a good deal hke a child- Pray are you always sick in the morning ? because I once knew a young lady who was mistaken on this point, and she had some children afterwards." Note XIII.— Pa^e 62. " Very strong, and very weak women are most prone to miscarriages ; but the numbers of the strong bear no proportion to those who are of delicate constitutions ; the numbers of active country women, to the more indo- lent and inactive inhabitants of cities ; the number of those of good sense, and calm and steady minds, to the weak, the irritable, and the passionate ; and hence a most important lesson, that good health, and a good educa- tion, are the best preventives ; and that it, in a great measure, depends upon mothers, and the care they take in rearing their girls, to lessen this great and common evil."* " The general cause of miscarriages, is either too great strength, or too great weakness : and with re- * Dr. Bard. 21* 246 gard to the occasional causes, we may mention sympa- thy ; this has such an effect with other animals, that there is not a shepherd, but knows if one sheep aborts, others must abort too. If a sheep lambs, the shepherd always separates that animal from the flock, to prevent the other ewes from lambing before their time. One ani- mal is thrown into action, because the other animal is acting. Consents^ also, are common in animals, as well as sympathies. Certain parts of the body are con- nected in disease — as the nose with the rectum in ascar- ides, and the shoulder with the liver. Crying is known to produce tears in many beholders. If a man goes into a theatre, where the people are all laughing at some joke the actor has just spoken, he will grin too, without al- most wishing to inquire why. If a person is seized with a fit of gaping, those who are near will spontane- ously follow the example. " There are so many instances of this disposition to imitate, that it proves the impropriety of a pregnant wo- man ever being in the room, with one who has been mis- carrying. Passions of the mind frequently cause a miscar- riage ; and none so surely as those which increase the ac- tion of the heart and arteries. Rage may do it very speedi- ly. The union of the sexes often cause women to abort : and where the disposition is known to exist, the best way is to separate the wife from the husband, until the period of quickening is past, when there is less danger of this occurrence. ""^ " Subdue desires, nor let your troubl'd mind, Immoderate love, or fear, or sadness find ; Give not yourselves ev'n to the nuptial joy, Or aught that may your strength apace destroy. Curb each loose desire, Lest added fuel quench the former fire ; Lest ye should loose the fruits of pleasure gone, And love itself, undo what love had done." ^iOndoa Practice. 24T Note XIV.— Pa^e 53. *^ Let the gentleness of the female mind be such, a?^ springs from a genuine and proper source. It will then be connected, not with the cruel family of hatred to which fear is allied, but with that of humility, meekness and modesty. For let it ever be remembered, that every strong impression which the mind receives, dis- poses it to the reception of kindred impressions ; and that as love, hope and joy, and all the amiable passions and affections, enhance each other ; so do the ungrate- ful and unamiable ones of fear, hatred and aversion, with all their odious attendants, of suspicion, jealousy, and revenge. " Timidity is by some considered as not only grace- ful in the female character, but as necessary^ to prevent the consequences of that rashness to which girls may be exposed by their inexperience of the world. For this I consider humility and its companion, diffidence, to be infinitely more effectual. Timidity, as far as I have been able to observe, has generally been produc- tive of rashness. Where the affections are interested, it requires no small degree of courage to examine all the possible consequences of a material step. At these the timid dare not?j|ook : — obstinately shutting their eyes, blindly leap into the gulf, and often, alas, do they perceive, when it is too late, that cowardice impel- led their ruin. Another effect of extreme timidity is, in a moral view, well worthy of our attentive consider- ation. The timid seldom will he found sincere. Cun- ning is the constant refuge of cowardice ; it is the des- picable weapon of pusillanimous minds to counteract what they dare not openly oppose ; — how contemptible is the tergiversation so often detected in those, who from timidity applaud that which in their hearts they condemn ; into what deplorable dilemmas are the rash, and timid, frequently betrayed; the character of St. Pe- ter, as given in the gospels, is a beautiful example. Nor is he, alas, the only one whom timidity has betray- 248 ed to actions, for which they have had cause to weej) bitterly. '^ That cowardice may sometimes be a constitutional defect, I cannot take upon me to deny ; but that it is often an adventitious and acquired one, I think we may venture to assert ; and as it may frequently be traced to strong impressions made on the infant mind, produ- cing associations that are permanent and indelible, we must allow that it has a sufficient claim upon our atten- tion."^ To the same work, we would refer our readers for far- ther information upon this very interesting subject, as- suring them that they will be amply compensated for the little time the perusal of it may occupy. Note XY.—Page 53. ^' Most of the sympathies observable in men, work as strongly, and produce as regular effects as if they were natural, and are therefore called so, though they at first had no other original but the accidental connec- tion of two ideas, which either the strength of the first impression or future indulgence, so united, that they al- ways afterward kept company together. I mention this, that those who have children, or the charge of their education, w^ould think it worth their while, diligently to watch, and carefully to prevent, the undue connection of ideas in the minds of young people. This is the time most susceptible of lasting impressions. '^ Now what is the cure for these evils in ourselves ? no other but this, that every man should let alone others' prejudices, and examine his own. Nobody is con- vinced of his^ by the accusation of another ; he recri- minates by the same rule, and is clear. The only way to remove this great cause of ignorance out of the w^orld, is, for every one impartially to examine himself. If others will not deal fairly with their own minds, does * Hamilton on Education. 249 that make my errors truths ? or ought it to make me in love with them, and willing to impose on myself?"* Note XVL—Page 54. Miscarriages are not pecuUar to the human species, although they are more subject to it, because they lead more unnatural lives. We see, agreeably to this rule, that the domestic animals more frequently miscarry than those that are wild. Note XVlh—Page 54. This advice cannot T:)e too strongly impressed upon the minds of ladies. It is only a few months since a lady applied to me in considerable distress of mind, for my advice. She was within six or seven weeks of her confinement, and had always been in the habit of a good degree of exercise, and always found herself the better for it. She indulged principally in that of walking, and usually, if the weather would permit, before breakfast ; but some kind friends, more fearful than wise, sounded a loud, and an alarming word of caution in her ears ; suggesting to her the probability of danger to herself and child, if she continued this very salutary habit. She listened to them for a while, until she began to feel very unpleasant effects, fi'om changing activity for rest. In this situation, she desired my opinion. I told her by all means to resume her morning walk ; assuring her, that any exercise she saw fit to take, that did not induce fatigue, need not excite in her the least solicitude re- specting her own safety, or that of her offspring. She followed my advice, and went her full time, (having mis- carried in her last pregnancy). She had a very favora- ble getting to bed, a speedy recovery, and the satisfac- tion of being presented with a remarkably fine and healthy child. ♦' From labor health, from health contentment springs, ^ Contentment opes the source of every joy," * Locke on the Understanding, 260 *•' Indolence," says the excellent author of * Advice to Mothers,' " in pregnancy, is not only one of the great- est causes of abortion, but of the puerperal, or child- bed fever, so fatal to delicate mothers. A v^oman who lives fully, and neglects exercise, cannot fail to bring on a plethora, or a fulness of the habit, and redundancy of humors, which must be productive of very bad effects. The whole frame becomes languid ; all the vital organs seem to loose their energy ; the powers of the womb in particular, are influenced or perverted ; and though a miscarriage should not take place, the labors are sure to be long, severe, and dangerous; and the offspring puny and deformed. In order, therefore, to secure the blessings of a happy deUvery, and healthy child, a preg- nant woman ought to take every day a moderate degree of exercise, such as she has been most accustomed to, only using less exertion, and guarding against fatigues ; slow, short walks in the country, or gentle motion in an open carriage, must be far better suited to the ad- vanced period of pregnancy, by uniting the advantages of fresh air, with those of agreeable and solitary exer- cise. '' In order to leave no doubt upon this subject, an ap- peal has been made to facts, and particularly to the ex- perience of women who follow very hard occupations in the country. They feel no inconvenience from their usual employments in the early months of pregnancy, and require no indulgence, but a little abatement of their toil when they become unwieldly. They know nothing of artificial precepts, which would teach them to invert the order of nature. Temperance and moderate exer- cise, proper periods of labor and of rest, the country air and the cheering influence of a contented mind, in- sure to them a continuance of health in every stage ; an exemption from the common diseases of pregnancy ; an easy lying-in, and a speedy recovery from child-bed. The vigor of their offspring is justly proverbial." 251 Note XVIII. — Page, 55. Were it not for the fact, that our eyes are daily and hourly offended by the abominable custom of ladies in the family-way lacing themselves up in Corsets, we should be very unwilling to believe it ; nay, nothing but ocular demonstration would be sufficient to convince us that it was even so. What the editor has said in the additional letter, respecting the pernicious and ruinous effects of Corsets upon the constitution, applies with a ten fold force to cases of this kind. Is it not sufficient that you torture yourselves by inches, and sap the foun- dation of your own health ? Must you drag along with you your unborn infants, and entail upon them some con- stitutional defect which they must struggle under, until death shall reheve them of their sufferings ? For shame 1 Oh, for shame ! ! " Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon.'^ Note XIX,— Page 56. Facts speak louder than words, and produce effects ten times more lasting. To show the impropriety of indiscriminate bloodletting, or of bleeding mearly be- cause "mother was ; and aunt Sally thinks it is very ne- cessary," I will furnish you with a case quite in point. I might relate a host of them, but one is as good as a thousand. I speak from personal knowledge. Mrs. —— -, a charming woman, in the bloom of youth, and the sweet enjoyment of health : during her first preg- nancy, (as soon as it was clearly ascertained that she was in the family-way,) at the suggestion of some of the knowing ones, of whom a multitude are always at hand, sends off for the doctor, to call and bleed her. He attended, and as a doctor, above all men, may bet- ter be out of the world than out of fashion, he comphed with her request ; the operation was repeated about the sixth month, and I believe, again at the eighth. At the proper time, she got to bed — but for four and 1 252 twenty hours, very faint hopes of her restoration were entertained. She however revived, but having been so completely bleached by the lancet before her confine- ment, her recovery was slow and tedious. The infant looked hke the mother, pale and puny. After a year, or there abouts, madam and her friends were all dis- tressed to find her again in the family way ; and strong fears were entertained for her safety. Not suspecting, however, that bleeding had any deleterious influence, the doctor was again summoned, and again abstracted the usual quantity of blood. The operation was repeated as it was the time before, and at her accouchment, the same alarming and fearful circumstances occurred, as took place at the first — and her recovery for a long time re- mained very doubtful ; but in five or six weeks she was enabled to get about again. — Having changed her family physician during her third pregnancy, a totally different course was pursued. He would not consent to bleed lier, even at the impetuous and repeated solicitations of of herself and her friends : he had much difficulty in pacifying her, but at length succeeded. The hour of painful suspense arrived ; she got to bed without a re- currence of those frightful symptoms which before had so justly excited such fearful apprehensions ; and, after a short and comfortable confinement, she was enabled to attend to the concerns of her family. Since that, she has been the mother of three children, and has never had a protracted confinement, and has never been bled. Note XXL— Page 67. Dr. Smith does not wish, by this interrogation, at all to favor the common, but hurtful and pernicious no- tion, that because a woman is in the family-way, she therefore must indulge more freely in eating and drink- ing. This idea is repugnant to every iota of common sense, and all sound experience upon the subject. He merely wishes to make it appear, that in ordinary cases, a woman has no more nourishment than she requires, and 253 needs not the officiousness of the lancet, without the ad- vice of an able and experienced counsellor. Neither does he wish to favor the equally pernicious idea, that they ought never to lose blood. The true and safe course, and the one pursued by every judicious practi- tioner, is, as a general rule, to bleed only when the neces- sity appears plain, and not at the request of the patient without an acquiesence of his own judgment. Note XXL— Page 62. Another remark or two seems necessary to be made in this place, before entering upon the subject of the present letter. It is a very common, and a very dis- tressing, as well as an injurious circumstance, for a wo- man, at the first symptoms of approaching labor, to feel all the alarm, and terror, and perturbation, attending some most dreadful and dangerous occurrence. I have frequently seen women so affected by this distressing sense of fear, as to have their whole frame tremble like an aspen leaf, and shake like those suffering the rigor of^ an intermittent. Now this is all wrong ; it is doing yourselves a great injury, and tends greatly to protract your sufferings ; — to lengthen out your pains, to increase their number, and lessen their efficacy. Rest assured, you have nothing to fear, or nothing in comparison with what you may Taave pictured to yourselves. You ac- custom yourselves too much to look upon the hour of your lying-in, as the almost certain hour of your death. And many, with whom I am well acquainted, make all the preparation that could be expected, were they actu- ally upon the bed of death ; — leaving directions as to what shall be done with their famiUes ; — what they would wish to be "laid out in," and actually getting them ready ; — giving directions about their funeral, and some- times fixing upofi the spot of earth where they desire to be laid. Associating such gloomy thoughts, and such dark forebodings with the birth of a child, is well calcu- lated to rob vou of every source of comfort, and to dry 22 234 up every spring of happiness, and not only as relating to yourselves, but affecting almost all about you, and of course making you an unpleasant companion, even to the most affectionate husbands. It is vi^ise, it is greatly wise to live in a constant pre- paration for death; — nay, it is an indispensable duty; we owe it to Him who came to take away the sting of death ; we owe it to ourselves ; but it by no means fol- lows, that we should live all our life-time in the fear of death, "dying a thousand deaths in fearing one," it is doing injustice to our God, and injury to ourselves. Long tried experience is enough to convince you, that your fears are groundless. Experience tells you, in as loud a voice as ten thousand times ten thousands tongues can utter, that " if you have done nothing to in- jure your healthy during the previous state of your preg- nancy^ you may rely with perfect safety upon the admira- ble resources of nature; all that is required of you in labor, is a becoming submission to nature's course of operations; the steps by which she advances to her ' great end are sometimes slow, but always safe, and she is not to be hurried or disturbed with impunity." It is a remark which has often been made by those physicians who are best acquainted with bed-side sickness, that those females who submit to every necessary requisition, with the most patience, and the greatest degree of cheerful resignation, do actually suffer less, and have by far the safest recovery. Another consideration which doubtless should have some weight in favor of tranquillity and composure, is, the danger attending a sudden and unexpected transi- tion from the extreme of one passion, to the extreme of another. Whosoever is acquainted with the history of early times, knows, that "when Hannibal overcame the Romans, at the battle of Cannae, where fifty thousand men were slain, that two women instant- ly expired with excess of joy, on seeing their only sons unexpectedly return, whom they had been told 255 were among the dead. Sophocles being pronounced \ictor among the tragic Grecian poets, was himself over- come by a tumult of joy, and forfeited his life to glory. Such also was the fate of the Spartan father, who died embracing his son, when crowned with conquest at the Olympic games."* But we have no necessity of travelling back to such distant history, to prove the power of joy, nor even to any other history than that which is recorded in the me- mory of almost any one of us. We can, perhaps, all remember some instances of the baneful influence of a sudden burst of any one of the passions. It is not long ago, that a lady, at whose accouchment the editor of these letters officiated, who so fully expected death im- mediately to follow the birth of her child, that when she found it did not, the excess of joy was so great, as to produce a state of mental derangement, which made her an object of the deepest solicitude and commiseration, for about seven months. She has now, however, en- tirely recovered her senses, and once more, contrary to the expectation of any of her friends, gives her former diligent attention to the concerns of her family. Let this case then, stand recorded as a loud warning to all those who feel any disposition to give away to ground- less, visionary, fearful imagination. " Our greatest good, and what we least can spare Is hope ; the last of all our evils /ear." ! ''The demon Fear That trembles at impossible events, Lest aged Atlas should resign his load, And heaven's eternal battlements rush down. Is there an evil worse than Fear itself ? And what avails it, that indulgent heaven From mortal eyes has wrapt the woes to come, If we ingenious to torment ourselves, Grow pale at hideous fictions of our own ? — Enjoy the present, nor with needless cares * Leek on Woman. 266 Of what may spring from blind misfortune's womb, Appal the surest hour that life bestows. Serene and master of yourself, prepare For what may come; and leave the rest to Heaven.''^ Note XXII.— Pag-e 63. A FEW years since, a compliment might very justly have been passed to the American ladies, for their mo- therly conduct to their children after their birth. There was a time in our history, and that but a little while since, when a mother expected to nurse her own child, as much as she expected to bring it into the world. A wet nurse was not thought of, except in cases of neces- sity; and then the separation of the mother and the child was always a bitterly painful step. It is to be feared, however, that at present, the necessity of the case is not always consulted, nor the advice of physicians always desired. It is with grief, that I behold this almost exploded custom, again asserting a claim to be fashionable. The evil is a growing one, and ought to be nipped in its bud. A fevv' extracts, therefore, from one or two respectable authors, will neither be out of i;ime nor out of place. Ward, speaking of the origin of diseases of the spine, says, ^^This complaint has its foundation frequently laid in the improper method of nursing during early infan- cy, from the ignorance, if not culpable negligence of mothers, in refusing that nutriment to their offspring which nature herself has provided, and for which it is scarcely possible to find any substitute capable of afford- ing to the infantile stomach, a food so readily digestible and convertible into nourishment. It may be confident- ly asserted, that the infant is, under no circumstances so healthy, or free from disease, as when it is supported en- tirely on the breast of the mother ; and I have observed that children nourished entirely at the breast, are more capable of resisting the baneful effects of over-feeding, afterwards, than those who have been sustained by other food. The health of the parent may, in some instances. Vol be deemed a sufficient reason for the non-performance of this duty ; the frequent neglect of it, however, on slight and insufficient grounds, cannot be too strongly reprobated," Lichtenstein remarks, that amongst the Koossas, where the mother suckles her child two years, '^ diseases among infants are rare. It is very rare indeed, to hear a child cry ; all my companions agreed with me in this point ; we never knew an infant scream, or an older child weep !"^ ''To every feeling and considerate mother, inability to suckle, is a serious evil ; and, generally speaking, it is an evil of as great magnitude to the mother herself, as to the child; for a secretion of milk prevents many present, and not a few eventual mischiefs. The health of women during suckling is, in most instances, better than at any period of their lives. Their appetite is ex- cellent, their sleep sound and refreshing, their spirits free, their temper cheerful. But to every conscientious mother there is, superadded to all this, a pleasurable feeling of a still higher and nobler kind : it is a sense of conscientiously discharging the maternal duty : it is the gratification of beholding the lovely babe to whom she has given birth, saved from the cold caresses of a hireling, to He in the warm embraces of her own bosom ; to grow from the sweet fountain which she fiirnishes from her own veins, — rich, ample, and untainted ; to swell with the tender thrill that shoots through the heart at every lit- tle draught which is drawn away from her, — to see the cheeks dimple, and the eyes brighten, and the limbs play, and the features open ; and to trace in every fresh lineament, a softened image of herself, or one dearer to her than herself This is the luxury that awaits the mother whose unseduced ear still listens to the voice of nature, and estimates the endearments of domestic life at a higher value than the intoxicating charm of + Voyage in Southern Africa. 22* 258 fashionable amusements and midnight revels. Though transported with the present, her comforts do not end with the present ; for she has yet to look forward to a term of life in which, when those who have made a sa- crifice of maternal duty at the altar of pleasure, are wasting with decline — trembling with palsy, or torment- ed with the dread of cancer, she will still enjoy the blessings of unbroken health, and sink as on a downy pillow into tranquil old age."*" "If your own milk be not the true and proper food for your infant, why are you so formed ? Why does the secretion of your milk immediately succeed the birth of the infant ? Why is it in preparation and readiness at the very time he requires it, and at no other time? That it is his true and proper food, there can be no question. Nature, throughout all her economy, and all her works, does not present a more clear, obvious and indisputable fac4;. It is as clear as the sun itself ; it is an institute of nature, fundamental, and therefore fixed, stable, and insurmountable. " Were the suckhng animal to deny her milk to her offspring, or to feed them with any other sort of food ; were the feathered tribes to fail in gathering the natural food of their young, or to fail in taking it into their sto- machs, to adapt it to their digestive powers ; and were the insect tribes to deposit their eggs in situations where their progeny could not find their natural food, or to fail in laying up with their eggs, a store of nature's food, to be in readiness when they are hatched and brought forth; were the instincts of nature to fail in these things, disease and death to the whole of these different classes of animals, would, most infallibly ensue, and each individual race would become extinct, "t " I could wish that every woman would give suck to her own child. I am very sure, that forcing back the Oiilk, which most young women must have in great ''' Good's Study of Medicine. t Herdnian on Ini^t?. 259 abundance, may be of fatal consequence. Sometimei^^ it endangers life, and often lays the foundation of incu- rable diseases. The reasons that are given for this practice, are very frivolous, and drawn from false pre- mises ; that some women are too weak to bear such a drain, which would rob them of their own nourish- ment : this is a very mistaken notion."*" Note XXllh—Page 64. In order to feed your curiosity, I extract from " Ray on Creation^^^ the following case of a man's giving suck to his own child ; not, however, as being the only case on record, by any means. '' A countryman called Billardino de Billo^ Hving in a village belonging to Nocera^ in Umhria^ called Soma- reggio, whose wife dying, and leaving a young infant, he nourished it with his own milk. This man, either because in the small village where he lived, there was not a wet-nurse to be had, or because he was not able to hire one, took the child, and applying it to his own bosom, and putting the nipples of his breasts into its mouth, invited it to suck, when the infant, after divers times drawing, fetched some milk ; which, as the father encouraged, continued to apply it, and so, after awhile, it brought down the milk so plentifully, as to nourish it for many months, till it was fit to be weaned. "t Note XXIV.— P«^e QQ. This gracious bounty is only abused by man in civi- lized life. ''If we take a view of all animated nature, it is shocking to find, that woman should be the only monster capable of withholding the nutritive fluid from her young. Such a monster, however, does not exist among the savage nations ; they cannot separate the idea of bringing forth a child, from the necessity of giving it suck. The wives of the American savages, are said * Cadogaii on Infants, t Ray on Creation. • 960 to extend this mark of motherly tenderness and solici- tude, even to infants that die upon the breast. After having bestowed upon them the rights of burial, they come once a day, for several weeks, and press from the nipple a few drops of milk upon the grave of the de- parted suckling. I have seen a drawing taken from na- ture, by a gentleman at Botany Bay ; it represented a female of that country, after having opened one of her veins, and made an incision in the navel of her suck- ling child, endeavoring to transfuse her blood into its body, and hoping thereby to restore its health, and to prolong its existence. Let the mother in civilized so- ciety, who, from motives of selfish ease, and imaginary pleasure, denies her infant the vital stream with which she is abundantly supplied for its sustenance, think of the poor savage, and start with horror at her own unnatural depravity."* ^'I am quite at a loss to account for the general prac- tice of sending infants out of doors to be suckled, or dry-nursed by another woman, who has not so much understanding, nor can have so much affection for it, as the parents ; and how it comes to pass, that people of good sense and easy circumstances, will not give them- selves the pains to watch over the health and welfare of their children, but are so careless as to give them up to the common methods, without considering how near it is to an equal chance, that they are destroyed by them. The ancient custom of exposing them to wild beasts, or drowning them, would certainly be a much quicker and a more Humane way of despatching them."t Note XX\ ,—Page, 67. The melancholy mortality among children, is a sub- ject which has long attracted the attention of the phi- lanthropist. It is variously stated by different writers upon the subject. Dr. Underwood says, "it is univer- * Advice to Mothers. t Cadogan. 261 sally acknowledged, that a far greater number of chil- dren die under the age of two years, than at any other period." It has been remarked by another, "that out of 2,785 who died within the month, 1,292 died the first day of their existence." "It is no less astonish- ing than true, that more than one fourth part of the hu- man race die in infancy — in their first year."* "But let any one," says Cadogan, "who would be fully convinced of this matter, look over the bills of mortality. There he may observe, that almost half the number of those who fill up that black list, die under five years of age : so that half the people that come into the world, go out of it again before they become of the least use to it, or themselves." Buchan, in his " Advice to Mothers ^^^ says, "It appears from the best calcula- tions, that at least, one half the children born, die be- fore they are twelve years old ; of the surviving half at that period, how many perish before they attain to ma- turity ?" These statements are truly alarming- and oall not only for the attention of physicians, but for the watchfialness of parents. There is a fault somewhere, and that fault should be corrected. It should, how^ever, be noticed, that these statements, for the most part, are taken from hospitals and city registers, it being very difficult to ascertain the exact proportion of deaths among children under a certain age in the country. They are all, too, from European WTiters. It is con- jectured, that, generally, the mort?ality in this country, is not near as great as these accounts represent. And •it will be seen, from the following table, derived from the yearly reports of the corporation, that as far as this city is concerned, the proportion is less. ^ Herdman on Infants, 262 • Years. Total deaths. Deaths under 5 years of age 1822 3,231 1,276 1823 3,444 1,422 1824 4,341 1,858 1825 5,018 1,795 1826 4,973 2,058 Total in 5 years, 21,007 8,409 By which it appears, that in this city and county, two fifths of all who die, die under five years of age. The editor has examined some of the grave-yards in the country, to endeavor to discover the proportion in vil- lages ; but from the dilapidation of time, and the speed in which the little mound of earth becomes level, and the ahnost universal neglect of parents placing tomb- stones at the graves of their infant children, no inform- ation of any value or importance, could be gained from the inspection. Note XXVI.— Page 72. Is it.ever consistent and right for a woman of scrof- fulous habits to nurse her own child ? This is a ques- tion of considerable interest to many mothers. They do not wish to entail upon their oflfspring a disease from which they themselves have suffered so much ; and they feel willing to make almost any sacrifice to prevent it. It is a question, a satisfactory answer to which, involves a good deal of difficulty. It is doubtless proper, always to err on the safe side, and of two evils, to choose the least ; and, therefore, when it can conveniently be done, perhaps it is better for the mother, under such circum- stances, not to nurse her child. But many women in the middle walks of life, who labor under some scroffu- lous taint of constitution, cannot afford to keep an addi- tional servant, and particularly one of so consequential and so expensive a stamp, as wet nurses generally are : and voluntarily to deprive a little helpless infant from the 263 first hours of its existence, of the food the wise and boun- tiful author of its being has provided for it, is a trial of no very supportable kind for a fond mother to resolve upon : before entering upon such a task, she will require the point of duty to be made very plain. It is not one of the least painful trials of the married state, for an affection- ate mother to wean her child, who has for a long, long time been drawing both nourishment and strength from this natural fountain. The resolution is usually accom- panied with very painful emotions ; and if the accom- plishment of it is so trying when the infant is at an age to receive other nourishment ; nay, when other nourish- ment becomes necessary, it certainly must be more try- ing to deny it one drop of nature's food. To such mothers, then, the question becomes of great interest. Can a child contract a constitutional disease from '' nur- sing ?" I am aware that many of the most respectable physicians are of opinion that they can ; but even that is no reason why the inquiry should not be made. I do not pretend to answer in the negative, but I by no means think the affirmative so certain. I intend merely to state one or two facts, let them have whatsoever bearing they may. i. ScrofFula descends as often through the ma]e as through the female line of a family. 2. A child having a scrofFulous mother, and, if taken from her and given to a wet nurse of perfectly healthy constitution, is not by any means secure from attacks of the disease in some form or other, as experience fully testifies. 3. A scroffulous mother may sometimes have healthy children, notwithstanding she nurses them herself. 4. Another consideration I must mention is, that provided a child does not nurse its mother, the mother is almost certain to become pregnant again after a much shorter interval than she otherwise would do, and thereby running the chance of bringing into the world more scroffulous chil- dren than she would be likely to do if she nursed her own child. I would not, for one moment, be thought to favor the opinion that infectious diseases are not coi)- '264 tiacted at the breast. This is a fact which no one in his senses would ever think of denying. Note XXYlh— Page 73. The fact that children do pinie away and die, and sometimes with apparently very little disease, if the nurse should still continue to furnish it with milk when she is in the family-way, is one which is well established. ^^The change that has taken place," says Richerand, " shows itself in all her functions : she exhales a pecu- liar, odour; the child she suckles refuses the breast, or takes it with reluctance, and soon falls away, if left in the hands of such a nurse." It is, doubtless, a fruitful source of fatal disease in infants, and should be assidu- ously guarded against by those having the charge of them. Note XXYIIh— Page 81. Nothing is more common than for mothers to keep the child away from the breast until the milk flows into it : not conjecturing that early titilation of the nipple, is one of the best means to cause a gentle and gradual flow of the milk into the breasts. They seem to think the child requires something to be given it until the '^ milk comes." And the first thing is, a little molasses and water, for the purpose of purging away the " encomium," (as we are informed by Herdman, the London nurses call the dark coloured discharge, which first passes from the bowels,) then the little creature must swallow down some pap, &c. &/C. The stomach being thus full, (for the stomach of a new-born infant requires but little to fill it,) and the child having no appetite, — when it is deemed time to apply it to the breast, the sadness of the case is that it cannot suck at all ! and no wonder, I think. The breasts become fuller and fuller, by the fruitless ir- ritation of this delayed operation ; and, at length, be- come so caked and hard, that they must be drawn by the nurse or some one else; and by this time the nip- 265 pie becomes so excoriated, by the constant endeavors to soften the breast, that the poor exhausted mother is oftentimes in a continued state of agony; and ten chances to one, she must have a gathered breast in the bargain. Now all this ninety-nine times out of an hundred might be saved, if the child had been put to the empty breast, with an empty stomach, within two or three hours after it was born. It wants, at first, but little, and that little it will almost invariably obtain from the breast, notwithstanding you may imagine there is nothing in it. NoTEXXIX.~P«^e 81. The dress of an infant should be loose and light, even the roller which passes around the body, and which is in almost universal use in this country ; if necessary at all, should be made of soft, new, thin, yielding flannel, and be tied with tape strings, just tight enough to keep the pledget of soft linen upon the navel. This bandage does not prevent rupture, as is often thought ; its effect is more the cause of rupture, if it be firmly put around, xlnother injurious custom is, wrapping up the child's feet, and pinning what is called the foot blanket, so as to confine the infant's feet. Let every possible source of irritation be removed, and especially every thing tight and confining. "Rational tenderness," says an unknown author, '^ shows itself in making the dress lights simple and loose. By being as light as is con- sistent with due warmth, it will neither encumber the infant, nor cause any waste of its powers ; in con- sequence of its simplicity., it will be readily and easily put on so as to prevent many cries and tears, an object of infinite importance ; — and its looseness will leave full room for moving and stretching those little limbs which have been so long heaped together ; and for the growth and expansion of the entire frame." "A piece of fine flannel," says Buchan, "round the navel, a linen or cot- ton shirt, a flannel petticoat, a linen or cotton robe, are 23 266 soon put on ; and where fastenings are requisite, they should consist of tape, without the dangerous use of pins. Their punctures and scratches are very irrita- ting ; and the fact is far from being singular and extra- ordinary, where pins were found sticking above half an inch into the body of a child, after it had died of CONVULSION FITS, which in all probabiUty proceeded from that cause." " No part of an infant's dress should hang down more than two or three inches below the feet : long robes and long petticoats, serve only to conceal the nurse's inatten- tion to cleanliness ; and are, even on that account, very improper, as well as cumbersome. The night clothes should be much lighter than those worn by day, from a due regard to the situation of the infant, who should, at all times, either in bed or out, experience nearly the same degree of warmth ; — every moisture or impurity should be instantly removed ; and as those parts of the dress which are next to the skin, are constantly imbibing perspirable matter, they should be changed frequently. Away with finery, but take care the child is always CLEAN AND DRY." The child's cap, which should always be of some very light, thin, and single material, should be laid aside at the expiration of two or three months ; and a child should not sleep in a night cap. Re- member, too, that a child should never sleep on its nurse's arms, to imbibe the heat and moisture of her body. The editor has often observed, with pain, the puny and feeble health of young children, who are compelled to sleep with old persons : it will rob a healthy, plump child of its flesh and all its vigor, while it increases the vigor and the warmth of the old person with whom it sleeps; and it was, doubtless, from a knowledge of this fact, that the friends of the old pa- triarch David, expected strength, and vigor, and warmth, from a young and blooming bed-fellow. 267 Note XXX,— Page 82. The remarks which I had occasion to make in the 28th note, cannot be too strongly impressed upon the minds of all who have any thing to do with the first mo- ments of an infant's existence ; and as the remarks of that very excellent author, Herdman, are so exactly in point, and, as his authority too, is excellent, I feel in duty bound to give you a copious extract. "You think that the infant may starve before you can give him the breast. But this is a vain thought, for he is in no danger of starvation ; his blood is rich of nourishment, as it were ; he had a constant supply, till the very moment of his birth ; and this supply is fully sufficient for the purposes of his economy, till the changes of his birth are effected ; till his new organs, his stomach and bowels, are ready to digest and prepare his nourishment, and till you are ready to give him the breast. Besides, how can you suppose that nature would leave a matter, so essential to the welfare, the preservation and existence of the infant, so ill contrived ? And pray, what do the young of the inferior animals get, before the mother's milk is ready for them? no one thing whatever ; it is ready so soon as they require it, or so soon as they are ready to receive it. " This is a universal law of nature ; a law which ob- tains with you, as well as with the inferior animals ; that the milk of the mother is in preparation, and in readiness, and at the very time her offspring requires it, or is ready to receive it ; or, in other words, the infant's necessity for food, and the mother's ability to supply it, exactly keep pace, or correspond with each other. " For you perceive, that your milk is not in readiness at the very time the infant is born ; but, at this time, its secretion begins, and in a certain period it is ready to be given out for his support and nourishment. Neither does the infant require it at the time of his birth ; nay, he is not in readiness to receive it, for as the secretion of your milk begins immediately after its birth, so also 268 do the changes of his body ; and till those changes be effected, the milk cannot be digested, or turned into nourishment. '^ The fact is simply this : that instead of nourishing the infant, by feeding him before your milk is in readi- ness, or before the changes of birth are effected, you only load his stomach with a substance it cannot pos- sibly digest. As in purging away the meconium from his bowels, you derange his whole economy ; and you disturb the changes of his birth — you bring him real starvation ; for the substance you give him is not digest- ed, and when he gets your milk, neither is it digested, because his physic and his food have thrown his stomach and his bowels into the state of disease ; and this dis- ease is displayed in flatulencies, purgings and gripes : in green, sour, slimy, curdled and offensive stools, and his want of nourishment is soon displayed in emacia- tion, and leanness, and softness of flesh. " Nor is this all ; for you not only bring severe and lasting disease to the infant, by feeding it before it sucks, but also severe injury to yourselves. While the infant is thus diseased ; while he is tormented with se- vere flatulencies and gripes ; while he is kicking, and crying, and writhing in agony, he will neither suck nor fasten to suck. He is applied, and re-apphed to the breast; but still he refuses to suck. Thus you are teased, fatigued, and worn out : yet often your breasts become gorged, and distended with milk. Now your nip» pies are sore and inflamed ; now you have swelHngs, and suppurations in your breasts, milk fevers and milk sores. The whole economy which nature has established be- tween you and your infant, is thrown into confusion. But one link in the chain broken, one institution of na- ture perverted, and the whole fabric falls to the ground : the most untoward and direful consequences ensue. " Be it your business, therefore, to prevent these con- sequences. Preserve this link, this simple, yet beauti- ful fabric entire ; preserve the connection which the 269 wisdom of nature has established between you and your infant, in the most strict and sacred manner. Be not forgetful, but pay the most sacred regard to this sove- reign and universal law of nature, that the mother'' s abili- ty^ or readiness to supply the infant with her milk^ and his necessity for food^ exactly keep pace^ and correspond ivitheach other," It may be interesting to some of my readers, to know the method pursued in child-bed, by the ancient Ger- mans, it being so totally different from any thing we now see, or even should wish to see. " The hardy active wife of the ancient Germans, (from whom we are descended,) was frequently deliver- ed in the open field, in the midst of her toil. She bathed her fond offspring in the nearest brook, and wrapped him in cool leaves. Thus the open and serene sky, ca- nopied the puerperal bed. Frequently the labor of the field was continued. The dipping and bathing of the infant, on his introduction to the light of day, was prac- ticably a test of his sound state, and certainly hardened his tender body."^ Note XXXL—Page 89. Other causes besides a want of rest, tend greatly to produce a disagreeable milk ; " when a nurse,*' says the excellent Moore, in his Medical Sketches, '^ passes too long a time without fresh suppHes of victuals, her milk becomes rank and bitter, and the child she suckles rejects it with disgust ; let her take a basin of fresh broth, and, within a short time, her breasts will be filled with sweet milk, and the child will suck it with avidity." Note XXXII.— Pa^6 90. Another danger of over-feeding children, is, in- ducing a distortion of the spinal coUum, by destroying the vigor of the system. '■* Salzmann's Gymna,stic?, 23* 270 •'A similar error to which the distortion of the spine may be traced, is the abuse in the mode of diet often adopted by nurses and others, not only during the period of weaning, but for some years afterwards ; loading the sto- mach with an unnecessary quantity of food ; the de- fective nutrition of the body is to be attributed no less to excess of quantity, than to a deficiency of nutriment ; and I would appeal to the experience of those who have had extensive opportunities of observation, in the dis- orders of children, whether the instances of disease arising from privation of food, be not much less fre- quent, than those occasioned by the contrary extreme, by which the assimilatory organs are rendered incapable of converting the superabundance into chyle, suitable for the nutrition of the body. It is a fact, exemplified in the mode in which men are trained and exercised for pu- gilistic contests, as well as in the feeding of game cocks, that, though the animal powers are increased for a time by the free use of highly nutritious food, the practice cannot be persevered in ; and if continued too long, it will occasion a loss of strength and vigor."* Note XXXllL—Page 91. While some physicians are opposed to the use of cradles, and have wrote much exposing their injurious effects, others have espoused the other side of the ques- tion, and have ventured to write in their favor. Among the latter class, is the late Dr. Underwood : he thinks the undulating motion of the child before birth, points out the propriety of continuing the same, or a similar motion, after it is born. He likewise draws an argu- ment in their favor, from the custom which almost uni- versally prevails, of moving and dandling a child, when ever it appears uneasy or crying, in order to still it ; therefore inferring the use from instinct. That cradles actually do harm, I am not prepared to say : some are ^ Ward on the Spine. 271 of opinion that they are one great cause of the alarnrung- prevalency of dropsy in the brain ; but I cannot think that these writers have supported their opinion with any very clear or powerful arguments ; but this, howe7er, is certain, that they are generally useless ; and usually, by promoting an undue proportion of sleep during the day, make a child restless at night. A child accus- tomed to the cradle, looks for it as much as for the breast, and it is no small task to be tied to a cradle for two or three hours at a time ; and, moreover, it is al- together probable, that if children were to spend in the open air, only half the time they are forced to lay in an unnecessary sleep, it would conduce far more to their ge- neral health : therefore, perhaps, as a general rule, we may safely say, that it is better a cradle should never dis- grace a nursery — nevertheless, it will not be as the Doc- tor says. Note XXXIV.— P«g6 99. Respecting the time of weaning children, no cer- tain rule can be laid dow^n. It has already been shown, that a child cannot be permitted to suck after its nurse is in the family-way, without endangering, most serious- ly, its health. In general, 1 should say no child ought to be weaned, until it has teeth ; and, perhaps, at the appearance of as many as three or four teeth, it would be advisable to commence occasionally feeding the child, with a view to weaning it, if it can conveniently be done, before giving it the breast ; and in this way to en- deavor to bring about this important change in its mode of living, in as gradual a way as possible. Mothers would doubtless avoid one great source of danger at- tending the w^eaning of their children, if they would only consent to listen to the wholesome rules here laid down — rules, it appears to me, dictated alike by reason, humanity, and experience. The common custom of suddenly depriving a little infant of its accustomed nou- 272 rishment, is one, to say nothing of the danger attending it, abominably cruel, and ridiculously absurd. Note XXXV,— Page 99. It is very essential to the process of digestion, that the food we take, especially animal food, should be well masticated. Old people are often troubled with dis- tressing symptoms of indigestion ; and it is more than probable, that it owes its principal cause, more than half the time, to imperfectly chewing their food. Their teeth are usually so much decayed, that they do not pos- sess the facility of getting their food fine, which they once did ; and it has been observed, that those old people who have their teeth entire, or nearly so, are usually less afflicted with indigestion, than those whose teeth are either gone, or otherwise rendered useless. If food be taken slow, and well masticated, much less will satisfy hunger than when it is bolted ; and, of course, it will be digested without the oppression neces- sarily attending a crammed stomach. Note XXXYl.— Page 101. In cases where children have long been laboring un- der bowel complaints, and where the astringent and the purgative appear alike perfectly inefficacious, I have seen the good eifects of a piece of salted pork, taken from the barrel, toasted upon a fork before the fire, and given to the child. In most cases children will cry after more, when they will reject almost any other kind of food. Note XXXVIL— Pa^6 111. The syrup of violets, and the oil of almonds, form a prescription which cannot be very readily obtained ; but the following preparation will answer all the purposes, and, in some respects, is preferable. The necessity of giving any medicine, however, should be clearly ascer- tained ; for there can be but little doubt, but what more injury is done by indiscriminately administering medi- 273 cine for every trifling complaint, than by entirely with- holding it. For a gentle laxative, take of powdered rhubarb and calcined magnesia, of each thirty grains ; mix with eight table-spoonsful of water, and add four drops of essence of peppermint, and a large lump of loaf sugar ; of this, give a desert-spoonful to a child a year old, as occasion may require. The common syrup of rhubarb, prepared with spices, and mixed with Hme water, is, also, an ex- cellent purgative for young children. I wish, however, to have it distinctly understood, that I do most cordially and heartily disapprove of nurses dosing infants, at their own discretion.*" Note XXXVIII.— Pa^6 113. An eastern dervise was once asked by a wealthy Ma- hometan, '•'- Of what service to society is an order of men, who employ themselves in speculative notions of divinity and medicine ?" ^^ If you were more cautious and temperate in your meals," answered the dervise ; '-if you would learn to govern your passions and desires, by a due attention to abstinence, you all might be sages, and have no occasion for dervises among you. But your appetite and aliment impair your understanding." '^ In the consumption of food we are liable to com- mit errors, both as to their quantity and quality. The error in the quantity, however, is generally the most detrimental. A smaU portion of food can be better digested, and more easily changed into chyle, — or that elementary fluid, from which the blood derives its origin, — than a large portion, which injures the coats of the stomach, and prevents them from exerting their force. Hence every satiety, or superfluity, is noxious. " It is in infancy and early age, that the foundation is laid for the many diseases arising from indigestion, which are now found in almost every family. If children are * See Introductory Letter. 274 fed immoderately, and beyond the real wants of nature^ the first passages become too much distended, and their stomachs, by degrees, acquire an unnatural craving for food, which must be satisfied, whatever be the conse- quence. These excessive suppilies are not only unne- cessary, but produce the most serious and fatal disor- ders. There is a certain relation subsisting between what is taken in, and what is lost by the body. If we eat and drink much, we likewise lose much, without gaining any more by it, than we might do by moderate meals."* Note XXXIX.— Page 116. '' Slow eating, preserves the fibres in a due state of elasticity. Hence to eat slowly^ is the first maxim in dietetics ; the stomach suffering in this case a very gra- dual distension, as the food has sufficient time to be duly prepared by mastication. He who observes this simple rule, wdll feel himself satisfied, only after he has received a due proportion of aliment. But he who swallows his food too quickly, and before it is perfectly chewed, will imagine he has eaten enough, when the unmasticated provisions occasion a sense of pressure on the sides of the stomach. The teeth are designed by nature to grind our food, and to mix it with the saliva, produced by innumerable glands, and destined to pro- mote its solution."! Note XL.-- -Page 123. Regularity in the meals of children, has an import- ant bearing upon their health, notwithstanding a late writer| seems to hoot at the idea. When children are all the time picking a little here, and a little there, when partaking the regular meals of the family, they are ob- served to eat nothing, and " surely they must be sick," is the common exclamation ; and, ten chances to one, "^ Vv^illich on Diet. t Ibid. | See Maternal Physicianc 275 down goes a dose of physic, especially if there be any other symptoms of disease present. And again ; when children never know the sense of hunger, they cannot have a keen relish for food ; and if they have not, they cannot have perfect digestion. It may be difficult to confine children to regular periods of eating ; and, in- deed, it is not to be expected that the precise regularity here laid down, as to time^ quality^ and quantity^ can be exactly observed ; but, nevertheless, I am persuaded, if there was more regularity, and more uniformity — more system, as it regards the meals of children, fewer would be diseased, and fewer would die. Over feeding, and irregularity as to time, is considered by all judicious physicians as a fruitful source of evil. And it is certain the habits of a child may be formed at a much earlier period than is usually attempted. Perseverance and decision are essential qualifications in this part of in- fantile management. Note XLI.— Page 128. This, perhaps, may be considered a direction ijiore proper to be given to a physician, than to a mother. But there exists an unaccountable prejudice in the minds of most mothers, against this simple operation, and which, it is our duty to remove. It is in the experience of almost every physician, an operation which affords, oftentimes, the most marked relief, and should never be objected to by the parent. It is, also, not unfrequently, a piece of affected foolishness, for the mother to refuse holding the child ; some one must be found, who has a harder heart. Often, however, has the editor di- vided the gum unknown to the mother, while she has been waiting for some one to hold the child. An opi- nion exists among many persons, as groundless as it is ridiculous, that if the gums should be lanced too soon, the child will cut the teeth with more difficulty after the cut has grown together again, because the gum becomes thicker. Now the reverse is just the fact ; for^ notwith- ^ • 276 standing the scar upon the gum renders it thicker, still its texture is nothing like as firm as it was before the operation, and will much more readily yield to the pres- sure of the tooth. Note XLIL— Page 129. This is, doubtless, a direction which has no place here, it belongs to the physician ; but, as a passing re- mark, I must be permitted to say, I have never found occasion for this particularity. It is giving to the ope- ration a formidable appearance, which does not belong to it. An incision, with sufficient force of pressure to reach the tooth, is all that is requisite. The instrument now universally used for the purpose, is the gum lancet. No other should ever be allowed. Note XUIL—Page 138. The origin of worms in the human intestines, is a subject which has long occupied the attention of phy- sicians and naturalists ; and principally, two opinions seem to divide them ; each of which, as is usually the case, claim great names for its support. The one accounting for them on the principle of equivocal ge- neration ; the other, that their eggs exist in different parts of the body, and are vivified only under particu- lar circumstances. The former, principally advocated by writers of an atheistical cast ; the other, by those who believe all animals have a parent ; and, doubtless, as reason and religion advance, the latter opinion will prevail. This is not the place for a disquisition on worms — that concerns the physician ; but it may be of practical importance to you to know, that weak, feeble children, are more subject to their diseases, — the children of the poor, far more than those of the rich, — children confined to a vegetable diet, more than those permitted the indulgence of a due proportion of animal food, — those restrained in their rompings, and their exercise, more than those encouraged in them, — those who live 277 • poor, more than those who live well. They have also been observed to be more common among those chil- dren who are permitted to draw their nourishment from the breast of a hireUng, than among those who are en- joying the high privilege of drawing it from their own mother. Brera says, that "in Sweden, the third part of the sick poor, who are badly fed, and who drink the im- pure water of the Soetra, are very often attacked with verminous diseases." It seems necessary that I should sound a word of cau- tion to mothers, to be careful how they administer worm powders to their children, from the hands of quacks. In the vicinity of almost every considerable town, are to be found persons who profess to prepare a secret medicine, which possesses wonderful power over worms. And they will tell you, that if the worms do not come away whole, they will come away in " pieces." When the "pieces," as they call them, are merely the effect of the irritation upon the inner coat of the bowels, caused by their nostrums. As a warning to parents, let me tell you, that I have known the death of three lovely child- ren caused by these abominable drugs, within the two last years ; and in two of them, they produced a dropsy of the brain. Be, then, upon your guard ; let no ruth- less, selfish, sordid hand, meddle with the tender plant. Our children form too great a part of ourselves, for them to suffer alone : we too must feel every pang which they do ; and, very oflen, feel it much longer too. The advice given by the author, to let children take, occasionally, a little wine, should only be followed un- der rigid restrictions ; that it ever does good, I have strong doubts ; that it may do harm, there can be no questioning. Note XUY.—Page 139. An article of diet, from the class of shell-fish, not known in England, is hard clams. They are whole- some, and easily digestible; but they should not be 24 278 roasted dry or hard. If left with a good proportion of their liquor, they are often found very serviceable in the sum- mer complaint of children. The whole clam should be eaten ; no part should be rejected ; the hard part, — that which many persons are in the habit of throwing away, —will digest with the same ease as the softer. Note XLY.— Page 139. The doctor's wish has been very faithfully accom- plished ; and, perhaps, the best treatise upon the dis- eases of children which we have, is Dr. Underwood's. It, of course, contains some things which are exception- able. And what work is there from the mould of mor- tality, which does not? but these exceptions are few : and the whole profession, I am sure, feel grateful for this excellent production. Note XLVL—Page 139. '^ The Edinburgh college have entirely expunged this unnecessary drug, and take no farther notice of it, than barely giving it a place in the catalogue of simples, along with sundry other substances, which they do not insist, upon being kept in the shops. "^ Note XhYlL— Page 144. Matrimony, and its usual concomitant, the produc- tion of children, appear essential to the proper cultiva- tion of all the soft, endearing, ennobling virtues. The maiden lady of forty-five, and the bachelor of fifty, to- gether with the childless married pair, are alike usually deficient in those social graces which generally adorn those in other stations of life. These, in their constant intercourse with children, are continually compelled, more or less, to exercise patience, forbearance, meek- ness, docility and condescension ; they are continually -^^ Quincey's Dispensatory. 279 in circumstances which call forth either one or the other of these graces ; while those in another walk of life, plod- ding on the more even tenor of their way, are not half as often ruffled or perplexed, and teased ; and the love- ly graces being seldom called into exercise, are not visi- ble, or if visible at all, appear, oftentimes, ^^ not to be at home ;" consequently, at the age we have specified, the the latter class of individuals, is Stiff, dry, and sage. • Quoting old proverbs, oft with much formality," while the parent exhibits a character which is not readi- ly mistaken ; — affable and friendly, free from suspicion, from jealousy, and from precision. The one wrapped up in self, the other feeling for another's woes. Note XhYllL— Page 145, '^ I WILL visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation." A standing illustration of the doctrine of original sin, is to be found in every case of hereditary disease ; and as well might we say, it was '-'- inconsistent with the justice of a benevolent Deity," to permit hereditary dis- ease, as to permit children to be viciously inclined. Some are vastly more so than others, it is true ; and it is no less true, that it is one grand duty of parents, to overcome and check their vicious inclinations. Note XLIX.—Page 152. To the sober attention of those mothers who wish to hear more, respecting the management of children, I would cheerfiiUy recommend the writings of Miss Edge- worth. That lady has paid particular attention to the cultivation of the first dawnings of the human mind. Note L. — Page 157. '^ Milk has been, I know not by what authority, for- bidden in all fevers ; but, as far as my experience goes," 280 it affords an innocent food, where it is found grateful to the patient."*- Note LI. — Page 160. The great scarcity of asses' milk, especially in this country, even were it so much better for the infant and the invalid, places it entirely beyond the reach, of by far the greater portion of society ; but I am not at all clear, that it has even answered the expectations of those patients who have had it in their power to indulge themselves in it ; the stories of its wonderful efficacy, are by no means well attested : so that it is probable the poor are not deprived of any very valuable remedy, when they are forbidden the use of asses' milk. Note lAl.—Page 168. It would certainly add, in no small degree, to the comfort of the sick, if these rules could be observed. A custom generally prevails, of visiting the sick upon Sundays. On that day, very often, the friends of a sick person think, as they have nothing especially to claim their attention, they may, as well as not, go and pay them a visit, and the house becomes thronged. Their noise and their prattle, (for they must all have something to say,) make one constant buzz, which seldom fails to annoy the ears of the sick, even should the congrega- tion not assemble in the sick-chamber. And another occurrence, than which I know of none more ridi- culous, is, that a person should take offence, because he is refused to see the patient. Sure am I, that such never were very sick, and never knew, by their own experience, the pain of only turning the aching head to notice a visitor, or the greater pain of speaking, when disease has debilitated the system. If they had, they * Heberden's Commentaries. 281 would not so soon take fire at what may be considered almost essential to the comfort of the sick. Note Llll.—Page 169. There is a superstition existing in the minds of a vast many men, respecting this subject. They imagine, that, if they settle their worldly affairs, and make their will, it, somehow or other, may cut short their days. They cannot bear to think upon the subject, and thus it proceeds, until sickness comes on, and then all this ne- cessary work remains to be done. There can be no doubt but the agitation attending this last act of a man's hfe, thus delayed, has riveted faster the seeds of disease, and perhaps converted a complaint otherwise mild, into one which must soon prove fatal : almost every physician can verify the justness of this remark. Note LIV.— Page 177. The following remarks of that most excellent and accurate observer, Heberden, are so very applicable to our present purpose, that I cannot deny myself the plea- sure of quoting them. " Many physicians appear to be too strict and parti- cular in the rules of diet and regimen, which they de- liver as proper to be observed by all, who are solicitous, either to preserve or recover their health ; the too anxious attention to these rules, hath often hurt those who are well, and added, unnecessarily, to the distresses of the sick. The common experience of mankind will sufficiently acquaint any one with the sorts of food which are wholesome to the generality of men ; and his own experience will teach him, which of these agrees with his particular constitution. Scarcely any other di- rections besides these are wanted, except that, as varie- ty of food at the same meal, and poignant sauces, will tempt most persons to eat more than they can well di- gest ; they ought, therefore, to be avoided by all who are afflicted with any chronical disorder, or wish to keep 282 free from them ; but whether meat should be boiled or roasted, or dressed in any other plain way, and what sort of vegetables should be eaten with it, I never yet met with any person of common sense, (except in acute illness,) whom I did not think much fitter to choose for himself, than I was to determine for him. Small beer, where it agrees, or water alone, are the most proper li- quors at meals ; wine or spirits mixed with water, have gradually led on several to be sots, and have ruined more constitutions than ever were hurt by small beer, from its first invention. ^' In fevers, a little more restraint is necessary ; but not so much as is often enjoined : — the stronger sort of meat and fish, are sometimes loathed by the sick them- selves ; nor could they be eaten without offending the stomach, and increasing the distemper, while it is at all considerable ; for in its decline, the sick are often de- sirous for some of the milder sorts of meat, and no harm follows from indulging their desires."*" Note LY.—Page 181. ^^ Doubts are often raised about the propriety of changing the linen in sickness, just as there have been about changing the foul air of a sick chamber, by any of the means which could refresh and purify it. There can be but very little reason to fear any mischief from the cold, which the sick may feel while their clean linen is putting on ; for their attendants, with common care, will do this as safely as many other things which must necessarily be done for them. But some have a strange opinion of harm, from the smell of the soap, perceiva- ble in linen after it has been washed, and therefore al- low not their patients, when they change their linen, even to put on fresh, but such only as has been worn, or lain in by other persons. '^ By this contrivance, indeed, the smell of the soap * Heberderrs Commentaries. 283 might be taken off, but few cleanly people would think they gained any advantage by the exchange. Now, if a faint smell of soap were noxious, then soap-makers, and laundry servants, must be remarkably unhealthy ; which is contrary to experience : nor is it less so, that the sick are injured by the cleanliness of what they wear ; on the contrary, the removing of these foul things, has often diffused over them a sense of ease and comfort, which has soon lulled them into a quiet and refreshing sleep. "^ "^ Heberden's Commentaries. FINIS 3 47 7 4