Class 7? ClA 
 Book J/ S3 
 
 COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 
 
V 
 
SPECIAL 
 
 Hygienic! Medical Information 
 
 FOR PARENTS, 
 
 EMBRACING 
 
 HEALTH AND DISEASES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS, 
 URINARY APPARATUS, RECTUM, DISEASES OF CHILD- 
 HOOD, EVERYDAY EMERGENCIES, HOUSEHOLD 
 RECIPES, AND COMMON DISORDERS 
 AND WHAT TO DO. 
 
 WITH COPIOUS INDEX AND GLOSSARY. 
 
 / * 
 
 
 <j 
 
 / 
 
 B. M. DEWEY, M.D, 
 
 KNOWN AS THE LIGHTNING LECTURER. 
 
 
 CHICAGO: 
 
 KNIGHT & LEONARD, PRINTERS. 
 
 1880. 
 
\ 
 
 
 Copyright. 1878. 
 By B. M. DEWEY. M. D. 
 
TO MY WIFE, 
 
 WHO, FOR EIGHT YEARS, WAS ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN GIVING 
 
 LECTURES TO LADIES ON PHYSIOLOGY AND HYGIENE ; 
 
 WHO HAS BEEN MY CONSTANT COMPANION AND 
 
 ASSISTANT DURING THE PAST FIFTEEN YEARS; 
 
 TO WHOM I AM ESPECIALLY INDEBTED 
 
 FOR THE LITERARY AND FINANCIAL 
 
 SUCCESS I HAVE ACHIEVED, 
 
 I LOVINGLY DEDICATE THIS VOLUME. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 IN presenting the present volume to the public, my 
 object has been not so much to present anything new 
 as to recast the old. Those hygienic and medical facts that 
 every parent should understand, I have tried to classify and 
 simplify. I have endeavored to make this work a special 
 household guide in health and disease. For the past twelve 
 years I have been lecturing on anatomy, physiology and 
 hygiene. My lectures have been both private and popular, 
 and have be.n illustrated with a first-class apparatus, con- 
 sisting of manikins, skeletons, French models, oil paintings, 
 etc. To the thousand and more questions that have been 
 asked me during my lecture tours concerning health and 
 disease, this volume will be a sufficient answer. 
 
 My lecture experience has taught me what the parents of 
 the land are most anxious to know. The anatomical and 
 physiological facts are in accordance with the teaching of 
 the best scientists of to-day. 
 
 I have been careful of my facts; fanciful theories have 
 been discarded ; superstitious whims have been ridiculed. 
 In considering the various topics, my constant endeavor has 
 been to use plain language. Technical terms have been 
 avoided as much as possible, and those that are used are 
 thoroughly explained in the glossary appended to this 
 volume. When describing diseases, I have tried to be 
 explicit. Remove the cause has been my therapeutic 
 maxim. The prescriptions given are in plain English and 
 from the best sources. In considering hygiene, science and 
 experience both have been consulted. 
 
6 PREFACE. 
 
 The philosophy, dangers and complications of parturition 
 have been presented in such plain light, that the mothers of 
 the land can easily understand them. Another reason why a 
 popular treatise on the reproductive organs is required is 
 this, viz: many ladies are dragging out a miserable exist- 
 ence on account of the diseases of the sexual apparatus. 
 At least one third of the general physician's practice is 
 devoted to female weakness. Many ladies have not the 
 moral courage to consult a physician, and at the same time 
 they are too ignorant of their own organisms and the laws 
 that govern them, to obey health laws. False modesty is 
 doing the work. Finally, the inroads of the disease are so 
 deep, the sympathetic effects are so extended, the doctor is sum- 
 moned. Too late! he exclaims; all he can do is to alleviate 
 symptoms — he cannot cure. Death soon claims his victim. 
 
 The major part of this volume is devoted to the facts and 
 phenomena manifested by the reproductive organs of both 
 sexes in health and disease. 
 
 Two chapters, viz : the seventh and eighth, of part second, 
 are devoted to topics specially important to parents, viz : 
 Everyday Emergencies and what to do, and Diseases of 
 Children and their cure. 
 
 Chapter ninth is devoted to Household Recipes which 
 have been selected from the best sources. 
 
 Chapter tenth is devoted to Common Disorders and 
 their treatment. 
 
 This work is designed for the parents of the land rather 
 than for the physician; therefore I trust the medical profes- 
 sion will be mild in their criticisms, and no physician should 
 frown on efforts to popularize science. 
 
 Hoping this volume will prove advantageous and accept- 
 able to the public is the sincere wish of The Author. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Preface, 5 
 
 Introduction, - - - - - 17 
 
 PART I.— CHAPTER I. 
 
 SEXUAL PECULIARITIES OF PLANTS AND THE LOWER 
 ANIMALS. 
 
 The flowers of the field — what are they? - -28 
 
 How are plants fecundated ? - - - 30 
 
 Reproductive facts, - - - - - 32 
 
 Hermaphrodite, - - - - - 33 
 
 When is sex first manifested? - - - -33 
 
 Abnormal sexual evolution, - - - 34 
 
 No sex, - - - - - - 35 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 SEXUAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 
 
 Female organs of generation, 36 
 
 Hymen — what is it? • - - - 37 
 
 The uterus, _____ 39 
 
 Fallopian tubes, - - - - 42 
 
 The ovary, — structure of the ovum, 43 
 
 Corpora lutea, - - - - - - 44 
 
 The egg's journey, - 45 
 
8 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 GENERATIVE ORGANS OF THE MALE. 
 
 The structure and office of the testicles, - - 48 
 
 The semen, its composition, 49 
 
 Journey of the sperm, and seminal fallacies, - "5° 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 CONCEPTION AND ITS PECULIARITIES. 
 
 Exploded theories, ""."." 53 
 Theory of to-day, - - - - "54 
 
 Fcetal development, - - - - 55 
 
 Quickening of the child, - - - 56 
 
 Opinion of the ancients, - 57 
 
 The placenta, its structure, - - - 58 
 
 How is the blood purified ? 59 
 
 Position of afterbirth, - - - 60 
 
 Umbilical cord and fcetal circulation, - - 61 
 
 Bag of waters, how formed, its office, - - 62 
 
 Office of amniotic fluid, ------ 63 
 
 Relation of sac to placenta, - - - 64 
 
 Mystery of twins, - - - - 65 
 
 Number of afterbirths ; Siamese Twins, - - 66 
 
 Superfcetation, ----- 66 
 
 Abnormal pregnancy, - - - 69 
 
 Remarkable cases, - - - - 71 
 
 Duration of pregnancy ; when does labor begin ? 73 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 PUBERTY AND ITS PHENOMENA. 
 
 Menstruation, peculiar freaks, - - 76 
 
 The cause, origin of menstruation, - - 78 
 
 Turn of life, - - - - - 79 
 
CONTENTS. 9 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 SIGNS OF PREGNANCY. 
 
 Suppression of the menses, - - - Si 
 
 Nausea and vomiting, - - - 82 
 
 Areolar change, ----- &$ 
 
 Kiesteine, - - - - - 84 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 CHILDBIRTH. 
 
 Midwife to-day; instructions for the nurse; precau- 
 tions to be observed, - - 87 
 First signs of labor, - - - . . - -88 
 Second pains of labor, - - 90 
 Born with a veil, - - - - 91 
 How to make an examination, 93 
 Care of the child, - - - - 94 
 Care of the mother, - - - 95 
 The afterbirth, how removed, - - - "95 
 Flooding, and what to do, - - - 96 
 Abnormal adhesions of placenta, - - - 96 
 How to stop flooding, - 97 
 Extreme case ; plugging the vagina, - - - 98 
 Internal hemorrhage ; binder for mothers, - 99 
 Convalescence ; precautions, - 100 
 Lactation and its derangements, - 101 
 Abscess of the breast, - 102 
 Sore nipple, how to treat, - 103 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 STERILITY. 
 
 Removable cause, ----- 105 
 
 Causes not removable, - 107 
 
 Impotence of the male, - 108 
 
 General causes of sterility, - 109 
 
I O CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 HOW TO REGULATE THE SEX. 
 
 Prof. Thury's theory, - - - - - 113 
 
 Sexual whims, - - - - - 114 
 
 Theory of Sixt, - - - - - 115 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 LAWS OF GENERATION. 
 
 Parentage, - - - - - 116 
 
 Mother's relation to child ; husband's duty, - - 117 
 Tristram Shandy's opinion, - - - 118 
 How to raise healthy offspring, - - - 119 
 How to raise intelligent offspring, - - - 121 
 How to raise moral, good looking and good natured off- 
 spring, - - - - - -122 
 
 Mother's marks, how formed, - - - 123 
 
 Mind influence, - - - - 124 
 
 Faith cures; Bible testimony, - - - 125 
 
 Cases of mothers' marks, - - - - 126 
 
 Monsters, how produced, - - - 127 
 
 Dwarfs; offspring resembling lower animals, - - 128 
 
 Opinion of Darwin, Huxley and Agassiz, - - 129 
 
 Frog baby, its history, - - - - 129 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 HEREDITARY INFLUENCES. 
 
 Heredity of lower animals, - - - 131 
 
 Office of amativeness, - - - - 132 
 
 Horace Mann's opinion, - - - - 132 
 
 Cause of divorces, - - - - 133 
 
CONTENTS. 1 I 
 
 Child's birthright, - - - - 134 
 
 Two kinds of sinners, - - - - 135 
 
 Physical conjugal mates, - - - - 136 
 
 Nervous temperament, - - - - 137 
 
 Motive temperament, - - - - 138 
 Vital temperament, - - - - " I 39 
 
 Mental conjugal mates, - - - - 140 
 
 Married, but not mated, --._.■- 140 
 
 The picture reversed ; trouble in the camp, - 142 
 
 Intermarriage, _____ r ^ 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 woman's sexual rights. 
 
 Mother's relation to child, - 145 
 
 Mother a sacred name, - 146 
 
 Limitation of offspring, - 146 
 
 Mothers should have the whole say, - 147 
 
 Command different now, - - - - 148 
 
 The doubter answered, - - - - 148 
 
 Woman more virtuous than man, - - 149 
 Mothers desire children, .-■-.. I $ 
 
 Mrs. Beecher Hooker's views, - - - 151 
 
 How to end the career of the abortionist, - 152 
 
 Miscarriage and its dangers, - - - 152 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 miscellaneous questions answered. 
 
 Concerning foetus, - - - - 355 
 
 Concerning infant, - - - - 156 
 
 Concerning mother, - - - - -158 
 
12 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PART II.— CHAPTER I. 
 
 DISEASES OF WOMEN. 
 
 Girls' erroneous education, 
 
 Nervous excitements, - 
 
 Dress, improper, in childhood, 
 
 Tight lacing, its ill-effects, 
 
 Precautions against disease, 
 
 Pruritus of vulva, --...- 
 
 Leucorrhcea, its history, - 
 
 Vaginal whites and cure, 
 
 Uterine whites and cure, - 
 
 Sunbaths as a tonic, - 
 
 Amenorrhcea, cause and cure, 
 
 Menstruation, tardy, cause, 
 
 Menstruation, suppressed, and cure, 
 
 Menstruation, painful, and cure, 
 
 Menstruation, profuse, and cure, 
 
 Menstruation, .vicarious, cause, 
 
 Chlorosis, green sickness, and cure, 
 
 Physometra, cause and cure, 
 
 Uterine dropsy, and cure, 
 
 Uterine displacements, how remedied, 
 
 Womb, anteversion and retroversion, 
 
 Flexions of the uterus, 
 
 Uterine tumors, - 
 
 Fibroid tumors, how removed, 
 
 Polypus of the womb, how removed, 
 
 Cauliflower tumor, how removed, 
 
 Cancer of the uterus, no cure, 
 
 Ovarian disorders, their nature, 
 
 Ovarian hypertrophy and atrophy, 
 
 Ovarian dropsy, - 
 
 Is ovarian dropsy ever cured? 
 
 - 217. 
 
 ? 75 
 176 
 176 
 177 
 178 
 179 
 180 
 181 
 
 183 
 185 
 186 
 
 187 
 189 
 190 
 r 93 
 195 
 196 
 198 
 199 
 200 
 203 
 205 
 208 
 209 
 212 
 214 
 
 2[ 4 
 2l6 
 218 
 2l8 
 220 
 
CONTENTS. 1 3 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 DISORDERS DURING PREGNANCY AND AFTER CONFINEMENT.. 
 
 Nausea and vomiting, and treatment, - - 223 
 
 Wakefulness and headache, - - - 224 
 
 Cramps; varicose veins, - 225 
 
 Milk leg, cause and cure, - - - 226 
 
 Puerperal mania, and treatment, - - - 227 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 VENEREAL DISEASE. 
 
 Gonorrhoea, cause, symptoms and cure, - 228, 229 
 
 Gonorrhoea in the female, - - - 231 
 
 Syphilis in the male, ----- 232 
 
 Syphilis in the female, - 236 
 
 Syphilis in the infant, ----- 238 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 DISEASES OF RECTUM. 
 
 Constipation, cause and cure, - 240 
 
 Piles, cause and cure, --.-■- 242 
 
 Piles, radical cure, ----- 245 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 
 
 Gravel, cause and cure, - 247 
 
 Irritable bladder, what to do, - 250 
 
 Retention of urine in the male, - - 251 
 
 Involuntary urination in old age, - - 252 
 
1 4 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 RUINOUS HABITS OF YOUTH. 
 
 Masturbation, its effects, - 254 
 
 Duties of parents, - 256 
 
 Spermatorrhoea, how cured, - - 257, 258 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 OUR CHILD IS SICK WHAT IS THE MATTER? WHAT TO DO. 
 
 Signs of health, ----- 2 6o 
 
 Special signs of disease, - - - - 261 
 
 Hygiene of childhood, - - - . - 261 
 A warm bath, ----- 262 
 
 Sore mouth, thrush, aphthae, - 263, 264 
 
 Colic, what to do, - - - - - 265 
 
 Worms, how treated, - - - - 266 
 
 Croup, false and genuine, and cure, - - 267. 268 
 
 Diphtheria, how cured, - 269 
 
 Wetting the bed, - - - - - 270 
 
 Diarrhoea, and remedy, - - - - 271 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 EVERYDAY EMERGENCIES, AND WHAT TO DO ON THE SPOT. 
 
 Hemorrhage, how controlled, - - - 273 
 
 Syncope, its cause, - - - - 275 
 
 Fits, how to cure, - - - - - 275 
 
 Drowning, restoration, - - , - 276 
 
 Shock of injury, ----- 277 
 
 Serpent bites, cure, - - - - 278 
 
 Poisons and antidotes, - - - - 279 
 
 Burns and scalds, cure, - - ; - - 281 
 
CONTENTS. 1 5 
 
 Lightning stroke, _■■--_-- 282 
 
 Frost-bite, and cure, - - - - 283 
 
 Sprains and Bruises, - 284 
 
 Sunstroke, what to do, - - 285 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 HOUSEHOLD RECIPES. 
 
 Beef tea ; beef essence ; wine whey ; how to take a sitz 
 bath; wet sheet packing ; dripping sheet, - 286 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 COMMON DISORDERS, AND WHAT TO DO. 
 
 Erysipelas, and cure, - - - - 290 
 
 Army itch, and cure, - - - - 291 
 
 Whooping cough, and cure, - - - - 291 
 
 Boils and carbuncles ; epileptic fits ; rickets, - 292 
 
 Chronic nasal catarrh ; chronic skin diseases, and cure, 293 
 Rheumatism; a good liniment for man or beast ; a good 
 
 cough syrup; to purify the blood, - 294 
 
 Chilblains ; sore eyes ; chronic sore eyes, - 295 
 
 Tapeworm specific; bleeding at the nose ; goitre, - 296 
 Scald head ; ringworm ; barber's itch ; pimples on the 
 
 face ; bed sores, how to cure and prevent, - 297 
 
 Asthma; chapped hands; sore lips ; to remove dandruff, 298 
 Dyspepsia ; gargle for sore throat ; neuralgia ; earache, 
 
 and cure, ------ 299 
 
 Ingrowing of the nail ; to remove warts, - - 300 
 
 Corns ; heartburn, and cure ; disinfectants for sick room, 301 
 
INTRODUCTION, 
 
 WHAT IS MAN? 
 
 MAN is a machine — one of the most complex, 
 one of the most interesting machines ever 
 created; and that mechanic, who. can suggest a 
 single change in the structure, relation, position 
 or function of any organ or tissue of the human 
 system, would be a master mechanic indeed. 
 When God created man, he did his best. Man 
 stands at the apex of the pyramid of organic 
 life ; he wears the crown of creation. 
 
 In the ordinary American watch we find the 
 various wheels, levers, etc., nicely arranged to 
 give us the accurate time, but when we study the 
 human system we find the various tissues and 
 organs more nicely arranged to give us health, 
 and thereby happiness. We have to wind the 
 watch up every 24 hours or else it will run down, 
 so, likewise, we have got to wind our bodies up 
 every day or else we will run down, and some, 
 these hard times, are not more than one-half 
 wound up. 
 
 When we digest our food properly, and exer- 
 cise proper care in its selection, we are one-third 
 wound up ; when we breathe properly, and all 
 
I o IN TROD UC TION. 
 
 the organs of secretion and excretion perform 
 their full duty, so that the blood is truly a vital 
 fluid, we are two-thirds wound up ; when we 
 obey all the laws of the muscular and nervous 
 systems ; when mind and body react healthfully 
 on each other, then the machine is in good run- 
 ning order and truly the body is a fit temple for 
 the soul. 
 
 You cannot manipulate any piece of machinery 
 unless you understand the relation of the differ- 
 ent parts to each other, and the laws that con- 
 trol those different parts. The human system is 
 the most intricate piece of mechanism ; each of 
 its parts is governed by immutable laws. The 
 mind is the engineer ; the more knowledge, there- 
 fore, imparted to it, the better qualified it is to 
 perform the high mission to which it was conse- 
 crated by the Creator. 
 
 SCIENCES REQUISITE FOR HEALTH. 
 
 Anatomy and Physiology are true indices to 
 rational hygiene. Human anatomy not only de- 
 scribes the structure, form, weight, and color of 
 the various organs and tissues, but it also points 
 out their relations and physical connections. 
 Accurate anatomy is the true stepping-stone to 
 sound physiology. 
 
 Physiology deals with functions, with laws ; 
 it tells the true office of the parts anatomy has 
 
I NT ROD UC TION. 1 9 
 
 described ; hence we are correct in saying, anat- 
 omy deals with matter, physiology deals with law. 
 When we are versed in anatomy and physiology, 
 then we possess the necessary requisites to be- 
 come true hygienists. 
 
 Hygiene, so-called from Hygeia, the fabled 
 Goddess of Health, is the art of preserving 
 health. Physiology is a science, and requires 
 study ; hygiene is an art, and requires action. 
 Know the law and comply with it, is the true 
 watchword. If you violate a physical law, you 
 must pay the penalty in pain and misery ; if you 
 obey the law, you will be bountifully rewarded 
 with health and happiness. You may violate a 
 municipal law, but money and friends may lessen 
 the penalty; but if you transgress the laws of 
 health, there is no appeal ; your case is taken to 
 the highest court at once — the court of the 
 Great Supreme. Your Judge is merciful, but, 
 at the same time, he is just. He cannot be 
 bribed ; he is unchangeable. No point of law is 
 questioned ; he is a^tthor of all of them. The 
 Jury is agreed — he is Judge and Jury both; the 
 verdict is guilty \ the penalty is pain, disease, and 
 perhaps death. The hygienist is the true phy- 
 sician. He is a greater benefactor, who prevents 
 pain and suffering, than he who restores health 
 and cures disease. 
 
 Therapeutics is the art of curing disease ; 
 
2 O INTROD UC TION. 
 
 it has reference not only to administering medi- 
 cines proper, but it likewise suggests the proper 
 hygienic means. The whole material and meta- 
 physical world is at its disposal. Hygiene deals 
 with health, and prevents ; therapeutics deals 
 with disease, and restores; hygiene is the nobler 
 of the two. 
 
 The therapeutics of to-day is far in advance 
 of the past. Pills and plasters are fast becom- 
 ing medicinal fossils ; panaceas are extinct ; 
 medical superstitions are becoming dissipated 
 before the effulgent rays of science. In ancient, 
 times the comets were indicative of war and 
 pestilence ; in ancient times every one at the 
 approach of a comet would drop down through 
 fear, every form of sacrifice was offered to ap- 
 pease an angry Deity. We are not frightened 
 at comets now ; we can gaze at these celestial 
 wanderers with the same serenity of mind that 
 we look at the silvery moon, as it glides along 
 on a clear evening. 
 
 Science teaches fear not, all is governed by 
 law. The philosopher s stone, that would trans- 
 mute the metals, was sought for ages by the 
 alchemists in their secret laboratories ; chemistry 
 says it is a fallacy. Panaceas were believed in 
 for ages and ages ; therapeutics long ago called 
 them myths. With the progress of science drugs, 
 are becoming discarded. 
 
IN TROD UC TION. 2 I 
 
 The geologist teaches us there has been a 
 gradual progression in animal and vegetable 
 organisms, from their first introduction to the 
 present, and he likewise informs us that the 
 fauna and flora of the past are true indices of 
 the physical conditions of the past ; so likewise 
 the therapeutist informs us there has been a 
 gradual unfolding of remedial applications, and 
 that the remedies used in any age truly reflect 
 the state of medical knowledge then extant. 
 The true physician of to-day refers to the lancet, 
 pills and plasters the same as the naturalist 
 refers to the monster reptilian forms entombed 
 in the rocks, — truly relics of the past. 
 
 TRUE THERAPEUTICS. 
 
 A celebrated French physician on his death- 
 bed said, the three greatest remedies for the 
 cure of disease are air, exercise and diet; and 
 I think if our physicians of to-day would pre- 
 scribe more air and less antimony, more exercise 
 and less emetics, more diet and less digitalis, 
 more sunlight and less sulphur, more quiet and 
 less quinine, more water outside and less whisky 
 inside, it would be far better for their patients. 
 
 DISEASES CLASSIFIED, AND THEIR TREATMENT. 
 
 If I were to form a classification for diseases 
 I would make three grand divisions. My first 
 
2 2 I NT ROD UC TION. 
 
 class would embrace those produced by wearing 
 out; too much action. The second class, those 
 produced by rusting out; too little action. The 
 third class, those produced by mental despondency 
 or a morbid imagination. 
 
 For the first class I would prescribe rest. 
 Have you dyspepsia? Is the mucous membrane 
 of the stomach highly excited? Are you subject 
 to those sour eructations, that the dyspeptic 
 only can experience ? Give the stomach rest 
 and not rhubarb; it is the best stomachic. Rest, 
 many times, is the best eye lotion, the best 
 liniment, the best expectorant. Rest is pleasant 
 to take, it requires no sugar coating, it never 
 nauseates, homeopathic granules are by no 
 means so palatable. 
 
 For the second class, where there is too little 
 action, I would prescribe exercise. Each organ 
 may at times experience a fit of laziness; it may 
 be a lazy liver, a lazy muscle, a lazy brain, and 
 there are cases where the whole system is lazy, — 
 a general laziness. Exercise is a specific. A 
 lazy man is an invalid, and sawdust powders will 
 cure him — it is not necessary to take them. All 
 that is required is to use the saw long enough to 
 produce the powder. 
 
 For the third class, those produced by 
 mental aberration, I would prescribe hope. In 
 the metaphysical world the therapeutist finds 
 
INTRO D UC TION. 2 3 
 
 many remedies that will reach the disease when 
 all else fails. Faith removes mountains of dis- 
 ease ; hope is a tonic ; fear a sedative ; anger a 
 cholagogue ; joy a stimulant. 
 
 The true physician should be a metaphysician. 
 Body and soul are intimately related ; whatever 
 influences the one receives is reciprocated. 
 
 SEXUAL KNOWLEDGE IMPORTANT. 
 
 In no department of science does there exist 
 so much general ignorance as in regard to 
 sexual matters, — ignorance attended by effects 
 not only confined to the sufferer in this world, 
 but this same ignorance is transmitting untold 
 misery to all posterity. Truly the sins of the 
 parents are handed down for countless genera-* 
 tions. 
 
 When parents thoroughly realize these three 
 facts: First, Hundreds are being born daily 
 with their moral natures so beclouded, it will 
 take a life-time to reclaim them. Second, Idiots 
 are being born daily, but little higher in the 
 animal scale than the lowest animals, governed 
 by instinct more than by reason. Third, There 
 are more diseases stamped upon the child in 
 utero (before it is born) than it can entail upon 
 itself while traveling the journey of life. When 
 these three facts are thoroughly comprehended, 
 a greater interest in sexology will be manifested. 
 
2 4 I NT ROD UC TION. 
 
 WOMAN THE HIGHEST CREATION. 
 
 We might compare the whole animal world to 
 a pyramid. At the base we will place the polyp, 
 the starfish and the shells ; a little higher up we 
 find the fishes; still higher, the reptiles; still 
 higher, birds ; still higher, the mammalia ; near 
 the summit we find man ; but at the very apex 
 we find woman. Woman, as a moral and social 
 being, occupies a more elevated position than man. 
 Geology, physiology, phrenology and history 
 confirm this fact. If the ladies of the land do 
 not conform more closely to the laws of health, 
 they will lose the high estate bequeathed them 
 in Eden. Woman should study herself; she 
 should thoroughly realize that she is the archi- 
 tect of her own health ; that pain and disease 
 are the natural sequence of violated law ; it 
 makes no difference in the physical effect 
 whether the laws are transgressed ignorantly or 
 willfully. It is not a frowning Providence, but 
 her own sinfulness that is burdening her, with 
 such indescribable pain, such complicated dis- 
 eases. Nature, and not deformity, is the stand- 
 ard of beauty. Strict hygiene is the best cos- 
 metic. The rose tint of health is more lasting 
 than the rotige tint of the druggist. Lyman 
 Beecher truly said, in his address to young men : 
 " Young men, take good care of the old ladies, 
 for you will have but few old ladies long." 
 
PART FIRST. 
 
 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH 
 
PHENOMENA OF HEALTH 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 SEXUAL PECULIARITIES OF PLANTS AND 
 
 THE LOWER ANIMALS. 
 
 THE whole material universe is divided into 
 two grand classes, viz., the organic and the 
 inorganic. The first class includes everything 
 that has life, viz., animals and vegetables. The 
 second class includes all material objects desti- 
 tute of life, viz., minerals. 
 
 There is no better established fact than this : 
 that all animals and vegetables are sexed ; that 
 is, they are endowed with special organs, or func- 
 tions, whose sole office is to propagate their spe- 
 cies. There seem to be two elements of character 
 stamped on all vitalized beings : First, That force 
 which ever strives to preserve self; Second, That 
 which is ever struggling to propagate the species. 
 Hence we are scientifically correct when we say, 
 Self-preservation is the first law of nature, and 
 propagation of the species is the second. 
 
 Phrenology teaches us that the first faculties 
 
28 
 
 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 of the mind, with which animals are endowed, are 
 alimentiveness and amativeness. In the human 
 brain, the organs through which the aforesaid 
 faculties manifest themselves occupy the lowest 
 range, and they are on the same plane ; hence, 
 the perversion or abnormal action of these two 
 organs is equally sinful. The drunkard and glut- 
 ton are no lower than the libertine. 
 
 I have been told by a reliable and scientific 
 nurseryman, that if a tree is injured so that it 
 will probably die, its reproductive powers are 
 aroused at once, and it will commence bearing 
 fruit much earlier than those trees of the same 
 age and variety that are uninjured. 
 
 This fact shows that if the first law, viz., self- 
 preservation, is rendered null and void, the second 
 law, viz., propagation of the species, is enforced 
 more rigorously. The bible teaches the same 
 fact — " Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish 
 the earth," is about the first command given. 
 
 THE FLOWERS OF THE FIELD, WHAT ARE THEY? 
 
 The flowers of the field, that are so beautiful 
 to the eye, whose fragrance is so pleasing to the 
 sense of smell, whose beauty so refines the intel- 
 lect and spiritualizes the soul, are, in reality, the 
 reproductive organs of the plant supporting 
 them. Take the lily and analyze it. The co- 
 rolla, or flower proper, is composed of six petals, 
 
SEXUAL EVOLUTION. 
 
 2 9 
 
 or flower leaves. In the center of the corolla 
 are six filiform, thread-like bodies, termed sta- 
 mens. At the upper , extremity of each of the 
 stamens is a hollow globular organ, termed the 
 anther. These stamens constitute the male or- 
 gans of the plant. The anthers are the testes, 
 six in number. They form the pollen, which is 
 the semen of the plant. The next part of the 
 flower to which we invite your attention is the 
 
 pistil. The pistil is the female generative organ. 
 In the lily there is but one, but in some flowers 
 there are many. The pistil is a long, thread-like 
 organ, arising from the same base as the sta- 
 mens. It is longer than the stamens, and towers 
 up above them. The pistil is divided into three 
 parts, the germ, style and stigma. The germ is 
 the part attached to the flower. It contains the 
 seed, or rather the rudiments of the fruit in an 
 
30 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 unformed stage. The germ corresponds to the 
 ovary in the animal. The style is a hollow tube 
 reaching from the germ to the stigma, or open 
 mouth situated at the upper extremity of the 
 pistil. The style corresponds to the vagina (or 
 birth passage) of animals. The stigma is the 
 analogue of the vulva (external organ of gener- 
 ation in the female of the higher animals). 
 
 HOW ARE PLANTS FECUNDATED? 
 
 The pollen, or seminal powder of the anther, 
 is wafted by the breezes to the stigma, or open 
 mouth of the pistil. Thence the fecundating 
 powder passes down to the germ, and impregna- 
 tion is the result. 
 
 The reproductive organs of plants manifest, 
 apparently, many peculiar freaks of development 
 and office. In some flowers the stamens are 
 sessile ; that is, the anther is in direct contact 
 with the base of the corolla, and not supported 
 by the filiform body of the stamen. The stigma 
 of the pistil is many times sessile ; that is, there 
 is no style ; the stigma and germ are in direct 
 contact. 
 
 Plants, as a rule, are true hermaphrodites; 
 that is, their flowers or blossoms contain both 
 stamens and pistils in the same corolla. In the 
 hop, strawberry, date, palm, and many others, the 
 stamens and pistils are on different individuals. 
 
SEXUAL E VOL UTION. 3 r 
 
 In setting out hops, they generally plant one 
 male hop to twenty female hops. The hops are 
 vegetable Mormons. 
 
 Whether the pollen is carried from the anther 
 to the stigma will depend very much on the sur- 
 roundings, especially the direction of the wind. 
 The pollen is many times transported by insects, 
 especially the honey bee and the butterfly. 
 Where the stamens and pistils are on different 
 plants, it is highly important that the plants be 
 placed quite near to each other. Fertilization 
 would be more apt to be effected if gardeners 
 and horticulturists better understood the sexual 
 nature of plants and flowers. 
 
 Impregnation sometimes takes place at a 
 great distance. 
 
 Mrs. Phelps, in her botany, gives the follow- 
 ing remarkable instance: "A curious fact is 
 stated by an Italian writer, viz., that at places 
 about forty miles distant grew two palm trees, the 
 one without stamens the other without pistils; 
 neither of them bore seeds for many years ; but 
 in process of time they grew so tall as to tower 
 above all objects near them. The wind thus 
 meeting with no obstruction, wafted the pollen 
 from the staminate to the pistillate flowers, 
 which to the astonishment of all began to bear- 
 fruit." 
 
 The vegetable world manifests many curious 
 
32 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 reproductive freaks, but they are nothing com- 
 pared with the wonderful, and I might say mi- 
 raculous, phenomena manifested by the lowest 
 animals in their different modes of propagation. 
 
 REPRODUCTIVE FACTS. 
 
 Agassiz says: "Reproduction by buds occurs 
 among the polyps, medusae and some of the 
 infusoria, on the stalk, and even on the body 
 of the hydra and of many infusoria, there are 
 formed buds like those of plants. On close ex- 
 amination they are found to be young animals, 
 at first very imperfectly formed and communi- 
 cating at the base with the parent body, from 
 which they derive their nourishment." 
 
 The buds resemble the buds of plants, and in 
 time they are detached from the parent and be- 
 come separate and independent beings, destined 
 to undergo the same metamorphoses as the 
 parent. 
 
 Another mode of reproduction is called fissip- 
 arous. It is peculiar to the polyps and some 
 of the infusoria. In this form, instead of buds 
 being forced and then detached, the animal by 
 some inherent power is segmented or divided 
 into various sections, each section becoming a 
 separate being. Any one can satisfy himself by 
 experimenting on some of the lowest animals 
 that this power of propagating by division is 
 
SEXUAL EVOLUTION. 33 
 
 possible. If an earthworm is divided into vari- 
 ous sections death is not the result, but, to the 
 contrary, the injuries are so repaired that each 
 section becomes a separate, independent exist- 
 ence, manifesting all the powers of the original 
 parent. Can anything, apparently, be more 
 miraculous. 
 
 HERMAPHRODITE. 
 
 True hermaphrodism is common to plants, but 
 in animals it is quite rare, and it is questioned 
 by some of our best scientists, whether it ever 
 does really exist. 
 
 Some of the lowest animals seem to undergo 
 a metamorphosis of sex. For instance, a snail 
 may commence its existence as a male, but finally 
 is changed into a female, and vice versa ; but 
 there are no cases where it is both male and 
 female at the same time. 
 
 WHEN IS SEX FIRST MANIFESTED? 
 
 Carpenter says : " There is but very little dis- 
 tinction of sex at first. At the fifth week of 
 fetal life it is impossible to prophesy the future 
 sex ; but in a short time the divergence takes 
 place, and the future development can be pre- 
 dicted.' , 
 
 In most cases of so-called hermaphrodism, there 
 is either a deficient evolution of the male organ, 
 or an excessive evolution of the female organs. 
 
34 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 The first is a deformity, the second a monstros- 
 ity. In the male the penis may be imperforate ; 
 the longitudinal furrow, which, when closed, forms 
 the urethra, is open, sometimes its whole extent. 
 There are cases where there is a fissure or cleft 
 in the scrotum, and the testes are in the hemis- 
 pheres on each side of the fissure; there are 
 cases where the testicle is found in one of the 
 hemispheres, and the ovary in the other. An- 
 other peculiar freak is, where the external and 
 internal organs do not correspond. The exter- 
 nal organs may be those of the male, whereas 
 the internal organs are strictly those of the 
 female. The Bible says in regard to the Adamic 
 creation, male and female created he them ; but 
 in looking over the peculiar freaks of sexual evo- 
 lution, showing, as they do, double sex, science 
 would change the pronoun them, to him, or her 
 — male and female created he him, or her. 
 
 ABNORMAL SEXUAL EVOLUTION. 
 
 Sir A. Cooper gives a case of a woman 
 eighty-six years of age, with elongated clitoris, 
 with absence of the vagina. 
 
 A case was presented to the French Academy 
 in 1820, as follows: "A young man, a soldier, 
 aged 22; the penis was normal ; scrotum empty; 
 the testes occupied the position of the ovaries ; 
 the uterus was normal, and emptied into the ure- 
 
SEXUAL EVOLUTION. 35 
 
 thra, at the base of the bladder ; the fallopian 
 tubes were imperforate, and the vagina was ab- 
 sent. 
 
 NO SEX. 
 
 We have before remarked that all vitalized 
 bodies are sexed. They are either male or 
 female, or hermaphrodites ; but Dr. Gross, when 
 lecturing on surgery, in the University of Louis- 
 ville, Kentucky, presented the following case, 
 which is the most remarkable sexual freak on 
 record : 
 
 The subject had no sex ; there was neither 
 penis nor vagina ; the urethra was in its proper 
 place ; the clitoris was small, and there was a cul 
 de sac, where the vagina normally should com- 
 mence ; the nymphse were small, each containing 
 a testicle. This person, up to two years of age, 
 manifested all the mental characteristics of a 
 girl, but at the age of two it rejected its dolls, 
 and became masculine in its tastes. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 SEXUAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 
 
 TO thoroughly comprehend the phenomena 
 presented by conception, pregnancy, and 
 birth ; to scientifically understand the diseases 
 and dangers to which the procreative system is 
 subject, from infancy to old age ; especial atten- 
 tion should be, in the first place, devoted to the 
 anatomy and physiology of the generative organs. 
 We can never understand disease until we first 
 understand health. If our physiology is imper- 
 fect, to the same degree will our pathology be 
 incorrect. Health is the base line ; disease, in 
 its protean forms, is a departure. Health sprang 
 from God ; pain and disease are self-inflicted. 
 Science confirms the saying of the apostle, " The 
 wages of sin is death." 
 
 FEMALE ORGANS OF GENERATION* 
 
 The first organ to which I invite your atten- 
 tion is the vagina (birth passage). It is a mem- 
 branous canal leading from the vulva (external 
 organ of generation) to the uterus (womb). It 
 
 *For illustration see appendix. 
 
SEXUAL AN ATOM T AND PHTSIOLOGT. 2)7 
 
 is situated between the lower portion of the 
 bladder and the rectum. Its walls are composed 
 of muscular and erectile tissues, which, at times, 
 become quite rigid. This canal varies in length, 
 from four to six inches ; the vulval extremity is 
 somewhat smaller than the uterine. The vagina 
 is lined with a mucous membrane, similar in 
 structure to all membranes that line cavities con- 
 necting with the external world. In this mem- 
 brane are situated a great many mucous follicles, 
 or glands, whose normal office is to secrete mucus 
 to lubricate the membrane in a state of health. 
 These follicles, in a state of excitement, throw 
 off so much secretion that it has been considered 
 to be the semen of the female, because it resem- 
 bles the semen of the male so closely. That 
 there is anything like seminal emissions in the 
 female is a fallacy, and is not a peculiar freak. 
 This mucous membrane is the part diseased in 
 leucorrhcea, or what is commonly termed the 
 whites. 
 
 HYMEN, WHAT IS IT? 
 
 As we pass from the vulva toward the uterus, 
 there is, in the virgin, a refolding of the membrane, 
 forming a partial, and, in some cases, a complete 
 septum across the vaginal canal. This mem- 
 brane, when existing, is situated near the external 
 outlet. 
 
 It is a fallacy to suppose that a virgin must 
 
3 8 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 possess an imperforate hymen. More or less 
 apertures naturally must exist in it, especially 
 after the age of puberty ; for, if such were not 
 the case, it would be impossible for the menstrual 
 secretion to escape. In married ladies there 
 exist numerous papillae on the mucous mem- 
 brane of the vagina, just where the hymen was 
 originally attached. These papillae are termed 
 the carunctdce myrtiformes. 
 
 Freaks of development are sometimes seen in 
 this part of the generative organs. There have 
 been cases where the vagina is wholly absent. 
 Imperfect development is by no means so rare. 
 I will give a case to the point : Dr. Mclntyre, 
 quite a noted surgeon, of Palmyra, N.Y., was 
 called to see a young lady of seventeen, with all 
 the symptoms of pregnancy; she had the appear- 
 ance of being seven months along. He ques- 
 tioned her closely, and ascertained she had been 
 chaste, and also that she had never had any ex- 
 ternal show. Every month, since fifteen years 
 of age, she had experienced those nervous sensa- 
 tions peculiar to normal menstruation, still at the 
 same time there was no external show manifested. 
 He told her that an examination would have to 
 take place. 
 
 On making an examination he found the ex- 
 ternal organs and the lower third of the vagina 
 perfectly developed, but the upper two-thirds 
 
 
SEXUAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 39 
 
 were imperforate ; it was a solid cartilaginous 
 band. The doctor, after making a thorough ex- 
 amination, formed the following diagnosis : The 
 appearance resembling pregnancy was produced 
 by the accumulated menstrual fluid. That it 
 had been accumulating for the past two years, 
 ever since she entered the stage of puberty. 
 
 He told her it was a case of life and death ; 
 that she would die if he did not operate, and the 
 probability was death would be the result if he 
 did. An operation was assented to. Commenc- 
 ing at the upper part of the vagina, so far as 
 it was an open tube, he cut an artificial canal 
 between the bladder and the rectum, being care- 
 ful not to injure either one of the last two or- 
 gans. Arriving at the mouth of the womb he 
 made an incision, and over a quart of menstrual 
 fluid escaped at once. An oiled septum was in- 
 serted into the artificial canal for a time, so that 
 the canal would not reclose. The case termi- 
 nated successfully ; at last accounts this lady was 
 alive and the mother of three children. This 
 case shows how closely the surgeon can imitate 
 the Creator. 
 
 THE UTERUS. 
 
 We have now traveled the whole extent of 
 the vagina, and at its internal extremity, we 
 come to the most important organ in the sexual 
 system, — the womb. No organ in the female 
 
40 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 economy has a higher office to perform ; no 
 organ is more sympathetically related to the 
 general system ; no organ has been subjected 
 to more abuse ; no organ is subject to a 
 greater complication of disease and displace- 
 ment. Hence, we should be careful to under- 
 stand its structure, position, relation and func- 
 tion. 
 
 The uterus rests on the top of the vagina ; 
 the vaginal tube is its main support, The part 
 of the womb that rests on the vagina is smaller 
 than the tube itself, therefore, a portion of the 
 womb extends into the tube, and there is a cul 
 de sac existing around the lower extremity. 
 
 The womb in the virgin weighs from two to 
 three ounces, and is situated between the blad- 
 der and the rectum ; it is conical in shape, re- 
 sembling a flattened pear ; it is, in the virgin 
 state, some three inches in length, two in width 
 and one inch thick. At least two-thirds of its 
 upper portion is covered with a serous mem- 
 brane, viz., the peritoneum. Removing the ex- 
 ternal membrane we arrive at the proper struc- 
 ture of the womb, and we find it, in the virgin 
 state, to be more of a fibro-cartilaginous nature 
 than muscular. It is only in the impregnated 
 uterus that the true muscular fiber is seen, and 
 then it is of the involuntary order, The will 
 at no time can control the womb, or excite it 
 
SEXUAL AN ATOM T AND PHTSIOLOGT. 4 1 
 
 to action, any more than will can influence the 
 heart or stomach. The upper and broadest 
 part of the womb is termed the fundus, and, 
 as you pass toward the lower extremity, it 
 becomes gradually smaller. The smaller con- 
 stricted portion is termed the neck ; the very 
 lowest portion is called the os uteri, composed 
 of anterior and posterior projections called the 
 lips. 
 
 If we cut the womb open we find it to be a 
 hollow organ. The external orifice is quite 
 large, and in the healthy unimpregnated state 
 is always open. Passing into the viscus from 
 the external opening, we enter a narrower con- 
 stricted canal termed the cervix uteri ; passing 
 along this expands into a triangular cavity ; 
 at the two upper angles of this cavity exist 
 apertures, by which we can enter the fallopian 
 tubes, which we shall soon explain. 
 
 The cavity of the womb is lined with a 
 mucous membrane, which is really a continua- 
 tion of the membrane that lined the vagina. 
 This membrane contains numerous follicles 
 which secrete mucus. There are several liga- 
 ments that connect the womb with adjacent 
 parts. Those running from the womb to the 
 bladder keep it from tilting backward, those run- 
 ning from the womb to the rectum keep it from 
 tilting forward, the broad ligament running each 
 
4 2 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 side prevents any lateral displacement. It was 
 formerly taught that these ligaments are the 
 main supports of the womb, but the modern 
 physiologist tells us that the vagina is the main 
 support, and that the ligaments act as so many 
 guy ropes. 
 
 FALLOPIAN TUBES. 
 
 Passing out of the uterine cavity, at the aper- 
 tures to which we have before referred, we enter 
 the fallopian tubes. These tubes are two in 
 number. They are about four inches in length, 
 and are traversed by a canal so small that you 
 can pass with great difficulty the finest bristle. 
 One end of each tube is attached to the womb ; 
 the other is free, and terminates in a fimbriated 
 extremity. These tubes are lined with a mucous 
 membrane, which is a continuation of the same 
 that lined the womb. The fallopian tubes corre- 
 spond to the oviducts in the bird. The tulip- 
 like extremity of the tube is free ; but there is a 
 slender ligament running from one of the fim- 
 briae or finger-like processes to the next organ 
 which we shall consider, viz., the ovary. Hence 
 the free extremity can never get any farther 
 from the ovary than the length of the connect- 
 ing ligament. 
 
 During ovulation the free extremity closely 
 embraces the ovary, to receive the Ggg as it 
 escapes from its parent bed. 
 
SEXUAL AN ATOM T AND PHTSIOLOGT. 43 
 THE OVARY. 
 
 The ovaries, next to the uterus, in function 
 and in many respects, are superior. They are 
 two in number, the right and the left. They are 
 about the size of a pigeon's egg, and have the 
 shape of an oblate spheroid, viz., almond shaped. 
 The ovary on each side is attached to the uterus 
 by a ligament termed the utero-ovarian. It is 
 enveloped in the folds of the broad ligament 
 which we have before described. 
 
 The ovary, when laid open with a bistoury, 
 and its minute structure examined with a micro- 
 scope, is found to be strictly glandular in its 
 nature. As the liver secretes bile, so we might 
 say the ovary secretes eggs. The ovary is com- 
 posed of a fibro-spongy tissue termed stroma, 
 and throughout this stroma or matrix are found 
 from fifteen to twenty ovisacs in every stage of 
 development. In the center of the ovary they 
 are quite small, but as they 'become developed 
 they advance pari -passu to the surface, and every 
 month one or more of them becomes mature, 
 and finally ruptures the external coat of the 
 ovary. The ovisac contains a liquid peculiar to 
 it, and in which floats the ovum. 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE OVUM. 
 
 The old Latin maxim, Omne vivttm exovo, is 
 thoroughly confirmed by the science of to-day. 
 
44 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 All animals are developed from eggs, viviparous 
 as well as oviparous. Man is no exception. 
 You take the hen's egg as an illustration. The 
 yolk and the vitelline membrane that covers it 
 is the egg proper ; the white and the shell are 
 secondary attachments. 
 
 The human egg, when examined with the 
 microscope, is organized the same as the egg in 
 the lower animals. When it escapes, it is only 
 about one two-hundredth of an inch in diameter. 
 We find in the yolk the germinal vesicle, and in 
 the germinal vesicle is the germinal dot. 
 
 The escape of the egg is termed ovulation. 
 The nervous disturbance produced during its 
 escape produces an effect on the womb that 
 results in menstruation. At the point where the 
 egg escapes from the ovary there is an extrava- 
 sation of blood, in which various metamorphoses 
 transpire, which soon becomes of a yellowish 
 hue, and finally disappears. These marks, or 
 scars, produced in the ovary, are termed copora 
 lutea — yellow bodies. 
 
 CORPORA LUTEA. 
 
 There are two kinds of these corpora lutea, 
 the true and the false. The true are those in 
 which the escaping egg becomes impregnated. 
 They attain a large size, and do not entirely dis- 
 appear until after the termination of gestation. 
 
SEXUAL ANATOMY AND PHTSIOLOGT. 45 
 
 The false corpora lutea completely disappear in 
 a month or so after the escape of the ovum. The 
 false corpora lutea are those in which the escap- 
 ing egg does not become impregnated. 
 
 THE EGG'S JOURNEY. 
 
 When the egg escapes from the ruptured ovi- 
 sac, at the time of ovulation, if there was nothing 
 there to receive it, turned out of home as it is, it 
 would drop into the peritoneal sac. But such is 
 rarely the condition of things. Always, during 
 the escape, the ovary is tightly grasped by the 
 fimbriated extremity of the oviduct, viz., the fal- 
 lopian tube. The right hand of fellowship is 
 given the ovum, and at once it sets out on its 
 pilgrimage to the external world. 
 
 As the egg is paddled along the tube by the 
 countless ciliae which are attached to its lining 
 membrane, it becomes coated on the outside with 
 an albuminous substance, closely resembling the 
 white of the egg in the bird ; it finally escapes 
 into the uterine cavity, and if it is not impreg- 
 nated, it soon escapes through the os uteri. 
 
 This same trip is taken each month by the dif- 
 ferent eggs, as they are successively extruded 
 from the ovary. 
 
 The time occupied in performing its monthly 
 tour varies in different ladies, and ofttimes in the 
 same lady. As a general rule, it takes from 
 
46 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 twelve to fourteen days. It is a fallacy to teach 
 that the trip is always performed in the same 
 time. The egg manifests, in the same lady, un- 
 explainable freaks in its rapidity of travel. If 
 there is perfect general and sexual health, it may 
 perform the trip in three days ; but if there is 
 uterine disease, it may occupy the whole interval 
 between the menses before it makes its final 
 escape. Many ladies claim they can tell the 
 exact moment the ovum escapes the os uteri ; 
 they say they experience bearing down sensa- 
 tions, similar in nature, differing only in inten- 
 sity, from those in the second stage of labor. 
 
 It is only about seven inches from the ovary 
 to the mouth of the womb ; hence, when the egg 
 is fourteen days performing its journey, it only 
 travels at the rate of one half inch per day. 
 
 We have now seen, in part, the office the 
 female has to perform, viz., to produce the ovum 
 or germ which, exposed to certain vital influ- 
 ences, will produce a future human being. Men- 
 struation, and its facts and freaks, will be reserved 
 for a future chapter. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 GENERATIVE ORGANS OF THE MALE * 
 
 THE testicles in the male are the analogues 
 of the ovaries in the female. They are 
 strictly glandular in their structure. Previous 
 to the eighth month of fcetal life the testicles are 
 in the abdominal cavity in contact with the 
 kidney. Before the term of gestation ends 
 they have started and completed the downward 
 journey to the scrotum or sac in which they 
 are generally found. Carpenter says " the testes 
 begin to descend about the middle of preg- 
 nancy ; at the seventh month they reach the 
 inner ring or opening in the abdominal walls ; 
 during the eighth month they enter the ingui- 
 nal canal, and by the ninth month arrive in 
 the scrotum." 
 
 The ovary in the female and the testicle in 
 the male, are first developed in close proximity 
 to the kidney. Freaks in the descent of the 
 testicles are quite common; sometimes one of 
 them remains through life in its original posi- 
 tion, while the other makes its usual descent. 
 
 * For illustration see appendix. 
 
4 8 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 Sometimes both testicles are retained through 
 life in the abdominal cavity. There are cases 
 where both have been retained until the tenth 
 year, and the descent then taken place. Whether 
 in the abdominal cavity, or in the scrotum, they 
 have the same office and power. 
 
 THE STRUCTURE OF THE TESTICLES. 
 
 The testicle has an external tunic peculiar 
 to itself, termed the tunica albuginea. This 
 coating not only envelops it but likewise dips 
 down and divides it into several lobes. Each 
 lobe is composed of a mass of convoluted tubes, 
 termed the tubuli seminiferi. There are about 
 four hundred and fifty lobes, each of which is 
 traversed by one or more of the tubuli. Each 
 lobe is conical in form, the base toward the 
 surface and the apex pointing inward. The 
 whole number of the tubes are about eight 
 hundred, and the diameter of each about one- 
 hundred and fiftieth of an inch. The tubuli, 
 after various combinations and divisions, empty 
 into the vas deferans, the true excretory duct of 
 the testicle. 
 
 OFFICE OF THE TESTICLE. 
 
 The main office of the testicle is to secrete 
 semen ; this function of secretion is mostly per- 
 formed by the loops or csecal endings of the 
 
GENERATIVE ORGANS OF THE MALE. 49 
 
 tubuli seminiferi. Some claim that the vesicular 
 substance, which enters into the structure of 
 the outer portion of the testis, performs the 
 whole function of secreting the semen. 
 
 SEMEN. 
 
 The semen emitted at the time of sexual in- 
 tercourse is not the pure semen secreted by the 
 testes. Carpenter says no accurate analysis of 
 pure semen from the human subject has yet 
 been made. Frerichs has analyzed semen taken 
 direct from the testes of the rabbit. He says : 
 " Pure semen is a milky fluid of a mucous con- 
 sistence, and neutral or slightly alkaline reaction. 
 It contains a large number of minute bodies, 
 termed spermatozoa. These minute bodies are in 
 constant motion, and are considered by some 
 as animalculse. They are infinitesimally small. 
 They have an oval, flattened body, about one 
 six-hundredth of a line in length, and projecting 
 from the body is a filiform tail, one-fortieth of a 
 line in length. These spermatozoa retain their 
 power of motion for several clays after emission. 
 
 The sperm is the essential fertilizing ele- 
 ment in the semen. Filter the semen, so that 
 the sperms are removed, and it has lost its im- 
 pregnating power. The reason that hybrids 
 cannot, as a rule, propagate, is because their 
 semen is devoid of the sperms. The chemist 
 
50 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 tells us the sperms contain a large amount of 
 phosphorus, existing either in a free state or in 
 the form of phosphorized fats and phosphate of 
 lime. 
 
 SEMINAL FALLACIES. 
 
 The ancients had some curious ideas in regard 
 to the source and office of the semen. They 
 believed the emission was the actual passage of 
 the brain down the spinal cord. Tabes dorsalis 
 (the ancient name for what we term spermator- 
 rhoea) is described by the old writers as a wast- 
 ing of the spinal cord. 
 
 Acton says : " Nothing costs the economy so 
 much as the production of semen and its ejacu- 
 lation." 
 
 JOURNEY OF THE SPERM. 
 
 After the sperm is poured into the vas defer- 
 ans (the excretory duct of the testicle), it is 
 conveyed by this same duct out of the scrotum ; 
 thence it passes through the inguinal canal to 
 the base of the bladder. . At the base are situ- 
 ated two glandular bodies, termed the vesiculae 
 seminales* They have a secretion of their own 
 of a mucous nature. The outlets to the vesiculae 
 seminales and the vasa deferentia form junctures, 
 termed the ejaculatory ducts. So at the point 
 where the two ducts coalesce, the two secretions 
 
 * For illustration see appendix. 
 
GENERATIVE ORGANS OF THE MALE. 5 I 
 
 commingle. The secretion from the vesiculae 
 liquifies the semen, and gives it the peculiar odor. 
 
 As there are two vesiculae, the right and the 
 left, and as there are two vasa deferentia, of 
 course there will be two ejaculatory ducts, and 
 they both empty into the urethra, or canal trav- 
 ersing the penis. 
 
 As the semen passes along on its outward 
 journey, it receives additional secretions from 
 the prostate gland and Cowper's glands, which 
 are small glands situated at the commencement 
 of the urethra. 
 
 The true office of the various secretions the 
 semen has received at the different points is not 
 well understood. It is supposed by some that 
 the semen is not thoroughly elaborated, and that 
 the sperms are not completely evolved, until the 
 different secretions we have spoken of are inti- 
 mately commingled. 
 
 There are two theories extant in regard to 
 the time that the semen is secreted. The one 
 that is generally indorsed is that the testes are 
 constantly secreting semen. In men who have 
 been continent less semen is secreted than in 
 those that are married. The condition of the 
 mind and the surroundings greatly influence the 
 amount. 
 
 The vesiculae seminales are not only secretory 
 in their nature, but, it is claimed, they act as so 
 
52 
 
 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 many reservoirs for the semen that does not 
 pass off by seminal emissions. 
 
 Without dwelling any longer at present on 
 the generative organs and their functions, we 
 will in the next chapter consider the process of 
 impregnation. Many interesting facts pertain- 
 ing to generation will be presented when we 
 consider the diseases of these organs. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 CONCEPTION AND ITS PECULIARITIES. 
 
 IT is admitted by all physiologists that con- 
 ception is the result of contact of the sperm 
 of the male and the germ or ovum of the female. 
 In sexual intercourse the semen is brought in 
 direct contact with the mouth of the womb. The 
 spermatozoon enters the uterine canal, and wher- 
 ever it meets the egg that is trying to escape 
 into the external world, there impregnation takes 
 place. 
 
 EXPLODED THEORIES. 
 
 The old doctrine was, that there is a seminal 
 aura, or atmosphere, that passes to the ovary, 
 and that the egg is always fertilized before it 
 leaves its parent bed. There have been various 
 theories advanced in regard to who is entitled to 
 the most credit in producing the new being, the 
 father or the mother. Pythagoras and Aristotle 
 taught that the female parent furnishes the mate- 
 rial for the formation of the offspring, and that 
 the male quickens it to life. Galen, on the other 
 hand, taught that the male semen alone furnishes 
 the vital material for the new being, and that the 
 
54 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 female furnishes a lodging place, and suitable 
 pabulum for its development. 
 
 THEORY OF TO-DAY. 
 
 The theory of to-day is about the same as that 
 advocated by Aristotle. After the sperm meets 
 the ovum, all locomotion in the egg stops, and it 
 becomes, in a short time, attached to the inner 
 membrane of the womb. Life is now kindled, 
 and, of course, nourishment is demanded. The 
 albuminous coating of the ovum nourishes the 
 being at first. In a short time little villi spring 
 from every part of the egg, apparently to seek 
 food for the embryo. As the little rootlets of 
 the plant burrow down into the earth to obtain 
 food from the soil, so these thread-like villi of 
 the Qgg dip down into the secretion that is 
 effused from the lining of the womb. The race 
 for life has begun. There is but little nourish- 
 ment ready for use ; the larder is small ; these 
 little villi are so many little foragers for the little 
 being. In a short time the villi disappear from 
 the ovum, except at that point where it is in con- 
 tact with the womb, and at that point they are 
 increased in number and size, and finally they 
 are sufficiently developed to form the placenta, or 
 afterbirth. 
 
 Without dwelling on the minute anatomical 
 changes that transpire in the womb, the foetus, 
 
CONCEPTION AND ITS PECULIARITIES- 55 
 
 and its appendages, we will speak of certain gen- 
 eral facts and physical peculiarities. 
 
 CHANGES IN THE WOMB DURING GESTATION, 
 
 From the first there is a gradual growth. It 
 becomes each month, from conception until 
 childbirth, larger, heavier. In the virgin it is 
 only a few ounces in weight, at parturition as 
 many pounds. 
 
 FCETAL DEVELOPMENT. 
 
 At first it is a minute egg ; but at the third 
 week of gestation it is one-half inch in length, 
 and expanded at one extremity. The cleft for 
 the mouth, and two black spots for the eyes, can 
 be seen at this early stage. As the acorn, with 
 proper surroundings, will produce the majestic 
 oak, so this apparently homogeneous mass of 
 vitality will produce the highest organized be- 
 ing— man. 
 
 Man is a microcosm — a world within him- 
 self — he is really an epitome of creation. 
 There is not a law in the universe that is not 
 duplicated in man's organism ; hence the impor- 
 tance of thoroughly tracing the metamorphoses 
 through which he has passed from impregnation 
 until birth. 
 
 Each successive month of its intra-uterine 
 existence the foetus becomes larger, heavier, more 
 human. The nine months' career is soon passed. 
 
5 6 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 The cocoon is severed, and at birth it becomes 
 an independent being. Heretofore the mother 
 has purified its blood, has done its breathing. 
 Now it breathes for itself. It now seeks its 
 nourishment in a different way, and maintains 
 its own animal heat. Heretofore, every thought, 
 emotion and passion of the mother has stamped 
 peculiar qualities, both mental and physical, on 
 the little being. 
 
 Organs that were active during fcetal life, 
 after the birth of the child become atrophied, 
 and remain, like many nondescript fossils in the 
 rocks, so many vestiges of the past. 
 
 The umbilicus, thyroid gland and urachus are 
 so many fcetal landmarks. 
 
 The lungs, that through fcetal life were imper- 
 vious, more like a liver than anything else, at 
 birth are aroused from their lethargy to contend 
 with the new surroundings. 
 
 QUICKENING OF THE CHILD. 
 
 Many ladies, at about the fourth month of 
 pregnancy experience for the first time the 
 movement of the foetus. This sensation is sup- 
 posed to be produced by the foetus being quick- 
 ened into life ; and in some countries, at the 
 present time, if abortion is produced before this 
 period of quickening, the penalty is not so 
 severe as if produced later. 
 
CONCEPTION AND ITS PECULIARITIES. 57 
 
 A false physiology has placed on the statute 
 book an unjust law. 
 
 Science to-day says, there is life from the 
 time of impregnation, and in the eyes of the 
 law, and in the eyes of God, it is just as criminal 
 to destroy the fcetus one day after impregnation 
 as one year. How many ladies in the land are 
 really guilty of foeticide, and yet they supposed 
 it all right to destroy it before the fourth month. 
 
 Mrs. Duffey, in her u Relation of the Sexes," 
 says : " I have even heard a woman, who ac- 
 knowledged to several successive abortions, ac- 
 , complished by her own hands upon herself, say, 
 'Why, there is no harm in it, any more than in 
 drowning a blind kitten ; it is nothing better 
 than a kitten before it is born.' " 
 
 OPINION OF THE ANCIENTS. 
 
 Philosophers in all ages have differed in re- 
 gard to the time the fcetus manifests a soul. 
 Roman lawyers looked on the fcetus as a part 
 of the mother, hence the Roman mothers de- 
 stroyed it any time. The Stoics believed the 
 soul entered the body at the first respiration ; 
 the Justinian code fixed it at forty days after 
 conception. The reason the mother first feels 
 the motion of the child at the fourth month is 
 this : previous to that time the womb is low 
 down in the pelvis, and the movements of the 
 
5 8 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 foetus cannot produce sensation on the womb 
 and adjacent parts, because they are destitute 
 of sensitive nerves. 
 
 At the fourth month the womb is so large 
 it cannot remain longer in the pelvis, and it 
 rises up into the abdominal cavity, and some 
 writers claim this uprising of the womb pro- 
 duces the sensations of quickening. Carpenter 
 says : u When it emerges from the pelvis it 
 comes in contact, anteriorly, with the abdominal 
 parietes, which are liberally supplied with sensi- 
 tive nerves, and which, by contiguity of sub- 
 stance, feel the movements and thus the woman 
 becomes conscious of them." 
 
 PLACENTA. 
 
 At the end of gestation this organ is about 
 six to eight inches in diameter, and weighs 
 about a pound. In the center it is over an inch 
 in thickness, growing - thinner toward the circum- 
 ference. Its outer surface is a little uneven, and 
 when insitu is closely attached to the inner sur- 
 face of the womb. Its inner surface is smooth 
 and is covered with the two membranes that 
 constitute the bag of waters. The villi, which 
 we have before said connect the ovum to the 
 inner membrane of the womb, in a short time 
 are increased in number and size, and by the 
 development of new cellular tissue they are 
 
CONCEPTION AND ITS PECULIARITIES. 59 
 
 soon matted into one compact mass. It is 
 not placental in form until about the second 
 month, and if it is then examined it will be 
 found traversed with a complex system of blood- 
 vessels, arteries, veins and capillaries. These 
 blood-vessels do not have a direct communica- 
 tion with those that traverse the uterus, yet the 
 relation is so intimate that all the physiological 
 changes can be produced just as well as if there 
 were a direct passage. All that separates the 
 placental and maternal current is a thin atten- 
 uated membrane. 
 
 HOW IS THE BLOOD PURIFIED.* 
 
 In adult respiration the air does not come in 
 direct contact with the impure blood, a thin 
 membrane separates them, yet all the effects of 
 purification transpire. The inspired air imparts 
 oxygen through the membrane, and receives 
 carbonic acid in return. The blood when sent 
 to the lungs is nearly black, loaded with carbon, 
 but the oxygen it has received frees it of its 
 impurities, — changes its color to a bright scarlet 
 tint. When the blood leaves the lung it is ap- 
 parently a new fluid, well fitted to start again 
 on its missionary tour of nutrition. The placenta 
 is, pro tempore, the lungs, stomach, liver and 
 alimentary canal of the foetus. The placental 
 
 * For illustration fee appendix. 
 
6o 
 
 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 villi, or tufts floating as they really do in the 
 maternal blood, impart to it carbonic acid and 
 receive in return oxygen ; so far it is the lung 
 of the fcetus. The same tufts at the same time 
 absorb nourishment from the mother's blood, 
 and so transform it that it will nourish the 
 fcetus ; so far it performs the office of stomach. 
 That the placenta also is an organ of secretion 
 and excretion is admitted by the best scientists 
 of the day. Those little villi, so simple in struc- 
 ture and function at first, have, as we can plainly 
 see, been transformed into the most important 
 organ of fcetal existence. 
 
 POSITION OF AFTERBIRTH. 
 
 The position of the afterbirth in the womb 
 can, many times, be ascertained by using the 
 stethoscope over the uterus, and listening to the 
 placental brtiit, or murmur. 
 
 The afterbirth may be attached to any part 
 of the uterine cavity. If the sperm does not 
 meet the ^gg until it arrives at the fundus, then 
 the afterbirth will be formed there. 
 
 Sometimes the sperm impregnates the Ggg 
 just as it is ready to escape from the uterus, 
 then the afterbirth will be formed over the 
 os uteri ; and when such is the case, and parturi- 
 tion takes place, there will be a dangerous com- 
 plication , viz., placenta prcevia. 
 
CONCEPTION AND ITS PECULIARITIES. 6 1 
 UMBILICAL CORD. 
 
 This is the only connecting link between the 
 mother and fcetus. It starts from the center of 
 the placenta, to which it is attached, and termi- 
 nates at the umbilicus, or navel, of the child. It 
 is generally about twenty inches in length, al- 
 though some authors claim they have seen cases 
 where it was five feet long. It is composed of 
 two arteries and one vein, with a small amount 
 of gelatinous matter, gluing them together. It 
 is covered on the outside with prolongations of 
 the membranes, that compose the bag of waters. 
 The cord manifests these peculiar freaks at 
 times, viz., of being tied into several knots, and, 
 also, at times of being coiled several times 
 around the neck of the fcetus. 
 
 FCETAL CIRCULATION. 
 
 As this volume is intended for popular read- 
 ing, we shall leave out the minutiae of this very 
 complex circulation, and merely give a general 
 idea. 
 
 The umbilical vein conveys the pure blood 
 from the afterbirth to the navel of the child. 
 Thence the blood passes to the foetal heart, 
 which pumps it to every part of the body of the 
 fcetus. The blood, as it circulates, in time be- 
 comes impure ; now, where shall it be freed from 
 its impurities ? Says one, " Why can it not be 
 
62 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 purified in the lungs of the foetus?" My answer 
 is, the lungs of the foetus are more like a liver 
 than anything else. The only way that it can 
 be purified is for it to be sent back to the pla- 
 centa, through the umbilical arteries. 
 
 The umbilical cord, therefore, has two currents 
 of blood flowing through it, one pure the other 
 impure, and flowing in different directions. Here 
 is another physiological exception, where the 
 artery conveys impure and the vein pure blood. 
 
 BAG OF WATERS. 
 
 How Formed; Its Contents; Its Office. 
 
 The foetus, all through gestation, is suspended 
 in the amniotic liquid, which is inclosed in the 
 two membranes, termed the amnion and the 
 chorion. This sac, with its contents, is, in popu- 
 lar language, called the bag of waters. 
 
 The outer membrane of the sac is the chorion ; 
 the inner, the amnion. We will now trace the 
 formation of this sac through its various changes. 
 The ovum, if examined microscopically, has two 
 membranes that envelop it. The yolk, which 
 constitutes the majority of the &gg, is inclosed 
 by these two membranes, and, as I have before 
 stated, as soon as life is kindled it nourishes the 
 germ. The yolk in the beginning nourishes the 
 germ in the same way that the major part of a 
 kernel of wheat nourishes the germ when quick- 
 
CONCEPTION AND ITS PECULIARITIES. 63 
 
 ened by the stimulating influences of light, 
 warmth and moisture. The yolk is soon ex- 
 hausted by the hungry germ, and its place is 
 supplanted by an aqueous liquid, and in this liquid 
 the fcetus floats. As the foetus becomes more 
 and more developed, as a matter of course the 
 sac will become more distended, and the liquid 
 increased in quantity. The origin of this amni- 
 otic liquid is a matter of dispute. 
 
 The quantity of the liquid, at the end of 
 gestation, varies from a few gills to as many 
 pints, and when the membranes are ruptured 
 during parturition, and a very little liquid escapes, 
 it is termed a dry birth. It is claimed by some, 
 that the liquid nourishes the fcetus, on the prin- 
 ciple of absorption, and all admit that it is a 
 reservoir for the excretions of the fcetus. The 
 meconium and urine have been detected in it 
 by several reliable observers. 
 
 OFFICE OF AMNIOTIC LIQUID. 
 
 The fcetus, as it floats in the liquid, is, so to 
 speak, surrounded by a liquid cushion, and 
 should the mother, during pregnancy, receive 
 any external injury, such as might be produced 
 by a fall, a misstep or a blow, the fcetus would 
 escape unharmed. Were the fcetus not thus 
 shielded, the pregnant state would be one of 
 great solicitude on the part of the mother, and 
 
64 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 there would be ten cases of abortion to where 
 there is one now. 
 
 At the same time the liquid protects the foetus 
 it also protects the mother. After the period of 
 quickening, the foetus manifests more or less 
 muscular activity, and were it in direct contact 
 with the uterus, the effects produced would be 
 unbearable on the part of the mother. Perhaps 
 the most important office of the bag of waters 
 is that which it fulfills in furnishing an easy exit 
 for the foetus through the os uteri. The manner 
 in which it performs this office we have explained 
 in the essay on parturition. 
 
 RELATION OF SAC TO PLACENTA. 
 
 The bag of waters in the last stage of gesta- 
 tion fills, as a rule, the whole cavity of the 
 womb, and the membranes of the sac are in- 
 direct contact with the hypertrophied lining 
 membrane {membrana decidud), except that por- 
 tion occupied by the placenta. The foetal 
 portion of the placenta is covered with the 
 membranes. Perhaps a clearer idea can be 
 obtained by the following comparison : We 
 might compare the bag of waters to the dis- 
 tended gas bag of a balloon ; the membrana 
 decidua we might compare to the net-work 
 inclosing ; the placenta would represent the car. 
 The only point where the comparison is not 
 
CONCEPTION AND ITS PECULIARITIES. 65 
 
 perfect, is that in the balloon there is quite a 
 space intervening between the balloon proper 
 and the attached car, whereas the bag of waters 
 is in direct contact with the placenta. 
 
 MYSTERY OF TWINS. 
 
 Twin conception is produced in the same way 
 as single, with this exception, that two ova are 
 fecundated instead of one. In ovulation, more 
 than one &gg may escape, and in sexual coition, 
 more than one sperm may enter the mouth of 
 the womb, hence there is no mystery in regard 
 to twin production, and if there is any mystery, 
 it is in the fact that there are so few cases of 
 twin births. Triplets and quadruplets are ac- 
 counted for on the same principle that twins 
 are produced, viz., there must be as many eggs 
 fecundated as there are foetuses. Churchill says : 
 " A woman may conceive two, three, four or 
 five children, but I am not aware of more than 
 four children having been born alive at one 
 birth." 
 
 Statistics show that among British practition- 
 ers there are sixty-nine single births to one of 
 twins. Four thousand four hundred and seven- 
 ty-three single births to one of triplets. Among 
 the French practitioners the percentage of twins 
 and triplets is some less. 
 
 In plural births there will be as many pla- 
 
66 
 
 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 centas as foetuses, and each fcetus has its own 
 umbilical cord attached to its own placenta. 
 
 NUMBER OF AFTERBIRTHS. 
 
 You often hear it remarked that in a case of 
 twin births there was but one after-birth ex- 
 pelled. To the careless or ignorant observer 
 such was the case, but a close observation would 
 show that there were two coalescing, in such a 
 manner as to deceive a superficial examination. 
 
 SIAMESE TWINS. 
 
 This noted freak of twin birth can be ac- 
 counted for as follows : two ova were fertilized 
 as in ordinary twin conception, but the ova at 
 the time of conception were in juxtaposition, 
 and it is easy to understand how the cartilagi- 
 nous band that joined them could be formed. 
 
 SUPERFCETATION. 
 
 Whether a woman several months advanced 
 in pregnancy can conceive again if sexual 
 coition takes place, is admitted and denied by 
 good authorities. In ordinary twin births sev- 
 eral days may intervene between the birth of 
 the two foetuses, and yet both ova from which 
 the foetuses were evolved may have been im- 
 pregnated either at the same intercourse or at 
 two successive coitions, with only a little time 
 
CONCEPTION AND ITS PECULIARITIES. 6 J 
 
 intervening between them. Dr. Mosely gives 
 the following case : "A negro woman brought 
 forth two children at a birth, both of a size, one 
 of which was a negro the other a mulatto. The 
 mother confessed to having intercourse with 
 her husband and a white man, with only a short 
 time intervening." 
 
 The following cases are more mysterious: 
 " Mrs. T., an Italian lady, but married to an 
 Englishman, was delivered of a male child at 
 Palermo, November 12, 1807. On the 2d of 
 February, 1808, not quite three calendar months 
 after the preceding accouchement, she was de- 
 livered of a second male infant." 
 
 Dr. Bedford gives the following case : "A 
 woman, aged thirty-seven years, brought forth 
 a mature and healthy child on the 30th of 
 April ; on the 1 7th of September following 
 (about one hundred and forty days after the 
 previous birth) she was again delivered of a 
 fully developed infant." 
 
 In the last two cases do we have examples 
 of twin conception, or are they better accounted 
 for on the principle of superfoetation ? If it is 
 twin conception, we must admit that from some 
 cause, one foetus was more tardily developed 
 than the other, and that it was retained in the 
 uterus until it was fully evolved. Churchill says : 
 "This explanation requires previous proof, that 
 
68 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 a slow growth of the foetus involves a protracted 
 gestation." Bedford says : "The best way to ac- 
 count for these peculiar freaks, where so long 
 a time intervenes between the births, is on the 
 principle of a second fecundation." 
 
 In the case of a double uterus, the explanation 
 is quite easy to illustrate. One coition may 
 fecundate an ovum in one of the cornua, and 
 a subsequent coition may fecundate an ovum 
 in the other cornua. Ramsbotham objects to 
 a second fecundation, for the reason that the 
 os uteri is closed with a tenacious mucous plug- 
 as soon as pregnancy is effected. Bedford, on 
 the other hand, says that there is no essential 
 difference between the mucus existing in the 
 cervical canal in the pregnant woman, and that 
 generally present in the same canal in an unim- 
 pregnated female. 
 
 It was formerly supposed that shortly after 
 conception the uterus is lined with a deciduous 
 membrane, — a shut sac — and that a second 
 fecundation could not take place for this obvious 
 reason, the sac would so close up the orifices of 
 the fallopian tubes and the os uteri, that it 
 would be impossible for ova, if they are ex- 
 truded from the ovary, to gain access to the 
 uterine cavity ; and this same sac would be 
 another obstacle to the entrance of spermatozoa. 
 
 Modern physiologists, however, claim the: 
 
CONCEPTION AND ITS PECULIARITIES. 69 
 
 decidua is nothing but a hypertrophied con- 
 dition of the membrane lining the womb, and 
 that during the earlier stages of gestation the 
 orifices of the fallopian tubes are open as much 
 as in unimpregnated wombs. There is much 
 obscurity still prevailing in regard to these so 
 called cases of superfcetation. Who shall de- 
 cide when doctors disagree ? 
 
 ABNORNAL PREGNANCY. 
 
 The fecundated egg, 999 times in 1,000, will 
 become attached to the membrane lining the 
 womb. God intended the womb to be the home 
 of the fcetus, but there is occasionally an excep- 
 tion ; sometimes the impregnated egg becomes 
 attached to the membrane lining the fallopian 
 tube, and it remains in the tube during its de- 
 velopment ; this is a case of extra-uterine feta- 
 tion, termed tubal pregnancy. Sometimes the 
 egg is impregnated the moment it escapes from 
 its parent bed, viz., the ovary, and it remains in 
 contact with the ovary during its development ; 
 this is a case of ovarian pregnancy. Again, the 
 egg, after being impregnated at the ovary, may 
 drop into the peritoneal sac, producing a case of 
 abdominal pregnancy. The theory we have ad- 
 vanced in regard to conception, easily explains 
 how these abnormal forms of pregnancy can be 
 produced. The sperm may travel the whole ex- 
 
/O PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 tent of the uterus before the ovum arrives there. 
 The sperm still continues its journey and meets the 
 tardy egg in the tube ; or it may travel the whole 
 length of the tube, and embrace the egg the mo- 
 ment it bursts through the walls of the ovisac. 
 It is sometimes quite difficult to decide, especial- 
 ly before the period of quickening, whether it is 
 pregnancy or not, as it may be confounded with 
 ovarian tumor. 
 
 The general symptoms of extra-uterine preg- 
 nancy are closely allied to those of ordinary preg- 
 nancy, with these exceptions : the menses, as a 
 rule, continue unabated, and the increase of the 
 abdomen generally differs from that in ordinary 
 pregnancy by being more to one side, and the 
 pain limited to the spot where the tumor is felt. 
 The foetus ordinarily does not undergo its full 
 development, and in its earlier stages it becomes 
 encased in a cyst. 
 
 The great danger to be apprehended is hem- 
 orrhage and peritoneal inflammation, in case the 
 cyst is ruptured. The foetus, of course, in tubal and 
 ovarian pregnancies, cannot be born in the usual 
 way, but in some cases an abscess is formed by 
 the death and decomposition of the foetus, and 
 then the surgeon would be warranted in making 
 an incision of the abdominal walls and remov- 
 ing it. Some recommend the incision to be 
 made as soon as the fact of extra-uterine preg- 
 
CONCEPTION AND ITS PECULIARITIES. 7 1 
 
 nancy is established, especially if the health of 
 the mother* is declining. 
 
 REMARKABLE CASES. 
 
 I will give two cases to illustrate : Dr. Pope, 
 of the St. Louis Medical College, was called to 
 see a case of left tubal pregnancy ; the full pe- 
 riod of gestation was completed, and in the left 
 ovarian region were all the symptoms of an ab- 
 scess forming. He incised the abdominal walls 
 over the tumor and removed a foetus some four 
 months developed. The mother lived, and has 
 given birth to three fully developed foetuses since. 
 
 The Sedalia (Mo.) special gives the following 
 case: " One of the rarest and most difficult sur- 
 gical cases, and probably the first of the kind in 
 this state, was successfully performed in Otter- 
 ville, Cooper county, about twenty miles south- 
 east of this city, last Tuesday. It was the re- 
 moval of the foetus from the person of a lady 
 two years after its conception. In medical par- 
 lance the case is termed extra-uterine fcetation. 
 
 A history of the case is briefly this : A little 
 over two years ago Mr. Rhea died, and Mrs. 
 Rhea was expected to be confined three months 
 later, or two years ago this month. The event 
 did not take place. The foetus perished, and 
 all signs of life in it ceased. She was taken 
 ill, and her life despaired of. She, however, re- 
 
7 2 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 gained her health to a moderate degree, and for 
 the past year has been able to attend to house- 
 hold duties. But the burden that she carried — 
 the dead linked to the living — grew irksome, and 
 after consulting with her physician and others 
 in regard to an operation, she was determined 
 to take the chances, and undergo it at all haz- 
 ards. Accordingly, she went to work to put her 
 house in order. She settled up all the affairs of 
 the estate, made her will, and provision for her 
 only child, a boy six or seven years old. She 
 even prepared her funeral garments, in case the 
 operation should prove fatal. Last Tuesday she 
 announced she was ready, when her family phy- 
 sician, assisted by several doctors from Sedalia, 
 prepared to perform the operation. Although 
 again warned of the probable fatal results, she 
 jokingly laughed at the physicians, assuring them 
 she would come out all right. The abdomen 
 was opened, the foetus detached and successfully 
 removed. It was in a perfect state of preserva- 
 tion, and was that of a nearly fully developed 
 child, though somewhat shrunken. Nature, ever 
 wise and provident, envelops the foetus in a thin 
 membrane or sac, thus rendering the dead foetus 
 innocuous to the body, and this was so envel- 
 oped. Mrs. Rhea was then put to bed, and made 
 comfortable. This morning word was received 
 that she was as well as could be expected, and 
 
 -■to 
 
CONCEPTION AND ITS PECULIARITIES. 73 
 
 the indications were highly favorable for recov- 
 ery." 
 
 Extra-uterine pregnancy is clouded still, to a 
 certain degree, in mystery, and whichever theory 
 of impregnation we may indorse, the great won- 
 der is the small percentage of the abnormal 
 pregnancies. 
 
 DURATION OF PREGNANCY. 
 
 Forty weeks — 280 days — is the ordinary 
 time, although sometimes there are wide depart- 
 ures. The code, Napoleon, of Paris, fixes ex- 
 tremes at 300 and 180 days. If a child is born 
 300 days after marriage, or as early as 180, it is 
 pronounced legitimate. In Scotland a child is 
 not declared a bastard unless born after the 
 tenth month from the death or departure of the 
 husband. 
 
 WHEN WILL LABOR BEGIN? 
 
 Bedford gives the following rule : " Imagine, 
 for example, the termination of the last men- 
 strual period to be on the 10th of January ; then 
 count back three months, which will correspond 
 with the 10th of October; now from the 10th of 
 October add seven days, this will bring you to 
 the 1 7th of October, the day on which labor will 
 commence." 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 PUBERTY AND ITS PHENOMENA. 
 
 FROM the first kindling of life in the ovum 
 until death, the human being is undergoing 
 wonderful evolutions. Life is one grand series 
 of metamorphoses. Perhaps the most interest- 
 ing transformation in many respects, and the 
 one to which I now invite your attention, is 
 that of Puberty. 
 
 In this latitude it occurs about the fifteenth 
 year. It is claimed that climate influences 
 greatly the time. 
 
 In tropical climes it occurs often at eight 
 years, whereas in the colder regions it may be 
 delayed until twenty. The surroundings of 
 childhood influence its arrival greatly. City 
 life and its customs hastens it ; country life 
 retards. 
 
 Previous to the arrival of puberty, the little 
 boy and girl act very much alike, but when it 
 arrives, a wide divergence takes place ; he blos- 
 soms into manhood, she into womanhood. Her 
 girlish plays are laid aside ; she has hid the doll 
 she long has fondled ; she is more shy, modest 
 
PUBERTY AND ITS PHENOMENA. 
 
 75 
 
 and refined in the presence of the gentlemen. 
 The light-hearted, playful girl is now a lady, so 
 made by Nature. What a wonderful mental 
 change in so short a time ! The physical 
 change is equally marvelous. The organ of 
 
 amativeness is now first aroused from its leth- 
 argy. The word love has no longer a hidden 
 meaning. Her muscles are more developed, 
 and the deposition of adipose matter between 
 them gives her more of the rotund form. The 
 
7° PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 mammary gland, the ovaries, and, in fact, her 
 whole being, is infused with new life. 
 
 The most prominent function ushered in at 
 this epoch is ovulation, and its accompanying 
 symptom, menstruation. Previous to puberty, 
 the ovaries were dormant ; no ovisacs could be 
 detected in them by the microscopist, but as 
 soon as puberty arrives, they spring into being 
 as if by magic. 
 
 MENSTRUATION. 
 
 From puberty until the menopause — cessa- 
 tion of the menses — that is, as a rule, from the 
 age of fifteen to forty-five, woman experiences 
 about every lunar month a sanguineous dis- 
 charge from the vulva. The amount varies from 
 a few ounces to several pints. The discharge 
 continues from three to eight days, but there 
 are cases where menstruation is continued for 
 fifteen to twenty days, and as much blood 
 lost as there would be in ordinary childbirth. 
 Menstruation manifests some peculiar freaks, 
 although it generally begins at fifteen, in this 
 climate. 
 
 PECULIAR FREAKS. 
 
 Velpeau, the noted French surgeon, gives a 
 case of menstruation at eighteen months. Dr. 
 Chas. Wilson gives a case of menses appearing 
 at five months. Dr. Rowlett, of Kentucky, 
 gives a case of menses at one year of age, and 
 
PUBERTY AND ITS PHENOMENA. 77 
 
 pregnancy at nine. The turn of life, or cessa- 
 tion, though generally appearing about forty- 
 five, may vary from thirty-five to ninety-nine. 
 
 Orfila gives a case, well authenticated, of men- 
 struation until ninety-nine. 
 
 Many regard menstruation as the result of 
 civilization ; that it is modern born. It is a great 
 
 mistake. The oldest bible 
 writers speak of it. In 
 Gen. xxxi is the follow- 
 ing : "And Rachel said to 
 her father, let it not dis- 
 please my lord that I 
 cannot rise up before 
 thee, for the custom of 
 women is upon me." 
 
 The menstrual flow 
 was, in former times, con- 
 sidered a secretion, and 
 menstruation a cleansing process, throwing off 
 poisonous properties from the blood. Dr. Dew- 
 ees, a noted obstetrician of fifty years ago, 
 regards it as a secretion, for the reason that 
 menstrual blood does not coagulate the same as 
 blood taken from a vein ; but there is not the 
 least doubt but when first effused it is pure 
 blood, but in its passage into the external world 
 its coagulability is destroyed by the acid secre- 
 tions of the vagina. 
 
/O PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 ORIGIN OF THE MENSES. 
 
 Different organs have been, at different times, 
 regarded as the source. All scientists now agree 
 that it comes from the membrane lining the 
 uterine cavity ; that the menstrual flow is a hem- 
 orrhage, instead of secretion. 
 
 CAUSE OF MENSES. 
 
 Thomas says: "Until the year 1821, when 
 Power first broached the subject, the connection 
 between ovulation and menstruation was unsus- 
 pected." Every month one or more ova escape 
 from the ovary, and the irritation produced in 
 the escape is transmitted to the uterus, the 
 mucous membrane of which becomes so en- 
 gorged with blood that a rupture of the blood- 
 vessels occurs, and hemorrhage is the result. 
 The reason that the flow is monthly is because 
 the ova escape monthly, and it takes about a 
 month for the successive eggs that make their 
 escape to become matured. Menstruation is 
 analogous to the period of heat in the lower 
 animals, and in the monkey tribe there is a 
 bloody discharge, with about the same intervals 
 as in the human female. 
 
 Ovulation is not necessarily attended with the 
 menstrual show, and if it is, the time of each 
 may not be the same ; one may anticipate the 
 other. For this reason mothers many times 
 
PUBERTT AND ITS PHENOMENA. 79 
 
 conceive during nursing ; although there is no 
 show, there is ovulation. 
 
 TURN OF LIFE. 
 
 Turn of life generally occurs about forty-five. 
 The ovaries that have been active since puberty 
 now relapse into the lethargy 
 they manifested at first. The 
 symptoms vary in different 
 women. The change is some- 
 times very gradual ; the dis- 
 charge becomes less and less 
 each month, until its final cessa- 
 tion ; but oftentimes there is great irregularity 
 both in the time and the quantity of the menses. 
 Profuse hemorrhage sometimes occurs at the 
 very last menstrual effort. As a rule, there is a 
 greater anxiety manifested by women at this so- 
 called critical period than science and statistics 
 would warrant. Dewees says : " The vulgar 
 error that women at this period of life are 
 always in danger is replete with mischief to the 
 suffering sex." If menstruation were a purifying 
 process, by which certain poisonous elements 
 are monthly eliminated from the blood, there 
 would be good grounds for apprehension on the 
 part of women, but such is not the case. 
 
 The ovaries that have for thirty years been 
 constantly forming and extruding ova have ful- 
 
8o 
 
 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 filled their mission ; their term of office has ex- 
 pired, and menstruation ceases, for the simple 
 reason that the cause has been removed. The 
 diseases *to which the critical period predisposes 
 we will consider when treating of disease exclu- 
 sively. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 SIGNS OF PREGNANCY. 
 
 SUPPRESSION OF THE MENSES is 
 generally the first sign that causes a woman 
 to think she is enceinte, especially if she has 
 been regular up to that time. It is not always a 
 true monitor, but can generally be relied on. 
 
 Exposure to damp and cold, depressing pas- 
 sions, or any violent mental agitation, may be 
 the cause of the cessation. Bedford says : " It 
 should be recollected, too, that the menses will 
 occasionally become arrested soon after mar- 
 riage, and continue so for one or more months, 
 without the existence of gestation ; the arrest of 
 the function in these cases being, most probably,, 
 due to the new relations of the individual." 
 
 As the stoppage of the monthly flow does not 
 infallibly indicate pregnancy, so, likewise, the reg- 
 ular appearance does not proclaim the contrary. 
 Some ladies menstruate regularly all through 
 gestation, and Deventer gives a case where a 
 lady menstruated only during gestation, for four 
 successive pregnancies. 
 
 6 
 
82 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 MONTHLY FLOW DURING PREGNANCY. 
 
 " Well," says one, " how is it possible for a 
 monthly show to be manifested after conception?" 
 Says another : " If there is any sanguineous dis- 
 charge, it can be nothing but a hemorrhage, pro- 
 duced by a partial separation of the placenta." 
 It is sometimes thus produced, and would, of 
 course, excite a certain amount of alarm, on ac- 
 count of the threatened miscarriage ; but, on the 
 other hand, there may be genuine menstruation 
 for this reason : The fcetus and its surrounding 
 bag of waters may occupy but a portion of the 
 uterine cavity, and the menses could be formed 
 by the free surface, especially that lining the 
 cervix. 
 
 Says a doubter : " It is not menstruation, be- 
 cause the ovaries during gestation are in a state 
 of repose, and there could not be a monthly show 
 without ovarian excitement." His objection, as a 
 rule, is well founded, but there is abundant evi- 
 dence to show that there are cases where ovula- 
 tion occurs regularly all through pregnancy. 
 
 NAUSEA AND VOMITING. 
 
 These are quite prominent signs, but it is not 
 a constant attendant on the pregnant state, be- 
 cause ordinary suppression of the menses, and 
 functional or organic disease of the uterus, may 
 likewise produce it. The stomach and the womb 
 
SIGNS OF PREGNANCY. 83 
 
 are quite sympathetic, and many ladies, during 
 pregnancy, manifest a capricious, and, at times, a 
 depraved, appetite — a longing for articles to eat 
 that at. any other time they loathe. Salivation, 
 enlargement of the abdomen and the mammary 
 gland, milk in the breasts, swelling of the lower 
 extremities, are good signs. 
 
 AREOLAR CHANGE. 
 
 The areola is the peculiar circle that surrounds 
 the nipple. In the virgin it is of a rose tint, but 
 during gestation, as a rule, it becomes discolored, 
 and the sebaceous follicles become enlarged and 
 project from the surface. Uterine diseases may 
 produce a similar discoloration, but, when the 
 peculiar change in color is accompanied by the 
 enlargement of the follicles, it is almost a sure 
 sign. Sometimes the pregnant state is unaccom- 
 panied with areolar change, but when it is pres- 
 ent it may be relied on. 
 
 Quickening is a good sign, but, of course, it 
 does not manifest itself until about one half of 
 the period of gestation has passed. The signs 
 we have given so far are easily comprehended, 
 but, if there should be great anxiety in regard 
 to obtaining more evidence, a physician should 
 be called and he can determine whether preg- 
 nancy exists for a certainty. First, by applying 
 the stethoscope over the uterine region and 
 
8 4 
 
 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 listening to the pulsations of the foetal heart, 
 and also by listening to what is termed the 
 placental murmur, which is a peculiar sound 
 produced by the circulation of the blood through 
 the placenta. 
 
 There is another way by which pregnancy 
 may be determined. It is termed balottement. 
 The foetus, recollect, is floating in the amniotic 
 liquid, and after the period of quickening will 
 move from one part of the bag of waters to 
 the other, varying with the position of the 
 mother. Sometimes the mother, when she turns 
 over quickly in bed, will feel something in the 
 uterus fall ; it is produced by the foetus, in- 
 fluenced by gravity, descending to the side on 
 which she reclines. The physician can de- 
 termine the fact of pregnancy in this way : he 
 introduces his index finger into the vagina as 
 far as the os uteri, and then, by pressing sud- 
 denl) r upward, the foetus of course would pas- 
 sively make an ascent, but, through gravity, 
 would immediately descend, and the rebound 
 would be felt by the finger. This is a satis- 
 factory test, as no tumor or disease of the 
 womb could produce the peculiar effects. 
 
 KIESTEINE. 
 
 M. Nauche was the first to call attention to 
 this peculiar substance, found in the urine of 
 
SIGNS OF PREGNANCT. 
 
 85 
 
 pregnant women. He supposed it to be the 
 caseum of the milk secreted during pregnancy. 
 Churchill says : " It resembles a milky cloudi- 
 ness through the urine, or a thin, whitish pellicle 
 on the top." When the urine is highly colored 
 it is quite difficult to detect it. 
 
CHAPTER VII, 
 
 CHILDBIRTH. 
 
 EVERY married person of either sex should 
 have a general knowledge of the modus 
 operandi and philosophy of labor. They should 
 also understand the nature, causes and treat- 
 ment of the various complications and dangers 
 peculiar to parturition. 
 
 The object of this chapter is not so much to 
 make its readers practical obstetricians, as it is 
 to give them such scientific and practical knowl- 
 edge that they may appreciate the true physi- 
 cian, and, if the case requires, render him assist- 
 ance, or, in case he is absent, to act in his place. 
 A lady may be sent for to assist in the labor 
 about to take place, quite early, long before the 
 services of the obstetrician are required. What 
 precautions should she observe ? 
 
 Again, the physician may be sent for, but his 
 professional duties are such that he does not 
 arrive until the labor is far advanced, or perhaps 
 completed. Under these circumstances what 
 shall she do? Science should be her guide ! 
 
CHILDBIRTH. &? 
 
 MIDWIFERY OF TO-DAY. 
 
 There is still much empirical practice in mid- 
 wifery. Many superstitious whims are still in- 
 dulged in, but they are fast disappearing. Here 
 and there still remain a few vestiges of old-time 
 practices, but the robe of mystery that enshrined 
 the midwife of the Middle Ages has been un- 
 loosed. There is no department of the practice 
 of medicine or surgery better understood than 
 the science of obstetrics of to-day. 
 
 INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE NURSE. 
 
 The nurse should see that everything is in 
 readiness before labor sets in, and as it is im- 
 possible to foretell whether the labor will be an 
 easy or a difficult one, the following articles 
 should be accessible, viz., sweet oil, soap, towels, 
 hot and cold water, ice, ligature for the cord. 
 For the proper care of the child have in readi- 
 ness a blanket to receive it, and a soft sponge, 
 castile soap and warm soft water to wash it. 
 
 PRECAUTIONS TO BE OBSERVED. 
 
 The womb, as we have before said, is situated 
 between the rectum and the bladder. During 
 the last stages of pregnancy most ladies are 
 subject to constipation and retention of urine ; 
 hence, as the fcetus is expelled from the womb, 
 it must as a matter of course pass between the 
 
88 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 distended rectum and bladder. In such the 
 labor will be protracted and painful. Particular 
 attention should be bestowed on the condition 
 of these two organs, and if either is distended 
 see that the proper evacuation takes place be- 
 fore true labor sets in. 
 
 To evacuate the lower bowel, use the rubber 
 bulb syringe. Inject simple water until free 
 evacuation is effected. To secure the expulsion 
 of the urine, so as to empty the bladder, much 
 can be done through will power; if this fails 
 let the patient change her position, so that the 
 gravid uterus will not exercise so much pressure 
 against it ; and if these fail, a sitz bath in warm 
 water, by its relaxing effect, may secure free 
 urination. 
 
 If all these means fail, as many times they 
 will, the attending physician's attention should 
 be called to the subject, if he does not make the 
 inquiry himself. Inattention to the condition 
 of the bladder before labor sets in, has resulted 
 in its rupture. Inattention to the constipation, 
 has resulted in rupture and abscesses in the 
 walls separating the vaginal and rectal canal. 
 
 FIRST SIGNS OF LABOR. 
 
 For a day or two before labor sets in, there is 
 a large amount of mucus thrown off by the 
 lining membrane of the vagina. Sometimes the 
 
CHILDBIRTH. 89 
 
 mucus is streaked with blood ; this is called the 
 shows. The parts are undergoing the requisite 
 changes, to secure an easy transmission of the 
 child. 
 
 All through the period of gestation, the os 
 uteri has been closed. For nine months since 
 the spark of life was kindled, not by the 
 concussion of steel and flint, but by the com- 
 mingling of sperm and germ, the womb has 
 been the home of the foetus. The fcetus is 
 matured. A grand metamorphosis is about to 
 take place. New relations are to be assumed. 
 A change of climate is sought. The strug- 
 gling being seeks new realms. Moving day 
 has arrived. The nine months time lock is 
 breaking the seal. The parturient effort has 
 commenced ; the os uteri is becoming dilated. 
 The first pains of labor are called grinding, 
 and are produced by the dilatation of the os. 
 The time required for the os to become dilated 
 varies, and I think the temperament has much 
 to do in regulating the rapidity. As a general 
 rule, ladies of a blonde appearance have easier 
 and more rapid labors than the brunette. There 
 is but little to be done in the first stage of labor. 
 Let the patient get in any position that gives 
 her any ease. Gratify her whims and quiet her 
 fears. 
 
9° PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 WHEN SHOULD AN EXAMINATION BE MADE? 
 
 An examination should be made as soon as 
 the mouth of the womb is sufficiently dilated. 
 Many times the attending nurse will advise the 
 patient to hold the breath and bear down ; that 
 it will expedite the labor. It will do no good 
 in the first stage of labor ; Nature will advise 
 when to bear down. 
 
 The examination having been made, and the 
 presentation ascertained, in the majority of 
 cases nothing is to be done but to quiet the fears 
 manifested. Hands off is the motto. Nature, 
 as a rule, is sufficient for the task. I am often 
 asked whether it is advisable to administer chlo- 
 roform in obstetrical cases. My answer is yes, 
 if it is administered by an experienced person. 
 By the use of anaesthetics much pain can be 
 averted, and the labor not in the least retarded 
 or complicated. No one but the educated 
 medical attendant should administer a remedy 
 so capable of alleviating so much suffering, and 
 at the same time so potent for evil if in the 
 hands of the ignorant. 
 
 SECOND PAINS OF LABOR. 
 
 As soon as the portals of the womb are open, 
 in an instant, and almost in the same breath, the 
 scene changes. Heretofore the pains have been 
 cutting, grinding, now the womb, which is a hoi- 
 
CHILDBIRTH. 9 1 
 
 low muscle, begins to contract in every direction 
 to expel its contents. The bearing down pains 
 have set in ; holding the breath and bearing 
 down is now of some service, and expedites the 
 delivery. Although the womb, without doubt, 
 has sufficient contractile power to expel its con- 
 tents, yet holding the breath at this stage is a 
 valuable auxiliary. 
 
 As the womb contracts, the bag of waters is pro- 
 truded. It presents a conical form, its apex point- 
 ing outward. The part of the sac that presents at 
 the os really performs the office of a wedge, and 
 greatly assists in still farther dilating the mouth. 
 
 The membranes entering into the structure of 
 the protruding sac are sometimes quite frail, and 
 break prematurely before the os is dilated. In 
 such a case the labor will be retarded. Some- 
 times the membranes are strong and unyielding, 
 and the womb has not sufficient contractile power 
 to rupture them. In such cases manual interfer- 
 ence is required. There have been cases where 
 the complete sac unruptured has been expelled. 
 
 BORN WITH A VEIL. 
 
 Sometimes, the membranes that entered into 
 the sac, after being broken, become accidentally 
 adhered to the face of the child. The child, 
 when born in that way, is said to be born with a 
 veil over its face. 
 
9 2 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 It is considered by some a wonderful freak of 
 Nature, and there are many at the present time 
 who still cherish this vestige of superstition, that 
 a child born in this way is a genius, and en- 
 dowed with clairvoyant powers. It is the most 
 palpable fallacy. For my part, I cannot see how 
 a person born in that way can possess a deeper 
 or clearer vision than if born with a pair of 
 green goggles on, if the thing were possible. 
 
 Nearly all of our first-class cities have several 
 of these veil-over -the- face seers. There still 
 exists in many minds enough of the marvelous 
 element, so that this form of quackery is well 
 patronized. 
 
 As the womb contracts, after the sac is rup- 
 tured, and the waters have escaped, any part of 
 the fcetus may present. The head is the most 
 natural and the most common presentation ; the 
 breech next. With the exceptions of the shoul- 
 der or arm, Nature, as a rule, is capable, unaided, 
 to accomplish the delivery. 
 
 In the case of an unnatural presentation, the 
 services of an educated and experienced medical 
 attendant are required, and should be obtained 
 if possible. If the medical attendant does not 
 arrive until late, the husband, or some of the 
 lady attendants, should make a vaginal examina- 
 tion, to determine the presentation. The time 
 to make the examination is as soon as the cut- 
 
CHILDBIRTH. 93 
 
 ting pains are fully established. Do not wait 
 until the bag of waters is ruptured, and the 
 waters have escaped, as it may then be too late 
 to rectify the malposition of the foetus, if such 
 should be the case. 
 
 HOW TO MAKE THE EXAMINATION. 
 
 Dr. Churchill gives the following directions : 
 " The patient should lie on her left side, with the 
 hips near to the edge of the bed, and the knees 
 drawn up toward the abdomen. The forefinger 
 of the right hand, having been well oiled, should 
 be passed along the perineum into the vaginal 
 passage. Pass the finger along the vagina, and 
 you will, in the majority of cases, easily reach 
 the os uteri, and you can determine to what 
 extent the mouth of the womb is dilated, and 
 even if the membranes are unruptured, you can 
 ascertain the presenting part." 
 
 If it is the head or breech presenting, you can 
 just take it easy, and not worry. 
 
 It is not necessary for the patient during the 
 first pains to undress and take the bed ; but let 
 her do as she pleases ; her judgment will direct 
 her better than yours can. 
 
 Much of the pain complained of during the 
 second stage of labor is referred to the lumbar 
 region. The nurse should see that this part is 
 well supported. Proper support to the perineum 
 
94 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 is required as the child is passing the lower 
 strait. Inattention to this precaution might re- 
 sult in a recto-vaginal fissure. 
 
 CARE OF THE CHILD. 
 
 The nurse should see that a warm flannel is 
 in readiness to receive the new being. If res- 
 piration does not take place immediately, see 
 that its mouth and nostrils are not closed up with 
 mucus, and if such is the case, remove it at once. 
 Sometimes the umbilical cord is coiled one or 
 more times around the neck, if so, it should be 
 uncoiled at once. As soon as respiration is es- 
 tablished, attend to ligating the cord. Whether 
 one or two ligatures should be used, is a matter 
 of opinion, and some claim that after the circula- 
 tion in the cord has ceased no ligature is required. 
 In regard to the further care of the child, as far 
 as cleanliness and clothing are required, your 
 own good sense must be the guide. Without de- 
 voting space to describing the minutiae, that any 
 nurse in the neighborhood understands* I wish 
 now to dwell at some length on the peculiarities, 
 dangers and complications of childbirth, not gen- 
 erally considered in popular works. 
 
 After the child has been separated from the 
 mother, and handed to the nurse or lady attend- 
 ant, prompt attention should be devoted to the 
 mother. 
 
CHILDBIRTH. 95 
 
 CARE OF THE MOTHER. 
 
 The mother should be kept as quiet as possi- 
 ble. The medical attendant should press gently 
 over the abdomen, in the uterine region, and as- 
 certain whether there is a thorough contraction 
 of the womb. If, on pressure, something like a 
 globular tumor is felt, there has been sufficient 
 uterine contraction, but if on pressure the parts 
 are soft and flabby, there is danger ahead. How 
 many mother have been drowned, so to speak, in 
 their own heart's blood, on account of inattention 
 to this subject. 
 
 THE PLACENTA, OR AFTERBIRTH. HOW REMOVED. 
 
 The placenta, as heretofore explained, is close- 
 ly attached to the inner surface of the uterus, 
 and, as the womb contracts to expel the foetus, 
 its cavity becomes smaller, and the afterbirth, as 
 a matter of course, is generally peeled off. When 
 the uterine contraction is thorough, the placenta 
 is not only separated from the womb, but the 
 uterine sinuses that have been lacerated by said 
 separation are closed up, so that there is no dan- 
 ger from hemorrhage. The afterbirth is still in 
 the uterine cavity, but in a short time it will be 
 expelled ; but sometimes the fcetus is expelled, 
 and the afterbirth is not separated in the least ; 
 if you press on the abdomen, over the uterus, 
 there is a soft and flabby feel. What shall be 
 
96 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 done ? My answer is, nothing. Give the womb 
 a period of at least one-half hour's repose, and, 
 if then there is no uterine action, use gentle 
 traction on the cord ; not too much, lest it be 
 broken ; and, at the same time, gentle pressure 
 should be made over the abdomen. 
 
 The cases that we have as yet considered, are 
 those where the retention of the placenta is 
 unaccompanied by flooding. 
 
 FLOODING, AND WHAT TO DO. 
 
 In cases where hemorrhage is a prominent 
 symptom, the placenta is partially or completely 
 separated. Where flooding is the prominent 
 symptom, uterine action should be secured as 
 soon as possible, so that complete separation 
 of placenta be effected and the bleeding lacera- 
 tions closed up. 
 
 Generally the powers of Nature are sufficient 
 to effect a complete detachment of the placenta, 
 and in no case get alarmed if its retention is 
 unaccompanied with profuse loss of blood. Give 
 Nature a chance. Meddlesome midwifery is to 
 be despised. 
 
 ABNORMAL ADHESIONS OF THE PLACENTA. WHAT 
 
 TO DO. 
 
 The placenta is ofttimes subject to disease, 
 as for instance it maybe subject to inflammation, 
 hypertrophy, atrophy, or it may be the seat of 
 
CHILDBIRTH. 97 
 
 calcareous and cartilaginous degeneration. In 
 many of its diseased states it is strongly ad- 
 hered to the inner surface of the womb ; it is 
 then, in popular language, grown to the side of 
 the womb. 
 
 In these cases of morbid adhesions the phy- 
 sician is justified, and in fact it is his duty, to 
 insert his hand into the uterine cavity, and by 
 inserting his fingers between the placenta and 
 womb, break them. Sometimes the adhesions 
 only cover a small portion of the placenta, and 
 then the detachment is easily effected. There 
 are cases where the whole uterine surface of the 
 afterbirth is so cemented to the womb that the 
 detachment cannot be effected ; the afterbirth 
 is left, in situ, to be dislodged by decomposition. 
 There is always danger of flooding if the de- 
 tachment is effected by physical force, and the 
 midwife should be careful that the womb is 
 excited to contraction while he is effecting the 
 separation. 
 
 There are many causes that at times produce 
 a retention of the placenta, that we have not 
 time at present to explain. 
 
 HOW TO STOP FLOODING. 
 
 The principal cause for the profuse hemor- 
 rhage that often takes place after the child is 
 born, is deficient uterine contraction. Church- 
 
 7 
 
9 8 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 ill says : " The first object is to produce a firm 
 and persistent contraction ; and to effect this 
 whilst with one hand we firmly grasp the uterus, 
 with the other cold is to be suddenly applied 
 to the genitals by means of cloths dipped in cold 
 water. The advantage of grasping the uterus 
 is that we thereby secure an artificial contrac- 
 tion, as it were, until the means employed effect 
 a real one." 
 
 Ergot may be given at the same time, and 
 in no case is it more beneficial. Cold enemata 
 and cold drinks are also valuable auxiliaries. 
 If these fail we may pour cold water from a 
 height upon the abdomen, and the shock will 
 generally succeed in rousing the uterus to action. 
 A current of electricity passed through the ab- 
 domen in the uterine region will succeed many 
 times when everything else fails. 
 
 EXTREME CASE. 
 
 Dr. Bedford gives a case of flooding in which 
 all the various agents to secure uterine contrac- 
 tion had failed, and as a dernier ressort he 
 inserted a small piece of ice into the womb and 
 passed it over the lining membrane. Its effect 
 was almost miraculous. 
 
 PLUGGING VAGINA. 
 
 After everything else has been tried, the last 
 resort is the plugging of the vagina with towels and 
 
CHILDBIR TH. 9 9 
 
 napkins, so that no more of the vital fluid can 
 escape. Apparently all is well. The nurse ex- 
 claims : " Doctor, why did you not think of that 
 before?" The doctor makes no reply. The 
 nurse, through ignorance, cherishes a delusive 
 hope. The doctor knows that all is not safe yet 
 Closely he watches the ex-sanguine countenance ; 
 carefully he feels the pulse of the patient — it is 
 now scarcely perceptible, and is growing weaker. 
 Death soon claims another victory. Syncope 
 closes the scene. 
 
 INTERNAL HEMORRHAGE. 
 
 This is a case of internal hemorrhage. Not- 
 withstanding no blood escaped externally, after 
 the obstructions to its exit were placed in the 
 vagina, yet all the time there was an escape from 
 those unclosed lacerated uterine sinuses into 
 the large cavity that exists in the womb. 
 
 BINDER FOR THE MOTHER. 
 
 It is customary to bandage the mother after 
 the delivery, although some of our best midwives 
 discard it entirely. When the bandage is ap- 
 plied, care should be taken that it is not drawn 
 too tightly, and that it does not tend to depress 
 the womb. Improperly applied bandages is a 
 very common cause of the many cases of prolap- 
 sus uteri in married ladies. 
 
IOO PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 AFTERPAINS. 
 
 These peculiar pains generally commence in a 
 short time after the expulsion of the afterbirth. 
 They vary much in frequency, duration and in- 
 tensity in different cases. They are the result 
 of contractions of the womb to expel the clots 
 that are formed in the uterine cavity. But little 
 is to be done, and the patient should know these 
 contractions of the womb tend to make the womb 
 more compact, and are, in fact, so many safe- 
 guards against future hemorrhage. To lessen 
 these pains, the doctor sometimes administers a 
 mild opiate. Give one-half teaspoonful of pare- 
 goric every two hours ; or, perhaps, three grains 
 of Dover's Powder would be full better. 
 
 CONVALESCENCE. 
 
 Mothers should observe the greatest precau- 
 tions in regard to hygiene during their convales- 
 cence. Rest and hope, they will find to be the 
 best tonics. Every mother, after the birth of the 
 child, should keep the bed at least three weeks, 
 and in cases where there is much debility, she 
 should much longer. Many mothers think they 
 must get around on their feet on the ninth day 
 after their confinement. Many ladies have told 
 me that they never had anything like falling of 
 the womb until after the birth of their first child, 
 and when I asked them how soon they got around 
 
CHILDBIRTH. I O I 
 
 on their feet, invariably the reply was, about a 
 week. 
 
 Recollect that the womb, after the birth of the 
 child, weighs at least fifteen times as much as it 
 did in the virgin state, and that after confinement 
 it undergoes a process of absorption. It is some- 
 times a month before it resumes anything like 
 its original weight. Hence it is evident, if the 
 mother gets around by the ninth day, there are 
 two causes to produce prolapsus, viz : the excess- 
 ive weight of the womb and the atonic state of 
 the vagina. 
 
 Particular attention should be devoted to the 
 condition of the rectum and bladder during the 
 convalescence. Where there is constipation, free 
 enemata of simple water is all that is required. 
 Free urination, and removal of many of those 
 scalding sensations, can be generally secured by 
 living more on ripe fruit, and abstaining from the 
 use of salt and the various condiments. Mucilag- 
 inous drinks are good, and the best and most 
 easily prepared is slippery elm tea. 
 
 LACTATION AND ITS DERANGEMENTS. 
 
 The mammary gland is composed of several 
 lobes connected by a soft spongy tissue, termed 
 areolar tissue. These lobes are traversed in 
 every direction by milk tubes, termed the tubuli 
 lactiferi ; these tubuli commence in the vesicular 
 
102 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 substance of the gland. The tubes all converge 
 and empty into the canal that traverses the 
 nipple. These glands are but little developed 
 until puberty. During gestation they increase 
 in size, but, as a rule, true milk is not secreted 
 until after parturition. Churchill says: " In or- 
 dinary cases, however, the breasts remain qui- 
 escent for about twenty-four hours, but soon after 
 that begin to enlarge with stings of pain. At 
 the end of the second or third day they are 
 perceptibly larger, heavier and more tense." 
 The secretion at first is quite slow, but soon 
 becomes more free, and the more free the se- 
 cretion the less pain and fever is present. The 
 milk during the first four or five days differs in 
 composition from that secreted afterward. The 
 first milk secreted is the natural purgative for 
 the child. 
 
 ABSCESS OF THE BREAST. 
 
 The mammary organ is sometimes so con- 
 gested after delivery that its proper function is 
 not performed, and there is no milk secreted. 
 The congestion may proceed to inflammation, 
 and possibly terminate in an abscess. 
 
 During the congested or inflamed stages there 
 is a general feverish state of the system. The 
 patient complains of sharp lancinating pains 
 through the gland, and all of those peculiar 
 symptoms attendant on glandular inflammation. 
 
CHILDBIRTH. IO3 
 
 If it proceed to suppuration the fact can be 
 easily determined. 
 
 The formation of the abscess is ushered in 
 with shivering, followed by heat and perspira- 
 tion. The fluctuation o % f the tumor is a certain 
 sign of suppuration. 
 
 Treat the disease in the commencement with 
 constitutional and local remedies. Purge the 
 bowels with epsom salts ; cooling drinks should 
 be given ; warm applications to the gland ; dip 
 cloths in warm water and then apply them to 
 the organ, but be sure that a dry cloth is spread 
 over the wet ones, that the warmth may be 
 retained and evaporation, to a certain extent, 
 prevented. A hop poultice is a good applica- 
 tion, and let it cover the whole gland. Change 
 the poultices often, and let them be applied as 
 warm as they can be borne. If an abscess is 
 formed let it be opened as soon as possible. 
 
 SORE NIPPLES. 
 
 This is a troublesome affection, as it really 
 concerns both mother and child. 
 
 Mothers with their first child are more apt 
 to be troubled with this affliction. Without 
 going into details of cause and symptoms, I 
 shall consider at once the treatment. 
 
 Do not apply the child to the nipple, entrust 
 it to a wet nurse. Carpenter says : " The 
 
104 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 reiterated application of the child to the breast 
 is the most common cause. The repeated at- 
 tempts at nursing remove the sebaceous se- 
 cretion, so that the skin contracts and finally 
 cracks." 
 
 Application of a little cream, olive oil or 
 glycerine is many times all that is required. 
 Mr. Druit recommends a solution of five grains 
 of tannin in an ounce of distilled water. If a 
 wet nurse cannot be secured for the child, nip- 
 ple shields must be used. 
 
 The secret of cure is to have something inter- 
 vene between the child's mouth and the nipple. 
 Bathing the nipple in some mild astringent 
 solution during the last stages of gestation, will 
 so harden the cuticle that, in nursing, this afflic- 
 tion will scarcely ever be met with. There are 
 many more diseases peculiar to pregnancy and 
 the result of parturition, that will be considered 
 when treating exclusively on diseases of women. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 STERILITY. 
 
 IF a woman cannot conceive, she is barren, 
 sterile; and many ladies at the present, as in 
 bible times, consider it a reproach to their 
 womanhood to be sterile. Sarah was so anxious 
 that a child should be born to Abraham that she 
 sacrificed her highest womanhood, by granting to 
 Hagar the privilege of wifehood, and an Ishmael 
 was the result ; but God blessed her in her old 
 age, and Isaac was born. From what we have 
 said in regard to the philosophy of conception, 
 the various causes of sterility can be easily pre- 
 sented to the popular mind, and these causes we 
 will put in two divisions : first, those that can be 
 removed ; second, those that caii not. 
 
 REMOVABLE CAUSES. 
 
 Leucorrhoea, in American ladies, is a very 
 common cause, for this reason, the leucorrhceal 
 secretion is many times so acrid, excoriating 
 and caustic that it destroys the vitality of the 
 male sperms, so that they cannot work them- 
 
106 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 selves up through the os into the uterine cavity. 
 Another reason why ladies subject to the whites 
 do not conceive is, the secretions from the dis- 
 eased membrane so occlude the mouth of the 
 womb, it is impossible for the sperms to enter. 
 Cure the leucorrhcea, and the sterility disappears. 
 Many ladies are going to a premature grave 
 from the great drain on the system which the 
 whites produce ; but at the same time they seek 
 no cure for it, saying they prefer the whites to 
 excessive childbearing. 
 
 Elongation n <f the cervix uteri is a com- 
 mon cause, for the reason its shape is such that 
 it is impossible for the sperms to enter the uter- 
 ine cavity. Thomas says : " This is one of the 
 most common causes, and one that is easily reme- 
 died by surgery." 
 
 Flexions and displacements of the womb 
 are common causes, for the reason they may 
 either prevent the sperm from gaining access to 
 the womb, or the canal traversing the womb may 
 be so obstructed that the sperm, although it may 
 enter, still is not able to pursue its journey far 
 enough to meet the egg. 
 
 Excessive Menstruation may dislodge the 
 ovum after it becomes impregnated. This, no 
 doubt, is a common cause. 
 
 Membranous dysmenorrhcea is where at each 
 menstrual period a false membrane is thrown off 
 
STERILITY. IO7 
 
 from the inner lining of the womb, leaving the 
 surface in such a condition that conception can- 
 not take place. 
 
 Uterine leucorrhcea is where the lining 
 membrane of the womb is diseased, and it is a 
 very prominent cause of sterility. I will be 
 somewhat explicit in explaining how this disease 
 produces barrenness. Suppose a healthy ovum 
 is extruded from the ovary, and has started on 
 its journey. Coition takes place, and the male 
 sperm gains access to the womb ; the sperm and 
 germ come in contact. All locomotion in the 
 egg now ceases, and it becomes fixed to the 
 lining membrane of the womb ; but on account 
 of the disease of the membrane, the attachments 
 are too frail, and a miscarriage is the result. To 
 cure this form of sterility, cure the uterine leucor- 
 rhcea ; restore a healthy condition to the mucous 
 membrane, and then when impregnation takes 
 place, the whole period of gestation will be com- 
 pleted. Our space is too limited to devote any 
 more of it to the removable causes. 
 
 CAUSES NOT REMOVABLE. 
 
 The Ovaries are sometimes absent, and oft- 
 times when present they are so atrophied or 
 hypertrophied, and otherwise diseased, that ova 
 are not formed. The fallopian tubes are some- 
 times imperforate; so even if the ovaries were 
 
io8 
 
 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 normal, it would be impossible for the ovum to 
 enter the uterine cavity. The uterus is some- 
 times wanting, or so atrophied it cannot perform 
 the office God has bestowed on it. 
 
 IMPOTENCE OF THE MALE. 
 
 Wives need not take all the reproach (if such 
 is the proper term to use) to themselves because 
 there are no children in the household. The 
 whole cause of sterility may rest with the hus- 
 band; The testes of the male are sometimes so 
 undeveloped that healthy semen is not secreted. 
 
 Nondescent of the testis from the abdom- 
 inal cavity is not always, but is sometimes, the 
 cause of impotence, and wives of such husbands 
 are barren. Sometimes the semen is normal 
 in quantity and quality, but on account of some 
 stricture of the urethra, or on account of the 
 urethra being partly obliterated by the pressure 
 of an enlarged prostate gland, the semen is not 
 ejaculated until the erection has disappeared. 
 
 Carpenter, in his " Comparative Physiology," 
 says : " It must be observed that there is a cer- 
 tain degree of antagonism between the nutritive 
 and the generative functions ; the one set being 
 exercised at the expense of the other." We see 
 this fact illustrated among the lower animals ; 
 the higher fed, the fatter, the less the reproduc- 
 tive power. Imperfectly developed semen is 
 
STERILITY. IOg 
 
 a common cause of sterility. Those boys that 
 practiced masturbation, and when they arrived 
 at manhood were troubled with involuntary 
 seminal emissions, are ofttimes impotent, and if 
 they get married no children are begotten, for 
 this reason : the spermatozoa in the semen are 
 dwarfs, and do not possess enough vibratile 
 power to gain entrance into the womb, and even 
 if they should effect the entrance, they would be 
 too imperfectly developed to fertilize the ova. 
 
 Excessive sexual intercourse on the part 
 of the male so impoverishes the semen, that it 
 has no fecundating power. If the interval be- 
 tween the sexual acts were prolonged, there 
 would be fewer cases of sterility. 
 
 Acton says : " The complete development of 
 the spermatozoa in their full proportion of num- 
 ber is not achieved till the semen has reached 
 and has for some time lain in the vesiculcz semi- 
 nales. Earlier after its secretion, the semen 
 contains none of these bodies." 
 
 GENERAL CAUSES OF STERILITY. 
 
 Previous to the age of puberty, and after the 
 cessation of the menses, Nature makes all women 
 sterile. There are some exceptions to this, as 
 there are to most rules. Sarah gave birth to 
 Isaac when she was ninety years of age. In 
 Gen. xviii, nth verse, is the following: "Now 
 
HO PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken 
 in age ; and it ceased to be with Sarah after 
 the manner of women." It is claimed that 
 frigidity of feeling, as well as its opposite — too 
 intense passion — results sometimes in barren- 
 ness. 
 
 Similarity of temperaments, it is claimed, 
 results in unfruitful marriages, as a rule, and if 
 children are begotten they will be puny and 
 short-lived. Dr. W. Byrd Powel, of Kentucky, 
 claims it is physiologically incestuous for the best 
 temperaments to be joined in marriage. 
 
 Acton says : " In considering the subject of 
 sterility, it should not be forgotten that Idiosyn- 
 crasies exist in all animals. A male and female 
 may be perfectly potent and fertile, and yet be 
 unable to breed together. In fact, the semen of 
 one male, from some hidden cause, will not im- 
 pregnate a particular female though it will 
 others. What is true in the animal world 
 is equally true in the human. To illustrate : 
 Josephine had children by Beauharnois, her first 
 husband, but was cast aside by Napoleon on 
 account of her sterility. The marriage of Napo- 
 leon to Louisa was, however, a fruitful one. 
 
 Climate and age and season seem many 
 times to influence fertility. Sometimes the re- 
 productive functions make no fruitful returns 
 until after a long lapse of years. Dr. Tilt, of 
 
STERILITY. 
 
 I I I 
 
 London, mentions the case of a woman who 
 was married at eighteen, but, although both 
 husband and wife were in good health, they had 
 no children given them until she was forty '-eight 
 years of age. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 HOW TO REGULATE THE SEX. 
 
 MANY young married couples start out with 
 the desire to have but two children — a 
 boy and a girl, but, by not understanding the 
 physiological facts pertaining to this topic, a large 
 family has many times been the result before the 
 desired gender was secured. Many would-be 
 moralists say it is thwarting the plans of Provi- 
 dence by attempting to regulate the sex ; they 
 say children have a right to be born, and that 
 man has no right to control the sex that was 
 predetermined and foreordained from the founda- 
 tion of the earth. I know no reason why par- 
 ents should not understand and apply the laws 
 of sex as well as investigate and control other 
 well-established laws of nature. Nature has no 
 secrets. The Bible is the Word of God. Nature 
 is the work of the same Great Being, and every 
 fact and principle taught, in both his works and 
 word, invite human research. So far as we un- 
 derstand a law of nature, so far we can manipu- 
 late it ; so far we are Divine. We understand 
 
HOW TO REGULATE THE SEX. 113 
 
 the laws of electricity, and the same power by 
 which we can send a telegram to London, is but 
 little inferior to that great power by which God 
 can send his angels on errands of mercy. We 
 understand the laws of light, and the same power 
 by which we can manipulate them in the various 
 arts is but little inferior to that great power by 
 which God said : " Let there be light, and there 
 was light." There is no cherubim or flaming 
 sword turning every direction to keep the way 
 of the tree of knowledge. The time has arrived 
 when we can raise a boy or girl at will ; we have 
 plucked more fruit and have eaten. 
 
 PROF. THURY'S THEORY. 
 
 The first method I shall give by which we reg- 
 ulate the sex, is one that has been deduced from 
 the experiments of Prof. Thury on the lower an- 
 imals ; and the facts obtained from those experi- 
 ments have been confirmed by many scientific 
 and reliable stock breeders with whom I have 
 conversed in different parts of the west. Those 
 experiments evidently showed, if you wish to 
 produce females, admit the male at the first signs 
 of heat ; but if you wish males, admit the male 
 at the end of the heat. In regulating the sex in 
 the human family, we claim that, as a rule, im- 
 pregnation will not take place after the first four- 
 teen days after ovulation, and that if coition takes 
 
 8 
 
114 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 place the first seven days a girl will be the re- 
 sult, but if it does not take place until after the 
 first seven days it will result in a boy. Parents, 
 observe these precautions ; though simple, yet 
 they will effect the desired result. 
 
 INFLUENCE OF AGE. 
 
 Carpenter says : " That the more advanced 
 age of the male parent has a very decided in- 
 fluence in occasioning a preponderance in the 
 number of male infants." 
 
 SEXUAL WHIMS. 
 
 Trail, in his - Sexual Physiology," says : " One 
 discoverer is very sure that sex is determined in 
 some way by planetary influences — conception 
 occurring from twelve d clock, noon, to midnight, 
 resulting in female offspring, the remaining twelve 
 of each twenty-four hours being appropriated to 
 the male gender. Another is perfectly certain 
 that the sex depends on the points of the com- 
 pass." 
 
 These are fallacies, of course, but are no more 
 ridiculous than to believe that if you plant your 
 corn in one time of the moon it will draw the 
 roots down through the earth, and they will 
 spring out on somebody else's farm. The moon 
 superstitions are fast fading away. 
 
HOW TO REGULATE THE SEX. 115 
 
 THEORY OF SIXT. 
 
 Dr. P. F. Sixt, a German physician, has revived 
 the old theory advocated by Hippocrates, that 
 the right testis secretes the semen that will im- 
 pregnate the male ovum, which is formed by the 
 right ovary ; the left testis secretes the semen 
 that will impregnate the female ovum, which is 
 formed by the left ovary. He claims that during 
 ovulation, sometimes, one ovary may extrude the 
 egg, and at the next menstruation the other 
 ovary. He also claims, that in coition the semen 
 emitted is from one testicle only, and that testis 
 from which it is emitted is drawn up by the cre- 
 master muscle. 
 
 These are the main facts of this novel theory. 
 Dr. Trail (now deceased) was a strong advocate 
 of it in this country, and has devoted al?out one- 
 sixth of his work on sexual physiology to dis- 
 cussing it. I would refer the reader who is anx- 
 ious to obtain the minute details in regard to 
 the theory to the aforesaid work. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 LAWS OF GENERATION. 
 
 WHEN sexual coition is indulged in for 
 the purpose of begetting offspring, it 
 should be at such times when both parents are 
 in the best condition physically and mentally ; 
 and not only at the time of intercourse should 
 this precaution be observed, but for some time 
 previous, for the reason the sperm of the father 
 and the ovum of the mother are influenced 
 during their formation by the mental and phy- 
 sical status of the parents, 
 
 PARENTAGE. 
 
 To perform the office of parentage in the 
 light of modern science, requires study and care. 
 Let the first birth be right, and the second birth 
 will be natural and not protracted. Suppose 
 the husband has been on a drunken spree ; or 
 has had his anger very much excited ; perhaps 
 he has been doing a hard day's work, and his 
 physical powers are prostrated ; perhaps he has 
 been losing money in speculation, and his 
 
LA WS OF GENERA TION. I I / 
 
 mind is despondent ; if sexual intercourse is 
 indulged under these circumstances, those ab- 
 normal conditions of body and mind are indelibly 
 stamped on the fcetus. On the other hand, sup- 
 pose the wife has been doing a hard days work ; 
 perhaps she has received news of the death of 
 some dear friend ; or for some other reason her 
 mind or body is not on a healthy plane, coition 
 will transmit those qualities of mind and body 
 to the fcetus. These are facts indisputable, and 
 the laws of heredity are now as well understood 
 as those of gravitation, light or heat. 
 
 MOTHER'S RELATION TO CHILD. 
 
 At the time of sexual intercourse the father's 
 relation to the fcetus is physiologically termi- 
 nated ; not so with the mother ; all through the 
 period of gestation every emotion, every passion, 
 every thought, every physical change she ex- 
 periences is indelibly stamped on the new being. 
 The die is cast — the seal cannot be broken. 
 If there is any time when the wife should be 
 tenderly treated, it is while she is enceinte. 
 
 HUSBAND'S DUTY. 
 
 Husbands, treat your wives well when preg- 
 nant, if at no other time ; the destiny of an 
 immortal being is at stake, whether it shall be 
 for weal or woe you can determine. 
 
n8 
 
 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 Husbands, when your wife is pregnant, extend 
 to her all the sympathy you can summon. 
 Gratify every whim ; keep her good natured ; 
 assume more of the household duties ; lighten 
 her cares ; make home pleasant, and the sur- 
 roundings agreeable; and take my word for it, 
 you will be fully rewarded, and with compound 
 interest, in the new being that soon will be a 
 member of the household. 
 
 Parents, the richest legacy you can bequeath 
 your offspring is "Mens sana in cor pore sano," 
 a sound mind in a sound body. 
 
 Health, without a dime, is preferable to scrof- 
 ula with all the millions of a Vanderbilt or a 
 Stewart. King David, in Psalms li, 5, says : 
 " Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin 
 did my mother conceive me." 
 
 TRISTRAM SHANDY'S OPINION. 
 
 Sterne causes his hero — Tristram Shandy — 
 to utter the following : " I wish my father or my 
 mother, or indeed both of them, as they were in 
 duty equally bound to it, had minded what they 
 were about when they begot me ; had they duly 
 considered how much depended upon what they 
 were then doing ; that not only the production 
 of a rational being was concerned in it, but that 
 possibly the happy formation and temperature 
 of his body, perhaps his genius and the very 
 
LAWS OF GENERATION. I 1 9 
 
 cast of his mind, and perhaps the fortunes of 
 his whole house, might take the humors and 
 dispositions then uppermost. Had they duly 
 weighed and considered all this and proceeded 
 accordingly, I am verily persuaded I should 
 have made quite a different figure in the world 
 from what the reader is likely to see me. 
 Believe me, good folks, this is not so inconsider- 
 able a thing as many of you think." 
 
 HOW TO RAISE JUST SUCH OFFSPRING AS YOU 
 MAY DESIRE. 
 
 Would you have healthy children, mothers? 
 if so, be sure and attend to every hygienic 
 law during gestation ; you and the fcetus are 
 one in fact. The umbilical cord is the uter- 
 ine cable over which all the physical and 
 psychical dispatches are sent from mother to 
 fcetus. Mothers, see that you manufacture 
 plenty of blood, and that which is pure in 
 quality. Be sure and attend to the hygiene of 
 digestion ; avoid highly seasoned food ; abstain 
 from stimulants and condiments ; take more 
 time at the table ; see that nothing interferes 
 with the most complete oxygenation and proper 
 circulation of the blood ; pure air and plenty of 
 it makes pure blood ; throw away corsets and 
 stays and give the ribs freedom of action ; be 
 temperate in your household duties ; learn to 
 
120 
 
 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH, 
 
 shirk ; keep off your feet as much as possible ; 
 get plenty of sleep. Let Hygeia, the god- 
 dess of health, be your director, and you 
 will be doubly rewarded by not only the health 
 
 HEALTHY OFFSPRING. 
 
 terminating with yourself, but also by transmit- 
 ting healthy qualities to your child yet unborn. 
 The bible and science both teach that it is more 
 blessed to give than to receive. Parents should 
 consider it a religious duty to transmit the most 
 complete physical health to their offspring. 
 
LAWS OF GENERATION. 
 
 121 
 
 HOW TO BEGET INTELLIGENT OFFSPRING. 
 
 Every mother is anxious that her offspring 
 may manifest an inclination for study ; that it 
 may have a brain that will seek cultivation ; 
 
 that it may earn its bread by brain activity 
 rather than by physical toil. Mothers, if such 
 is your desire, be studious during pregnancy, if 
 at no other time. Read, observe, meditate; the 
 child will be a duplicate of yourself; your men- 
 tal powers will be focalized in it. 
 
122 
 
 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 MORAL CHILDREN. 
 
 If you would have the 
 moral and religious organs 
 well developed, cultivate 
 and practice benevolence ; 
 let the higher faculties of 
 your mind hold the scepter ; 
 let faith, hope and charity 
 be the triune ruler ; subject 
 the propensities to serfdom. 
 
 GOOD-LOOKING CHILDREN. 
 
 Would you have your offspring good-looking, 
 and manifesting a love for the beautiful ; artistic 
 in its tastes, and poetical in its 
 conceptions. Keep that part 
 of your nature active ; visit 
 museums of art; study the 
 ideal as well as the real ; be 
 choice in your language ; attend 
 to personal neatness. 
 
 GOOD-NATURED CHILDREN. 
 
 If you would have good-natured children, be 
 good-natured yourself. Soar above the irritabil- 
 ities peculiar to the pregnant state. Have a good 
 time. If melancholy seizes you as its victim, 
 
LAWS OF GENERATION. 
 
 123 
 
 free yourself from its grasp by a visit to your 
 neighbor, and have a pleasant chat Do clouds 
 of doubt and fogs of apprehension darken your 
 
 1 1 1 if /,!l11 
 til 
 
 n\a. 
 
 pathway, dissipate them with a good laugh. If 
 you are cross and irritable during gestation, your 
 child will enter this world a snarling, and it will 
 snarl all through life, but if, on the other hand, 
 you are cheerful during pregnancy, the child will 
 enter the world a smiling, and will laugh more 
 than frown all through its earthly existence. 
 
 MOTHERS' MARKS. 
 
 As there is much superstition existing in re- 
 gard to these peculiar freaks, and how they are 
 
124 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 produced, I will devote considerable space to this 
 subject. Carpenter says: "But there appear to 
 be a sufficient number of facts on record to prove 
 that habitual mental conditions on the part of the 
 mother may have influence enough, at an early 
 period of gestation, to produce evident bodily de- 
 formity, or peculiar tendencies of the mind. The 
 error of the vulgar notion on this subject lies in 
 supposing a sudden fright, speedily forgotten, 
 can exert such a continual influence on the nutri- 
 tion of the embryo as to occasion any personal 
 peculiarity/' Again he says : " There is another 
 class of subjects to which tumors come into close 
 relation, and which must be referred, like them, 
 to a local excess of formative activity; these are 
 the supernumerary parts, which are not unfre- 
 quently developed during foetal life, as, for ex- 
 ample, additional fingers and toes!' 
 
 MIND INFLUENCE. 
 
 Faith will remove mountains of disease ; and 
 equally true, a constant fixation of the mind — an 
 expectation,soto speak — on the part of the mother 
 during pregnancy, will affect the foetus. Mind 
 has a great influence over the process of nutri- 
 tion, and in fact over all the physiological func- 
 tions. The utterance of a single word or sigh, 
 how it will make the tears stream down your 
 cheeks ; it is mind controlling the lachrymal 
 
LAWS OF GENERATION. I 25 
 
 gland ; and if any of you have been a long time 
 from home, how your heart will jump on the re- 
 ceipt of good news. 
 
 Heart disease may be produced by the con- 
 stant expectation that it is diseased. Constantly 
 brooding over the idea that you are afflicted with 
 consumption, although your lungs on the start are 
 perfectly healthy, will soon make you its victim. 
 
 FAITH CURES. 
 
 We sometimes ridicule the idea that a red 
 string around the neck will prevent the nose 
 bleeding ; that black cats grease is a specific 
 for burns ; that poulticing the razor will cure 
 the cut ; that carrying a horse-chestnut will cure 
 the piles ; yet that they effect real cures many 
 times is a fact. It is not that any intrinsic 
 therapeutical quality of the remedy has effected 
 the cure, but it is the faith, the constant ex- 
 pectation, that has done the work. 
 
 bible testimony. 
 
 Jacob of old, 1739 years before the Christian 
 era, understood more in regard to hereditary 
 transmission than many at the present time, and 
 he was as shrewd a financier as he was sound 
 and practical in science. I will not give the 
 details of Jacob and his double father-in-law, 
 Laban, see Genesis xxx and xxxi. 
 
126 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 In i Samuel, first chapter, we learn how 
 Samuel was begotten. The prayers of Hannah 
 during her conception and gestation were focal- 
 ized in the unborn child, and it is easy to see 
 why Samuel was truly a man after God's own 
 heart. 
 
 CASES OF MOTHERS' MARKS. 
 
 L. N. Fowler, in his work on marriage, gives 
 the following : " Children born during the Reign 
 of Terror, in France, were to a vast proportion 
 idiots and insane. Many cases are on record, 
 some of which we have seen, where the mother, 
 who had received some strong impression, 
 stamped it upon the child indelibly. A mother 
 near Hudson, State of New York, became very 
 anxious for a bunch of currants to gratify her 
 appetite ; her mind continued resting upon the 
 pleasure to be derived from them, and her child 
 has a bunch of currants impressed, as plainly 
 and as legibly as could be drawn, on his 
 shoulders. In the eastern part of the State of 
 Massachusetts is a lad whose action and man- 
 ners closely resemble those of a monkey. He 
 is idiotic, and has a very small and contracted 
 brow, occasioned by the mother having been 
 startled by one of these animals. In Worcester, 
 Massachusetts, is a lad of some twenty years 
 of age who appears to be mimicking a turtle 
 in every motion ; he is also idiotic. The mind 
 
LAWS OF GENERATION. 12 J 
 
 of the mother was disturbed from its tranquillity 
 by the appearance of a turtle, hence the result." 
 
 MONSTERS. 
 
 Goldsmith, in his ''Animated Nature," gives 
 the following : "A woman in Paris, the wife of a 
 tradesman, went to see a criminal broken alive 
 upon the wheel at the place of public execution. 
 She was at the time two months advanced in 
 pregnancy, and not subject to any disorders that 
 would affect the child in the womb. She was, 
 however, of a tender habit of body ; and though 
 led by curiosity to this horrid spectacle, was very 
 easily moved to pity and compassion. She felt, 
 therefore, all those strong emotions which so 
 terrible a sight must inspire ; shuddered at every 
 blow the criminal received, and almost swooned 
 at his cries. Upon returning from this scene of 
 blood, she continued for some days in a passive 
 state, and her imagination still wrought upon the 
 spectacle she had lately seen. After, some time 
 she seemed perfectly recovered from the fright, 
 and had almost forgotten her former uneasiness. 
 When the time of delivery approached, she 
 seemed no ways mindful of her former terrors,- 
 nor were her pains in labor more than usual in 
 such cases. But what was the amazement of her 
 friends and assistants when the child came into 
 the world ! It was found that every limb in its 
 
1 28 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 body was broken, like those of the malefactor, 
 and just in the same place. This monstrosity 
 lived for twenty years in the hospitals of Paris." 
 
 DWARFS. 
 
 Homer speaks of the pjgm s contending with 
 the cranes. It was formerly supposed that in 
 central Africa there were nations of dwarfs ; but 
 modern investigation says it is a myth. The 
 nations of giants that inhabited various parts of 
 the earth, especially Patagonia, the modern trav- 
 eler pronounces fabulous. 
 
 That there are isolated cases, here and there, 
 of the dwarf and the giant order, no one can 
 deny. We see them every day. But whole 
 nations of either exist in fiction, but not in fact. 
 
 OFFSPRING RESEMBLING LOWER ANIMALS. 
 
 It is admitted by all scientists that opposite 
 species cannot cohabit and propagate ; yet 
 apparently we have some exceptions. For illus- 
 tration, the jack and the mare, the horse and 
 the quagga, the sheep and the deer, the dog and 
 the wolf can propagate ; yet when we trace 
 them back to their origin, instead of being 
 different species they are merely varieties of the 
 same. Therefore, those human monsters and 
 dwarfs resembling the lower animals, if not pro- 
 duced by the persistent mental impressions of 
 
LAWS OF GENERATION. I 20, 
 
 the mother, may be the result of arrested foetal 
 development. 
 
 OPINION OF DARWIN AND HUXLEY A ND AGASSIZ. 
 
 It is claimed by Drs. Darwin and Huxley, 
 and also by Prof.v \gassiz, that the human em- 
 bryo undergoes the development of the lower 
 animals ; that the fcetal brain, heart, etc., are at 
 one stage like those organs in the fish, then rep- 
 tilian, then mammalian. Prof. Huxley says : " It 
 is quite in the latter stages of development that 
 the young human being presents marked differ- 
 ences from the young ape ; while the latter 
 departs as much from the dog, in its develop- 
 ments, as the man does. Startling as this last 
 assertion may appear to be, it is demonstrably 
 true." 
 
 If these renowned investigators are right, 
 why may we not account for some of these 
 freaks in which the human is so closely animal 
 in form, by ascribing them to arrested foetal evo- 
 lution f 
 
 I might give many more cases of deformities. 
 
 FROG-BABY. 
 
 The frog-baby which I have exhibited at my 
 
 lectures, was the result of mental influences of 
 
 the mother, as follows : The mother was quite 
 
 good-looking and intelligent. During her preg- 
 
 9 
 
130 
 
 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 nancy she had her hair cut quite short, so much 
 so that it mortified her greatly ; she would not go 
 a shopping, or to church, or anywhere that she 
 might be seen. She sent to the store and pur- 
 chased a net, and for several months during the 
 first part of gestation she would stand for 
 several hours each day before a mirror inclined 
 to the wall, striving to make her hair stay in the 
 net. The child, when born, looked more like a 
 frog than anything else. Its eyes were on the 
 top of its head, it had no neck, and there was 
 excessive growth of hair on the head. 
 
 Whether this peculiar position of the mother 
 before the mirror, and the solicitude manifested 
 by her in regard to her hair, were the cause of 
 this peculiar deformity, it is difficult to say ; if it 
 was not, it is certainly a very strange coincidence. 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 HEREDITARY INFLUENCES. 
 
 THERE is no fact better established than 
 this, viz., that the physical and psychical pecu- 
 liarities of both parents at the moment of sexual 
 intercourse are indelibly stamped on the embryo 
 resulting from such coition. Science has now dis- 
 sipated the clouds of mystery that formerly en- 
 shrouded this subject. The effects that were 
 formerly considered as freaks, have been traced 
 to their exciting cause. Mental and moral im- 
 pressions, mothers' marks, monstrosities and de- 
 formities, peculiarities of form, feature, color and 
 disease, are all produced by law. 
 
 Physiology and pathology have thoroughly 
 unraveled the mysteries of these protean forms, 
 and have explained them as so many departures 
 from perfect development. 
 
 HEREDITY OF LOWER ANIMALS. 
 
 In improving the quality of the lower animals, 
 the most careful attention is paid to pedigree. 
 Pure blood is the great desideratum. Thorough- 
 
I3 2 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 breds bring fabulous prices. The herd book is 
 carefully studied. Each fact and principle per- 
 taining to improvement of quality has been 
 watchfully scrutinized. 
 
 Very little regard has, however, been devoted 
 to the facts and principles of human procreation ; 
 and when parents will devote as much attention 
 to procreating the human species, as farmers do 
 in raising Durhams and Jerseys, Normans and 
 Morgans, Berkshires and Poland Chinas, South- 
 downs and Cots wolds, we shall have a healthier 
 and a happier race. 
 
 OFFICE OF AMATIVENESS. 
 
 Amatzveness is the invisible magnet that at- 
 tracts the sexes to each other. It is a God im- 
 planted instinct. Its mission is a holy one. Those 
 civilities that the sexes extend to each other have 
 their origin in this instinct. It makes women more 
 queenly. Like all the other propensities, it is a 
 blind passion. It impels, but does not direct. It 
 needs an engineer. This instinct, undirected by 
 the higher faculties, is peopling the earth with 
 beings most assuredly not in the image of the 
 Creator, as they were at first. 
 
 HORACE MANN'S OPINION. 
 
 Horace Mann, in one of his lectures, says : 
 11 Examine the book of Genesis, which contains the 
 
HEREDfTART INFLUENCES. 133 
 
 earliest annals of the human family. As is com- 
 monly supposed, it comprises the first twenty- 
 three hundred and sixty-nine years of human 
 history. With child-like simplicity this book de- 
 scribes the infancy of mankind. Unlike modern 
 histories, it details the minutest circumstances of 
 individual and social life ; indeed, it is rather a 
 series of biographies than a history. The false 
 modesty of modern times did not forbid the men- 
 tion of whatever was done or suffered. And yet, 
 over all that expanse of time, for more than one- 
 third part of the duration of the human race — 
 not a single instance is recorded of a child born 
 blind, or deaf or dumb, or idiotic, or malformed in 
 any way. During the whole period not a single 
 case of a natural death in infancy or childhood, 
 or early manhood, or even of middle manhood, 
 is to be found. The simple record is, ' and he 
 died,' or ' he died in a good old age and full of 
 years,' or, ' he was old and full of days.' No epi- 
 demic, or even endemic, disease prevailed ; show- 
 ing that they died the natural death of healthy 
 men, and not the unnahtral death of distem- 
 pered ones." 
 
 CAUSE OF DIVORCES. 
 
 Without the least doubt, misguided amative- 
 ness is the prime cause of the many divorces, 
 unhappy homes, broken-hearted wives, reckless 
 
*34 
 
 PHEXOMEXA OF HEALTH. 
 
 husbands, and ill-organized offsprings. Who 
 should marry, and who should not. will be con- 
 sidered in a future chapter, 
 and I shall show regard 
 should be had not only to 
 the physical and psychical 
 happiness of the parents, so 
 that marriage mav be a holy 
 bond of union, and the word 
 ill organized. diyorce may become an ob- 
 
 solete term. but. at the same time, the hereditary 
 traits of the offspring, whether they be physical, 
 mental, moral or social, will be considered. 
 
 CHILD'S BIRTHRIGHT. 
 
 Every child begotten is entitled to a healthy 
 organism, and the time will come when parents 
 will be ashamed to haye sickly children. They 
 will be shut out from the society of the good, if 
 they beget more than they can properly feed, 
 clothe and educate. 
 
 Let us learn to generate properly, and then 
 there will be less trouble in regenerating. Some 
 talk about making the earth a paradise. They 
 cherish the idea of christianizing the world. It 
 neyer can take place until there is a more en- 
 lightened parentage. The laws of procreation 
 must be better understood and obeyed, to secure 
 the quickest and the greatest good to mankind. 
 
HEREDITARY INFLUENCES. 135 
 
 The old maxim, Poeta nascitur, non fit — poets 
 are born, not made — is a true one. Equally 
 true is this one, Christians are born, as well as 
 made. Too little regard to the laws of repro- 
 duction is making more drunkards, libertines, 
 murderers, and every other form of criminal doer, 
 than all the preachers in the land can convert. 
 
 TWO KINDS OF SINNERS. 
 
 If we violate a moral law, we are moral sin- 
 ners ; if we violate a physical law, we are phys- 
 ical sinners. If you use your Maker's name in 
 vain, if you transgress the commands of the deca- 
 logue, if you violate the moral code of the Savior, 
 you sin morally; but if you violate any of the 
 laws of health, you sin physically. If you can be 
 a christian with a diseased body, you can be a 
 better christian with a healthy body. 
 
 If our clergymen in the pulpits, instead of de- 
 voting so much time in discussing their theolog- 
 ical dogmas, and wrangling over some unimpor- 
 tant church rite or creed, would devote the same, 
 and more time, in teaching their hearers how to 
 keep their physical temples pure, their efforts 
 would be crowned with greater and quicker suc- 
 cess. 
 
 PHYSICAL CONJUGAL MATES. 
 
 Physiology is the true adviser in regard to 
 physical adaptability. Marriage should never 
 
136 
 
 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 take place when the physical qualities of both 
 are to either extreme. The true rule to be ob- 
 served is this: if your organism is well balanced; 
 if the mental, the motive and the vital tempera- 
 ments are harmoniously blended in your phys- 
 ical structure, to form a perfectly developed 
 
 MARRIED. BUT NOT MATED. 
 
 manhood or womanhood, select a partner of like 
 structure ; but so far as there is a preponderance, 
 or deficiency of either one of the aforesaid 
 temperaments, so that true physical unity is dis- 
 turbed, seek a mate that will restore an equi- 
 librium. 
 
 As perhaps some of the readers do not under- 
 
HEREDITARY INFLUENCES. 
 
 137 
 
 stand what I mean by the aforesaid tempera- 
 ments, I will explain them, somewhat cursorily. 
 
 WELL BALANCED TEMPERAMENT. 
 
 NERVOUS TEMPERAMENT. 
 
 The nervous temperament is known by the 
 small and delicate frame, pyriform face, large 
 brain compared with the body, small, spindling 
 muscles, fine silky hair, and generally auburn or 
 light colored, more activity than strength, light- 
 ning talkers, hard brain workers, but a little lazy 
 when it requires muscular exertion. 
 
 When the nervous temperament predominates, 
 the body suffers from the great drain made by 
 
J3& PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 mental exertion. Persons of this temperament 
 lead a brilliant but a short career. Too much 
 blaze for the oil. 
 
 If two should wed with this temperament to 
 the extreme, they would live too fast ; the cares 
 of the kitchen would irritate her, and the chores 
 pertaining to house-keeping would worry him. 
 They would be over-sensitive and annoyed at 
 trifles. If they should be so fortunate as to 
 have children, which rarely would be the case, 
 the children would be puny, nervous, but smart, 
 and their race for life would be short — too 
 finely organized for the vicissitudes of earth. 
 
 MOTIVE TEMPERAMENT. 
 
 The motive temperament is known by the pre- 
 dominance of the osseous and muscular system, 
 stout frame-work, generally black hair, and 
 coarse at that, high cheek bones, oblong face, 
 dark, swarthy complexion, harsh features. 
 
 Persons of this temperament have great 
 powers of endurance ; they are good workers, 
 care more for physical toil than study, rather 
 coarse and blunt in their language, care little 
 for books, slow to an^er and slow over it. 
 
 Two persons with this temperament to the 
 extreme, if married, would generally be too late 
 for the train — behind the age — and their chil- 
 dren, if there were any as the fruit of the 
 
HEREDITARY INFLUENCES. 
 
 139 
 
 wedlock, would be far from being brilliant — 
 generally at the foot of the class in school — yet 
 physically they are tough and hardy. 
 
 VITAL TEMPERAMENT. 
 
 The vital temperament is a combination of 
 what can be termed the sanguine and the lym- 
 phatic. Persons of this tem- 
 perament are on the rottind 
 stamp. They generally have 
 broad shoulders, deep chest, 
 fine muscular development, 
 ruddy complexion, blue eyes ; 
 they are epicurean in their 
 nature; believe in "live to-day 
 and let to-morrow take care 
 of itself" ; they have strong 
 passions — spasmodic in their nature — quick 
 maddened and quick pleased ; work hard when 
 they do work, but take frequeitt and long rests ; 
 learn easily but will not bear much in-door con- 
 finement, hence do not make as good scholars 
 as those of the nervous type. Two persons 
 married with this type of organism to the 
 extreme, will live too much on the high pressui'e 
 order. They attend all the parties, especially 
 the festivals, and will have plenty to eat, if 
 nothing else, and their children will be dupli- 
 cates of the parents. 
 
14° PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 MENTAL CONJUGAL MATES. 
 
 Phrenology is the true guide to conjugal 
 happiness. The rule to be observed is this : if 
 you have any organ of the brain large, its edict 
 is law ; select a partner with this same organ, 
 not large, not small, but just fully developed. 
 If this rule were observed there would be less 
 mental alienation between husband and wife ; 
 instead of family quarrels, dinner-table spats 
 and Caudle lectures, harmony and bliss will pre- 
 vail throughout the household. "Caudle, you are 
 a brute" and "Mrs. Caudle, you are a hypocrite 
 and a virago]' will no longer be heard over the 
 threshold. When the rule is observed that nei- 
 ther physical nor mental extremes or similars 
 should wed, husbandhood and wifehood will be 
 enviable positions, and the ranks of the old 
 bachelors and old maids will be thinned. 
 
 MARRIED, BUT NOT MATED. 
 
 Suppose the wife has large order — precision 
 and method is her watchword ; the broom is 
 always in its proper corner ; the towel is always 
 on the same nail ; she has a place for everything 
 and everything in its place, a time for every- 
 thing and everything in time ; the husband, on 
 the contrary, is of the opposite extreme ; is 
 shiftless and slovenly in his habits ; has a slip- 
 shod way of doing everything. " Wife, where is 
 
HEREDITARY INFLUENCES. 141 
 
 my hat?" — where is this, and where is that, are 
 every-day questions. They are poorly matched, 
 as far as order is concerned : she is annoyed by 
 his carelessness, he is equally irritated by her 
 precision. There is too much antagonism. 
 
 Take another case : Suppose the wife has 
 large ideality, she has an innate perception of 
 the beautiful ; everything she does must be 
 finished; she observes the most precise personal 
 neatness ; she is refined in her actions and 
 choice in her language ; she is a great lover of 
 the fine arts ; her motto is perfection. The 
 husband, on the contrary, is of the opposite 
 extreme. He has no eye for the beautiful ; 
 cares but little for ornament ; not refined in 
 manners or speech ; his language is full of slang 
 phrases and uncouth remarks. There is but 
 little harmony. Suppose they are invited out 
 to a party : she arranges her toilet with the 
 greatest care ; he, on the contrary, wears the 
 same old coat he wears every day ; he has a 
 good one in the closet but will not wear it ; he 
 says he feels too awkward, too stuck up. She 
 worries, but it does no good. At the party she 
 is mortified at his bungling mishaps, and every 
 once in a while she gives him a secret nudge in 
 the ribs, but it only makes matters worse. 
 Another case : Suppose the wife has large be- 
 nevolence, imitation, veneration and spirituality, 
 
142 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 naturally kind, sympathetic, reverential, and 
 even inspirational; she has too little firmness 
 and self-esteem ; lacks in mental independence 
 and moral courage ; she is in fact one of those 
 true queens among women, and makes friends 
 wherever she may go. Suppose the husband 
 is of the opposite extreme ; his firmness and 
 self-esteem tower up like Pilot-Knob; he is 
 willful, conceited, tyrannical, venerates nothing 
 higher than self; charity, hope, faith and rever- 
 ence are not in his vocabulary. This is no 
 pen picture, no fancied photograph. There are 
 thousands of matches in the land in which as 
 great a diversity exists between husband and 
 wife. They are married, but not mated. Such 
 diversities cannot blend in harmony. 
 
 THE PICTURE REVERSED. 
 
 Sometimes the sleeve is on the other arm. 
 The husband may be one of those good-natured 
 souls who always say yes, yes; just so, just so ; 
 but the wife, on the other hand, is a regular fiend 
 incarnate. She carries the pocket-book, and the 
 husband is a mere hired man working for his 
 board and clothes. He is a basswood man, she 
 is a boss woman. 
 
 TROUBLE IN THE CAMP. 
 
 Take another case : Suppose the intellectual 
 and the moral faculties of husband and wife are 
 
HEREDITARY INFLUENCES. 143 
 
 of opposite extremes, but the governing powers 
 are large in both, then there will be trouble on 
 hand. Earthquakes, thunder-storms, blizzards and 
 cyclones would be pigmies compared to the tur- 
 moils of that household. When phrenology is 
 better understood, and applied in selecting the 
 partner for life, then there will be less domestic 
 trouble, and married life will be one perpetual 
 sunshine, and the sentence, "Home, sweet home, 
 there is no place like home!' will be verified. 
 
 So far as your brain is well balanced, every 
 organ marked full, select a partner like yourself. 
 Phrenology says, similars should wed similars, 
 if there be a medium development ; but, at the 
 same time, extremes should not be united, whether 
 similars or opposites. 
 
 Some writer has truly advised, when he said : 
 "Young man, in selecting a partner for life, do 
 not let the barbed arrows of love which Cupid is 
 selecting from his quiver and hurling at your 
 heart, so influence your judgment that you will 
 not appeal to science for counsel before the 
 matrimonial knot is tied." 
 
 INTERMARRIAGE. 
 
 So far as there is no hereditary taint, so far as 
 there are no particular hereditary eccentricities, 
 so far it is proper for distant relatives to marry. 
 The laws of Kentucky prohibit marriage between 
 
144 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 cousins, yet marriage between cousins has been 
 attended many times with the most complete 
 conjugal happiness; and the offspring resulting 
 from such unions have been perfect specimens of 
 health. 
 
 It is claimed that marriage between cousins 
 generally results in sterility, and statistics would 
 show that the majority of the offspring resulting 
 from such marriages are diseased physically, or 
 demented. 
 
 The predispositions to disease, both physical 
 and mental, that is lurking in many families 
 would be intensified by intermarriage ; hence, as 
 a rule, they should be avoided. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 WOMAN'S SEXUAL RIGHTS. 
 
 HOWSOEVER we may differ in regard to 
 woman's political rights, whether en- 
 franchising her will lower her moral standing, 
 cause her to neglect her social and maternal 
 duties, which view is both indorsed and opposed 
 by many sound logicians in moral ethics, yet, it 
 seems to me, every unbiased mind will grant to 
 woman the exclusive right to her own person in 
 sexual matters. 
 
 There may be some doubting Thomas in re- 
 gard to this subject. Therefore I will give a 
 few reasons why she should be endowed with 
 this God given, if not man given, privilege. 
 
 MOTHER'S RELATION TO CHILD. 
 
 Woman is more intimately related to the off- 
 spring than man. Man is physiologically related 
 to the offspring only by the transient moment of 
 sexual intercourse. Woman furnishes the ovum, 
 man the sperm, and so far they are entitled to 
 equal credit. All through gestation the mother 
 
I46 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 and foetus are connected soul and body, but at 
 parturition the physiological link is apparently 
 severed. Such is not really the fact. At the 
 first inhalation, the child apparently becomes an 
 independent being ; but like some of our South 
 American republics, its freedom is limited. The 
 mammary secretion of the mother must be, and 
 is, the natural nourishment for the infant for at 
 least a year longer, until it is sufficiently devel- 
 oped to contend with the rough diet of the 
 world. Still the spell is not broken. Its inde- 
 pendence is not fully established. The mother 
 is the chief director of its physical, mental, 
 moral and religious life until infancy is past. 
 
 MOTHER A SACRED NAME. 
 
 No wonder the name mother is spoken in 
 reverence. It is not strange that we say our 
 mother country. Mother is the sweetest term 
 in the Anglo-Saxon. The first word we lisp is 
 mamma, the last word we breathe is mother 
 
 LIMITATION OF OFFSPRING. 
 
 The opinion of the world is changing on this 
 point. It was formerly supposed that children 
 are sent the same as the snow-flakes, and that it 
 is a sin to even investigate the facts and laws of 
 propagation. It was formerly argued that chil- 
 dren have a right to be born. They would quote 
 
WOMAN'S SEXUAL RIGHTS. 1 47 
 
 the command to our first parents, "Multiply and 
 replenish? Many have considered that they 
 were doin^ God's service; that it was their re- 
 ligious duty to beget offspring as fast as the 
 order of nature would allow, and that it made no 
 difference whether or not they could properly 
 feed, clothe or educate them. 
 
 The opinion, to-day, of our best moralists is, 
 that we should exercise our reason, moral powers 
 and will in regard to this subject. 
 
 MOTHERS SHOULD HAVE THE WHOLE SAY. 
 
 I think woman should have the whole say in 
 regard to the number of children, and I will give 
 my reasons why. Many wives have no right to 
 beget children, because if they do it is a suicidal 
 .act; every child born is another nail in her coffin. 
 I will illustrate : Here is a wife with a consump- 
 tive tendency ; scrofula lurks in every artery, 
 vein and capillary. Every child she begets is a 
 puny thing, full of scrofulous poison. During its 
 stay on earth, it is in reality a living corpse. Its 
 stay is short and full of pain and sorrow ; death 
 soon claims it as a victim. If you cannot beget 
 healthy children, beget none. The child is thrown 
 into this world a passive being ; it has nothing to 
 do with its organization, and I claim it has a God- 
 given right to a healthy body. 
 
 Take another case: Here is a lady with dis- 
 
I48 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 placement of the womb — or perhaps it may be 
 organically diseased — possibly it is cancer — 
 every child she has brings her nearer the grave. 
 Take another case : Here is a case where chil- 
 dren are born as fast as nature permits. The 
 mother is sliding down the inclined plane to that 
 goal that awaits us all. 
 
 COMMAND DIFFERENT NOW. 
 
 When the command was given to Adam the 
 circumstances were quite different from what 
 they are to-day. Six thousand years ago there 
 were but two on the earth, now there are about 
 1,394,117,000. 
 
 The earth was as large then as at the present, 
 and if geology is right, a little larger, as it has 
 been cooling and shrinking ever since. Adam 
 and Eve were fresh from the hand of the Crea- 
 tor. They had nothing to transmit but health ; 
 whereas, parents of to-day have little else to 
 transmit but disease. Scrofula, rheumatism and 
 dyspepsia then were not known. Pandora's box 
 of diseases had not then been opened. 
 
 THE DOUBTER ANSWERED. 
 
 " But," says a doubter : " If woman is to be the 
 sexual dictator, the earth will soon be depopu- 
 lated, and the human race become extinct, for the 
 reason that woman possesses so little amative 
 
WOMAN'S SEXUAL RIGHTS. 1 49 
 
 passion." I would file this answer — that if woman 
 has too little passion, man has too much, and in 
 many cases it is unbridled at that, and of two 
 evils choose the least. 
 
 Mrs. Duffey was right when she said, in her 
 book on the sexes : " If ever the world becomes 
 depopulated, or seems in danger of becoming so, 
 then, perhaps, we may regard it as a duty to re- 
 plenish. But there seems no need just now for 
 special exertions in this direction." That woman 
 is naturally less amative, and therefore more vir- 
 tuous than man, is a fact. I can find ten virtuous 
 women to one virtuous man in most towns or 
 countries. Statistics and phrenology teach the 
 same thing. 
 
 WOMAN MORE VIRTUOUS THAN MAN. 
 
 When I hear a man make the remark that 
 there are no virtuous women, that they are given 
 more than man to licentious thoughts, I place 
 him either in the scale of a fool or a libertine. 
 No man that is accustomed to the society of the 
 refined and intelligent, no man married or single, 
 that is not governed by his animal passion more 
 than by his moral sentiments, will venture such a 
 remark. A drunken man thinks everyone he 
 meets is tipsy, because he is drunk himself; a 
 lustful man can see no virtue in woman, for the 
 same reason. 
 
15° PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 When I hear some old debauchee haranguing 
 before a mixed crowd of old and young, in 
 some public place, about the lewdness of women, 
 I say to myself, " You poor old rake, your words 
 and acts show the company you keep." There 
 should be a statute enacted to silence the tongue 
 of such reprobates as can be found in most towns. 
 
 MOTHERS DESIRE CHILDREN. 
 
 The objection to woman being entrusted with 
 the whole say in regard to how many offspring 
 and how often, is ill-founded. Whoever has 
 studied woman's social nature will find im- 
 planted there much larger philoprogenitiveness 
 — love of offspring — than in man. Most mar- 
 ried ladies desire children, upon whom they 
 can lavish the outpourings of this God-given 
 instinct. Notwithstanding woman's amativeness 
 is smaller than it is in man, yet her love of chil- 
 dren is enough larger to make up the deficiency. 
 These would-be moralists need have no hesi- 
 tancy in entrusting women with exclusive dicta- 
 tion in sexual matters. Fowler says : " If there 
 existed no particular attachment to children, as 
 such, the burden of raising and educating them 
 would be intolerable, seldom submitted to ; 
 whereas the effect of this faculty is to make 
 them to their parents the dearest of all objects, 
 their richest treasure and their greatest delight" 
 
WOMAN'S SEXUAL RIGHTS. 15 I 
 
 Combe gives the following case of large 
 philoprogenitiveness : ''A lady, in whom this 
 organ was large, told me that she frequently 
 dreams of children. She described one dream 
 which imparted to her the most exquisite 
 delight, in which she seemed to have her lap 
 full of babies, which were smiling, sprawling, 
 raising their hands, and tossing about in the 
 most interesting manner imaginable." 
 
 MRS. ISABELLA BEECHER HOOKER'S VIEWS. 
 
 Mrs. Isabella Beecher Hooker, in a pam- 
 phlet entitled " Womanhood, its Sanctities 
 and Fidelities," remarks as follows: "'I think 
 it is a perfectly fair statement of the case as 
 between men and women the world over, that it 
 is not in any great degree desire for offspring 
 on his part that draws the husband to the wife in 
 the closer relations of married life ; while on the 
 part of the wife the love of offspring mingles 
 largely as an impelling motive with the love of her 
 husband." Again she says : " And now permit 
 me to say that a great part of the physical and 
 moral deterioration of the present day arises, it 
 seems to me, from the fact that children are not 
 co7iceived in the desire for them, and out of the 
 pure lives of their fathers as well as their 
 mothers ; and that far worse misfortunes might 
 befall our race than decreasing families, as long 
 
I5 2 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 as children are born to such an inheritance as 
 too many young men of the present day are 
 liable to transmit." 
 
 HOW TO END THE CAREER OF THE ABORTIONIST. 
 
 Although all our standard medical writers 
 teach that there are cases where not only pre- 
 vention, but also abortion is justifiable, yet its 
 indiscriminate practice is both ctdpable and 
 criminal. We are opposed to abortion because 
 it is nothing less than murder, if willfully 
 brought about ; and the true way to end the 
 career of the abortionist is to impart to the 
 mothers of the land accurate knowledge in 
 sexual physiology, hygiene and pathology. 
 
 MISCARRIAGE AND ITS DANGERS. 
 
 When the fcetus is expelled from the uterus 
 within four months after conception it is termed 
 abortion, but if the expulsion does not take 
 place until between the fourth and seventh 
 months of pregnancy it is termed miscarriage. 
 If the expulsion takes place at any time between 
 the seventh month and the end of gestation it 
 is termed premature labor. All of these 
 attempts on the part of the uterus to expel the 
 fcetus before its complete development may be 
 the results of the same predisposing and excit- 
 ing causes. 
 
WOMAN'S SEXUAL RIGHTS. 153 
 
 Predisposing Causes. — Any disease or dis- 
 placements of the uterus and its appendages ; 
 plethora or debility ; death of the foetus ; dis- 
 ease of the afterbirth. Some ladies acquire the 
 habit of aborting, so that it is impossible for 
 them to go beyond a certain period. 
 
 Exciting Causes. — Coition during gestation ; 
 Drastic purgatives, especially those containing 
 aloes. Suckling the child after again becoming 
 pregnant. Violent exercise ; dancing ; piles ; 
 mental excitement. 
 
 Prevention. — Observe perfect rest, especially 
 at the times when menstruation would occur if 
 not pregnant. Coition should be abstained from, 
 at least during the first five months of gesta- 
 tion. 
 
 In a case of threatened abortion, Dr. Robert 
 Lee says : " The greatest mental tranquillity and 
 absolute rest in the horizontal posture on a 
 mattress or couch, with the body slightly covered, 
 should be enjoined. If the patient is plethoric 
 and the pulse accelerated, blood is immediately 
 to be detracted in quantity, proportioned to the 
 urgency of the symptoms." If there are any 
 signs of a miscarriage, a rectal injection of a 
 gill of starch water, in which has been put one- 
 half teaspoonful of laudanum, will often quiet 
 the uterine contractions. 
 
154 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 DANGERS OF MISCARRIAGE. 
 
 The immediate cause of danger in miscarriage 
 \$ prof use hemorrhage, which, requires the prompt 
 attention of the physician. 
 
 Mrs. Duffey, in her " Relations of the Sexes," 
 says: "If by intent or accident it Tthe foetus] 
 is disturbed before the period, the whole of 
 Nature's plans are thwarted, and nothing is in 
 readiness. A hundred bleeding wounds remain 
 when the child, with its accompanying mem- 
 branes, is torn untimely from the womb of the 
 mother — mouths that would have closed at the 
 appointed time, but now remain open to bleed 
 away the mother's life." 
 
 The hemorrhage may be controlled, and the 
 mother is apparently safe, but that she is so is by 
 no means the case; death is stayed for a time, yet 
 the effects, which may lie latent for years, soon 
 will, perhaps, otctcrop in the most intractable 
 uterine disease — even cancer itself. Mothers 
 should not look upon miscarriage as a trivial 
 affair, and should observe every hygienic pre- 
 caution to avert it. " Miscarriages," says Dr. 
 Storer, " are a thousandfold more dangerous in 
 their immediate effects than the average of 
 natural labors." 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS ANSWERED. 
 CONCERNING FCETUS. 
 
 Ques. Can the child breathe or cry in utero ? 
 
 Ans. No ; but there have been cases where 
 the membranes have been ruptured, and the 
 waters have escaped so that air has entered the 
 womb in sufficient quantities that the foetus 
 could, to a limited extent, breathe. Before the 
 membranes are ruptured it is impossible. 
 
 Ques. In case of twins, where one is a male 
 and the other a female, is the female always 
 sterile f 
 
 Ans. It is generally considered to be a fact, 
 yet there still exist some doubts concerning it. 
 
 Ques, Can the sex be known before birth ? 
 
 Ans. M. Mattei claims he can predict the sex 
 by listening to the pulsations of the foetal heart. 
 If there are ijo to 135 per minute, it is a boy; 
 but if from 140 to 130 it is a girl. 
 
 Qites. What is the natural position of the 
 foetus in the womb during gestation ? 
 
 Ans. The head is toward the os uteri, for this 
 
I56 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 reason : the head of the foetus is larger and 
 heavier, in proportion to its body, than it is after 
 birth, and as the foetus is floating in amniotic 
 liquid, gravity would naturally incline the head 
 downward. Many have the idea that the feet 
 tend downward until just before parturition sets 
 in, and then the foetus turns one half of a somer- 
 sault, making it a head presentation. 
 
 Ques. Can ncevi materni — mother marks or 
 fancy spots — be removed from the child? 
 
 Ans. I have been told by several lady mid- 
 wives that the application of the placenta to the 
 marks will cause them to disappear. I consider 
 it a whim. The best way to remove is to avoid 
 the causes that produce them. 
 
 Ques. At what period of gestation is there the 
 greatest danger of marking the foetus ? 
 
 Ans. There is danger all through gestation, as 
 there is the same relation between the mother 
 and foetus from conception until birth. 
 
 CONCERNING THE INFANT. 
 
 Ques. When should the child be first allowed 
 to nurse, and when weaned ? 
 
 Ans. Let the child nurse as soon as it is washed 
 and dressed, and although milk proper is not se- 
 creted at first, yet the early application of the 
 child to the breast hastens its secretion, and the 
 child, by the early application, extracts the colos- 
 
QUES7YOJVS ANSWERED. 157 
 
 irum, which is a natural purgative. The time of 
 weaning, the mother must determine for herself; 
 it will vary with the development of the child 
 and the health of the mother. Prolonged nurs- 
 ing is good in one sense, for this reason, viz : the 
 stuffing and cramming process to which too 
 many children are subjected does nqt begin so 
 quickly. 
 
 Ques. Is the practice of dosing the infant with 
 Godfrey s Cordial, paregoric, and some of the so- 
 called soothing and teething syrups deleterious to 
 the child ? 
 
 Ans. It is, because most of the so-called baby 
 syrups contain either opium or some equally 
 deleterious narcotic. This continual dosing the 
 child with medicines, and cramming down its 
 throat, every time it cries, more cracker stuff, is 
 despicable ; and the more they are dosed and 
 stuffed, the harder they will kick and the louder 
 they will bawl. Pure milk, as prepared in Na- 
 ture's laboratory, the mammary gland, is better 
 than all the baby mixtures prepared by grand- 
 mas and doctors. 
 
 Ques. What causes those two soft spots or 
 openings in the child's skull? 
 
 Ans. Those soft spots are called, many times, 
 openings in the head, by the uneducated. The 
 scientific name applied to them is fontanelles. 
 The one in front is called the anterior, and is 
 
158 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 formed by the straight (sagittal) suture meeting 
 the coronal. The posterior is formed by this 
 same straight suture meeting the lambdoidal. 
 The point of union is membranous at birth, but 
 in a short time bony matter is deposited and the 
 opening is obliterated. The position of these 
 openings assist the midwife in determining the 
 position of the head in the pelvis. 
 
 CONCERNING THE MOTHER. 
 
 Ques. Should the mother be especially atten- 
 tive to physical and mental hygiene during 
 nursing ? 
 
 Ans. She should, because the quantity and 
 quality of the mammary secretion fluctuates 
 with the varying conditions of her body and 
 mind. A fit of anger on the mother's part, 
 during nursing, has resulted in death to the 
 child. Sir A. Cooper says : " The secretion of 
 milk proceeds best in a tranquil state of mind 
 and with a cheerful temper ; then the milk is 
 regularly abundant and agrees with the child. 
 On the contrary, a fretful temper lessens the 
 quantity of milk, makes it thin and serous, and 
 causes it to disturb the child's bowels, produc- 
 ing intestinal fever and much griping." Anxiety, 
 fear, terror, influence the quality of the milk 
 for the worse. Hope and joy, for the better. 
 Carpenter says : " There is even evidence that 
 
QUESTIONS ANSWERED. 159 
 
 the mammary secretion may acquire an actually 
 poisonous character, under the influence of violent 
 mental excitement." He gives the following 
 case : "A carpenter fell into a quarrel with a 
 soldier billeted in his house, and was set upon 
 by the latter with a drawn sword. The wife of 
 the carpenter at first trembled from fear and 
 terror, and then suddenly threw herself furiously 
 between the combatants, wrested the sword 
 from the soldier's hands, broke it in pieces and 
 threw it away. During the tumult some neigh- 
 bors came in and separated the men. While in 
 this state of strong excitement the mother took 
 up her child from the cradle, where it lay play- 
 ing and in the most perfect health, never having 
 had a moment's illness ; she gave it the breast, 
 and in doing so sealed its fate. In a few minutes 
 the child left off sucking, became restless, panted, 
 and sank dead upon its mother's bosom. The 
 physician was instantly called in ; found the 
 child lying in the cradle as if asleep, and with 
 its features undisturbed, but all his resources 
 were fruitless; it was irrecoverably g07ie!' 
 
 Mothers should be as attentive to hygiene 
 during nursing as during pregnancy; hence, they 
 should be cheerful. Laugh more and give less 
 soothing syrup. 
 
 Physical hygiene should be attended to all 
 through the nursing period. The quality of 
 
l6o PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 the food the mother eats will affect the quality 
 of the milk. The dietary should be strictly on 
 the health plan. 
 
 Ques. What is meant by the hour-glass con- 
 traction, and how overcome ? 
 
 Ans. Many times the womb in expelling the 
 fcetus does not contract uniformly r , but is con- 
 stricted near its middle, dividing the womb par- 
 tially into two compartments, one above and one 
 below, connected by a constricted canal, which 
 would cause the womb to assume the shape of 
 an hour-glass. The placenta may be either in 
 the upper or lower cavity. The hour-glass con- 
 traction is quite rare, and to overcome it anti- 
 spasmodics may be given, or the physician can 
 insert his hand into the uterine cavity and by 
 physical force overcome the spasm. 
 
 Ques. Is absence of pleasure on the part of the 
 wife a cause of barrenness ? 
 
 Ans. No ; those women that do not experi- 
 ence the least pleasure, and to whom sexual 
 intercourse is reptignant or painful, are as pro- 
 lific as those that do. Any lawyer will tell you 
 the old laws of England were that if a woman 
 made complaint of rape, and at the same time 
 was pregnant, it was proof positive it was not 
 rape. This unj^lst law was the result of the 
 false physiology then extant, which taught that 
 pleasure must be experienced if conception is 
 
QUESTIONS ANSWERED. l6l 
 
 effected. The mere fact of pregnancy proved 
 the rape a nullity. 
 
 Physiology of to-day teaches — and the laws 
 conform to its teaching — that a woman may be 
 placed under the influence of any narcotic or 
 anaesthetic, she may be senseless, and if coition 
 is effected pregnancy may be the result ; but I 
 claim a woman cannot transmit to the fcetus 
 her own qualities as completely as she would if 
 there were pleasure. 
 
 Ques, Should there be coition during gesta- 
 tion ? 
 
 Ans. There is a wide difference of opinion in 
 regard to this subject. Those who claim that 
 the true office of coition is to propagate the 
 species emphatically say no ; and if we take the 
 lower animals as a guide, we must come to that 
 conclusion. The male, among the lower animals, 
 never attempts sexual intercourse except when 
 the female is in the heat. Repeated coition during 
 gestation is, without doubt, a prominent cause of 
 the many miscarriages married women are sub- 
 ject to. 
 
 Ques. What is the C^sarian section ? 
 
 Ans. It is performed when the fcetus cannot 
 be born through the natural passages, and where 
 there is danger that the life of both mother and 
 child will be sacrificed. Churchill says the oper- 
 ation is performed as follows : Cutting through 
 
1 62 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 the abdominal and uterine parietes, so as to 
 come to the child, and then removing the entire 
 contents of the uterus, and closing the external 
 incision by sutures and sticking plaster. 
 
 The great danger will be hemorrhage and 
 inflammation. The mortality to the mothers, in 
 the operation, extended statistics would show, is 
 i in 2^, to the children, i to 3^. 
 
 It is claimed that some of the most noted 
 personages have been born in this way. The 
 Qesars, Scipio Africanus and ^Esculapius, of 
 ancient times, and Edward VI, King of Eng- 
 land, and Robert II, King of Scotland, of 
 more modern times, it is claimed, were born by 
 means of the Caesarian section ; and for this 
 reason, to be born in this way is considered a 
 royal birth. 
 
 There are well authenticated cases where the 
 child has been removed alive by a post mortem 
 Caesarian section forty-eight hours after the 
 death of the mother. 
 
 Bedford gives the following case: "The death 
 of Princess of Schwartzenberg, which occurred 
 in Paris in 18 10, was as follows : She was one of 
 the gay party participating in the pleasures of a 
 ball given by her brother-in-law, the Austrian 
 ambassador. During that night of festivity 
 there was an appalling conflagration, which, to- 
 gether with other victims, caused the death of 
 
QUESTIONS ANSWERED. I 63 
 
 the princess, who was far advanced in gestation. 
 On the day succeeding her death a living child 
 was removed by the Caesarian section." 
 
 As a rule, the fcetus dies as soon or sooner 
 than the mother ; but this rule, also, has its 
 exceptions. 
 
 There was a statute in the old Roman code, 
 that no deceased pregnant woman should be 
 buried until the child had been removed by this 
 operation. The senate of Venice, in 1808, made 
 it a heinous crime for the medical man not to 
 observe as great precautions in performing this 
 operation after death as he should if she were 
 alive. It is recorded in history that the king of 
 Sicily, in 1749, sentenced to death the physician 
 who failed to perform this operation on a female 
 dying in the latter months of gestation. 
 
 This operation is not held in high repute by 
 the majority of obstetricians of to-day. 
 
 Ques. Should coition be indulged in just 
 before the menses ? 
 
 Ans. No ; because the spermatozoa might 
 travel through the uterine cavity, and fertilize 
 the egg in the ovary, or while it is traveling 
 down the fallopian tube, and if from any cause 
 (and such causes do sometimes exist) the egg 
 should fail to arrive in the uterus after beino- 
 fertilized, there would result extra uterine preg- 
 nancy, which we have before spoken of. If 
 
164 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 intercourse is not indulged in until after the 
 menses, the egg will have arrived in the uterus 
 before the sperm could come in contact with it. 
 Bedford, Thomas, and manv other obstetricians, 
 claim that the natural place for impregnation is 
 the ovary. The experiment of Bischoff would at 
 first seem to be satisfactory that such is the fact. 
 But Carpenter justly remarks : " From the ex- 
 periments of Bischoff, however, it appears that 
 in rabbits, bitches, and probably in most other 
 mammalia, sexual union usually takes place pre- 
 viously to the escape of the ova from the ovary, 
 and that sufficient time often elapses for the 
 seminal fluid to reach the ovary before their 
 extrusion takes place. In such cases, therefore, 
 it would seem probable that fecundation is 
 effected at the ovary itself." If the ovary is the 
 natural place for the sperm and germ to meet, 
 there would be greater liability to conception if 
 coition should occur just before than just after 
 the menses, which is not the fact. 
 
 Ques. What is false conception, and how 
 produced ? 
 
 Ans. There is no such thing as false concep- 
 tion. The term is a misnomer ; a blighted ovum 
 would be a much better name. The egg, some- 
 times, after fertilization, and before scarcely any 
 development has occurred, dies ; it may be at 
 once expelled ; sometimes, however, it is retained 
 
QUESTIONS ANSWERED. 1 65 
 
 a long time after its death, and is changed into a 
 fleshy substance, termed a fleshy mole. Sometimes 
 there springs from the ovum or its appendages a 
 fungous growth, varying greatly in quality and 
 quantity, termed hydatids. The three varieties 
 of abnormal growths, viz : blighted ovum, moles 
 and hydatids, are considered good evidence that 
 coition has been indulged in. 
 
 Ques. Why do children by the second husband 
 sometimes resemble those begotten by the first 
 husband. 
 
 Ans. Mental impressions left by the first hus- 
 band on the mother, is one way of explaining this 
 remarkable phenomenon ; another way of ex- 
 plaining it is this : the blood of the mother has re- 
 ceived certain elements from the foetus begotten 
 by her first husband, and these same elements 
 or attributes she has imparted to the foetus be- 
 gotten by the second husband. There is quite a 
 practical point connected with this subject. 
 
 Ques. Why does the mother experience so 
 much urinary trouble the first, second and ninth 
 months of pregnancy ? 
 
 Ans. During the first two months the womb 
 sinks into the pelvis, partially displacing the blad- 
 der and compressing the urethra, and just before 
 and at quickening it rises gradually into the ab- 
 dominal cavity, and of course the pressure is re- 
 moved. During the last month of pregnancy 
 
i66 
 
 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH 
 
 and just before parturition, the womb again de- 
 scends to such a degree as to again produce 
 urinary troubles. 
 
 Ques. What is the cause of hemorrhage before 
 birth of the child? 
 
 Ans. The placenta is sometimes attached to 
 the womb over the os uteri, and when such is the 
 case it is termed Placenta Prcevia. When the 
 os dilates, in the first stage of labor, the placen- 
 tal blood-vessels are necessarily ruptured, and 
 there is hemorrhage from the start. Send for a 
 physician immediately, as there is danger ahead. 
 Placenta Praevia is quite rare. 
 
 Ques. What is meant by turning the foetus ? 
 
 Ans. To facilitate delivery of the foetus, the 
 accoucheur introduces his hand, between the labor 
 pains, into the uterine cavity ; he grasps the feet, 
 and by bringing them to the dilated os he effects 
 the version. No one but the scientific midwife 
 should attempt to produce version. 
 
 Ques. Can quickening be feigned? 
 
 Ans. It can, and it may deceive the best 
 observers. Prof. Bedford remarks as follows : 
 "Women, from avaricious or other motives, will 
 feign pregnancy, and among their other devices 
 will attempt to impose upon the judgment of the 
 practitioner, by simulating the movements of the 
 foetus through the contraction of their abdominal 
 muscles. When I held the professorship of ob- 
 
QUESTIONS ANSWERED. 1 67 
 
 stetrics in Charleston, South Carolina, Dr„ Ben- 
 nett, of that city, kindly afforded me an oppor- 
 tunity of presenting to my class a very interesting 
 case in the person of an old colored woman, an- 
 swering to the name of Aunt Betty. She was 
 well known in Charleston as the old woman who 
 had been pregnant for fifteen years, and I was 
 informed that she had accumulated some money 
 by showing the curious how actively her little 
 child jumped in the womb. 
 
 Ques. Is pregnancy a safeguard against dis- 
 ease ? 
 
 Ans. No ; the pregnant woman is subject to 
 the same diseases as when not in that condition. 
 
 Ques, What really cures disease, nature or 
 medicine ? 
 
 Ans. Nature. There is an old Latin maxim 
 termed Post hoc ergo propter hoc, which liter- 
 ally translated signifies, if a certain effect follows 
 a certain cause, the effect is the result of the 
 cause. This is true in many instances, but in 
 many cases it is delusion. The Indians during 
 an eclipse beat their tom-toms and strike their 
 cymbals until the eclipse passes away. You tell 
 them that the eclipse would disappear as quickly 
 if they were to keep quiet, and they would pro- 
 nounce you a humbug. So you tell the poor 
 invalid, after he has been dosing himself with 
 pills and blood purifiers, that he might have 
 
1 68 
 
 PHENOMENA OF HEALTH. 
 
 regained his health if he had taken nothing, and 
 he will scorn the idea. There is another Latin 
 maxim, termed Natura sanat medicus curat. 
 Nature cures, but medicine merely takes care of 
 the disease. To illustrate : Suppose I cut my 
 hand and then apply a poultice, an ointment or 
 lotion. It is not the medicine applied that 
 effects the cure. Nature does the work. Sup- 
 pose I have run a sliver into my finger and I do 
 not remove it myself, I do not call the surgeon. 
 Nature will remove it if you will only give her 
 time, and the manner in which she effects its 
 removal is as follows : At first it becomes con- 
 gested about the sliver, in a short time it 
 becomes inflamed, and soon after it begins to 
 suppztrate, and a short time after the sliver is 
 extruded. Nature is a very safe stirgeon, but 
 sometimes a little slow ; and if mankind would 
 study and practice hygiene more and dose them- 
 selves less, life would be prolonged and much 
 suffering averted. 
 
 Ques. Can any one medicine cure all diseases; 
 that is, is there any such thing as a panacea? 
 
 Ans. No. The ancient alchemists sought 
 diligently in their secret laboratories to find the 
 true elixir of life, and they cherished the idea 
 that if they could make a liquid preparation of 
 gold, the desideratum would be gained. 
 
 There are thousands of ctire-alls advertised 
 
QUESTIONS ANSWERED 
 
 169 
 
 through the land to-day. They are not liquid 
 gold such as the ancients sought, but it takes 
 the solid gold to buy them. They are adver- 
 tised to-day under the head of purely vegetable, 
 with a little Indian thrown in. 
 
 Many of the cure-all nostrums are prepared 
 from scientific prescriptions; so that the humbug 
 is not in the prescription, but in their application 
 to everything. 
 
PART SECOND. 
 
 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
A— Heart. 
 B — Lungs. 
 C — Liver. 
 D — Stomach. 
 E— Spleen. 
 
 a — Aorta. 
 d— Diaphragm. 
 g— Bladder. 
 /"—Colon. 
 i — Uterus. 
 
PHENOMENA OF DISEASE, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 DISEASES OF WOMEN. 
 
 MY descriptions of disease are mere sketches. 
 To specify details would make the work 
 too large. All the prominent facts and phenom- 
 
 ena are described in a language easily under- 
 stood by the general reader — knowledge that 
 has, as a rule, been privy to the physician and • 
 
174 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 mysterious to the outside world, has been sim- 
 plified. Only those diseases to which woman 
 is subject ; those to which she is most liable, and 
 therefore the most interested in, will be portrayed 
 in this chapter. The treatment given is both 
 hygienic and therapeutic. Our motto is, the 
 simpler the treatment the better. The medical 
 prescriptions are in plain Anglo-Saxon ; the 
 hieroglyphics of the prescriptionist have been 
 omitted. This work is not for the physician, but 
 for the masses ; hence, I trust the profession will 
 be mild in their criticisms. To simplify the old, 
 and not to teach anything new, has been the ob- 
 ject in view. 
 
 PREDISPOSING CAUSES OF DISEASES PECULIAR TO 
 WOMAN. 
 
 The women of the nineteenth century are be- 
 coming a race of invalids. Where you will find 
 a perfectly healthy woman, I will find ten that 
 are suffering more or less from some of the 
 protean forms of uterine or ovarian diseases. 
 Healthy women are like the oases in the desert. 
 Why is woman such a sufferer? The casual 
 observer says it is because she is the weaker ves- 
 sel ; she does not possess the same recuperative 
 power as man, and hence her susceptibility to 
 derangements of health. To the superficial ob- 
 server such an answer is satisfactory, but what 
 
DISEASES OF WOMEN. 175 
 
 are the facts as taught by science f If we go 
 among the Indians, where both sexes are sub- 
 ject to the same surroundings, the squaws are as 
 hardy, can endure as much fatigue, and perform 
 as long journeys, as the males, and it is claimed 
 by some, their physical endurance is even greater. 
 If you go among the peasants, whose occupation 
 keeps them mostly in the open air, and calls into 
 activity their muscular powers, you will never 
 hear the term female weakness. The anatomical, 
 physiological and mental powers are different by 
 nature ; but I claim the predispositions to dis- 
 ease in women arise from the foolish teaching 
 and customs peculiar to the refinements of civil- 
 ization. 
 
 When considering the individual diseases, I 
 have spoken of the special exciting causes, but I 
 wish now to consider the general predisposing 
 causes. 
 
 ERRONEOUS METHOD OF EDUCATING GIRLS. 
 
 Our girls, in the larger towns especially, are 
 reared as so many hot-house plants, from infancy 
 to puberty. They are restrained from partici- 
 pating in out-door muscular labor or amuse- 
 ments, for fear it will make them coarse and 
 vulgar — healthy ; they are denied the invigor- 
 ating powers of sunlight, because they will get 
 tanned and freckled — healthy ; they are taught 
 
17& PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 by their foolish mothers that to be healthy and 
 possess ruddy cheeks is coarse and vulgar; to be 
 pale, nervous and sickly is lady-like and refined. 
 The age of puberty arrives, but the grand change 
 from girlhood into womanhood is imperfect, and 
 all through life she is a fit subject for disease. 
 
 NERVOUS EXCITEMENTS. 
 
 The fashionable habits and education of to- 
 day stimulate the brain, weaken the body, and 
 so destroy the healthy equilibrium that should 
 exist between body and mind, that there is a 
 marked tendency to disease. 
 
 IMPROPER DRESS IN CHILDHOOD. 
 
 The foolish custom of improperly clothing 
 the lower extremities predisposes to disease. 
 Boys wear in cold weather woolen pants and 
 hose and heavy boots, thick-soled ; girls too 
 many times, on the other hand, wear thin, sleazy 
 pantalets, cotton hose, and wafer-soled shoes. 
 
 Imprudence just before and during the men- 
 strual effort is a prominent cause which we 
 have considered in detail when treating on the 
 menstrual disorders. 
 
 Inattention to Hygiene during pregnancy 
 and after parturition are considered in their 
 proper place. 
 
&/SEASES OF WOMEN- I 77 
 
 TIGHT LACING. 
 
 The chest is shaped like a pyramid, apex at 
 the top, but in those ladies who lace tightly the 
 order of nature is reversed, and the apex is at 
 the bottom. On account of the constriction of 
 the chest the lungs are compressed at their base, 
 and encroach upon the heart ; so those ladies 
 who lace tightly will, on account of the imper- 
 fect circulation of the blood, be troubled with 
 cold feet and subject to fainting fits. Hogarth 
 says " nature is the standard of beauty " ; but 
 you would suppose, in our fashionable circles, 
 deformity is the standard. Any lady that laces 
 interferes, in the .first place, with the purifica- 
 tion and circulation of the blood. In the second 
 place, she will suffer from the various displace- 
 ments of the womb and their attending effects. 
 In the third place, if she becomes pregnant and 
 still indulges in tight lacing, she is interfering 
 with the life of another being. If the child in 
 utero receives not the proper quantity and 
 quality of blood, when born it will be a dwarf, 
 either physically or mentally. 
 
 There are many more predisposing causes, 
 but they will be considered when treating on 
 the individual diseases. 
 
 Thomas has truly remarked, in his admirable 
 work on the diseases of women, as follows : 
 " The Indian squaw or southern freedwoman 
 
I/o PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 may go half-naked while menstruating, carry 
 heavy burdens from morning till night, or rise to 
 labor or to travel in a day or two after parturi- 
 tion, and yet no evil will result, but to the civil- 
 ized woman, any one of these imprudences may 
 prove a source of disease. It is the combina- 
 tion of evil influences, or the action of a single 
 cause on a system so deteriorated by others as 
 to be made incapable of resisting it, which pro- 
 duces the unhappy climax." 
 
 PRECAUTIONS AGAINST DISEASE. 
 
 Thomas remarks as follows : " No one will 
 doubt the conclusion that if in cold weather the 
 feet, legs and abdomens of civilized women 
 were clad in some woolen material, if they 
 understood the necessity of caution during the 
 period of menstruation and after labor, if they 
 allowed the uterus to hold its proper place in 
 the pelvis, uninterfered with by pressure ; if 
 they kept the sanguineous and nervous systems 
 in their normal state of vigor by exercise, fresh 
 air and plenty of good food, and at the same 
 time avoided any habits which directly produce 
 disease by injuring the genital organs, much, 
 very much less of uterine and kindred disorders 
 would be seen by the physician. All these 
 reforms would probably bring forth results in 
 one generation, but it would require many 
 
DISEASES OF WOMEN. 179 
 
 generations of reformers to restore woman to 
 her proper physical sphere." 
 
 When strict hygiene is observed, the dangers 
 and pains of childbirth will be greatly lessened. 
 When our fashion-makers look to health as the 
 pole star to guide them, when the livery of 
 health is made more popular, and the livery of 
 disease more odious, unestimable blessings to 
 womankind will be the result. 
 
 PRURITUS OF VULVA. 
 
 This is by no means a rare disease, and 
 though it has no fatal tendencies, yet it is one of 
 the most vexatious of all female affections. 
 
 Symptoms. — There is a peculiar sensitiveness, 
 sometimes accompanied with pain and tender- 
 ness of the vulva ; often it is of an itching sen- 
 sation, and it is not confined to the vulva, but 
 may extend the whole track of the vagina. The 
 mucous membrane is generally highly congested, 
 sometimes bordering on inflammation. Dr. De- 
 wees observed an aphthous state of the mucous 
 lining. 
 
 Cause. — Inattention to cleanliness, leucorrhceal 
 secretions, acrid secretions from the sebaceous 
 follicles. 
 
 Treatment. — Sitz baths in warm water ; vae- 
 inal injections of tepid water. 
 
 Churchill uses the following lotion : Decoction 
 
i8o 
 
 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 of poppy head, one pint ; sugar of lead, one half 
 drachm — mix, and apply to parts. 
 
 Dr. Meigs favors the following lotion : Take 
 of borax half an ounce ; distilled rosewater, six 
 ounces ; sulphate of morphia, six grains — mix, 
 and apply the lotion frequently in the course of 
 the day. 
 
 Pruritus is a symptom, and not really a disease. 
 Hence the first thing to be done is to remove 
 the cause. The remedies recommended are 
 more palliative than curative. Glycerine, one 
 ounce ; rosewater, eight ounces, is recommended 
 in mild cases. 
 
 LEUCORRHGEA. 
 
 The name given to this disease is from two 
 Greek words, signifying a whitish flowing. The 
 term whites — fluor albus — refers to the same 
 disease. This is the most prevalent affection of 
 the reproductive organs. One half 'of the ladies 
 of the land are subject to it in some of its vari- 
 ous forms. From the time of Hippocrates until 
 now it has been the most marked female com- 
 plaint. No age, climate or nationality is ex- 
 empt. 
 
 Dewees says : " Women of the sanguine tem- 
 perament and rigid fibre are less liable to this 
 complaint than those who are fair-skinned, light- 
 haired, and of a relaxed fibre." 
 
DISEASES OF WOMEN. lb I 
 
 Women in the country are less liable than 
 those in the city. 
 
 Leucorrhcea consists of a whitish, yellowish or 
 greenish mucous discharge from the vagina. So 
 says Prof. Thomas. 
 
 Leucorrhcea is divided into two varieties, vag- 
 inal and uterine. The former is quite amenable 
 to treatment, the latter many times baffles com- 
 pletely the skill and patience of our best practi- 
 tioners. 
 
 VAGINAL WHITES. 
 
 The mucous membrane of the vagina may be 
 either congested, inflamed or ulcerated. 
 
 Symptoms. — Sense of heat, fullness and sore- 
 ness in the vagina, sexual commerce painful, 
 difficult urination, general feverish condition, 
 backache, mental depression. There is no dis- 
 charge in the first stage of congestion. The 
 mucous membrane in a healthy state is of a pale, 
 pinkish appearance, and the mucous secretion 
 keeps the part in a moist, quiescent state ; but 
 when congestion begins, the membrane becomes 
 at first dry, but in a short time there is a watery 
 secretion, which soon is supplanted by a muco- 
 purulent discharge. 
 
 Cause. — Cold, fatigue, excessive coition, men- 
 tal depression, prolonged lactation, sedentary 
 habits, ill-ventilated .rooms, menstrual impru- 
 dence. 
 
182 
 
 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 Treatment. — In the congestive and inflam- 
 matory form, take sitz baths in warm water, yet 
 the feelings of the patient must be consulted 
 generally, however. The water should be about 
 8o° Fahr. to start with, and let the water be one 
 degree lower at each successive bath. Vaginal 
 injections of warm water morning and evening, 
 and general bathing daily should be observed. 
 Keep off the feet as much as possible. Let the 
 diet be simple. 
 
 Dewees recommends Epsom salts to be taken 
 in small quantities at a time, until there is free 
 purgation, and then twenty drops of tinct. of 
 cant har ides to be given twice a day, in a little 
 sweetened water. If there is any strangury 
 produced, cease giving the medicine. 
 
 Generally no internal remedies are required if 
 proper attention is devoted to local applications. 
 Thomas recommends the following : " Every fifth 
 or sixth hour the patient, placing under the but- 
 tocks a bed pan, upon which she lies, and be- 
 tween the thighs a vessel of warm water con- 
 taining boiled starch, infusion of linseed, bran, or 
 poppies, to render it soothing, should, by means 
 of a syringe, with a continuous jet or irrigator, 
 throw a steady stream against the cervix uteri 
 for fifteen or twenty minutes, or even a longer 
 time." 
 
 After the acute symptoms have subsided, mild 
 
DISEASES OF WOMEN. 1 83 
 
 astringent injections are beneficial. Sulphate of 
 zinc (white vitriol), ten grains ; rain water, one 
 pint ; tincture of opium, one drachm — mix. Inject 
 twice a day. 
 
 In chronic vaginal whites, where there is ten- 
 dency to debility, the patient should live more on 
 beef, and take mild out-door exercise. 
 
 Dr. Tanner, of London, recommends, in the 
 chronic form of this disease, penciling the 
 parts with the following solution : Carbolic acid, 
 ten grains ; glycerine, one ounce. Where there 
 is a tendency to debility and loss of appetite, the 
 following internal remedy is recommended by the 
 same author : Citrate of iron and quinine, thirty 
 grains ; tincture of lemon peel, one and one- 
 half drachms ; water sufficient to make eight 
 ounces — mix. Take one-sixth part three times 
 a day. 
 
 UTERINE WHITES. 
 
 In this affection the membrane lining the womb 
 is diseased, and it may undergo the same stages 
 that the vaginal lining did in vaginal whites, viz., 
 congestion, inflammation and ulceration. 
 
 Symptoms. — Weakness in the back and loins ; 
 almost constant headache ; a general languor ; 
 neuralgic pains in different parts of the body ; 
 bearing down ; frequent urination ; sense of heat 
 and fullness about the pelvis. The excretion is 
 white and glairy, more like the white of an egg, 
 
184 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 but the acid secretions of the vagina change it 
 so that it resembles closely boiled starch. In 
 vaginal leucorrhcea it is more of a creamy ap- 
 pearance. 
 
 Cause. — Repeated suppression of the menses ; 
 miscarriage; prolonged lactation ; excessive child- 
 bearing ; too frequent coition. 
 
 Treatment. — Sitz baths in warm water ; vag- 
 inal injection of the same ; observe as much rest 
 as possible ; keep off the feet. 
 
 Astringent injections will do no good, as they 
 cannot be brought in contact with the diseased 
 membrane ; but the prolonged use of warm vag- 
 inal injections will accomplish wonders ; they act 
 as a poultice. 
 
 If there is constipation, use Epsom salts ; in 
 small doses they are purgative, dhtretic and re- 
 frigerant. 
 
 In the acute form of this disease the treatment 
 should be antiphlogistic, but in the chronic form, 
 where there is a tendency to debility and general 
 relaxation, let the treatment be supportive; and 
 the best tonics are good diet, fresh air, mild ex- 
 ercise out-doors, change of scenery, attention to 
 general bathing, vigorous hand rubbing or thor- 
 ough use of the flesh brush, and last, but not least, 
 the sun-bath. In both the vaginal and uterine 
 forms of this disease there are soon manifested 
 symptoms of general debility, an inward weak- 
 
DISEASES OF WOMEN. 1 85 
 
 ness, an all-gone feeling. There is an excessive 
 discharge, but the parts from which it exudes 
 are more passive than active. For such cases 
 iron, in some of its various forms, is the great 
 desideratum, as it enriches the blood by increas- 
 ing the number of blood corpuscles. The fol- 
 lowing is a pleasant and effective prescription : 
 Take citrate of iron, two drachms ; simple syrup, 
 one-half ounce ; water, six ounces — mix. A ta- 
 blespoonful to be taken three times a day before 
 meals. 
 
 SUN-BATHS AS A TONIC. 
 
 Prof. Hammond says : " In anczmia, chlorosis, 
 phthisis, and, in general, all diseases characterized 
 by deficiency of vital power, light should not be 
 debarred. In convalescence from all diseases it 
 acts as a healthful stimulant, both to the mental 
 and physical systems. The delirium and weak- 
 ness which are by no means seldom among con- 
 valescents kept in darkness, disappear like magic 
 when the rays of the sun are allowed to enter 
 the chamber. I think I have noticed that 
 wounds heal with greater rapidity when the rays 
 of the sun are allowed to reach them, and when 
 they are as far as possible exposed to diffused 
 daylight. Care should be taken in both health 
 and disease to insure a sufficient quantity of 
 light to the inmates of houses. Sun-baths, or 
 apartments in which the solar rays can fall upon 
 
I 86 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 the naked body, are doubtless highly advan- 
 tageous to health." 
 
 MENSTRUAL DISORDERS. 
 
 The menstrual discharge is pure blood, which 
 has escaped from the ruptured blood-vessels of 
 the linine membrane of the womb. When men- 
 struation is perfectly normal, there is a sense of 
 fullness in the uterine system, slight pains in 
 lumbar region, general fatigue, restlessness, de- 
 spondency; but when it is abnormal, the pain 
 may equal that attendant on labor, and the pro- 
 tean forms of neuralgia manifested are beyond 
 pen descriptions. 
 
 AMENORRHEA. 
 
 This is the first disorder to which I invite 
 your attention, and it is divided into two classes : 
 first, where the menses never have appeared ; 
 second, where they have been suppressed. 
 
 We have stated that menstruation generally 
 begins at about the fifteenth year, and many 
 mothers evince much anxiety if their daughters 
 manifest no show at that time, and they give 
 powerful emmenagogues many times, hoping 
 thereby to hasten this tardy appearance. 
 
 If mothers knew more in regard to this sub- 
 ject, they would show much better common 
 sense. Mothers, if your daughter's health is not 
 
DISEASES OF WOMEN 1 87 
 
 declining, you* need not worry, even if they do 
 not appear until she is out of her teens. 
 
 TARDY MENSTRUATION. 
 
 Menstruation may be tardy because the ova- 
 ries are tardy in their development. The ova- 
 ries may be all right, but the uterus is wanting, 
 or so atrophied that there is no discharge. In 
 both of these- cases nothing is to be done, only 
 to wait. 
 
 Sometimes there is an obstacle to the escape 
 of the menses, and when such is the case, the 
 treatment should be to remove the barrier. 
 
 The prominent obstacles are : impervious 
 canal in the cervix, occluded os ttteri, absent va- 
 gina, or an imperfoi'ate hymen. If there is no 
 decline of health, it shows the menstrual dis- 
 charge has not been effected ; but if the menses 
 are prevented from escaping, there will be 
 marked local and constitutional symptoms. The 
 retained menses will distend the uterus, pro- 
 ducing pain, tenderness, and general feverishness 
 of the whole system ; and when such is the case, 
 do not give emmenagogues, as they will only 
 make matters worse. Call in a scientific phy- 
 sician, and have him make a vaginal examination, 
 and determine what is the cause of the retention. 
 Show common seiise in this matter, the same as 
 you do in the cuisine department. 
 
155 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 Sometimes there will be every month all the 
 symptoms peculiar to menstruation, viz., pain in 
 the back, weight in the uterine region, general 
 lassitude, etc., and yet a vaginal examination 
 reveals no barrier. 
 
 Churchill terms such cases simple amenor- 
 rhea. He says : " The subjects of simple 
 amenorrhcea may be either of a plethoric habit 
 of body and robust health, or weak, pale, and 
 delicate in constitution, and the symptoms vary 
 in each." 
 
 Treatment. — Where there is plethora, there 
 should be depletion. Abstain from meat diet; 
 try the hunger cure; avoid stimulants. Epsom 
 salts should be taken until there is free purga- 
 tion. 
 
 But the main thing to be observed is adminis- 
 tration of hip baths in warm water, as warm as 
 it can be borne, warm pediluviae, vaginal injec- 
 tions of warm water. 
 
 Treatment, where there is debility, should be 
 supportive, viz., nutritious diet, mild out-door 
 exercise, iron tonics, electricity. Anything that 
 will enrich the blood, stimulate the nervous 
 system and improve the general health will be 
 beneficial. If the ovaries and uterus are normal, 
 if there are no obstructions in the genital pas- 
 sages, all that is required is to secure general 
 health, and then this important symptom, men- 
 
DISEASES OF WOMEN. 1 89 
 
 struation, will ever be present ; the time, quanti- 
 ty and quality will be normal. 
 
 When debility is the cause, Dr. Tanner rec- 
 ommends iodide of potassium, 18 to 30 grains; 
 citrate of iron and ammonia, 40 grains ; tincture 
 of nux vomica, one drachm ; infusion of quassia 
 sufficient to make eight ounces — mix. One- 
 sixth part to be taken three times a day. 
 
 SUPPRESSED MENSTRUATION. 
 
 Many times the menses are suddenly checked, 
 producing an aggravated chain of symptoms, 
 viz., intense throbbing headache, severe lumbar 
 pain, quick pulse, loss of appetite, difficulty of 
 breathing, sometimes a sense of suffocation. 
 
 Cause. — Cold, either during the interval just 
 as the discharge appears, or after its appear- 
 ance ; mental depression and intense emotional 
 excitement may be the cause. 
 
 Treatment. — Let the patient go to bed and 
 apply over the uterine region a large linseed 
 poultice on which is sprinkled a drachm of 
 laudanum. Hot sitz baths should be persevered 
 in several times a day. Copious vaginal injec- 
 tions of water as warm as can be borne. Free 
 purgation should be secured by rectal injections 
 of warm water impregnated with common salt. 
 
 If the flow is not re-established, all through 
 the interval be attentive to general hygiene; see 
 
19° PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 that the lower extremities are well protected 
 from cold, and when the time approaches for the 
 next menstrual effort, persevere in the same treat- 
 ment as recommended before. Do not place too 
 much confidence in the so-called forcing remedies 
 — emmenagogues — they will fail nine times in ten. 
 Hygiene. — If it is cool weather, dress warm; 
 wear flannels, so that the circulation in the skin 
 is not impeded. Wear thick soled shoes. 
 Mothers should instruct their daughters in 
 regard to the dangers produced by repeated 
 suppressions. Inattention to hygiene during and 
 at the approach of the menses, is the chief cause 
 of the long and complicated train of uterine 
 affections and ovarian disease. Dr. Dewees 
 gives the following : "A young lady put her feet 
 several times into cold water during the flow of 
 her menses, because she expected her lover, 
 which quickly arrested them ; an inflammation 
 of the womb followed, and she was brought 
 dying into the hospital." 
 
 PAINFUL MENSTRUATION. 
 
 Many women suffer more pain during men- 
 struation than they do in childbirth. Many 
 ladies have told me that they would much 
 rather have a child as often as nature would 
 permit, than experience the excruciating pain 
 peculiar to the menstrual effort. 
 
DISEASES OF WOMEN. 1 91 
 
 The pain may be the result of different 
 causes : 
 
 First. — It is many times strictly neuralgic. 
 
 Second. — The membrane lining the womb 
 may be congested or inflamed, and when it be- 
 comes still more engorged with blood at the 
 time of the menses, dull, heavy, or sharp lanci- 
 nating pain would be the result. 
 
 Third. — Anything that prevents the easy 
 escape of the menstrual discharge from the 
 womb ; for instance, displacements or constricted 
 cervix. A very peculiar variety of painful men- 
 struation is that in which every month there is 
 a membranous cast of uterine cavity extruded. 
 Some ladies at the time of its expulsion have 
 genuine bearing down pains. 
 
 Treatment. — Should vary with the peculiar 
 variety you are treating. If the first two varie- 
 ties present themselves, use the same treatment 
 recommended for suppressed menstruation. If 
 the third form, where there is an obstructed 
 flow, presents itself, first determine the cause 
 and remove it. If there is a displacement of 
 womb it must be replaced; if a contraction of the 
 cervical canal, it must be dilated, either by the 
 introduction of graduated metallic or hard rub- 
 ber sounds or bougies, or by the use of tents 
 made of sponge. To insert the bougies or 
 tents the services of a scientific physician are 
 
I9 2 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 required. Dr. J. Marion Sims method of cutting 
 the walls of the cervix uteri and then inserting 
 a roll of cotton, saturated in glycerine, is in- 
 dorsed and practiced by our best surgeons. 
 
 For the membranous form but little can be 
 done, only to quiet the patient. Inhalation of 
 sulphuric ether, sufficient to quiet the nervous 
 excitation, is recommended. 
 
 To lessen the pain peculiar to the different 
 varieties of painful menstruation, Prof. Thomas, 
 of New York, recommends the following : 
 
 " Hydrate of chloral, two drachms ; chloro- 
 form, one drachm ; morphine, one and one- 
 half grains ; syrup of orange peel, eight ounces. 
 Mix, and take a dessert spoonful in a wine 
 glass of sweetened water every four hours 
 while in pain." This prescription is palliative, 
 and not curative. 
 
 Prof. Jewett, of Bowdoin Medical College, 
 recommends the following : 
 
 Gum camphor, two and one-half drachms ; ex- 
 tract of belladonna, sulphate of quinia, one-half 
 a drachm of each ; pulverized gum arabic, a suffi- 
 cient quantity to be made into eighty pills. 
 One to be taken every four hours until there is 
 relief. 
 
 Bromide of potassium is strongly advocated 
 by some as almost a specific, and should be 
 given as follows : Bromide of potassium, one 
 
DISEASES OF WOMEN. 193 
 
 drachm ; syrup of orange peel, one ounce ; water, 
 six ounces — mix. One ounce to be taken every 
 five hours. 
 
 PROFUSE MENSTRUATION. 
 
 Many ladies lose more blood at the time of 
 their menses than they would at childbirth, and 
 before they can recuperate from the languor 
 produced by one menstrual effort it is time for 
 another. The quantity of menses varies in dif- 
 ferent women. Peculiar idiosyncrasies are mani- 
 fested in regard to the amount in a state of 
 health. In one there may be scarcely enough 
 to stain the clothes, in another you would mis- 
 trust an abortion, the discharge is so profuse. 
 Yet both may be in a state of health. If there 
 are no constitutional effects there need be no 
 anxiety. In this form of menstruation the blood 
 often comes away in clots, which is not the case 
 when the discharge is normal. 
 
 Symptoms are similar to those peculiar to ex- 
 cessive loss of blood, viz., languor, weakness 
 across the loins, dizziness, headache, pale coun- 
 tenance, etc. 
 
 Cause. — Frequent miscarriages, excessive coi- 
 tion, prolonged lactation, displacements of womb, 
 general plethora, or its opposite, debility. 
 
 Treatment. — Remove the cause if it can be 
 determined, and to check the flow, apply cloths, 
 13 
 
194 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 wrung out of cold water, over the uterus ; give 
 iced drinks ; rectal injections of ice-cold water. 
 Have the foot of the bed elevated some ten or 
 twelve inches ; the room should be cool and the 
 covering light. If these appliances do not check 
 the flow, as a last resort use the tampon, and 
 completely plug the vagina, as there will be no 
 danger of internal hemorrhage, which we have 
 said accompanies its use after childbirth. 
 
 Dewees recommends the following internal 
 astringent : Sugar of lead, two scruples ; gum 
 opium, four grains ; to be made into twelve pills ; 
 one of these to be given every hour, as the 
 symptoms warrant. 
 
 Dr. Tanner, of London, uses the following : 
 Gallic acid, fifteen to twenty-five grains; elixir 
 vitriol, fifteen to twenty drops ; tincture of cin- 
 namon, two drachms ; distilled water sufficient to 
 make one ounce. This is for one dose. Mix it 
 with two or three tablespoonfuls of sweetened 
 water, and take every few hours in profuse men- 
 struation. 
 
 Eberle says : " Thirty to sixty drops of the 
 tincture of cinnamon every hour or so works 
 wonders in mild cases." He also recommends the 
 following : Pulverized alum, one scruple ; pulver- 
 ized ipecac, twelve grains — mix. Divide into six 
 powders; one to be given every three or four 
 hours. 
 
DISEASES OF WOMEN. I 95 
 
 IRREGULAR MENSTRUATION. 
 
 One of the most co7?zmon questions I have 
 been asked, is this : " Why is there such a va- 
 riety in the time, quality and quantity of the 
 menses?" In the same woman there may be all 
 the aforesaid irregularities within a short period. 
 
 Causes. — Changes in the physical and mental 
 organism. Menstruation is a symptom, and for 
 its normal appearance health must rule, and the 
 irregularities will ever correspond with the de- 
 partures from it. A modification of the causes 
 that produce absent and profuse menstruation 
 will effect all the peculiarities in regard to time, 
 quantity and quality. Hygiene and not dosing 
 is required. 
 
 VICARIOUS MENSTRUATION. 
 
 Many times, when the menses are suppressed, 
 the hemorrhage will take place in some other 
 part of the body ; it may be from the nostrils, 
 lungs, stomach, gums, ears, bladder, and, in fact, 
 from any part of the body. Dr. Churchill gives 
 the following interesting case : " A young lady 
 had enormous vicarious menstruation from the 
 mouth and gums, losing about six quarts each 
 time." Dr. Blundell gives the following case, in 
 which there was every three weeks, for at least 
 three times in succession, a discharge from a sore 
 on the hand, in the place of a discharge from the 
 
19^ PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 uterus, observing the same period to which the 
 patient had been accustomed. 
 
 As, sometimes, there will be a leucorrhoeal se- 
 cretion from the womb, instead of sanguineous, 
 so sometimes there will be an increased flow of 
 saliva, supplanting the menses. Siebold gives a 
 case to the point. 
 
 Treatment. — Same as for suppressed menses 
 during the interval. If the vicarious bleeding is 
 from the lung, or any important internal organ, 
 internal astringents, of which gallic acid is the 
 best, should be administered in from five to ten 
 grain doses, to be taken in simple water. 
 
 CHLOROSIS, OR GREEN SICKNESS. 
 
 The popular name applied to this disease is 
 green sickness, on account of the pale, bilious 
 and greenish hue presented by the skin. It is 
 most common about puberty. Prof. Thomas 
 considers it a nervotts affection. Churchill con- 
 siders impoverished blood and a deficiency of 
 uterine action as the prominent causes. The 
 predisposing causes are sedentary, in-door life, 
 grief, home-sickness, disappointments in love, 
 fear, or anything producing bodily inactivity or 
 mental or emotional depression. 
 
 Thomas says : " Chlorosis generally develops 
 itself very insidiously. In a girl who has been 
 previously in good health, languor, sadness and 
 
DISEASES OF WOMEN, M)J 
 
 aversion to company first attract attention. 
 These are followed by palpitation of the heart 
 after exertion, scantiness of the menstrual flow, 
 and a characteristic pale or greenish complexion. 
 There is generally a deficiency in the red cor- 
 puscles of the blood. 
 
 Treatment should be more hygienic than 
 therapeutic. Anything that will invigorate the 
 body and dissipate the melancholic fancies and 
 morbid imaginings pervading the mind will be 
 beneficial. Light gymnastic exercises in the 
 open air, playing croquet, horseback riding, 
 sun-baths, nutritious diet, such as milk, raw 
 eggs, beef, fish, ale, general bathing in water as 
 cool as can be borne if no chilliness attends its 
 use, electric baths. To dispel the mental gloom, 
 traveling and attending amusements is recom- 
 mended. As there is generally more or less 
 anczmia, the following nerve and blood tonic 
 may be used : Phosphate of iron, one drachm, 
 to be divided into twelve powders, one to be 
 taken thrice daily in water. Also the following 
 nerve tonic may be used : Take tincture of nux 
 vomica, one half ounce, six drops to be taken 
 three times a day. The non-appearance of the 
 menses in this disease results from the impover- 
 ished blood, hence emmenagogues proper will 
 do no good, and might result in harm. Enrich- 
 ing the blood and qiiieting the nerves are the 
 
19^ PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 best emmenagogues. Dr. Churchill says : " Stim- 
 ulating injection into the vagina has been tried 
 with success." Dr. Ashwell uses the following : 
 " The ammonial injection, composed of one 
 drachm of pure liquor ammonia to a pint of 
 milk, daily injected into the vagina, has proved 
 very efficient in the hospital" 
 
 A WORD OF ADVICE. 
 
 Mothers, you should be very watchful over 
 your daughters' health as they approach puberty. 
 You should not be so false modest as not to 
 inform them in regard to the grand change they 
 are about to undergo. Inattention to hygiene 
 at this stage of woman's life has shattered more 
 constitutions, and laid the foundation for a 
 greater variety of diseases, than all other causes. 
 Place in their hands books that scientifically treat 
 of the anatomy, physiology and hygiene of the 
 sexual system. 
 
 PHYSOMETRA. 
 
 The uterus sometimes is distended with a 
 gaseous substance, which produces so much dis- 
 tension that all the outward symptoms of preg- 
 nancy are manifested ; and in fact it has often 
 been confounded with it, as it is accompanied 
 with some of the most prominent sympathetic 
 symptoms of gestation. The menses are gen- 
 erally suppressed, the breast enlarged and milk 
 
DISEASES OF WOMEN. 1 99 
 
 secreted. Percussing over the uterus gives the 
 hollow sound. The origin of the flatus is a 
 mooted point ; some claim it is a secretion, others 
 that it is the result of decomposition of menstrual 
 clots, others still, that it is nothing but air 
 drawn up into the womb. Many physicians have 
 been deceived by this disease and have called 
 cases pregnancy, whereas if they had made only 
 a superficial physical examination they would 
 have found it all — gas. 
 
 Treatment. — The os uteri is generally closed; 
 hence, kneading the abdominal walls, coughing, 
 jumping, will sometimes effect the expulsion of 
 the flatus. If these means do not succeed, the 
 surgeon will have to insert a catheter into the 
 uterine cavity. Many more women are troubled 
 with this gaseous accumulation than is generally 
 supposed. 
 
 UTERINE DROPSY. 
 
 The womb sometimes is greatly distended by 
 the accumulation of a liquid in its cavity. The 
 origin of the liquid is not fully settled. The os 
 uteri is closed, so that the escape of the liquid is 
 impossible. Percussion over the abdomen gives 
 the flat sound. This affection may be con- 
 founded with pregnancy if there is not the 
 proper physical examination. 
 
 Treatment. — Same as in physometra, viz., at- 
 
200 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 tend to the general health. A general altera- 
 tive treatment would be beneficial. Take iodide 
 of potassium, two drachms ; water, eight ounces 
 — mix. Take a tablespoonful before each meal. 
 
 UTERINE DISPLACEMENTS. 
 
 Prolapsus uteri, popularly termed falling of 
 the womb, is a very common affection. The de- 
 gree of descent varies from the fraction of an 
 inch to its appearance at the vulva, and in some 
 cases more or less of the organ projects into the 
 external world. This affection, as a rule, comes 
 on quite slowly, and then again, in lifting and 
 jumping, etc., it may take place suddenly. 
 
 Virgins are sometimes affected, but it is more 
 common in married women. 
 
 Symptoms. — There is a fullness in the pelvis, 
 sense of weight and dragging down, pain in the 
 back and loins, irritation of the bladder and 
 rectum. All the symptoms are aggravated when 
 standing on the feet. There is a general fatigue 
 and despondency of mind. 
 
 Causes. — The vagina, we have said, is the 
 main support of the womb ; hence, anything that 
 increases the weight of the uterus will favor its 
 descent, and at the same time, anything that 
 weakens the vagina, even if the womb is normal 
 in size and weight, will likewise produce pro- 
 lapsus. 
 
DISEASES OF WOMEN. 201 
 
 Chronic vaginal whites produces relaxation of 
 the vagina, which would favor uterine descent. 
 
 Increased weight of womb may result from 
 hypertrophy, tumors, engorgement of blood 
 during menstruation ; all of which conditions 
 would favor prolapsus. 
 
 Tight laci7tg, by constricting the chest, presses 
 the intestines down, and hence is a common 
 cause, especially in fashionable circles. 
 
 Treatment. — If relaxation of vagina is the 
 cause, use mild astringent vaginal injections after 
 the womb has been replaced. The use of pes- 
 saries is highly important in many cases ; but 
 great care should be used in their adjustment, 
 and in selecting the proper kind. 
 
 Hygienic Advice. — Throw aside the corsets ; 
 give the ribs freedom of action ; have suspend- 
 ers so arranged that the weight of the clothing 
 is borne by the shoulders and not the hips. 
 
 Abdominal supporters, if properly constructed 
 and adjusted, are very useful, as they remove the 
 weight of the intestines from the womb. They 
 should be so adjusted that the intestines are not 
 pressed down instead of elevated. 
 
 Thomas says : " The principle upon which 
 these supporters act is this — they should do 
 just what the patient's hands do when she places 
 them above the pubes and lifts the abdominal 
 viscera." 
 
202 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 During menstruation assume the reclining 
 position as much as possible. The womb during 
 the menses is twice as heavy as usual. 
 
 Do not be in such a hurry to get around after 
 childbirth, as it takes the womb at least three 
 weeks to return to anything like its original 
 weight. 
 
 For want of space we must dismiss any farther 
 remarks concerning this interesting and most 
 common affection. 
 
 ANTEVERSION OF WOMB. 
 
 The uterus, in its normal position, is slightly 
 inclined forward. An imaginary line drawn 
 from the umbilicus to the coccyx, would pass 
 through the center of the womb when it is in 
 its natural situation ; but sometimes it is so far 
 bent forward that it so presses against the 
 bladder that cystitis or inflammation of the 
 bladder is the result, and there will be quite 
 frequent and many times painful urination. As 
 the fundus of the womb is tilted forward, the 
 os for the same reason will be pressed backward, 
 which would result in painful menstruation, and 
 be a prominent cause of sterility. 
 
 The round ligaments that extend from the 
 fundus are sometimes shortened, and therefore 
 pull it forward. Churchill says : " Now the 
 oblique position of the pelvis, when joined to 
 
DISEASES OF WOMEN. 2Q% 
 
 the spinal column, would naturally favor the 
 occurrence of anteversion were it not that the 
 presence of the bladder, so often distended, 
 offers an obstacle to its descent anteriorly. So 
 long as the bladder contains much urine, this 
 accident may be considered impossible." 
 
 Causes. — A tumor on the anterior of the 
 fundus would, through the influence of gravity, 
 tilt it forward ; a distended rectum, and the same 
 general influences that produced simple pro- 
 lapsus. 
 
 Symptoms. — Difficult urination, and ofttimes 
 retention, and the os uteri pressing against the 
 posterior part of the vagina, would result in 
 rectal irritation, and perhaps constipation. 
 
 Treatment. — Lying on the back, allowing the 
 bladder to be distended, removal of all pressure 
 from above. In addition to these precautions 
 there should be used an abdominal supporter, 
 and a properly adjusted anteversion pessary. 
 
 In the worst varieties of anteversion the phy- 
 sician, by proper manipulation, should restore 
 it to its place. 
 
 RETROVERSION OF UTERUS. 
 
 This signifies that the fundus is tilted in just 
 the opposite direction from that in anteversion. 
 A retroverted womb is most common in married 
 women, an ant ever ted in the virgin. 
 
204 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 Symptoms. — Urinary trouble; pressure against 
 the rectum would induce a dull aching pain in 
 that region, and a constant desire to evacuate 
 the bowels. In addition to these symptoms, 
 there will be those peculiar to falling of the 
 womb heretofore described. 
 
 Cause. — Over - distended bladder, pressure 
 from above and in front, ill-adjusted abdominal 
 supporters. Thomas says: "It is no exaggera- 
 tion to assert that the usual plan of manage- 
 ment after parturition supplies one of the others 
 mentioned above. The woman lying almost 
 constantly upon her back, the heavy fundus 
 naturally tends to fall backward into the hollow 
 of the sacrum. Man)- nurses insist upon this 
 position, and often for days refuse the patient 
 the privilege of lying upon the side." 
 
 But this is not all, many a nurse's reputation 
 among ladies rests upon her capacity for preserv- 
 ing the figure hy tight bandaging. A powerful 
 woman will often expand her whole force in mak- 
 ing the bandage as tight as possible to accom- 
 plish this purpose. No one who has watched 
 this process can doubt its influence in displacing 
 the uterus by direct pressure. 
 
 Treatment. — Sir Jas. Y. Simpson says: "Some 
 have recommended that the patient should be 
 kept for a length of time in the horizontal posi- 
 tion, and the late Dr. Rigby used to advise his 
 
DISEASES OF WOMEN. 205 
 
 patients to lie in the prone position, as that 
 which was likeliest to benefit the morbid condi- 
 tion." 
 
 The first thing to be done, as in all the forms 
 of displacement, is to remove the cause, if it can 
 be determined ; then the physician should restore 
 the organ to its proper position, which sometimes 
 is easily effected. 
 
 After it is once restored, a retroversion pessary 
 should be inserted and adjusted. If there is 
 constipation, the distension of the rectum will 
 be a posterior support, although great care should 
 be exercised that there is not too violent strain- 
 ing and bearing down in defecation, which can be 
 in part obviated by copious rectal injections of 
 simple water. Be sure and see the bladder is not 
 over-distended at any time. In all forms of 
 uterine displacements keep off the feet as much 
 as possible. 
 
 FLEXIONS OF THE UTERUS. 
 
 Ante-flexion is where the womb is flexed or 
 doubled upon itself forward. 
 
 Retro-flexion, where it is doubled backward. 
 
 The cause, symptoms and treatment are so 
 similar to those of the corresponding versions, I 
 pass them without further comment. 
 
206 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 ULCERATION OF OS UTERI. 
 
 This is a very common disease, and you would 
 suppose, to hear some practitioners talk, it was 
 the sum total of all uterine affections. Some 
 physicians, when they cannot determine what is 
 the matter, look wise, and finally say it must be 
 ulceration. 
 
 Location. — The mucous membrane covering 
 that portion of the womb that projects into the 
 vagina. 
 
 The membrane may be at first only congested, 
 but finally becomes inflamed, terminating in 
 ulceration. By using the speculum the surface 
 is found to be covered with a creamy liquid, 
 composed of mucus and pus, and sometimes 
 streaked with blood. When this liquid is re- 
 moved, a red granulated surface is presented. 
 The membrane that lines the cervical canal 
 sometimes presents the same appearance. 
 
 Symptoms. — Simulate often those of uterine 
 leucorrhcea. 
 
 Headache, dirty sallow hue of the skin, neu- 
 ralgic pains in the rectum, bladder and mam- 
 mary gland ; fixed pain not only in the back, but 
 also in the center of the pelvis. Coition is pain- 
 ful and often accompanied with an increased 
 purulent secretion; great distress in walking. 
 
 Causes. — Repeated suppression of the menses ; 
 
DISEASES OF WOMEN. 20"J 
 
 irritations from excessive coition ; pregnancy ; 
 difficult parturition ; use of irritating injections, 
 and improper use of pessary. 
 
 Treatment. — Warm water should be injected 
 so as to cleanse the diseased membrane, and 
 then mild caustics applied directly to the part. 
 Thomas says: "Applications should be made 
 not only by the physician, who will probably 
 use the speculum not oftener than once a week, 
 but also by the patient, who should make them 
 daily by injections and suppositories." 
 
 Vaginal injections should be made thus : one 
 gallon of warm water, one ounce of glycerine, 
 and one drachm of white vitriol — mix. When 
 there is much heat and irritation in the parts, 
 Dr. Simpson recommends the topical applica- 
 tion of bismuth. He describes the mode of 
 using it thus : " But the most efficient remedy is 
 bismuth, which you may prescribe in the form of 
 a pessary, or which you may apply better still in 
 the form of powder, either through a common 
 speculum or by means of a small tube." 
 
 In all the varied forms of disease of the 
 mucous membrane lining either the vagina or 
 the protruding os, vaginal injections of water 
 at that temperature which is most agreeable to 
 the patient are beneficial. 
 
 If the ulceration does not yield to the above 
 treatment, the physician should be called, and 
 
208 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 by the use of the speculum he will apply some 
 mild caustic to the parts affected. 
 
 Carbolic acid, one part, and sweet oil, two 
 parts, is a caustic used by many. Each time 
 the caustic is used the parts should be thor- 
 oughly syringed with simple water before its' 
 application. Sexual intercourse should be inter- 
 dicted. 
 
 UTERINE TUMORS. 
 
 There is nothing that will alarm the patient 
 any quicker, and cause her to sink into a 
 general despondency, than to inform her she 
 has a tumor forming on the womb. There is 
 apparently something disheartening in just the 
 mere mention of the name, but many times 
 there is no cause for so much despair, for the 
 simple reason there may be a tumor forming or 
 formed that produces but very little constitu- 
 tional trouble, and then again surgery is so far 
 advanced, that many of them are easily re- 
 moved. There has always been a mystery con- 
 nected with the nature and cause of the varied 
 forms of tumors. Prof. Miller, of Edinburgh, 
 says : " The origin of tumor is yet a question 
 unsettled! 1 Again he remarks: "Now any cause 
 which in a person so predisposed, leads to an 
 interruption, even temporarily, of the normal 
 function of growth in a part, must necessarily 
 
DISEASES OF WOMEN. 20Q 
 
 lay that part peculiarly open to the action of 
 the predisposing causes of tumor." Carpenter 
 says : " The tumor, in its growth, imitates no 
 natural shape or construction ; the longer it 
 continues the greater its deformity!' 
 
 Tumors are divided into two classes, viz., 
 non-malignant and malignant. The former 
 are amenable to treatment, can be extirpated 
 and never again appear ; the latter are peculiarly 
 dangerous in whatever part they may occur, 
 and they are so related to the constitution that 
 they manifest a tendency to recur if removed. 
 All the surgeon can do in the malignant forms 
 is to palliate\ nothing but death can ever stay 
 their destructive march. I will have time to 
 refer to only a few of these abnormal growths. 
 
 FIBROID TUMOR. 
 
 This is a non-malignant growth, and is the 
 most frequent disease of the womb, if we except 
 congestion and its sequelae. It is claimed by 
 some that forty per cent of the women that ar- 
 rive at the age of fifty have this form of uterine 
 tumor, and without doubt many of those intract- 
 able forms of uterine displacements are the re- 
 sults of these tumors. This form of tumor may 
 affect any part of the uterine substance, and 
 varies in size from that of a pea to one fifty 
 pounds in weight. 
 H 
 
2IO PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 The appearance of the tumor varies from a 
 fleshy vascular substance to that of a hard fibro- 
 cartilaginous nature. 
 
 Symptoms. — They are many times quite slight, 
 their weight sometimes producing only a bearing 
 down sensation ; then again they will produce 
 the greatest constitution trouble. 
 
 Large uterine fibroids many times simulate 
 all the signs of pregnancy. Prof. Simpson gives 
 the following: "One of the most striking ex- 
 amples I ever met was in the case of a young 
 unmarried lady — a governess — whom I saw 
 many years ago. Everybody was talking of the 
 tremendous blunder which had been made by a 
 distinguished obstetrician, in having diagnosed 
 pregnancy in the case of one of her Majesty's 
 maids of honor, who was the subject of an 
 ovarian tumor. 
 
 " It seemed as if many women were led to ex- 
 amine their own abdomen, and in this way the 
 young lady, of whom I speak, first had her sus- 
 picions aroused, and, although she had never 
 suffered from any kind of discomfort, the uterus 
 was found enlarged to that of a uterus at the 
 full time of pregnancy, from the growth of its 
 walls of a large fibroid tumor." The tumor itself 
 is but very little sensitive to pain, yet it often 
 produces sympathetic neuralgia in nearly every 
 part of the body. No physician, from a general 
 
DISEASES OF WOMEN. 2 I I 
 
 examination, should pronounce a case a fibroid 
 tumor, as its presence can never be determined 
 for a fact, without a personal examination. 
 
 Thomas says the causes are : " Race, the Afri- 
 can being peculiarly liable ; age, from thirty-five 
 to forty-five ; sterility ; menstrual disorders of 
 long standing? Anything that is foreign to the 
 womb, as a retained coagula, blighted ovum, etc., 
 may be the nucleus for this abnormal growth. 
 
 In regard to the cause, Prof. Miller says : "We 
 had better confess our ignorance than to busy 
 ourselves with vague and valueless hypotheses." 
 
 Treatment. — This should be palliative, yet 
 surgical interference can be solicited, but never 
 should be unless the most grave symptoms are 
 present. Whether the tumors can be discussed, 
 or, in popular language, scattered, writers do not 
 agree. Scanzoni says : " We do not remember a 
 single case in which, with the means indicated or 
 with others, we have obtained the complete cure 
 of a fibroid tumor." 
 
 The following preparation is recommended by 
 some of our best practitioners, and should be 
 used for a great length of time. If it does not 
 lessen or discuss the tumor, it may prevent its 
 further enlargement : Iodide of potassium, one- 
 half ounce ; water, one pint. Take one half table- 
 spoonful three times a day. 
 
 Bromide of potassium, in five-grain doses, three 
 
212 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 times a day, is favored by Dr. Simpson, and he 
 claims it is more to be relied on than the iodide. 
 General hygiene should be attended to. Good 
 health and the development of the tumor are, to 
 a degree, antagonistic. 
 
 POLYPUS OF THE WOMB. 
 
 This is quite a common affection of the womb, 
 and is not confined particularly to any age, 
 though, many times, it does not manifest itself 
 until the turn of life. This tumor varies greatly 
 in size, and its structure varies from the hard 
 cartilaginous structure of the ordinary fibroid 
 tumor to a soft vascular nature. It is generally 
 attached by a pedicle or foot stalk to the mem- 
 brane lining the uterine cavity. The tumor some- 
 times hangs in the vagina, whilst the pedicle is 
 attached to the inside lining of the womb ; then 
 again the pedicle may be attached to the fundus, 
 and the tumor is, so to speak, suspended in the 
 uterine cavity. 
 
 Cause. — Any prolonged irritation whatever. 
 
 Symptoms.— Similar to those in ordinary fibroids 
 with this exception, that there is a great ten- 
 dency to hemorrhage. Simpson thus describes 
 it in his lectures : " Frequently the first symptom 
 that attracts the patient's attention, and sends 
 her to consult a doctor, is the increase in the 
 quantity of blood escaping at the menstrual times, 
 
DISEASES OF WOMEN. 213 
 
 and the prolongation of the individual periods. 
 Or it begins to escape irregularly and unexpect- 
 edly during the inter-menstrual period, under any 
 physical exertion or mental emotion, or without 
 any kind of disturbance to which as a cause the 
 bleeding can be referred. It may go on so fre- 
 quently that the patient is oftener unwell than 
 otherwise, the discharge continuing for two or 
 three weeks at a time, and only drying up for 
 a short interval. The quantity, too, may be so 
 great that her strength gets drained away, and 
 she becomes reduced to the last stage of an<z- 
 mia." 
 
 When the tumor projects w hotly or in part 
 into the vagina, the diagnosis is easily made, but 
 it is not so when it is situated in the uterine 
 cavity. 
 
 Treatment. — This is strictly surgical. Either 
 by applying a ligature, incision or torsion, the 
 pedicle is easily separated from its base. It is 
 generally a simple operation, and has no bad 
 train of symptoms attending it. When the 
 tumor is wholly within the uterus the operation 
 is not so easy, and where such is the case, the os 
 must be dilated in the first place with the 
 sponge tent. 
 
 These polypi in the womb are one great cause 
 of many of those menstrual irregularities, 
 affecting time, quantity and quality. 
 
214 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 CAULIFLOWER TUMOR. 
 
 This tumor is of a soft, vascular nature, and 
 fleshy appearance. It presents an uneven sur- 
 face, whereas the polypus is generally smooth. 
 It is destitute of a pedicle, and much more 
 prone to bleed than the polypus. 
 
 Churchill says : " The first symptom that 
 attracts the attention of the patient is an un- 
 usual moisture about the external parts, and 
 which soon assumes the appearance of a copious 
 watery discharge from the vagina." 
 
 Its external appearance and its pr oneness to 
 bleed easily distinguish it from other tumors. 
 
 There is no way to effect its removal, only by 
 the use of the ligature, and this will be only a 
 temporary cure, as this tumor manifests that 
 peculiar quality of malignancy by reappearing 
 after the operation. 
 
 The great source of danger is hemorrhage, 
 and, as a rule, all cauliflower tumors are fatal in 
 their tendency. A physician should be very 
 careful in his diagnosis of this affection, and 
 not pronounce a case cauliflower tumor until 
 he has submitted a thin slice of it to the micro- 
 scope. The microscope never deceives. 
 
 CANCER OF THE UTERUS. 
 
 Of all affections to which woman is subject 
 this is the most to be dreaded. Its synonym is 
 
DISEASES OF WOMEN, 215 
 
 death. It destroys, according to statistics, 
 three times as many females as males. The 
 nature of this disease is still a mystery ; no two 
 agree. Rokilansky considers it a blood poison, a 
 constitutional disease ; others claim that it is of 
 a local origin. It manifests itself in two forms, 
 but they are merely different stages of the same 
 complaint. When the tumor is hard and 
 there is no discharge, we term it scirrhus ; but 
 when it softens and there is a breach of surf ace 
 from which there is constant exudation, then we 
 term it cancer. 
 
 Cause. — Hereditary transmission ; but further 
 than that we know but little. Anything that 
 will debilitate the physical or depress the men- 
 tal powers will predispose to cancer as it does 
 to other diseases. It makes its attack between 
 forty and fifty years of age, and for that reason 
 many ladies suppose the turn of life — the 
 critical period — favors its attack. It is a coinci- 
 dence rather than a cause. 
 
 Symptoms. — The pain, which sometimes does 
 not manifest itself until quite late in the disease, 
 is peculiar. Churchill says : " The character of 
 this severe pain is described as lancinating — as 
 though knives were plunged into the body." 
 Sometimes it is more of a burning sensation. 
 The moment the hard tumor becomes opened 
 the fetor of the discharges is different from 
 
2l6 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 anything manifested in other diseases. General 
 emaciation, profuse hemorrhage at the time of 
 the menses present themselves. Nothing can 
 be done, in the way of treatment, only to quiet 
 the pain, correct the fetor of the discharges, 
 make the patient as quiet as possible. All hope 
 of cure is delusive. The patient may linger 
 along for years, but death will not give up his 
 victim. 
 
 OVARIAN DISORDERS. 
 
 The ovaries, which are the analogues of the 
 testes in the male, are glandular in their struc- 
 ture, and are subject the same as other glands to 
 a great variety of abnormal growths and dis- 
 eases. We have space only to give a few hints, 
 yet I find that ladies are eager for knowledge on 
 this subject. 
 
 OVARIES ATROPHIED OR ABSENT. 
 
 The ovaries are sometimes absent, or so atro- 
 phied that they cannot perform the office of 
 ovulation, and when such is the case the period 
 is much delayed. When you see a young lady, 
 past the age of twenty, troubled with amenor- 
 rhcea, and presenting the appearance and action 
 of a girl, nine times in ten there is ovarian defi- 
 ciency. About all that can be done is to tone 
 the system with nutritious diet, mild exercise in 
 the open air ; general bathing, followed by fric- 
 
DISEASES OF WOMEN. 21 J 
 
 tional applications, likewise iron tonic, are useful. 
 Galvanic electricity may be applied with advan- 
 tage, by placing one pole over the spine and the 
 other over the ovarian region. 
 
 OVARIAN HYPERTROPHY. 
 
 Hypertrophy of the ovary is where it is en- 
 larged. Dr. Bright gives a case where the ovary 
 was enlarged to the size of a kidney. 
 
 Cause. — Prolonged irritation, which finally 
 terminates in a low grade of congestion. 
 
 Symptoms. — A sense of weight and fullness in 
 the ovarian region, and yet scarcely any pain or 
 tenderness. Its increased size and weight may 
 cause its displacement. 
 
 Treatment. — Discutient remedies are recom- 
 mended. Apply iodine externally, and take five 
 grains of bromide of potassium in water three 
 times a day, internally. 
 
 Ovarian Inflammation is not a rare affection. 
 It may be caused by suppressed menstruation; 
 by a blow over the iliac region ; and it seems to 
 result many times from uterine disease. The 
 left ovary is more frequently attacked than the 
 right. 
 
 Symptoms. — Acute pain in the ovarian region, 
 great tenderness to the touch, and an aching 
 sensation to the groin and down the thighs. 
 There is a great tendency of the disease to ex- 
 
2 J 8 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 tend to the peritoneum, from which the pain and 
 tenderness would be extended over the whole 
 abdominal region. 
 
 The inflammation may terminate by resolu- 
 tion, or pus may be formed. 
 
 Treatment. — Hot hip-baths night and morn- 
 ing are beneficial. Hot cloths frequently changed 
 should be placed over the diseased organ. The 
 most perfect quiet should be observed. Further 
 treatment would be the same as in any inflamed 
 organ. 
 
 OVARIAN DROPSY. 
 
 This is perhaps the most common form of 
 ovarian disease. When speaking about the 
 ovaries, you will recollect that I said that after 
 puberty they contain twenty or more ovisacs ; 
 these ovisacs contain a peculiar liquid, in which 
 floats an egg, and it is claimed that ovarian 
 dropsy is really a dropsy of the ovisac ; and most 
 writers give the disease a different name, accord- 
 ing as one or more of the ovisacs become dis- 
 tended. The quantity of fluid contained by 
 these sacs varies from a few ounces to several 
 gallons. Dr. Churchill removed 140 gallons 
 from one patient. A case is given by Ford 
 where the patient was tapped 49 times, and 2,649 
 pints of liquid were removed. It is wonderful 
 how an organ that, many times, in a state of 
 health is not larger than an almo7id, can be dis- 
 
DISEASES OF WOMEN. 219 
 
 tended to such enormous size ; and recollect it is 
 generally not the whole organ that is affected, but 
 only one or more of its cysts. The quality of the 
 liquid varies from a clear serum to that of dirty 
 brown material, more semi-liquid than liquid. 
 
 Cause. — Thomas says : " Very little is known 
 positively upon this subject. The predisposing 
 causes which are generally admitted are the fol- 
 lowing : Age, child-bearing, chlorosis, scrofulous 
 diathesis, menstrual disorders." 
 
 Symptoms. — These are not prominent at first, 
 although there is often a dull pain and sense of 
 fullness from the very commencement. When 
 the cysts become so much distended that they 
 cannot remain in the pelvis, they, as a matter of 
 course, rise into the abdominal cavity, and then 
 the nature of the disease is better manifested. 
 
 Churchill says : " Let us first enumerate the 
 more prominent symptoms whije the tumor is in 
 the pelvis. These are at first very deceptive ; 
 the patient feels a weight in the pelvis without 
 any illness, and as it often happens, the menses 
 are suppressed, the breasts painful, increasing in 
 size, and sometimes secreting milk. She, of 
 course, fancies herself pregnant. It is said that 
 morning sickness occurs as in early pregnancy." 
 
 But when the tumor rises up into the abdom- 
 inal cavity, the pressure having been removed, 
 all rectal and ttrinary trouble ceases; as the 
 
220 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 accumulation of liquid increases, there will be 
 manifested most of the symptoms of ordinary 
 abdominal dropsy, or those peculiar to the ad- 
 vanced stages of pregnancy. 
 
 Treatment. — Medicine is of but little avail 
 in this disease. Diuretics are sometimes given, 
 with the hope to lessen the amount secreted. 
 Iodine is given internally and used extcriially, 
 with the hope of producing a certain amount of 
 absorption. They are generally ineffectual. 
 
 About all the physician can do is to combat 
 symptoms and quiet the fears of the patient. 
 The symptoms produced by the accumulated 
 effusion soon become so grave the surgeon is 
 called. He can relieve, but cannot cure. He 
 plunges the trocar through the abdominal walls 
 into the sac, and allows the liquid to escape. 
 The patient cherishes the hope that now all will 
 be well. Not so ; it is relief only for a brief 
 time. The sac becomes gradually distended 
 again, and she soon is as bad, or worse off than 
 before. Her strength is constantly failing, and 
 the trocar again is brought to the rescue. Mar- 
 tineau tapped one patient 80 times and drew off 
 6,631 pints. 
 
 IS OVARIAN DROPSY EVER CURED? 
 
 Miller says: "There is sometimes a spontaneous 
 cure, and the tumor becomes smaller and smaller, 
 
DISEASES OF WOMEN. 22 I 
 
 and finally disappears? Some claim they have 
 effected permanent cures by injecting into the 
 empty sac, after the operation of tapping, a 
 weak iodine solution ; and if it does not effect a 
 permanent cure, it may temporarily arrest the 
 disease 
 
 I am often asked: " Is tapping a dangerous 
 operation ?" Prof. Simpson will answer for me : 
 " I believe it by no means free from danger, more 
 especially when performed for the first time." 
 One in six die either immediately or within a 
 very few hours after the first tapping. 
 
 Many surgeons at the present time, instead of 
 tapping the patient pro re nata, resort to that 
 king of operations, ovariotomy, which con- 
 sists in cutting through the abdominal walls, and 
 removing the diseased ovary and its attached 
 sac. The result of the operation is one death 
 to about three recoveries. 
 
 "Is the operation, as a rule, justifiable?" 
 Churchill answers : " On the other hand, bearing 
 in mind that the ovarian disease must end 
 fatally, and is but little influenced by medicine, 
 and, moreover, that after the other operation for 
 its relief — tapping — nearly one half die after 
 the first attempt, we may conclude from the 
 results of ovariotomy, that in some cases the 
 operation is justifiable." 
 
222 
 
 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 Simpson says it should be performed only in 
 rare and exceptional cases. 
 
 Thomas says : " Great as are the dangers of 
 the operation, it offers a better prospect for 
 recovery than any of the other plans mentioned ; 
 and in case of their failure, it always remains as 
 a reasonable hope for the patient, whose life will 
 probably terminate in three or four years if art 
 does not interfere." 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 DISORDERS DURING PREGNANCY AND AFTER 
 CONFINEMENT. 
 
 NAUSEA AND VOMITING. 
 
 WE have before stated that the morning 
 sickness is a very common though not a 
 constant attendant in gestation. There is no fixed 
 time when it makes its appearance. Some ladies 
 have told me that from the very moment of con- 
 ception, and all through the pregnant state, they 
 have had more or less nausea. Generally this 
 troublesome symptom does not appear until 
 four or five weeks after conception. Morning 
 sickness is the term by which this disorder, or 
 rather symptom, is known, yet it is not strictly 
 correct, because it may manifest itself after each 
 meal, and continue through the whole day. As 
 a rule, this symptom requires no medical atten- 
 tion ; then again it is beyond the control of the 
 physician's skill. 
 
 Treatment. — If the nausea is slight, a seid- 
 litz powder is recommended. 
 
 Dr. Heberden states that the application to 
 the stomach of a folded cloth, moistened with 
 
224 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 laudanum, quiets when internal remedies have 
 failed. 
 
 Lemon juice and water, spearmint tea, mild 
 bitter infusions, have their advocates. In ordi- 
 nary morning sickness nothing is to be done 
 only to be careful of the diet ; let it be simple 
 and plain. 
 
 WAKEFULNESS. 
 
 Many ladies during pregnancy complain of 
 sleeplessness, and they are restless, peevish and 
 feverish. Churchill says : " The sleeplessness of 
 pregnant women appears to be a purely nervous 
 affection, excited by various causes, such as a 
 heated bedroom, too little exercise, excessive 
 motion of the child, uneasy sensations of the 
 uterus, or sometimes apparently without an).' 
 cause at all." 
 
 Treatment. — Sponge the body with cool 
 water just before going to bed, and it will often 
 remove the feverishness. Foot-baths in warm 
 water invite the blood to the extremities. Prof. 
 Hammond advocates wine or lager beer in 
 small quantities. Brown- Sequard's favorite pre- 
 scription for this affection is: Take bromide of 
 potassium, one-half ounce ; cinnamon water, two 
 ounces. Take a teaspoonful on going to bed. 
 
 HEADACHE. 
 
 This affection arises from the sympathy 
 
DISORDERS DURING PREGNANCY. 225 
 
 existing between the brain and the uterus. It 
 may be purely nervous, or it may arise from too 
 much blood in the brain. The entire head may 
 be affected or it may be confined to just one- 
 half, or even limited to a small spot. 
 
 All that is required is cool applications to the 
 head and warm foot-baths on going to bed, or 
 at any time. Bromide of potassium is recom- 
 mended where the headache is plethoric., and 
 tincture of valerian where it is purely nervous. 
 
 Cold lotions should be applied to head, and 
 hot applications to back of neck. 
 
 CRAMPS. 
 
 These are produced by the pressure of the 
 womb on the nerves emerging from the pelvis, 
 and they prevail more at the fourth and ninth 
 months of gestation. 
 
 VARICOSE VEINS. 
 
 These are the result of pressure on the veins 
 conveying blood from the lower extremities. 
 
 SWELLING OF THE LOWER EXTREMITIES. 
 
 This is a dropsical condition, and the cause of 
 the effusion is pressure by the womb that 
 retards the return circulation. 
 
 Treatment. — In the last three disorders, 
 about all that can be done is rest, in a recum- 
 15 
 
2 26 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 bent position, as thereby the pressure will be 
 partially removed. 
 
 TOOTHACHE, SALIVATION, ETC. 
 
 These are purely sympathetic, and but little, if 
 anything, is to be done. 
 
 Most of the other disorders peculiar to gesta- 
 tion we have considered in another place. 
 
 DISORDERS AFTER CHILDBIRTH.— MILK LEG. 
 
 This is the popular term applied to the color- 
 less swelling of one or both legs after childbirth. 
 It is not so common after the first birth as it is 
 in subsequent deliveries. It generally makes its 
 attack in a very short time after delivery. 
 
 Symptoms. — There is generally more or less 
 pain and uneasiness in the pelvic region for a 
 time, and soon the patient suffers with acute pain 
 in the leg, commencing ofttimes in the calf of 
 the leg. Dr. Burns says : " Sometimes the first 
 symptom is sudden pain in the calf of the leg. 
 Within twenty-four hours after the pain is felt 
 the limb swells and becomes tense ; it is hot, but 
 not red — it is rather pale and somewhat shin- 
 ing." 
 
 Cause. — Churchill says : " Almost all the cases 
 I have seen have occurred after leaving bed at 
 too early a period after delivery." 
 
 Treatment. — Foment the limb with cloths 
 
DISORDERS DURING PREGNANCY. 2 2 "J 
 
 dipped in warm hop tea. Envelop the limb in a 
 linseed-meal poultice, and after the acute symp- 
 toms are controlled pencil the limb with the fol- 
 lowing lotion : Tincture of iodine, one-half ounce ; 
 alcohol, one ounce — mix. 
 
 In the last stages, after the tenderness has dis- 
 appeared, a moderately tight flannel bandage 
 may be applied to the limb. 
 
 Dr. Burns observes: "This is not generally a 
 fatal disease, but it is tedious and often accom- 
 panied with hectic symptoms." 
 
 PUERPERAL MANIA. 
 
 It is a species of insanity peculiar to child- 
 birth. It may make its attack, however, at any 
 time from the commencement of gestation until 
 the close of lactation. Its most frequent time of 
 attack is a few days after childbirth. Patients 
 suffering with this affection will manifest every 
 stage of insanity, from that of despondency to 
 acute mania. 
 
 Causes. — Churchill says : " Fright, anger, sor- 
 row, or any species of mental emotion, are often 
 the mental excitants." Sleeplessness, excessive 
 secretion of milk, irregularities of diet, etc., are 
 the physical excitants. 
 
 Treatment. — Remove the causes and send for 
 a physician. 
 
CHAPTER III, 
 
 VENEREAL DISEASE. 
 
 THIS form of disease is divided into two 
 classes — Gonorrhoea and Syphilis. Some 
 authors claim that both classes are produced by 
 the same poison ; other, and by far the greater 
 number, advocate that they are the result of en- 
 tirely distinct poisons. 
 
 GONORRHOEA. 
 
 Promiscuous sexual intercourse on the part of 
 the female engenders in the vagina a specific 
 animal virus. What it is we cannot determine — 
 we cannot see it with a microscope — we cannot 
 analyze it ; all we know about it is its existence. 
 If a male has coition with such female, the virus 
 attacks the mucous membrane of the urethra at 
 its external orifice — the meatus urinarius — and 
 after a period of incubation, varying from a few 
 hours to several days, the following symptoms are 
 manifested : heat and itching of the glans penis ; 
 the meatus is red and swollen ; urination painful. 
 The inflammation, which was at first confined to 
 the external orifice, soon extends the whole length 
 of the urethra, even to the membrane lining the 
 
VENEREAL DISEASE. 2 29 
 
 bladder. At first the membrane implicated is 
 dry, as is usual when any mucous membrane 
 is congested ; but congestion is soon followed by 
 inflammation, and the membrane, at first dry and 
 swollen, soon shows a secretion which, at first, is 
 limpid, but soon becomes dark, turbid and puri- 
 form. At this stage of the disease there is gen- 
 erally a feverishness of the system, and sympa- 
 thetic pains in the groin, testicles, and other parts 
 of the body, are felt. 
 
 Chordee. — An abnormal erection of the penis 
 occurs when the whole track of the urethra is 
 inflamed, and it is attended with severe pain. 
 
 Gonorrhoea, in its grave forms, may produce 
 inflammation of the bladder, prostate gland and 
 testes, stricture of the urethra. 
 
 Hygienic Treatment. — If hygiene is care- 
 fully observed, the disease requires but very little 
 medical regimen. Rest, low diet, abstinence 
 from sexual intercourse, sitz baths in cold water 
 urethral injections of ice-cold water, abstinence 
 from condiments and alcoholic stimulants, cold 
 mucilaginous drinks, slippery elm tea, will gener- 
 ally effect a cure, if they are attended to early. 
 Many times this disease terminates in gleet, a 
 condition in which the grave symptoms have 
 subsided, and the secretions are partially re- 
 stored to their natural condition. 
 
 Medical Treatment. — If the physician is 
 
23O PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 seen early, he will perhaps inject up the urethra 
 a strong solution of nitrate of silver. This is 
 called the abortive cure, but should never be 
 resorted to except in the first stages. If the 
 physician is not seen until the inflammatory 
 stage has commenced, then his treatment should 
 be strictly antiphlogistic. The same hygienic 
 precautions as before mentioned should be 
 observed. Epsom salts should be given daily in 
 small doses ; they are cathartic, diuretic and re- 
 frigerant. If chordee exists, apply cloths dipped 
 in cold water to the penis, and take a pill, at 
 bed time, composed of opium and camphor, one 
 grain each. As soon as the inflammatory stage 
 has subsided, then mild stimulating or astrin- 
 gent injection may be used ; also stimulating 
 diuretics should be given internally. The fol- 
 lowing injection is recommended in the last 
 stages : Take sugar of lead and white vitriol, 
 two grains each ; rose-water, four ounces ; inject 
 morning and evening. 
 
 The following has its advocates : Take chlo- 
 ride of zinc, two grains ; glycerine and water, 
 one ounce each; . inject morning and evening. 
 
 The following diuretic is recommended : 
 Take tincture of cubebs, two ounces ; morphine, 
 two grains ; aqua camphor, four ounces — mix ; 
 a teaspoonful every four hours, to be taken in a 
 tablespoonful of water. 
 
VENEREAL DISEASE. 23 I 
 
 Injecting a little sweet oil or glycerine into 
 the urethra, just before urination, will obviate 
 the scalding effects of the urine. We have, so 
 far, confined our remarks to gonorrhoea in the 
 male ; we will now note the peculiarities of the 
 same disease in the female. 
 
 GONORRHOEA IN FEMALE. 
 
 We have already shown that the gonorrhceal 
 virus produces a congestion and inflammation of 
 the mucous lining of the urethra, and ofttimes 
 the bladder in the male. In the female it in- 
 flames the membranous lining of the vulva, 
 vagina and urethra. The origin of the virus 
 we have already considered ; the symptoms 
 produced by it are, at first, an itching sensa- 
 tion, soon followed by heat and burning in the 
 vagina and urethra ; frequent desire to urinate ; 
 sense of weight and fullness in the perineum. 
 The mucous lining passes through the same 
 stages that it did in the male. Leucorrhcea — 
 vaginitis — often closely simulates this disease, 
 but generally the urethral irritation, scalding 
 sensation of the urine, suddenness of the attack 
 and greater virulence of the symptoms peculiar 
 to gonorrhoea, distinguish it from any other 
 disease. The treatment is quite similar to that 
 given for the same disease in the male. If the 
 physician is called early, the abortive cure — 
 
232 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 viz., nitrate of silver injections — may be tried; 
 but if the disease is fully developed, you must 
 allay the inflammation most by hygienic applica- 
 tions. Sexual intercouse should be interdicted ; 
 sitz bath in cool or warm water, just as is most 
 agreeable ; copious vaginal injections of cool 
 water medicated with one scruple of sugar of 
 lead and three grains of morphine to each pint. 
 The rest of the treatment is the same as that 
 given for the male, recollecting that the stimu- 
 lating injections and internal diuretics must not 
 be given until the inflammation has subsided, 
 
 I am often asked whether the leucorrhceal 
 secretions ever are so virulent as to produce 
 gonorrhoea in the male. I answer by saying 
 this is still a mooted point ; there are good 
 authorities on both sides. That the acrid secre- 
 tions of leucorrhcea will sometimes produce 
 urethral inflammation is a fact ; the point not 
 yet settled is this : Is the inflammation identical 
 with that produced by the specific poison pecu- 
 liar to gonorrhoea ? 
 
 SYPHILIS IN THE MALE. 
 
 No disease is more to be dreaded than this. 
 Whereas the hungry cancer devours, as a rule, 
 only one part at a time, syphilis, especially in its 
 last stages, swallows its victim alive. No tissue 
 or organ is exempt from its ravages. Bone, 
 
VENEREAL DISEASE. 233 
 
 muscle, lymphatic and nerve are equally relished. 
 Not only does its victim suffer directly, but un- 
 told misery may be transmitted to future gener- 
 ations. 
 
 The animal virus of this most despicable dis- 
 ease is supposed to have its origin in impure 
 and promiscuous coition, but just what it is no 
 one can tell. 
 
 If a male has coition with a female suffering 
 with syphilis, after a period varying from one to 
 ten days there will appear on the glans penis one 
 or more red, fiery pimples. In a short time they 
 become so many little vesicles; finally the burst- 
 ing vesicle becomes an ulcer; the ulcer is termed 
 a chancre. This stage of the disease is termed 
 primary, and is easily cured. If the chancre is 
 thoroughly cauterized with nitrate of silver, an 
 eschar is formed. By fomenting the parts with 
 cloths dipped in warm water or linseed-meal 
 poultice, the eschar is soon separated, and the 
 base from which it has been removed will heal 
 like any healthy granulating surface. The dis- 
 ease is cured, and none of the poison has con- 
 taminated the blood. But shame and false 
 modesty silence the patient ; not even his bed- 
 fellow knows it. The secret is kept within his 
 own breast ; he allows the disease to continue its 
 ruthless march. 
 
 If the primary stage is not treated, the poison 
 
234 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 in the chancre is taken up by the hungry absorb- 
 ents, thence it is conveyed by the lymphatics to 
 the lymphatic glands in the groin. The glands 
 soon become congested and inflamed, and finally 
 end in suppuration. This affection of the in- 
 guinal glands is termed bubo. The onward 
 march is still continued, and soon the blood in 
 every artery, vein and capillary is tinctured with 
 the deadly poison. It is now termed secondary 
 syphilis. The hair begins to fall out ; there is a 
 copper-colored eruption on the skin ; the fauces 
 are soon inflamed and ulcerated, and syphilitic 
 neuralgia may affect any nerve in the body. 
 Iritis is a frequent complication. 
 
 If therapeutical aid is still unsought, onward 
 to death is the watchword, and what is termed 
 the tertiary stage is now established. The last 
 citadel, the skeleton, is besieged by the deadly 
 foe. Bony tumors, termed nodes, are formed on 
 the tibiae, ulnae, clavicles, sternum, and may 
 attack the cranium, and many times the quar- 
 ternary stage — death — does not take place un- 
 til syphilitic ulceration has consumed a portion 
 of the skull, and made its attack on the palace 
 of the soul — the brain. 
 
 The hasty sketch we have given imparts to 
 the general reader a bird's-eye view of some of 
 the metamorphoses of this loathsome disease- 
 Yet, if we should be specific in our descriptions, 
 
VENEREAL DISEASE. 235 
 
 we should find that the syphilitic virus manifests 
 its effects primarily in the production of at least 
 fotir different kinds of chancre, viz., simple vene- 
 real ulcer, ulcer with raised and well defined 
 edges, the Hunterian or true chancre, and the 
 phagedenic ulcer. It is advocated that four dif- 
 ferent degrees of virulence of the same poison 
 cause these four peculiar effects. Others, on the 
 other hand, claim they are the result of four dis- 
 tinct specific poisons. We have not the space, 
 and it is not very important, to specify their 
 differences, as they all require nearly the same 
 treatment in the commencement, viz., they should 
 all be thoroughly cauterized, either with nitrate 
 of silver, potassa fusa, or nitric acid. 
 
 Treatment. — During the secondary stage, 
 succeeding especially the hard or Hunterian 
 chancre, mild mercurials are recommended ; yet 
 they should be watched closely. Napheys uses 
 the following : " Corrosive sublimate and muri- 
 ate of ammonia, six grains of each ; compound 
 tincture of Peruvian bark, two ounces ; water, 
 four ounces. Directions : Take a teaspoonful 
 morning and evening for one week ; afterward, 
 thrice a day after eating. When the medicine 
 has been taken for twelve or fifteen days, it is a 
 good plan to omit it for four or five days, and 
 then resume it again. In the first and fourth 
 forms of chancre, mercurials should be avoided. 
 
236 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 For tertiary symptoms, which generally ap- 
 pear, if the disease is not stayed in its course, 
 several months after the blood first becomes 
 poisoned, the iodide of potassium is the anchor 
 of hope. The principle of cure is to eliminate 
 the poison from the system, and to combat the 
 pathological effects and their symptoms on gen- 
 eral principles. 
 
 There is no better blood purifier than iodide 
 of potassium. Prof. Miller says : " It is best 
 given in the form of solution, beginning with a 
 dose of two or three grains, given thrice daily, 
 and gradually increasing it to half a drachm or 
 more, according as it is borne." 
 
 In our sketch of this disease we have only 
 given general facts, and have not time for spe- 
 cial. No one afflicted with this terrible affection 
 should attempt to treat himself. Let him con- 
 sult a scientific physician as soon as there is the 
 least evidence that a chancre is making its ap- 
 pearance. 
 
 SYPHILIS IN THE FEMALE. 
 
 This loathsome disease affects the female in 
 just the same manner as it does the male ; that 
 is, the secondary and tertiary stages do not differ 
 in the least, and the primary differs only in the 
 location of the chancres or sores, they being 
 found in the female on the vulva or even high up 
 on the vaginal walls. 
 
VENEREAL DISEASE. 2$J 
 
 I am often asked whether syphilis is ever 
 communicated except by coition. I answer, 
 yes. It may be in any way by which the virus 
 is brought in contact with an abraded surface of 
 any part of the body, as by means of clothes 
 worn by such patients, or by means of privy- 
 seats, etc. 
 
 It is claimed by some that constitutional 
 syphilis never affects the same person the sec- 
 ond time ; that once having it is a safeguard 
 against a second attack ; and syphilization has 
 been advocated as the best means of arresting 
 the spread of the disease. 
 
 Trail says : " Many experiments have been 
 instituted for the purpose of determining the 
 possibility of producing the various forms of 
 venereal disease by inoculation. The method 
 usually adopted has been the insertion of the 
 virus under the cuticle, as in the case of ordinary 
 vaccination. In some cases the cuticle has been 
 removed by a blister, and the virus applied to 
 the denuded surface. And in this way syphilitic 
 pustules have been induced in persons whose 
 whole systems were contaminated with the dis- 
 ease. Constitutional syphilis has also been in- 
 duced in healthy persons by scarifying the skin, 
 and dressing the wounds with the blood of 
 syphilitic patients." 
 
 Syphilization consists in that condition of the 
 
8 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 system by which immunity against the disease is 
 established by inoculating the body with the 
 virus as long as any development of syphilis re- 
 sults. The idea of inoculating the whole of 
 mankind is to any person of moral culture both 
 shocking and disgusting, 
 
 SYPHILIS IN THE INFANT. 
 
 This disease, like consumption, epilepsy and 
 rheumatism, is transmissible from parents to 
 foetus. 
 
 If either father or mother is afflicted with 
 constitutional syphilis in the secondary stage, 
 the children begotten will be infected, and if 
 both parents are free from the disease, it may be 
 communicated to the child by nursing a female 
 that has secondary syphilis. 
 
 Miller says the prominent symptoms of chil- 
 dren born of syphilitic parents are as follows: 
 " Hoarseness of cry ; a shriveled, lean state of 
 body; an anxious expression of face, often senile; 
 chaps at the flexures of the limbs and on the 
 nates; a copper-colored eruption, sometimes 
 studded with pustules, more frequently scaly ; 
 discharge from the nostrils, excoriation of the 
 mouth and throat." 
 
 Parents affected with tertiary syphilis cannot 
 transmit the poison to their offspring, yet a child 
 born of such parents will often manifest scrofu- 
 
VENEREAL DISEASE. 
 
 2 39 
 
 lous symptoms. The syphilitic poison may pass 
 through several generations in a latent state, but 
 finally, with perhaps redoubled force, will sud- 
 denly spring into activity. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 DISEASES OF RECTUM. 
 CONSTIPATION. 
 
 THIS is regarded by many as a trivial com- 
 plaint, yet it is very common, and I think is 
 a prominent cause of ill-health. Ladies are more 
 subject to it than men, for several reasons, viz : 
 they are more sedentary in their habits, their 
 muscular power is less, and hence the muscular 
 coat of the lower bowel would have less expul- 
 sive power, and finally, during pregnancy, the 
 gravid uterus pressing against the bowel, would 
 naturally produce costiveness. Torpor of the 
 liver, by its non-secretion of bile, favors this 
 complaint. It is claimed by some that excess- 
 ive action of the intestinal absorbents removes 
 so much of the fluid portion of the faeces, that 
 by the time the contents of the bowel arrive at 
 the rectum they are dry and hard, and can be 
 evacuated with great difficulty. 
 
 Treatment. — This should be mostly hygienic. 
 The constant use of pills is a prominent cause 
 of many of the confirmed chronic cases of con- 
 stipation. First, regulate the diet ; live more on 
 
DISEASES OF RECTUM. 24 1 
 
 ripe fruits : three ripe apples a day should be 
 eaten. Brown bread is better than that made 
 of patent No. i flour ; cracked wheat mush is 
 better still. Abstain from all astringent and 
 stimulating articles, such as cinnamon, nutmegs, 
 etc. Second. Kneading the abdomen along the 
 track of the colon is beneficial. 
 
 Copious injections of simple water, with the 
 ordinary bulb syringe, is preferable to pills. 
 Inject slowly, so that the liquid will be thor- 
 oughly absorbed. 
 
 I claim the most obstinate case of constipa- 
 tion can be cured nine times out of ten by 
 establishing a habit of defecating at a regular 
 time, each day. It has been said we are a 
 bundle of habits ; if such is the case, it is our 
 duty to see there are more good than bad ones 
 in the bundle, and this habit of regular defeca- 
 tion is a good one. This last form of cure may 
 be ridiculed by some on account of its simpli- 
 city. Dewees recommends a tumblerful of rich 
 bran tea, sweetened or otherwise, to be taken 
 each morning before breakfast. 
 
 Drink a tumblerful of cold water on going to 
 bed. 
 
 If the preceding treatment proves, after a 
 
 thorough trial, to be ineffective, either of the 
 
 following prescriptions may be tried. The first 
 
 is that of Dr. Van Buren, of New York : Take 
 16 
 
242 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 extract of aloes, one-half drachm ; extract of nux 
 vomica, six grains ; extract of hyosciamus, one 
 scruple; pulverized ipecac, one grain — mix and 
 divide into twenty pills ; one to be taken at 
 night on going to bed. 
 
 The following is recommended : Take rhu- 
 barb, two scruples ; aloes, one scruple ; extract 
 nux vomica, four grains — mix, divide into 
 twenty pills ; one to be taken three times a day. 
 
 PILES. 
 
 The scientific name for this disease is hemor- 
 rhoids, and it is divided into two classes — 
 external and internal. The external pile tumor 
 is nothing but a varicose or distended condition of 
 the veins that are distributed to the rectum, but 
 at the same time the mucous membrane is highly 
 congested and inflamed. The tumor varies in 
 size from a pea to that of a goose egg. When 
 the tumor, from ulceration or any other cause, 
 emits blood, it is termed bleeding piles ; when 
 there is no emission of blood, it is popularly 
 termed bli7id piles. Internal piles may be either 
 a varicose condition of the hemorrhoidal veins, 
 or they may be fleshy tumors attached to the 
 mucous membrane, and as a rule are not visible, 
 unless they are very much enlarged and 
 elongated, and then especially during defecation 
 they are pressed down into the outer world, 
 
DISEASES OF RECTUM. 243 
 
 and when constricted by the sphincter ani, they 
 are the source of the most excruciating pain. 
 
 As there is but little danger of mistaking this 
 affection for any other, I will pass by the symp- 
 toms and specify somewhat minutely the causes. 
 Anything that will prevent the return of the 
 venous blood from, or determines the arterial to 
 the rectum, will tend to produce this affection. 
 
 The arteries convey the blood to the rectum, 
 and the veins convey it back. The walls of the 
 arteries are quite thick and unyielding ; the walls 
 of the veins are thin and relaxed. The blood 
 flows swiftly through the arteries, but has a 
 tardy, sluggish motion through the veins. With 
 these three anatomical and physiological facts 
 just mentioned, we can easily understand how 
 the following causes produce this most vexatious 
 and many times most painful affection. 
 
 Causes. — First. Sedentary habits, or standing 
 on the feet too long at a time. Second. Consti- 
 pation: the impacted faeces press so hard against 
 the walls of the bowels that the return circu- 
 lation through the veins is impeded. Third. 
 Torpidity of the liver; the veins arising from 
 the intestines, large and small, from the spleen 
 and stomach, run into each other and form what 
 is termed the portal vein, which enters the liver 
 and sends its ramifications to every part of it ; 
 hence you can easily understand how the torpor 
 
244 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 of the liver would produce venous distension. 
 Fourth. Drastic purgations: for the reason that 
 the irritation produced by them would invite 
 the blood through the arteries in larger quanti- 
 ties than could be returned. Without doubt 
 the pernicious habit of pill dosing every time 
 there is any ailment, however trivial, is a very 
 prominent cause of much of the rectal trouble of 
 the day. Fifth. Pregnancy : by the pressure of 
 the gravid uterus, especially at that point where 
 the bowel is in contact with the brim of the 
 pelvis. 
 
 Some of the principal predisposing causes 
 are — 
 
 First. Temperament: the bilious or lymphatic 
 favors it. Second. Age: from twenty-one until 
 fifty. Third. Highly seasoned and stimulating 
 food. Fourth. Clothes worn so tightly they 
 compress the abdomen. 
 
 Treatment. — This should be both constzht- 
 tional and local. If there is torpor of the liver,, 
 overcome it with the following : Hydrargyrum 
 cum creta, two grains ; white sugar, thirty grains 
 — mix ; divide into six powders, one to be taken 
 at night on going to bed. Overcome constipa- 
 tion as described when treating on that sub- 
 ject. Particular attention should be devoted to 
 hygiene, as prescribed when treating on consti- 
 pation. 
 
DISEASES OF RECTUM. 245 
 
 Local Treatment. — If the piles are inflamed 
 and painful, sitz baths in cold water work 
 wonders ; let the temperature be as low as 55 
 to 6o° Fahrenheit. Inject into the bowel just 
 before defecation at least four ounces to a pint 
 of ice-cold water. Many times when the pain is 
 very severe, the insertion of a small piece of ice 
 into the rectum, and allowing it to remain until 
 melted, is recommended. Care, of course, should 
 be observed in the insertion that the parts are 
 not irritated. If the tumor is pressed down and 
 constricted, it should be immediately replaced. 
 After the stage of excitement is passed, and the 
 pile and adjoining tissues are somewhat indolent, 
 then the proper application of astringents is in- 
 dicated, but in no case should they be applied 
 when there is a high state of congestion. 
 
 Many of the pile ointments are highly as- 
 tringent, and of course must aggravate the dis- 
 ease if used indiscriminately. The following 
 astringent is often used : 
 
 Take tannin, ten grains ; morphine, four 
 grains; lard, one ounce — mix, and apply to 
 parts on going to bed. If possible insert some 
 above the sphincter. Be sure and inject cold, 
 and not warm water, before each defection. 
 
246 
 
 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 RADICAL CURE. 
 
 The tumors are sometimes excised and no ill 
 consequences follow. The great danger would 
 be hemorrhage, and on account of the highly- 
 congested state of the tissue, it is almost un- 
 controllable. The safest, and just as sure if not 
 quite so quick a mode, is resorting to the ligature. 
 Fistula in ano, abscess exterior to the rectum, 
 prolapstts ani, and many of the urinary affections, 
 are the result of or aggravated by piles. 
 
 To control the profuse hemorrhage that many 
 afflicted with the piles are subject, either inject 
 some highly astringent liquid or perhaps resort 
 to the tampon. Burne, a noted writer, recom- 
 mends the following : one half teaspoonful of 
 turpentine, mixed with yolk of &gg, to be taken 
 internally. 
 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 
 GRAVEL.— ITS CAUSE AND CURE. 
 
 T EALTH Y urine is of a straw color, and has 
 X 1 a specific gravity a little higher than water, 
 for the reason that it holds in solution certain 
 solids. The gravity varies in a state of health, 
 in the same person, at different times during the 
 day ; it is least in the morning and greatest after 
 meals. The more profuse the urination, as a 
 rule, the less the gravity. Ordinarily about two 
 pints are passed in twenty-four hours. When 
 urine is tested it reddens vegetable blues the 
 same as acids do. If healthy urine is allowed to 
 remain for some time in a vessel there is scarce- 
 ly any deposit, except a small amount of mucus, 
 but when there is any departure from health it 
 deposits a sediment which varies in quantity, 
 quality and appearance. There are at least five 
 different kinds of deposits, but we have space 
 to refer to but three of the most common, and 
 most important to the general reader. 
 
 i. The Uric Acid. — This is the most common 
 of the five. The acid may exist either in a free 
 
248 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 state, or it may be combined with ammonia, 
 magnesia, lime, etc. The sediment is of a red- 
 dish hue, and is popularly called the brick-dust 
 sediment. Although many of the deposits do not 
 take place until the urine is emitted and cooled, 
 yet the uric acid may be while it is retained in 
 the bladder or kidney. 
 
 Causes. — Dr. Golding Bird, who is the highest 
 authority in urinary disorders, enumerates the 
 following causes : " 1. Waste of tissues more 
 rapid than the supply, as in fever, rheumatism, 
 etc. 2. Supply of nitrogen in food in greater 
 quantities than is required for the reparation of 
 tissues, as by excessive indulgence in animal 
 food and by too little exercise. 3. Digestion in- 
 sufficient to assimilate an ordinary and normal 
 supply of food, as in dyspepsia. 4. Obstruction 
 to the cutaneous outlet for nitrogenized excre- 
 tion by skin diseases or other cause. 5. Con- 
 gestion of the kidneys, following injury of the 
 organs, or disease wherein they are affected by 
 sympathy." 
 
 Treatment. — Avoid the causes and live most- 
 ly on vegetable diet, and abstain from alcoholic 
 stimulants ; let alkalies be taken internally, of 
 which bicarbonate of potash, in fifteen-grain doses, 
 dissolved in a half tumbler of water, is the best. 
 The medicine should be taken about an hour 
 after each meal. 
 
DISEASES OF BLADDER. 249 
 
 2. Oxalate of Lime Deposit.— The urine in 
 which this deposit takes place, many times is per- 
 fectly normal in appearance, but some twelve or 
 twenty-four hours after it is voided, a fine colorless 
 deposit can be seen. The crystals are many times 
 deposited while the urine is retained in the blad- 
 der. 
 
 Causes. — Miller enumerates the following: 
 " Over-exertion of mind or body; excess of vene- 
 real indulgence ; habitual and gross errors of 
 diet ; exposure to cold ; injuries done to the 
 lower part of the spine." 
 
 3. The Phosphatic Deposit. — This deposit is 
 of a white appearance, and when analyzed is 
 found to be phosphoric acid, combined either with 
 lime, or ammonia and magnesia. 
 
 Cause. — Anything that exhausts the nervous 
 system. To counteract the formation of these 
 last two deposits, the mineral acid should be 
 given in doses of but a few drops, very much di- 
 luted. 
 
 These various sediments are often deposited 
 around some nucleus in the bladder, or even in the 
 kidney itself, forming calculi or concretions, which 
 may vary in size from that of a millet seed to 
 that of a goose egg. 
 
 Perhaps before now you have experienced 
 sharp needle-like pains darting through the lum- 
 bar region ; probably you have called it neural- 
 
25O PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 gia or lumbago, but if the truth were known, 
 those stinging, lancinating pains are produced by 
 the concretions of the kidney passing down the 
 ureter to the bladder. This is termed a fit of 
 gravel, and as soon as the concretions arrive in 
 the bladder, the pain ceases at once ; and if they 
 remain in the bladder long, they will become 
 larger and larger by still further deposits, and 
 finally will be the cause of great urinary trouble. 
 The surgeon now is called, and if he cannot give 
 internal remedies that will effect the solution of 
 the concretions, or if he cannot, through the use 
 of instruments passed into the bladder, crush 
 them so that the fragments can pass through the 
 urethra into the external world, as a last resort 
 he performs the operation of lithotomy, which 
 consists in cutting through the tissues into the 
 bladder and removing them through the open- 
 ing. 
 
 IRRITABLE BLADDER. 
 
 The bladder is composed of three coats. 
 The external is a serous membrane, similar in 
 structure to the pleurae that envelop the lungs. 
 The middle coat is muscular in its nature. The 
 inner membrane, or that with which the urine 
 comes in direct contact, is a mucous lining.. 
 This last named coat is subject to congestion 
 and inflammation, and when such is the case it 
 is termed inflammation of the bladder. Some- 
 
DISEASES OF BLADDER. 2$\ 
 
 times the membrane is not inflamed but is 
 very sensitive, and the urine, if acrid, will pro- 
 duce the following symptom : a constant desire 
 to urinate. There is not so much pain as 
 uneasiness, and if the condition is not rectified, 
 the membrane will soon be congested. 
 
 Treatment. — Search for the cause and re- 
 move it. If the urine is high-colored or there 
 is much sediment deposited, the treatment here- 
 tofore described under the head of gravel should 
 be observed. Drink freely slippery elm tea ; it 
 will tend to dilute the urine and at the same 
 time quiet the sensitive membrane. 
 
 RETENTION OF URINE IN THE MALE. 
 
 When the kidneys do not perform the secret- 
 ory office there is a suppression of urine, and 
 fatal symptoms soon manifest themselves ; but 
 the urine sometimes is properly secreted and 
 passes readily into its proper reservoir, the 
 bladder, and there it is retained. The bladder 
 is sometimes distended to three times its usual 
 size. There is a constant desire to evacuate the 
 bladder, but it is impossible. There is straining, 
 pain and great distress. We shall mention but 
 a few of the many causes of retention. First, In 
 old persons, many times, the muscular or middle 
 coat of the bladder is partially paralyzed ; the 
 bladder becomes greatly distended, and yet 
 
252 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 there is not sufficient muscular power to expel 
 the urine. Treat this form of retention with 
 nerve stimulant, such as small doses of nux 
 vomica, or by the application of electricity. 
 Second cause, stricture of urethra. Third, en- 
 larged prostate gland. To remove these last 
 two causes belongs to the surgeon. 
 
 The last cause to which I invite your atten- 
 tion is a spasm of the neck of the bladder. To 
 overcome the spasm, sitz baths in warm water 
 will generally be all that is needed. 
 
 RETENTION OF URINE IN THE FEMALE. 
 
 The gravid uterus, by displacing the bladder, 
 is a common cause. Tumors, by pressing 
 against the urethra, will produce complete re- 
 tention many times. Paralysis of the muscular 
 coat, the same as in the male. Hysterical 
 patients many times suffer from this affection. 
 There may be a spasm of the neck of the 
 bladder, as a cause, or stricture of the urethra : 
 but in the female these last two 4brms are quite 
 rare. In case of retention of urine in the 
 female seek the services of an educated physi- 
 cian. Sitz baths in water as warm as it can be 
 borne are always advisable. 
 
D/S EASES OF BLADDER. 253 
 
 INVOLUNTARY URINATION IN OLD AGE. 
 
 Many old persons, and likewise those of 
 middle age in certain diseases, as low fevers and 
 partial paralysis, seem to have no control over 
 urination. The principal cause is atony or par- 
 tial paraJysis of the sphincter muscle of the 
 bladder, and when urine accumulates in the 
 bladder it is beyond the control of the will 
 power to retain it ; or the urine may dribble 
 away as fast as it arrives in the bladder from 
 the kidneys. 
 
 Treatment. — Sitz baths in cool water, electri- 
 city to the urinary region, small doses of tincture 
 of nux vomica or tincture of cantharides. 
 
 PAINFUL URINATION. 
 
 This arises ofttimes from congestion of the 
 membrane that lines the urethra, and as the 
 acrid urine passes over this highly sensitive 
 membrane, it produces scalding, burning, lanci- 
 nating pains. 
 
 The cause is, first, the acrid urine ; second, 
 the congested membrane ; and hence the cure is 
 to remove both conditions. Rectify the urine 
 as described heretofore, and take sitz baths 
 daily in warm water; abstain from stimulants 
 and condiments ; live mostly on vegetables ; 
 drink slippery elm tea freely. 
 
CHAPER VI. 
 
 RUINOUS HABITS OF YOUTH. 
 
 MASTURBATION, Self Pollution, Self 
 Abuse, Solitary Indulgence, Onanism, 
 which are different names for the same habit, is 
 more frequent than most parents realize. No habit 
 more than this so debilitates the physical system, 
 so stultifies the intellect^ and degrades the moral 
 powers; and if you visit our insane and idiotic 
 asylums, you will find more taken there on ac- 
 count of over-indulgence of the sexual appetite 
 than from the use of whisky, tobacco, over-ex- 
 citement of business, or any other cause. The 
 reason there is such prostration of body, de- 
 thronement of mind, and perverted moral power, 
 is because the indulgence of this habit robs the 
 brain of the very elements upon which the mind 
 feeds. If you analyze the brain and nervous 
 system, they contain more phosphorus than any 
 other part of the body. An analysis of the 
 semen shows it likewise contains more phos- 
 phorus than any other secretion of the body. A 
 German philosopher has truly said, " without 
 phosphorus no thought "/ and we might say that 
 
RUINOUS HABITS OF TOUTH. 255 
 
 every emotion, every passion, is accompanied 
 with a phosphorescent glare. 
 
 It is the duty of parents to exercise a cautious 
 but careful watch over their children, to ascertain, 
 as soon as possible, whether this debilitating 
 habit has been commenced. As it is always 
 practiced in private, it is not so easy to ascertain 
 the fact, hence I will give some of the symptoms 
 manifested by one who has practiced this habit 
 for any length of time. Lallemand, the great 
 French authority, gives the following : " How- 
 ever young the children may be, they get thin, pale 
 and irritable, and their features become haggard. 
 We notice the sunken eye, the long, cadaverous 
 looking countenance, the downcast look, which 
 seems to arise from a consciousness in the boy 
 that his habits are suspected, and at a later 
 period, from the ascertained fact that his virility 
 is lost. I wish by no means to assert that every 
 boy unable to look another in the face is or has 
 been a masturbator, but I believe this vice is a 
 very frequent cause of timidity. Habitual mas- 
 turbators have a dank, moist, cold hand, very 
 characteristic of great vital exhaustion ; their 
 sleep is short, and most complete marasmus 
 comes on. They may gradually waste away if 
 the evil passion is not got the better of; nervous 
 symptoms set in, such as spasmodic contraction, 
 or partial or entire convulsive movements, to- 
 
256 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 gether with epilepsy, eclampsy, and a species 
 of paralysis, accompanied with contractions of 
 the limbs." 
 
 The appetite of the masturbator is often quite 
 capricious, there is a longing for some unnatural 
 food. Jackson, the distinguished water-cure ad- 
 vocate, specifies some symptoms that he con- 
 siders as almost a sure test if the habit is prac- 
 ticed, viz : " A hankering after cloves, cinnamon, 
 caraway, mace, and the like." He likewise makes 
 this sweeping remark : " I never knew a girl to 
 eat lime off the wall, or to chew up her slate 
 pencils, who was not to a greater or less extent 
 a victim of this practice. I never knew a boy 
 who was accustomed to eat lumps of salt without 
 anything with it, and in fact I might say who 
 was an inordinate eater of salt upon his food, 
 who was not or had not been at some period of 
 his life a masturbator." 
 
 Mental Symptoms. — The memory is impaired; 
 it is more like a sieve than anything else ; reason 
 is next partially dethroned. There is not a 
 faculty of the mind that is not affected. 
 
 DUTIES OF PARENTS. 
 
 Parents, if you are satisfied that your child 
 has commenced this habit, it is your religiozis 
 duty to give the warning. Approach it not as 
 you would a criminal, as if some great offense 
 
RUINOUS HABITS OF YOUTH. 2$ J 
 
 had been committed, but rather look upon it as 
 a sufferer ; manifest pity rather than scorn. Acton 
 says : " I esteem it false delicacy and a wrong, 
 that a parent should hesitate to warn his boy 
 when, at the most, he can only anticipate, by a 
 few days or weeks, the offices of a youthful 
 schoolmaster in vice as ignorant of consequences 
 as the pupil." 
 
 He further says : " I have no hesitation as 
 to the advice I should give to parents in such 
 matters. In all cases I would tell them the best 
 preventive step to be taken is to watch their 
 children, if not actually to warn them against 
 what is to be hoped they are ignorant of, and 
 to develop their muscular powers by strong 
 gymnastic exercises." 
 
 Hygienic Precautions. — The diet should be 
 plain and unstimulating. Animal food, salt and 
 the various condiments should be used sparingly. 
 Sponge bathing, and especially sea bathing, are 
 beneficial. Demand early rising. The great 
 remedy, however, is to fortify the will against 
 further indulgence. 
 
 SPERMATORRHOEA. 
 
 This affection is often produced by masturba- 
 tion. The popular term by which this disorder 
 is known is involuntary nocturnal emissions. 
 *7 
 
250 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 Symptoms. — Nervous irritability, a dreamy 
 state of mind, impaired memory, etc. 
 
 Treatment. — Let the diet be simple and 
 mostly vegetable. Take a sitz bath in cold 
 water on retiring. Sleep on a mattress, with 
 light covering. Abstain from alcoholic stimu- 
 lants, tobacco, tea and coffee. Seek refined 
 society among the opposite sex. Perform more 
 or less muscular labor. 
 
 The following prescription is highly recom- 
 mended by Dr. Tanner : " Take camphor, five 
 grains ; extract of opium, one grain ; blue mass, 
 four grains — mix and divide into two pills, one 
 to be taken at bed time." 
 
 Bromide of potassium in fifteen grain doses, 
 to be taken at bed time, is a good sedative. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 OUR CHILD IS SICK — WHAT IS THE MATTER? 
 WHAT TO DO. 
 
 IT requires more skill to diagnose the diseases 
 of childhood than those of the adult. The 
 child being unable to talk, the only source from 
 which the parents or physician can gain any in- 
 formation concerning its ailments, is by studying 
 the external signs, as manifested by the counte- 
 nance, etc. The signs of health should be first 
 studied, then all departures from that base-line 
 are so many indices of disease. 
 
260 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 SIGNS OF HEALTH. 
 
 Condie gives the following pen-picture : " The 
 skin is soft, flexible, and of a rosy hue ; the com- 
 plexion lively and fresh ; the eye, when attracted 
 by any object, has a peculiar quickness and sud- 
 denness in its movements, and always more or 
 less turned upward beneath the upper lid. The 
 countenance, when in repose, exhibits, in the 
 earlier stages of infancy, but little or no expres- 
 sion, except that of perfect calmness ; but, at a later 
 age, it becomes quickly lighted up, smiling and 
 animated at the approach of the parents or nurse, 
 or when attracted by any pleasing object. The 
 surface of the infant is cool ; the abdomen full 
 and soft — gentle pressure upon it seeming rather 
 to please than to cause the slightest uneasiness. 
 The tongue is generally slightly covered with a 
 whitish mucus ; the mouth is always moist, and 
 the lips fresh colored and often protruding. The 
 sleep of a healthy infant is quiet and profound ; 
 it awakes from it cheerful and smiling, and soon 
 demands food. During the waking hours after,, 
 at least, the first month or two, it is inclined to 
 as much activity as its limbs will permit, and ex- 
 hibits a surprising springiness and rapidity in all 
 its movements. It delights to be played with 
 and carried about, and when old enough, to roll 
 and crawl upon the carpet." 
 
OUR CHILD IS SICK. 26 1 
 
 SPECIAL SIGNS OF DISEASE. 
 
 Most diseases in childhood, as in the adult, 
 present many symptoms that are similar ; yet 
 nearly every disease has some characteristic 
 symptom which, if properly interpreted, isolates 
 it from any other affection ; and when considering 
 the individual affections, I will note the symp- 
 toms that especially designate them. 
 
 HYGIENE OF CHILDHOOD. 
 
 Many mothers are so ignorant of the general 
 principles of hygiene necessary to be attended 
 to in rearing children that they cannot perform 
 the true office of mother. A mother's office is a 
 noble one, and to fulfill its duties well requires 
 care, patience, and accurate hygienic knowledge. 
 
 Diet. — Until the child is weaned the mothers 
 milk should be its almost entire sustenance. Do 
 not be in a hurry about cramming it with 
 cracker stuffs, sweetened liquids and grandma's 
 herb teas; there is time enough for that after it is 
 weaned ; let it enjoy its first year of existence in 
 peace. Weaning should be done gradually. 
 Wean it first from day nursing, but allow it to 
 nurse once or twice in the night, and in a short 
 time the mother should refuse it the breast en- 
 tirely. After weaning, cow's milk should be its 
 principal diet, although at the same time light 
 gruels of oatmeal, arrowroot, and other farina- 
 
262 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 ceous substances, may be administered. When 
 the teeth are sufficient to perform mastication, 
 then a little more solid diet may be administered. 
 Do not be afraid, when it is old enough, to let it 
 play in the open air. Let it play in the sunshine 
 and in the dirt. Do not try to make fashion- 
 able little ladies and gentlemen of your chil- 
 dren too quickly. Proper diet, air, exercise, sun- 
 light and sleep will establish sure foundations for 
 present and future health. 
 
 A WARM BATH. 
 
 A Manual of Nursing, prepared for the 
 nurses attached to Bellevue Medical College, 
 New York, gives the following sensible advice 
 in regard to baths and how to administer them 
 to children : " When a child begins to be fretful 
 and uneasy, and to manifest some of the first 
 signs of disturbance of the health, there are 
 many advantages to be gained from putting it 
 at once in a warm bath. The temperature of 
 the body is very apt to be elevated from a slight 
 cause, and the child seems hot and feverish, and 
 serious illness is apprehended. The change 
 which the warm bath will produce in these 
 symptoms is often very great. It lowers the 
 temperature, thus quieting the sensitive nerves 
 of the skin ; it relieves the pains of colic by 
 relaxing muscular spasm, and the child falls into 
 
OUR CHILD IS SICK. 263 
 
 a cairn and restful sleep, and often when it 
 awakes all uncomfortable sensations will have 
 vanished. Again, if the child has contracted 
 any of the eruptive diseases to which young 
 children are liable, it will generally be made 
 manifest, as the heat and moisture tend to bring 
 out the rash." 
 
 The mother s good sense ought to enable her 
 to administer the bath properly. The main 
 point to be kept in view is to have the water 
 warm enough ; the room in which it is given 
 should be warm. After the child has been in 
 the bath from three to five minutes, it should 
 be taken out and wrapped in a warm blanket. 
 See that the skin is thoroughly dried and mild 
 reaction established by hand rubbing. The 
 night gown, properly warmed, should be put on 
 and the child put to bed. 
 
 Common affections not requiring the doctor. 
 
 SORE MOUTH.— THRUSH. 
 
 The infant, before it is weaned, is often troubled 
 with this affection. The lining membrane of the 
 mouth is often quite red, fiery and extremely 
 sensitive to the touch. The child is restless, and 
 refuses to nurse. If the mouth is examined 
 there will be often noticed a curd-X\k<t exudation, 
 appearing at first in the form of white specks or 
 patches. These may be confined to only a small 
 
264 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 surface, or they may cover the whole mucous 
 lining, extending even down the whole length 
 of the alimentary canal. This form of sore 
 mouth, accompanied with exudation, is termed 
 thrush, and is peculiar to the infant at the 
 breast. 
 
 Aphthous sore mouth resembles very closely 
 thrush, but it scarcely ever makes its appearance 
 until teething. The causes of thrush may be 
 exposure to cold, irritating quality of the milk, 
 difficulty in nursing from an over-distended 
 breast, too small or imperfect nipples. 
 
 Treatmentof Thrush. — Mucilaginous washes, 
 of which slippery elm tea is as good as any. Con- 
 die recommends the following : Take borax and 
 white sugar, equal parts ; pulverize and mix ; 
 then drop some of the powder on the tongue. 
 In thrush internal remedies are not often given. 
 Topical application of the powder above de- 
 scribed, and careful attention to hygiene, is 
 about all that is required. 
 
 In aphthous sore mouth Prof. Lewis, of New 
 York, uses the following : " Take of chlorate 
 of potash, one drachm ; honey, one-half ounce ; 
 water, two ounces ; a teaspoonful to be given 
 every two or three hours. In giving this solu- 
 tion it should be allowed to come in contact 
 with the affected membrane." 
 
 Dr. Tanner recommends " borax, 1 20 grains ; 
 
OUR CHILD IS SICK. 265 
 
 glycerine, one ounce ; to be painted over affected 
 parts with a camel's hair pencil." A weak solu- 
 tion of carbolic acid and glycerine is a nice 
 preparation. 
 
 COLIC. 
 
 Children are liable to this affection, and when 
 it makes its attack suddenly it is very apt to 
 create great alarm in the household. The dis- 
 tension of the bowels with flatus is the principal 
 cause of the pain, and there is generally no 
 organic disease. 
 
 Treatment. — Put the child into a warm bath, 
 or apply cloths dipped in warm water to the 
 abdomen. Rectal injections of warm water will 
 often prove efficacious. If the spasm and pain 
 are not relieved by aforesaid treatment, give 
 small doses of essence of anise, peppermint, or 
 paregoric. Small doses of calcined magnesia 
 may be given where there is acidity of stomach. 
 Parents should be very careful in the giving of 
 opiates in this affection. Costiveness is a very 
 common thing in children subject to colic, and 
 it should be counteracted by attention to diet 
 and enemas of simple warm water. If, after the 
 spasm is removed, there is any tenderness over 
 the abdomen, inflammation may be setting in, and 
 the physician should be sent for immediately. 
 
266 
 
 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 WORMS. 
 
 These were formerly considered the most 
 common cause of infantile affections. If any- 
 thing was the matter which was not visible, why 
 it was worms, of cotcrse. It is not well settled 
 whether worms are the cause or merely the 
 result of certain conditions of the body, and old 
 Dr. Rush considered their presence in the 
 alimentary canal as beneficial to health. But 
 very little importance is attributed to worms 
 as a cause of disease at the present time. Dr. 
 Eberle says : " Sedentary habits, habitual ex- 
 posure to a humid atmosphere, the abundant 
 use of fat and farinaceous articles of diet, and of 
 fresh milk," are remote causes. Some think 
 sugar, if used too freely, is a cause. In regard 
 to their origin, cause and effects, our best physi- 
 cians differ ; there is still a cloud of mystery 
 obscuring this subject. 
 
 Symptoms. — The only decisive symptom, and 
 one in which jthere can be no mistake, is their 
 presence in the evacuations. Those signs gen- 
 erally regarded as almost certain, are the pale, 
 leaden appearance of the countenance, tickling 
 of the nose, swollen upper lip, capricious appe- 
 tite, dilated pupil, foul breath and general ema- 
 ciation, etc. 
 
 Treatment. — Take of santonine, ten grains ; 
 white sugar, twenty grains — mix. Divide into 
 
OUR CHILD IS SICK. 267 
 
 six powders ; give one powder at bed time, to 
 be followed in the morning with a small dose 
 of castor oil. Ten to fifteen drops of turpentine, 
 combined with sugar, given two or three times 
 a day, is a favorite with some. After the worms 
 are expelled, to prevent their reappearance, 
 tonic treatment should be given. Carbonate of 
 iron, in five-grain doses every morning, is very 
 good. 
 
 CROUP. 
 
 This is quite a common affection in childhood, 
 and one that, on account of the suddenness of its 
 attack, is the source of great alarm in the 
 household. There are two varieties of this 
 affection, termed genuine and spasmodic croup. 
 
 Genuine or diphtheritic croup may occur at 
 any time between weaning and puberty, and 
 many times is the most intractable disease with 
 which the doctor has to contend. The mucous 
 membrane lining the wind-pipe is the seat of 
 the disease. This membrane becomes inflamed, 
 and if the affection is not controlled, it becomes 
 in a short time coated over with a plastic fibri- 
 nous substance, which accumulates many times 
 in large quantities and completely closes the air 
 passage, death resulting from suffocation. 
 
 Symptoms. — The child at first manifests all 
 the symptoms of a cold — sneezing, coughing, 
 hoarseness, feverishness. The cough is of a 
 
268 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 ringing, brassy nature. There is what is termed 
 a crowing inspiration. The attack may be grad- 
 ual, and then again it may be sudden. It is not 
 contagious, but many times more than one, and 
 perhaps all the children will have it in quick 
 succession. This is quite a fatal disease if it 
 does not receive proper and prompt treatment. 
 
 Treatment. — As soon as the child becomes 
 hoarse and begins to cough, and especially if it 
 is predisposed to this affection, put it into a 
 warm bath, or foment the chest with cloths 
 dipped in warm water, as hot as it can be borne. 
 See that the temperature of the room is agree- 
 ably warm and uniform ; give at the same time 
 the following : Wine of ipecac, three drachms ; 
 syrup of tolu, five drachms ; mucilage of gum 
 arabic one ounce — mix ; give a teaspoonful 
 every hour or so. If nausea or vomiting result, 
 so much the better. 
 
 If the attack comes on suddenly give on the 
 start a mild emetic. Hive syrup given in small 
 and repeated doses until vomiting results, is as 
 good as anything. 
 
 SPASMODIC OR FALSE CROUP. 
 
 This form of the affection is generally un- 
 attended with fever ; more sudden in its attacks. 
 Watson gives a good pen picture of it, as 
 follows : " The child is seized all of a sudden, 
 
OUR CHILD IS SICK. 269 
 
 roused perhaps from a sleep, by a catch or inter- 
 ruption of its breathing, more or less complete. 
 It strives and struggles to inspire, but is appar- 
 ently unable to do so." The cause of this affec- 
 tion is a spasmodic closure of the glottis, or 
 opening of the wind pipe. 
 
 Treatment. — About all that is required is a 
 mild emetic on the start, a warm bath, and hot 
 applications to the throat. This form is gener- 
 ally of short duration. Nauseating doses of 
 hive syrup may be given, or syrup of ipecac 
 may be given in 15 to 20-drop doses to a child 
 two years old, and should be repeated in ten or 
 fifteen minutes if the spasm is not relieved. 
 
 DIPHTHERIA. 
 
 This is a constitutional affection, in which 
 there is a marked tendency to debility. It shows 
 itself locally by an inflammation of the throat, 
 on the lining membrane of which soon appear 
 more or less patches of a whitish exudation. 
 
 Hygienic Care. — Immerse the feet in as 
 warm water as can be borne. Hot fomentations 
 to the throat. Quench the thirst with ice-cold 
 slippery elm tea. 
 
 Treatment. — Prof. Lewis' favorite remedy is 
 as follows : Tincture of chloride of iron, one 
 drachm; chlorate of potash, one drachm; simple 
 
270 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 syrup, two ounces — mix; give a teaspoonful 
 every two or three hours. 
 
 For a wash or gargle in the first stages, Con- 
 die says " equal parts of good vinegar and 
 water " is as good as anything. 
 
 The following wash may be used for the 
 throat : Fluid carbolic acid, one-half drachm ; 
 glycerine and water, one ounce each — mix. If 
 it irritates too much, add more water. 
 
 In the last stages, if the debility is great, 
 stimulants may be resorted to. 
 
 This is a disease with strong fatal tendencies, 
 and a good physician should be sent for if there 
 is not a favorable change soon after using the 
 above remedies. 
 
 WETTING THE BED. 
 
 This affection is apparently of a trivial na- 
 ture, but many times it is beyond the power of 
 the parents or physician to effect a cure ; and I 
 even know of children being punished for this 
 habit, as it is termed ; you might as well punish 
 them for having a hare-Yip or the mumps. 
 
 Cause. — Partial paralysis of the neck of the 
 bladder is the most common ; although irritabil- 
 ity of the bladder and highly acrid urine, and 
 pin worms in the rectum, may produce it. This 
 disease is apt to effect puny children, rather than 
 those of robust habits. 
 
 Hygienic Care. — Do not let the child drink 
 
OUR CHILD IS SICK. 2 J I 
 
 much after supper. See that the bladder is 
 emptied on retiring. Awaken the child in the 
 night, in order that the bladder may be emptied. 
 The bed should be a mattress ; the covering 
 should be light. Child should lie on the back. 
 Treatment. — Give a sitz bath in cold water. 
 Two drops of tincture of chloride of iron in a 
 tablespoonful of water, is a good tonic. If the 
 urine is high colored with reddish sediment, give 
 small doses of bicarbonate of potash in slippery- 
 elm tea. 
 
 DIARRHCEA. 
 
 In simple forms of this affection, where there is 
 little or no fever, give in the first place a full 
 dose of castor oil, so that all irritating excitants 
 in the bowels may be removed, and then use the 
 following favorite remedy of Prof. J. Lewis Smith, 
 viz : Paregoric and tincture of catechu, one 
 drachm each; chalk mixture, one ounce — mix. 
 Give one teaspoonful every two to four hours to 
 a child one year old. If the abdomen is dis- 
 tended, and is tender to the touch, it shows there 
 is already, or a tendency to, inflammation, and if 
 such is the case, foment the bowels with cloths 
 dipped in hop tea, as hot as it can be borne. 
 The cloths should be frequently changed, and a 
 piece of oiled silk placed over them, so as to 
 confine the heat and moisture. Quench the 
 thirst with pieces of ice placed in the mouth 
 and allowed to dissolve. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 EVERYDAY EMERGENCIES, AND WHAT TO DO 
 ON THE SPOT. 
 
 THIS is a world of accidents; the old and 
 young, rich and poor, learned and unlettered, 
 are liable. In every village, neighborhood, and 
 I might say household, each day, there is some 
 
 casualty which requires prompt treatment. Many 
 lives are sacrificed daily on account of the lack 
 of practical knowledge. Send for a good phy- 
 sician or surgeon when there is cause for alarm, 
 but if nothing is done until his arrival, it may be 
 too late — time is the essence of cure. 
 
EVERTDAr EMERGENCIES. 2*J2> 
 
 HEMORRHAGE. 
 
 There is nothing that will excite the bystand- 
 ers more than profuse bleeding. When the 
 blood is emitted in a steady stream, and of a dark- 
 bluish tint, a vein has been severed ; when it 
 spurts forth in jets, corresponding to the beating 
 of the heart, and is of a brigJit scarlet tint, an 
 artery has been severed. I will present a few 
 physiological facts in regard to circulation, be- 
 fore describing what should be done. 
 
 The blood flows through the arteries from the 
 heart to extremities ; but in the veins, the mo- 
 tion is in the opposite direction. The main 
 arteries and veins, distributed to the upper and 
 lower extremities, pass along the inside ; they 
 are placed there for protection ; the muscles and 
 bone really perform the office of a shield. The 
 arteries are deep seated, and are not as liable to 
 injury as the veins, many of which are quite 
 superficial. With these few hints we will now 
 see what must be done : i. Cold water should be 
 continually applied ; pressure, directly to the 
 wound, is sometimes effectual. If one of the 
 larger arteries is severed, secure pressure over 
 the arterial trunk, and the pressure should be be- 
 tween the incision and the heart ; but, if it is a 
 severed vein, the pressure should be between the 
 incision and the extremity. To illustrate : If the 
 
 iS 
 
2 74 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 artery severed is distributed to either extremity, 
 in the first place take a handkerchief or towel 
 and tie a knot in the center, and then place it 
 around the limb, so that the central knot will be 
 on the inside of said limb ; tie the towel, and 
 then insert a cane or broom-handle between the 
 towel and skin ; everything now is ready for 
 action ; give the cane several twists, and the 
 bleeding is controlled. If the artery is a large 
 one, it will have to be ligated, which requires 
 the skill of the surgeon. The position of limb 
 should be observed ; it should be elevated as 
 much as possible. In all cases of hemorrhage 
 from internal organs, as the lun^s, stomach, etc., 
 drink ice-cold water ; apply cold compresses to 
 the chest ; send for a physician at once. 
 
 SYNCOPE — FAINTING. 
 
 The principal cause of fainting is, too little 
 blood is sent to the brain, and this may result 
 either from loss of blood or from anything 
 that interferes with the action of the heart. 
 Generally, when any one faints, the bystanders 
 will crowd around, and the patient's head is 
 propped tip with pillows; this is all wrong. 
 The true and common sense, if not common, treat- 
 ment should be as follows : Carry the patient 
 where there is pure air and plenty of it ; a 
 recumbent position should be secured, with the 
 
EVER I'D AT EMERGENCIES. 2*]$ 
 
 head, if possible, lower than the rest of the 
 body ; dash cold water in the face ; unloose the 
 clothing about the chest. 
 
 FITS. 
 
 Place the patient in a recmnberit position, with 
 head slightly elevated. Do not try to restrain 
 the muscular action ; only see that the patient, 
 in the various contortions, is not brought in 
 contact with anything that will injure him or 
 her, as the case may be. Unloose the clothing 
 and see there is free access of pure air. Secure 
 good circulation in the extremities, either by 
 warmth or friction. Send for a physician at 
 once. The different kinds of what are termed 
 fits, viz., apoplectic, epileptic, hysteric and catalep- 
 tic, are produced by different causes, and require 
 different treatment, which should be intrusted 
 to an educated physician. The directions we 
 have given are those to be observed before the 
 doctor arrives. 
 
 DROWNING. 
 
 Death results from at least two causes : first, 
 exclusion of air from the lungs, and second, loss 
 of heat. 
 
 Many have the erroneous idea that water 
 passes into the lungs when a person is drowned, 
 and that is the reason that many times the per- 
 
2/6 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 son drowned is dangled in the air, head down- 
 ward, with hopes of emptying the bronchial 
 tubes and air cells so that air can enter. A 
 person, in drowning, is constantly expiring air,, 
 but nothing is inhaled, on account of a spas- 
 modic closure of the glottis. 
 
 What to do. — Place the patient in a reclining 
 position, with head slightly elevated ; remove 
 the wet clothes and then apply warmth ; see 
 that the mouth and nostrils are freed from any- 
 thing that would prevent ingress of air ; then 
 resort to artificial respiration, as follows : Place 
 the patient prone (face downward) on a blanket 
 or mattress placed on the floor; pressure then 
 being made on the back would naturally produce 
 an expiratory effort ; the patient then being 
 rolled on the side, the elasticity of the ribs, by 
 enlarging the capacity of the chest, would pro* 
 duce an inspiratory effort. 
 
 Death from strangulation and the inhalation 
 of poisonous gases, especially the carbonic acid, 
 likewise results from deficient aeration of the 
 blood. 
 
 SHOCK OF INJURY. 
 
 A fall, a blow, a crushed limb, a severe burn 
 or scald, etc., often produces a nervous depres- 
 sion, which is popularly termed a shock. There 
 are two kinds of shocks ; one is where there is 
 more fright than bodily injury, more scare than. 
 
EVER1"DAT EMERGENCIES. 2 J J 
 
 hurt ; this form is termed a mental shock, and 
 requires little treatment, except it be to lull the 
 fears- Physical shocks are often attended with 
 the following symptoms : " The patient," says 
 Dr. Miller, of Edinburgh, " is pale, shivering, 
 cold, breathing rapidly, with an alarmed ex- 
 pression, and almost pulseless." 
 
 What shall be done? — Place the patient 
 in a recumbent position, with the head, for a 
 short time, lower than the rest of the body. 
 Friction and warmth should be applied immedi- 
 ately. If the patient can swallow, mild stimu- 
 lants should be given internally ; hot teas or 
 soups may be given at first, and if reaction does 
 not soon appear, then resort to something 
 stronger — wine or whisky. Great care should 
 be exercised in giving liquids, lest they pass 
 into the glottis. 
 
 Camphor and ammonia should be applied to 
 the nostrils, but care must be observed in their 
 use. In cases of this kind, in olden time, the 
 first resort was to the lancet. Science of to-day 
 teaches better. 
 
 Galvanic electricity might be applied with 
 benefit, but it is not always available. 
 
 SERPENT BITES. 
 
 The first and important indication to be ful- 
 filled is to prevent the absorption of the poison. 
 
278 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 A ligature should be thrown around the limb 
 between the part bitten and the heart, and the 
 limb should be thoroughly corded, and in this 
 way the return circulation will be partially ob- 
 structed. In the next place, excise, if it is 
 possible, the part bitten. Favor profuse bleed- 
 ing by pouring warm water on the wound. If 
 some one present should apply his mouth to the 
 wound and by suction increase the flow, it would 
 be advantageous. No ill effects would be pro- 
 duced in the person so doing if the membrane 
 lining the mouth is entire, not abraded. Inter- 
 nal treatment should be stimulating ; any of the 
 alcoholic stimulants will suffice. Whisky inter- 
 nally is considered by some to be a specific. 
 Give it freely; the patient will bear twice as 
 much as he would in a state of health and still 
 manifest no external effects. 
 
 POISONS AND THE ANTIDOTES. 
 
 When any poison is taken in fatal doses, 
 about the best, quickest and most available 
 remedy is milk-warm water. Have the patient 
 drink immediately all that is possible, if it is a 
 quart. It acts as follows: The poison is diluted, 
 more slowly absorbed, and free vomiting is soon 
 effected. The emetic effect is hastened by 
 giving at least a tablespoonful of ground mus- 
 tard stirred in a little water. If the following 
 
E VER TDA T EMERGENCIES. 
 
 279 
 
 antidotes are handy they should be given first, 
 and then the warm water and mustard imme- 
 diately afterward. 
 
 POISONS. 
 
 Acids. 
 Nitric acid (aqua fortis), 
 Sulphuric acid (oil of vitriol), 
 Oxalic acid, carbolic acid, 
 Acetic and all acids. 
 
 Alkalies. 
 Caustic potash, quick lime, 
 Liquor ammonia, 
 Salts of tartar, and all alkalies. 
 
 Corrosive sublimate, 
 Vermilion, redprecipitate, and 
 
 all mercurial compounds. 
 Tartar emetic and all anti- 
 
 monial compounds. 
 
 Arsenic, paris green, and all 
 arsenical compounds. 
 
 Red lead, white lead, 
 Sugar of lead, and all lead 
 compounds. 
 
 Blue vitriol, verdigris, and 
 all copper compounds. 
 
 White vitriol. 
 Chromate of potash. 
 
 ANTIDOTES. 
 
 Alkalies; and the most 
 available would be soda, such 
 as is used in cooking, soap- 
 suds, magnesia, powdered 
 chalk, weak lye. 
 
 Acids ; and the most avail- 
 able is vinegar. Oils are also 
 antidotes : sweet, linseed, cas- 
 tor, melted lard. 
 
 The white of eggs; flour, 
 stirred in water, given in the 
 form of a thin paste. 
 
 Strong green tea, or any 
 astringent liquid. 
 
 Olive oil ; flour and water ; 
 powdered iron rust. 
 
 Epsom or Glauber salts. 
 
 Same as the antidotes for 
 mercurial compounds. 
 
 Same as for copper com- 
 pounds. 
 
 Same as for lead com- 
 pounds. 
 
280 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 POISONS. ANTIDOTES. 
 
 Opium and its compounds, Coffee ; belladonna ; and 
 
 Laudanum, paregoric. when great prostration exists, 
 
 carbonate of ammonia and 
 
 electricity. 
 
 Nux vomica, strychnia. Chloroform, and camphor. 
 
 Belladonna Lime water; infusion of 
 
 (deadly night shade), galls ; green tea ; opium ; sas- 
 
 Stramonium. safras. 
 
 The above are the principal poisons either 
 taken accideiitally or suicidally, but whether any 
 of the antidotes specified are or are not given, 
 be sure that there is free emesis produced by 
 the warm water, as described at first, and after 
 the vomiting, the administration of cooling, mu- 
 cilaginous drinks, such as slippery elm tea, gum- 
 arabic water, is advisable, as they quiet the irri- 
 tation that might possibly terminate in conges- 
 tion and inflammation of the stomach. 
 
 The constitutional symptoms must be care- 
 fully watched, and combated by the remedies 
 as if they originated from other causes. In all 
 cases of poisoning it is advisable to send for a 
 physician, as it is hard to prognose the dangers 
 ahead. 
 
 BURNS AND SCALDS. 
 
 These may be quite superficial, producing sim- 
 ple redness, or perhaps vesication, or they may be 
 
EVERTDAT EMERGENCIES. 251 
 
 so deep as to result in sloughing. In treating 
 these affections, constitutional and local remedies 
 must be used. The nervous depression or 
 shock that accompanies severe burns we have 
 already considered. Stimulants must be given 
 sparingly, for as soon as reaction is established 
 there is danger of too much excitement, and the 
 sympathetic effects produced on the lining mem- 
 brane of the lungs and stomach are to be coun- 
 teracted. 
 
 Local Treatment. — Immerse the part in cold 
 water immediately, and keep it there for some 
 time. See that the water is kept ice cold, and 
 as soon as the part is taken from the water, en- 
 velop it in cotton wadding, so as to protect it 
 from the air. 
 
 Dr. Gross recommends coating the part with 
 white-lead paint, such as is used in the arts, and 
 then envelop it in the w r adding. Lint soaked 
 in a solution of sweet oil, six parts, carbolic acid, 
 one part, applied to burned surface, is highly 
 recommended. If a large surface is burned or 
 scalded, and there is great nervous depression, 
 cold applications would not be so appropriate as 
 warm, as the continuous application of cold 
 would tend to prolong the shock. If vesicles 
 are formed they should be punctured with care. 
 If there is tendency to sloughing, as there always 
 is in deep burns, it should be facilitated by the 
 
252 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 application of linseed poultices, frequently re- 
 newed. 
 
 If the clothes are on fire and there is no water 
 near, envelop the patient in a blanket, buffalo 
 robe, or piece of carpet, and thereby smother 
 the flame. Whatever is done must be done 
 quickly. 
 
 LIGHTNING STROKE. 
 
 Lightning produces death, as a rule, by its 
 action on the brain and nervous system, and 
 when life is not extinct, the symptoms are quite 
 similar to that of concussion. Many times the 
 death is the result of the nervous shock, and 
 the body shows no external injury. The treat- 
 ment is same as that given for shock. Electri- 
 city applied works wonders in cases of great 
 prostration, and although it smatters a little of 
 the old maxim — " the hair of the dog that bites 
 you will cure the bite" — yet, really, in many 
 cases it is a fine therapeutic agent — a nerve 
 stimulant. 
 
 FROST BITE. 
 
 In cold regions this is a common emergency. 
 Long exposure to cold produces giddiness, dim- 
 ness of sight, feebleness, and finally profound 
 sleep. The indication to be fulfilled by treat- 
 ment is to restore the circulation, but it must be 
 done very cautiously, for fear that when reaction 
 is secured it may run so high that it is uncon- 
 
EVERT DAT EMERGENCIES. 283 
 
 trollable, and violent inflammation and sloughing 
 will be the result. Place the patient in a cool 
 room and rub the body with snow. If there is 
 a state of lethargy, mild internal stimulants may 
 be cautiously given. If only a small part of the 
 body is frost bitten, the part affected should be 
 immersed in ice-cold water. We might compare 
 the circulation of the blood to a steel spring ; the 
 excessive cold, like a weight, has pressed down 
 the spring to the lowest point ; now the applica- 
 tion of snow or cold water lightens the weight 
 so gradually that the spring slowly regains its 
 original position. If the temperature has been 
 so low as to break the springy death of the part 
 is the result, and when such is the case, warm 
 linseed meal poultices should be applied to favor 
 the separation of the dead from the living. 
 
 SPRAINS AND BRUISES. 
 
 We are liable to sprain the ankle, wrist, or in 
 fact any joint, every time we move, but what to 
 do no two agree. Angle worm oil, skunk's fat, 
 woodchuck's grease, powdered horse warts, lini- 
 ments by the hundreds, are still in this nine- 
 teenth century regarded as specifics. What do 
 science and common sense teach ? When a sprain 
 or strain of any joint is produced, it is nothing 
 more or less than a stretching or partial lacera- 
 tion of the ligaments. The indication to be 
 
284 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 fulfilled is to guard against the congestion and 
 inflammation which will soon set in, attended 
 with their usual symptoms : swelling, pain, ten- 
 derness, etc. Rest of the part should be first 
 secured, and then cold applications. The cold 
 should be continuously applied and kept up for 
 some time, but after all tendencies to inflamma- 
 tion have been averted, then there should be a 
 gradual change to warm appliances — cloths 
 dipped in warm water, or what is perhaps still 
 better, warm hop tea. Simple water at the right 
 temperature is all that is required until all the 
 pain and excitement have been controlled. To 
 remove the passive swelling and to restore the 
 part fully to a healthy state, friction and band- 
 aging the parts is beneficial, and in this last 
 stage only should stimulating embrocations be 
 used. 
 
 The application of strong liniments in the 
 commencement would aggravate all the symp- 
 toms, and all friction to the part should be de- 
 layed until late. 
 
 The following liniment may be used in last 
 stages. Take aqua ammonia, one-half ounce ; 
 sweet oil, one ounce ; tincture of camphor, one 
 ounce ; laudanum, one ounce ; chloroform, one- 
 half ounce. Shake well before using. 
 
EVERYDAY EMERGENCIES. 285 
 
 SUNSTROKE. 
 
 Remove the patient to a cool, airy place in the 
 shade, then combat symptoms. If the circula- 
 tion is vigorous, face flushed, head hot, and ex- 
 tremities cool, apply ice-cold water to the head, 
 and let its application be continuous. The ice 
 cap, composed of small fragments of ice placed 
 between oiled silk, would be better ; hot applica- 
 tions to the feet, either mustard or bottles filled 
 with hot water. If on the other hand the pulse 
 is scarcely perceptible, and there is sense of re- 
 laxation and exhaustion, bathe the body in warm 
 water. Ammonia and camphor should be in- 
 haled, and if the patient can swallow mild stim- 
 ulants in the shape of whisky, wine or brandy, 
 they should be administered. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 HOUSEHOLD RECIPES. 
 POULTICES. 
 
 THE office of a poultice is to impart warmth 
 and moisture. The best material to be 
 used is linseed meal. Stir enough of the meal 
 in boiling water until a thick mush is formed ; 
 spread the mush on a cloth in a layer of one- 
 third of an inch thick, then cover it with some 
 gauze-like substance to prevent its adhering to 
 the parts. After the poultice is applied to the 
 parts, cover it with oiled silk, so as to retain 
 the heat and moisture. 
 
 BEEF TEA. 
 
 This nourishing liquid, often prescribed by 
 the physician in low forms of fever, is made as 
 follows: Put a quarter of a pound of lean beef 
 into a pint and a half of water, and allow it to 
 boil for a quarter of an hour ; flavor to suit 
 taste. 
 
 ESSENCE OF BEEF. 
 
 This fluid extract of beef, which is more 
 nourishing than beef tea, and hence can be given 
 in smaller doses, is made as follows : Put a 
 
HOUSEHOLD RECIPES. 287 
 
 quarter of a pound of beef, cut into thin slices, 
 into a wide mouthed porter bottle, then cork 
 tightly ; place the bottle in a kettle of cold 
 water, which is then heated until it boils. The 
 bottle should remain in the boiling water for an 
 hour or so, then the liquid in the bottle is de- 
 canted and flavored to suit taste. 
 
 WINE WHEY. 
 
 This is both nourishing and stimulating, and 
 is often prepared for the sick where there is 
 great debility. It is made as follows : 
 
 Add to a pint of milk, as soon as it has 
 reached the boiling point, as much sherry wine 
 as will coagulate it ; strain, sweeten and flavor. 
 
 HOW TO TAKE A SITZ BATH. 
 
 Miss Harriet N. Austin, in her pamphlet on 
 baths and how to take them, gives the following 
 directions : " The Sitz Bath may be taken in a 
 common-sized wash-tub — though we have tubs 
 made on purpose which are higher at the back, 
 — with so much water as nearly to fill the tub 
 when the person sits down. The person should 
 remove all his clothing, except his shoes and 
 stockings, and be well wrapped up in his bath 
 with a comfortable. Many times it is desirable 
 to undress the feet also and take a warm foot 
 bath while a tepid sitz bath is taken. In this 
 
t 
 
 288 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 case the feet should be dipped into cool water 
 when taken out of the warm bath. A cool wet 
 cloth or cap should be worn on the head. This 
 bath is continued from five to ninety minutes to 
 meet conditions, though the usual time is from 
 fifteen to thirty minutes." 
 
 We have prescribed this form of bath many 
 times in this volume, and I consider it, if 
 properly taken, a fine therapeutical agent ; and 
 although I graduated in the calomel, ipecac, colo- 
 cynth, big pill — regular school — yet I can 
 secure ofttimes quicker and more favorable re- 
 sults from the use of water than I can from any 
 drug proper. When I prescribe water, I do not 
 mean necessarily cold water, hot water, warm 
 water, but water at that temperature that will 
 fulfill the indications. If I could have but one 
 therapeutical agent, water would be my choice. 
 
 WET SHEET PACKING. 
 
 Dr. Tanner gives the following advice in 
 regard to its proper administration : 
 
 " The patient is closely enveloped in a sheet 
 which has been dipped in cold or tepid water 
 and well wrung out. Or a long towel is wrung 
 out of tepid water and applied along the whole 
 length of the back, while another similarly pre- 
 pared is laid over the chest and abdomen. In 
 either case the patient is then carefully wrapped 
 
HOUSEHOLD RECIPES. 289 
 
 in a blanket, covered with three or more blank- 
 ets, and a down coverlet then tucked over all. 
 The patient should remain thus for thirty, forty- 
 five or sixty minutes, lying on his side or in a 
 semi-recumbent position, the duration being 
 timed by the sedative effect produced. On 
 arising, the body should be thoroughly sponged 
 with tepid water, and dried as soon as possible 
 by enveloping the patient in a dry sheet. After 
 the moisture is absorbed by the sheet, a vigorous 
 reaction should be secured either by hand rubbing 
 or flesh brush. While the patient is in the pack, 
 cold should be applied to the head and warmth 
 to the feet." 
 
 DRIPPING SHEET. 
 
 Tanner says : " The patient stands up in an 
 empty bath, while the attendant placed at his 
 back sudenly envelops him in a sheet dipped in 
 cold water. The surface of the body is rapidly 
 rubbed by the servants flat hands for some three 
 minutes, until the bather is in a glow, when a 
 dry sheet is quickly substituted for the wet one 
 and the rubbing continued. The whole process 
 should be over in five or six minutes." 
 19 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 COMMON DISORDERS, AND WHAT TO DO- 
 ERYSIPELAS. 
 
 ERYSIPELAS is a diffused inflammation of 
 the skin. The part affected is swollen, 
 painful, and of a deep red color. No part of the 
 
 body is exempt from an attack of this disease. 
 In England, 2,000 die annually with this affection. 
 Internally, the following may be taken : Tinc- 
 ture of chloride of iron, two drachms ; glycerine, 
 
COMMON DISORDERS. 29 1 
 
 four drachms ; compound tincture of cardamom, 
 one ounce ; water sufficient to make eight ounces 
 — mix. Take a tablespoonful every three hours. 
 
 External appliances are beneficial. The fol- 
 lowing have their advocates : Carbolic acid, 
 twenty grains ; water and glycerine, one ounce 
 each. 
 
 The following may be tried : Sugar of lead, 
 one scruple ; laudanum, one-half ounce ; water, 
 one pint. Apply to parts. 
 
 The inflammation may be prevented from 
 spreading by penciling the adjacent sound skin 
 with the tincture of iodine. 
 
 ARMY ITCH. 
 
 Besides attending to tfte general rules of hy- 
 giene, especially those of bathing, the following 
 may be applied externally : Take iodide of sul- 
 phur, one scruple ; lard, one ounce. 
 
 WHOOPING COUGH. 
 
 As I did not speak of this disease when con- 
 sidering the diseases of childhood, I will speak of 
 it now. It is not necessary to dwell on the 
 symptoms ; they are too familiar. 
 
 Treatment. — Besides seeing that the clothing 
 is sufficiently warm, and that light, nourishing 
 food and mucilaginous drinks are administered. 
 
 The following prescription is a favorite with 
 
292 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 the noted London physician, Dr. Tanner : White 
 vitriol, eight grains ; extract of belladonna, two 
 grains ; water, four ounces — mix. A table- 
 spoonful three times a day for a child three years 
 of age. 
 
 Syrup of ipecac, in nauseating doses, is good 
 where the bronchial tubes are loaded with mucus. 
 
 BOILS AND CARBUNCLES. 
 
 Science would szn poultice until suppuration, 
 then let there be free incisions. Painting the 
 parts affected with tincture of iodine in the early 
 stages is advocated by some to prevent pus being 
 formed. 
 
 EPILEPTIC FITS. 
 
 Bromide of ammon^m, in five-grain doses, ad- 
 ministered in simple water, before each meal, 
 comes the nearest to a specific of anything. If 
 the cause of this disorder can be determined 
 (which generally is impossible), it should be re- 
 moved. 
 
 RICKETS. 
 
 In this disease the bones are deficient in earthy 
 salts, hence the bones are soft and flexible. 
 Scrofulous children are more subject to this dis- 
 order than any other. Besides strict attention 
 to general habits, clothing, bathing, etc., partic- 
 ular attention to diet should be given. Milk, 
 raw eggs, meat diet, is recommended. Phos- 
 
COMMON DISORDERS. 293 
 
 phate of lime or iron in small doses should be 
 administered internally. 
 
 CHRONIC NASAL CATARRH. 
 
 This disease is quite common, and is the result 
 of frequent colds. At first the mucous lining is 
 acutely inflamed, but in a short time a chronic 
 inflammation affects the whole lining. There is 
 an uneasiness and stuffiness of the nose, and 
 after a time there is a very fetid discharge, which 
 is sometimes accompanied with blood. 
 
 Treatment. — Iodide of potassium, in three- 
 grain doses, to be taken before each meal and on 
 retiring, is recommended. Use as an injection 
 up the nostrils, once or twice a day, the follow- 
 ing : Iodine, two grains; iodide of potassium, 
 four grains ; water, four ounces. 
 
 The following is used as a snuff: Chlorate of 
 potash, fifteen grains ; white sugar, two drachms. 
 Subnitrate of bismuth, used as a snuff, has its 
 advocates. 
 
 CHRONIC SKIN DISEASE. 
 
 The following lotion effects cures after every- 
 thing else fails : Take sulphite of soda, two 
 ounces ; glycerine, four ounces ; water, sufficient 
 to make a pint. Apply to parts affected twice 
 a day. 
 
294 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE, 
 
 RHEUMATISM. 
 
 J. M. Da Costa, M.D., recommends the follow- 
 ing : " Bromide of ammonium, one-half ounce ; 
 tincture of orange peel, one-half ounce ; water, 
 two and one-half ounces — mix. A dessert 
 spoonful to be taken every three hours." 
 
 Foment the parts with cloths dipped in hop 
 tea, as hot as can be borne, 
 
 A GOOD LINIMENT, FOR MAN OR BEAST. 
 
 Take chloroform, one-half ounce ; aqua am- 
 monia, one-half ounce ; sweet oil, one ounce ; 
 laudanum and tincture of camphor, one-half 
 ounce each — mix. Use as any liniment. 
 
 A GOOD COUGH SYRUP. 
 
 Take hive syrup, two ounces ; syrup of wild 
 cherry, one ounce ; syrup of tolu, one-half 
 ounce; paregoric, one-half ounce — mix. Give 
 a teaspoonful every hour or two. 
 
 TO PURIFY THE BLOOD. 
 
 Besides observing the hygiene, pertaining to 
 diet, bathing, etc., which is all important, take 
 the following: 
 
 Take compound fluid extract of stillingia and 
 fluid extract of sarsaparilla, two ounces each; 
 iodide of potassium, two drachms ; simple syrup 
 
COMMON DISORDERS. 295 
 
 and sherry wine, two ounces each — mix. One- 
 half tablespoonful to be taken before each meal. 
 
 CHILBLAINS. 
 
 Dr. Fox, of London, uses the following : " Oil 
 of turpentine and tincture of aconite, one ounce 
 each. Use as a lotion." Avoid exposing hands 
 or feet when cold to the heat ; to relieve the 
 itching, glycerine should be applied to parts 
 acutely inflamed, 
 
 SORE EYES. 
 
 When the conjunctiva or lining membrane of 
 the lids and ball of the eye is acutely inflamed — 
 is red, fiery and sensitive to the light — the 
 patient should remain in a dark room, and 
 bathe the eye frequently with cold water. Ice- 
 cold slippery elm tea is soothing. 
 
 The following lotion, to be applied to the 
 eyes every two or three hours, is highly praised 
 by Dr. Lawson, of London : 
 
 Take alum, three grains ; white vitriol, one 
 grain ; distilled water, one ounce — mix. The 
 free use of Epsom salts internally is beneficial. 
 
 CHRONIC SORE EYES. 
 
 The following is beneficial : Take white vitriol, 
 two grains ; sulphate of morphia, one grain ; dis- 
 tilled water, one ounce — mix. Bathe the eye 
 
296 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 and allow a few drops to enter. A good house- 
 hold remedy is fresh milk dropped into the eye. 
 
 TAPE -WORM SPECIFIC. 
 
 The flowers of Kooso, in the form of a 
 powder, are considered a sure cure. Put one- 
 half ounce of the flowers, powdered, into a pint 
 of warm water and allow it to stand for fifteen 
 minutes, then stir it up and take the whole in 
 two or three draughts at short intervals. If it 
 does not operate on the bowels give a good 
 cathartic, of which castor oil is the best. 
 
 BLEEDING AT THE NOSE. 
 
 Although generally this is a trivial affection, 
 yet there are cases where the life is imperiled 
 by the profuse hemorrhage. Many times, how- 
 ever, especially in apoplectic subjects, the bleed- 
 ing is beneficial. 
 
 To stop the bleeding, the patient should sit 
 upright, all constrictions about the neck should 
 be loosened. Patient should hold both arms 
 above the head, and cold should be applied over 
 the nose and forehead, and to the back of the 
 neck. Astringent liquids, sometimes, are in- 
 jected up the nostrils. 
 
 BRONCHOCELE— GOITRE. 
 
 This is an enlargement of the thyroid gland 
 which envelops the front and upper part of the 
 
COMMON DISORDERS. 297 
 
 windpipe. Tanner recommends the following 
 ointment, to be used on the part : Red iodide of 
 mercury, eight grains ; simple ointment, one 
 ounce — mix. 
 
 SCALD HEAD, RINGWORM AND BARBER'S ITCH. 
 
 These three affections are the result of certain 
 parasites that infest the skin ; hence the common 
 sense treatment would be first to destroy the 
 parasite, which can be effected by using the 
 following lotion : Sulphurous acid, one-half 
 ounce; glycerine, one ounce — mix and apply to 
 the affected parts, then treat the disease accord- 
 ing to general principles. 
 
 ACNE— PIMPLES ON THE FACE. 
 
 Particular attention should be devoted to 
 hygiene, especially bathing. 
 
 The following ointment may be used : Iodide 
 of sulphur, ten grains ; simple ointment, one 
 ounce. 
 
 BED SORES — HOW TO CURE AND PREVENT, 
 
 Particular attention to cleanliness should be 
 observed. Rubbing the back with alcohol one 
 part, water two parts, will tend to harden the 
 skin. Air cushions, properly adjusted, will not 
 only prevent, but will also give great relief 
 where they do exist. 
 
298 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 ASTHMA. 
 
 This disorder results either from a partial 
 constriction of the bronchial tubes, or from the 
 excessive amount of mucus thrown off by the 
 mucous lining. Smoking stramonium leaves 
 will relax the spasm. 
 
 Dr. Tanner says he has succeeded with the fol- 
 lowing, when everything else has failed : Iodide 
 of potassium, three to five grains ; aromatic 
 spirits of ammonia, forty drops ; tincture of 
 belladonna, five to fifteen drops ; compound 
 tincture of Peruvian bark, one drachm ; pepper- 
 mint water, one and one-half ounces. The 
 whole to be taken three times a day. 
 
 CHAPPED HANDS. 
 
 This disorder is produced by various causes, 
 among which the following is prominent : im- 
 perfect drying of the hands after washing. 
 
 Dust the part affected with bismuth or the 
 oxide of zinc, or apply the mild citrine oint- 
 ment. 
 
 SORE LIPS. 
 
 Apply carbolic acid, one part; glycerine thirty 
 parts. 
 
 TO REMOVE DANDRUFF. 
 
 Dandruff are minute white scales or scurf. 
 They may be thrown off from any part of the 
 body, but especially the scalp. 
 
COMMON DISORDERS. 299 
 
 The following is highly recommended as a 
 lotion : Borax, one drachm ; glycerine, one 
 ounce ; elder-flower water, sufficient to make 
 eight ounces. 
 
 FOR DYSPEPSIA. 
 
 Take compound tincture of gentian, two 
 ounces ; tincture of rhubarb, two ounces — mix ; 
 take a teaspoonful before each meal. 
 
 GARGLE FOR SORE THROAT. 
 
 Take chlorate of potash, one-half ounce, 
 water six ounces ; use as a gargle. 
 
 NEURALGIA. 
 
 In "the west, malaria is a common cause, 
 although none of the symptoms of ague are 
 present ; and for these cases small doses of 
 quinine, if given for a length of time, are bene- 
 ficial. Two grains of quinine, three times a day, 
 before each meal, should be given. 
 
 As an external application to the part affected, 
 Dr. Hammond recommends tincture of aconite. 
 Inhalation of chloroform is beneficial. 
 
 EAR ACHE. 
 
 This affection is sometimes the result of in- 
 flammation of the ear from the presence of foreign 
 bodies in the external opening ; when such, re- 
 move the cause. 
 
300 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 When the ear ache is more of a neuralgia 
 than anything else, blisters, applied back of the 
 ear. Cotton wool saturated with laudanum may 
 be inserted in the external opening. Syringing 
 the ear with milk — warm water, is always bene- 
 ficial. Steam from a decoction of poppy heads, 
 allowed to pass into the ear, is always soothing. 
 The old lady's application of the boiled bulb of 
 the onion to the external ear is strictly scientific. 
 
 INGROWING OF THE NAIL, 
 
 Inflammation and ulceration of the side of the 
 toe is produced by the margin of the nail being 
 pressed into the flesh. This is ofttimes a very 
 annoying and painful affection. 
 
 Treatment. — Nail should be cut off square 
 instead of down the inner and outer sides. 
 Scrape side of the nail very thin. Soak the 
 toe in as warm water as can be borne ; afterward 
 insert a pellet of cotton wool saturated in glycer- 
 ine, twenty parts ; carbolic acid, one part ; so as 
 to separate the nail from the ulcer. 
 
 TO REMOVE WARTS. 
 
 Dr. Thomas recommends the following : Chro- 
 mic acid, sixty grains ; water, four fluid drachms ; 
 to be applied locally. 
 
COMMON DISORDERS. 301 
 
 CORNS. 
 
 This affection is the result of undue pressure, 
 from which arises an increased thickness of the 
 cuticle, and enlargement of the papillae of the 
 true skin. Many times pus will be formed under 
 the papillae, and until it is allowed to escape 
 there will exist the most severe lancinating pains. 
 
 Cure. — The first thing to be done is to wear 
 a larger boot or shoe. Take a small piece of 
 soft buckskin and cut a hole in it, and place it 
 so the corn will be in the opening. Soaking the 
 part affected in strong soap suds, will soften 
 the cuticle so that it may be easily removed. 
 Do not apply caustics. Use common sense in 
 their place. 
 
 HEARTBURN. 
 
 This is a distressing burning sensation of the 
 stomach, produced by imperfect digestion. 
 
 Subnitrate of bismuth, one drachm ; carbonate 
 of magnesia, one drachm ; to be divided into ten 
 powders, one to be taken before each meal. 
 Abstain from eating indigestible articles, and be 
 regular in the time of eating. Get up from the 
 table a little hungry rather than eat too much. 
 
 DISINFECTANTS FOR THE SICK ROOM. 
 
 The best to be used is carbolic acid one part 
 to thirty parts of water, sprinkled on the floor, 
 or a sponge saturated in the solution and placed 
 in a saucer in the sick room is well enough. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 (See Journey of the Sperm, page 50.) 
 
 BASE OF THE BLADDER AND THE ATTACHED 
 ORGANS. 
 
 i. Base of the Bladder; 2. Line of Reflection of Perito- 
 neum; 3. Triangular Space; 4. Vas Deferans ; 5. Vas De- 
 ferans Dissected; 6. Vesicular Seminalis ; 7, 7. Ureters; 9. 
 Right Ejaculatory Duct ; 10. Urethra; 11. Prostate Gland. 
 
3°4 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
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APPENDIX 
 
 305 
 
 (See page 48.) 
 
 VERTICAL SECTION OF THE TESTIS. 
 
 1. Vas Deferans; 2. Spermatic Artery ; 3. Vas Aberrans; 
 4. Body of Epididymis; 5. Globus Minor; 6. Rete Testis; 
 7. Mediastinum; 8. Vasa Recta; 10. Tunica Vaginalis ; 13. 
 Tunica Albuginea; 9. Its Septa; 11. Vasa Efferentia; 12. 
 Globus Major; 14, 14. The Lobes. 
 20 
 
306 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 THORACIC CONTENTS. 
 
 i. Left Auricle of Heart that receives the pure blood 
 from the lungs; 2. Right Auricle that receives the impure 
 blood from every part of the body; 3. Left Ventricle that 
 pumps the pure blood to every part of the body; 4. Right 
 Ventricle that pumps the impure blood to the lungs; 5. 
 Pulmonary Artery; 6. Aorta; 7. Vein emptying impure 
 blood into the right auricle; 8, 9, 10. Arteries; 11. Wind- 
 pipe; 12. Larynx. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 307 
 
 THE LUNGS. 
 
 0, Windpipe ; b, Bifurcation of windpipe ; c, c f c, The three 
 lobes of the right lung; d, Base of lung; e, e, e, Bronchial 
 tubes. 
 
3o8 
 
 APPENDIX, 
 
 EXTERNAL VIEW OF BRAIN. 
 
 a, Muscle covering skull turned back; b, Membrane 
 covering brain ; c, d and e, Convolutions of the brain. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 309 
 
 HUMAN SKELETON. 
 
 a, <z, Backbone ; I?, b, Humeri ; d, e, The two bones 
 below the elbow; /, The wrist; g. Bones of finger and 
 thumb; s, s and w form the pelvis ; w, The sacrum ; .#, Breast 
 bone or sternum ; 1, Thigh bone or femur ; n, m, The two 
 bones below the knee ; 0, Ankle ; p, Bones of the toes ; y 7 
 Clavicle or collar bone ; r, r, Ribs ; h> Head of femur or 
 thigh bone. 
 
i 
 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Abscess, a cavity containing pus. 
 
 Aberration, deviation from a straight line. 
 
 Abnormal, irregular, deformed. 
 
 Acid, a sour substance, a neutralizer of alkalies. 
 
 Albuminous, resembling the white of an egg. 
 
 Alimentiveness, desire for food. 
 
 Alkali, anything that neutralizes acids. 
 
 Alchemist, the chemist of olden times. 
 
 Amativeness, love of the opposite sex. 
 
 Antiphlogistic, opposed to congestion or inflammation. 
 
 Antimony, the base of tartar emetic. 
 
 Anodyne, that which allays pain. 
 
 Anaemia, a condition in which the blood is thin. 
 
 Analogue, a like or corresponding term. 
 
 Anaesthetic, anything similar to chloroform in action. 
 
 Apex, the summit or top of anything. 
 
 Aphthous, pertaining to thrush. 
 
 Aqueous, watery in nature. 
 
 Atony, debility, want of tone. 
 
 Atrophied, become smaller than usual. 
 
 Auxiliary, helping, aiding, assisting. 
 
 Billeted, quartered, furnished lodgings. 
 
 Blonde, light hair and blue eyes. 
 
 Botany, science of plants. 
 
 Bronchial, belonging to ramifications of windpipe. 
 
 Brunette, brown or dark complexion. 
 
 Cadaverous, resembling a dead person. 
 
 Calculi, concretions formed around a nucleus. 
 
 Carbonic Acid, composed of carbon, one part ; oxygen, two 
 
 parts. 
 Caustic, that which burns or destroys texture. 
 Casualty, accident, emergency. 
 
GLOSS ART. 311 
 
 Calcareous, containing lime. 
 
 Cantharides, Spanish flies. 
 
 Capillaries, the hair-like tubes connecting the arteries and 
 
 veins. 
 Caseum, that from which cheese is formed. 
 Celestial, belonging to the visible heavens. 
 Cervix, the neck ; cervix uteri, neck of the womb. 
 Cherubim, an order of angels. 
 Chancre, a venereal ulcer. 
 
 Cholagogue, anything that increases the flow of bile. 
 Chlorosis, scientific name for green sickness. 
 Clitoris, small organ in female, analogue of penis. 
 Clairvoyant, discerning objects not perceptible by the 
 
 senses. 
 Coccyx, small bone at lower extremity of the sacrum. 
 Cosmetic, that which beautifies the complexion. 
 Cocoon, the case that contains the larvae or grub. 
 Coalescing, uniting, growing together. 
 Cornua, (cornua of the womb is where the fallopian tubes 
 
 empty.) 
 Condiments, seasonings, as pepper and mustard. 
 Colostrum, the first milk secreted after confinement. 
 Coagula, clots of blood. 
 Coterie, circle of persons who meet socially. 
 Coition, sexual intercourse. 
 Cul-de-sac, a cavity open only at one end. 
 
 Decalogue, the ten commandments. 
 Defecation, act of voiding faeces. 
 Deleterious, injurious, pernicious. 
 Diagnose, to determine the nature. 
 Diuretic, increasing the flow of urine. 
 Diathesis, bodily state or constitution. 
 Discutient, that which disperses, scatters. 
 Drastic, that which purges quickly and thoroughly. 
 Duplicated, copied, transcribed. 
 Dysmenorrhcea, painful or difficult menstruation. 
 
 Eclampsy, a symptom of epilepsy. 
 
 Empirical, wanting in science. 
 
 Embryo, first rudiments of an organized being. 
 
 Emmenagogue, medicines that produce monthly flow. 
 
3 12 GLOSS ART. 
 
 Endemic, local in their origin. 
 
 Enceinte, pregnant. 
 
 Epidemic, affecting a great number, prevalent. 
 
 Ergot, popular name is spurred rye. 
 
 Eructation, act of belching. 
 
 Ethics, rules of duty. 
 
 Evolution, act of evolving, developing.. 
 
 Excrescence, a morbid outgrowth. 
 
 Exsanguine, bloodless, pale, death-like. 
 
 Extruding, throwing out, expelling. 
 
 Extra-uterine, outside of the womb. 
 
 Expectorant, medicine that promotes discharges from lungs. 
 
 Expedite, to hasten. 
 
 Fauna, the animals of a region. 
 
 Faeces, evacuations from the bowels. 
 
 Fecundating, fertilizing, imparting life. 
 
 Fissiparous, reproducing by splitting. 
 
 Fimbriated, having the border fringe-like. 
 
 Flora, list of plants. 
 
 Flexions, foldings. 
 
 Fluctuate, to move in waves. 
 
 Fossils, extinct animal and vegetable remains in the rocks. 
 
 Follicles, glands, cavities. 
 
 Fceti^ide, one who murders the foetus. 
 
 Freak, caprice, pranks, whims. 
 
 Frigidity, coldness, indifference. 
 
 Function, the office. 
 
 Fundus, base, as fundus of the uterus. 
 
 Gestation, the pregnant state. 
 
 Geologist, one versed in geology. 
 
 Glottis, the narrow opening at upper part of larynx. 
 
 Guy ropes, ropes attached to steady anything. 
 
 Hemorrhage, flow of blood. 
 
 Hermaphrodite, a being in whom both sexes are mani- 
 fested. 
 Hive syrup, a standard cough syrup. 
 Horticulturist, a gardener. 
 Hybrid, a mongrel, a mule. 
 Hydra, fresh-water polyp. 
 
GLOSS ART. 313 
 
 Hypertrophy, excessive growth. 
 Hygienic, pertaining to health. 
 
 Idiosyncrasies, peculiarities. 
 Iliac, pertaining to the groin. 
 Impacted, pressed firmly together. 
 Impotence, inability, defect of power. 
 Imperforate, having no opening. 
 Intractable, incurable. 
 Inguinal, relating to the groin. 
 Indices, those things that point out. • 
 Incestuous, guilty of incest. 
 Infusoria, microscopic animals. 
 Infinitesimal, infinitely small. 
 In situ, in its place. 
 Iritis, inflammation of the iris. 
 
 Lancinating, tearing, lacerating. 
 
 Lachrymal, relating to tears. 
 
 Lambdoidal, resembling the Greek letter lambda. 
 
 Larder, a pantry. 
 
 Leucorrhoea, scientific name for the whites. 
 
 Lotion, a healing application in fluid form. 
 
 Lumbago, rheumatism in small of the back. 
 
 Mammalia, animals producing their young alive. 
 Marasmus, a wasting away. 
 Maternal, pertaining to the mother. 
 Mammary, relating to the breasts. 
 Malignant, threatening a fatal issue. 
 Masturbation, self-pollution, self-abuse. 
 
 Menstruation, monthly flowing. 
 
 Meconium, the first faeces of infants. 
 
 Metaphysical, pertaining to mind. 
 
 Metamorphosis, change of form. 
 
 Meduste, sea nettles, jelly fishes. 
 
 Modus operandi, mode of operating. 
 
 Morbid, diseased. 
 
 Mucilaginous, resembling mucilage. 
 
 Mucous, secreting mucus. 
 
 Municipal, pertaining to corporation or city. 
 
3H GLOSS ART. 
 
 N^evi materni, mothers' marks, fancy spots. 
 Nauseate, to produce desire to vomit. 
 Narcotic, producing sleep. 
 Normal, natural, healthy. 
 Nymph/e, inner lip of the vulva. 
 
 Obstetrician, one who practices midwifery. 
 Occlude, to close up. 
 
 Omne vivum ex ovo, everything living from an egg. 
 Ovary, organ in the female that forms the eggs. 
 Oviduct, duct that conveys the egg. 
 Oviparous, producing young by eggs. 
 Ovulation, the act of extruding eggs. 
 Oxygenation, purification. 
 
 Pabulum, food, sustenance. 
 
 Paralysis, palsy, loss of voluntary motion. 
 
 Pandora's box, a fabled box of innumerable evils. 
 
 Parturient, giving birth. 
 
 Palliative, soothing, quieting. 
 
 Parietes, walls. 
 
 Panaceas, cure-all medicines. 
 
 Papillae, nipple-shaped elevations. 
 
 Parturition, childbirth. 
 
 Pathology, the science of disease. 
 
 Perineum, space between the genital organ and anus. 
 
 Penis, male organ of generation. 
 
 Peritoneum, a serous membrane, lining abdominal organs. 
 
 Phthisis, consumption. 
 
 Phagedenic, spreading, eating, obstinate. 
 
 Plethora, superabundance of blood. 
 
 Placenta, the afterbirth. 
 
 Polyp, a low order of animal, vegetable in form. 
 
 Prone, lying face downward. 
 
 Pro tempore, for the time being. 
 
 Prostate gland, small gland at root of penis. 
 
 Prognose, to predict, foretell. 
 
 Pro re nata, as the case requires. 
 
 Puerperal, pertaining to childbirth. 
 
 Pus, a creamy liquid of morbid origin. 
 
 Psychical, pertaining to the soul or mind. 
 
GLOSS ART. 315 
 
 Quickening, first sensation of foetal motion. 
 Quadruplets, four at one birth. 
 
 Refrigerant, cooling. 
 
 Recumbent, lying on the back. 
 
 Recto-vaginal, between rectum and vagina. 
 
 Rectum, the lower bowel. 
 
 Rouge, a cosmetic giving a red color. 
 
 Salivation, increased flow of saliva. 
 
 Sagittal, straight like an arrow. 
 
 Sanguineous, resembling blood. 
 
 Santonine, a vegetable vermifuge. 
 
 Scrotum, sac containing the testicles. 
 
 Sebaceous, producing waxy or oily secretions. 
 
 Sexual, pertaining to sex. 
 
 Sinus, a canal, a groove. 
 
 Sitz bath, hip bath — see index. 
 
 Sloughing, separating dead from the living. 
 
 Spermatozoa, minute animals in the semen. 
 
 Sperms, spermatozoa. 
 
 Sphincter Ani, the constrictor muscle of anus. 
 
 Spermatorrhea, involuntary seminal emissions. 
 
 Sterility, barrenness. 
 
 Stoics, a peculiar class of philosophers. 
 
 Stethoscope, instrument used in diagnosing disease. 
 
 Superfcetation, a second conception affter a prior one. 
 
 Sulphate of zinc, white vitriol. 
 
 Synonyms, words that are equivalent. 
 
 Syncope, fainting. 
 
 Testes, organs that secrete the semen. 
 
 Tincture of opium, laudanum. 
 
 Topical, limited, local. 
 
 Torpor, laziness, inactivity. 
 
 Trocar, surgical instrument used, in tapping* 
 
 Thyroid gland, the gland that is enlarged in goitre. 
 
 Thwarting, opposing. 
 
 Umbilicus, the navel. 
 Urachus, a foetal organ. 
 
3 * 6 PHENOMENA OF DISEASE. 
 
 Urethra, canal through which urine passes from the blad- 
 der. 
 Uterus, the womb. 
 
 Varicose, permanently dilated. 
 
 Vesicul^e seminales, organs at base of bladder. 
 
 Vesication, act of blistering. 
 
 Virus, poison, that which infects. 
 
 Vicarious, performing another's office. 
 
 Villi, minute elevations. 
 
 Viviparous, producing young alive. 
 
 Viscus, organ. 
 
 Vitelline, pertaining to the yolk. 
 
 Vulva, external organ of generation of female. 
 
GENERAL INDEX. 
 
 Abortion 152 
 
 Abscess of breast 102 
 
 Adam's command 148 
 
 After-pains and cure 100 
 
 Afterbirth 60 
 
 Amativeness, its office 132 
 
 Amenorrhcea and cure 186 
 
 Amniotic liquid 63 
 
 Aphthous sore mouth 264 
 
 Areolar change 83 
 
 Bag of waters 62 
 
 Beef tea and essence 286 
 
 Binder for mother 99 
 
 Birthright, child's 134 
 
 Bladder, irritable. 250 
 
 Born with a veil 91 
 
 Bruises and cure 284 
 
 Burns and cure 281 
 
 Caesarian section 161 
 
 Cancer of womb 214 
 
 Childbirth 86 
 
 Chlorosis and cure 196 
 
 Colic in children 265 
 
 Conception . 164, 53 
 
 Conjugal mates 136 
 
 Convalescence from labor.. 100 
 
 Constipation and cure 240 
 
 Corpora lutea 44 
 
 Cramps in pregnancy 225 
 
 Croup and cure 267 
 
 Cure-all nostrums 168 
 
 Diarrhoea in child 271 
 
 Diphtheria and cure 269 
 
 Diseases of women 173 
 
 Divorces, cause 133 
 
 Dosing the infant 157 
 
 Dress for child 271 
 
 Dripping sheet 289 
 
 Dropsy, uterine 199 
 
 Dropsy, ovarian 220 
 
 Drowning 276 
 
 Dwarfs, whims concerning, 128 
 
 Egg's journey 45 
 
 Everyday emergencies .... 272 
 
 Examination, how made. ... 93, 
 
 Faith cures 124, 125 
 
 Female generative organs.. 36 
 
 Fits, how treated 275 
 
 Flooding, how to stop 97 
 
 Flowers, their office 28 
 
 Foetal development 55 
 
 Foetal circulation 61 
 
 Fontanelles 167 
 
 Frog baby's history 129 
 
 Frost bite, cure 283 
 
 Girls, educating 175 
 
 Gonorrhoea and cure 228 
 
 Gonorrhoea in female 231 
 
 Gravel and cure 247 
 
 Headache and cure. 224 
 
 Hemorrhage 273, 
 
 Hereditary influences 131 
 
 Hermaphrodite 33 
 
 Hygiene of childhood 261 
 
 Hour-glass contraction 160 
 
 Household recipes 286 
 
 Husbands' duty 117 
 
 Hydatids 166 
 
 Hymen, what is it ? 37 
 
 Impotence of male ..... 108 
 
 Interman-iage 143 
 
 Kiesteine 84 
 
3i 
 
 GENERAL INDEX. 
 
 Labor pains 90 
 
 Lactation, its derangements, 101 
 
 Leucorrhcea 105, 107, 180 
 
 Lightning stroke 2S2 
 
 Married, but not mated 140 
 
 Masturbation, its effects 254 
 
 Menstruation 76 
 
 Milk leg and cure 226 
 
 Miscarriage and its dangers. 154 
 
 Moles, how formed 166 
 
 Monsters, how formed 127 
 
 Morning sickness 223 
 
 Mothers' marks 123, 156 
 
 " desire children. .. . 150 
 
 " have whole say. . . 147 
 
 " relation to child. . . 145 
 
 Nausea and cure 82 
 
 Nausea 223 
 
 Nursing 158 
 
 Nurse's duties 87 
 
 Offspring limited 146 
 
 Offspring, how to beget. . 119, 121 
 
 Onanism 254 
 
 Ovary, its structure ........ 43 
 
 Ovarian disorders 216 
 
 Ovaries hypertrophied 217 
 
 " absent 216 
 
 " dropsical 218 
 
 Ovariotomy 221 
 
 Oxalate of lime deposit 249 
 
 Parentage 116 
 
 Phosphatic deposit 249 
 
 Physometra 198 
 
 Piles and treatment 242 
 
 Piles, radical cure 245 
 
 Plants, how fecundated 30 
 
 Placenta, its adhesions 96 
 
 Placenta, how removed 95 
 
 Placenta, its structure 58 
 
 Polypus of womb 212 
 
 Poisons and antidotes 279 
 
 Pregnancy, its duration 73 
 
 Pregnancy, abnormal 69 
 
 Precaution against disease. . 178 
 
 Pruritus of vulva 179 
 
 Puberty, its arrival 74 
 
 Puerperal mania 227 
 
 Quickening 56, 166 
 
 Rectum diseases 240 
 
 Reproductive facts 32 
 
 Scalds and cure 281 
 
 Semen, its composition 49 
 
 Serpent bites 278 
 
 Sexual evolution 34 
 
 Sex, how to control 112 
 
 Sex, none existing 35 
 
 Sex, when manifested 33 
 
 Shock of injury 277 
 
 Siamese Twins 66 
 
 Signs of pregnancy 81 
 
 " labor 88 
 
 " " health 260 
 
 " " disease 261 
 
 ' Sitz bath, how taken 287 
 
 I Sore mouth and cure 263 
 
 " nipples and cure 103 
 
 Sperm, its journey 50 
 
 Spermatorrhoea and cure.. . . 257 
 
 Sprains and cure 284 
 
 Sterility and causes 109 
 
 Sunstroke and cure 285 
 
 Superfcetation — what is it?. 66 
 
 Syncope 275 
 
 Syphilis and cure 232 
 
 " in female 236 
 
 " in infants 238 
 
 Temperaments 137 
 
 Testicles, their structure. ... 48 
 
 Tight lacing, ill effects 177 
 
 Toothache of pregnancy.. . . 226 
 
 Thrush and cure 263 
 
 Tumor, Fibroid 207 
 
 " Cauliflower 214 
 
 Turn of life 79 
 
 Twins 155 
 
 " and their formation . . 65 
 
 Umbilical cord 61 
 
 Urine, retention in male .... 251 
 
 " " " female . . . 252 
 
 Urination, involuntary 252 
 
 " painful 253 
 
 Urinarj r organs, diseases . . . 247 
 
 Uric acid deposits 247 
 
 Uterus, its office 39 
 
GENERAL INDEX. 
 
 319 
 
 Vagina plugging 98 
 
 Varicose veins 225 
 
 Venereal diseases 228 
 
 Vomiting, its cure 82 
 
 Wakefulness and cure 224 
 
 Wet sheet packing 288 
 
 Wetting the bed 270 
 
 Whites, vaginal, cure 181 
 
 Whites, uterine andcure . . . 183 
 
 Wine whey 287 
 
 Womb ante version 202 
 
 " retroversion 203 
 
 " anteflexion 205 
 
 " retroflexion 205 
 
 Women more virtuous 149 
 
 Worms, how treated 266 
 
ADDENDA. 
 
 KITCHEN AND DININGROOM 
 
 HYGIENE AND ETIQUETTE; 
 
 HOW AND WHAT TO EAT-, 
 
 HOW AND WHAT TO COOK; 
 
 HOW TO BEHAVE 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 HYGIENIC EATING. 
 
 N' O fact is better established than this : there 
 is a constant, unceasing change transpiring 
 throughout the whole mineral, vegetable and 
 animal world. Man is no exception. You can- 
 not move a single muscle ; you cannot laugh, or 
 even smile, scold or fret ; you cannot have a 
 single thought, unless it is the direct result of 
 change. All action, whether physical or psychi- 
 cal, is the result of death. We live to die, and 
 it is equally true we die to live. The nutritive 
 function supplies the waste. Hunger is the 
 sensation we experience when solid aliment is 
 required to supply this waste. Man differs from 
 all other animals in being able to subsist on an 
 exclusive animal or vegetable diet. Many think 
 it an unpardonable sin to eat any animal food. 
 It is much ado about nothing. There are ani- 
 mal oils and vegetable oils chemically alike — 
 animal fats and vegetable fats. The fibrine (or 
 active part of the muscle) and the gluten (sticky 
 part of flour) are chemically the same ; the 
 caseine (that which forms the curd in milk) has 
 
 323 
 
324 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 the same composition as the legumine found in 
 peas and beans. 
 
 Food, scientifically considered, must contain 
 the same elements that are found in the human 
 body. Digestion does not create new elements ; 
 all it can do is to effect such changes in the food, 
 that it may replace that which has been torn 
 down. Fields, once fertile, capable of producing 
 a hundredfold, become impoverished 'by continual 
 cropping, if there be no replacement. So like- 
 wise many constitutions have been shattered, 
 many minds enfeebled, and morals perverted, by 
 not understanding and obeying the laws of nu- 
 trition. 
 
 What shall I eat? and How shall I eat? are 
 two important questions, and your weal or woe 
 will depend on the answer being correctly or in- 
 correctly given. 
 
 WHAT SHALL I EAT ? 
 
 Food may be classified as follows : 
 
 First. The plastic tissue forming elements 
 containing a large amount of nitrogen. This 
 class embraces albumen, fibrine, caseine, gelatine, 
 of the animal, and gluten and legumine of the 
 vegetable, 
 
 Second. The carbonaceous heat-producing 
 elements. 
 
 The human system is a self-regulating stove. 
 
HYGIENIC EATING. 
 
 325 
 
 The temperature is about 98 Fahrenheit, and it 
 varies but a trifle whether you are on an iceberg 
 or scorched by the blazing sun of the tropics. 
 This constant generation of heat is the result 
 of a slow combustion ; hence fuel must be 
 taken in the form of food. The heating elements 
 include the fats and oils of the animal and the 
 starch and sugar of the vegetable. 
 
 Third. Brain and nerve producing ele- 
 ments. This class embraces those in which 
 phosphorus and its compounds predominate. 
 The brain and nerves feed on phosphorus, and 
 one prominent cause of insanity, stticide, neu- 
 ralgia, enfeebled nerves and general debility is 
 the deficiency in the food of this all important 
 element, — it is phosphorus starvation. Fish, 
 eggs, graham flour, oatmeal, contain a large per- 
 centage. 
 
 Fourth. Mineral elements. These include 
 lime and iro?i. Rickets result from deficiency of 
 lime, Chlorosis (green sickness), anaemia, and 
 general debility, from a deficiency of iron. 
 
 Science and experience teach our diet should 
 vary with age, business, climate and season. Al- 
 though many have lived to a green old age who 
 have subsisted exclusively on a vegetable diet, yet 
 on the other hand, the Guanchos, a half civilized 
 race of South America, who spend most of their 
 life in the saddle, who are noted for their ac- 
 
326 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 tivity, powers of endurance and length of life, 
 subsist almost exclusively on animal diet. Prof. 
 Carpenter, of London, says: "And whilst, on 
 the one hand, it may be freely conceded to the 
 advocates of vegetarianism that a well selected 
 vegetable diet is capable of producing, in the 
 greater number of individuals, the highest phys- 
 ical development of which they are capable, it 
 may, on the other hand, be affirmed, with equal 
 certainty, that the substitution of a moderate 
 proportion of animal flesh is in no way injuri- 
 ous, whilst, so far as our evidence extends, this 
 seems rather to favor the highest me7ital devel- 
 opment." 
 
 Prof. Hitchcock, of Amherst College, says: 
 "That diet seems to be most perfectly adapted 
 to the human constitution, in all climates and 
 seasons, which is composed of animal and vege- 
 table food in the proportion of one to two, or 
 one-third by weight, of animal food to two-thirds 
 of vegetable food. This proportion is the basis 
 of the diet scales of the United States and 
 British navies." 
 
 FOOD ACCORDING TO BUSINESS. 
 
 Are you a brain worker ? Does your calling 
 keep your nerves at high tide from morn until 
 night? Live more on eggs, fish, game, oat- 
 meal, graham. Does your vocation require more 
 
HYGIENIC EATING. 
 
 3 2 7 
 
 muscle than mind ; more physical labor and less 
 thought ? Live less on fats, oils, starch or sugar, 
 but see that lean meat, beans, peas, cheese, are on 
 the bill of fare. 
 
 Does business, climate, season, expose you to 
 a low temperature ? See that your food is highly 
 carbonaceous, viz : fatty, oily and farinaceous 
 food, fat meats, butter, lard, corn, rice, sugar. 
 
 The Esquimaux and Greenlanders will drink 
 whale-oil with the same relish that those in the 
 tropics drink milk. Whale fat, or blubber, in the 
 frigid zone is relished as much as oranges and 
 figs in the torrid. Tallow candles are used as a 
 dessert by the Icelanders. 
 
 BEEF VERSUS PORK. 
 
 Americans, as a class, live too much on white 
 flour bread, sugar and fat pork, which, though 
 highly charged with carbon, and are good to keep 
 them warm, are too deficient in muscle and nerve 
 nourishing elements. The English substitute 
 beef for pork\ the Scotch will have their oat- 
 meal \ the Irishman his potatoes and butter- 
 milk, and they are the best muscled nations on 
 the globe. The chemist tells us those substances 
 containing the largest amount of nitrogen are 
 the best to feed muscle, and if you consult the 
 following tables you can easily see why beef, 
 mutton and veal are superior to pork. 
 
328 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 Nitrogen. Fat. Saline matter. Water. 
 
 Lean Beef 19.3 3.6 5.1 72. = 100 
 
 Fat Beef 14.8 29.8 4.4 51. = 100 
 
 Fat Mutton 12.4 31. 1 3.5 53.^100 
 
 Veal 16.5 15.8 4.7 63. = 100 
 
 Fat Pork 9.9 48.9 2.3 39. 9. = 100 
 
 From this table you see that lean beef is about 
 twice as rich in nitrogen and saline matter as 
 pork, and of course is the most economical of 
 animal food for the laborer, and is much quicker 
 digested; pork requiring about five hours, whilst 
 beef is digested in about one-half of that time. 
 
 MILK THE QUEEN. 
 
 Milk is the only liquid prepared by nature 
 that contains all of the elements of nutrition, 
 and compounded in the right proportion. In 
 the caseine (curd) we find the plastic elements ; in 
 the butter and sugar of milk we find the heating 
 elements. Milk contains the right proportion of 
 phosphorus, lime and iron adapted to the grow- 
 ing animal. Magendie's experiments prove that 
 no single article of food, except milk, can be fed 
 to an animal any length of time without result- 
 ing in disease, and finally death. 
 
 WHEAT THE KING. 
 
 Wheat wears the crown as a nutritive agent. 
 In it the whole four classes of aliments are found. 
 It has been said man shall not live by bread 
 
HYGIENIC EATING. 
 
 329 
 
 alone. In a religiotis point of view it is correct, 
 but from a physiological standpoint he may. The 
 bread he should select should not be the snowy, 
 fleecy loaf ; it must be bran-brown. Bran con- 
 tains a lame amount of mineral matter. The 
 chit or germ of wheat is loaded with phosphates, 
 and the white flour that is used by most families 
 has been robbed of its most nutritive quality. If 
 man would eat more of the bran himself, and 
 feed less to his hogs, he would be the gainer, 
 even if the hog is the loser. Brown or graham 
 bread should be on the table at every meal, and 
 if made right it is far more palatable than the 
 white. 
 
 Beans and peas are rich in nitrogen, much 
 more so than rice, which is mostly carbon in the 
 form of starch. Corn is far inferior to oats as 
 a muscle and brain food. What is true for the 
 horse is equally true for man. 
 
 Corn-fed horses shine, — they are fat, sleek, but 
 lazy, and will bear the whip. Oat-fed horses are 
 full of life and nerve ; in popular parlance they 
 feel their oats, and you must hang to the lines. 
 Oatmeal is better summer food, cornmeal better 
 winter. By examining the following tables of 
 analysis you can see why this is the case : 
 
330 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 Phosphorus. Nitrogen. Carbon. Water and 
 
 For Brain. For Muscle. For Heat. Mineral. 
 
 Wheat 2 per cent. 15 per cent. 67 per cent. 16 per cent. 
 
 Oats 3 " 17 " 51 " 29 
 
 Com 1 " 12 " 68 " 19 
 
 Beans 4 " 24 " 40 " 32 *« 
 
 Rice ]/ 2 " 6 " 77^ " 16 
 
 From this table you will perceive that corn is 
 only one-third as rich as oats in phosphorus ; 
 that rice is only one-sixth as rich. Beans win 
 the race as brain and muscle food. Fish are 
 rich in brain and muscle elements, but quite de- 
 ficient in heating qualities. Turnips contain but 
 little nutriment, being over nine-tenths water, 
 one-hundredth nitrogen, and the balance, some 
 nine-hundredths, is starch, sugar and minerals. 
 The potato is twice as rich in nitrogen and three 
 times as rich in carbon as the turnip or cabbage. 
 
 FRUITS AS SUMMER FOOD. 
 
 Nature is lavish with fruits at the very time 
 when they are most needed ; and although they 
 all, except figs and prunes, contain about 80 per 
 cent of water, yet they all contain, more or less, 
 the four classes of nourishment. Apples and 
 pears, although they contain only one-half as 
 much brain elements, and far less carbon, yet 
 they are far richer in the plastic than the potato 
 or cabbage. Figs and prunes are far richer than 
 any of them in every department. Figs are 
 recommended for constipation, but are too rich 
 
HYGIENIC EATING, 
 
 33 l 
 
 in carbon for weak stomachs. Ripe fruits eaten 
 freely are the best blood purifiers and alteratives, 
 especially for those who have been living on a 
 highly cencentrated diet. The juicy tartness, 
 the flavored sweetness of the strawberry, the 
 grape, the peach, or the apple, cannot but be 
 pleasing to the palate, bland for the stomach, 
 cooling to the blood. Too concentrated a diet, 
 as we find it in oily compounds, white flour bread, 
 and the endless chain of sweet cakes, pastry and 
 preserves, do not sufficiently distend the stomach 
 to secure a free secretion of gastric juice, hence, 
 soon are manifested all the symptoms of incipient 
 dyspepsia, viz : gastric pain and fullness, heart- 
 burn, water-brash, palpitation of the heart, etc. 
 
 DIETING VerSMS DOSING. 
 
 The dyspeptic, instead of swilling stomachic 
 bitters and the various bitter infusions and decoc- 
 tions, had better examine carefully his diet scale. 
 All salt meats, whether pork, beef or fish, also 
 pickles of all kinds, new bread and cakes, rich 
 pastry and preserves, and peppery soups, should 
 be crossed off the list, and substitute for them, 
 oatmeal and graham mush, fresh beef and fish 
 and ripe fruits. 
 
 HYGIENE OF QUANTITY. 
 
 A normal appetite is a safe counselor in re- 
 gard to how much, but the majority of the appe- 
 
33* 
 
 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 tites in this fast-eating, dissipated age, are on the 
 morbid order, for we are becoming fast a race of 
 dyspeptics. The dyspeptic's appetite is quite 
 capricious. At one time he eats too much, and 
 ofttimes the most indigestible food, then curses 
 the cook and grunts it out. At another time his 
 stomach revolts at the most palatable dish. The 
 various condiments should be used sparingly, — 
 more to flavor than stimulate. 
 
 Alcoholic stimulants should never be used 
 before a meal, as they put the stomach on a spree, 
 and we gor?nandize before we are aware. You 
 give a little man (light weight) a horn of whisky, 
 and he soon feels smart, elevated, He feels as 
 though he could whip a Morrissey or a Heenan, 
 if they were alive and in fighting tri7n. So the 
 stomach, after it has received a full dose of tod- 
 dy, or a dose of most any of the so-called stom- 
 ach bitters (a temperance title for spiced whisky), 
 is elevated, and if it could talk, would say, "Come 
 on pork and potatoes, corn-bread and cucumbers, 
 sour bread and succotash, sweet cake and sau- 
 sage. Come on, I am enough for all of you, 
 your sisters, your cousins and your aunts. 
 
 FAST EATING AND ITS RESULTS. 
 
 Although proper attention may be devoted to 
 the quality and quantity of the food, yet the race 
 is not half run. The laws of healthy digestion 
 
HTGIENIC EA TING. 2 X 
 
 must be obeyed. Not one person in a hundred 
 eats scientifically, and fast eating is quite a prom- 
 inent cause of indigestion. Many throw down 
 their food as if they were shoveling beans into a 
 sack, regarding the mouth more as a hopper than 
 as a receptacle in which are effected some of the 
 most important digestive changes. Such should 
 live on hash only. The mouth, with its three 
 kinds of teeth for cutting, tearing and grinding, 
 is nicely designed for triturating the food. 
 Proper mastication not only pulverizes the 
 solids so that they will easily dissolve in the 
 stomach, but it also converts all of the starch 
 into sugar, and all the starch in the food must 
 be converted into sugar before it can act as 
 nutriment. 
 
 Fast drinking is the natural result of this 
 American habit of bolting the food. Nature has 
 placed on each side of the mouth three flow- 
 ing fountains (the salivary glands), that will fur- 
 nish nearly all the liquid required, if we will take 
 plenty of time at the table. The liquids taken 
 at the table must be absorbed by the stomach 
 before the solids will digest. To illustrate : 
 Suppose at an ordinary meal you eat a piece 
 of beefsteak as big as your hand, two or three 
 potatoes, three slices of bread, the usual quan- 
 tity of pickles, lettuce and cheese, and then top 
 it off \m\k\ a quarter of a mince pie, and durino- 
 
1 -> A 
 
 oj4 
 
 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 the cramming process you have flooded down 
 your throats four or five tumblers of water, or 
 a similar quantity of tea or coffee? What do 
 you think the stomach, : — if it is not too full for 
 utterance, — would say, if it could talk, and it 
 can talk and does, in a language that every gor- 
 mandizer understands without an interpreter. 
 I will tell you what it would exclaim : I never 
 will digest this mongrel of solids until all the 
 liquids are absorbed. The stomach then begins 
 the work of absorption, and by the time it is 
 accomplished what is the condition of the solids? 
 They are putrescent. 
 
 No wonder there are so many complaining of 
 sour stomachs, belching of wind and heart-burn. 
 No wonder that every other man or woman you 
 meet is a walking hypochondriac. No wonder 
 suicide is on the increase and our insane asylums 
 are overflowing. 
 
 Those that will keep up this pernicious habit 
 of cramming and flooding down their food ought 
 to chew their cud like an ox and have four 
 stomachs instead of one. If the physician, in- 
 stead of dosing his dyspeptic patients, would feed 
 them with a spoon, his practice would be crowned 
 with greater success. 
 
 THE STOMACH A SLAVE. 
 
 Without doubt the majority of stomachs are 
 worse treated than any of the slaves of the 
 
HYGIENIC EATING. 335 
 
 present or the past. It is not a gizzard, designed 
 to grind, it is simply a thin membranous sac 
 merely for dissolving. The stomach is composed 
 of three coats, viz: i. The serous layer, which 
 envelops it, and gives it strength. 2. The middle 
 or muscular coat, which by its contractions, 
 gives it a limited motion. 3. The mucous mem- 
 brane that lines it, and in which are more than a 
 thousand depressions, not more than an eighth of 
 an inch deep, termed gastric follicles. These 
 follicles form from the blood the gastric juice, 
 which is an acid secretion that acts chemically 
 on the food. The turkey swallows its food whole, 
 but its gizzard, composed of strong muscle and 
 often containing very small sized pebbles, grinds 
 and pulverizes it. Its structure is nicely adapted to 
 the office it has to perform, but in man pulveriz- 
 ing the solids is the first change to be effected. 
 That nicely constructed food-mill, the mouth, 
 with its three run of stone, — that is, three kinds 
 of teeth, — is all the gizzard man possesses, and if 
 the food is not gizzarded there it will not be 
 ground at all. Yet how many eat as if the 
 stomach were a gizzard ! I will tell you when 
 you eat as if it were. You have been riding on 
 the cars all night; morning has arrived, the wel- 
 come cry of the brakeman, "Ten mimites for 
 breakfast /" is heard ; the cars stop, and there is 
 a general rush of the passenger to the dining 
 
336 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 hall, like so many vultures to their prey. Busi- 
 ness ahead, a dollars worth to be eaten in ten 
 minutes ! It is a champion contest, go as you please. 
 You grab everything within reach to have it ready, 
 then with knife and fork in hand you will throw 
 a quarter of a potato into your mouth, and before 
 you shut it you will toss in a large piece of roast 
 beef, and, not to lose any time, you fill the re- 
 maining cavity with hot coffee ; then you will 
 stretch up your neck, roll your eyes in terror, 
 contort your features, and bolt the whole mass 
 into your stomach, making much worse con- 
 tortions than a turkey in eating dry meal 
 
 Dr. Beaumont's experiments on Alexis St. 
 Martin have given us positive knowledge in re- 
 gard to gastric digestion. Alexis, by the ac- 
 cidental discharge of a gun, had an opening made 
 through the abdominal walls into the stomach it- 
 self. The wound never closed up, but the lining- 
 membrane of the stomach became elongated, and 
 formed a valve, so to speak, to close the orifice. 
 But any time you could insert a speculum and 
 look into the stomach itself. After fasting, the 
 lining membrane presented a pale appearance, 
 and the gastric follicles were quiescent ; but when 
 food was inserted after a long fast, the mucous 
 membrane that was pale became flushed, the 
 gastric follicles were aroused to action, the gas- 
 tric juice could be seen oozing from the thousand 
 
HYGIENIC EATING. 337 
 
 glands. Dr. Beaumont's experiments on Alexis 
 St. Martin have given us ocular demonstration of 
 the changes wrought in the stomach. The prob- 
 lem of gastric digestion is thoroughly solved. 
 The albuminous portion of the food is chiefly 
 affected in the stomach, and the whole mass is 
 converted into a creamy liquid termed chyme. 
 
 The stomach should have its full share of 
 blood after each meal, and such is not the case 
 when you hurry from the table to engage in 
 physical or mental labor. There are many cases 
 of dyspepsia produced by deflecting blood to the 
 brain and muscle that really belongs to the 
 stomach. 
 
 LATE SUNDAY BREAKFASTS. 
 
 Many breakfast some two hours later on Sun- 
 day morning, and gormandize more or less of 
 course ; they then hurry on their Sunday apparel, 
 and start for church, and before the services are 
 half through they are sound asleep; mouths 
 wide ope7i and snoring like a porpoise. You 
 question them on their return home how they 
 enjoyed the sermon, and the reply is, " It was 
 too dry, — not practical enough, — too dogmatical. 
 The sermon was all right, but they were all 
 wrong. The blood that should have been in 
 their brains, digesting the wise sayings of the 
 
 minister, was down in their stomachs, digesting 
 
 22 
 
338 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 the cold ham and fried doughnuts they had for 
 breakfast. It takes good eloquence and fine 
 singing to convert a piece of pork. Moody and 
 Sankey would certainly fail. 
 
 Napoleon, when in Egypt, attempted to cap- 
 ture a mud fortress and failed. If the fortress 
 had been made of wood he could have burned it 
 with his red hot shot. If it had been made of 
 stone he could have battered its walls with his 
 eighteen-pounders ; but a mud fortress was proof 
 against his heavy artillery. It is very much like 
 taking a mud fortress when the minister wastes 
 his persuasive eloquence on an audience with 
 more blood in their stomachs than in their 
 brains. 
 
 REST BEFORE MEALS. 
 
 Many treat themselves worse than they do 
 their horses. If they have been driving their 
 horses hard, they let them cool before they give 
 them their oats and water. They use practical 
 common sense. On the other hand, the laborer 
 comes from the field or workshop warm and per- 
 spiring ; the student throws aside his books upon 
 which he has been poring, his brain surcharged 
 with blood. .They do not use any precaution, 
 but rush to the table. They would founder their 
 horses to treat them as they treat themselves. 
 
 By taking a rest before meals the blood seeks 
 
HI'GIENIC EATING. 
 
 339 
 
 an equilibrium, and is uniformly distributed, and 
 then the stomach is prepared for its burden. 
 
 Bishop Hall thoroughly appreciated the fact 
 that rest, or light recreations, should be indulged 
 in before and after each meal, as is shown by the 
 following language : 
 
 " Before my meals, and after, I let myself loose 
 from all thoughts, and now would forget that I 
 ever studied. A full mind takes away the body's 
 appetite no less than a full body makes a dull 
 and unwieldy mind. Company, discourse, recrea- 
 tions, are now seasonable and welcome. These 
 prepare me for a diet, not gluttonous but medi- 
 cinal." 
 
 BAD DREAMS CAUSE AND CURE. 
 
 Many are in the habit, before retiring, of tak- 
 ing a lunch, and thereby are troubled with bad 
 dreams. You have heard about the man that 
 wished the doctor to prescribe for his terrible 
 dreams. The doctor asked if he had any bad 
 habits. Oh, no ; he was temperance to the last ; 
 he didn't use whisky or tobacco in any form. 
 "Well," says the doctor, " how are your dietetic 
 habits?" "Good, I eat regular." "How is it 
 about lunches?" " Well," says the man, " I am 
 in the habit of taking a bite on retiring. You 
 know it is a good while from bedtime to break- 
 fast" " What did you eat last night ? " " Oh, 
 
340 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 about half a mince-pie." "What did you dream 
 about?" "Oh, about my father and mother; I 
 have almost forgotten." " Well," says the doctor,, 
 " to-night you eat a whole mince-pie, and you 
 will dream about your grandfather and grand- 
 mother, and (if you live) you never will forget it." 
 
 Dreaming depends very much on a disturbed 
 digestion. If you wish to have sweet, lovely, 
 romantic dreams, eat an early supper and rather 
 a light one. Engage only in light physical and 
 mental work before retiring. See that the sleep- 
 ing apartment is well ventilated. Throw aside 
 the downy couch, and sleep on a husk or hair 
 mattress. Throw aside all business cares. Put 
 your all on the altar of Morpheus, and he will 
 prove himself to be "Nature's sweet restorer," — 7 
 balmy sleep. But if, on the other hand, you wish- 
 to be chased by the Sioux or the Winnebagoes, 
 and perhaps scalped, I will prescribe the following,, 
 but would advise you to get your life insured first: 
 
 In the first place, eat a quarter of a mince- 
 pie, — it is the deadliest of all pies, — it \s pleasing 
 to most palates, but death to all stomachs. With 
 the pie eat two pickles and a slice or two of 
 Limburger cheese. Wash it down with half a 
 pint of sweet milk, and you will think, perhaps,, 
 you are being beheaded instead of scalped. 
 
 " Well," says one, " how does a disordered 
 stomach cause such mental derangement ? " 
 
HYGIENIC EATING. 34 1 
 
 I will explain. The stomach and brain are 
 very intimately related, and are connected by a 
 telegraph wire, — the pneumogastric nerve. If 
 you are dyspeptic and consult a physician, he 
 will ask you more questions about the brain than 
 he will about the stomach, the seat of the disease. 
 These are some of the questions he will ask you : 
 Are you troubled with a frontal headache ? Is 
 your memory becoming poorer? Are you subject 
 to fits of despondency, etc. The trouble is in the 
 stomach, but the telegrams are read in the brain, 
 the other end of the wire. 
 
 Another case to show the telegraphic connec- 
 tion between brain and stomach. 
 
 If you should receive a blow on the skull, or 
 if you should fall from a building and should 
 receive a concussion of the brain, the first symp- 
 tom you would manifest would be vomiting. 
 The effects on the brain are telegraphed to the 
 stomach. 
 
 It is not the stomach that really digests the 
 food, it is the brain. The stomach is the instru- 
 ment, the brain is the motive power. The brain 
 is the galvanic battery that- drives every tissue 
 and organ of the body. It is a well settled fact 
 that the brain must have rest, but these bedtime 
 hinchers are bound it shall have no rest ; hence, 
 they bolt down an indigestible mongrel lunch, 
 and the brain, fatigued by the labors of the day. 
 
342 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 has got to toil all night to relieve the burdened 
 stomach. 
 
 Palpitation of the heart, nine times out of 
 ten, is the result of dyspepsia, and I will tell you 
 why. The nerve that connects the brain and 
 the stomach sends a branch to the heart, hence 
 the effects of indigestion, or irregular dietetic 
 habits, are telegraphed to the heart, and the 
 fluttering, irregular action, palpitation, is the re- 
 sult. The heart, of course, sometimes is organ- 
 ically diseased ; but in the majority of cases, 
 termed palpitation, the heart is all right, but the 
 stomach is all wrong. Hence the best formula 
 for palpitation is, attend strictly to the hygie7ie 
 of digestion. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 HYGIENIC COOKING. 
 
 " Some fretful tempers wince at every touch ; 
 You always do too little or too much ; 
 Serve him with venison, he chooses fish 
 With sole, that's just the sort he would not wish! 
 He takes what he at first professed to loathe, 
 And in due time feeds heartily on both." — Cowper. 
 
 COOKERY Is both a science and an art, 
 and to be an expert in it requires careful 
 study, close observation, quick perception, and 
 patience that endureth forever. A hygienic 
 cook is a genius, as much as a musician, a painter 
 or a poet, and is endowed with as high an order 
 of talents, and should rank as high in society. It 
 is no mean title, viewed in a scientific sense, to 
 select the right quantity and quality of food, and 
 to render it palatable and healthful. The pro- 
 cess of preparing the food is a series of chemical 
 experiments, and the kitchen is the laboratory, 
 the cook the chemist. In this country, cooking 
 is considered a menial service, too deoradine for 
 lily-white hands, and about the last thing too 
 
 many mothers instruct their daughters about is 
 
 343 
 
344 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 kitchenology, yet it is the very ology they will 
 practice the most after the nuptial knot is tied 
 and the fleeting honeymoon is passed. Mothers, 
 teach your daughters how to make a loaf of 
 bread before you bewitch their brains with fine- 
 grain embroidery. Teach them how to skim a 
 pan of milk before they begin to practice piano 
 or organ exercises. Give them good sound in- 
 struction in regard to the duties and perplexities 
 of housekeeping first, and there will be plenty 
 of time to give them the lady-like embellish- 
 ments afterward. Many a young married lady 
 would give all her smattering of French to know 
 how to make a good fleecy biscuit. Physical 
 labor does not degrade, it ennobles. Soft hands, 
 small knuckles and pale complexion are by no 
 means lady-like characteristics, if there is soft 
 piitty brain at the helm. Pope says, " the mind 
 is the standard of the man," and woman should 
 be measured by the same rule. Mrs. Everett, 
 in her " Hints upon Kitchen and Dining-room," 
 makes the following very sensible remarks : — 
 " There are few things that so conspicuously de- 
 termine the quality of the mind and heart of a 
 housekeeper as that tabooed quarter of the house 
 denominated kitchen. Here the mistress of a 
 house unconsciously betrays whatever of the ar- 
 tistic, conscientious, practical or capable faculties 
 she may possess. The kitchen is a far truer in- 
 
HYGIENIC COOKING. 345 
 
 dex of the spirit of the house than the parlor! 1 
 Most any one may shine in the parlor, the laws 
 of etiquette are few and simple, but to shine in 
 the kitchen, to superintend it, even, requires a 
 much higher order of talents. In this country, 
 kitchen work is considered drudgery, and hence 
 it is generally intrusted to stupid servants, who 
 trust more to experience and luck and habit, than 
 science, and it is no wonder hash is a slang 
 phrase. 
 
 In France it is a fine art. Louis Eustache Ude, 
 a celebrated French cook, says : " What science 
 demands more study than cookery ? Every man 
 is not born with qualifications necessary to con- 
 stitute a good cook. I shall demonstrate the 
 difficulty of the art by offering a few observa- 
 tions on some other arts : Music, dancing, fenc- 
 ing, painting, and mechanics in general, possess 
 professors under twenty years of age, whereas, 
 in the line of cooking, preeminence never occurs 
 under thirty. We see daily at concerts and acad- 
 emies, young men and women who display the 
 greatest abilities, but in our line, nothing but the 
 most consummate experience can elevate a man 
 to the rank of chief professor. Cookery is an 
 art appreciated by only very few individuals, and 
 requires, in addition to the most diligent and 
 studious application, no small share of intellect, 
 and the strictest sobriety and punctuality. There 
 
346 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 are cooks and cooks, as there are painters, but 
 the difficulty lies in finding a perfect one\ and I 
 dare assert that the nobleman who has in his 
 service a thorough good one, ought to be as 
 proud of the acquisition as of possessing in his 
 gallery a genuine production of the pencil of 
 Rubens, Raphael or Titian." 
 
 The remarks we shall make in this work will 
 be from a scientific, hygienic standpoint; we 
 shall dwell at some length on the philosophy, 
 giving the whys. Cooking has its whims, like 
 everything else ; these will be ridiculed ; and the 
 only pillar of fire by night, and cloud by day, 
 that we shall recognize as our pilot, will be pure 
 wtadulter cited science. The various formulas we 
 shall present will have these facts for a basis, viz, 
 pleasing to the palate, grateful to the stomach, 
 rich in the nutriment required. Our object will 
 not be, in the language of Dr. Trail, " to mix 
 and mingle the greatest possible amount of sea- 
 sonings, saltings, spicings and greasings into a 
 single dish, and jumble the greatest possible 
 variety of heterogeneous substances into the 
 stomach at a single meal"; on the other hand, 
 each dish presented will be simple in composi- 
 tion, chemistry and hygiene superintending the 
 whole. 
 
HYGIENIC COOKING. 7>A7 
 
 THE KITCHEN — WHAT IT SHOULD BE. 
 
 In building a house for comfort — to make it a 
 pleasant home instead of something for style, for 
 others to gaze at — do not, for the world, have it 
 nearly all parlor, and a small, squatty, unventi- 
 lated, uninviting, secluded part for a kitchen. 
 The parlor is used for leisure, and only occasion- 
 ally; the kitchen is the living room. The par- 
 lor is for the accommodation of your guests; the 
 kitchen is really the part you can call home. 
 
 The kitchen should be the largest and best 
 ventilated room in the house, the best exposed 
 to sunshine and breeze. Do not paint and paper 
 it with dark colors, as if it were a cloister for a 
 monk, or a cell for a convict; its walls should be 
 light colors. 
 
 The kitchen is the housekeeper's workshop, 
 hence there should be every precaution to make 
 the work light. An ill-arranged kitchen, water 
 off here, fuel off there, stove away one side, and 
 all the adjuncts, viz, pantry, cellar, etc., by no 
 means convenient, causes very much unnecessary 
 tramping for each meal that is prepared. All 
 the details of arrangement should be planned 
 by the wife ; she has to superintend even if she 
 does not have to do the work herself. Many 
 times it is impossible to get good servants, and 
 the lady of the house has to serve in every 
 
348 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 capacity, — from dish washer to hostess. Mrs. 
 Harriet Beecher Stowe says : " Who is not cog- 
 nizant of dinner parties invited in which the lady 
 of the house has figured successively as confec- 
 tioner, cook, dining-room girl, and lastly rushed 
 up stairs to bathe her glowing cheeks, smooth 
 her hair, draw on satin dress and kid gloves, and 
 appear in the drawing-room as if nothing were 
 the matter. Certainly, the undaunted bravery 
 of our American females can never enough be 
 admired. Other women can play gracefully the 
 head of the establishment, but who, like them, 
 could be head, hand and foot all at once ? " 
 
 A good mechanic has his tools systematically 
 arranged, and his order expedites his labor more 
 than any tact, celerity or nimbleness of action 
 on his part. Order is the kitchen's as well as 
 heaven's first law. 
 
 The clothes wringer, sewing machine, and 
 various other implements used more or less by 
 every housekeeper, are wonderful inventions, and 
 are truly labor saving ; but the field for dis- 
 covery yet untraversed is broad, and that genius 
 who invents a labor saving kitchen will confer 
 on woman an inestimable blessing, and will give 
 dignity to that vocation that is now too often 
 despised. 
 
HYGIENIC COOKING. 349. 
 
 COFFEE, ITS USES AND ABUSES HOW PREPARED. 
 
 Americans are a coffee-drinking people. It is 
 claimed about five pounds per head are consumed 
 in this country for every man, woman and child. 
 The unground coffee for sale is the berry of an 
 evergreen tree from twelve to twenty feet in 
 height. It possibly might never have been used as 
 a stimulating beverage, if it had not been for the 
 shepherds in Arabia, where its qualities were 
 first discovered. The shepherds noticed that 
 when their flocks browsed on the leaves of the 
 coffee tree they suddenly became more lively and 
 frisky. The monks from this simple fact soon 
 made use of the berry, or coffee bean. The 
 beverage they made was used by them to keep 
 them awake when their arduous duties kept them 
 busy late at night. These three kinds of coffee 
 are generally kept for sale in first class shops : 
 the Mocha, which grows in Arabia ; the Java, so 
 named from the island of that name in the Indian 
 Ocean, where it is obtained, and the Rio, which 
 grows in Brazil, South America, and is so named 
 from Rio Janeiro, the largest coffee exporting 
 city in the world. The Mocha is the smallest 
 berry of the three, and of a yellow hue, and is 
 the best and highest priced. The Java is a larger 
 berry, and a paler hue. The Rio, which is the 
 variety principally used in this country, is of a 
 
5o 
 
 H O US EH OLD FA C TS. 
 
 bluish tint. Never buy the ground coffee. It 
 may be apparently cheaper, — that is, a pound of it 
 may give the coffee color to more water, hence 
 for that reason it is much used in third-class board- 
 ing and slop houses. The aromatic flavor is 
 absent, that which is so stimulating and refresh- 
 ing, that which makes it a nectar for the old and 
 young, the rich and poor, or, as Pope says: 
 
 "Coffee which makes the politician wise, 
 And see through all things with half shut eyes." 
 
 Of course there are some ground coffees pure, 
 but the majority are adulterated with chiccory, 
 and if it is, it can easily be detected. Pure 
 ground coffee scarcely imparts any color if mixed 
 with cold water, whereas if it contain chiccory, 
 the mixture is highly colored. The active prin- 
 ciple of coffee is caffeine, and has the same com- 
 position as theine, the active principle in tea. 
 
 Coffee contains nutriment, and it tends to 
 retard the waste of tissue that naturally accom- 
 panies muscular exercise, hence it tends to abate 
 hunger ; and Dr. Kane noticed that when his 
 men drank freely of coffee they could endure 
 more fatigue and suffered less with hunger. 
 Coffee supports the system in tzvo senses, — one 
 positive, it repairs waste; the other negative, it re- 
 tards waste. It is a better morning beverage to 
 sustain through the labors of the day, and will be 
 more used by people in warm climates ; whereas 
 
HYGIENIC COOKING. 35 I 
 
 tea seems better adapted as an evening beverage. 
 It is quieting, soothing, and is better relished by 
 those in cooler latitudes. In sunny France, coffee 
 is a national beverage ; but in England, where 
 the atmosphere is moist and cool, tea takes the 
 preference. It is claimed by some that coffee is 
 better relished, and hence is more largely used, 
 by those of the bilious temperament, dark hair 
 and eyes, and swarthy complexion, and that tea 
 seems better suited to those of the nervous, or 
 nervo-sanguine, light hair blue or gray eyes, and 
 fair complexion. 
 
 Strong coffee drunken freely is without doubt 
 injurious, on the principle that all stimuli are 
 followed by depression ; and when you drink any 
 stimulant it is like giving your note at ten per 
 cent interest and secured by a mortgage on your 
 homestead. Pay-day comes when you are least 
 prepared, and your note is protested and fore- 
 closure is the result ; move west on a, homestead 
 is the closing tableau. When you give a stimu- 
 lus note, it is with compound interest ; Nature 
 is the payee, physical bankruptcy is the result, 
 and when the note matures, nervousness in its 
 protean forms is manifested ; closing tableau, 
 insanity, premature death. 
 
 Roasting Coffee requires great care, as it is 
 really a chemical experiment. Before roasting 
 pick over the berries, so that all foreign objects 
 
352 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 and poor kernels may be removed ; then wash 
 them in cold water so that all the dust may be 
 removed ; after this dry them in a pan at a mod- 
 erate heat. When they are thoroughly dried, 
 you have the clean coffee berries to roast. Never 
 roast a large quantity at a time, as roasted coffee 
 is constantly losing its flavor. 
 
 Roast it in a covered vessel, until it presents 
 a pale chestnut color and a peculiar oily appear- 
 ance. Be sure and agitate the vessel, and not 
 have the heat too intense, as there will be danger 
 of charring it, which greatly impairs its quality. 
 After it is roasted grind it as fine as possible, 
 the finer the better. The ground coffee that is 
 not immediately used, be sure and keep in a 
 close-covered vessel to prevent the escape of the 
 aroma. 
 
 To make a good cup of coffee is what every 
 housewife is desirous of doing. 
 
 M. Soyer's mode is the following : 
 
 Put the dry coffee into the pot and stir it while heating; 
 then pour into the pot one quart of boiling water to an 
 ounce of coffee. Let the pot remain ten minutes wj^ere it 
 will keep hot, being careful that it does not boil, then it is 
 ready for use. 
 
 Boiled milk, if you have not cream, .s recom- 
 mended for coffee. Most coffee is spoiled by 
 over-roasting and over --boiling. The point to be 
 secured is to get the strength and not lose the 
 
HTGIENIC COOKING. 353 
 
 flavor. Cold coffee warmed up is nothing but 
 slop, fit only for tramps. 
 
 TEAS, HOW PREPARED. 
 
 Tea is quite similar to coffee in its effects on 
 the system, for the reason that the active princi- 
 ple in each is the same in composition. It is a 
 nerve stimulant, and for that reason its primary 
 action is soothing — refreshing. There are two 
 kinds of tea, the green and the black, yet both 
 kinds are made from the leaves of the same plant 
 or shrub, and the great difference they present 
 depends on the preparation. The green tea is 
 made from the young leaves, and the black tea is 
 from the leaves after they become larger, and 
 the manner of preparing the leaves is quite dif- 
 ferent. Green tea contains more volatile oil, and 
 hence great precaution should be exercised in its 
 use, especially by those of the nervous type. Dr. 
 Youmans says, "Tea of all sorts is liable to the 
 grossest adulteration, green teas being worse in 
 this respect than the black varieties. The Chinese 
 heighten their color, or face them, as it is termed, 
 by the addition of Prussian blue, indigo, tur- 
 meric, gypsum, and China clay. A bright green 
 color is to be looked upon with suspicion, as the 
 pure article always presents a dull, faded green 
 appearance. The leaves of other plants are 
 often mixed with tea. Sometimes, also, exhausted 
 
354 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 tea leaves, or grounds, are bought up. and their 
 astringent property restored by the addition of 
 catechu, and colored with black-lead or logwood ; 
 they are sold again as genuine tea. Another 
 fraud of great prevalence consists in mixing infe- 
 rior qualities of tea with better sorts, and cheat- 
 ing the purchaser by selling the compound at the 
 price of the best article. In selecting tea, it 
 should appear not to be too much broken up or 
 mixed with dirt, and the leaves should vary some- 
 what in size and color. The best teas contain 
 portions of the stalk and flower. Old teas do not 
 possess so rich a flavor as fresh, owing to the loss 
 of a portion of their volatile oil." In preparing 
 tea for table, the great desideratum is to get the 
 strength and have the aromatic flavor retained. 
 
 Black teas require boiling from ten to fifteen 
 minutes, because the leaves are older, tougher, 
 containing more or less of woody fibre. 
 
 Green tea does not require boiling, as thereby 
 all the stimulating aroma would escape. All that 
 is necessary is first to put the green tea in the 
 pot, — and an earthen one is preferable, — pour 
 on it some boiling water, and then let it steep for 
 a few minutes, but be sure that it does not boil ; 
 afterward fill the pot with boiling water, and it is 
 ready to be dispensed at the table. Both kinds 
 should be prepared in vessels as closely covered 
 as it is practicable. 
 
HYGIENIC COOKING. 355 
 
 CHOCOLATE, BOTH FOOD AND DRINK. 
 
 This is quite a refreshing beverage, and is 
 much more nutritious than either tea or coffee, 
 as it contains a high percentage of oleaginous or 
 heat-producing elements, and about 20 percent of 
 albuminous or plastic elements. It is a paste 
 made from the cocoa-bean. The paste is made 
 by crushing the bean with hot rollers, the paste 
 is then mixed with sugar and is sold in the form 
 of small cakes. The active principle is theobro- 
 mine, and is quite similar in its effects to theine 
 and caffeine, the active principles of tea and cof- 
 fee. The only way to get pure chocolate is to 
 buy the cocoa-beans, roast them as you do coffee, 
 and use the same precautions about charring 
 them ; then grind them and mix with sugar ; but 
 the paste cakes sold in the shops are often adul- 
 terated. 
 
 Chocolate is prepared for the table by being 
 boiled in milk, and sweetened and flavored to suit 
 the taste. Chocolate was called by Linnaeus the 
 food of the GODS. 
 
 BREAD DIFFERENT KINDS HOW MADE. 
 
 If there is an article of food that might be 
 termed a staple, it is bread. A table is never set 
 if this staff of life is wanting. No one is worthy 
 of the high title, cook, that cannot make a light, 
 sweet loaf. 
 
356 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 There are two kinds of bread in use, viz : 
 leavened, or that which is light, porous, spongy, 
 or, in kitchen language, raised, and it is so made 
 either with yeast, milk rising or by the use of 
 certain acids and alkalies, and the unleavened. 
 
 The four principal things required in making 
 leavened bread are: i. Good flour; 2. Good 
 yeast ; 3. A good oven, stove or range ; 4. The 
 requisite knowledge, tact and strength. 
 
 1. Good flour. To have a good article it is 
 necessary that the wheat from which it is made 
 should be thoroughly cleaned, so that all foreign 
 material is excluded, and the more recently 
 ground the better. Flour does not, like wine, 
 improve, but, on the other hand, deteriorates, 
 with age. It is not the pure white flour that is 
 the best for bread-making, for the reason that it 
 superabounds in starch and is deficient in gluten 
 (the sticky part). That flour which is of a pale 
 cream color and retains its shape after it has been 
 compressed in the hands is the best, and will 
 make the lightest and most nutritious loaf, even 
 if it is not snowy white. 
 
 2. Good yeast. There are two kinds of yeast 
 or ferment in general use, viz : hop and milk, — 
 the latter generally known as milk rising. The 
 object of both kinds is the same, viz : to produce, 
 by its presence, a decomposition or fermentation 
 in the dough, so that carbonic acid gas is set 
 
HYGIENIC COOKING. 
 
 357 
 
 free, which, in its struggle to escape, makes it 
 light and fleecy, or, in kitchen language, makes it 
 rise. As the gas mentioned is made out of the 
 constituents of the dough, it is highly necessary 
 that the right quantity of ferment is used, and 
 that the fermentation is not carried too far. 
 Webster says : " Yeast is any preparation used 
 to make dough rise for bread and cakes." 
 Hence cream of tartar and bicarbonate of soda, 
 sour milk and soda, phosphoric acid, salts of am- 
 monia, all might be classified as yeasts according 
 to this definition. 
 
 3. The place above all others for baking bread 
 is a brick oven, arched over with several layers 
 of brick separated from each other by some good 
 non-conductor of heat. 
 
 HOP YEAST. 
 
 Hop yeast is made as follows : Put a handful 
 of hops into two quarts of boiling water. Let 
 boil for ten or fifteen minutes ; then strain the 
 liquor and mix with it enough flour to make it 
 of semi-liquid nature. This should be done 
 while the hop liquor is scalding. Let it stand 
 until about milk warm, and then add to it about 
 a pint oi fresh yeast. Put the whole into a new 
 jug, cork it tightly, and place it where the tem- 
 perature will not be above 75 Fahr. 
 
 Hop yeast cakes, which perhaps are more 
 
358 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 convenient and are more easily kept, are made 
 by adding enough fresh yeast to Indian meal to 
 make it like dough, which is to be rolled out 
 quite thin, and cut into small cakes some two or 
 three inches square. Dry them by exposing 
 them to the air, but not exposed to the hot sun. 
 Some add a little salt and molasses when the 
 batter becomes light, but it is not necessary. 
 The cake when used should be soaked in warm 
 water. 
 
 The sponge. Mrs. Lyman, in her work 
 termed the " Philosophy of Housekeeping," gives 
 the following directions : 
 
 "A few hours before you wish to make bread, dissolve one 
 of these cakes [meaning yeast cakes] in a half pint of water. 
 Stir in flour until it becomes a thick batter; put it in a warm 
 place until it rises. Now sift about three quarts of flour into 
 the bread bowl, pour in the yeast, add two tablespoonfuis of 
 salt and sufficient warm milk to make a stiff dough. Set it 
 in a warm place. In about three hours it may be expected 
 to be light enough for working. If no signs of fermentation 
 appear, a longer time must be allowed for it; when well 
 risen, knead thoroughly and put into baking pans, setting 
 them in a warm place. In a half or three quarters of an 
 hour they are ready for the oven." 
 
 CHEMISTRY OF BREAD-MAKING. 
 
 The chemical changes that take place in the 
 sponge or dough before it is fit for the oven are 
 as follows : The yeast, of whatever kind it may 
 be, acts as a ferment, and its first effect is to con- 
 
HTGIENIC COOKING. 359 
 
 vert the starch, of which especially the white 
 flour is largely composed, into sugar. This is 
 termed the saccharine fermentation. 
 
 The next effect is the conversion of the sugar 
 into alcohol and carbonic acid gas. The alcohol 
 is soon dissipated by the heat of the oven, and 
 some large bakeries have tried to save the alco- 
 hol by condensing the vapor that escapes from 
 the oven ; but the alcohol exists in such small 
 quantities it did not pay. The carbonic acid 
 gas that is liberated would easily escape, if it 
 were not for the gluten of the dough. It is at 
 this stage, when the struggles of the gas have 
 made the dough light, that everything is ready 
 for the oven, when the fermentation will be 
 stopped by the high heat. But if the cook is 
 inattentive and does not put in the loaves at this 
 particular time, the third stage takes place, viz : 
 the acetous fermentation, by which vinegar is 
 formed, and the bread when baked will be sour, 
 and by no means palatable or digestible. 
 
 The chemical- changes effected in the oven 
 are : i. The loss of about one-tenth the weight 
 of the dough by evaporation, and a small part of 
 the starch is changed into a gummy substance. 
 The gluten is not chemically changed, but it is 
 rendered less tough, and thereby more digestible. 
 The heat of the oven should be sufficient to stop 
 the fermentation, and still not sufficient to form 
 
360 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 a hard, thick crust, as that would prevent its 
 being light and spongy. 
 
 POTATO BREAD. 
 
 Pare and boil half a dozen potatoes. After they are 
 done, that is, soft, mash them in the same water in which 
 they have been boiled, rub them through a colander, and 
 when cool mix it with flour to make the sponge, adding yeast 
 and salt. The rest of the process is not different from that 
 in making ordinary fermented bread. 
 
 Potato bread is made by many on account of 
 its keeping moist so long. 
 
 Sweet Brown Bread, according to Dr. Trail, 
 is made thus: 
 
 " Take one quart of rye flour and two quarts of coarse 
 Indian meal, one pint of wheat meal (graham flour) — all of 
 which must be very fresh ; half a teacupful of molasses or 
 brown sugar, one gill of potato yeast. Mingle the ingredients 
 into as stiff a dough as can be stirred with a spoon, using 
 warm water for wetting." The rest of the process is no 
 different from that for ordinary white bread. 
 
 Graham Bread is made the same as ordinary 
 white flour bread, observing these precautions : 
 Make the batter much thinner, and be sure to 
 mold the loaves for the oven as soon as it is 
 light, for if you are careless in this respect it will 
 run into the third stage of fermentation, viz: the 
 acetoits, and hence will be heavy and sour. 
 
 Graham bread, if properly made, is fully as 
 sweet and palatable as white flour bread ; it is 
 
HTGIENIC COOKING. 36 I 
 
 more nutritious for the growing child, the phys- 
 ical laborer, or the student. If more were used, 
 the terms dyspepsia, constipation, hemorrhoids, 
 would become obsolete. 
 
 Oatmeal, Graham and Indian Meal Mush 
 are made in the same manner, with this excep- 
 tion : Graham and oatmeal should t^pil about a 
 quarter of an hour, whereas Indian meal should 
 boil for a full hour, until it is thoroughly cooked. 
 They are made as follows : 
 
 Mix one half of the meal with cold water, and make a 
 thin batter. Pour this very gradually into boiling water; 
 then sprinkle into it, while boiling, enough of the dry meal 
 to make it, when boiled the requisite time, of the right con- 
 sistency. Salt to suit taste. 
 
 Cracked Wheat Mush is made in the same 
 way, only it should boil some three or four hours. 
 Stir it occasionally and temper the heat to pre- 
 vent burning. Salt to suit taste. * 
 
 It is highly nutritious and digestible if thor- 
 oughly cooked. 
 
 Graham Waffles. — Stir one quart of Graham 
 flour into a sufficient quantity of cold milk to 
 make a thick batter ; add to this three or four 
 eggs previously well beaten, also half a teacup- 
 ful of cream, and as much sugar and salt as is 
 palatable ; thoroughly mix. Bake quickly. 
 
 Oatmeal Cake. — Stir into one pint of sour 
 milk enough oatmeal to make it of a doughy 
 
362 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 nature, adding at the same time about a tea- 
 spoonful of bi-carbonate of soda and sufficient 
 salt to season. The whole should be baked 
 thoroughly on a griddle. 
 
 BUCKWHEAT CAKES. 
 
 Add to a quart of warm milk about a half teacup of fresh 
 yeast and a ljftle salt; stir in enough of the buckwheat flour 
 to make it a thick batter; prepare it in the evening, and in the 
 morning it is light; if the fermentation has progressed to 
 the acetous, so that it is sour, neutralize the acidity with soda 
 or saleratus. Save a little of the batter and it will serve as 
 a ferment or yeast for the next meal. 
 
 JOHNNY CAKE. 
 
 Put one quart of sifted corn meal into a pan and thoroughly 
 work into it about one-third of a teacup of butter, a cup of 
 molasses and a little ginger; then use sufficient warm water 
 to make it a soft dough. Bake quickly in buttered tin pans. 
 
 This is a nice dish on a cold morning. 
 
 SWEET CAKES versus HEALTH. 
 
 it 
 
 I have considered, heretofore, articles com- 
 pounded from flour and meal that may be ranked 
 with the necessities, which even Hygeia, the god- 
 dess of health, would eat, and advise all her dev- 
 otees to eat ; but the modem, high-toned sweet 
 cake is an abomination to the Lord and all hy- 
 gienists, and I am not far from the truth when I 
 say sweet cakes, pastry and preserves, are thin- 
 ning the ranks of mankind as fast as tobacco or 
 alcohol in its various forms. 
 
H TGI EN I C COOKING. 363 
 
 There ought to be #/z//-sweet cake leagues, 
 and #/2/z-pastry crusaders. If you do not smoke 
 or snuff or tipple, do not think you are physically 
 sanctified, until you join and keep sacred your 
 vows to the #7^z-pastry union. 
 
 Pastry, pies, puddings, preserves, should be- 
 come obsolete terms. The component parts of 
 most sweet cakes are fine white flour, lard or 
 butter, eggs, sugar, and flavoring extracts ; but 
 compounded as they generally are, so that they 
 will, so to speak, melt in the mouth, they are very 
 difficult of digestion, although they tickle the 
 palate. But in these modern days of perverted 
 palates, a tea-table is not properly equipped un- 
 less three or four kinds of cakes, from the heavy 
 pound or fruit cake (good Lord deliver us ! ) to 
 that most unobjectionable variety, and the only 
 kind that should ever be eaten, — if any is eaten, 
 — the sponge cake. The other varieties can be 
 artistically frosted in every hue imaginable, and 
 placed on the table for embellishments ; but be 
 sure each one bears this placard : Food for the 
 eye only. 
 
 But as some of the readers might not agree 
 with me on the sweet cake question, I will give a 
 few recipes, telling how to make several varieties, 
 but at the same time advise them to never cut 
 them : 
 
364 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 SPONGE CAKE. 
 
 Take six eggs, with their weight in sugar ; two-thirds as 
 much flour, by weight, as sugar. Beat the whites to a froth, 
 stir the yolks with the sugar, then putting the two together 
 stir the whole for ten or fifteen minutes, adding the flour 
 gradually while stirring. Flavor with vanilla or lemon. Bake 
 it quickly. 
 
 This may be eaten, and still you may see 
 three-score and ten. 
 
 mrs. grundy's society cake 
 is thus described in Appleton's new work : 
 
 Take a quart of light sponge, work with it three cups of 
 sugar, one of butter, and three eggs beaten slightly. Add a 
 little saleratus, and half a pound of stoned raisins. Flavor to 
 your taste, stir in flour to give it consistence, and set it to 
 rise in buttered tins. When light, bake in a slow oven. 
 
 Eat this daily, and I think you will care little 
 for society or old Mrs. Grundy, and you will be 
 so dyspeptic and cross, and so afflicted with the 
 blue-devils, that society will care very little for 
 you. 
 
 Bride Cake. — Lyman, in his " Philosophy of 
 Housekeeping," gives the following recipe, and 
 if much of this heterogeneous compound is eaten, 
 there will be a funeral soon after the wedding, 
 and corpse cake would be a more significant title. 
 This cake reminds me of an anecdote : 
 
 An old doctor down in Arkansas was in the habit of pour- 
 ing into an old two-gallon jug any medicines that were left 
 
HTGIEN1C COOKING. 365 
 
 over, or that were spoiled by age, or wrongly compounded, 
 and it made no difference what the medicines were, whether 
 pills, liniments, cough balsams, vermifuge, epsom salts, altera- 
 tives, or blood purifiers, into the old jug they went. After 
 awhile the old jug was full ; now, what do you suppose he did 
 with it ? I will tell you. When in his practice he had a 
 patient, and he didn't V.r\ow just what to do, and just what to 
 give, he would fill a two-ounce vial out of the old jug, and 
 order a teaspoonful to be given in molasses every six hours, 
 and the old doctor said it never, or hardly ever, missed the 
 mark. 
 
 And it is a good deal so with this bride cake, it 
 hardly ever misses its mark. If you wish to 
 make a target of your stomach, try a piece. Now 
 for the cake : 
 
 Wash two pounds and a half of fresh butter in plain water 
 first, and then in rose-water; beat the butter to a cream; 
 beat twenty eggs, yolks and whites separately, half an hour 
 each. Have ready two pounds and a half of the finest flour, 
 well dried and kept hot ; likewise one pound and a half of 
 sugar, pounded and sifted ; one ounce of spice in fine pow- 
 der; three pounds of currants nicely cleaned and dry; half 
 a pound of almonds, blanched, and three-fourths of a pound 
 of sweet-meats, cut not too thin. Let all be kept by the fire ; 
 mix all the ingredients, pour the eggs strained to the butter, 
 but beat the white of the eggs to a strong froth ; mix half a 
 pint of sweet wine with the same quantity of brandy, pour 
 it to the butter and eggs, mix well, then have all the dry 
 things put in by degrees; beat them thoroughly, you can 
 hardly do it too much. Have half a pound of stoned jar 
 raisins chopped as fine as possible, mix them carefully so 
 there shall be no lump, and add a teacupful of orange flower 
 water; beat the ingredients together a full hour at least. 
 
366 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 Have a hoop well buttered, take a white paper doubled and 
 buttered, and put in the pan round the edge ; do not fill more 
 than three parts with batter, as space should be allowed for 
 rising. Bake in a quick oven. It will require full three 
 hours. In making cakes of a larger size, put at the rate of 
 eight eggs to every pound of flour, and other ingredients in 
 the same proportion. The cake must be covered with icing. 
 
 There ought not to be many weddings in the 
 same family in a year, if such a cake has to be 
 made, for it will take, as you see by the direc- 
 tions, nearly a year to make it. A cook that can 
 make such a cake and not make a mistake, has 
 brains enough for a congressnwn. 
 
 GINGER SNAPS. 
 
 One half pint of molasses, one half a teacupful of butter, 
 half a teaspoonful of ginger and saleratus each ; boil all to- 
 gether and then let it cool, and stir in as much flour as can 
 be possibly rolled out. 
 
 MINUTE COOKIES. 
 
 One cup of sugar, half a cup each of water and butter, 
 one teaspoonful of saleratus and one pint of flour. The 
 sugar, butter and flour should be thoroughly rubbed to- 
 gether. The saleratus or soda should now be dissolved in 
 water and added to the mixture. Roll thin and bake quickly. 
 
 PIES. 
 
 We will now consider the twin brother of 
 sweet cake, and, hy gienically , the worst brother 
 of the two, viz : a short-crust pie, and their par- 
 ents are still living, although they should have 
 
HYGIENIC COOKING. 367 
 
 been in the tomb long ago. Their names are 
 Perverted Appetites. A pie has the worst 
 side out. It is no hypocrite. If it could shed 
 its coat it would not be so objectionable. The 
 crust is generally made short with lard, and 
 when the pie is baked the lard is partially de- 
 composed, and the crust is almost indigestible. 
 I will give a few recipes from Dr. Trail, where 
 lard is dispensed with, and pies with such a crust 
 may be safely eaten, even by the dyspeptic, as 
 he recommends sweet cream vice lard. 
 
 WHEAT MEAL PIE CRUST. 
 
 Dilute sweet cream with a little water ; work the meal 
 (graham flour) into it until a stiff dough is formed, and roll 
 it out to the desired thickness. 
 
 Wheat and Potato Crust, by the same au- 
 thor : 
 
 Mix equal parts of fine wheaten flour and potato flour, or 
 of good mealy potatoes boiled, peeled and mashed, with 
 sweet milk and shorten with olive oil. 
 
 In making pies, after you have made the crust 
 there are but few precautions to be given. Some 
 fruits used should be stewed before being put 
 into the crust ; others are better in their natural 
 
 state. 
 
 v 
 Squash Pie, poetically considered, is made thus: 
 
 Take winter squash, boil soft, and strain it through 
 A sieve or colander, and add thereto, 
 
368 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 For every pint of squash, of milk the same, 
 
 Or, what is better still, a pint of cream ; 
 
 Beat four eggs well, add cinnamon and spice. 
 
 Nutmeg is very good, but not so nice. 
 
 Strain through a sieve, and thus remove 
 
 Whatever there may be 
 
 To offend the eye or palate 
 
 Of yourself or company. 
 
 A crust then prepare in a deep plate or dish, 
 
 Bake well, and when cold 'twill be all you can wish. 
 
 Rhubarb Pie, according to Dr. Trail : 
 
 Take the tender stalks of the plant, strip off the skin ; 
 stew till soft, and sweeten ; press the upper crust closely 
 around the edge of the plate and prick the crust with a fork, 
 so that it will not burst and let out the juice while baking. 
 It should bake about an hour in a slow oven. 
 
 APPLE PIE. 
 
 Peel and core the apples, and then stew them in a little 
 water until they are done ; then pour them into a dish, and 
 while still hot add your butter, any kind of spice for flavor- 
 ing, and sugar to sweeten to suit. When cold place them in 
 your baking tins. When the crust is done, the pie is done. 
 Instead of stewing the apples first, they may be sliced thin 
 and placed in the paste, adding butter, flavoring and sugar. 
 The only objection to this method is that often the crust is 
 baked before the apples are thoroughly cooked. 
 
 COCOANUT PIE. 
 
 The white part of the cocoanut should be grated and 
 mixed with milk. Then it should be made to simmer over 
 the fire for ten or fifteen minutes. A quart of milk should 
 be allowed for a pound of cocoanut. Beat six eggs thor- 
 oughly, and mix them with a half teacupful of sugar and the 
 
HYGIENIC COOKING. 369 
 
 same quantity of wine. Then stir this into the milk, adding 
 half a tablespoonful of butter, a cracker and nutmeg to flavor. 
 Turn the whole into a deep pie plate lined with paste. Bake 
 
 at once. 
 
 PUDDINGS. 
 
 Puddings are closely allied to pastry as far 
 as indigestibility is concerned, if made rich, 
 and especially if stuffed with raisins, and eaten 
 with the worst compound of all, the buttered 
 sugared wine or brandy sauce. The English are 
 great lovers of pudding, and they want it rich ; 
 the richer the better. The following old Eng- 
 lish ode describes one of the olden time : 
 
 When good King Arthur ruled this land, 
 
 He was a goodly king ; 
 He stole three pecks of barley meal 
 
 To make a bread pudding. 
 A bag pudding the king did make, 
 
 And stuffed it well with plums, 
 And in it put great lumps of fat 
 
 As big as my two thumbs. 
 The king and queen did eat thereof 
 
 And noblemen beside, 
 - And what they could not eat that night, 
 
 The queen next morning fried. 
 
 Apple Dumpling is thus described in Apple- 
 ton's work : 
 
 Quarter and core one apple for each dumpling ; then put 
 
 the parts together, with sugar in the middle. Surround each 
 
 apple with pie crust. If you wish to bake them, put them 
 
 on a pan like biscuits, and set them in the oven. If boiled, 
 
 24 
 
JO 
 
 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 tie each in a separate cloth and boil half an hour. Serve 
 both baked and boiled with liquid sauce. 
 
 This is quite a digestible compound if the 
 crust is creamed instead of larded, and the sauce 
 should be just sweetened cream or milk. 
 
 TAPIOCA PUDDING. 
 
 Put into a pint of warm milk one-half pint of tapioca, let 
 it stand until it is dissolved, then add as much more milk 
 and sugar sufficient to sweeten. Should be baked about an 
 hour. 
 
 CORN STARCH PUDDING. 
 
 One pint of boiling milk ; two tablespoonfuls of corn 
 starch, previously wet in cool water; beat into this two or 
 three eggs and sufficient salt to suit taste ; add to this half a 
 cup of sugar and then put it into a vessel to cool ; wet the 
 mould with cold water, and when it is perfectly cold put on 
 the frosting, made by sugar beaten into the whites of eggs; 
 set into the oven to brown. To be eaten cold. 
 
 Deserting the subjects of desserts, we will now 
 consider 
 
 SCIENTIFIC COOKING OF MEATS. 
 
 In order that meats, of whatever kind, may be 
 palatable, digestible and nutrient, a proper selec- 
 tion of quality should be made; and as a general 
 rule the younger and fatter the animal from 
 which it is obtained, the tenderer, the more 
 highly flavored, and the more digestible and 
 nutritious is the lean meat or muscle. You can- 
 not make something out of nothing, neither could 
 
HYGIENIC COOKING. 37 I 
 
 Prof. Blot, the great French cook, prepare a good 
 steak or roast for the table out of much of the 
 beef and mutton for sale in the butcher shops, 
 especially in the small country towns, for as a 
 rule those animals that are stall-fed and fat are 
 shipped to the larger cities, where they pay ac- 
 cording to quality ; but the old ox, the poor, lean 
 old cow, and lank steer, are kept for sale at an 
 exorbitant price (quality considered) for home 
 mastication, but the mastication is generally a 
 failure. The best way it can be served is in 
 the form of that heterogeneous, omnium gatherum, 
 look-it-over-well mixture, served hot and cold, 
 termed in popular language HASH. It is a 
 comprehensive term and includes most every- 
 thing that cannot be eaten in any other way, 
 and the big brother of hash is mince pie, which 
 is a good deal like a kaleidoscope, it looks, smells 
 and tastes different every time you roll it over. 
 
 Mr. Lyman says : " The first thing to be ob- 
 served in buying beef is its color and general 
 appearance. The muscular parts should be of 
 a fine carnation red, and the suet or fat of a 
 clear white. If the muscle is of a heavy red, 
 without any graining or streaking of fat, you can- 
 not expect fine flavor. Remember that what 
 you want is a savory juice in tender muscle." 
 
 The quality of the beef in the same animal 
 
372 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 varies with the part of the animal from which it 
 was obtained. 
 
 The best is the tenderloin, or commonly termed 
 porter-house steak, which is taken from that part 
 where the sirloin joins the rump, that is, just 
 back of the sirloin. It is the sweetest, tenderest 
 and highest-priced steak. The sirloin is next in 
 quality, and the round steak next. Prof. You- 
 mans says : 
 
 " For example, in cooking meats it is desirable to retain 
 their flavor, preserve their juices and soften their texture, 
 and with the requisite care all this may be accomplished, 
 yet how often does careless or improper management give us 
 a hard, dry, tasteless mass, as indigestible as it is unpalatable." 
 
 Boiling meats requires care, especially if you 
 wish to have it juicy and well flavored when 
 cooked. Do not put the meat into the pot until 
 the water is boiling, viz: 21 2° Fahr., and in a 
 short time it may be lowered to 160 . For this 
 reason the water should be boiling in the start 
 to coagulate the albumen on the surface, which, 
 when coagulated, so encases or hermetically 
 seals it that none of the juices can escape, and 
 when this is secured the temperature, when low- 
 ered, effectually cooks the interior in its own. 
 broth, so to speak. Be sure and leave it in until 
 thoroughly cooked, and when served it will be 
 tender and juicy. 
 
 Roasting should be conducted on the same 
 
HYGIENIC COOKING, 
 
 373 
 
 principle. The heat at first should be very in- 
 tense, to encase it so that its juices may be re- 
 tained, and then the temperature should be 
 somewhat lower. 
 
 Stewing is the best way to serve tough meats, 
 and it is a good plan to cut the meat into small 
 pieces and put them first into cool water and raise 
 it gradually to the boiling point, and the result 
 will be what flavored juices it had have been ex- 
 tracted by the water, so that the stew will be 
 tender, at least masticatable, but juiceless, but 
 you will have a good rich broth to make up for it. 
 
 Frying meats is the worst form of all, for this 
 reason : the intense heat required often decom- 
 poses the fatty material in which it is fried, and 
 the meat itself is often so charred that a lump 
 of anthracite would be just as palatable and 
 about as easily digested. 
 
 Broiling Steaks is the best way, but that it 
 may be done hygicnically requires good judg- 
 ment and long practice. In broiling, the steak 
 must be exposed first to a high heat to prevent 
 the loss of the savory juices, and then the broiler 
 or gridiron should be removed a little farther 
 from the heat. 
 
 At first put the broiler in direct contact with 
 the coals, whether you are using anthracite or 
 coals from hard wood. Broil it on each side 
 about two minutes, and it will be tender, juicy, 
 
374 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 sufficiently rare and sufficiently done to suit 
 most tastes, but for the world's sake, do not broil 
 it to death. Too many of our steaks, as you find 
 them, have tasted the second death. 
 
 In Appleton's work, broiling steak is poetically 
 considered thus: 
 
 Pound well your steak until the fibres break, 
 Be sure that next you have, to broil the steak, 
 Good coals in plenty ; nor it a moment leave, 
 But turn it over this way and then that. 
 The lean should be quite rare, not so the fat. 
 The platter now and then the juice receive, 
 Put on your butter, place on it your meat ; 
 Salt, pepper, turn it over, serve and eat. 
 
 Be sure, in cold weather, to have the platter 
 on which the steak is to be placed sufficiently 
 warm, yea hot. It does not cost anything, and 
 is very little trouble, yet it is too often disre- 
 garded. To have a nice, hot, juicy broil put first 
 on an ice cold platter, and then transferred in 
 sections to an ice cold plate, when the temper- 
 ature of the dining-room is but a little above zero, 
 is inexcusable, yet it is a common occurrence in 
 small, and semi-occasionally in larger, towns. 
 
 Lyman makes a telling and a truthful hit when 
 he says : 
 
 "There is no dish in the world that so rigidly requires to 
 be eaten hot as steak. A cold cup of coffee, cold batter- 
 cakes, ''the cold shoulder and a ' cool reception,' are all tolera- 
 ble, — we can use philosophy and forget them, — but a cold 
 
HYGIENIC COOKING. 
 
 375 
 
 steak is abominable — it is barbarous. A good steak, duly and 
 artistically cooked, requires no sauce at all; like peaches, it 
 should be eaten in its own juice. If your butter is truly first- 
 class, fragrant and delicate, use a little of it, nor is there any 
 objection to two or three drops of lemon juice; but Worces- 
 tershire, tomato, walnut, mushroom, I would as soon think of 
 pouring them over a Bartlett pear, as over a first-class, fra- 
 grant, juicy, savory, smoking beef-steak." 
 
 Broiling, or otherwise cooking mutton, veal, 
 pork and fish, the same general principles must be 
 regarded that we have already considered. Spe- 
 cial precaution in regard to details, varying with 
 each particular kind, we have not time nor space 
 at present to consider. 
 
 ANIMAL SOUPS. 
 
 In making most kinds of animal soup, the 
 point to be secured is to extract the savory juices, 
 and this is best effected by putting the meat, of 
 whatever kind it may be, into cold water, — and 
 soft water is preferable to hard. Apply quite a 
 gentle heat at first, and at no time should the 
 boiling point be reached. If the water should 
 boil, much of the albuminous matter would be 
 coagulated, and would be retained instead of be- 
 ing extracted by the water. The stew would 
 be rich, but the soup thin. After the meat is 
 well stewed, and the juices extracted, then the 
 soup should be brought to the boiling point, and 
 rice, barley, or any vegetables you please, may 
 
376 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 be added. It should boil until the vegetables 
 are thoroughly cooked. Flavor to suit taste. 
 
 BEEF SOUP. 
 
 Cut a shank in two or three pieces, and the more and finer 
 the pieces, the quicker the juices are extracted, and let it 
 stew in water about 150 Fahrenheit for two or three hours, 
 then take it off the fire and let it cool, and then skim from 
 the surface the fat. After it is skimmed put it again on the 
 fire and bring it to the boiling point, and add your rice, or 
 whatever vegetables you wish, and about fifteen minutes be- 
 fore the vegetables are cooked, add dumplings made of flour, 
 eggs and milk, beaten and kneaded into a stiff dough. When 
 done, serve hot. 
 
 A soup that is not hot is not worthy of the 
 name of soup. A more befitting term would be, 
 
 SLUSH. 
 
 OYSTER SOUP. 
 
 Take out the oysters from the can, and then strain the 
 oyster liquor. Put the oysters and their liquor into an equal 
 amount of sweet milk. This should at first be exposed to a 
 gentle heat, and raised gradually to the boiling point. They 
 are ready to be served hot. Add pepper and salt to suit. If 
 the soup, so to speak, is too thin, a little fresh butter should 
 be added. 
 
 Animal Soups are stimulating and nutrient, 
 if properly made, and are easily appropriated by 
 the stomach, requiring but little gastric digestion. 
 
HTG/ENIC COOKING. 3 J J 
 
 VEGETABLE SOUPS AND GRUELS. 
 
 OATMEAL GRUEL. 
 
 Mix about a tablespoonful of oatmeal in a little cold 
 water, stirring it until all the lumps are removed; then put it 
 into a quart of hot water, but not boiling ; then let it settle. 
 After it is settled, pour it carefully into a pan, leaving the 
 coarser part at the bottom of the vessel. Boil it about three 
 or four minutes, season to taste, and it is ready to be served. 
 
 TAPIOCA GRUEL. 
 
 Put a tablespoonful of tapioca into about a pint of water, 
 and let it soak for a quarter of an hour, then boil until 
 cooked. Sweeten and flavor. 
 
 ARROW-ROOT GRUEL. 
 
 Mix about an ounce of arrow-root with enough cold water 
 to make a thorough mixture, then put it into a pint of boil- 
 ing water, and boil it about five minutes. Season with sugar 
 and lemon to make it palatable. 
 
 Vegetable and rice soup, according to Trail, 
 is made thus : 
 
 Take one pound of turnips, half a pound of carrots, quar- 
 ter of a pound of parsnips, half a pound of potatoes, and 
 three tablespoonfuls of rice. Slice the vegetables, put the 
 turnips, carrots and parsnips into a pan with a quart of boil- 
 ing water; add the rice (previously picked and washed); boil 
 one hour, add the potatoes with two quarts of water and boil 
 until all are done. If too thin, a little rice flour mixed with 
 milk, may be stirred in, boiling afterward fifteen minutes. 
 
 POTATOES HOW COOKED. 
 
 Potatoes, of all roots, bear the palm. We 
 
378 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 might as well try to live without air, sleep and 
 sunlight, as to live without potatoes. A break- 
 fast or dinner without a plentiful supply of nice, 
 boiled, mealy potatoes, bears the wrong cogno- 
 men. Although a potato is about three quarters 
 water, yet the solid one fourth contains a good 
 combination of the four classes of nutrient ele- 
 ments. They are rather too deficient in the ni- 
 trogenous or muscle-forming elements ; hence 
 alone would not be sufficiently rich for the la- 
 borer, and for that reason should be eaten with 
 lean meat of some kind, although the Irish, with 
 plenty of potatoes to eat and plenty of butter- 
 milk to drink, are able to perform the most con- 
 tinued and laborious service. The buttermilk, 
 rich in caseine, which is rich in nitrogen, supplies 
 the deficient elements of the potato. 
 
 Letheby gives the following analysis of the 
 potato : 
 
 Nitrogenous material (muscle elements) 2.1 
 
 Starch (heating elements) 18.8 
 
 Sugar 3.2 
 
 Fat " 0.2 
 
 Saline matter (brain and nerve elements) 0.7 
 
 Water 75 .0 
 
 100. o 
 
 Potatoes are often spoiled by peeling. The 
 richest part of a kernel of wheat is that which 
 lies next to the bran, and goes to the hogs, so the 
 
HYGIENIC COOKING. 379 
 
 richest part of the potato lies just under the 
 skin, and that goes to the hogs likewise ; so 
 it is no wonder that swine are progressing 
 and the human family retrograding. Pota- 
 toes, for this reason, should be boiled with their 
 skins on, and there will be only about one fourth 
 the waste that there is if pared before boiling. 
 I do not, of course, advise them to be eaten 
 skins and all, but after boiling they should be 
 pared as thin as possible. Never put potatoes 
 into the kettle until the water is boiling, and 
 keep it boiling continuously, and be sure, as soon 
 as they are done, soft, that they are taken out of 
 the water. If these precautions are observed, 
 instead of being soggy, water-logged, they will 
 be dry and mealy. 
 
 ONIONS. 
 
 Onions are fully three-fourths water, yet their 
 analysis shows them to represent the four classes 
 of nutritive elements. The principal objection 
 to them is the offensive breath which results from 
 eating them, yet if they are properly cooked this 
 objection is easily removed. The peculiar odor 
 can be removed thus : assort the onions so that 
 they are of a size, and then boil them in water 
 for at least half an hour ; then pour off the liquid, 
 which has extracted most of the odoriferous 
 qualities. After this boil them in cream until 
 done. Salt and pepper to suit. 
 
380 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 Cabbage should be thoroughly boiled before 
 eaten. 
 
 Tomatoes are fairly nutrient, yet their physi- 
 ological effect on the system is decidedly bene- 
 ficial. They are a fine stomachic, and in all 
 bilious affections act as a fine alterative. Green 
 tomatoes never should be eaten, and those that 
 are ripe should first be cooked. 
 
 STEWED TOMATOES. 
 
 First peel and slice them; then put them into the sauce- 
 pan, adding a little water, vinegar, sugar, butter, salt and 
 pepper to suit. Stew until done, and then thicken it with 
 pulverized cracker or crumbs of bread. 
 
 Tomato Toast is prepared by- pouring some 
 of the aforesaid sauce on slices of dry toast well 
 buttered on both sides. 
 
 Downing says tomatoes may be kept over for 
 winter use as follows : 
 
 Every housekeeper fond of tomato sauce can have it 
 through the winter by drying tomatoes during the season, 
 on every baking day, after the following rule : Choose toma- 
 toes of small or moderate size ;• gather them when quite ripe, 
 but before they get watery; scald them in boiling water, 
 peel, then squeeze them a little ; spread them on plates, and 
 dry them in a brick oven from which bread has been taken. 
 Leave the dishes in all night. Put them away in bags in a 
 dry place. When you wish to cook any of this tomato soak 
 it a few hours in warm water; then stew as you would the 
 fresh tomato. 
 
 If tomatoes prepared in this way should sup- 
 
HYGIENIC C O C KING 
 
 38' 
 
 plant the cloved, pickled tomato so much in 
 vooue, it would be much better for thousands of 
 stomachs. 
 
 Lettuce contains but little nutriment, yet is 
 highly relished early in the spring, after having 
 dieted during the long winter months on a high- 
 ly concentrated carbonaceous diet. The stomach 
 seems to crave something green, something fresh 
 from nature's laboratory. Lettuce possesses cer- 
 tain soporific qualities. Everett says : "As a 
 nutrient it is comparatively worthless, being 
 somewhat like the sawdust which the farmer 
 mixed with meal to feed his growing pigs, — ' it 
 doesn't fat, but fills up.' " 
 
 Pickles of all kinds should be used with cau- 
 tion, although not so injurious as the writings of 
 many hygienists would indicate. They are more 
 appetizing than nutrient, and when eaten with 
 concentrated food often favor digestion. In 
 buying pickles, especially the cucumber, beware 
 of selecting those of a lively green, for, as a rule, 
 the green is nothing but verdigris (acetate of 
 copper), and is produced by soaking the pickles 
 in copper or brass vessels. They should never 
 be put into any vessel containing copper. Moral: 
 Beware of the bright green pickle as you would 
 any poison. If you wish to die young, eat pick- 
 les dyed green. 
 
382 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 CANNING FRUIT. 
 
 Many vegetables manifest such a tendency to 
 decomposition, that great care must be used to 
 obviate it. The potato, cabbage, onion and the 
 apple, which might be termed staples, are quite 
 easily kept over, but most of the fruits, such as 
 the pear, strawberry, raspberry, peach, quince, 
 pineapple, etc., can be kept only in one of three 
 ways, viz, by drying, by preserving them with 
 sugar, pound for pound, or by canning. The 
 last process {canning) is far superior, for two 
 reasons: 1st, the fruit is more digestible', 2d, 
 the flavor is better retained. Glass, or earthen 
 jars well glazed outside and inside, are preferable 
 to tin or any metallic vessel. There is a great 
 variety of self-sealing cans, but these two quali- 
 ties should be considered in selecting from them : 
 1st, that they can be hermetically sealed, for the 
 complete exclusion of air, is the base line of their 
 preservation ; 2d, that they can be easily unsealed 
 when you wish to use their contents. 
 
 Lyman gives the following rule for canning 
 peaches : 
 
 Select ripe and sound fruit ; peel, and if you wish, cut in 
 halves and take out the stones. To make your syrup, take 
 in the proportion of half- a pound of sugar to one pint of 
 water. When all the scum has been removed, place the fruit 
 in the syrup gently, and boil five minutes, or until it is well 
 scalded through ; then, with a skimmer with holes in it, 
 
HYGIENIC COOKING. $&$ 
 
 remove the fruit to cans set in hot water. Put more fruit in, 
 and continue in this way until your cans are filled; then 
 pour the scalding syrup over the fruit till the cans are full, 
 bring the water to the boiling point and seal the cans. A 
 very good sealing-wax for this purpose is made by melting 
 two parts of resin and one of beeswax together. 
 
 Dr. Trail gives quite a novel process of can- 
 ning peaches. The method about to be de- 
 scribed, the doctor says, he extracted from a 
 Mississippi paper : 
 
 In the first place be absolutely sure that the cans are made 
 air-tight. Peel your peaches, cut them in halves, take out 
 the seeds, and fill the cans within an inch of the top, shaking 
 the peaches down as closely as possible; then take loaf 
 sugar in the proportion of two pounds to a pint of water, boil 
 and strain; pour this syrup over the peaches in the cans, and 
 then have the square piece of tin put on, leaving a small 
 vent in the center. Place the cans in kettle with water 
 enough to come within an inch of the top of the cans. Boil 
 the cans from fifteen to thirty minutes, or longer if necessary, 
 keeping the vent open with a knitting-needle until the air or 
 syrup ceases to flow. Remove the kettle from the fire, and 
 while the cans remain in hot water close the vent with sol- 
 der. This is decidedly the best plan, as I well know by 
 experience. It takes no more sugar to make the syrup than 
 it will take to sweeten them after you open the cans for use. 
 
 JELLIES, JAMS AND MARMALADES. 
 
 The principles involved in these three quite 
 common modes of preserving fruits are the same. 
 The fruit, whatever it may be, is mixed with an 
 equal weight of sugar and then thoroughly 
 
384 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 boiled, and afterward strained and put into cans r 
 jars or molds, to be kept for future use. 
 
 CURRANT JELLY. 
 
 Mash ripe currants and then strain them through flan- 
 nel. To a pint of the juice add a pound of white sugar. 
 Boil it about half an hour. 
 
 QUINCE MARMALADE. 
 
 Mash the quinces and then add syrup so that it will be 
 
 pound for pound. Boil thoroughly and strain through a 
 coarse sieve, and put into jars to cool. 
 
 RASPBERRY JAM. 
 
 Put a pound of sugar to a pound of berries. Boil them in 
 a kettle together about an hour. Put it into earthen jars, 
 and if no syrup rises to the surface it is all right ; but if 
 syrup does appear at the surface, it should be put back into 
 the kettle again and boiled some twenty minutes longer, and 
 then put away in jars as at first. 
 
 GOOD BUTTER. HOW MADE. 
 
 Butter, bread and potatoes are all really staples 
 for rich and poor. The bread may be sweet, 
 light and fleecy, the potatoes dry and mealy, but 
 if the butter is too salt, or not salt enough and 
 perhaps rancid, everything is wrong ; instead of 
 harmony existing in this trio of staples, there is 
 complete discord. 
 
 If milk is analyzed, it is found every one hun- 
 dred pounds contain from 80 to 90 pounds of 
 water, from 3 to 5 pounds of caseim [the curd], 
 
HYGIENIC COOKING. 385 
 
 from 4 to 5 pounds of sugar of milk, and from 3 
 to 5 pounds of butter [the oily part], and from 
 yi to Y^ pound of ash, containing soda, magne- 
 sia, potash and lime. If milk is examined with 
 a microscope, it is found the butter in milk exists 
 in the form of globules, and each globule is en- 
 cased in a thin film of caseine [curd]. The glob- 
 ules are a trifle lighter than milk, and of course 
 will rise slowly to the surface. 
 
 PROPER CARE OF MILK. 
 
 The milk should be strained into shallow pans, 
 and its depth should not be more than one inch 
 and a half. The object of this is, that all the 
 butter globules may rise to the surface before 
 the milk curdles. 
 
 SKIMMING MILK. 
 
 To make good sweet butter it is highly neces- 
 sary to have sweet cream, and if the cream is not 
 removed from the pan until the whey rises from 
 the curd, it will be more or less affected. Milk 
 should be skimmed in the winter time in 24 hours 
 after milking, and in the summer much oftener, 
 and the cream should be kept in a cool place and 
 in earthen vessels. 
 
 CHURNING WHEN AND HOW. 
 
 The philosophy of churning is this : the agita- 
 tion of the cream breaks the films of caseine 
 
 25 
 
386 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 that enclose the globules of butter, and the min- 
 ute butter particles finally become massed to- 
 gether, or in common language, the butter comes. 
 Prof. Norton, of Yale College, says : " The time 
 occupied in churning is also a matter of much 
 consequence. Several churns have been exhib- 
 ited lately which will make butter in from 3 to 
 10 minutes, and these are spoken of as im- 
 portant improvements. The most carefully con- 
 ducted trials on this point have shown that as 
 the time of churning was shortened the butter 
 grew poorer in quality ; and this is consistent 
 with reason. Such violent agitation as is effected 
 in these churns separates the butter, it is true, 
 but the globules are not thoroughly deprived of 
 the caseine that covers them in the milk ; there 
 is consequently much cheesy matter mingled with 
 the butter, which is ordinarily soft and pale, and 
 does not keep well. Until the advocates of very 
 short time in churning can show that the butter 
 made by their churns is equal in quality to that 
 produced in the ordinary time, farmers had bet- 
 ter beware how they change their method, lest 
 the quality of their butter, and consequently the 
 reputation of their dairy, be injured." 
 
 WHIMS ABOUT CHURNING. 
 
 Some two hundred years ago it was believed 
 by many in England that butter could be so 
 
HTGIENIC COOKING. 387 
 
 charmed that it would come quite easily. The 
 charming was produced by saying over two or 
 three times, while churning, the following verse : 
 
 Come butter, come ; 
 Come butter, come ; 
 Peter stands at the gate 
 Waiting for a buttered cake ; 
 Come butter, come. 
 
 Charms, without doubt, may sometimes cure 
 disease, through the faith of the patient in the 
 charm. But when it comes to churning, it re- 
 quires more works than faith ; one motion of the 
 churn-dasher is worth more than a cart load of 
 charms and faith, mixed pound for poztnd. 
 
 THE SECRETS OF BUTTER-MAKING. 
 
 If the milk has been skimmed at the right 
 time, and the cream been properly cared for, as 
 heretofore explained, it is highly necessary that, 
 1st, the cream be kept at the right temperature 
 during churning. Our best writers, and our most 
 successful dairymen tell us it should be about 
 50 to 55 Fah., which, if properly observed, will 
 result in the butter coming more rapidly, and the 
 quality will be the best. 2d. Great care should 
 be used in working the butter, that all the butter- 
 milk is extracted, because if the buttermilk is 
 left in the butter, the caseine of the buttermilk 
 readily decomposes, and then acts as a fei'ment, 
 
388 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 changing the constituents of the butter and mak- 
 ing it rancid. 3d. Be sure that the salt that is 
 used is of the very best quality, as much of the 
 salt in the market is impregnated more or less 
 with magnesia and lime. Prof. Johnston, the cele- 
 brated chemist, says, " the best way to free salt 
 of its impurities, is to add to some thirty pounds 
 of salt about two quarts of boiling water ; allow 
 it to stand an hour or more, occasionally stirring 
 it ; afterward put the mixture into a bag, which 
 should be hung up and allowed to drain. The 
 impurities, being more soluble than the pure salt, 
 are thus easily removed." 
 
 CONCENTRATED MILK. 
 
 The Mechanics' Magazine thus describes .the 
 process : 
 
 Mr. Moore, an extensive farmer in Staffordshire, has, un- 
 der a license from the patentee of the new process of concen- 
 trating milk, fitted up an apparatus by which he manufac- 
 tures annually the produce of about thirty cows. The milk, 
 as it is brought from the dairy, is placed on a long, shallow 
 copper pan, heated beneath by steam to a temperature of 
 about no°; a proportion of sugar is mixed with the milk T 
 which is kept in constant motion by persons who, walking 
 slowly around the pan, stir its contents with a flat piece 
 of wood. This is continued for about four hours, dur- 
 ing which the milk is reduced to a fourth of its original 
 bulk, the other three-fourths having been carried off by evap- 
 oration. In this state of consistency it is put into small tin 
 cases, the covers of which are then soldered on, and the 
 
HTGIENIC COOKING. 389 
 
 cases and contents are placed on a frame, which is low- 
 ered into boiling water. In this they remain a certain 
 time, and after being taken out and duly labeled, the process 
 is complete. The milk thus prepared keeps for a lengthened 
 period. It supplies fresh milk every morning on board ship, 
 and may be sent all over the world in this portable form. 
 
 PHILOSOPHY OF CHEESE-MAKING. 
 
 Whereas butter is made from the oily part of 
 milk, cheese is made from the caseine [curd]. 
 
 Milk contains more or less of free soda, which 
 tends to keep the caseine in a liquid form ; but 
 when any acid, such as acetic or hydrochloric, is 
 added to milk, it unites with the soda and the 
 caseine loses its liquidity and is precipitated to 
 the bottom. 
 
 When rennet [the lining membrane of the 
 stomach of a calf] is added to milk it acts as a 
 ferment, which transforms the sugar of milk into 
 lactic acid, which, when formed, unites with the 
 free soda and forms what the chemists term lac- 
 tate of soda, and the caseine is precipitated. 
 
 Three important points must be attended to 
 in cheese-making, whether made on a large or 
 small scale: ist. The temperature of the milk 
 when the rennet is added should be about 90 
 Fahrenheit. 2d. The quality of the cheese will 
 depend upon the quality of the milk, and upon 
 the degree to which the whey has been expelled. 
 The richer the milk and the more perfectly the 
 
39° 
 
 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 whey is expelled, the better the cheese and the 
 longer will it keep. 3d. The quality of the salt 
 used and the impurities may be separated, as de- 
 scribed under the article of butter-making. 
 
 Cheese contains about 40 per cent of water, 
 and the richness of the cheese depends mostly on 
 the butter it contains. Cheese made from 
 skimmed milk will be dry and hard\ skimming 
 the milk has removed a large percentage of the 
 butter globules. 
 
 The following analysis shows the difference 
 between a skimmed milk cheese and a rich one : 
 
 SKIMMED MILK CHEESE. 
 
 Water, 43.82 ; caseine, 45.04 ; butter, 5.98 ; ash, 
 5.18. 
 
 RICH AYRSHIRE CHEESE. 
 
 Water, 38.46; caseine, 25.87; butter, 31.86; 
 ash, 3.81. 
 
 The skimmed milk cheese, from this analysis, 
 contains nearly twice as much caseine, but only 
 about one-sixth as much butter as the rich 
 cheese. A skimmed milk cheese contains a 
 good proportion of the different elements of nu- 
 trition, and if more easily digested might of itself 
 supply all the demands of nutrition. 
 
 It is supposed by many that cheese, although 
 it is almost indigestible, yet at the same time it 
 
HYGIENIC COOKING. 
 
 39 J 
 
 favors the digestion of other articles eaten with 
 it, or as the poet has described it, — 
 
 " Cheese is a mighty elf, 
 Digesting all things but itself." 
 
 Old rank cheese is quite difficult of digestion, 
 but new green cheese is not, and if more cheese 
 and less pork, pastry, pies, puddings and pre- 
 serves should be eaten, it would be highly bene- 
 ficial to the health and happiness of mankind. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 TABLE ETIQUETTE. 
 
 WE have so far considered hygienic eating 
 and cooking ; we will now devote a little 
 space to refinement in eating, which, to a certain 
 extent, is a true index of civilization. 
 
 DINNER PARTIES. 
 
 Be judicious in the selection of your guests to a dinner 
 party, that there may be harmony in thought and feeling. 
 Discord and too much discussion are not good appetizers. 
 
 Consult the tastes of the guests as far as is consistent with 
 true dignity. 
 
 Ease and calmness on the part of the host and hostess 
 should be cultivated. Do not excuse too much. Imitate John 
 Hancock's coolness, who, when one of his servants at a dinner 
 party let fall a dish and broke it in pieces, without the least 
 ruffle of temper, said: "Break just as many dishes as you 
 please, John ; but don't make such a confounded noise about it. 
 
 Do not make too grand a display in giving dinner parties 
 if your means are limited, and especially if your guests are 
 aware of it. 
 
 Punctuality should be observed by the guests, as your 
 tardiness is keeping the whole assembled company waiting. 
 
 Washington always gave his public dinners at 
 four o'clock in the afternoon, and at five minutes 
 
TABLE ETIQUETTE. 393 
 
 past four [allowing five minutes for variation in 
 timepieces] the dinner was served, whether the 
 guests had arrived or not ; and when the tardy 
 guests arrived, his only apology was this : " Gen- 
 tlemen, we are too pwictual for you. I have a 
 cook who never asks whether the company has 
 come, but whether the hour has comer It is said 
 he generally dined on one dish, and that of a 
 simple kind ; and if anything were offered him 
 which was very rich, his usual reply was : " That 
 is too good for me." 
 
 DETAILS OF TABLE ETIQUETTE. 
 
 Soup should never be refused, and should be eaten from 
 the side and not the point of the spoon. 
 
 If you do not desire a dish, simply refuse it 
 without any comment, and the host or hostess 
 should never press the guest to take a dish when 
 once refused. 
 
 As soon as served, commence eating ; do not 
 wait for others to be served. 
 
 When a dish is passed to you, help yourself 
 before passing it to the next. 
 
 A knife should never be put into the mouth. 
 
 A knife should be used only when the cutting 
 cannot be done with a fork. 
 
 Bread should be broken, and not bitten. 
 
 Cheese, pastry and pudding should be eaten 
 with a fork. 
 
394 
 
 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 Fruit should never be bitten, but after being 
 peeled should be either broken or cut with a 
 knife. 
 
 Mrs. Duffey, in her admirable work on eti- 
 quette, gives the following : 
 
 GENERAL RULES FOR BEHAVIOR AT TABLE. 
 
 Tea and coffee should never be poured into a 
 saucer to cool. 
 
 If a person wishes to be served with more tea 
 or coffee, he should place his spoon in the saucer. 
 If he has had sufficient, let it remain in the cup. 
 
 If by chance anything unpleasant is found in 
 the food, such as a hair in the bread or fly in the 
 coffee, remove it without remark ; even though 
 your own appetite is spoiled, it is well not to pre- 
 judice others. 
 
 Always make use of the butter-knife, stt gar- 
 tongs and salt-spoon, instead of using your knife, 
 spoon or fingers. 
 
 Never, if possible, cough or sneeze at the table. 
 If you feel the paroxysm coming on, leave the 
 room. It may be worth while to know that a 
 sneeze may be stifled by placing the finger firmly 
 on the upper lip. 
 
 At home, fold your napkin when you are done 
 with it, and place it in your ring. If you are 
 visiting, leave your napkin unfolded beside your 
 plate. 
 
TABLE ETIQUETTE. 395 
 
 Never hold your knife and fork upright on 
 each side of your plate while you are talking. 
 
 Do not cross your knife and fork upon your 
 plate when you have finished. 
 
 When you send your plate to be refilled, place 
 your knife and fork upon one side of it, or put 
 them upon your piece of bread. 
 
 Eat neither too fast nor too slow. 
 
 Never lean back in your chair, nor sit too near 
 nor too far from the table. 
 
 Keep your elbows at your side, so that you 
 may not inconvenience your neighbors. 
 
 Do not find fault with the food. 
 
 The old-fashioned habit of abstaining from 
 taking the last piece upon the plate is no longer 
 observed. It is supposed the vacancy can be 
 supplied, if necessary. 
 
 If a plate is handed you at table, keep it your- 
 self instead of passing it to a neighbor. 
 
 If a dish is passed to you, serve yourself first 
 and then pass it on. 
 
 GENERAL RULES OF BEHAVIOR. 
 
 In going up a flight of stairs, the gentleman 
 should precede a lady, but in going down, the 
 lady should precede. 
 
 A gentleman should open the door, but allow 
 the lady to enter first. 
 
 A gentleman in walking with a lady should 
 
396 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 take that side of the pavement that is the most 
 dangerous ; and if there is no danger, one side 
 is just as appropriate as the other. 
 
 The fashionable hours to make calls is from 
 12 m. to 3 p.m.; never later than 5 p.m. 
 
 Residents in a place should make the first call 
 on new-comers, and the call should be returned 
 within a week. 
 
 SOME OF GEORGE WASHINGTON'S MAXIMS. 
 
 i. Every action in company ought to be with 
 some sign of respect for those present. 
 
 2. In the presence of others sing not to your- 
 self with a humming voice, nor drum with your 
 fingers or feet. 
 
 3. Speak not when others speak ; sit not when 
 others stand ; and walk not when others stop. 
 
 4. Turn not your back to others, especially in 
 speaking ; jog not the table or desk on which 
 another reads or writes ; lean not on any one. 
 
 5. Be no flatterer ; neither play with any one 
 that delights not to be played with. 
 
 6. Read no letters, books or papers in com- 
 pany ; but when there is a necessity for doing it, 
 you must not leave. Come not near the books 
 or writings of any one so as to read them un- 
 asked ; also look not nigh when another is writ- 
 ing a letter. 
 
TABLE ETIQUETTE. 397 
 
 7. Let your countenance be pleasant, but in 
 serious matters somewhat grave. 
 
 8. Show not yourself glad at the misfortune of 
 another, though he were your enemy. 
 
 9. Let your discourse with men of business be 
 short and comprehensive. 
 
 10. In visiting the sick do not presently play 
 the physician, if you be not knowing therein. 
 
 11. Undertake not to teach your equal in the 
 art he himself professes ; it savors of arrogancju 
 
 12. When a man does all he can, though it 
 succeed not well, blame not him that did it. 
 
 13. Mock not nor jest at anything of impor- 
 tance ; break no jests that are sharp or biting, 
 and if you deliver anything witty or pleasant, 
 abstain from laughing thereat yourself, 
 
 14. Be not hasty to believe flying reports to 
 the disparagement of any one. 
 
 15. Play not the peacock, looking everywhere 
 about you to see if you are well decked ; if your 
 shoes fit well ; if your stockings set neatly and 
 clothes handsomely. 
 
 16. When another speaks, be attentive your- 
 self and disturb not the audience. If any hesi- 
 tate in his words, help him not nor prompt him 
 without being desired ; interrupt him not, nor 
 answer him until his speech be ended. 
 
 17. Be not angry at the table whatever hap- 
 pens, and if you have reason to be so, show it 
 
398 HOUSEHOLD FACTS. 
 
 not ; put on a cheerful countenance, especially if 
 there be strangers, for good humor makes one 
 dish a feast. 
 
 18. Speak no evil of the absent, for it is un- 
 just. 
 
 19. When you speak of God or his attributes, 
 let it be seriously, in reverence and honor, and 
 obey your natural parents. 
 
 20. Labor to keep alive in your breast that 
 little spark of celestial fire called conscience. 
 
 21. Be not curious to know the affairs of oth- 
 ers, neither approach to those that speak in 
 private. 
 
 22. Detract not from others, but neither be 
 excessive in commending. 
 
INDEX TO ADDENDA. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Beef versus Pork 3 2 7 
 
 Behavior, Rules of 394 
 
 Bread, how made - • 355 
 
 • u Chemistry of 358 
 
 " Potato 3°° 
 
 " Graham 360 
 
 " Sweet Brown 360 
 
 Butter, how made 384 
 
 Cakes, Oatmeal ... 3 61 
 
 " Buckwheat 362 
 
 " Johnny 362 
 
 " Sweet 362 
 
 " Sponge 364 
 
 " Mrs. Grundy's 364 
 
 " Bride 3 6 4 
 
 Canning Fruit ... 382 
 
 Cheese Making. ... 589 
 
 Chocolate, its use 355 
 
 Churning, when and how 385 
 
 Churning Whims 386 
 
 Coffee, how prepared 349 
 
 " Roasting 351 
 
 Cookery 343 
 
 Cookies, Minute 366 
 
 Dieting versus Dosing 331 
 
 Dinner Parties 392 
 
 Dreams and Cause 339 
 
 Drinking Fast 333 
 
 Eating Fast 332 
 
 Eating, Hygienic 323 
 
 Etiquette Details 393 
 
 Food and Business 326 
 
 Fruits as Food 330 
 
 Ginger Snaps 366 
 
 Gizzard, its use 335 
 
 Gruels, how made 377 
 
 Hygiene of Quantity 331 
 
 Hygienic Cooking 342 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Jam, Raspberry 384 
 
 Jellies and Jams 383 
 
 Jelly, Currant 384 
 
 Kitchenology 344 
 
 Kitchen is What 347 
 
 Lettuce as Food 38a- 
 
 Marmalade, Quince 384 
 
 Meats, how cooked 370 
 
 Milk the Queen 328 
 
 " Concentrated 388 
 
 Mushes, different kinds 361 
 
 " Oatmeal and Graham 361 
 
 Onions, how cooked 379 
 
 Palpitation of Heart 342 
 
 Pickles, beware 381 
 
 Pies. Rhubarb, Apple 368 
 
 " Squash 367 
 
 " how made 366 
 
 Potatoes as Food 377 
 
 Pudding, different kinds 369 
 
 " Tapioca 370 
 
 " Cornstarch 370 
 
 Rest before meals 338 
 
 Soups, how made 375 
 
 Sponge, how made 358 
 
 Stomach a Slave 334 
 
 " Experiments 336 
 
 Sunday Breakfast 337 
 
 Table Etiquette 392 
 
 Teas, different kinds 353 
 
 Tomatoes, Stewed. 380 
 
 " Toast 380 
 
 Waffles, Graham 361 
 
 Washington's Maxims 396 
 
 What to Eat 324 
 
 Wheat the King 328 
 
 Yeast, Hop 357 
 
 Yeast Cakes, Hop 357 
 

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