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     LIBRARY
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        RETURN TO
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE
  BEFORE LAST DATE SHOWN
APR 16 1985 
 
 
 
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Dallas
THE
MOTHER'S  GUIDE
DAUGHTER'S  FRIEND
ACOMPENDIUM OF VALUABLE INFORMATION FOR WOMEN,
EMBRACING
SEXUAL PHYSIOLOGY, SEXUAL HYGIENE, HOUSEKEEPING AND HOME
  MAKING, CARE AND CULTURE OF CHILDREN, DESCRIPTION AND
     HINTS ON HOME TREATMENT OF THE MOST COMMON DIS.
        EASES OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN, WHAT TO DO
          UNTIL THE DOCTOR COMES, OCCUPATIONS
            SUITABLE FOR WOMEN, DOMESTIC
                 ECONOMY, ETC., ETC.
BY AN  OLD PRACTITIONER
•   \l
   INDIANAPOLIS, IND:
WEBSTER PUBLISHING COMPANY.
         1886.

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  Entered according to the act of Congress, in the year 1886,
                By G. M. WEBSTER,
In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.
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PREFACE.
           Please Read this First.

  I claim but little originality in the preparation
of this book.   I have read a large number of works
each containing something valuable, some contain-
ing much that  is untrue,  others much that has no
bearing on the subject, others, again, the language
of which would require a  dictionary to help com-
prehend it.  From these varied sources I have
culled, condensed and put in my own language  a
large amount of valuable information,  and have
added what my own experience as a physician and
an observer has taught me.   I have explained all
scientific and technical terms, so that a dictionary,
or library of books, is not necessary to  interpret
the work.  I  have tried to avoid extreme views on
all unsettled  questions, believing that the golden
mean is the best.
  The authorities have not been cited except in  a
general way, since the book is not intended for the
critic, nor for the learned, but for the masses.
  I have purposely withheld  my name from  the
                      (3) 
4
preface.
 public, but if any one  has the  curiosity to know
 who the author is she can find out by addressing
 the publisher.
   To the members of the medical profession, for
 whom I have the highest regard, I want to say that
.this book is not an attempt to popularize medical
 science.  I do not believe in the doctrine of every
 man  his own physician, any more than in every
 man  his own teacher, but I do hold that educated
 patients are  more satisfactory and on  the whole
 more profitable to the physician than ignorant ones.
 " 'Till the doctor comes," has been my motto all
 the way through.  I have tried to teach the woman
 what to do in the absence of the doctor, how to be
 an aid to  him, and never to  ignore his services.
 Hence I ask the physician who may chance to see
 this work to examine it  and be free to express his
 opinion concerning its merits.
   Now, please  read  the directions for  using  this
 book and believe me to  be
                     Your Friend,
                                The Author. 
DIRECTIONS  FOR USING THIS BOOK.
  This advice may seem unnecessary to many per-
sons, but did you never consider that the majority
of readers are not scholars ?  Even scholars some-
times do not know how to read a book.  There  is
an art in reading books, which comparatively few
persons acquire perfectly.
  It is  not necessary to read a book through every
time you want to use it, nor is it necessary to read
it through to find out what is in it.   However, it
will not be improper to read this book through
carefully as soon as you get it.  What may not be
plain as referred to in  one place may be cleared
up  as you read further.
  This book has a full Index, as every book ought
to have.  The Index is  at the close of the book.
The Table of Contents follows these Directions.
This is to show at a glance what the book contains,
and is not to  be used in  finding what you want.
You must use  the Index when you want to find  a
point on any subject.
  For  example, you want  to  know what to do in
case of  painful  menstruation,  or anything  con-
nected  with the  subject of menstruation, turn to
                      (5) 
 6      DIRECTIONS FOR USING THIS BOOK.

 the Index and run along the M's and  vou will find
 the word menstruation, and in  the following lines
 every page, where  any part of that subject is dis-
 cussed, will be  given.  If a child has  swallowed
 what you suppose  to be poison, turn to the word
 ■poisons in the Index, and  look on the  page indi-
 cated.  If you  know the name of the substance
 swallowed you will find it given under an alpha-
 betical arrangement with the proper remedies.  If
 you do not know the name of the poison, apply the
 remedies prescribed in case the poison  is unknown.
 If you wish to know what  potatoes contain, their
 value as a food,  etc., look for the word foods in the
 Index.  On the  page referred to will  be found an
 alphabetical dictionary of foods.
  Thus always  use the Index when  you want to
 find any point quickly.  You should  try, also, to
 catch points by running your eye over  a paragraph
 without reading  it word for word.  This is a power
 which can be acquired only  by practice.    This
 Index is a full one, yet an Index can not give every
 point.   If it did it  would equal half  the book in
 size.
  Consult the  book frequently.  If you have only
 five minutes leisure  pick up the book  and turn to
 some  subject and read.  Read while you are wait-
 ing for the kettle to  boil, while you are resting for
 a few minutes  from some tiresome work.  If you
 are very tired  from physical  exertion you will get
 sleepy if you read long at a  time.  More may be
 gained from books by frequent short readings than
by  spending hours at a time in reading. Never 
DIRECTIONS FOR USING THIS BOOK.       7
read until you  are  tired, but read  frequently is a
good rule.
  This book is  not like a story, to be read and laid
aside or loaned to a neighbor, but it is a text-book
for the school of the home and should be used, con-
sulted often, studied, not simply read.
  The first two chapters are the least interesting.
but they are of value and  throw  much light on
what follows.   Therefore  read them  conscien-
tiously. 
 
TABLE  OF  CONTENTS.
Preface.
Directions for Using this Book.
Introduction.
Chapter I—Man and Woman.
An Explanation—The Bony Frame-work—The Joints—The
    Muscles—The Organs of Digestion—The  Liver—The Or-
    gans of Circulation—The Blood—The  Lymphatics—The
    Organs of Respiration—The Skin,  Hair and Nails—The
    Nervous System—The Eye—The Ear—Smell, Taste and
    Touch—Peculiar Organs of the Body—The Reproductive
    System—The Urinary Organs—Physical  Differences Be-
    tween Man and Woman—Mental and Moral Peculiarities
    of the Sexes.

Chapter II—Health in General.
Introductory—Health Defined—The Value of Health—Impor-
    tance of  Cleanliness— Bathing — Change of Clothing—
    Danger of Retained Excretions—Pure Air—Clothing and
    Shelter—Sunshine—Exercise and  Rest—Gymnastics for
    Women—Sleep—Mental States—Quantity of Food—Qual-
    ity of Food—Frequency of Eating—Manner of Eating—
    Drinks—Cooking.

Chapter III—Mating.
Who Should  Not  Marry?—Proper  and Improper Matches—
    Proper Age to Marry—Proper Time to Marry—Love in
    the Case—Choosing a Husband—Courtship—Long En-
    gagements—Breaking Engagements.
                         (9) 
DO              TABLE OF CONTENTS.
 Chapter IV—Mated.

 The Wedding Tour—Consummation of  Marriage—Sleeping
    Together—A Helpmeet—Work and Worry.

 Chapter V—Shall it Be?
 Knowledge Necessary—Excessive Child-bearing—The Bless-
r    ings of Children—The Crime of Abortion—Evils of Im-
    proper Prevention—The  Safe Way.

 Chapter VI—Suppose it Is?

 The Nature of Fecundation—Duration of  Pregnancy—Peculi-
    arities of Pregnancy—Signs of Pregnancy—Miscarriages—
    Sterility.

 Chapter VII—The Expected.
 The Mother's Influence Upon the Unborn Child—Can the Sex
    be Predicted ?—Hygiene  of Pregnancy—Clothing—Diet—
    Exercise—Importance of Fresh  Air—Bathing—Sleep—
    Attention to the Bowels—Engaging a Physician

 Chapter VIII—The Arrival.
 Painless Child-birth—Preparation  for Confinement—Signs of
    Approaching Labor—Labor, its Cause, Symptoms and
    Duration—Duty of the  Patient  During Labor—Duty of
    the Attendants During  Labor—Duty  of the Physician
    During Labor—Attention to the  Child—Attention to the
    Mother—Further Attention to the Child—Further Atten-
    tion to the Mother—The Getting Up—Lingering  Labors
    —Peculiarities of Babies.

 Chapter IX—The  Tender Shoot.
Infant Mortality—Bathing the Infant—Clothing of Infants-
    Pure Air and Light for Infants—Sleep of Infants—Habits
    of  Cleanliness—Nursing—When Nursing is Impossible,
    and When  Improper—Stated Times  for Nursing—In-
    fluences Affecting  the Quantity  and Character  of the
    Mother's Milk—Too Much or too Little Milk—Bringing
    Up  by Hand—Weaning—Teething—Vaccination—Exer-
    cise for Infants. 
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
II
Chapter X—Buds and Blossoms.
Boys and Girls—Diet of the Young—Exercise for Children—
    Habits of Cleanliness Should be Taught—How to Prevent
    Constipation— Bed-Wetting— Bad  Habits — Sleeping —
    Care of the  Teeth—Effects of Rapid  Growth—Mental
    Culture—Age of  Puberty—Menstruation—Hygiene ol
    Menstruation.

Chapter XI—Some of the Ills of Women.
Sex  and Disease—Constipation—Diarrhoea —Deviations of
    Menstruation—The Whites—Itching of the External Gen-
    ital Organs—Neuralgia—Sick Headache—Fainting—Dis-
    placement of the  Womb—Hysteria—Nervousness—Mis-
    carriages—Hemorrhage After Delivery—Child-bed Fever
    —Sleeplessness—Gathered Breasts—Sore Nipples—Milk
     Leg—Varicose Veins—Morning Sickness—Green Sickness
     —" Change of Life."

Chapter  XII—Home  Treatment  of Some
     of the Diseases of Children.
Introductory Remarks—Croup—Diphtheria—Worms—Colic-
     Convulsions—Cholera Infantum—Thrush and Canker of
     the  Mouth—" Night-Terrors "—Bed-Wetting (as a Dis-
     ease)__Earache — Contagious  Diseases— Chicken-pox-
     Measles—Whooping-Cough—Mumps—Scarlet Fever.

Chapter XIII—What to Do in Emergencies.
Presence of Mind—Pain—A Medicine Chest—Burns  and
     Scalds—Wounds and Bleeding—Broken Bones, Disloca-
     tions and Sprains—Drowning—Freezing—Bites of Snakes
     and Dogs—Dangers from Foul Air, etc.—Poisons and
     Poisoning—Alphabetical List of Poisons and Antidotes-
     Sunstroke—Sudden Childbirth—Objects Swallowed—Ob-
     jects in the Nose and Ear—Objects in the Eye—Fainting,
     etc.—Choking—Toothache—Boils, Carbuncles and Fel-
     ons__Ingrowing Toe Nail—Miscellaneous Emergencies. 
12
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Chapter XIV—Care of the Sick.
Importance of Good Nursing—Qualities of  a  Good Nurse—
    Conduct in the Sick-Room—The Nurse and the Doctor—
    Giving Medicines—The Sick-Room—The  Bed—Feeding
    the Patient—Kinds of Food for the Sick—Bed Sores—Use
    of the Clinical Thermometer—Miscellaneous Hints.

Chapter XV—Foods and  Drinks.
Importance of a Knowledge of the Subject—How to Select
    Articles of Food—Buying-Storing—Preserving  Food—
    Essential  Elements  of Food—Dictionary of Foods and
    Drinks, Giving Composition and Relative Value.

Chapter XVI—Housekeeping and Domestic
    Economy.
Importance and Dignity of Housekeeping—Beginning House-
    keeping—The Kitchen—The Dining-Room—The Sitting-
    Room—The Parlor—Bed-Rooms—Taking Care of Rooms
    —" House Cleaning "—Regular Times for  House Work—
    What is Dirt ?—Suggestions to  Those About  to Build a
    House—Economy, not Stinginess—Some Hints on Econ-
    omizing in the Home.

Chapter XVII—Woman's Work and Worth.
Some Statistics—The Profession of Teaching—Women as Phy-
    sicians—Women as Lawyers—Women Preachers—Women
    as Dentists—Women as Professional Nurses—Women as
    Telegraph Operators—Women as Canvassers—Dress Mak-
    ing and Millinery—Gardening—Poultry  Raising and Bee-
    Keeping—Professional Cooks—Housekeeping as a Pro-
    fession—What all Women Should Learn to Do—Women
    in Literature—Unmarried Women—Influence of Women
    —The Kingdom of the Home. 
INTRODUCTION.
  Knowledge is safety.   Ignorance is dangerous.
But what knowledge is of the most worth?  Evi-'
dently that which the most directly conduces to
human happiness.   No one can be happy and be
sick.  A knowledge of the human body, its work-
ings in health and disease and of the best methods of
maintaining it in a healthy condition, are certainly
among those  subjects which most  nearly concern
our earthly happiness.
  We can not  know too much about ourselves.
Says  an eminent lady physician,  Sarah Hackett
Stevenson, M. D. :  " Learning is not a dangerous
thing, it is a little learning that is to be feared, and
the danger increases in  direct proportion to the
littleness.   The more one really knows about his
own svstem the more willing he is to trust the judg-
ment of a man or woman who has spent a life-time
in the study of the human system.  In other words,
the more  wisdom you possess yourself the more
confidence you have in wisdom."
  There are certain things which can not well be
learned except from books, and these only from a
certain class of books. What common school book
teaches a knowledge of the Reproductive System
of Man?  Where is it taught outside of a medical
college? Such subjects are not the topics of ordi-
nary conversation.  Women hesitate to inquire of
                     (»3) 
H
introduction.
physicians concerning such  subjects until they are
forced to by suffering and sickness.  Even then a
native modestv compels many to suffer on in silence.
Even a close cross-examination sometimes  fails to
elicit the truth from a female patient, because she
does not know that there are certain facts about her
case which a physician must know and can find
out only through her statements.
  A more universal diffusion of a knowledge of
sexual  physiology  and  hygiene  among  women
would greatly lessen suffering  throughout  the
world, a stronger race of children would be born,
and the course of universal progress would be more
rapid.   In fact, there will never be a  millennium
until this knowledge prevails among all classes.
  But how shall woman get this knowledge ?  Only
through books of this kind.  We  must  admit that
there are many books which contain valuable mat-
ter  on these particular subjects, but we are  safe in
saying that there is no book which  contains  so
much that is valuable to women in such small com-
pass.  It is therefore the cheapest among the many
books of its kind.
  The man or woman who  engages in the work
of distributing information of the kind contained in
this book is a real missionary and is doing a noble
work.   Can you not, reader, aid a little in a good
cause by showing  the book to your  neighbors and
friends, and calling their attention to its contents?
Should there be no agent in your place, a copy of
the  book can be had at any time by addressing the
                                 Publishers. 
                    T H E
Mnther'a  Guide end DaurjhtBr'B Friend
                 Chapter  I.

            MAN AND WOMAN.
               an explanation.
  I propose in this chapter to describe in brief the
human body, including the organs which especially
distinguish sex, and to note  the general physical
and  mental  resemblances and  differences of the
two  sexes.  I shall aim to  be  plain-spoken  ami
clear in all my statements, avoiding technical  lan-
guage, or when using it, I will explain  as best I
can.  I shall write  as though I were writing for
readers who have had  no instruction in general
physiology.
  Although  this subject is taught in most of our
schools,  a majority of the women who  will read
this book have very little knowledge of the humaB
body.   I  will say then  to the  readers who have
studied school physiology, this brief description of
the body may serve to refresh your minds on many
points, and to those who have not studied or  read
any on the subject,  I hope this book will give yoa
a general idea of the body, and that it may provoke
                      (iS) 
i6
THE  BONY FRAME-WORK.
vou to read some  more  extensive treatise  on the
subject.  The limits of this work are too small to
permit more than a general glance at the subject,
but I have deemed it important to  give a smatter-
ing at least of some of  the things which women
ought to know.

            THE BONY  FRAME-WORK.
  The bones of the body  taken together are called
the skeleton.  The human skeleton consists of 200
separate bones.  The head consists, first, of eight
bones, which are so placed as  to form a rounded
box containing the brain, which is thus well pro-
tected from injury ; and,  second, of fourteen bones
which form attachments for muscles and make  up
the frame-work of  the face.  The head rests upon
a column of short  bones which have some move-
ment  upon each other.  This column  forms the
axis or main-stay  of the body.   It is called the
spinal column,  or  sometimes the spine, and  con-
sists of twenty-four separate bones called vertebrae.
  Each vertebra contains a large  opening, these
openings together  making a canal  running  the en-
tire length of the column.  This canal contains the
spinal cord, which is the  main axis of the nervous
system, and a continuation of the brain downward.
  To  twelve of these vertebras are  attached twelve
pairs  of ribs, which, with the breast-bone in front,
compose the thorax, or chest.   The ribs are fast-
ened  to the spinal  column by hinge-like joints, and
move up and down somewhat in breathing.  The
front  ends of all the ribs  except  two are attached 
THE BONY FRAME-WORK.
17
to the breast-bone by means of yielding substances
called  cartilages.
  The bones of the arms are joined  to the rest of
the skeleton by  means  of the  clavicle  or collar-
bone, which may be felt just below the neck.  This
bone  is attached to the breast-bone and extends
outward to help form the shoulder.   It is joined to
the scapula, or shoulder-blade, which is a flat bone
of a triangular shape.  The collar-bone is  often
broken by  falls when  the  shoulder strikes  the
ground.  The upper arm contains one long, round
bone, which fits to  the end of the shoulder-blade,
and has great freedom of  motion.   The fore-arm
contains two bones, one of which, the radius, ro-
tates on the other, the ulna, giving  the ability to
roll the hand.  The carpus, or wrist, contains eight
little bones, and the hand nineteen bones.
  The bones of the lower  extremity are  joined to
the spinal column  by  means of the pelvis.  This
consists of a pair of large bones usually called hip-
bones, and two bones  which are continuations of
the spinal column.   The hip-bones are very irreg-
ular in shape and in youth consist of three pieces,
which  grow solidly together in adult  life.   The
sacrum is the main continuation of the spinal col-
umn  and joins closely  with the two hip-bones,
which are joined also to each  other at  the front,
the whole forming  a bony ring, which contains the
important organs of the female.   The  coccyx is
the other bone of  the pelvis.  It is small, and is
only the termination of the sacrum.
  The lower extremities contain sixty bones.   The
     2 
i8
THE  BONY FRAME-WORK.
longest  bone in the body is  the  femur, or thigh-
bone.  It is joined  to the hip-bone by a ball  and
socket joint, and has great freedom of motion.  The
leg consists of two bones, the larger, called the
tibia, or shin-bone, can be felt just beneath the skin
in front.  The  smaller is called the fibula.  The
knee joint  is covered by a small bone called the
patella, or knee-pan.  The ankle consists of seven
bones, and the  foot of nineteen bones.
   The bones are composed of two kinds of sub-
stances ; one is hard and  solid as rock and is called
earthy matter;  the other is soft and elastic and is
called animal matter.  These two are intimately
mixed,  and when in  proper  proportions give  the
bones the necessary degree of firmness and strength.
In children the bones contain a large proportion of
animal  matter, and are  consequently more easily
bent.  They may be bent by gradual though easy
pressure.  Hence the danger of cramped and  un-
natural  positions and tight clothing  in producing
deformities.  As the body grows older the bones
become more and  more brittle on account of the
increase of earthy matter, and in old age they are
quite easily broken.  Hence a deformity produced
in youth can  never  be  remedied.   Old persons
 should  take particular care not to receive falls.
   Instead of the earthy or solid matter, the bones,
 previous to birth, and to a great  extent for some
 time afterward, contain  cartilage, an  elastic, flex-
 ible substance which is gradually replaced by bone
 substance. The completion of the  change  from
 cartilage to bone takes place at different times in 
THE JOINTS.
X9
different bones and in different  parts of the  same
bone.  The process of ossification, or change from
cartilage to bone is a very gradual one.  In  some
parts the cartilage remains through life unchanged.
There is a layer of cartilage over the ends of all
the long bones at the joints, thus forming cushions
and preventing shocks in walking, leaping, etc.
Between  each of the vertebrae, or joints of the
spinal column, are plates of cartilage.   These add
greatly  to the flexibility of the  back-bone  and
greatly lessen shocks to the brain.  A person being
all day in an  upright position, the weight of the
body somewhat compresses  each one of these elas-
tic cushions, so that in the  morning one is just a
little taller than in the evening.  The ribs, as be-
fore stated, are connected  to the breast-bone by
means of permanent cartilages.  These, by their
flexibility, aid greatly in  breathing.   They can
easily be pressed out of shape 03^  tight clothing
and by  sitting in a stooping position.

                  THE JOINTS.
   The bones are joined together in various ways.
In some places the union is  so  close that scarcely
any motion is possible, as in the separate bones of
the head.  Again they are very movable, as in the
limbs.   In movable joints the ends of the bones are
held together  by  means  of fibrous bands  called
ligaments.  In some rare instances these ligaments
are so long that the joints are capable of being dis-
located and again thrown back  at will.   Ligaments
are often put upon the stretch so that some of the 
20
THE  MUSCLES.
fibers are ruptured.  This is called a sprain.  When
injured, healing takes place very slowly.  Children
sometimes have their arms dislocated by careless
nurses  or mothers lifting or swinging them  by the
arms.
  The  movable joints have  also a sac-like mem-
brane which contains a slippery fluid called syno-
via,  or "joint-water," which makes them work
easily.  Joints are  easily  injured and sometimes
incurable lameness  results from  apparently slight
injuries.
                 THE MUSCLES.
  All the movements of the body are brought about
by the  contraction of bundles of fibers called mus-
cles.   They are recognized in animals as the lean
meat or flesh.  There are over 500 different mus-
cles, and they form  the greater part of the bulk of
the body, and give plumpness to the limbs and
trunk.  They are connected to either bones, car-
tilages, ligaments, skin, or to  each other, directly
or by means of fibrous cords  called  tendons  (sin-
ews).  The tendons may be felt as rounded cords
beneath the skin  in some places, as  in the wrist
and just above the  ankle.  They are  often called
the "leaders."  In some  cases  the  large  tendon
of the  ankle is too short, drawing the  heel  up and
causing the deformity known as "club-foot," or
the tendons at the  side of the leg  are  too short,
drawing the foot to one side, producing the deform-
ity known as " reel-foot."  It is  perhaps not gen-
erally  known  that  surgeons often cure  these de-
formities by cutting the tendons  beneath the  skin 
THE  MUSCLES.
21
and  applying  proper  means  to  straighten  the
foot.
  A muscle is capable of contracting powerfully,
but soon loses  its power  and becomes exhausted
when repeated contractions are made.  The mus-
cles  are  caused to contract by the nerves acting
upon them.  This nerve  action is of two kinds,
voluntary and involuntary. The heart is a muscle
which acts  involuntarily all the time.  All the mus-
cles of the  body may act involuntarily, as  when a
sudden noise, or the approach of danger causes us
to jump before we take time to think.
  Muscles  also  contract when any stimulus is  ap-
plied.  Thus sharp blows, electricity,  heat, etc.,
will cause muscles to contract  in the human bod}^
a short time after death, and in some of the lower
animals,  as in the frog and turtle, even two days
after the  animal is dead.   When a chicken's head
is severed from the body with one blow of the  ax,
it is dead the moment the  head is off, but the con-
tractions  of the muscles cause the body to jump
around in a lively manner for several minutes.
  Muscles  grow when a proper amount of exercise
is given them, and dwindle in size when not exer-
cised.  Thus the  arms of the blacksmith and of the
prize-fighter show very large muscles, and the legs
of dancers  and those who walk much are  propor-
tionally larger than those who  do not exercise  the
lower limbs.  One should not, however, exercise
one set of muscles to the exclusion of others. 
22        THE  ORGANS OF DIGESTION.
          THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION.
  The parts of the body which are directly or in-
directly concerned in  preparing the  food for be-
coming a part of the  body are called  organs of
digestion.  Food is first taken into the mouth, di-
vided by the teeth and  at the same time mixed with
a fluid called saliva.  This fluid is produced by cer-
tain  organs called salivary glands.  These glands
are three in  number, one in  front of  the  ear, one
beneath the lower jaw  and one under the tongue.
Saliva serves a variety of purposes.  It keeps the
mouth moist and prevents the disagreeable sensa-
tion of dryness.  It moistens  the food and renders
it more easily masticated by the  teeth, and aids in
swallowing.   Without it, many kinds of food would
have  no taste.   But its most important use  is to
convert the starch of the food into sugar.  This is
a somewhat  mysterious process,  yet we can easily
prove it to be a fact.  If starch is placed in a cup
and a quantity of saliva be put  upon  it, in a little
while, if the mixture  be kept  at a certain tempera-
ture, a sweet taste will  be observed  and a chemical
test will show the presence of sugar in the cup.
  Whenever food is taken into the mouth the sal-
ivary glands are excited and saliva flows.  Certain
medicines, especially preparations of mercury, ex-
cite the salivary glands to an undue degree.  This
is called  "salivation,"  or the  person is  said to be
" salivated."
  The act of swallowing consists in the passage of
the food from the mouth through the pharynx and 
THE  ORGANS OF DIGESTION.
23
esophagus to the stomach.   The pharynx is a cav-
ity just back of the mouth.   It has seven openings,
one to the mouth, one to the esophagus, one to each
ear, one to the larynx and one to each nostril. The
opening into the esophagus is back of the opening
into the larynx. The food is prevented from going
into the larynx  by the  epiglottis, an  organ which
is arranged and acts somewhat like a trap-door.
The food glides over it, closing it down over the
opening into the larynx.   Sometimes when we at-
tempt to breathe while food is passing, the epiglottis
is forced open  by the air  from  the windpipe, and
the food  enters the windpipe through the  larynx.
Violent coughing is thus produced by the irritation
of the food.  We then say the food " has gone the
wrong way," or that we are " choked."
   The esophagus,  or gullet, is  a muscular tube
about nine inches long  leading from  the pharynx
to the stomach. When the  food is once  in the
pharynx we have no longer any control of it, but
it is  involuntarily forced  down by the successive
contraction of a series of muscular rings.
   The stomach is a sac, or bag, varying much in
size but usually capable of holding  three or four
pints. Here the food receives from  glands in the
inner lining of the  stomach  another fluid  called
gastric juice. This substance converts certain other
parts  of the food into a condition capable of being
absorbed, or passed into the blood.  That the gas-
tric juice may act more  readily the muscular fibers
of the coat of the stomach are, when food is pres-
ent, continually contracting, causing the contents 
24
THE  LIVER.
to be rolled about, or churned, as it were, until all
is reduced to a pulpy mass which is called chyme.
Much of the water and some of the  digested food
is absorbed by the veins of the stomach and thus
passes into and becomes a part of the blood.  The
greater part of the contents of the stomach, how-
ever, passes  into the intestine (bowels) which is
simply a tube coiled up within the body and  about
thirty feet in length.  In the upper part of this tube
further  changes take place in  the food.   Here it
receives a  fluid  from the liver called bile, also a
fluid from an organ wrhich lies behind the stomach.
This organ is called the pancreas (in animals,  the
"sweet bread,") and the fluid, pancreatic juice.
The fluids  cause certain changes  in the food.  In
this part of the intestine are  also certain organs
called lacteals, which, with the veins, absorb or
gather up the digested  food  and pass it into  the
blood.  The undigestible portion of the food passes
on along the intestine until it is finally discharged
as waste material.   The digested food in the upper
part of the intestine is called chyle.
   The time of digestion varies from two to five
hours, some articles being more  quickly digested
than others.   Severe exercise, fits of emotion and
passion temporarily arrest digestion

                  THE  LIVER.
   This  is the largest  organ in the body.  It is
important that you  know its location.  It lies just
below and  partly behind the ribs on the right side.
It is an  irregularly-shaped  body, measuring about 
THE LIVER.
25
twelve inches from right to left, about seven inches
from before backward and  about  three  inches up
and down, and weighs  from three to four pounds
in a grown person.
  Its color is a reddish brown.  It consists of a net-
work of blood-vessels, ducts and cells.  The blood
from the walls of the stomach and intestines, and
from the spleen and  pancreas is  carried through
the liver in a net-work of  veins.   The  ducts are
small tubes which carry out the bile and empty it
into the intestine.
  One use of the  liver is to secrete bile, which is
partly  a waste product, but  also effects changes in
the food  and  keeps up the action of the  intestines
in carrying the waste material through them.  The
liver also  converts the  sugar which has been ab-
sorbed in the  stomach and intestine into a substance
called  glycogen, and converts it gradually back
again into  sugar.  The use of sugar in  the blood
seems  to be to keep up the  animal heat.
  From the fact that  bile is sometimes brought up
in vomiting, many persons think that  this fluid
gathers in the stomach.  The bile is poured into
the intestine  during digestion.  At other times it
accumulates  in a little sac called  the gall-bladder,
which  lies on the under surface of the liver.  Dur-
ing the act of vomiting the bile may be forced from
the intestine into  the stomach and  from thence,
along with the contents  of the stomach, into the
esophagus and mouth, and  be ejected.   Vomiting
often gives relief,  but it is not because the bile is
thrown up. We often hear persons say of a patient. 
26         ORGANS OF  CIRCULATION.

"he will be better  now, as he has  thrown a large
quantity of bile from his stomach."  Such persons
are ignorant of the physiological fact above given.

            ORGANS OF CIRCULATION.
  The blood is the fluid which  nourishes all  parts
of the body.   It is manufactured from the food we
eat by the digestive organs.  In order that it  may
be brought to  all parts of the body to nourish them,
there must be some arrangement for its  distribu-
tion.  This is effected by means of a central organ,
called the heart, and a series  of  tubes leading to
all parts of the body.
   The heart is a hollow muscle located in the chest
nearly in the  central line.  It may be felt beating
at a point between the fifth  and sixth ribs, about
two inches below the left nipple.  It is, in the hu-
 man being, about the size of the  closed fist of the
 individual.   The  heart is oval in shape, with its
 point or apex downward and  toward the left, and
 is  divided into four cavities,  two above and two
 below.  The upper cavities are called auricles, and
 receive the blood, the lower ones are called ven-
 tricles, and discharge the blood.   The right auricle
 receives the blood from the body and discharges it
 into the right ventricle.  The right ventricle  sends
 the blood to the lungs, where  it is purified by the
 air in a manner to be  described hereafter.   The
 blood next comes  back from  the lungs to the left
  auricle from which it  goes  to  the left ventricle.
 From the left ventricle it is sent  all over the body
  again.  Thus  it  will be seen that the heart is a 
            ORGANS OF  CIRCULATION.          27

double pump, forcing  the  blood to the lungs  and
to the entire  body, both actions going on at the
same time.
  The system of tubes which carry blood from the
heart are called arteries and those which return
the blood to the heart  are  called veins.   There is
but one  main tube carrying the blood from the
heart to the lungs.   This tube divides and sub-
divides many times until the  branches are smaller
than the finest hairs.   These small tubes are called
capillaries.  The capillaries form a net-work around
air-cells which terminate in other little tubes which
are branches  of the windpipe.  The oxygen of the
air is taken into the blood through the walls of these
air sacs and  through  the  walls of the  capillaries,
and carbonic acid gas is given off from  the blood
to the air.   In this way  the blood is purified.
  After the blood is purified in the lungs it passes
on  in the  capillaries  which  gradually enlarge to
become veins.   These veins unite until  they form
four  main tubes which  convey the  blood to the
heart.   The  purified  blood is  sent to the whole
system through one main artery which divides and
sub-divides and sends  off many branches until they
finally terminate in capillaries.   Here the nourish-
ing part  of the blood passes through the walls of
the capillaries and builds up the body.  That which
goes on receives in the capillaries certain materials
which are produced by the tearing down of the old
tissue of the body, thus rendering it impure.  These
capillaries end in veins which gradually unite until
they form but two main tubes.  These empty their 
28
THE  BLOOD.
contents into the heart, and the round of circulation
is complete.
  The capillaries are so numerous that  a needle
can scarcely be pushed  anywhere into  the body
without striking one or more of them.  If the web
of a frog's foot be placed under the microscope the
blood may be seen  circulating through the capil-
laries forming a wonderful and beautiful sight.
  The heart sends the blood through the arteries
by a series of contractions or pulsations.   This pro-
duces a wave-like motion in the arteries which can
be felt in various places where  these vessels come
near the surface, as in the wrist.   This motion is
known as the "pulse."   The  pulse  then beats at
the same time  the  heart does, and  is taken as  a
measure  of the heart's action.  In  the  adult the
average rate is about seventy times per minute. At
birth it is 130 to 140 per minute.  It varies greatly
under different  diseased conditions.

                  THE BLOOD.
  The adult human body contains about ten quarts
of blood, or a quantity equal in weight to one-eighth
of the body.  When first  drawn  from the body
blood consists of a clear transparent liquid in which
float immense numbers of little bodies called cor-
puscles, or blood-cells, too small to be seen except
by a high magnifier, and so numerous  as to give
color to the blood, and make it appear to the naked
eye as a red liquid.
  In ten minutes  or more after blood has been
drawn from the body it undergoes a peculiar change 
THE  LYMPHATICS.
29
called coagulation, or clotting, and becomes thick
and jelly-like.   Blood flowing from a wound clots
around the opening, and if the injured vessel is not
of great size the bleeding is arrested by the clotted
blood.  If it were not for this, a man might  bleed
to death from a  very slight wound.  It is a well-
known fact that soldiers on the battle-field seldom
bleed to death from bullet wounds.   There are two
reasons for this, first, coagulation takes place more
readily where the blood flows over a ragged  sur-
face, and second, bullets are very  apt to push the
yielding artery or vein  to one side instead of  cut-
ting through it, hence harge blood-vessels are sel-
dom severed.
   The blood is the store-house from which  all the
material which  goes to build up the body is drawn.
 It is important that the blood be pure, that  is, that
it contains no  materials which will destroy or in
 any way affect  any of the tissues of the body. It
 can not be pure when the natural modes of  reliev-
 ing it of the waste material are prevented from per-
 forming their office, as when we  breathe  impure
 air, do not keep the  skin clean, or allow the ex-
 creted material to remain in the bowels

                 THE LYMPHATICS.
   As an aid to  the circulatory organs there  are an
 immense number of very fine tubes throughout the
 body and  connecting  by two main channels with
 the  veins.   These are called  lymphatics.   The
 main object of these vessels seem  to be to  take up
 the  surplus nutritive material which has  passed 
THE  ORGANS  OF RESPIRATION.
through the walls of the blood-vessels and return
it to the veins.  A part of them in the intestine are
engaged in collecting the products of digestion and
carryirlg them to the veins.  These are called lac-
teals.   The lymphatics throughout the  body also
absorb and remove parts which are no  longer  of
any use.  Thus the  roots of the temporary teeth
are removed to make room for the permanent teeth.
Tumors and other diseased enlargements are often
removed in this way.  Medicines  stimulate these
vessels to  a greater activity and thus often cause
tumors to  " scatter," as we say.
  Absorption in the body takes place in  two ways,
by the veins,  and  by the lymphatics.  Medicines
and poisons rubbed on the skin thus  produce their
peculiar effects, and the waste matter thrown out
through the skin may be again absorbed if not re-
moved.
         THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION.
  The blood  must get rid of the waste material
which is  torn down throughout the body in the
process  of living, for life is nothing more than a
constant death of the tissues and a constant renewal
of the same.   One of the  ways by which the waste
matter is thrown out is by the lungs.  The blood is
also a carrier of oxygen to the tissues, the oxygen
being necessary to this tearing down and building
up process.   The blood  gets  its oxygen from the
air  through the lungs.
  There are two distinct lungs, the right and left,
connected by the  bronchial tubes, which are  divi-
sions of the trachea, or windpipe.  The  heart lies 
THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION.        31
between the lungs and is almost completely covered
by them.  The lungs fill  nearly the entire  cavky
of the chest.   They project a little  above the first
rib and collar-bone into the neck.   The lower part
rests upon the diaphragm, or midriff, which is a
muscular partition stretched across the interior of
the body, separating the chest from the  abdomen.
The substance of the lungs is very light, floating
readily in water.  In animals they are often called,
for this reason, the lights.
  The lungs are made up, (I) of numerous branches
of the bronchial tubes, each  terminating in a little
air sac,  (2) the divisions and sub-divisions and ter-
minations of the arteries and veins before described,
 (3) nerves, (4) lymphatic vessels, and (5) lastly, the
 various  parts are held together by fibrous tissue.
   The windpipe is a tube about four and one-half
 inches in length extending from the upper  part of
 the neck to the lungs.   It is composed of rings of
 cartilage covered  and  connected  together  by a
 membrane.   The windpipe divides below into two
 main branches, one going to each lung, and called
 bronchial  tubes.  These again  divide  many times
 like the branches of a tree, and finally terminate in
 air-cells.                       m    m      ,.,.,«.
   The upper part of the windpipe is  modified to
 form a kind of musical instrument, the larynx, or
 voice-box.  It lies  close beneath the  skin of the
 neck, can easily be felt in all persons,  and in lean
 persons and especially in men, may be seen as a
 prominent lump, known as "Adam's apple."  It is
 composed of nine pieces of cartilage, and stretched 
$2       THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION.
 across its interior are two fibrous bands, called vo-
 cal cords.  These bands are made  more or less
 tense by the action of muscles, and when the cur-
 rent  of  air from  the lungs is  driven  over them
 through the larynx,  their vibration, together with
 the vibrations of the  larynx itself and  the  reflec-
 tions caused by the parts of the throat and mouth,
 produce the various tones of the voice.
  The larynx  opens into the pharynx and is cov-
 ered  when  air  is not passing  through with  the
 epiglottis, which was described in connection with
 the organs of  digestion.
  The air is drawn into the lungs by the elevation
 of the ribs and the  depression  of the  diaphragm
 acting together to enlarge the capacity of the chest.
 This  is called inspiration.  The air  is forced out
 of the lungs by the  opposite movements, that is,
 depression of the  ribs and elevation  of the dia-
 phragm lessening the capacity of the chest.  This
 is called expiration.   There is always a large por-
 tion of air which can not  be moved by the most
 forcible expiration.  The amount moved at each
 respiration is comparatively small.  The air taken
 each  time  mingles with that already there,  thus
 keeping it about the same in temperature and qual-
 ity.  The air can not be removed entirely from the
 lungs after breathing has once begun.  Even if the
 lungs be  cut up in little pieces after death they will
 float in water.  This fact is taken as evidence that
 a child has been born alive and has breathed, since
there is no air in the lungs before birth.
  The lungs take in air.  The air is  composed of 
           THE SKIN, HAIR AND NAILS.        33

oxygen and nitrogen, two invisible gases, simply
mixed in the proportion of one of  oxygen to four
of nitrogen.  The nitrogen has no  effect.  A por-
tion of the oxygen at each inspiration passes through
the walls of the air-cells of the lungs and through
the walls of the blood-vessels and  is thus carried
to all parts of the body by the blood current.  We
do not know exactly what becomes of all the oxy-
gen thus taken in, but we know that a gas is  given
out by the  lungs called carbonic acid gas, and that
this gas is  a combination of oxygen and carbon.
We know  also that a great part of the material of
the body is carbon, and that when carbon unites
with oxygen, carbonic acid gas is the result. Hence
we infer that either directly or indirectly the  oxy-
gen is concerned in  producing the carbonic acid
which is given off by the lungs, and that this  is one
way nature has of disposing  of the  materials  of the
body after they have served  their purpose.   Since
the lungs are so largely concerned  in throwing off
waste material, it is then of special  importance that
their action be not disturbed in any way.   More
people die of some form of lung disease than from
any other single cause, and the reason is that peo-
ple generally do not take the  proper care to breathe
pure air, to avoid drafts, to exercise so that the
muscles of respiration are brought into activity, or
to give free motion to the chest in breathing.

           THE SKIN,  HAIR AND NAILS.
   The  skin is composed of  two principal layers.
The outer layer, called  the  epidermis,  cuticle, or
     3 
34        THE SKIN, HAIR AND NAILS.
"scarf skin," is very thin, except where  pressure
is frequently applied, as in the palms of hands and
soles of feet.  It is nearly transparent  and is not
sensitive, having no nerves nor blood-vessels.   It
protects the body and prevents too  rapid evapora-
tion.  A blister is simply a raised part of the cuticle
caused by the watery portion of the blood collect-
ing beneath  it.   This layer  is  constantly being
thrown off in the form of minute  scales and con-
stantly being renewed from the true skin beneath.
  The second layer is called the  derma, or  true
skin.  It is tough and elastic and consists of a net-
work of films, some of them muscular, intermingled
with minute blood-vessels, nerves, lymphatics, some
fat, with oil glands and sweat glands.
  The oil  glands are most numerous  about the
head  and  face.   The oil they  secrete keeps the
skin pliable and prevents the hair from becoming
harsh.  A healthy person never  needs to put oil
on the hair.   An insufficient  quantity of this oily
matter causes chapped hands  and lips and makes
the hair harsh.  A healthy person ought to be able
to make a grease spot  on white  paper  with the
fingers any time  except  for  a  few minutes after
washing  the hands.   The use of soap is to dissolve
this oil and thus release the dirt which it holds.
  The sweat glands  are very numerous in nearly
all parts of the skin.  They consist of minute tubes
which are coiled up  and  terminate on  the surface
in the openings  called pores.  In the  palm of the
hand as many as 3,528 pores have been counted to
the square inch.   It is estimated that over the entire 
           THE SKIN, HAIR AND  NAILS.         35

body there are as many as two and one-half mil-
lion sweat glands and that these  little tubes if ex-
tended and placed end  to  end would reach to the
distance of two and one-third miles.
  The sweat glands are constantly pouring out a
fluid which usually evaporates as fast as it appears.
But when the heat is great,  or exercise increases
the circulation, the water appears in drops.   In the
first case  we call  it  insensible perspiration, in the
second, sensible  perspiration, or sweating.  This
fluid is mainly water,  yet  contains  certain waste
materials  of the body. Thus it is  seen that the
skin aids  the body in purifying the blood.   If the
body be covered  over with a coat of varnish, death
ensues speedily.   At the coronation of Pope Leo
X a little boy was covered completely with gold
foil to represent a cherub.   The  boy died in a few
hours.
  The hair is composed of the same substance as
the cuticle of the skin.   The root  of the hair con-
sists of a bulb-like  enlargement lodged in a sac,
called a hair follicle.  Many of these hair follicles
extend beneath the true skin.   Hair grows from
these follicles and unless they are destroyed hair
grows again  after it is pulled out.
  Hair is  developed previous to birth, but the first
hairs are  shed like  the first teeth, and new ones
take their places.  This shedding usually occurs
from two  to  six  months after birth.  Hair grows.
from the bottom and pushes itself out from the skin.
It grows faster in summer than in winter, and faster
the oftener it is cut. 
-£           THE NERVOUS SYSTEM.

  The condition of the hair is an index of the ac-
tivity of the skin.  If the hair is soft and shining,
it indicates that  the skin is full  of blood and in a
healthy condition.   There are a few well authenti-
cated instances of hair turning gray in a few hours
from fright or emotion.  The cause is not known.
  The hair serves  important uses.  That on the
head protects the surface from cold  and shields
from the rays of the  sun.  The fine hairs on the
body lessen friction, and in  some degree keep  in
the heat of the body.  The  eyebrows  prevent the
perspiration from running into the eyes.   The eye-
lashes keep dust out of the eyes, and the mustache
protects the lungs from dust  and modifies the cold
of the air inhaled.
   The nails protect the extremities of the fingers
 and aid in  picking up  small objects.   They grow
 from the root and if not cut  would attain a length
 of two inches.

              THE NERVOUS  SYSTEM.
   All the  activities of the body as digestion, circu-
 lation, respiration, locomotion, reproduction, etc.,
 are originated and  controlled by a set of organs
 called the nervous system.   It  consists of the brain,
 spinal cord, ganglia and nerves.
   The brain is a large mass of white and grayish
 matter  contained  in the  cavity of the  skull.   It
 weighs on an average  forty-nine  and one-half
  ounces.  The largest human  brain ever examined
  weighed  seventy and  one-half ounces.  The man
  was an  imbecile from  birth.  The  next largest 
THE  NERVOUS SYSTEM.
37
weighed sixty-seven ounces.  It was that of a brick-
layer of ordinary intelligence who could  not read
or write.  The third largest was that of Cuvier, the
great French naturalist.   His brain weighed sixty-
four and  one-third ounces nearly.   Idiots brains
frequently weigh but little over twenty ounces.  The
smallest ever  examined was that of an  idiot boy
twelve  years old, whose brain weighed but eight
and one-half ounces.  The size of the  brain as  a
general rule, measures intellectual power,  but there
are some  remarkable exceptions.
  The brain is composed of four parts, the largest
about seven-eighths of the whole, is called the cere-
brum, the next in size the cerebellum.  The other
parts are small, one called the pons varolii,  the
other the medulla  oblongata.   The cerebrum is
again divided partly by a fissure into two  halves or
hemispheres.   The  surface is in  deep  folds or
wrinkles. The folds are more numerous and deeper
in men of great intellectual power.   The cerebrum
is the seat of consciousness and will power.
  The  cerebellum  is behind and below  the cere-
brum.  Its  surface is also in folds that  resemble
plates lying very close together.  It has something
to do with the power of balancing  the body, and
co-ordinating the muscles of locomotion.
  The medulla oblongata is the lowest  part of the
brain.  It is the center which  controls the action
of the  heart, respiration  and  other vital actions.
If this part  of the brain be injured to any consid-
erable extent death immediately follows.
  The  pons varolii is mainly the connecting link 
38           THE NERVOUS SYSTEM.

between the other parts of the brain.  Our knowl-
edge of the uses of many parts of the brain is yet
very unsatisfactory.
  The spinal  cord, or  spinal marrow, is a long
cylinder of nervous matter extending from the head
to near the lower  part  of the spinal column and
within its cavity.  It seems to be a continuation of
the brain downward.  It gives off numerous nerves
which  are distributed to the walls of the body and
to the limbs.  Its  use is to  conduct nervous im-
pressions from the brain to the various parts of the
body.   It is also a center of various motions we
call reflex.  Reflex action will be  explained here-
after.
  The nerves are whitish cords consisting of many
fine fibers  which branch off from the  brain and
spinal  cord, and from ganglia and penetrate every
part of the body except the hair, nails and cuticle.
They are to the brain, spinal cord and ganglia what
wires  are to  a galvanic battery, conveying nerve
force to different parts of the body.
  The ganglia are knots of nervous matter situated
in the  course of the nerves mainly in the head and
along the spinal  column.  They act  as  small bat-
teries, or nerve centers.
  We  will understand the nervous  system better
when we describe it as consisting of two kinds of
matter, namely, gray or cellular, and white or
fibrous.  The gray matter  is situated on  the out-
side part of the brain, along the center of the spinal
cord and in the  ganglia, and everywhere  acts as
centers of  nerve force.   The white matter is situ- 
THE  NERVOUS SYSTEM.
39
ated in  the central  part  of the brain, the outside
part of the spinal cord, and composes the whole of
the nerves.  It acts as a  carrier of nerve force to
and from the nerve centers.
  Now, all the  nerves and nerve  centers of the
body are  connected together.   This will explain
why an affection of one  part often produces a re-
sult in a part  at  a distance from  it.   Thus a dis-
turbance  in the womb  or  genital organs  of the
female may cause nausea at the  stomach, may affect
breathing, cause headache and various other symp-
toms in remote parts.  The reader must bear in
mind this intimate  connection of all  the parts of
the body  by means of the nervous system.
   Reflex action needs a word of explanation.  When
you touch your hand to a hot stove you immediately
draw it away, even against your will.  In this case
we say an impulse, or impression is conveyed along
a  nerve  fiber to a nerve center  and there  it is
changed  to a different kind of impulse which  trav-
els back  to the muscles of the part touched, and
causes them to contract and  move the limb away
 from the  danger.  Experiments on animals prove
 that in many cases these impulses travel along the
 spinal nerve and enter the back part  of the spinal
 cord, while  the impulse which causes the  part to
 move leaves the cord at the front part but travels
 along the same nerve.   The branches of the spinal
 cord have two roots, and if the  posterior  one be
 cut the parts  to which that nerve is distributed lose
 sensation.   If the  anterior root  be cut the  parts
 lose the power of motion.  If  both roots be cut, or 
4°
THE  EYE.
 if the nerve itself be cut beyond where the roots
 join, both sensation  and motion will be destroyed.
   This is a wise arrangement.   If it  were not for
 this we would frequently burn our bodies, or get
 injured in various ways.  Nearly all the actions of
 the  body are reflex, that is they are, or may be
 carried on independent of the will.
   I have here given only a few of the  general facts
 concerning the nervous system.   To  explain fully
 would take a volume.   It will be necessary to men-
 tion many more facts but they will  best appear in
 connection with the discussion of parts yet to be
 described.
                    THE EYE.
   Certain nerves of the  body are  endowed with
 peculiar properties.  If we  prick the  skin with a
 pin, or apply great heat or cold we feel a sensation
 which we describe  as  pain.  This  may be  called
 common or general sensation.  But when the light
 falls upon the terminations of the nerve which goes
 to the eye, we feel no pain, but are  conscious of a
 sensation called light or vision.   When vibrations
 of the air or other bodies reach the  auditory nerve
 in the internal ear, we  are conscious of a sensation
 we call sound.  A certain nerve  in the  nose per-
 ceives a sensation we call  smell, and one in the
 tongue, taste.   The  terminations of the nerves in
 the ends of the  fingers give us a peculiar sensation
 we call touch, or feeling.  Thus we have what are
 often called the five senses,  or  the special sense
 organs.  It  is by means of these we  may acquire
knowledge, or in other words, these are the inlets 
THE EYE.
4T
to the mind, the organs by means  of which the
mind puts itself in relation with the external world.
  The eye is the most important of the organs of
special sense.  The human eye is a closed globular
chamber, in the back part of which a picture of the
objects  we  look at is  formed.  The optic  nerve
spreads  out  on the back part of the eye and ter-
minates in a great  many little bodies called, from
their shape,  rods and cones.   These are, in some
way, specially  concerned in  transmitting \o the
brain the sensation of vision.
  I will  now describe briefly the special parts of
the eye.   The eyeball is well protected in a socket
of bone and  cushioned around with fat.   It has six
muscles  attached to it,  which give it the different
motions.  The  front part  is  covered with  an ex-
ceedingly thin and transparent membrane which is
reflected and covers the inner side  of the eyelids
also.  It is  this membrane  which  is inflamed in
sore eyes.   It is full of nerves and is very sensitive.
The white part of the eye is the sclerotic coat.   It
extends  over all the eyeball  except the colored
part in  front.  This  colored  part is  covered  first
with  the cornea,  a thin, transparent shell, which
fits to the white  of the  eye  like  a watch crystal.
Just inside the cornea  is a thin, watery fluid  and
floating  in it is  a  circular curtain with a circular
opening  in the center of it.   This curtain is called
the iris,  and the opening, the pupil.   The iris  is
what gives color to the eye,  in some persons blue,
in others black, etc.
  The iris  has the power of expanding and con- 
42
THE  EYE.
tracting according  to the  amount  of light, thus
making the pupil large or small.  When the light
is very bright,  the pupil gets  smaller, and when
the light is less the pupil gets larger.   If you stand
before a mirror, and shade the eye with the hand,
you can see the pupil enlarge and grow smaller as
vou diminish or increase the amount of light.
  Just back of  the iris is a  dense transparent body
in the shape of a magnifying lens, and behind that,
filling up the greater part  of the cavity, is a sub-
stance of the appearance  and consistence of the
white of an egg.   All the transparent parts of the
eye act together as a lens to converge the rays of
light upon the back part of the eye where the  pic-
ture is formed.  The place of the picture depends
upon the distance of the object, or the shape of the
transparent parts of the  eye.  Now, since  we  can
not change the position  of  the objects at will, it  is
necessary to  change the shape of the parts of the
eye.  This change is made in an instant, and  is
called by physiologists,  accommodation.  This ac-
commodation is brought about by muscular action.
Now  for the practical  application.  Do not keep
the eyes fixed long at a  time upon one object, as in
reading or sewing.  The  eyes are rested by fre-
quently glancing at objects at different distances.
Women  often  injure their eyes by too long  and
close  application to needle-work.
  The tears we see in weeping are only an excessive
amount of a watery fluid  which is  secreted by a
gland above the eye, and constantly flows over the
eyeball,  distributed  evenly by the frequent wink- 
THE  EAR.
43
ing of the lids.   The  fluid  then flows to the inner
corner of the eye and escapes through a tube into
the nose where it is mostly evaporated.  When the
fluid is excessive, it  runs over  the  lids upon the
face,  and  we  say  we  "shed tears."  Shedding
tears gives relief to the nervous system.  Powerful
emotions which do not result in tears are more in-
jurious physically than when tears are freely shed.
It is wrong to make children quit crying by threats
or punishment.   Crying is nature's  method of re-
lieving the tension of the nervous system.

                   THE EAR.
   Next in importance to the eye is  the ear..  For
convenience of description the ear is divided into
three parts, the external, middle and internal ear.
The external ear needs  no description.  It is  the
part we  see.  The middle ear, also called the tym-
panum, or " drum of the ear," is an irregular cavity
in the bone.   It is separated from the tube leading
in from the external ear by a membrane which is
stretched across like the parchment  of the head of
a drum.  This membrane  communicates with  the
internal  ear by three  minute bones,  which form  a
chain across the cavity.  The  tympanum commu-
nicates with the pharynx or throat  by means of  a
channel called the Eustachian tube.  This is to
admit air to the chamber,  otherwise the pressure
of the air on the outside would force the membrane
in.  When we have a bad  cold this tube is some-
times  swollen  and partially closed, causing tem-
porary,  partial deafness. 
44
THE  EAR.
  The internal ear is called the labyrinth, because
of its intricate winding.  I will  not  attempt  a de-
scription of it here.   Suffice it to say that it is a
very irregular cavity in  the  solid  bone, and  con-
tains  a waterv fluid with  a membranous sac, which
also contains a fluid.   In this fluid  and upon, the
sac the nerve of hearing  terminates.
  In connection with the terminations of the nerve
there are  about 8,000  minute  rods  of different
lengths.  The vibrations of these rods are supposed
to enable us to determine the pitch and quality of
sounds.
  The process of hearing is about as follows : When
bodies are set in vibration they communicate  that
vibration to the air in form of waves, called sound;
waves.  These  waves enter the ear and striking-
the drum-head set it in vibration.  This being at-
tached to the chain of bones sets them in motion.
The bones  communicating with the membrane of
the labyrinth, the fluids there are set in motion and
this is communicated to  the  auditory nerve which
conveys the sensation to  the brain.
  Although air is usually concerned in producing
sound, it is not essential.   A person without the
ear-drum can hear provided the internal ear and
nerve is not injured, but he can hear only when the
vibrating body is placed against  his  head, or by
the use of an  instrument which  receives  the air
vibrations and communicates them to the bones of
the head through the  teeth.
  The drum of the ear may be ruptured by very
loud sounds, as the firing of cannon.   The  danger 
            SMELL, TASTE  AND TOUCH.         45

is less if one is aware before hand that the noise is
to be made.   It may be ruptured also by striking
the hand down forcibly upon the ear, thus driving
a current of air upon  the  drum.  Children's ears
should never be  "boxed."  The  ears  should  be
protected against the extreme cold winds of the
winter.  Infants ears are often injured by the beat-
ing of drums or by other very loud noises.

            SMELL, TASTE  AND TOUCH.
   The inner surface of the nose is lined  with a
mucous membrane, in which are spread the divi-
sions of the olfactory, or nerve of smell.  The sense
of smell is very acute  in some persons,  as  it is in
many animals.  Substances to affect the nerve  of
smell  must be  in a gaseous state.  Those odors
which are injurious  are  generally very disagreea-
ble.   Hence the nose  is a sentinel to warn us  of
danger.
  The tongue and back part of the mouth receive
the divisions of two nerves which have the  special
sense  of taste.  The sense of taste  is frequently
confounded with that of smell and touch.   We sup-
pose we taste  an onion, but in reality the greater
part of the sensation is smell.  If we do not see the
onion and  close the nose  before putting it in  the
mouth, we can scarcely tell  an onion from an apple.
One substance may obscure the taste of another  of
a less  decided taste.  The sense of taste may  be
impared by taking substances very  hot, or very
cold, in the mouth.  Too great use of condiments
as salt, pepper, mustard, etc., also impairs the taste. 
PECULIAR ORGANS OF THE BODY.
  The sense of touch is not so clearly defined  as
the other senses.  It resides particularly in the skin
of the inside of the ends of the fingers, but all parts
of the skin are to some extent capable of distin-
guishing the texture  and  form  of objects.   The
nerves of the skin everywhere are, however, espe-
cially capable of  giving sensations of pain, or un-
easiness and of temperature.
  When  one  sense is lost, the  others usually be-
come more acute, probably because  the person is
compelled to use  the others more.  All the senses
are capable of much cultivation.

        PECULIAR ORGANS OF THE BODY.
  There are several organs concerning the use  of
which physiologists are still almost wholly in ignor-
ance.  A brief notice of  these organs may be  of
interest to the reader.  The sfleen (called the milt
in animals) is  a long, flat body  situated  near the
left extremity of the  stomach.   It resembles the
liver somewhat in color and appearance,  but  does
not secrete any fluid.  It contains numerous blood-
vessels and is always found to be a little larger after
digestion of food.  One of its uses seems to be that
of a kind of reservoir  for  the  surplus blood which
is made by the digestion of a meal.   We  infer this
from the fact that it contains  more blood  after the
digestion of a  meal.   Yet if this be its use, the loss
of it is in some way made up by other organs  in
case the spleen is removed.   This has been done
in animals and in man, and yet the actions of the
body seem to go  on as usual.  It is a peculiar fact 
        PECULIAR ORGANS OF THE BODY.      47

in regard to the spleen that in intermittent fever,
or ague,  it sometimes  becomes  much enlarged,
constituting what is known as " ague-cake."  The
ancients  thought the spleen was the seat of anger,
hence the expression, " to vent his spleen."
  The supra-renal  capsules are  small glandular
bodies situated one just above each kidney.  They
are somewhat  similar to the spleen  in structure,
and their use is not known.
  The thyroid gland is another peculiar organ.   It
is a small mass located just in front of the windpipe
and on either side of it, in the neck.   In structure
it has some resemblance to the spleen.  In the dis-
ease, or  deformity known as goitre,  big-neck, or
Derbyshire neck, this  body becomes enlarged,
sometimes reaching the  size  of  a person's head.
There is no pain or uneasiness connected  with it,
and unless it  grows  so  large as  to interfere with
breathing by its pressure, it seems to do no harm.
The disease seems to be peculiar to certain regions
of the world,  mostly the valleys  of mountain  re-
gions.  It is more common in women than in men
and in children than in adults.   It is  said that  the
people in those  regions where it prevails regard
the enlarged  neck  as  a mark of beauty and  are
rather proud of the deformity.  The cause of the
disease is not definitely known, and it seems to be
incurable.
   The thymus gland is another peculiar body sim-
ilar to the thyroid and located just above the heart.
It is found in full  size only in  children under two 
48        THE  REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM.

years of age.  In the adult it has almost or quite
disappeared.

          THE  REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM.
  It  is one of  the peculiarities of all animal and
vegetable life that the species  or  kinds have the
power to reproduce and perpetuate themselves.  In
all the higher forms of life this is brought about by
the agency of sexes, or in other words by the union
of germs from male and female individuals.  The
subject of reproduction is not discussed in works
for ordinary schools, and the majority  of parents
have  a  delicacy  about teaching their children  a
knowledge of this most important branch of physi-
ology.  While it would not be proper to teach such
subjects to  youth in  schools, every boy and girl
ought to have some knowledge of their own organs.
  It should be the duty of girls to read such books
as will enlighten them upon such subjects,  and  of
mothers to teach their daughters what they them-
selves have  learned by experience and by reading.
Girls  should receive this knowledge from books or
their mothers rather  than from  bad companions.
Says  Dr. Beard:  "The  desire for  sexual inter-
course is the most powerful  passion of human na-
ture, for the reason that it is indispensable to the
perpetuation of the species, and yet children are
brought up in blank ignorance of the structure and
functions of these organs;  they are compelled to
learn through vile associates and evil  communica-
tions what they should have been taught at home
and under parental guidance." 
THE  REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM.        49
  In the following pages I  shall try to describe
briefly the male and female organs of reproduction,
avoiding obscure and technical terms, on the one
hand, and impure or suggestive language  on the
other.
  The principal male organs of reproduction are
the penis and the testicles.   The  latter are two
oval glandular bodies contained in the sac, called
the scrotum.  These glands consist mainly of a
bundle of fine tubes which terminate in  a recepta-
cle at the root of the penis.   These  tubes separate
from the blood a fluid called semen, or seed fluid,
which is the male element of reproduction.   This
semen is not secreted until the age  of puberty, as
it is called, which occurs about the fifteenth year.
  The penis  contains the tube leading  from the
bladder, and is  the outlet of the urine.   Under or-
dinary circumstances, the penis hangs as a soft and
flexible organ, but excitements of various kinds, as
by friction or contact with one of the opposite sex
or amorous thoughts, causes its numerous blood-
vessels to  fill with blood, which tends to enlarge
and erect it.  If the excitement be great, a dis-
charge of the semen  may occur.  All excitements,
unless under the proper conditions, which  will be
noted hereafter, are injurious.
   The female organs of reproduction  are  usually
described as external and internal.  The external
organ is called  the vulva.  It consists of a slit-like
opening, the sides of which  are formed by folds of
skin  and  mucous membrane.  At the upper part
of this slit,  between the two  lips or folds  of skin, is
     4 
50        THE  REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM.

a small  rounded  prominence  called the clitoris,
larger in some  females than  in  others.  It  some-
what resembles the penis of the male, and  like it
is capable of erection or  enlarging slightly under
excitement.  Just below and behind the clitoris is
the opening of the tube which leads to the bladder
and through which the urine is  discharged. Just
below and behind the opening from the bladder is
the opening into the vagina, or passage which leads
to the womb.  At the lower part of this opening is
a membrane called the hymen, which partly closes
the opening.  This is not always present.   In for-
mer times it was thought to be always present and
that it was  ruptured in sexual  intercourse,  hence
its presence was considered a test of virginity.  In
very rare cases it  completely closes the  opening.
The external organs of generation in both male
and female are surrounded with hair after the age
of puberty.
  The internal  female organs of reproduction  are
of more importance in a  physiological sense,  and
demand  special description.   The first to  be  de-
scribed is the vagina.  This is  a canal or passage
leading to  the womb.  It is situated behind  the
bladder,  and in front of the rectum, or lower part
of the bowel.  It is about four inches in length and
is lined by a mucous membrane which is continu-
ous with  the lining of the womb and with the inner
lip  of the  vulva.    The  lining membrane is  in
wrinkles, or folds,  and secretes a small quantity
of mucous  fluid,  which  prevents the sides from 
          THE REPRODUCTIVE  SYSTEM.        51

growing together,  for they lie in  contact in the
natural  state.
  The womb, or as medical men generally call it,
the uterus, is the receptacle in which the new being
begins its existence and remains until formed.  In
the virgin the womb is pear-shaped, with the larger
part upward, and is about three inches in  length,
two in breadth and an inch in thickness.  Its posi-
tion is at an angle to the vagina, that is the vagina
is extended upward and backward, while the womb
is extended upward and forward.   The lower part
extends into the vagina a  little way and  may be
felt with the finger as a rounded  prominence with
a slight depression in  the  center.  The cavity is
very small in the  unimpregnated  state, the open-
ing into the vagina being almost if not completely
closed.
  The womb is held in place by six delicate bands,
or folds of the membrane, which  lines the cavity
of the abdomen and covers the organs in that cav-
ity.  The bands are called ligaments.  They are
extremely liable to become stretched and allow the
womb to get out of place, either to  fall too low and
protrude into the vagina, or to  be turned out of its
natural position.   Jumping, jolting, pressure  of
materials in the bowels and bladder and  various
other causes may produce  displacement of the
womb.   (See Chapter XI.)
  The ovaries are small organs similar in office to
the testicles in the male.  They are  oval-shaped,
about an inch and a half in length and three-quar-
ters of an inch in width.   They lie on either side 
52
THE  URINARY ORGANS.
 of the womb in the region of the groin.  They con-
 sist of a number of little cells containing the female
 germs, or eggs.  From the upper part of the womb
 are two very small tubes leading one to each ovary.
 These tubes are  called oviducts, or the  Fallopian
 tubes.  Their use  is  to convey the ova, or eggs
 from the ovary to the womb.
   At the  age of puberty the  ovaries enlarge, the
 little cells burst and discharge the  eggs, which are
 conveyed from  the ovary to the  womb.  If this
 female  germ, or egg, comes in  contact with  male
 germs,  immense numbers of which are found in the
 semen, impregnation,  conception, or fecundation,
 as it is  called, takes place.  Just where the union
.of the male and  female elements  occurs is  yet a
 matter of doubt among physiologists.  Should no
 male elements be present the eggs pass away at
 intervals of twenty-eight  days, each time accom-
 panied  by some pain, a greater or  less quantity of
 blood, and more or less disturbance of the system.
This process is known  as menstruation.   The pe-
culiarities and hygiene of menstruation will be fully
 discussed in another chapter.

             THE URINARY ORGANS.
  A knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of
the parts of the body known as the urinary organs
is just as important as  a knowledge of any other
part of the system.   Works  on  physiology for
schools  do not treat of them.  A  brief notice of
those parts,  therefore, seems appropriate in a work
of this kind. 
THE  URINARY ORGANS.
53
  The urinary organs are the kidneys, the ureters,
the bladder,  and the urethra.   The  kidneys are
located one on each side in the lower and back
part of the abdominal cavity, opposite what is called
"the small of the back."  They extend from the
hip-bones as  high as the eleventh or twelfth  rib,
the right always a little lower than the left.  They
are about four  inches long, two inches wide  and
one inch thick, and somewhat the shape of a bean.
They  are usually surrounded  by a  considerable
quantity of fat.   The color is  dark red.  Careful
study with the microscope  shows the kidneys to
contain an immense number of curiously arranged
tubes,  terminating  in  little sacs.  Around these
tubes  and sacs  are minute blood-vessels.  The
urine, or secretion of the kidneys, is filtered  out of
the blood and is gathered in the tubes which  empty
into one large tube, which conveys it to the blad-
der.  This tube is called the ureter.
  The bladder is simply a pear-shaped sac  which
acts as a reservoir for the urine until it is conve-
nient to discharge it.   It lies in front of the  womb
in the female, and just behind that part of the ab-
dominal wall which is covered with  hair  in the
adult.   It is capable of holding about a pint.  When
greatly distended with urine it presses the  womb
backward and may cause serious displacement of
that organ.
  The urethra is  the name of the membranous tube
which  allows the  discharge of  the urine  from the
bladder.  In the  male  it is eight or nine inches in
length, and terminates at the end of the penis.  In 
54
PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES.
the female it is  only about an  inch and a half in
length, and opens just above the entrance to the
vagina, or passage to the womb.
  Gravel, or stone in the bladder, is of not unfre-
quent occurrence.  While it is  not the intention to
discuss the treatment of this affection in this book, it
may be well to give the reader  some idea of what
it is.   Sometimes  one or more very  hard stony
masses form from the  mineral  constituents of the
urine, and remain in the bladder until they become
of great size, as large as a goose egg in some cases.
Sometimes they come  away when small with the
urine, but usually they must be  taken away either
through the urethra, or by cutting into the bladder.
Only small stones can be removed  through the
urethra, but a  larger one can pass the urethra of
the female, as  it is more  distensible, shorter  and
straighter than in the male.   Gravel is of much
more frequent  occurrence in men than in women.

PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MAN AND WOMAN.
  Besides the  special differences in the sexual or-
gans of man  and woman, there are  many minor
differences in the organization,  or make-up, of the
body, some of  which will here be mentioned.  The
differences, other than those described, between
the sexes in childhood are very slight,  but when
manhood  and  womanhood arrive  the differences
are many and  marked.
  The principal differences in the skeletons of males
and females are to be noticed in the shape and size
of the pelvis.  In the  male the bones are thicker 
PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES.
55
and stronger and the cavity deeper and narrower.
In the female, the bones are lighter and  more ex-
panded, the hips being much more prominent. The
cavity is much wider and the coccyx, or lowest part
of the spinal column more movable.  On account
of the hips being wider the thigh-bone is inclined
more outward in the female.
  The chest of the female is less in general capac-
ity, the upper opening larger in proportion to the
lower, the breast-bone is shorter and the upper ribs
more movable, permitting a greater enlargement
of the chest at its upper part.  The  collar-bone is
less curved, and more slender than in the male.
  All the bones which give attachment to muscles
are, as a rule, smoother, and have less prominent
ridges  and  elevations  in  the female than  in the
male.   The bones are all usually  smaller and the
whole skeleton weighs less in the female.
  The majority of men are taller and heavier than
women. Women are  more plump  and  rounded,
the limbs are more tapering.  A perfectly formed
woman is widest at the  hips and tapers both ways.
A man is widest at the shoulders, and tapers down-
ward.   A woman has naturally a smaller waist than
man.  Fashion  deforms her figure  by making it
still smaller by means of tight clothing.
  A woman's heart is larger in proportion to the
size of her body than man's, it being as  i  to 149
in  woman and 1  to  169 in man.  The  lungs,
however, are the reverse, being in the proportion
of 1 to 37 in man and 1  to 43 in woman.
  The  muscular fibers  in  the female are individ- 
 56    MENTAL AND MORAL PECULIARITIES.

 ually smaller but proportionally more numerous,
 hence she is capable of less powerful, but longer
 sustained effort.   The strength of the male  is to
 the female as twenty-six to sixteen.
   The weight of brain in man is a little greater in
 proportion to his bod}r than in woman.   Woman
 comes to maturity sooner than  man.   The skin is
 thinner and more nearly transparent, the nails are
 smaller and thinner in woman than in man, the hair
 of the head is longer and finer, but the other por-
 tions of the bod}' are less covered with hair.
   Statistics show that there are more male children
 born alive than  females.  One hundred and six
 boys to one hundred girls is about the  proportion.
 A larger proportion, however, of male children die
 during the first years of their lives,  so that there
 are more women actually living in the world  than
 men.  More male than female children  are  still-
 born.  From the ages of fifteen to forty more wo-
 men die than men, but not a  sufficient number to
 make the  proportion of the sexes equal.

 MENTAL AND MORAL  PECULIARITIES OF THE SEXES.
   Among all  ancient  nations woman was consid-
 ered vastly inferior to man in mental capacity, and
 her position in society differed little from  that of a
 slave.  This is the case in all savage  and half-civ-
ilized communities to-day. Just as  people have
 advanced  in  civilization, in that ratio has woman
advanced  in the scale of social life until in enlight-
ened nations to-day she is considered almost if not
the equal of man.  Previous education of the race, 
MENTAL AND MORAL PECULIARITIES.     57
and the position she has been compelled to occupy
so long, has  much to do, doubtless, with the fact
that to-day the majority of women are intellectually
inferior to the majority of men; yet there is no
doubt that man enjoys a degree  of intellectual su-
periority  based upon his natural organization, and
that he will ever continue to stand a little higher in
this respect.   But while women must admit their
intellectual inferiority there is great consolation in
the fact that the physical and the  intellectual are
not the only qualities possessed by human beings.
There is a moral element in human nature, and in
this  respect  woman stands preeminent.  She is
also far in advance of man in her  social qualities.
Says Dr. Draper :  '' The physiologist who is obliged
to speak of the constitutional and mental imperfec-
tions of the female, may be permitted to turn with
delight from  the dry details of statistics and anat-
omy to the  family  and social  relations, for it is
therein that her beautiful qualities shine forth.   At
the close of a long life, checkered with pleasures
and  misfortunes,  how  often  does the  aged man
with emotion confess that, though  all the ephem-
eral acquaintances and  attachments of his career
have ended in disappointment and  alienation, the
wife of his youth is still  his friend.   In a world
from  which  everything else  seems to  be passing
away, her affection  alone  is unchanged ;  true to
him in sickness as in health ; in misfortune as in
prosperity; true in the  hour of  death.   When the
schemes that  occupied  his active years have van-
ished, or, if realized, are now no more to him than 
58     MENTAL AND MORAL PECULIARITIES.

vanities which hardly fasten his thoughts ; when,
in the feeble extremity of age, every thought is a
burden to him, and the passing excitements of others
can not even arouse his attention, the echo of those
prayers is  still heard which his unskillful  tongue
first learned at his mother's knee.   The stern, the
avaricious,  the hard-hearted,  the  intellectual, all
are equally brought to confess  who was  their first
and wrho is their last true friend."
  The intellectual and moral qualities of the sexes
differ in kind  as well as in degree.   Woman has
less reasoning power than man, but her perceptions
and sensations are more acute.   Her emotions more
often get the better  of her judgment.  Her tastes
in regard  to  color  and form are  more  accurate,
hence her greater desire for dress and adornment.
She is  more inclined to be religious, her disposi-
tion is more trustful, yet when she has  been be-
trayed or deceived she is ever  distrustfnl.  She  is
more apt to go to extremes in everything.  When
she loves,  she loves with more ardor, and when
she hates, or is revengeful, her  passion is stronger
than man's.   A woman can be the best and the
worst creature in the world.
  In the language of another writer, female char-
acter is thus portrayed : " Delicacy of feeling, gen-
tleness, softness, mildness, mental as well  as physi-
cal pliability ; a stronger impressibility to external
influences ;  less individuality,  easier  excitability;
but, with all this, a powerful innate endurance, and
a much greater sympathy for the pains and suffer-
ings of others than the more selfish  male.   As she 
MENTAL AND MORAL PECULIARITIES.     59
has less physical strength, she is more timid ; but
likewise,  for the same reason, more modest  and
chaste.  She has a finer sense of the beautiful, and
is herself, by nature, more graceful.  She  is pos-
sessed of less violence in .passion, but greater depth
of feeling; therefore, she is better adapted for the
quiet and security of domestic life—the life of the
hearth and the heart—than for the outer life of the
stormier world.  Hers the quiet and gentle virtues,
which render others happy, more than the brilliant
and heroic deeds which fill the world with admira-
tion.  She is adapted more to please than to com-
mand—more  for the  power  of the heart than for
reason.   By all these, she is  fitted for those divine
virtues—love, faith, hope, and fidelity."
   Says Theodore Parker : " I think man will always
lead in affairs of intellect, of reason, imagination, un-
derstanding,—he has the bigger brain ; but that wo-
man will always lead in affairs of emotion, moral,
affectional, religious,—she has the better heart, the
truer intuition of the right, the lovely, the holy."
   An old physician writing for The Medical World
says : " Man is, by nature, aggressive,  woman re-
 tiring ; man hot, woman cold ;  man strongly ani-
 mal, woman refined and aesthetic ;  the boy delights
 in fighting, the girl in the quiet  of the home.  The
 man has not  the love of his kind  as strong as the
 woman.  The  male  of  all   animals will  leave its
 young, while the female never does so.  The wo-
 man is quiet, refined, gentle  and devoid of heated
 passions; the male just the reverse.  One is ac-
 tively aggressive the  other not so." 
Chapter II.
          HEALTH IN GENERAL.
                INTRODUCTORY.
  The object of this chapter  is to point out some
general,  underlying principles of  hygiene, or the
science of health.  More specific directions will be
given under the  appropriate headings throughout
the work.
  Much has been written on this subject—much that
is sensible  and much that  is  sheer nonsense.   A
collection of all the  advice that has been given by
writers on hygiene would be one of the great curi-
osities of literature.  The tendency to carry matters
to extremes seems  to prevail among the would-be
health advisers.  Some make a hobby of one thing
and some of another.  Thus we have had our Gra-
hamites who made a man's physical salvation  de-
pend upon  the amount of bran he  could  eat with
his  bread ; and our hydropathists who proposed
to wash away all of man's physical sins with cold
water;  and we  have had the maxim "early to
bed and early to rise " actually hammered into us
as the great promoter of health.   Do not under-
stand me, reader, as condemning the use of whole
wheat bread, or bathing, or early rising.  I mean,
simply, that our good health does not depend upon
one or two  observances but upon the proper under-
standing and observances of all of nature's laws.
                      (60) 
HEALTH DEFINED.
6l
  Writers also, many of them at least, convey the
impression that it is an easy thing to obey the laws
of health.  They do not give sufficient prominence
to the fact that, in many cases our occupations and
the necessities of  our  surroundings compel us to
violate many of the laws of our being, and we can
only partially avoid the consequences by greater
vigilance in observing  other  laws  and require-
ments.   They seem to ignore the  fact, too, that we
are not apt to follow certain rules unless we at once
see the benefits to be derived from their observance.
Pain is given us to warn us of injury to our bodies,
but it must be remembered that the nerves  reveal
only their existing state by feelings of pleasure or
pain at the moment they are acted upon.   There-
fore actions which may be pleasurable at the time,
may afterwards result in pain and discomfort.

                HEALTH DEFINED.
   Health is that condition of the body in which all
the organs are performing their proper functions,
or offices, unobstructed by foreign particles or
forces.  When one is  in a perfect state of health
 he is not conscious of possessing organs, unless the
 mind is voluntarily directed to  them, that is, when
 an organ is performing its proper function unob-
 structed it gives no evidence of its existence in the
 way of pain or uneasiness.  Usually this is a test
 for health, but there may be exceptions to the rule.
 There may be poisonous matters in the blood, or a
 tendency to unnatural growth or unnatural  action,
 often  inherited, which may not manifest itself for a 
62             HEALTH  DEFINED.
long time, yet continue to undermine the system.
There are, perhaps, no human beings in a perfect
state of health at least for any great length of time.
The causes of disease are  manifold and lurk on
every side.  There may be seeds of poison in the
air we breathe, in  the water wre  drink, and in the
food we eat.   We all inherit to  a greater  or  less
degree, some tendency to disease of some kind or
other, from parents or grand-parents, or from re-
mote generations.  All extremes of heat or cold,
too much  or too little food, too  much exercise or
not enough, indulgence in narcotics and stimulants,
too frequent exercise of the emotions and passions,
are all fruitful causes of disease.
  In a state of health there is a just balance between
supply and waste.   When  food  is  taken into the
system it is changed into new substances which are
built up into the tissues of our  bodies, which are
constantly being torn down and  cast out as waste
matter.  This constant change of matter produces
animal heat and vital power exhibited  in physical
and mental force.   Every motion is caused by
muscular contraction, and every muscular contrac-
tion is at the expense of the destruction of some of
the substance  of the muscle, and every thought and
emotion is at the expense of destruction of nerve or
brain substance.  If the waste material  is not re-
moved as  fast as formed, it becomes a foreign body
and a source of obstruction to vital  actions. 
THE  VALUE  OF HEALTH.          63
            THE VALUE OF HEALTH.
  Of course, there is no one who does not in a
measure at least appreciate good health.  But so
little attention is paid by some people to its preser-
vation, that one would think they did not know its
value.  Such is the influence of the body upon the
mind that there can be no perfect mental activity
unless the body be in a state of good health.  Says
Rev. G. S. Weaver : " Nothing is clearer than that
the most towering genius, the most determined am-
bition, the most untiring perseverance, must be all
unavailing in the struggle for life's  great objects
without health.   Genius may plume  her wings for
a lofty flight, may revel among her  own  brilliant
creatures, may  bathe her plumage in the glittering
light of the stars ; if young health stand  not by her
side, to give strength  to her pinions, energy and
permanency to  her young and daring powers, she
will be compelled to come down even to the earth,
 and, like a young eagle struck on his first upward
flight by the huntsman's ball, flutter  in the dust, a
 crippled, broken, miserable thing of life in the arms
 of death."
   It is, indeed, your duty to preserve your health
 as much as  to  love your neighbor,  or  to worship
 your Creator.  It is as  much  a sin  to violate wil-
 fully the laws of health as to lie, cheat or steal.   A
 violation of  the laws of health will meet with pun-
 ishment sooner or later. 
IMPORTANCE OF CLEANLINESS.
         IMPORTANCE  OF CLEANLINESS.
  Dirt is matter in the wrong place.  It is not easv
to keep our persons and surroundings clean.  Eter-
nal  vigilance is the price of cleanliness, but it pays
to keep clean.  " Cleanliness is next to godliness."
No  better text was ever chosen.  Mankind  have
made much  improvement  in  this  regard.   The
Bushman of Africa, the lowest of savages, uses no
water on the surface of his body.  If he handles
an object which  soils  his fingers to any great ex-
tent, he  wipes them on his  naked  arms, sides or
breast.   Yet these people possess a reasonable de-
gree of health and strength.  But the fact that they
spend their time in the open air, do not over exer-
cise their bodies, and have no care on their minds,
accounts for  their comparative freedom  from dis-
ease, because these conditions  make up in  great
part for the loss occasioned by the violation of the
laws of health relating to cleanliness.
  In Queen Elizabeth's time the floors, even of the
wealthy and refined, were covered with straw, and
the bones and other remains of a meal, were thrown
under the table.   In those  days great pestilences
frequently swept over the world, destroying people
by  the thousands.  In many of the eastern coun-
tries to-day,  the majority of the people live in the
midst of filth, and when an epidemic breaks out, it
makes fearful ravages.   In this  country,  in our
day, we take some pains to  keep our bodies  clean
and to remove filth from our surroundings, yet we
are far from doing what we ought to do in that line. 
BATHING.
65
We throw slops from the kitchen into the yard, let
vegetables and  fruits  rot in the gutters, pour the
refuse of slaughter-houses into rivers and drink the
water, allow sewers to open in close  proximity  to
dwellings, and in every village and town our nos-
trils make us aware of the existence of privy vaults
and pig-pens.   The variety of smells which  greet
our olfactory nerves when  we enter a city tell  us
that the air is not wholesome.  Asiatic cholera has
made several visits to this  country with  beneficial
results—beneficial, because it has compelled the
authorities in our cities to enforce measures of clean-
liness.   This is  one of the many diseases that  is
bred by filth.   Could  we, everywhere,  enforce
cleanliness upon the inhabitants, cholera  and many
other diseases would be exterminated.  Water, soap
and disinfectants  are  cheaper than  doctors and
medicines.   "An ounce of prevention is worth a
pound of cure."
                    BATHING.
   The worst kind of dirt is the waste matter secreted
from our bodies through the skin.  It is poisonous
if again  introduced into the blood, and  if not re-
moved it will be absorbed and enter the blood again,
or if it is not thrown out but continues to circulate
with the blood, the whole system  is poisoned and
various diseases are the  result.  Hence the neces-
sity of frequent  bathing to remove  the excreted
matter and to keep the skin  soft and the pores
open.  Bathe then for cleanliness mainly.   Other
uses of bathing will be mentioned hereafter.  But
bathing if used too frequently, or at improper times
    5 
66
BATHING.
and with water at improper temperatures, may prove
injurious.   The effect of a cold bath is to give a
shock to the nervous system, and  send the blood
inward from the surface.   In  persons of vigorous
constitutions this does no  apparent harm,  if they
exercise their limbs and rub the skin briskly, until
action comes up, which is known by the agreeable
glow of warmth upon the  surface.  But if the re-
action  does not follow there  is danger.   Many
patients have been killed by the cold bath.   Their
nervous systems could not stand the shock.
  Bathing in water above the temperature of the
body has the effect, first of stimulating the nervous
system, but this  stimulation is followed by some
degree  of depression, and a languid and  drowsy
feeling results, which is not always beneficial.  Lo-
cal hot or cold  baths,  that is, hot or  cold water
applied to limited portions of the body, are very
useful in many diseased conditions, but  are not de-
manded for the maintenance  of  health.  Water
for the bath should be of a  temperature a little
lower than that of the body itself, a temperature
which is always agreeable to the feelings.
  For  purposes of cleanliness,  the  entire  body
should be bathed as often as twice a week in win-
ter and once every day in summer. As to the time
of day, I do not think it very material.  However,
it is not best to bathe immediately before or imme-
diately  after a meal.
  There may be some women who read this who
will say, " I can  not  follow these  instructions, for
I have no arrangements for bathing."  Yes, you 
CHANGE OF CLOTHING.
67
have all you need.  It is not necessary to immerse
the body in water in order to take a bath.  A half-
gallon of water in a washbowl, a cloth or sponge,
a good towel and soap are all the materials needed
for a thorough bath.  Wet the cloth thoroughly
and wash the whole  surface of the body,  using
soap, and making repeated applications  especially
to the parts where the secretions  of the skin  are
greatest, as  in the arm-pits.  Follow the washing
with vigorous rubbing with a coarse towel.  This
may be useless advice to the majority of my read-
ers, but I know  many persons  who  never bathe.
Such persons generally have frequent  spells  of
fever, or other ailments.

             CHANGE OF CLOTHING.
  The  clothing worn next the  skin should  be
changed twice in every twenty-four hours.   What
an unreasonable demand, you say.  I do not mean
that your underclothes should be washed as often
as changed.  Wear one  set of under-garments in
the daytime, and another at night, and let those
which are not worn  hang up where the air will
strike them freely. The materials which the clothes
have  absorbed from  the body  during the twelve
hours will nearly all be dissipated  during the next
twelve hours.   If you wear the same underclothes
day and night for a week, the body absorbs  again
the poisonous materials which it throws  off.  The
clothes  need not be washed oftener than once a
week in winter, perhaps  oftener in summer.  The
nature of the occupation will have  something to do 
68     DANGERS OF RETAINED EXCRETIONS.

with that, however.  Now, do not say that you can
not follow my advice here. It will cost you only a lit-
tle thought and two or three minutes time each day.
  Bedclothing should be aired during the day.  It
is not a good practice to make up  the beds in the
morning  as soon as the occupants have  left  them.
When persons are compelled to  live and  sleep in
the same room,  it then becomes necessary.  In
such cases, two sets of sheets might be used alter-
nating them as you do your underclothing.  Where
practicable,  however, the windows  of a bed-room
should be thrown open in the morning and the bed-
clothes turned open, or thrown across chairs.

      DANGERS OF RETAINED  EXCRETIONS.
  A fruitful  source  of many and various  diseases
is the retention within the body of the waste mate-
rial of the bowels, and of the urine.  Constipation
produces more ailments  in women than any other
one cause.  Let us notice for a moment the philos-
ophy of constipation.  Nature requires that the con-
tents of the bowels be  discharged about once in
ever)'- twenty-four hours.  This varies  somewhat
with the peculiarities  of organization.   There are
persons who are entirely healthy and have an op-
eration only once in forty-eight  hours,  and others
who  habitually discharge the  bowels  twice  in
twenty-four hours.  But with the majority of per-
sons in good  health there is  a call of nature to
evacuate the bowels once in twenty-four hours, and
this inclination comes usually about the  same time
of the day, the time varying with different persons. 
DANGERS OF RETAINED EXCRETIONS.
  Let us suppose a person in good health and there
is an inclination to move the bowels, say at seven
o'clock in the morning.  Instead of responding to
nature's call, suppose  the  person, by an  effort  of
the will, suppresses the inclination.  It is  a fact,
that many of the operations of the human  system
have a tendency to be  periodical and regular.   If
the inclination be suppressed, nature will not make
a demand probably until about the same time next
day.   We  know that if we do not eat when  the
regular meal time comes, our hunger soon leaves
us, and we are not hungry again until the hour for
the next meal arrives.
  Now, what takes place in the system in the mean-
time?   The material in the bowels  becomes solid
by absorption of a portion of its water, and is forced
down from its proper receptacle, the lower part of
the colon, into the rectum.  Here its pressure par-
tially paralyzes  the nerves, and the desire for evac-
uation is lessened, or may not appear  at all until
the great pressure of the accumulating material
above  actually  forces  a passage.   This  stretches
the membranes and  partially impairs  their func-
tions, and a habit of constipation is  the result.
  But  this is not  all.   A great many evils follow
indirectly.   The actual, direct pressure in the rec-
tum, or lower bowel, which physiology teaches us
is simply a passage-way for the waste material and
not a store-house  for it, tends to displace the womb,
which lies just in front of it.  The pressure also
acts injuriously by affecting the  nerves which are
connected with the genital organs and the bladder, 
DANGERS OF RETAINED EXCRETIONS.
in fact with every part of the system, and a multi-
tude, of evils  result.   Again, the material of the
bowels is  poisonous if introduced  into the blood.
If it is not removed it will be re-absorbed, and cause
a kind of blood-poisoning, which  may manifest
itself as various fevers, billious attacks, etc.  Piles
are commonly caused by constipation, either from
the direct pressure, or  by the absorption of the
poison.
  Medicines usually in the end increase rather than
relieve constipation, because they act by stimulat-
ing the bowels to greater activity, which unnatural
and unaccustomed  actions finally result in greater
or less paralysis o'f the parts.  Should a person be-
come constipated,  it may be  necessary in some
cases to take medicine, at first to relieve the bowels,
and then keep them open by  proper attention to
diet, and by proper habits of life.   The use of a
syringe is perhaps  less objectional than medicines,
but one can easily form  a habit of using  a syringe
and the bowels will not move without it, just as one
can form  a habit of taking pills, and the  more vou
take the more you  will  need to produce  the same
result.
  But here, as elsewhere, the "ounce of preven-
tion  is  worth the  pound of cure."  Each person
should have a regular time for going to the privy.
It matters little what time of day it be, so that it
be the same .time  each  day.   By persistent effort
at regular intervals a habit may be  formed so that
the desire will take place at about the  same time
each day. Then you should  conscientiously,  yes, 
PURE  AIR.
7*
religiously answer every call  of nature.  Here is
where the majority of women err.   If I were writ-
ing a code of laws, or a set of commandments which
women  especially should obey in order to maintain
their health, I  should  have one of them,  "Thou
shalt not neglect  the calls of nature to discharge
the bowels."  Do not  let the demands of society
keep you from this.  Fix the time when you form
the habit, at such an hour as will be the least liable
to interfere with the demands of society.
   The remedies for constipation will be discussed
in another part of this work.  I wish here merely
to impress  the importance of regular evacuations
of the  contents of the  bowels.  The retention of
urine beyond proper limits  also endangers health.
The bladder when full  presses upon the womb and
 may cause displacements of that organ.  The con-
tinued  pressure of the liquid in the bladder  also
 tends to weaken  the muscles and ligaments, and
 causes  diseases of the bladder itself.

                    PURE  AIR.
   Even the most ignorant recognize the importance
 of breathing pure air, but many do not know what
 pure air is. They often mistake cold air  for pure
 air.  Air to be breathed should be as  free as pos-
 sible from  noxious gases and dust  and should con-
 tain a certain  amount of moisture.  Air which has
 been breathed once is  impure, because it contains
 carbonic acid  gas thrown off from  the lungs, hence
 the necessity of a constant supply of fresh air.  The
 carbonic acid gas from the lungs of animals is re- 
72
PURE AIR.
moved from the atmosphere partly by plants tak-
ing it in, and partly by being absorbed by water
and soil.
  In the effort to secure pure air we are often led
into another danger.  Few persons recognize the
great danger in drafts of cold or  cool air.  I be-
lieve that more injury is caused  by improper ven-
tilation, which  exposes  persons  to drafts,  than  is
caused  by insufficient ventilation.   It is true  that
the soldiers  and hunters  and  others who live out
of doors seldom take colds, although they  are ex-
posed to all the winds that blow.   But it is  entirely
different with those who are obliged to spend most
of their time indoors.  When the body is warm
and relaxed, and a person is  not  exercising their
muscles,  a  draft  of  air cooler  than their bodies
causes a sudden lowering of the  body temperature,
which invariably  results  in what we call taking
cold.  There is no danger of taking cold if a per-
son exercises in a draft of air, but there is danger
in remaining quiet.   I am safe in  saying that more
persons die in this country  from lung diseases,
which  are  more  or  less directly connected  with
taking  cold, than from any other cause.
   But how  shall we secure proper ventilation?  It
is a difficult problem.  Our houses are not properly
 constructed. We can secure,fresh  air only by open-
 ing doors and  windows, and this nearly always ex-
 poses us to drafts. If possible, the opening should
 be made near  a stove so that the fresh air  could be
 warmed before it circulates through the room.  A
 window maybe raised  or lowered and the opening 
            CLOTHING  AND SHELTER.          73

screened with a board, so that the current  of air
will be directed  upward and not directly inward,
so as to strike the occupants.  Especial care should
be taken in ventilating bed-rooms to prevent direct
drafts upon the bed.  It is needless  to say that a
bed-room should have some opening  to  admit a
constant supply of fresh air and an exit of foul air.
As a rule there should be  two openings,  one near
the bottom and one near the top of a room,  to se-
cure sufficient circulation of the air.  Never try to
keep  warm in bed by closing the  room tightly.
Better have a little fire, or use more  covering.
   Our American women spend too  much of their
time indoors.   More outdoor exercise  and recrea-
tion ought to be taken.  While I  do  not believe in
women taking long walks, or working in the fields,
or exposing themselves to extremes of temperature,
I do think that  if our women would walk out of-
tener and spend more time in the  open  air, they
would suffer  much less.  A short walk might be
taken every day if the weather is not too severe.
The body should be properly protected  from damp-
ness and cold by good clothing, of course, and this
brings me to speak of

            CLOTHING AND  SHELTER.
   The material for clothing should depend upon
the season and climate.  Woolen goods are neces-
sary  for winter in our latitude.  Linen has the
greatest conducting power,  and is  therefore the
coolest.   Linen underwear is often  uncomfortable
after being saturated with perspiration, because of 
74
CLOTHING AND  SHELTER.
its rapid dispersion of the heat of the body.  Cotton
is probably the best for summer wear.
  The feet, the chest and the  abdomen need more
protection than any other parts of the body. Leather
is the best protection for the feet.  It adapts  itself
to the form of the foot and does not readily absorb
water, and to some  extent absorbs the excretions
from the  feet.  India rubber is  objectionable for
constant wear because, while it excludes external
moisture, it retains all the perspiration of the feet.
Rubber shoes  and boots are, however, essential
in damp weather.  They  should never be worn in
dry weather nor in the house, nor long  at a time.
Stockings should be well  aired and dried at night.
Cork insoles are good, especially for those whose
feet perspire readily.   They should be taken out of
the shoes at  night and well  dried.  Thick-soled
shoes, while  they keep out  dampness better, are
very tiresome to the feet, and having less elasticity
wear out faster than thin ones.
  So much has been said against wearing  tight
clothes that it will be useless to say anything here.
Tight  shoes produce corns.  This is generally be-
lieved, but it is not so generally known that shoes
too loose  will produce the same  result.  A  shoe
should fit the foot neatly, not cramp it, nor be so
loose that it will rub.  Corsets are almost univer-
sally condemned  by hygienic writers and  almost
universally worn by women.  I shall not condemn
them.   Corsets are  good things  if properly made
and worn.  So long as there is no  compression of
any part of the body there can be no possible harm 
CLOTHING AND  SHELTER.
75
in wearing a corset.  But a corset to be beneficial
and not injurious should be  made to fit the form
exactly, and should be laced with  elastic  strings,
not too tightly.  Rubber cord of the proper size
may be had in  dry goods stores.  Remember, it
is not the corset itself, but the tight lacing of one
with inelastic cords which injures the female body.
Don't  be  so foolish as to compress your body with
any  such instrument of torture, no matter what
fashion may say.   It is, however, no longer fash-
ionable except among fools.
   Woolen blankets or coverings  of fur or feathers
are better to sleep under, because we can get more
warmth with less  weight than with  cotton bed-
clothes.  Sleeping upon feathers is not a good prac-
tice, except  it  may be in extremely cold weather,
and  then it  is best to sleep upon a  straw or shuck
ntattress and have the feather tick over you.  Sleep-
ing between feather ticks is an extreme.  The sys-
tem  is debilitated  by the great heat.  A woven
wire or spiral  spring bed with a shuck mattress,
or a straw tick upon it, is the best kind of bed.
   One should  avoid getting chilled at any time.
The cold which pinches our  fingers and faces does
not injure unless it be severe enough to freeze the
parts,  but a general chilling of the whole  body is
always injurious.  A person may become chilled
even in mild weather by sitting  still in a  draft or
in a damp room.   A little fire in the  room on cool,
damp  days, even during the warmest months  of
our summer, is not out of place.  When engaged
in reading,  sewing or some  other sedentary occu- 
76
SUNSHINE.
pation, one may become chilled without knowing
it until too late.  The judgment and not the feel-
ings should be a guide in this matter.
  Children  and  old and  feeble persons require •
more clothing than  adults  of  stouter build,  and
women, as a rule, require more  clothing than men.
Persons who spend much time  indoors  must wear
heavier clothes when out than those who are much
accustomed to an outdoor life.  Exposure to cold,
damp winds without sufficient  protection is  the
cause of many diseases.

                   SUNSHINE.
  The sun is a great  invigorator.  Animals as well
as plants grow pale and sickly in the dark.   It  is
true that the sun is a tanner by trade and that  to
persons unaccustomed to being much in the sun-
shine his  direct rays  are  almost unendurable  at
times.  But those  who fall from "sunstroke," as
it is called, are generally those  who  have violated
the plainest laws of health with  regard to eating
and drinking, or, in other respects, have not taken
care of themselves.
  The sun may fade the carpet if let into the house,
but it puts new color into the cheeks of the inmates.
Shade trees in great numbers  and  too  close to a
house are not healthful. The ground is kept damp
and the direct rays of the sun can not purify the
surroundings and vivify the inhabitants.   Children
should be  allowed to play in the sunshine as much
as they desire.   What if the sun does tan them,  or
produce freckles, so long as they are in good health? 
EXERCISE AND REST.
77
Many chronic diseases are greatly benefited by ex-
posing the patients frequently to the direct rays of
the sun.
              EXERCISE AND  REST.
  By exercise I do not mean swinging a war-club,
climbing  ropes, or  going  through a  prescribed
number of motions of the limbs, generally known
as gymnastics.  Neither do I mean simply work,
nor walking, nor riding, nor any one kind of bodily
activity.   Exercise, in fact, does not mean simply
activity of the bodv, but of  the mind as well.   All
activity of the body or  mind is exercise.  Except
when sound asleep we are always exercising some
of the voluntary parts of the bod}', and during sleep
the involuntary acts of respiration, circulation and
digestion go on.   When we are sitting or standing
still, we  are exercising, because  it requires action
of certain muscles to maintain the upright position.
  Rest is  not necessarily cessation of  activity of
the entire body and mind.  We  may rest  one set
of organs  while exercising another.  The human
organization can  endure a wonderful  amount of
work provided no one part is kept at work  too long
at a time.  The heart makes  seventy contractions
per minute and ma}- keep it up a hundred years,
yet the heart is not worn out, because it  rests as
much  as  it works, for  between  every contraction
there is a pause as long as the contraction.
  Over-exercise is injurious, so is over-rest.  One
is as bad  as  the  other.  Too much exercise  ex-
hausts vital power, too  much rest degenerates the
tissues, because a certain amount of activity con- 
78            EXERCISE AND REST.

stitutes the life of the body.  The majority of per-
sons, men and women,  overwork  themselves at
times.  It is a great mistake to expect to accom-
plish much in life by long and close  application to
one kind of work.   A frequent change of work, or
a frequent relaxation from work entirely is neces-
sary for health and long life.   Our mistake  is in
exercising too  long at a time and resting too  long
at a time.  Women are more  injudicious in this
respect than men.   A woman has a big washing to
do.   She  invariably does it all in one day, if she
does  it at all, no matter how large  it is, or  how
feeble she may be. Women stand on  their feet
for hours, washing  dishes, or paring fruit, or other
work which they could as well  do sitting down.
  Exercise should be adapted to the wants of the
constitution.  I can not put this point in a better
way than does Dr. Jarvis.  He says  : " The same
quantity of exercise is not necessary for the health
of all men and women, nor are  all able to endure
the same amount of labor.   It must be measured
out according to the constitution, the strength and
the habits of various persons.  What is necessary
for one may exhaust the  other   The quantity of
action should be determined, not by any previously
established theory, but by its results in each case—
by its effects upon each individual."
  To be most beneficial, exercise should stop short
of great fatigue.  Slight weariness may not be in-
jurious.  There is a tired yet comfortable kind of
feeling which one has after the proper amount of
exercise.  The labor which results in pain in  any 
EXERCISE AND REST.
79
 part  of  the  body, is injurious  to  that part.   Let
 pains and aches be our warnings and guides.
   Only very gentle exercise should be taken im-
 mediately before and after eating.  The powers of
 the system are needed in digestion, and severe ex-
 ercise at this time is more exhaustive and interferes
 with  digestion.
   What  are the best kinds of exercise for women?
 I  would  answer,  any kind,  almost,  that  is  not
 severe, nor calculated to in any way put a strain
 upon any special organ.  Women  as a rule suffer
 more from violent and unusual exercise than men.
 They need to be  extremely cautious.  They are
 generally more ambitious  and will undertake to
 lift things and perform labors which might tax the
 powers of strong men.   How often do we see wo-
 men  lifting tubs of water upon  benches,  wash-
 boilers full of water from the stove, or articles of
 furniture  in  the room, just because they are too
 proud or too  foolish to call in the assistance of an-
 other.
   Dancing and roller skating  are not, as a rule,
 good exercises  for women.  There  is too much
 danger of jolting the body in  such a  way  as to
 cause displacement of  the womb, or injury  to
 some other delicate parts.  Besides, these  exer-
 cises  are  usually carried on  at late hours  of the
 night and amidst the dust and heat of closed rooms.
 Riding on horseback is generally healthful for wo-
 men,  but there is the danger of falls and jolting.
Walking brings into exercise many muscles and is
beneficial if not carried to excess. 
8o
GYMNASTICS FOR  WOMEN.
            GYMNASTICS FOR WOMEN.
   By gymnastics  is generally meant  a series of
bodily exercises carried out according to prescribed
rules.   The term  is  from a  Greek word which
-means naked, because physical exercises were per-
formed among the Greeks with the body wholly or
partially stripped.  This mode of exercising  has
many  advantages, but  is also attended with  evil
results, unless great caution is used.   Many of the
prescribed movements and performances exercise
certain muscles too violently.   Instead of procur-
ing a book of instructions and a set of gymnastic
apparatus, I would advise young women to lay out
a plan, or  rather resolve to keep up with some de-
gree of regularity a series of exercises devised by
themselves, modeled somewhat after the suggestions
here given.
   Few women have sufficient lung capacity.  The
chest may be increased in size, and the breathing
capacity increased by pursuing a course somewhat
as follows : Stand erect, throw the shoulders well
back and  inhale very slowly through  the nostrils
until the lungs are well filled with air,  then exhale
slowly until they are as near empty as it is possible
to make them. Repeat this not more than  four
times in succession and at two different times each
day.   After each breathing exercise make a num-
ber of motions of the  arms, throwing them back as
far as possible, reaching  upward, thrusting them
forward and backward, shrugging the shoulders
with  the elbows raised, etc.   These  motions  not 
GYMNASTICS FOR WOMEN.
8l
only strengthen the muscles of respiration but tend
to develop the muscles of the arm and shoulder.
   Exercise the lower limbs by standing first on one
foot then on the other for a moment, changing five
or six times in succession;  bend each knee alter-
nately until the leg almost touches the back of the
thigh ; stand firmly on the two feet and wriggle the
body from side to side so as to bend the  knee and
hip-joints slightly; lie on the  back across a  bed
and bend the  lower extremities upon the  bod}'- and
the body on itself; while lying on the back draw
up the feet toward the body and bend the leg and
thigh outward and inward.
   Work the toes and fingers, the hands  upon the
wrist-joints, the  feet upon the ankle, in  short, try
to bring into action every muscle of the  body not
exercised by the above described motions.
   Now, you must be cautious in all this exercising.
Do not move a limb  so  far in one direction as to
produce a straining effect.  If the part pains, how-
ever slightly, it is evidence that you have exercised
it too severely.  Be  more cautious the next time.
Do not repeat any one kind of motion more than
six times in succession.
  This kind of exercise requires no apparatus and
is less apt to be overdone than regular gymnastic
exercises.  When Indian clubs or dumbbells  are
used, one can  without knowing it produce a strain
of the muscle  and thus do  more harm than good.
Pulling on ropes and bars is also more apt to  pro-
duce straining.
  The time when such exercises are to be taken is
    6 
82
SLEEP.
important.   They should not be taken just before
nor just after a full meal.  They may be taken just
before retiring, or just after rising in the morning,
if this does not bring the time too close  to supper
or breakfast.   They  should  not  occur within an
hour of a meal time.
  These exercises should vary with the occupation.
If you have been working at something which would
bring the upper extremities into action and not the
lower, then omit those not pertaining to  the upper
extremities, and so  on,  the rule  being to exercise
those parts which are not exercised  in your ordi-
nary labor.
                     SLEEP.
  The majority of persons  do  not  take  enough
sleep.  Some persons, of course, require more than
others, but it is impossible  to get too much natural
sleep.  One  gains  nothing by stealing  the  hours
nature demands for sleep.   He only loses vitality.
The hours  of darkness are  the best for sleep,  as
they are the  poorest for labor of any  kind.   I do
not believe in early rising, if that means getting up
before daylight.   In the summer time, when our
nights are the shortest, one should retire soon after
dark  and  get up whenever' she feels sufficiently
rested.  There is no  harm in taking a nap in the
daytime, either.
  Sound sleep is never attended with dreams.  One
never sleeps  sound when the stomach is full, yet
hunger, also, prevents sleep.  It is not best, then,
to retire too soon after eating a hearty meal.
  Never use medicines  to produce sleep unless un- 
MENTAL STATES.
83
der extreme circumstances of disease, and then a
physician should be first consulted.   Do not allow
business or social  affairs to interfere with sleep.
We can  direct our thoughts into other  channels.
The best way to go to sleep is to  try to recall some
pleasing events of the past, or build air-castles for
the future, or  let the mind wander anywhere out-
side of your daily care or occupations.
  Persons often wake in the night, and are unable
to go to sleep again readily.  This  is frequently
due to having been too warmly covered.  A good
remedy for this is to get up, walk around the room
for a few minutes, then go back to bed.

                MENTAL STATES.
  The body and mind mutually influence each
other.   Thus, dyspepsia may be brought  on by
despondency of mind, and dyspepsia produced by
other causes will produce despondency of mind.
Powerful passions and emotions overwork the ner-
vous system, which thus loses control, to a  great
degree, of the functions of nutrition.   There is then
a failure to produce good blood, and this in  turn
affects the nervous system and  consequently the
mind.
  Disappointments of various kinds, as loss of
friends and relatives, failure in business, accidents,
etc., may  occur  in the life of  any person.  We
should try to cultivate a buoyant spirit which will
react against  these depressing influences.    The
will may be cultivated  so that we may control, in
a measure, our emotions and passions. 
84
QUANTITY OF FOOD.
  It is not best, however, to suppress emotions and
passions too suddenly.  Tears and words are safety-
valves which relieve the tension of the nervous sys-
tem.  What I mean is, that one  should not brood
over  misfortunes,  but  try to cultivate  a  cheerful
spirit.
              QUANTITY OF  FOOD.
  The proper quantity of food necessary for health
depends upon a great  variety  of circumstances.
The appetite is  not always a sure guide, for  it  is
frequently  perverted.   Children need  more food
than adults, in proportion to their size.  Men gen-
erally need more than women, and large men more
than small men.  Habit has much to do with it.
Persons can accustom themselves to  eating large
quantities and the system seems  to adapt itself to
the conditions.  On the other  hand, persons ac-
quire  a habit  of abstemiousness and get along with
a smaller quantity of food.   More food is demanded
in cold weather and in cold climates.  Persons who
use the muscles largely need more food than those
engaged in sedentary occupations.
  I am not inclined to believe that over eating alone
is the cause  of  much ill health.  I  think people
should eat  plenty  of good, wholesome food,  and
pay more attention to  other laws of health.  One
should not be too much  afraid of starving, either.
When persons are sick,  they should not be urged
to take food.   Their own desires will generally be
the best guide. 
QUALITY OF FOOD.
85
               QUALITY OF FOOD.
  Man is an omnivorous animal.   Experience and
the nature of his digestive organs show this.   The
experience of vegetarians proves simply and  noth-
ing more that man can live on vegetable food alone.
It does not prove  that  animal food is injurious.
Vegetable food is more bulky than animal and for
this reason it should form a larger part of our food,
because the stomach can act better on a large bulk
of food than upon a smaller bulk.   We feed horses
hay and straw along with oats and corn rather than
upon grain alone.  Animal food being more con-
centrated we are more apt to eat too much, the ap-
petite in such cases not being a good guide.
  The following is  the opinion of an  eminent au-
thority  (Sir Henry Thompson, in the  Nineteenth
Century) on the question of animal and vegetable
diet:
   " It is a vulgar error to regard meat  in any form
as necessary to life ; if for any it is necessary, it is
for the hard-working out-door laborers,  and for
these a certain proportion is  no  doubt desirable.
Animal flesh is useful, also, as a concentrated form
of nutriment, valuable  for its portability, and for
the small space it occupies in the stomach—unri-
valed in certain circumstances.   Like  every other
description of food, it is highly useful in its place,
but is by no  means necessary for  a large propor-
tion of the population.   To many it  has become
partially desirable  only by the force of habit and
because their  digestive  organs  have thus  been 
86
QUALITY OF FOOD.
trained to deal with it, and at first resent a change.
But this being gradually made, adaptation takes
place, and the individual who has consumed two
or three meat meals daily with some  little discom-
fort, chiefly from being often  indisposed to make
active exertions, becomes, after sufficient time has
elapsed, stronger, lighter and  happier,  as well  as
better tempered  and manifestly healthier, on the
more  delicate dietary sketched.  People in gen-
eral have very inadequate ideas of the great power
of habit alone in  forming what  they believe to  be
innate personal peculiarities, or in creating condi-
tions which are apparently part of a constitutional
necessity,  laws  of their nature, and essential  to
their existence.   Many  of these peculiarities  are
solely due to habit, that is, to  long continuance in
a routine of action, adopted it may be without mo-
tive or design ; and people are apt to forget that if
a routine of precisely opposite character had been
adopted, precisely opposite conditions would have
been established, and opposite peculiarities would
have become dominant, as their contraries are now.
Alterations in the dietary, especially of elderly per-
sons, should be made gradually and with caution.
This condition fulfilled, a considerable change may
be effected with satisfactory results, when circum-
stances render it necessary.  To revert once more
to the question of flesh  eating, it should  be re-
marked that it appears to be by no means a natural
taste with the young.  Few children  like that part
of the meal which consists of meat, but  prefer the
pudding, the fruit, the vegetables, if well dressed, 
QUALITY OF FOOD.
87
which unhappily  is  not  often  the  case.   Many
children manifest  great repugnance  to  meat  at
first, and are coaxed and even scolded by anxious
mothers until the habit of eating it is  acquired.
Adopting the insular creed, which regards beef
and  mutton as necessary to health  and strength.
the mother often suffers from groundless forebod-
ings about the future of a child who rejects flesh
and manifests what is regarded  as an unfortunate
partiality for bread and butter and pudding.   Nev-
ertheless  I  am satisfied, if the  children followed
their own instinct in that  matter, the result would
be a gain in more ways than one.   Certainly, if
meat did not appear in the nursery until the chil-
dren sent for it, it would be rarely seen there, and
the young ones would, as a rule, thrive on milk and
eggs, with the varied produce of the vegetable king-
dom."
  In cold weather and in cold climates we should
eat more food containing starch, sugar and fat.  In
warm weather we thrive better upon fruits, watery
vegetables and lean meats.   We need a variety of
food, since few articles contain all the elements the
system  demands.  The appetite  also demands a
variety.
  Experience shows that  the most easily digested
food is not always the most wholesome.  The stom-
ach seems to require a certain amount of exercise.
Soups are good for a variety, but would not be best
for a constant diet, because there is very little work
for the  stomach to do.  (See chapter on Foods and
Drinks.) 
88
MANNER OF EATING.
             FREQUENCY OF EATING.
   Universal experience shows that three meals in
 twenty-four hours are besc.   Habit, however, may
 modify this, and four or two meals per day may be
 just as congenial.  Children require food oftener
 than adults.  Meals should be as regular as possi-
 ble.  The common habit of having three meals per
 day during the week, and only two on Sunday, is
 not a  good one.  The stomach  is inclined to be
 periodic in its action and is in best condition to di-
 gest food when given at regular intervals.   Eating
 between meals is generally condemned because the
 stomach needs periods of absolute rest.

              MANNER OF  EATING.
  We  should eat slowly.  One  great cause of dys-
 pepsia in  this country is our eating.  There are
 two reasons why we should eat slowly, (i). Food
 needs thorough chewing, not only to  reduce it to a
 fine state of division, but that it  may be thoroughly
 mixed  with the  saliva. The action  of the jaws
 causes an increased flow of this  fluid and at the
 same time it becomes  well  mixed with the food.
 (2).  The stomach requires  time to  produce the
proper amount of gastric juice.  When we eat rap-
idly, we are apt to eat too  much, because the ap-
petite is then not a  good guide.  The appetite is
controlled mainly by the amount of gastric juice
that flows.   This  fluid can only be secreted at a
certain rate and requires a certain time to produce
a sufficient quantity. Now,  if we crowd a quantity 
DRINKS.
89
of food rapidly into the stomach, the flow of gastric-
juice can not  keep pace with it, and continues to
flow afterwards, thus causing the desire for food to
continue after a sufficient supply is already taken.
  We  should, therefore, learn to eat slowly.  Con-
versation at meals is good, because it compels us
to eat  more slowly.  In many parts of Europe  it is
the custom to spend an hour or  more at the  table.
  A cheerful state of mind aids the flow of gastric
juice,  hence lively conversation at the table is ben-
eficial.  The meal time should be the time for jokes
and hilarity.   All conversation on  solemn subjects
should be  reserved  for some other occasion than
meal time.

                    DRINKS.
  Water, as a general rule, is the best drink for
man and woman, and we should drink plenty of it.
Drinking at  meals  is frequently  condemned by
writers, but I  think a moderate quantity of  water
taken  with the food is not injurious.  It is true the
gastric juice is diluted, and the temperature  of the
stomach is lowered, but  the water is rapidly  ab-
sorbed and carries  with  it much of the digested
material, and the  temperature is rapidly restored.
  Water should be free from poisonous impurities.
The water we drink  often  contains the germs of
disease and decayed organic matter, which may
generate disease.   Wells are frequently in  close
proximity to privy vaults.  There is no doubt that
typhoid fever  has been many times communicated
by  drinking  water from  wells  which were near 
90
DRINKS.
vaults  in which the excrements  from typhoid pa-
tients,  were thrown.  Graveyards sometimes con-
taminate the water supply.   Charcoal, if the water
be filtered through it, will remove  almost all  im-
purities.   Boiling water purifies it to a certain de-
gree.
  I do not  condemn the use of tea  and coffee as
beverages.  There  are  some persons, no  doubt,
who are injured by  even a moderate use  of them,
and many are injured by an excessive use.  There
are many, also, who are benefited  by their use.
The danger  always exists of becoming slaves to
their use, a habit being formed which will grow
and lead to excessive indulgence.  Coffee is better
suited to people of warm climates and tea to those
of cold climates,  hence  we find  in France, Italy,
Turkey,  Spain, South America and  in our South-
ern States, coffee  is the  universal drink, while in
Russia, England, and the Northern  States, tea is
more largely used.  Coffee and tea are better suited
to middle-aged and old persons than to children
and youth.  In fact, they are nearly always posi-
tively injurious to young persons. Those who can
not drink tea or coffee may find a pleasant  substi-
tute in hot water with cream and sugar.   Individ-
uals should be governed by their own experience
in this matter.  If coffee or tea makes you wakeful
forego their use.
  Since women seldom indulge in alcoholic drinks,
I need say nothing on the subject here.   Remem-
ber that tea, coffee and chocolate are exceedingly 
COOKING.                 91
mild stimulants, while  nearly all alcoholic liquors
are active narcotic poisons when used even in small
quantities.   (See chapter on Foods and Drinks.)

                   COOKING.
  A few simple principles of the science of cooking
should be known to every housekeeper.   I wonder
how many know that beefsteak is made tough by
frying it in grease which is not  hot when the meat
is put in.  If you want the grease to soak into the
food,  put both together in  the  pan,  and  let them
heat gradually.   But  if you want  crisp,  tender
steak,  let the grease get almost  hot enough to take
fire, roll the meat in flour,  and put it in, having a
good  fire to cook  the  meat rapidly.   The  proper
way to fry any thing, is in  very hot grease, and it
should be taken out as soon as done.
  If you want to make potatoes  soggy and unfit for
eating, put them in cold water, and let the water
boil;  but if you want them dry  and mealy, let the
water  be boiling when you put them in.  Soups
are better for  having all the fat skimmed off and
for having  a great variety of vegetables  and con-
diments added, yet not enough  of any one kind to
give a distinct flavor.
  Many writers object to the use of condiments in
cooking.  An excessive amount is. no doubt injur-
ious,  but  when used  in moderation they add a
relish to many kinds  of food, without which they
would be less digestible.  The first requirement is
that food should taste good.
  It should be remembered, however, that an ex- 
92
COOKING.
cessive use of condiments will so pervert the taste
that  in time no food will taste good, even when
highly seasoned.   They destroy the delicate sen-
sitiveness of the  nerves of  taste by over-stimula-
tion.  While it would be folly to try to live entirely
without salt, pepper, vinegar and  spices, we must
be cautious in  our use  of them, especially  of the
peppers and spices.  Salt and vinegar are not so
objectionable.
  Women usually spend too much time in making
pies  and  cakes.  They may be used  occasionally
for a variety, but  they are  frequently difficult of
digestion.  Some  think that pastry is very  injuri-
ous,  and the cause of nearly all the dyspepsia that
prevails in this country.  I do not  think so.   Dys-
pepsia, it is true,  is the American disease, but it is
due  to many other causes.   The  greatest  objec-
tions to pies and  cakes are  that they require too
much labor to  prepare them,  and are  generally
eaten at the close of a meal when one  has already
eaten enough of other food.
  A good cook-book ought to be found in every
house and consulted frequently.  (See Chapter on
Foods and Drinks.) 
                   Chapter  III.

                     MATING.
   "A child's first right is to be well born, of parents sound in
body and mind, who can boast of a long line of ancestors on both
sides;  an aristocracy based on  the cardinal  virtues of purity,
chastity, sobriety, and honesty.  If the thought, the money, the
religious  enthusiasm, now expended for the regeneration of the
race were wisely directed to the generation of our descendants, to
the conditions  and environments of parents  and children, the
whole  face of society might be changed before we celebrate the
next centennial of our national life."—Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
            WHO SHOULD NOT  MARRY.
   I shall not waste time in arguing the  importance
of judicious  marriage.   1  am  not a Shaker nor  a
Free  Lover,  and therefore, believe in marriage, as
the majority of my readers do.    It is a divine insti-
tution,  if there ever was one.    Statistics show
that the death rate  among the unmarried is much
greater than among the married.  Comparatively
few old maids and bachelors  attain a  great  age.
Statistics  also show that two-thirds of those  who
commit suicide, and a larger proportion still of the
inmates of insane asylums, are unmarried.  But in
consideration of the welfare of the race, as  well
as the real welfare of individuals, there are certain
persons who should not marry.   Physiology  and
common sense teach this.
   It is a well-established fact that certain diseases
are transmitted from  parent  to child,  the  most
common of  these  being  consumption.   Scrofula
and epilepsy are other diseases especially liable to
                        (93) 
94          WHO SHOULD NOT MARR\ .

to be transmitted.   Certain defects and peculiari-
ties of organization  are transmissible—as obesity
(fatness), color of skin,  moles, freckles, tumorsr
etc.   Traits of mind are also transmitted.  Even
acquired  defects, such as  results  of  accidents
are sometimes  inherited.   A French physiologist,
Brown-Sequard, produced epilepsy in Guinea-pigs
by injuring certain parts of their brains, and this
disease appeared in all  the offspring of the animals
operated  upon.  Haeckel, a German naturalist, is
authority  for the statement that a race of tailless
dogs was produced by cutting off the tails of dogs
of both sexes for several generations.
  But the laws of hereditary descent are peculiar.
Children  of consumptive  parents often live to old
age, escaping  entirely from  disease ; and again,
children  may  be born of  parents who have  no
signs of the disease and before they reach the age
of thirty all die of consumption.
  Under  the laws of hereditary descent the chil-
dren often resemble the grandparents or ancestors
more remote rather than their parents.  But, not-
withstanding the many apparent  exceptions and
peculiarities of descent, physiologists are generallv
agreed  that the  force of heredity is very strong.
Physicians  in examining a  patient afflicted with
any constitutional disease  always inquire into his
antecedents. Life insurance companies in their es-
timates  of longevity place much reliance upon the
law of hereditary descent.
  Heredity, then, being such a  force, it is well to
consider  the question  whether  persons afflicted 
WHO SHOULD NOT MARRY.         95
with consumption, scrofula and epilepsy especially,
should marry at all.  It is asserted by some, how-
ever, that  if such  persons  marry those who  are
essentially their opposites, that is, those who have
great physical vigor and have no tendency to these
diseases, that  there will be no danger of the  off-
spring inheriting the  disease.   But this has  not
been demonstrated.  It is yet only an opinion.  It
is best to be on the  safe side.  There are authenti-
cated cases on record of young girls, who had no
signs of consumption, acquiring  that disease in a
short time  after marrying consumptive men.  Con-
sumption is believed now to be to a certain extent
contagious.
  But there is another consideration, another reason
why consumptives especially should not marry.  It
is the  almost  moral certainty of leaving a widow
or widower, perhaps with children, in a few years
after marriage.  Marriage should be a contract for
a long life  of happiness and usefulness on the part
of both parties.  If one is sure  to die  in a few
years,  the  healthy  one is foolish to enter into the
contract, and  the sickly one is guilty of the crime
of robbing a mate of a partner, of  creating  a
happy state which can have but a brief existence,
and which may be followed by a life of misery.
  Women with deformed bodies should not marry.
It is essential to an easy and safe child-birth that
the  bones  of  the pelvis be so constructed as to
leave a large cavity, or channel, for the passage of
the  child.   There are cases  where the pelvis is dis-
torted or unnaturally narrow, so that child-birth is 
96
WHO SHOULD NOT  MARRY.
an  impossibility.  Such cases are very rare,  but
thev do occur, and such persons often marry, with
the inevitable result of much suffering and often
death.  Of those cases where the  pelvis is smaller
than the average, but not actually deformed, I shall
have something to say in another chapter.
  Where insanity or idiocy has appeared in a fam-
ily for several generations, the offspring should not
marry.  That family ought to die out.  Says  Dr.
Aitken:  "Legislative  enactments regarding  the
inter-marriage of persons tainted  by insanity are
greatly to be desired ;  and  certainly the  conceal-
ment of insanity with a view to marriage ought to
render marriages  null  and  void  which are con-
cluded under such circumstances."
  Where  there has  been inter-marriage  of first
cousins for several generations there is apt to be
weakness of body or  mind.  Offspring of such
families should consider well the facts of  heredity
before resolving to enter the  marriage relation.
  In sympathy with  persons thus debarred from
gratifying a natural desire, Marion Harland says:
" In the firm resolve that this shall be so ; in  the
prayerful desire to eliminate  so far as in them  lies
that much of evil from the creation already groan-
ing and travailing together in pain ; in the cheerful
obedience through lonely years to the Divine beck-
onings to  duty and toil, unsolaced by the  dearest
of human  loves,—herein is  heroism  which  the
righteous Judge  of all will not fail  to  reward.  It
is Christlikeness ;  a true following of the Homeless
One who ' pleased not Himself.' " 
PROPER AND IMPROPER MATCHES      97
        PROPER AND  IMPROPER MATCHES.
  Certain persons ought not for physiological rea-
sons to marry certain other persons.  There seems
to be a law in nature  that likes  repel and unlikes
attract.  According to this law, people should marry
their opposites in  physical  structure.  If you will
observe your friends  and acquaintances, you will
find that generally opposites  are  attracted.   You
find dark-eyed and dark-haired people loving and
marrying blue-eyed  and light-haired people; the
tall marrying the short, the fat the lean, and so on.
But while this is  natural, many persons disregard
it from pecuniary  and other motives.
  Persons should not  marry those of their own
temperament.  By temperament is meant certain
permanent states of vitality, or qualities of consti-
tution.  It is a term difficult of definition, yet one
which  wre may readily understand.  We can see
at a glance  that no two persons are built exactly
alike, yet all may be  classified  into about four
groups, individuals of these groups having certain
general resemblances.  The basis of this classifica-
tion will be seen in  the following  descriptions of
the four simple temperaments as described by the
older writers.
  1. The sanguine temperament includes all per-
sons having a predominence of the respiratory and
circulatory systems, as shown in a strong and rapid
pulse, plump figure, ruddy complexion, light eyes,
fine hair and a cheerful disposition.
  2. The  bilious  temperament includes those in
     7 
98
PROPER AND  IMPROPER  MATCHES.
which the nutritive organs predominate, with dark
skin,  hair and eyes, strong pulse, powerful passions
and great will power and energy of character.
  3.  The lymphatic temperament includes those
with a greater proportion of the fluids of the body,
the result of active secreting organs, as indicated
by well-rounded form, fatness, softness of skin, and
an easy and indolent disposition.
  4.  The nervous  temperament  includes  those in
which the nervous system  predominates, as indi-
cated by slenderness, fine, light hair, narrow chest,
large  heads  and great mental activity.
  The majority of people have  a blending of all
these  types, and it is  not  always easy to  tell to
which temperament a person may belong, yet the
well  marked  cases are  easily distinguished.  A
crossing of these temperaments in marriage is ex-
tremely  desirable  to  secure well developed  and
healthy offspring,  as well as to insure domestic
happiness.   -If a person have a well-balanced tem-
perament, that is, have none of the peculiarities of
organization in  the extreme, such a person may
marry one of either extreme, it makes little differ-
ence ; but one who has any one of these tempera-
ments well marked, should not marry another hav-
ing the same temperament.
  "A cross of physical qualities is the law of safe
marriage.  Blue eyes  and  black, gray eyes  and
brown, slight forms and solid, short and tall, blonde
and brunette, are the contrasts which, other things
being right, make the favorable physical conditions
for marriage."  A very large man, however, should 
PROPER AND  IMPROPER MATCHES.
99
not marry a very small woman, since greater dif-
ficulties in childbirth may be expected.
  The parties in wedlock should be of nearly equal
station in society, and of about equal mental power.
If one is much superior to the other there will be,
very probably,  dissensions in the household of
various  kinds.   The husband and wife will never
agree as to choice of company they may entertain,
and the joys and pleasures of one may be the dis-
gust of  the other.   Says the Rev. G. S. Weaver:
" No love should be expected to bear the wear and
strain of  this difference  courageously through  a
whole life.  It  is  tempting  Providence to be thus
'unequally  yoked  together.'   The  very idea of
marriage  is that  of  an  equation — a  balance  of
equals.   The moment the equality is disturbed the
union is marred.''1
  Much objection has been raised to the marriage
of  first  cousins.   The question has been warmly
debated bv physicians.  Says Dr. Napheys, who
may be considered good authority on this subject:
"The  fear of  marrying a  cousin, even a first-
cousin,  is entirely groundless, provided there is no
decided taint in  the  family.   And  where  such
hereditary taint does exist the danger is not greater
than in marrying into any other family where it  is
also found.  But as few families are wholly without
some lurking predisposition to disease, it is not
well, as a rule,  to run the risk  of developing this
by  too repeated unions."
  Medical men are almost unanimous in the belief
that intermarriage of the races, as  the white and 
1O0
PROPER AGE TO MARRY.
black, are highly objectionable.   The offspring of
such mixtures are usually short-lived.  A crossing
of nationalities,  however, as of English  and Ger-
man, etc., is an entirely different thing.   All expe-
rience proves this to be highly beneficial.  The
most  powerful nations in the world are the results
of the crossing  of different families, or  stocks of
the same race.  Rome, Greece,  England and our
own country  are examples of this.

            PROPER AGE TO MARRY.
  Very early marriages  are not desirable.   Chil-
dren  born to very young parents are  generally
deficient in vitality.   Marriage should never take
place before maturity.  Some persons mature much
earlier than  others.   The time varies  in different
climates.  In this country men reach their maturity
at about twenty-three—some  sooner, some not so
soon.   Women  mature earlier, at  about twenty on
an average.
  Late marriages are not usually  favorable, espe-
cially with women.  The difficulties of childbirth
are greater after the age of thirty  than during the
ten years before.  The children of old men are not
likely to have as good  constitutions as  those of
men between twenty-five and forty.  Some great
men,  however,  have been born of fathers pretty
well advanced in years.  Thomas Campbell, the
poet,  was born when his  father was over seventy.
Lord Bacon was born when his father  was fifty.
Benjamin Franklin was the fifteenth  child of his
father, and the eighth of his mother. 
PROPER AGE TO MARRY.
IOI
  The best time for men  to  marry is between
twenty-five and thirty-five.  They should not marry
before twenty-three.  The best time for women to
marrv is between twenty and  twenty-six.  They
should not marry before eighteen.   It ought to be
sufficient to deter girls from marrying before  this
age  to  know  that child-bearing is then attended
with much suffering, as a  general  rule, and  that
there is great  danger of laying  the foundation for
life-long weakness.  Many a girl  has  thus mar-
ried in  haste  and  repented at her leisure.   If a
girl wishes to  preserve  her beauty she should not
marry young.  There are other reasons why a girl
should  not marry  before  the age  of eighteen or
twenty.  She has not had sufficient time to acquire
the education  and  experience  necessary for the
duties of the married state, nor has she the judg-
ment necessary to a  proper  choice of a husband.
  The relative age of a man and  wife should be
considered.  From what  has been said, we must
conclude that the wife should be younger than her
husband.   Matches where the wife is many years
the senior of  the husband usually turn out badly.
There should be no great difference in the ages of
man and wife, but  it is not so bad  for a wife to be
fifteen years younger than her husband, as it Is for
her to be five  years older.   Women rarely become
mothers after  the  age of forty-five.   Marriages
after that  age may be of advantage  to  both the
woman and the man in a business  sense, but  they
can not be called marriages in the true sense of 
102      THE PROPER  TIME TO MARRY.

that term.  They may be regarded as close friend-
ships, and are often the proper step to take.

         THE PROPER  TIME TO MARRY.
  Statistics show that the spring  and the fall are
most commonly chosen as the time for marriage.
There is a good  reason why the extremes of sum-
mer and winter should  not be chosen.   The woman
enters upon a new mode of life, and  should have
all the advantages of the season in her favor.  Ex-
tremes of heat and cold are trying to the system.
If children are to be born within the year, spring
is the best time to marry.
  There are good  reasons  for saying that a day
about equally distant between the woman's monthly
periods  should be chosen. I shall have more to say
on this subject hereafter.

              LOVE IN THE  CASE.
  Some marry for money, some for position, some
for beauty, some to be sure of a  home ;  and some
of these marriages are  happy ones, or seem to be.
Young men and young women ought  to marry for
love.  What is love?
  Love is made  up of two factors, the  spiritual and
the physical.  If there were no sexes there would
be no love.   There might be friendship, but  no
love in  the sense we use the term as applied to
marriageable men and women.
  The physical factor of love is the law, or instinct
which makes us desire to reproduce our kind. Love
looks forward to marriage and offspring  as a nat- 
LOVE IN THE CASE.
IO3
ural following. As proof of this we need only point
to those who have by disease, accident, or pur-
posely been deprived of their  essential organs of
generation.  All sentiment of love disappears.  If
the testicles  of a  man  are removed, he  loses his
manly appearance, and all his regard for women.
There are often  cases  in the records of  medicine
where women have been deprived of their ovaries
as a result of disease.   In all such cases  a change
took place.  The voice became deep like man's, a
beard  began to  grow, and all love of the opposite
sex disappeared.
  The spiritual  factor  in love is  the congeniality
of souls which  have much in common.   It is an
undefinable desire to associate with, to help and to
be helped by, to commune with a kindred  spirit.
Love without the spiritual factor is lust and noth-
ing  more.   Love without the physical  factor is
friendship and nothing more.  In our daily life we
see a husband anxious for the happiness of his wife,
toiling for her support, bending over her sick bed
with a look of anxious solicitude ; we see a wife at
the bedside of her sick husband, worn with watch-
ing and  cast down  by care, yet faithful in her
attentions ; standing up for him in the face of cal-
umny, trying to console him  in  his business  fail-
ures.  Is it friendship that prompts these actions?
Is it lust? There is something nobler than either.
It is love.
   Love is not a mere blind instinct, as some believe.
If it were, then there would be no use of trying to
exercise  choice  in selecting husbands and wives. 
104
LOVE IN  THE CASE.
My next topic will be the choice of a husband. Tf
I did not consider love as  something which could
be cultivated, which will grow if the proper  seed
is sown and proper care is taken, I would not need
to write up that  topic.  The following  from  Tit-
comb's  Letters is just to the  point:  " Make gen-
uine affection the first  thing.  This is absolutely
indispensable.  It takes precedence of everything
else.  You are not at liberty  to consider anything
before this.   A union based upon anything else is
essential prostitution.   It is against nature—against
God's most wise and benevolent intentions.   You
can make no union with a man, not based on this,
that will give you happiness.  Friendship alone
will not do.   Esteem alone will not do.   The  idea
of giving yourself to a man simply because you es-
teem him, and respect him, is disgusting."
  I repeat then, as my advice to young women,
marry the man vou love.  But I will add, love the
man you marry.
  There is such a thing as a  false love and such a
thing as a true love. There is  also a " puppy love,"
and  a  mature  manly  and  womanly, or conjugal
love.   Girls, do not allow yourselves to be carried
away by the first  downy mustache that makes  ad-
vances to you.  Weigh him in the  scales of com-
mon sense,  and  weigh your own mind and  wait
awhile.   Don't be in a hurry  to fall in love.  Wait
until you are old enough to marry, and  then think
about the matter seriously.  You are capable of
loving—it may be lusting, or it may  be mere fancy-
ing, or friendship—at an early age, at the  age of 
LOVE  IN THE CASE.
105
 fourteen or fifteen perhaps, but you will get over
 that, if you reflect that physiology teaches  that,
 though you are capable of being a mother, you are
 not yet mature, nor yet capable of being the best
 of mothers, not yet capable of the best  that is in
 your nature, for you must ever remember that true
 love has for its aim maternity  through marriage.
   Suppose you are old enough to marry, and you
 feel  attracted toward  some young man.  Before
 you allow that feeling to grow, find out something
 about the young man.   See if he will make a  good
 husband for you.  Weigh him according to the
 rules for choosing a husband.  Apply the  knowl-
 edge you  have on  this subject, and allow this
 knowledge to be your guide, and not the feelings
 which you may call love.   If you decide that  he is
 all right, then love him, or rather allow your feel-
 ings to grow, and if he courts you, let him know
 that  you love him,  not by words, but as women
 know how  to show  their love.  If, on the other
 hand, he is  not up to your standard of what  your
 husband ought to be, then try to think  no more
 about him, and that which you  called love will dis-
 appear without a pang.  This is what I call proper
 courtship on the part of the woman.
  Remember that love  is a passion that is easily
 controlled in its beginning, but a very strong one
 when it has grown by what it feeds upon.   I do
 not believe  that a woman loves but once  in her
lifetime.   It may  be so with some women, but it is
not a  characteristic of sex.  I think  a woman  may
truly love a man, and if the man does not love her,, 
IOO          CHOOSING  A HUSBAND.

or suppresses his love for her and marries another,
out of love for wealth or some other consideration,
or dies, that the woman may recover in time, and
as truly love another man.  But you may settle
this in your own minds.   The fact will remain, that
life without love is incomplete.
  Says Emerson:   "For it  is a fire that, kindling
its first embers in  the  narrow nook  of a  private
bosom, caught from a wandering spark out of an-
other private  heart, glows  and enlarges  until  it
warms  and beams upon multitudes  of men and
women, upon the  universal heart of  all,  and so
lights up  the whole world and  all nature with its
generous flames."

             CHOOSING A HUSBAND.
   Has woman the right to choose ?   In this country
she has.  True, she does not <wpop the question,"
but she chooses just as much as the man does. She
has the right and it is her duty in the first part of
courtship, by actions, to tell the young man whether
he is a welcome visitor or not, and when he asks
her, has she not the right to refuse?   What more
could  she desire?  No girl who behaves  herself
properly and desires to marry, but will have  offers
and the right one will be among these.   Thackeray,
in Vanity Fair, humorously but truly says:  "A
woman with fair opportunities, and without an ab-
solute  hump, may marry whom she likes.   Only let
us be thankful that the  darlings are like the beasts
of the  field and don't know their own power.  They
would overcome us entirely if they did." 
CHOOSING A HUSBAND.
IO7
  Now, what  are  the marks of a  good husband?
Let us first inquire what are the qualities which go
to making a good  husband.   The word husband is
an old Anglo-Saxon word and is a modification of
two words, house and band, or bond.   A husband
literally then is a "house-band," that is, one who
protects and cares for the household.  Those hus-
bands who spend their leisure  time in the saloon
or other loafing places, or at the club or with some
secret society, are not house-bands.
  The good husband is kind to his wife; he ad-
mires her, he is proud of her, he never scolds either
in public nor in private ; he never  finds fault when
his  wife is doing the best she can, nor at any other
time ; he never grumbles ; he is watchful of his wife's
health ; he does not indulge in luxuries in which his
wife can not share ; he is happiest when in her pres-
ence ; he trusts her ;  he does what he can to relieve
her of burdens, taking upon himself the tasks which
are difficult; he sympathizes with her in affliction,
and endeavors in all possible ways to make her
life happy.
  Is there any way to know before marriage that
a man will be such a husband ?  There are some
signs which the girl  can observe, and upon which
she may place much reliance.   But  first, let it be
remembered that you can not expect to find a man
all  that is  described above.  He  will have some
faults.  Remember,  also, that his conduct and life
will be much influenced by the conduct and life of
his  wife.   You can  do much  towards  making  a 
io8
CHOOSING  A HUSBAND.
good husband out of the man after vou have him.
Of this I shall have more to say in the next chapter.
  If you observe that a voung man is rough and
cross and disrespectful to his mother  and sisters,
beware of him.   There is good reason for thinking
that he will not be kind to his wife.   Is he  polite
to other ladies than yourself, and to gentlemen. It
is a good sign.
  Is he industrious?   This you  can  discover in
many ways.  If he is not, if he loves to loaf,  if you
see him frequently doing  nothing but lounging
around, beware of him.  He  may make a living,
but it will be by luck, which will not do to depend
upon, or by dishonest means.  Does he appear to
know a great deal about base ball  playing, cards,
fast horses,  dancing, skating, and such other amuse-
ments, don't encourage him, unless you are positive
that he is also industrious and has overwhelming
good  qualities.  Not  that these amusements  are
always bad, but they all have a tendency to lead
to bad results, and a young man who allows these
things to engross  his mind rarely ever amounts to
much in the world.
  Is he neat in his dress and cleanly in his person?
If not, have nothing to do with him.  I do not mean
that he should dress in fine clothes, by any means.
One can be  neat, and be  dressed in the veriest
homespun.   He ought to dress well if he can af-
ford it; if he can  not, he ought not to  dress in fine
clothes.  His occupation may soil his  clothes, but
marks of his calling ought not to be upon the clothes
he wears in company. 
             CHOOSING A HUSBAND.          109

  He ought to  be intelligent, whatever station in
life he may occupy.   By this I do not mean that
he should be a scholar nor a genius.  He ought to
be a reader of newspapers and books, and be able
to talk upon the topics of the  times.
  Choose one who is nearly your equal in station.
Do not be ambitious to marry a genius, unless you
are a genius yourself.  If you are poor, encourage
the attentions of one who has wealth of muscle, or
brain, rather than one who  is wealthy in dollars
and cents.  If  you are rich, you may spoil some
poor and struggling youth, by endowing  him with
your wealth.  Rather  allow the  attentions of one
who has money and  good sense enough to man-
age it.
  Avoid as you would a rattlesnake the man who
indulges, however moderately, in alcoholic drinks.
While the people  of warm and moist climates, who
have more sluggish temperaments, may drink wine
habitually without fear of going to dangerous  ex-
cess, it is an impossibility for  the great majority of
Americans.   The American people must be total
abstainers from alcoholic drinks.  They are  too
nervous.  Even tobacco is too  strong a  stimulant
for  the majority of us.  A young man is better off
who does not chew or smoke.  He will save many
dollars in the course of his life, if nothing more, by
abstaining  from tobacco.  He will  acknowledge
himself that tobacco is a filthy habit.  Think twice
at least before you link your fortunes with  a to-
bacco user.
  Don't marry a reformed man, nor marry a man 
no
CHOOSING  A HUSBAND.
for the purpose of reforming him.   Don't marry a
man who has the  reputation of being licentious.
Don't marry a divorced man.
  Do not allow yourself to think more of a young
man just because he is very free with his money in
your company.  He  ought not to  be able to pur-
chase your regard by  valuable presents.   If, on
the  other hand, he is miserly and  mean, you will
soon discover it.
  Says an eminent divine : " Women should know
the  nature of man.  The rough world often makes
him appear what he is not.   He has a vein of ten-
derness below the rocky strata of his worldly man
which women should know how to penetrate and
bring up for her own as well as his enjoyment.  It
is in this strata of tenderness that she finds her true
companionship with him, and he with her.   If she
is ignorant  of his nature, she knows not  how to
supply his wants or answer the calls of that nature.
Their natures, though different,  are singularly
adapted to each other.   When his  is bold and hers
is trembling, she flies in gladness to  him for shel-
ter.   When his is strong and hers  is weak,  she
trustingly leans on him for strength.  When hers
is warm and  his is  cold, he gladly and lovingly
nestles in her bosom, to be warmed into the resist-
less charms of love.  When hers  is  confiding and
his  reserved, he with a deep joy opens his heart to
her confidence.   Man has  something peculiar to
his character, which is the masculine element of hu-
manity ; women possess a peculiarity as marked,
which is the feminine element of humanity.  These 
COURTSHIP.
Ill
two, though different,  are  not  repulsive to  each
other, but strongly attractive.   These peculiarities
must be  known, and known before marriage, or
there will be seasons of unhappiness in the conju-
gal state.   It is ignorance  in  these  matters  that
causes a great amount of matrimonial infidelity.
Then this very ignorance renders both young men
and women  incapable  of selecting  a companion
suitable to their own natures.  A good man and a
good woman will  not always make each other a
suitable companion.  They may both be very ex-
cellent people, and be so different in many respects
as to render them  wholly unfit for ea'ch other."

                  COURTSHIP.
  " The urgency of man and the timidity of woman
are tempered by the period of courtship."  This is
essentially an American  custom.   In most other
countries  girls are kept  under the eye of their
parents, or some elderly person, until marriage, or
at least until betrothal.   Here the young people
are  trusted  together alone,  the safeguard of the
girl being her virtue, her  knowledge and her self-
command.   If  girls  have been properly brought
up, no danger need be apprehended.  But here let
me give a word of warning to the maiden herself.
Do not permit any  liberties.   You  know what i
mean.   Act  and   expect  your partner to  act as
though you were in  the presence of your parents.
After you are engaged, there is no harm in kiss-
ing, but do  not permit any other caresses.   You
have heard of girls being seduced, and generally 
112
COURTSHIP.
 the girl is blamed  most, unjustly though, I think,
 in most cases.  The following from  Mrs.  E.  R.
 Shepherd  expresses what I want  to say  on this
 question :
   " Let us see now if we can understand how it is
 possible  for a  good girl to be seduced.   I have
 heard their recitals of the methods used to lead
 them to  ruin—recitals that  would make  angels
 weep.  They have told how honorable and upright
 their  would-be lover has  made himself appear to
 be ; how carefully he studied her mental tastes, and
 tried  to gratify them ;  how genial and  courteous,
 his manner,-and unwearying his attentions, hid-
 ing with  hellish tact his  demoniacal  character,
 making himself appear verily an angel of light,
 until he got her to confess her love for him—a real
 Jove,  that was just  ripe, ready and  waiting to be-
 stow itself with almost deathless  grip upon some
 one who could supply her longings for companion-
 ship and love returned. Had he been a conscien-
 tious, honorable man this would have been quite
 proper  for  her  to do.  Now the wily  villain,
 knowing  he  has  complete  confidence, talks  of
 marriage  and  engagement; that  they should  be
 nearer and plainer-spoken on that account; en-
 larges upon the < true woman,' and she, poor thing,
 avows her love to be true  as steel  and  lasting as
 eternity, and he proceeds to test her love by break-
 ing down her virtue, meeting all her arguments
 and protests, perhaps, by telling  her she does not
love him, or assuring that all engaged  couples live
the same as married, or representing to her what 
COURTSHIP.
H3
an angelic influence she wields over him, that he
can not be good or do good  without  her as he
ought, and intends to stay with her always ; why,
then, wait? why not be all in all to each other at
once? perhaps  brings up  the  Bible, reading pas-
sages that suit his purpose.
  " And so, after a long time and long effort, with
a perseverance worthy a better purpose, he gains
his object.  She knows she loves him, and would
make almost any sacrifice to help him to be good,
to prove  how true  and  single-hearted her love,
never doubting for  a moment that his love for her
is as pure and unadulterated as  she  believes hers
to be for  him, and  that he will never forsake her,
finally yields, as  it were, because she must.  The
sequel to this is better known to the  public than
the part  just related.  She is now forsaken and
blamed  by her  family and  friends,  scorned  by
society,  branded by the world, hunted down  by
any common scavenger, who now thinks  her fair
prey for the gratification of his beastliness, and,
worst of all, deserted by the lover for whom she
sacrificed herself and all that the world held dear.
That must be a heart of stone that does not bleed
 at the contemplation of  her broken  heart, broken
 hope, and broken  life."
   Beware of permitting liberties from young men.
 Be chary even of your kisses.  Stand on your dig-
 nity  and you are  safe.   Is  your suitor  a little
 awkward and unpolished in society?  Remember
 that  girls have the advantage  of boys  in this
 respect.  They are naturally more graceful and
     8 
ii4
LONG ENGAGEMENTS.
more at home in society.   If he have other good
qualities,  if  he  is your  choice  in  every  other
respect, never fear for  his awkwardness.   It will
disappear in time.  Make him  feel at home.   Do
not take notice of his blunders.  Do not tease him.
Is he too bashful to propose?  You can help mat-
ters along.  I will not tell you how, but in extreme
cases there is  no harm in your  helping him to
" pop the  question."

              LONG ENGAGEMENTS.
  Long engagements are to be  avoided, especially
if the parties are frequently in each other's society.
There are good physiological reasons  why the
close relations sustained by the lady and gentleman
engaged should not be continued for a very long
time.
  A certain degree of excitement of the sexual
system is a necessary consequence of the caresses
and  admiring glances which lovers bestow  upon
each  other.  This is  an excitement which meets
with no gratification.   All  such  excitements are
injurious to the  nervous   system if they occur
frequently and  are long continued.  Especially is
this true of nervous persons.  By nervous persons
I do not mean those with weak nerves, but those
who are very sensitive and easily excited.
  Again, as a consequence of sexual desires being
ungratified, in the course of time  an indifference
may spring up and the physical factor in love may
die for want of consummation.
  Another objection to  long engagements is this : 
LONG ENGAGEMENTS.
"5
Two young persons studying each other for a long
time will discover faults which they did not see at
first.  Did they discover  these  faults when in the
married state they would  be apt to overlook them
and try hard  to  adapt themselves  to each other,
because the marriage tie is a strong one, made so
by legal enactment and social custom.   It is true
that a betrothal  ought to be  considered as strong
as the marriage tie, but it is not so considered.
One may say  all faults ought to be discovered and
weighed before marriage.   I think not.  If people
were to be influenced by every little failing in their
companions there would be but little marrying at
all.   We  all have faults, and it is the part of wise
persons to overlook each other's faults to a certain
degree,  at least.  The  advantages of a  strong
marriage  tie is this—that people  are in a measure
compelled  to  adapt  themselves to each  other.
There is  need  of a little compulsion.  The free-
love doctrine will never be found practicable until
there is a great change in the nature of human be-
ings.
   But what may the lady do  to prevent a  long
engagement?  Her womanly tact may suggest a
remedy.   In extreme  cases there would be no harm
in  her hinting  about  the  propriety of a speedy
marriage.  Her lover may be bashful.  As I said
before, you may  help matters along and there may
be no harm in your taking  the  lead in the matter
of " popping the question."  Your lover may think
he has not a sufficiency of this world's goods to
enter the  married state, and may  give this  as a 
Il6        BREAKING ENGAGEMENTS.
reason for delay. While this may be a good reason,
yet your lover may have a wrong idea of how much
is necessary to make you both comfortable.   You
may be  able to enlighten  him, and ought  not to
hesitate to do so.

           BREAKING ENGAGEMENTS.
  Should an engagement ever be broken?  There
are many who make  a boast of the  number  of
times they have been engaged.   It is a dangerous
amusement.  Such persons often lose the ability to
love  any one. There are, however, rare cases
where a girl who has pledged  herself to  a man
afterwards sees him in a different light, and is con-
vinced that she can not be happy with him.  It is
then her duty to renounce him. 
Chapter  IV.
                   MATED.
              THE  WEDDING TOUR.
  An unwise and foolish custom is that of the newly
married couple going on a journey of a few weeks
or months duration.  Travel  at any time is suffi-
ciently worrying, and at this time, more than any
other, the young wife needs quiet and rest.  The
nervous system  is disturbed by the event and the
new relations, and a journey only adds to the worry
and excitement.  To add to this, the woman is fre-
quently tired with the work of preparation for the
wedding,  and this, with the excitement  of the
occasion,  is  often  enough  to change her  whole
nature for the time being, and the man, who has
only before this  seen her at her best, may have a
temporary revulsion of feeling toward her.   Quiet
^and rest are the remedies for both parties in this
new relation.  A little reflection upon the physio-
logical aspect of this question will convince  any
one  that what is here said is true.

          CONSUMMATION  OF MARRIAGE.
  The above is a term often used to  indicate the
fact that sexual intercourse  has taken place after
the couple are made  man and wife b\ the lawful
ceremony.  This  is  a  question  which must  be
discussed  in this place, however  much one may
                     ("7) 
Il8      CONSUMMATION OF  MARRIAGE.

shrink from the task, since ignorance on the part
of both husband and wife at  this stage of married
life is often  the  cause of life-long misery and the
foundation of disease.
  What does a girl know about such  things?  If
she be a virtuous girl she knows  nothing, except
what she has been told by others, and who are her
advisers in such cases?   Her mother ought  to be,
but mothers  are not  usually free to advise their
daughters as they ought to be.   Generally the girl
is posted  by some married women, who, ignorant
of physiological laws, takes occasion to have sport
at her expense, and tells her what an awful experi-
ence she must go through with  before she is initi-
ated as a wife.   She is otten frightened half out of
her wits, but makes up her mind  to go through with
it because other women have done the same.
   Now, there is no need of alarm.  Your husband
may be more ignorant than you  are on the subject,
and it is his ignorance that will make you suffer in
nine cases out often.  You can advise him.  You
can appeal to his love for you.   If he be worthy
of you, your advice and  supplications will  be ef-
fectual.  While marriage is not true marriage with-
out the sexual act, there is no need of haste in this
matter.  The woman is usually nervous and fright-
ened,  and has  no  sexual desire at first.  Not so
much so with the man.   He  must curb his desires.
You can promise him more  enjoyment, if he will
not be too much in haste.
   What are the physiological  facts in  this case?
The first acts  of sexual  intercourse usually  give 
         CONSUMMATION OF  MARRIAGE.       I 19

some pain  to the woman, and frequently are  at-
tended with some hemorrhage  due to the rupture
of the hymen.  Later the act is  one of  extreme
pleasure to both parties, when not immoderately
indulged in.  The  first sexual congresses should
be fruitless, hence the reason given in the last chap-
ter for fixing upon a date of marriage half way be-
tween the  monthly periods,  as  conception  is  not
very likely to take place at that time.  They should
be fruitless, because the act which is to give life to a
new being ought to be when both parties enjoy the
fullest confidence in each other,  and when both
can  have the maximum of enjoyment.
   There are rare cases in which the sexual act can
not be performed on  account of the physical con-
formation  of the  female  organs.   In such cases
medical advice should unhesitatingly be sought.
Prompt attention to this will usually be followed by
the happiest of results. There are cases, too, where
on account of displacement of the womb, or from
some other disease  of the organs, occasioned by
improper dress, or improper conduct previous to
marriage, sexual intercourse is attended with great
pain, or followed by exhaustion.   In such cases a
physician should be consulted, one who is reliable
and who has made a special study of female  dis-
eases.   Any timidity, or foolishness which  will
keep  back  any necessary information  from  the
physician, or prevent his making a  thorough ex-
amination, will  be at the expense  of much  subse-
quent suffering.  Do not be afraid to answer all
the  questions the  physican may ask.   It is his 
CONSUMMATION OF  MARRIAGE.
business to keep the secrets of his  patients.   The
physician who  "gives away " such secrets would
soon lose his practice.
  It is true that men frequently have been educated
to believe that marriage is but licenced indulgence
in lustful passions, and under such circumstances go
to extremes, to the  disgust and often to the extent
of ruining the health of their wives.  But here the
woman should  take a  stand firmly and  draw the
line on moderate indulgence.   It is not necessary
to quarrel.   Men will usually listen to reason, and
if you can convince your husband that by the course
he is  pursuing  he is not only ruining your health
and teaching you to hate him, but  that  he is risk-
ing his own health  as  well  and  destroying his ca-
pacity for enjoyment,  this is sufficient.   If he will
not listen to reason, appeal to his love for you.  He
must be a brute, indeed, who will persist in that
which  is calculated to bring misery upon the one
who loves him.*
  A long chapter might be written upon woman's
rights to her own person.   It should be the woman's
say so  whether she  desires sexual commerce, and
not the man's.  The  man should  be educated to
know that the only real pleasure to be derived from

  * " The president of the Gynaecological Society, in an address
delivered before that body,  lately stated that if either party to a
coition fails of the orgasm, damage is apt to ensue, but especially
to the woman if she fail; the organs  are congested from the stim-
ulus of the sexual act and the normal final oigasm  is required for
their healthy relief and return to the resting condition. If this be
so it is clear that coition should be restricted to times when the
woman's general state encourages the orgasm, and unless she gen-
erally experiences it sexual congress should be avoided  until her
health is restored."—Martin''s Human Body. 
CONSUMMATION OF MARRIAGE.
sexual intercourse, and the only safe and hygienic
time is when both parties have  the  desire.   Inter-
course under any other circumstances is no better
than self-abuse.
  Excessive  sexual indulgence is prolific of many
evils.  The sexual act is an intense excitement of
the nervous  system—almost a  shock it might be
said.  Such  acts frequently repeated  weaken the
nervous system, and since all the operations of the
body are carried on through the nerves, all  func-
tions are liable  to suffer.  Consult any scientific
work on diseases and you will  find that among the
causes of  disease excessive sexual intercourse is
one of the prominent ones.
   It would be impossible to say here what is or what
is not moderate sexual indulgence.  There is such
a vast difference in persons, that no rule can be laid
down. What would be moderation in one would
be excess in another.  Persons in good health, of
 strong constitutions,  may  indulge more than per-
 sons less robust.  Proper sexual indulgence  is fol-
 lowed by no ill feeling, but on the contrary by sat-
 isfied condition of body and mind.  Says Dr. Geo.
 M. Beard :  " Normal sexual intercourse, when not
 carried to excess, is  a sedative and tonic.  It pro-
 motes sleep,  calms  and strengthens the nervous
 system, and assists digestion and all the other func-
 tions."  It must be remembered always that it is a
 physiological  fact that pleasurable acts too often
 repeated, become less  and less  pleasurable,  and
 that frequent repetitions, even where  they are in a
 degree pleasurable, may produce disastrous effects, 
122      CONSUMMATION OF MARRIAGE.

which may not appear at the time but appear in some
form lono; afterward.  Savs an eminent  scientist,
Grant Allen, in referring to the reproductive senses :
" These pleasures are greatest after the longest in-
termissions, and are scarcely felt at all if stimula-
tions are too frequently repeated."
  There are times, however, when the sexual act
should be refrained from.  When one or both par-
ties are in a state of intoxication, when one or both
are suffering or convalescing from any disease, or
during  the time of the monthly  periods, sexual
intercourse is eminently improper, for reasons  that
need not be mentioned.
  As  regards the  question whether sexual inter-
course is injurious after fecundation is known to have
taken place, there  is much difference of opinion.
Dr. Napheys thinks there can be no harm in mod-
erate indulgence during pregnancy, provided the
parties  refrain  from the act  during  those days
which, were  the woman not pregnant, she  would
be menstruating.  Other writers of equal note say
that it is injurious, being liable to affect the future
condition of the child.  In  my opinion there can
be  no harm if both parties to the act  have the
desire and  no  ill  effects seem  to follow to the
female.  Care should  be taken, however, that the
indulgence be more moderate than usual.   I have
not in my experience known any cases  of  evil
results that could be traced to such indulgence. 
SLEEPING  TOGETHER.
123
              SLEEPING TOGETHER.
  Many writers  on sexual hygiene  say  that man
and wife should not occupy the same bed.   I see
no physiological or moral reason why they should
not.   Of course a bed-room should be  well ven-
tilated.  There should be  air enough for two sets
of lungs,  and both  parties should be clean  and
wear  clean  clothes.  There are times when the
parties should be continent and it may be difficult
for some men and women to sleep in the  same bed
and be able to control their desires.  If such is the
case,  then separate beds should be enjoined,  but I
think these cases are rare.
  Very young and  very old  persons  should not
sleep  together,  and persons  with consumption
should not  sleep with those who are free from it,
and when such improper matches are made sleep-
ing in separate beds becomes necessary.
  On the other hand, there is an advantage in man
and wife sleeping together.  The close companion-
ship develops and sustains mutual love.   Says Dr.
Napheys :   "In general  it maybe asserted that
there  are no valid  physiological reasons  for desir-
ing to change the custom which now prevails in this
and  most other countries."   And  I would  add,
that no custom could be more difficult to break up
than  this, for one  of the greatest pleasures of the
married  state is certainly that of man  and wife
resting side by side after the toils of the day are
over and in the quiet of the night. 
124              A HELPMEET-
                 A HELPMEET.
  Woman has a power over man stronger than she
may dream, if she only knows his peculiarities and
adapts her conduct to them.  Does your husband
love to see things in order, then be careful and
keep the  house in good  shape.   Does he  love a
good dinner, then study your cook book and study
his tastes.  Does  he  like to be caressed, do your
prettiest in that line.  Does he admire beauty  in
women, then dress neatly and tidily and  try  to
keep clean and in good health, and meet him with
a smile.   Is he a man of literary tastes,  cultivate
your literary taste, and be appreciative of his abil-
ity.  If he loves beautiful things,  study  house
decorations and defer to his  tastes.  I shall have
much to  say in  another  place  about economy in
household affairs.  I merely want to say here that
it  is  prominently the  duty  of the wife  to  be
economical in the house.  " A wasteful wife is apt
to have a  mean husband."  Remember the adage :
" A woman may throw out with a spoon more than
a man can throw in with a shovel."  There  are so
many little leaks which a woman can see and stop,
so many  little shifts  and turns to be made  which
she only can make.  It is.in this matter  of domestic
economy  especially that a woman may become a
helpmeet  to a man.
  Most men like  to be petted and deferred to.  A
wife may defer  to her husband's opinion and not
lose her own independence nor lower herself in any
way.   The truly polite person  is the one who is a 
A HELPMEET.
125
good listener ; who treats no one's opinions lightly.
A woman need only to be truly polite  to  her hus-
band.   It is also the husband's duty to defer to his
wife's opinions.   In many cases her opinion is the
best.   But if she would have her way at times, she
must at times give way to her husband.  Husband
and wife  should  be  mutually  polite,  mutually
deferent, mutually obedient.
   Does the  man  meet with disappointment  and
failure in business, the wife should not chide him,
should not mope and sulk and wonder how they
are going to get along now, but meet him  with
words of encouragement and love.
   The happy pair are the man and wife who are
constantly deferring to each other,  who frequently
caress each other, make sacrifices  for each other,
who are always striving to relieve each other's bur-
dens.  Courtship should not stop with the wedding
ceremony.   Man and wife should court each other
always.   This is written especially for the wife to
read, and I want to impress upon her  the fact that
love begets love, politeness begets politeness, and
if she does her part the husband will be more likely
to do his part, and that much depends upon her own
individual effort.
   If both man and wife have  literary tastes, and
are about equally matched intellectually, there can
be no higher pleasure than they may enjoy in each
other's society.   Dr. Holland  describes such  a
couple in his " Mistress of the Manse." 
126                A HELPMEET.
        He strengthened her with manly thought
          And learning, gathered from the great;
        And she, whose quicker eye had caught
          The treasures of the broad estate
        Of common life and learning, brought

        Her gleanings from the level field,
          And gave them gladly to his hands,
        Who had not dreamed that they could yield
          Such sheaves, or hold within  their hands
        Such wealth of lovely flowers concealed.

        His grave discourse, his judgment sure,
          Gave tone and temper to her  soul,
        While her swift thoughts and vision pure,
          And mirth that would not brook control,
        And wit that kept him insecure
        Within his dignified repose,
          Refreshed and quickened him like wine.
        No tender word or dainty gloze
          Could give him pleaure half so fine
        As that which tingled to her blows.

         He gave her food for heart and mind,
          And raised her toward his higher plane ;
        She showed him that his eyes were blind ;
          She proved his lofty wisdom vain,
        And held him humbly with his kind.

  You should not  be too easily made to believe
that your husband is untrue to you.  Do not look
with jealous eyes upon  him every time  he speaks
to another woman, or when he  speaks in compli-
mentary  terms of a female.   If he really is in dan-
ger of having  his affection weaned away from you
the evidence is not of this kind.  He will not  be
apt to mention the name of the other woman if he
really is  in any degree attracted  toward her.
  Man feels the  need of recreation, perhaps, more 
WORK AND WORRY.
127
than women, because his work is  severer for the
time he is at it.  Women have more  little breaks
upon the monotony of their labor.   They can chat
a moment over the back fence with  a neighbor,
take up a book and read for a few minutes while
the kettle boils, take a nap in the afternoon, go out
for an  hour's walk, or call upon a friend; but the
man toils in his office,  or store, or in the field for
hours at a stretch, and  then, perhaps, must think
over his work outside of business hours.  If, then,
he relishes hunting and fishing, has a passion for
dogs or  horses, or "goes crazy" in the collection
of a cabinet of natural history specimens, or some-
thing of the kind,  you should have charity for his
peculiarities, and  do not come  to the  conclusion
that he thinks more of such things than he does
of you.
               WORK AND WORRY.
  Don't worry and don't let your husband worry.
It is not work that is killing our American people
half so much as it is worry.  When you have done
what you can,  what is the use to worry over what
you can not do.  Take things easy and you will
get along faster.  Some women have  enough to
make  them worry, but if they could  just  bring
their minds up to that point where they could see
that worrying is perfectly useless, they would much
lessen  their troubles.   If your  husband worries,
try to be cheerful yourself, and it will have a  good
effect,  for cheerfulness, like small-pox, is catching.
  Dr. George M. Beard  thus distinguishes between
worry  and  work:  '' Worry is  the  converse of 
12&
WORK AND WORRY.
work ;  the  one develops force, the  other  checks
its development and wastes what already exists.
Work is growth ; worry is interference with growth.
Worry is to work what  the  chafing  of a plant
against the walls  of a greenhouse is  to limitless
expansion in the free air.   In the successful brain-
worker worry  is transferred  into work.  In the
muscle-worker work  too  often  degrades  into
worry.   Brain-work is the highest  of all  anti-
dotes to worry." 
Chapter  V.
               SHALL IT  BE?

            KNOWLEDGE NECESSARY.
  It is as unnatural for a healthy, well-formed mar-
ried woman not to have children as it is for a child
not to play.  The evils which result from ignorance
concerning  the hygiene of this part  of  woman's
nature are many and  great.  I say ignorance, for
if people knew certainly the results of over-produc-
tion of children on one hand, and  the results of
prevention of conception and abortion on the  other,
they would certainly act differently  in this matter.
But though nature's laws can not be broken with-
out due  punishment following, yet the punishment
is often so long delayed and comes in such a variety
of forms that it is a difficult matter to make people
see the connection between the cause and the effect,
and they will persist in violating the plainest laws
of their being in  spite  of warnings of physicians
and health writers.

           EXCESSIVE CHILD-BEARING. ,
  While over-production, or  too rapid production
of children is injurious to the  health of women, the
number who thus suffer is small compared with the
number who injure themselves by unnatural modes
of prevention  and by procuring abortion.  As  a
general rule the women among the poorer classes
    9                 (,29) 
I3O       EXCESSIVE CHILD-BEARING.
bear too many children, and  are overworked and
poorly fed,  yet they suffer  less and  can endure
more than the women of the richer classes, among
whom improper modes  of prevention, and the pro-
curing of abortion, are  very prevalent.   But while
this is true, there is no doubt that many women are
injured by bearing too  many children.   The med-
ical evidence on this point is abundant.  There is
a common  notion, however, and one that is held
forth by many writers,  that frequent child-bearing
is not hurtful.
  The facts in the case are about as follows :  Some
few women are apparently not affected by frequent
childbirths.  They  may bear healthy children in
rapid succession with no bad results.  This is more
especially true of those who have descended from
long-lived and healthy ancestors, have lived largely
in the  open air, and have had no bad habits.   But
the majority of women of our day should be tem-
perate in this matter, as in every other.
  There are many men who wish an excuse for
excessive indulgence  in sexual intercourse,  and
they are very ready to repeat the Scriptural in-
junction concerning the multiplying and replenish-
ing of the earth, and tell women that it is their duty
to bear all  the children they can.  For proof that
it is not injurious, they refer to the hardy peasant
women of Europe, or  to  some of their ancestors
who have had large families, forgetting that many
of our women of to-day have led largely an indoor
life, and are more nervous  and delicate in every
way. 
THE BLESSINGS OF  CHILDREN.       131
  There appears to be something in our climate
and civilization which stimulates people to greater
activity and makes them more sensitive to changes,
more delicate and finer-grained, capable of enjoy-
ing more, but at the same time of suffering more,
which makes it necessary that greater care be taken
with them, if they would attain the full measure of
their years.  This will  explain in part why,  as  a
rule, American women seem to suffer more in child-
birth than those of the old nations of Europe and
other parts of the world.
  There is another reason for the limitation of off-
spring in many cases, and though it may seem  a
very selfish  one, it is nevertheless  a good  one.
Where a man is too poor to provide  for a large
family, he  ought to consider the  demands of the
children he already has, and not be  the means of
bringing more into the world to share their poverty.
A smaller number could be better fed and clothed,
and better  educated, and consequently happier and
more likely to bring rich returns  to their  parents
when they grow up.
   But, reader, do not stop here, or you may get  a
wrong  impression.  Read  the remainder  of the
chapter.
         THE BLESSINGS OF CHILDREN.
   The love of offspring is a natural inborn instinct.
The little girl plays with her doll, talking to  it  as
to a real child, in obedience  to this well-known in-
stinct.   Men  and women  alike take naturally to
petting and playing with children.   The love for
them is greater even than the love of man and wife 
I32       THE BLESSINGS OF CHILDREN.

for each other.   Divorced couples will quarrel over
the possession  of the children  which may  have
been born to them.
  Sunshine comes into  a house when the child
comes.  The house is dark and lonely when it is
gone.  But so many pretty things  have been  said
on this subject that I can do no better than to quote
from an eloquent writer.  Says Rev. G. S. Weaver :
"What a  wonder  is a baby, especially the first!
What marvels  of sweet surprise  are its  dreamy
eyes, its  tiny hands, its  chubby feet, its rosy lips,
its hair of silk and down, its whole  little human
make-up !   Practically considered it seems to be a
little good-for-nothing, so helpless  and  useless is
it, and yet in the estimate of those into whose hands
it has come, it  is worth  many times its weight in
gold.  It brings with it a subtle power by which it
changes  these  young  parents  into  new  beings,
makes their home a new place, sets before them
new objects of  life, and transforms the world about
them into a new world.  Nothing is with them as
it was before.   They see with new eyes, they work
with new  hands, they feel with new hearts and
think with new  minds.  They  are  new  beings.
They are made  over by  the wizard power of this
little enchanter that has  come to rule in the home.
They pass through another  stage  of development
and learn more  of what is within them, and what
they are  made to be  and made for.  They are
married again.   A new strand is put into the mari-
tal cord  that binds them together.  In this  little
creature which they call theirs by a title of owner- 
            THE CRIME OF  ABORTION.         133

ship written in its  body and  soul, they feel them-
selves blended into an indissoluble oneness.   This
actual union no divorce  can dissolve, no infidelity
can destroy.   To this marriage points.  This is the
fulfillment of its intention."

            THE CRIME OF ABORTION.
  The ordinary person is perhaps not aware of the
fearful  prevalence of the  practice  of procuring
abortion.   What is abortion?  It denotes the pre-
mature expulsion of the  product of conception, in
other words, the birth  and  consequent destruction
of the germ or child before  the natural time.  Mis-
carriage is  a word frequently used  to denote the
same  occurrence.   By  some authorities  if  the
expulsion occurs  before the  close  of the sixth
month it is called abortion or miscarriage, if after
that  time and  before the  full time, it  is called pre-
mature  delivery.   If  after  the  sixth  month  the
child may live, before  that time the  germ can not
maintain a separate existence, hence  anything that
would then cause its expulsion would be the cause
of its death.
  It  is, in some very rare cases,  necessary for
physicians to cause abortion or premature delivery
in order to save the life of the mother.  The laws
concerning the production of abortion differ in dif-
ferent states  of our Union,  but generally  it is
considered a misdemeanor punishable by imprison-
ment in state's prison  unless  it can be shown'that
it is necessary to save  the life of the mother.   If
the  mother  die  as a  consequence of  the  means 
134        THE CRIME  OF ABORTION.

used  to  produce abortion criminally, the perpe-
trators may be tried for  murder.
  Many think that it can not be murder to destroy
the fru^t  of the womb before the time which the
child, if born, could live.  But we  can not draw
the line between life and the  beginning of life,
unless we draw it  at the period of conception.
The moment  a male germ comes in contact with a
female germ and new growth begins, that moment
a new life begins  and  it is  as much a crime to
destroy it before the full time as it  is to destroy it
after it is born.   But, notwithstanding the fact that
abortion  is a  great crime—is nothing more or less
than murder—it is committed every day and among
all classes of  people.  It is not  confined to unmar-
ried girls who have been seduced, but is common
among those mothers of  families  who  are con-
sidered respectable  Christians, are  members  of
churches and figure in  the best society.  Marion
Harland  refers  to the case of  a  religious woman
who begged,  with tears  in her eyes, a physician to
relieve her, as she said,  of " an  incubus that would
prevent her from saving souls."    She could not
exhort and attend religious meetings and have the
care of a child.   This is probably an extreme case
but it illustrates the views which some persons take
of this matter.
  The law can  not reach this  crime.  There are
physicians  in  every town,  generally  thev are
quacks, but sometimes they are  physicians of good
standing in their profession, who will stoop  to this
low  crime  of destroying, for  pay, the lives  of 
THE CRIME OF  ABORTION.         135
unborn human  beings.   Many  women,  being
refused by honest physicians to relieve them of
what they consider  a burden,  learn from other
women what  to  take  or  what  to do to produce
abortion upon themselves.
  But, if we  were to admit  that abortion is no
crime, we ought to cry  out with  a loud voice
against it, for it  is  the cause of untold suffering
and disease in the woman upon whom it is perpe-
trated.  The  medical world are unanimous upon
this question.  I append the statements of a few
authorities only :
  Says Dr. Byford, of Rush Medical College, Chi-
cago :  "Abortion is generally  followed by either
acute or chronic  disease."
  Dr. Napheys, after warning women of the great
crime of abortion, says :   "If they have no feeling
for the fruit of their womb, if maternal sentiment
is so callous  in  their breasts, let them  know that
such produced abortions are the constant cause of
violent and dangerous womb diseases, and  fre-
quently of early  death ; that they bring on mental
weakness, and often insanity;  that they  are the
most certain means  to destroy domestic happiness
which can be  adopted."
  Dr. Thomas,-the well-known writer on diseases
of women, enumerates abortion  as one of the prin-
cipal causes of diseases of the womb
  Dr. H.  Newell Martin, a distinguished professor
and physiologist, says:  "There is  a current im-
pression that  a pregnancy once commenced, can
be  brought to a premature  end, especially in its 
136        THE CRIME OF ABORTION.

early stages, without any serious risk to the woman.
It ought to be  widely knozvn that such a belief is
erroneous.'1''  He then quotes Dr. Storer, as follows :
  1. " A larger proportion  of women  die during
or in consequence of an abortion than during or in
consequence of child-bed  at the full term of preg-
nancy.
  2. "A very much larger number of women be-
come confirmed invalids, perhaps for life ; and —
  3. " The  tendency  to  serious  and  often  fatal
organic disease, as cancer, is rendered very much
greater at the so-called ' turn of life,' by previous
artificially induced premature delivery."
  An anecdote which I have just read in a recent
number of The Medical World illustrates the man-
ner in which physicians of good  standing in their
profession generally regard the crime of abortion.
An old physician was called to see a woman.  She
had a child in  her arms.   She said:  " Doctor,  I
am pregnant and you see this baby not yet weaned.
I can not support two children."   " Then I suppose
you want to get rid  of one of them," said the  Doc-
tor.   " Yes," was the reply.  The Doctor, without
saying a word, seized  a hatchet  which was lying
near and raised it over the head of the baby as
though  he  were going to strike.  " What,'' said
the woman, in tones of fear and anguish, " would
you murder  my child?"   "You said you wanted
one of them killed,'' calmly replied  the Doctor.
" But I didn't mean this one."  " Well," said the
Doctor, "if  I were to  destroy  the  other one  I 
      THE EVILS OF IMPROPER PREVENTION.    137

would run the risk of killing you and thus be guilty
of double murder."
  Referring to this subject, a writer in the Ladies'1
Repository says ;  " In a moral point of view it can
be nothing else than a crime of the deepest dye,
enough to call down upon us as a  people the dis-
pleasure of Heaven.   In relation to human life it
is nothing less than murder, and in  relation to the
perpetrator  it is  a physiological  crime entailing
fearful risk  to the mother's health  and life.  We
send abroad missionaries to preach the criminality
of infanticide to  heathen nations, and  yet in  the
midst of our Christian civilization discover a mas-
sacre of the innocents in some of its features more
detestable than the habits of heathenism."
                                             V
     THE  EVILS OF  IMPROPER  PREVENTION.
  From the  earliest times people have sought some
means by which they might indulge in  the pleas-
ures of frequent sexual intercourse without the con-
sequent danger of conception.   The means usually
employed  in preventing conception  are more or
less injurious to both  sexes.  A very common mode
of prevention is  known as pederasty,   or sexual
fraud.   It consists in withdrawal before  the emis-
sion of the semen has taken place.  This practice
is very injurious in most cases to both parties. There
is what is called the  sexual orgasm, a kind of cli-
max or pitch of excitement and pleasure which is
felt by both  parties about the same time in normal
and proper intercourse.  This has the effect of re-
lieving the nervous system, and when intercourse 
 138   THE EVILS OF IMPROPER PREVENTION.

 is not too frequent, results in a benefit to the sys-
 tem.  Premature withdrawal affects the female,
 because  this proper and natural orgasm is  not
 reached  and the system is not relieved,  and it af-
 fects the male because the orgasm is  not perfect.
 At least  experience proves that withdrawal is  out
 little better than masturbation.  Says Dr. Geo. M.
 Beard on this subject:  " Of the unnatural forms of
 coitus the habit of premature withdrawal undoubt-
 edly is   the worst; but  even that is practiced by
 some persons for years  without  any apparent in-
 jury, although in the case of the sensitive, the nerv-
 ous and the weak, injury of a demonstrable char-
 acter will result, provided the habit  be carried to
 any great extent."
   Withdrawal is not a  certain  preventive,  since
 only a very small amount of semen may cause con-
 ception,  even if it is placed only at the entrance of
 the vagina,  and  under the excitement of the  occa-
 sion, a slight emission may take place before with-
 drawal.
   Another unreliable and frequently very injurious
 practice  is that of wearing the condom,  or sheath
 for the penis.  This consists of a thin rubber pouch
 drawn over the organ to  prevent the semen from
 entering the vagina.  It  is not a sure  preventive
because  being  necessarily made thin it is very
 easily torn.  Besides  it annuls  sensibility and
 diminishes the pleasure.
   Injections of cold water into the vagina with the
 hope of chilling and destroying, or at least washing
out the semen is often practiced.  This is injurious 
THE  SAFE WAY.             139
to the female  and sometimes actually dangerous,
causing death.  Besides it is by no  means  a sure
preventive.
  The insertion of a sponge or pad into the vagina
to prevent the semen from entering  the womb has
been  recommended  and  employed.   The  objec-
tions to  this mode are, first, that it diminishes sen-
sibility,  and second, that the sponge is liable  to
become displaced and fail of its  purpose.

                 THE SAFE  WAY.
   Some writers take the position that sexual inter-
course should never be indulged in unless concep-
tion is desired.  This  is an extreme view and is
not sanctioned by the best  medical authorities.
There is, however, no absolutely sure way of pre-
venting conception except by refraining from the
sexual act.  But  the liability to conceive is much
greater  just before and just after  the  monthly
periods  than at any other time.   The cases where
conception has taken place between  the fourteenth
and twentieth  days after menstruation are rather
rare.  Hence,  the period of comparative safety is
somewhere  near  those limits.  Conception is more
likely to follow an intercourse occurring just after
a monthly period than one occurring just before.
Intercourse at the time  farthest either way  from
these periods  seems to be the least likely to cause
conception.  The time most likely  to cause it is
just after the cessation of a menstrual flow.
   Mrs.  A.  B.  Stockham states this  question  as
follows:   "It requires from eight to ten days for 
I40             THE SAFE WAY.

the maturation  and passage of the ovum through
the oviducts and  uterus. % Hence,  avoiding the
sexual act absolutely during a period of ten or
twelve days after  the appearance of the menses,
immunity from  impregnation is insured  in a state
of health.  Very frequent and intemperate indul-
gence alter this in  rare cases may develop another
ovum, but will not  where one's life is  governed by
moderation  and  the rejation  is  participated in
mutually by both parties.  Disease and discord are
sure to result if it is not a mutual relation."
  Marian Harland (Mrs. Terhune) puts it thus :
" If ever husband  and wife should be agreed upon
any subject, it is upon this.  The veriest  tyro in
the laws governing reproduction now understands
that the  propitious  period  of fecundity is the
fortnight immediately  succeeding what we  have
denominated the  rhythmic  check  (that  is,  men-
struation)."
  In view of these  facts, if the times for intercourse
be  observed, an amount of indulgence consistent
with temperance may be allowed with only a bare
possibility of conception occurring too frequently.
  In concluding this chapter I would summarize
as follows :  If a couple be well-mated, the woman
well-formed and both parties in good health,  there
is no excuse for not having children.  I  have said
in a former chapter that persons should be well-
mated and only healthy and well-formed persons
should  marry.   The  number of  children  must
depend upon circumstances, but there is  such  a
thing as having too many  children.  Never dis- 
THE SAFE WAY.
I4I
obey nature's laws by trying to destroy the life you
have  been  instrumental  in starting.  You  will
surely meet with punishment here, if not hereafter.
Never use  any preventive but  the  one  I  have
described, that is abstaining from  intercourse at
the most susceptible times, the only natural  pre-
ventive except entire continence. 
Chapter  VI.
              SUPPOSE IT IS ?
         THE NATURE OF FECUNDATION.
  The semen of the male contains immense num-
bers of little bodies called spermatozoa.   This is
a big word, but it means simply " seed animals,"
so called, probably,  from their resemblance  to
microscopic animalcules.  These little bodies  are
oval in shape and have long tails, or projections,
which  have the  power  of motion.  On  a  glass
slide under a high power of the microscope these
little bodies may be seen to move about with great
rapidity.  This motion is supposed to be  an indi-
cation of their vitality and they are thought not to
be capable of fecundation after these movements
have ceased.   Great cold will suspend their move-
ments, but they will return when warmth is restored.
These  spermatozoa are not  produced before  the
age  of puberty,  and become few in number  or
entirely disappear in extreme old age.  There  are
some instances on record of very old men  becom-
ing the fathers of children.
  Fecundation consists in the union of a greater or
less number of these spermatozoa with the substance
of the ovum, or egg,  which is produced in  the
ovaries of the female  and lodges in the womb,
where it grows and develops into  a new being, as
                      (142) 
DURATION OF PREGNANCY.        143
a consequence  of this union.   The term concep-
tion, as I have  used it in this  book,  means  the
same as fecundation.

           DURATION OF PREGNANCY.
  When a female has conceived, in  other words,
when the ovum has been fecundated by union with
the male elements, she is said to be pregnant, en-
ciente, or in common language, " in a family way."
The time in which she is in this condition, that is,
the time between conception and the birth of the
child,  is called the  period of  gestation.  Every
female thinks she is competent to answer the ques-
tion how long is this period.  The  answer will be
nine months, but this is not strictly correct,  since
the  time varies  within considerable limits.   Be-
 sides  nine months is not  a definite time.  There
 are two kinds of months, the calendar and the lunar
 month.   The  former may be  thirty-one, thirty,
 twenty-nine or twenty-eight days.  Thus nine cal-
 endar months beginning  with January,  have  in
 ordinary years 273  days,  in leap-year 274  days,
 and nine calendar  months beginning with March
 have  275  days.  A lunar month is twenty-eight
 days.  Nine lunar months is then 252 days.
   The average duration of pregnancy is placed at
 ten lunar months or 280  days.  But while this is
 the average,  and the larger number of cases never
 vary much from it, there are some remarkable vari-
 ations in the time in rare cases. There are a good
 many cases on  record of women  who have gone
 over  300 days.  One case, supposed to be reliable, 
I44      PECULIARITIES OF PREGNANCY.

is published as having gone 420 days.  The short-
est  time  known, and the child living  at birth,  is
175 days.
  This is a question of  much interest, since the
honor of families, the rights of children and even
the interest of  nations may depend upon  correct
knowledge on  this subject.  The French  nation
has a law which makes  a  child, born within 300
days after the death or departure of the husband,
or one born 180 days after  marriage, a legitimate
one.  The law also provides that even if a child be
born after a period of more than 300 days, it shall
not necessarily be considered illegitimate.
  A simple rule for calculating the time at which
the period of gestation will terminate is as follows :
Suppose the time of the termination of the last men-
struation to be the  15th of May.  Then count back
three calendar months, which will correspond with
the 15th  of February.   Now add seven days, and
you will  have the 22d day of February on which
day the birth may be expected.  According to this
mode of calculating the short and the long months
are taken  as they come, and the  seven days are
added because that number represents the  average
difference in the time.   This rule is sanctioned by
the highest medical authorities.

         PECULIARITIES  OF PREGNANCY.
  Twins are comparatively rare and  are looked
upon as  a  misfortune by most people.  It  is true
that twins  as a rule are less vigorous physically and
mentally.  There  are more imbeciles among twins, 
          PECULIARITIES OF PREGNANCY.       I45

and  bodily  deformities are more common,  than
among single births.  The disposition to bear twins
seems to be hereditary to some extent.   Sometimes
the father and sometimes the  mother  seems to be
the special cause of twins.  Cases are known of
certain women who have been married successively
to several men  and always had twins, while the
same men with other wives had single births.  The
same peculiarity has been observed in  men, certain
men always  fathering twins.
  Cases of three, four and even  five at a birth are
known.  Napheys refers to the  following remark-
able case :  "A Russian was presented to the Em-
press in 1755 who had had two  wives, the first of
whom had borne him fifty-seven children in twenty-
one  confinements, the second thirty-three in thir-
teen confinements.  All the confinements had been
twins, triplets, or quadruplets."  The birth of more
than two  at a time is uncommon. Out of 30,000
cases in a hospital at Paris, only four were treble
births, and out of 48,000 in a London hospital only
three occurred.   When there are four  or five  at a
birth the children rarely ever live.  The woman is
more likely to  be  delivered before the  full time,
and  the children are imperfectly developed.
   Twins are more  common  during the latter part
of the child-bearing  period.  By far  the  greater
number are born of women near the  end of their
child-bearing life.  They are more common among
the Irish than among the English.
   There are some extremely rare cases where the
ovum becomes impregnated in the ovaries and the
     10 
I46      PECULIARITIES OF PREGNANCY.

growth takes place there  instead of in the womb.
Also in other places outside of the womb, as in the
Fallopian tubes, in the wnlls of the womb, or in
the abdominal cavity.  Such cases are necessarily
fatal to  the mother unless  an  operation be per-
formed,  and even  then  the  chances for life are
extremely small.  It is comforting to know, how-
ever, that such cases do not occur perhaps as often
as  once  in  a hundred thousand  times.  Can  a
woman have children by two different men  at the
same time?  Such  cases  have been known.  In
"Flint's Human Physiology"  is  a portrait of a
mulatto woman  holding  one white  child  and one
black one on her lap.   She had lived  in a white
man's family as a servant, sleeping with a negro
man at night.  She denied having ever had sexual
intercourse with a white  man, but the white child
had all  the peculiarities  of the white  race except
the shape  of the nose, in which it resembles the
mother.  There are many such cases among ani-
mals.  Female dogs have been known to give birth
to pups  of  different breeds at the  same   time.
Mares have been known to foal a horse and a mule
colt within a few moments of each other.
   More  remarkable are those cases where another
child was  born  a few weeks or months after the
first one.  In these cases, which are rare, yet well
 authenticated, there may have been  two different
 conceptions, or  there may have been twin concep-
 tion  and one of  the  twins  failed to develop  as
 rapidly  as the other.
   Why  do I mention  these peculiarities?  Not to 
SIGNS OF PREGNANCY.          147
 frighten the reader, but simply as facts which pos-
 sibly may be valuable acquisitions to the store 01
 knowledge on these  subjects.  Suppose the virtue
 of a woman is called in question  because she has
 given birth  to  a child  in less than  nine  months
 after marriage, or after a nine months' separation
 from her husband.  Is it not proper to know that
 such circumstances do not of themselves prove her
 guilt?   Or again, suppose a woman give birth to a
 second child some weeks after the first.  We should
 not jump to the  conclusion that she has had com-
 merce with two different men.
  If twins appear in a family subsequent preg-
 nancies ought in most cases to be avoided lest  a
 numerous and weakly progeny be the result.

                SIGNS OF  PREGNANCY.
  There are many signs by which persons know,
 or pretend to know, at an early stage that a woman
 is with child.  There  is not a single one of them
 which,  when  taken  alone, is  infallible.   Other
 causes than pregnancy may produce similar symp-
 toms.  But by taking  all the signs together we
 may after a short time be reasonably sure that con-
 ception  has taken place.  But no one can tell cer-
 tainly until about the fifth month.
  The sign  most generally considered conclusive
by wives is the  cessation of the monthly periods.
But  there are many other causes  which may dis-
turb the regularity of the menstrual flow.  Young
women often miss their monthly sickness the first
and  even  the  second months after marriage, the 
I48          SIGNS OF PREGNANCY.

cause being found in the disturbance in the system
due to the new and strange relations.   It is well
known that simply "taking cold" may prevent or
delay the  menstrual  flow.  On the other  hand
women sometimes have a slight show of menstrual
blood for two or three months after the first impreg-
nation.  There are, moreover, rare cases of women
who menstruate regularly during the whole period
of gestation.  Medical authors  give instances of
women who menstruate  during their pregnancy
and at no other time.
  A very good sign, but not infallible, is the morn-
ing sickness, as it is called.   Sometimes immedi-
ately after conception, but usually about the third
or fourth week, the  pregnant woman has frequent
spells of nausea and occasional vomiting, generally
in the morning after rising.  It may occur at any
time of the day, and is sometimes very distressing.
It usually lasts until the third or fourth month, and
returns again shortly  before the close of the full
time of pregnancy.  This sickness  is due in the
first  part  of pregnancy to the disturbance of the
nervous system,  the stomach  sympathizing with
the womb, or what is called reflex action.   In the
latter part of pregnancy the nausea is caused by
the womb enlarging and pressing up against the
stomach.  It is not a  sure sign, because similar
sickness may result from other causes, and there
are some cases where it is almost or entirely absent
during the whole of pregnancy.
  Peculiar changes in the  breasts are considered
good  signs of pregnancy.  The rose-colored cir- 
SIGNS OF PREGNANCY.
I49
cles  around the nipples become darker, and are
covered with little elevations like pimples.   This
dark  color  is  more  marked  in brunettes.   The
breast may  become larger  and firmer, and occa-
sionally a sharp, stinging sensation is experienced.
The nipples become more prominent and sometimes
are sore.  These changes begin to appear  some-
times in two or three weeks, generally not until
the third month, and sometimes  not until near the
close  of gestation.  The  sign is not a sure one,
since  occasionally no changes ever occur in the
breasts until confinement, and similar changes may
occur from other causes.
  Slackening is another and generally a very sure
sign.   This  is a peculiar fluttering or jerking sen-
sation, caused,  it is believed, by the movements of
the fcetus, or unborn child. Some writers, how-
ever,  attribute it to the  rising of the womb,  others
to contractions  of the  womb  itself.  Quickening
occurs about the middle of  pregnancy,  sometimes
a little earlier,  sometimes later.   In some cases it
is never felt.  In former times quickening was sup-
posed to  be an  indication that the child  in the
womb was alive, or that life was just then imparted
to it.   People therefore considered it no crime to
produce expulsion of the embryo before this period.
But modern  physiological  teaching decides  that
the child is alive from the moment of conception.
  Women are  sometimes deceived  by  sensations
resembling  quickening,  such  as movements  of
gases in the bowels, or by dropsy in the abdomen.
The case  of Queen  Mary is well known.   In her 
IS©
SIGNS OF PREGNANCY.
great anxiety to become  a mother she imagined
she felt the movements of a child.  The fact was
publicly proclaimed.  The news was sent to foreign
countries.  There  was great  national rejoicing.
The  Bishop  of London prayed  in  public  that
Heaven would make the child " beautiful, vigorous
and witty."  But, alas, the supposed  quickening
proved to be  only a symptom of dropsy.  She
never bore a child.
  For the first two months of pregnancy the abdo-
men is less  prominent than usual, but about the
third  month there is a swelling out of the lower
part of the belly.   This  swelling  then diminishes
somewhat, so that at the  fourth month the abdo-
men appears smaller than at the third.  From the
fourth month to the close there is a gradual enlarge-
ment.  The navel is at  first drawn in, but toward
the latter part  it comes  forward  and may even
protrude  beyond the surface.
  Enlargement  of the abdomen is not of itself a
certain sign, since dropsy or an accumulation of
fat may produce the same appearance.  A skillful
physician, however, can generally tell by certain
signs whether the enlargement be due to pregnancy
or to other causes.
  The foregoing  are about  all the signs which
would be of  value to any one not a physician.
There are many  peculiar changes  which rarely
occur, both in the physical and mental characters
of women, during pregnancy.   I will merely men-
tion some of them here.   It must  be remembered
that no two women are  affected by  pregnancy 
SIGNS OF PREGNANCY.
l5l
exactly alike and the same woman may be affected
differently during different pregnancies.   The skin
sometimes undergoes peculiar changes.   Blotches
of a reddish, yellow or brown color may appear,
dark rings under the eyes, perspiration becomes
more copious, or a peculiar dryness of the skin is
experienced.  Some  hair may appear on the face
which will  disappear after confinement.  There
are sometimes peculiar, depraved appetites, desire
for unnatural and strange articles of food, loss of
appetite, excessive appetite, heart-burn, an exces-
sive flow of saliva, toothache,  sleepiness, pain in
the side, palpitation of the heart, diarrhoea, costive-
ness, etc.  Women who ordinarily are fretful and
bad-tempered may become good-natured, and those
who  are ordinarily  pleasant  and gentle become
passionate, jealous and disagreeable.  All of these
contradictory and peculiar symptoms may occur,
not  all at the same time, nor with the majority of
women, but since they do occur it is well that my
readers know the facts.
   But is there any sure sign of pregnancy?  We
have seen that all the signs thus far given, may be
from other causes and therefore fallacious.  There
are many cases where women have believed them-
selves pregnant  up to the close of the proper time,
and their symptoms  have deceived their friends
and even the physicians with the same belief.  On
the other hand,  women have succeeded in making
their friends and the physicians believe they were
not pregnant up to the day of confinement. There
is no certain indication of pregnancy until the fifth 
152
MISCARRIAGES.
month,  when  a practiced  ear,  by the aid of an
instrument, can hear the beat of the child's heart
through the walls of the abdomen.  This is con-
clusive.
                 MISCARRIAGES.
  The frequency of miscarriages  among wive^
calls for special warning and caution at this stage
of our discussion.  Nearly two-fifths, on  an aver-
age, of mothers miscarry before the age  of thirty
years, and it  is estimated that  nine-tenths of the
married women miscarry some  time during their
child-bearing  period.  The danger is much greater
during the latter part of this period.  The first and
last pregnancies are more apt to  fail by miscarriage
than  any others.  A woman who marries late in
life is more apt to miscarry than one who marries
earlier.   It is more frequent  also  in the  earlier
months of pregnancy than in the later.  It is very
apt to happen about the sixth month.
  The causes of miscarriage are  many and various.
Some women seem to  have a  predisposition  to
miscarry.  It  often becomes a  kind of habit,  one
who  miscarries once  is very apt to again.   Any
violent excitement or exertion may cause miscar-
riage, as frights, excessive joy,  anger,  dancing,
jumping over a fence  or out of a carriage, riding
horseback or in a  wagon without springs over  a
rough road, lifting, having a tooth pulled, etc.  Too
much medicine which acts  as a physic, as purga-
tive pills, may cause miscarriage.   Straining at
stool when constipated, excessive sexual inter-
course, existing diseases of the womb, smallpox. 
STERILITY.
153
or sometimes  simply a general poor condition of
health, may cause a woman to miscarry.
  The results of miscarriage are more to be feared
than is generally to be supposed.   Diseases of the
womb are very frequently caused by miscarriages.
Not  infrequently  severe  flooding  accompanies a
miscarriage, and in some cases death results before
relief can be had.   A woman should take all proper
precautions during pregnancy to avoid if possible
a  miscarriage.   If miscarriage is threatened  a
physician should  be immediately  sent for.  Pain
and flooding are the principal symptoms of threat-
ened miscarriage. The hygienic and home treat-
ment of  miscarriage will  be  discussed  in  a
succeeding chapter.

                  STERILITY.
  Some  women never become pregnant.  They
are said  to be sterile or barren. If a woman,
having used no means of  prevention,  does  not
give birth to a child within three years of marriage,
the chances are thirteen to one that she will always
be barren.   There are cases of women, however,
who are barren for many years and then bear chil-
dren.  Women who are married  between twenty
and twenty-four begin to bear children sooner than
those married  younger  or older.   If a  woman
marries  late  her child-bearing  period will   be
extended later than if she had begun to bear chil-
dren earlier.
  Pregnancy is not apt to take place while a woman
is nursing her child.   Displacements and diseases 
I54               NTKUILITY.

of the womb may  prevent  conception.  In  such
cases medical treatment often cures sterility.
  The woman is not always at fault.  The  man
may be  incapable  of  impregnating,  although  he
may be in vigorous health.  In some  cases an in-
compatibility between  husband and wife seems to
be a cause of barrenness, for it frequently happens
that a couple can have no children although each
one may become parents with other partners.  The
case of  Napoleon  and Josephine  is of this  kind.
Napoleon divorced Josephine  because  she  bore
him no heir.  Josephine  had borne children  by a
former husband, and Napoleon became the father
of children with his second wife.
  A woman  is often accounted barren when a  habit
of early  miscarriage  is really the trouble.  She
miscarries and does not know it.  A monthly sick-
ness may be delayed a few days and then be  more
than usually painful and  accompanied with an un-
usual flow.  She has miscarried ; the embryo, then
very minute, has passed  away with the blood. 
Chapter VII.
              THE EXPECTED.
THE MOTHER'S INFLUENCE UPON THE UNBORN CHILD.
  A great deal has been written upon this subject,
yet but  little is  really  known.   Trail, Fowler,
Cowan and Napheys are among the authors who
are strong believers in the great influence a preg-
nant  woman may  by her  thoughts and  actions
exert upon the physical and mental character of
her unborn offspring.   Of these authors, Napheys
is the only  one whose works have received the
sanction  of high authorities in medical science.
  Many  cases like  the following are adduced to
prove the point.   It is  said of the great artist Flax-
man,  that he took a great interest in drawing and
sketching from his  early childhood, and that his
mother for months previous to his birth spent many
hours each day trying to draw  and in studying
pictures.  The  mother of Napoleon I., it  is  said,
while pregnant took a  great interest in  war, went
with her husband in the army, and was  constantly
amid  scenes of danger and  bloodshed.   Zerah
Colburn,  the wonderful  mathematical  prodigy,
they  say, owed his genius to the  fact that his
mother, though an uneducated woman, previous to
his birth perplexed her mind very much calculating
how to weave the threads in a complicated  pattern.
  Some  of these writers tell us that women may
                      (iS5) 
156        THE MOTHER'S INFLUENCE.

secure to their children almost any desired quality
of mind by simply following  out  certain  lines of
thought and conduct during pregnancy.   For ex-
ample, if they wish the child to be a,musician the
mother must during pregnancy, especially during
the latter months, try hard to learn music, to prac-
tice daily on some  instrument  and constantly turn
her thoughts in that direction.
  Says Dr. Napheys, upon this subject of educa-
tion of the child in the womb :  " The plastic brain
of the foetus is prompt to receive  all impressions.
It retains them and they become the characteristics
of the child and of the man.   Low spirits, violent
passions,  irritability,  frivolity, in the  pregnant
woman leave indelible marks  on the  unborn child.
So do their contraries ; and thus it becomes of the
utmost moment that during  this period all that is
cheerful, inspiring and elevating  should surround
the woman.   Such emotions educate  the child;
they form its  disposition, they shape its faculties,
they create its  mental and intellectual  traits.  Of
all education this is the most momentous."
  Children are not unfrequently born with certain
peculiar discolorations of the skin, generally known
as " mother's marks."  These marks  are fancied
to have resemblances to certain objects, as straw-
berries, bunches  of grapes, etc.  It  is  a  common
notion that  these marks, as  well as  deformities
of any part  of the body existing from  birth are
produced  by  mental impressions  made upon the
mother while the child was  in the  womb.  It is
commonly believed that  if a woman have  an in- 
THE  MOTHER'S  INFLUENCE.        157
tense longing  for certain articles  of diet and is
denied them that her child will be born with a mark
resembling that object, or if she be frightened by
some animal  that her  child will be deformed and
resemble that animal in some way.   Many remark-
able  cases of  this kind are  recorded, some  in
medical journals and some in works on physiology.
  The following is the opinion of a reliable author
on  this question: "It  has long been a  question
whether impressions made upon the nervous system
of the mother  can  exert an influence upon the
foetus  in utero.   While many authors  admit that
violent emotions experienced by the mother may
affect the nutrition and the general  development of
the foetus, some writers of high authority deny that
the imagination can have any influence in produc-
ing deformities.  It must be admitted that many of
the  remarkable  cases  recorded  in works  upon
physiology  as  instances  of deformity due to the
influence of the maternal mind are not reliable.  It
is often the case  that when a child  is born with  a
deformity the  mother  imagines she can explain  it
by some impression received during pregnancy,
which she only recalls after she knows the child is
deformed.  Still there are cases which can not be
 doubted, but which, in the  present  state of our
knowledge  of development and  the  connection
between  the mother and the  foetus,  we  can not
 attempt to explain."—Flint's Human Physiology.
   Dr. M. L.  Holbrook  says upon  this subject:
 " There are many recorded cases of the occurrence
 of terrible experiences during pregnancy without 
158        THE MOTHER'S INFLUENCE.

any ill results  on the child.  Cases even are re-
corded of the death of the mother and subsequent
birth (though of course in a very short period) of a
healthy child.   And again, physicians have more
than once instituted systematic  and extensive in-
quiries for authentic instances of " mother's marks "
without finding even one. Such was the well-known
investigation of the celebrated English surgeon, Dr.
William  Hunter,  who carried his  observations
through two thousand consecutive cases  of childbirth
at a lying-in  hospital  to which he  was attached.
In every one of these, as soon  as the woman was
delivered, he asked if she had  been disappointed
of anything she had longed for, and if so, what it
was;  also,  if she had been  suddenly shocked  or
surprised in any way, and how; or  frightened by
any unsightly or horrid object, and  what.   The
answer in each case he regularly noted down, and
he then inspected the child ;  and he never in any
single instance met with a coincidence.  He found
blemishes where no cause wras acknowledged, and
found none where some cause was given ; but ab-
solutely nothing to support the  belief."
  Dr. Fisher, in the American Journal of Insanity,
(Jan.  1870) states  that for twenty years in  1,200
cases he  had asked every woman if deformity was
expected, a large majority expressed fears of such
result, but out of this number only two cases of de-
formity occurred, and these could not  be traced  to
any previous impression.
  Says Dr. Reamy:  " I have seen quite a number
of so-called mother's marks and deformities of struc- 
           THE MOTHER'S INFLUENCE.        159

ture;  I mean cases occurring in my own practice,
but in every instance,  so far as I  can remember,
the deformity startled the  parents  at  the  time of
birth, being wholly unexpected.  *  *  *  On the
other hand, in attendance upon  more  than  2,000
cases of labor, I have repeatedly witnessed the
most intense mental solicitude on the  part of par-
ents, reaching in some  cases, in the mother, a de-
gree that was painful, lest the child should be born
deformed, she having witnessed some horrible scene
of blood, or of deformity, or been frightened during
pregnancy, the fear  burning into her very nature
during the whole time ;  and yet  I  have not, in a
single instance, under such circumstances, seen a
child  bearing the evidences of her fears."
  I will  only add,  that in  my own experience I
have never met with a  case of marking or deform-
ity which could be connected with any mental state
of the mother, but  on  the contrary have known
cases where the mother had been badly frightened
during her pregnancy,  and the child was born as
perfect in every way as children  ordinarily are.
  Although we have no positive  evidence that the
mind of the  mother does affect the  child in the
womb, I have no doubt that in many cases it does.
But whether the doctrine be true or not, there can
be no harm in taking the  proper precautions, and
in trying experiments.   Shocks to the nervous sys-
tem, such as is produced by fright, are injurious to
the health of the woman, if  they do not affect the
child, and care  should be  taken  to avoid them.
There can be no harm in  a woman studying cer- 
l6o       THE MOTHER'S INFLUENCE.

tain subjects, while pregnant, with the hope of in-
fluencing her offspring.  If it has no effect upon
the child it will at least benefit the mother.   Noth-
ing is so injurious to the mind and body as to have
no objects of thought higher than mere  eating and
sleeping and keeping house.
  A pregnant woman should be a happy woman.
She should  have something to occupy her mind,
something to divert her mind from her condition.
A happy frame of mind conduces greatly to perfect
physical health  and  bodily vigor.   She certainly
needs this condition that she may supply the grow-
ing child with good blood for its nourishment.
  It must be remembered that  there  is no nervous
connection between the mother and the child in the
womb.   If the former  does influence the latter it
can only be through  the nourishment supplied and
that nourishment is the blood which circulates from
the mother through the child and back again to the
mother.   Any cause,  then, that  would  interfere
with her nourishment would interfere with the nour-
ishment of the child and this retard or warp its de-
velopment.
   A peculiar fact in  this  connection  may be men-
tioned.  A woman who has borne children to  one
man may have to a second husband  children who
resemble the first husband, especially in the color
of the hair  and eyes.  A  white woman who has
borne children  to a negro may afterwards have
children by a white husband, these children resem-
bling in some respects  the negro race. 
          CAN THE SEX BE  PREDICTED?       l6l

          CAN THE SEX BE  PREDICTED?
  Is there a law governing or determining whether
the child shall be male or female, or is it merely
accidental?  This is yet an unsettled  question.
Many theories have been advanced to explain the
production of the sexes, but none of them seem to
be satisfactory.  One theory is that the right ovary
in the female and the right testicle of the male pro-
duce male children,  and the left ovary and testicle
produce  females.  But this idea, although  some
experiments with animals seem to favor it, is with-
out foundation  in  fact, for men with one testicle
and women with but  one ovary have been known
to become parents of children of both sexes.
   Another theory is that if sexual intercourse  takes
place during the  first half of the first two weeks
after menstruation the progeny will be  female, if
during the latter part of this period, male.  This
theory has many supporters.  Stockbreeders, it is
said, have verified it in many cases, being able to
produce males or females as  they desire, by coup-
ling the parents immediately after "heat" in the
female if they desire females, and  sometime after
if males are desired.
   Flint suggests that since  more  than one  male
germ is necessary to  impregnate one female egg,
that males may be produced  when there is a greater
number of these male germs, and  females  when
there is a lesser number, but adds :  " Such an idea
is purely theoretical, and the question of the deter-
     n 
 162         HYGIENE OF PREGNANCY.

 mination of sex presents, thus far, hardly the shadow
 of a satisfactory explanation."
  I have stated elsewhere that after the fifth month
 the heart of the child in the womb could be heard
 to beat.  It is said that  the heart of the female
 child beats faster than that of the male.  A physi-
 cian with practiced ear  and the aid of an  instru-
 ment could at that time, upon  this basis, predict
 the sex of the child.

            HYGIENE OF PREGNANCY.
  Pregnancy is not a diseased condition.   On  the
 contrary diseases are in many cases  arrested for
 the time being by pregnancy.   Many women  are
 in an unusually fine state  of health while in this
 condition.  But it is an important period and in
 some sense a critical one, and the proper manage-
 ment of the diet, clothing, exercise, etc., has much
 to do with the future health  of herself and child.  To
 have healthy, well-formed children  and to escape
 from the trials of a severe childbirth are  objects
 certainly worth working for.   Could all women be
thoroughly impressed with the importance of taking
 great care of themselves during  pregnancy, a vast
 amount of suffering and misery might be avoided.
  It is my purpose to set down somewhat in detail
the directions for the conduct of a pregnant  female,
 as regards clothing, food, exercise, cleanliness, etc. 
CLOTHING.
163
                   CLOTHING.
  The ancient Spartans had a law which required
pregnant females to wear loose  dresses.  Such a
law to-day if enforced would be a greater benefit to
the race than a law to prevent the sale of intoxi-
cating liquors.   Some women are so foolish as to
attempt to conceal pregnancy in  its earlier stages
by  tight  lacing.  This  can not be done  without
causing suffering to the  mother,  and it may cause
permanent injury to  the  child.   If stays of any
kind are  used, they should be perfectly adapted to
the figure and be very loose.   They should not be
worn at all during the last half of pregnancy.  The
clothing should be suspended  from the shoulders
and not from the hips.  It is well to observe this at
all times, but more especially during pregnancy.
Clothing which  may be perfectly comfortable at
one hour of the day, may/be too tight  at another.
This may be due to gases which  are apt to accumu-
late in the bowels as a result of disturbance of  di-
gestion.  Whenever a feeling of tightness occurs
the clothes should be loosened, since it is very im-
portant that the womb be not in the least crowded.
  In some cases during the latter months the abdo-
men may be supported  by a band  made in  the
shape of a half moon, having  the broadest part in
front and below,, and the narrow part passing above
the hips,  and fastened to shoulder braces, at a point
a little behind the center of the side.
  Tight garters  should never be worn.  They are
especially to be discountenanced in pregnancy, as 
164
DIET.
they are apt to produce  enlargement of the veins
of the  legs.  The clothing should also be loose
about the breasts, as any pressure may increase
their irritability or arrest their development.  The
" Mother  Hubbard " style of dress, without a belt,
is  especially well adapted to a  pregnant woman.
Clothing should always be adapted to the state of
the weather.  A pregnant  woman should be well
protected from the cold, yet ought not to dress too
warmly.    Flannel drawers, rather  than heavy
skirts,  should  be worn in cold weather,  since they
are a  better protection  from cold air  and  have
much less weight.   If flannel is too irritating to be
worn next the skin, drawers made of flannel lined
with cotton may be worn.

                     DIET.
   The diet of a pregnant woman should be gener-
ous, but  excess in eating should at  all times be
avoided.  During the first half of the time the
quantity of food need not be greater than usual,
but during  the  latter months the quantity should
be increased  a little, not  by eating  more at one
meal,  but by eating  oftener. The morning sick-
ness is often relieved by eating a  little before rising.
If a woman crave food  in the  night or between
meals  in the daytime a light luncheon will gener-
ally set well and do  no  harm.  A variety of food
from day to day,is desirable.  Plenty of ripe fruits
and vegetables, with  less bread and meat, is gen-
erally the best to keep the bowels regular.  By
carefully observing the  effects  of different  kinds 
EXERCISE.
I65
of food upon the bowels, one can generally select
the proper diet.  The treatment of obstinate con-
stipation will be discussed in a succeeding chapter.
Fatty and  highly salted or sweetened  food  often
disagrees with pregnant females.  In  such cases
these articles  should be  avoided.  Sometimes,
however, these articles agree better  during preg-
nancy than at any other time, it being a remarka-
ble fact that what is ordinarily very indigestible,
sometimes is especially  beneficial during preg-
nancy.
  If the woman is feverish and irritable during the
first months, the quantity of food should be less
than  usual.   All highly  stimulating  foods  and
drinks  in such cases should be  avoided, such as
highly  salted and  peppered meats,  rich soups,
strong  tea or coffee, or alcoholic  liquors of any
kind.   Such stimulating articles only increase the
irritability and may be the cause of a  miscarriage.

                   EXERCISE.
  A pregnant woman can not be too careful how
she exercises.  Too much or too little exercise are
alike injurious.   Her own feelings are generally
a good  guide.  She should not exercise until she
is  very tired at any time, and by all means she
should  avoid lifting,  carrying heavy loads, riding
in wagons without springs, or upon horseback,
running, dancing and jumping.  Long journeys
ought not  to be  taken.   Riding on railroad cars
may prove  highly  injurious. Toward the latter 
166
EXERCISE.
part of pregnancy she should be particularly care-
ful about over-exercise.
  A moderate  amount  of  exercise through  the
whole period will tend very much toward lessening
the difficulties of childbirth.   Every woman should
have some occupation that would daily engage her
attention.  Ordinary household work, provided she
avoids the work which requires lifting or straining
in any way, is very  good.   Running a sewing-
machine, unless  it be for a very short period at  a
time, is apt  to prove dangerous.  Sitting too long
at a time in one position reading or engaged in
needlework is not good, neither is standing long
at a time.  A woman  should be active generally,
vet careful at all times.   It is good for a pregnant
woman to lie down for an hour or more  each day.
If there  is  any bearing-down pain in the womb
this is especially necessary.   In the early months
she will thus avoid miscarriage, and in the later
the rest will be grateful on account of the increased
weight of the womb.  Sometimes there  is  a diffi-
culty  in  lying down, the person feeling  a sense
of  suffocation.   In such cases she should  rest
propped  up on  pillows.   Walking is good exer-
cise, but  long walks should not be taken.
  Exercise  should be, in such cases, adapted to the
constitution of the individual.  A delicate  female
should take only the most moderate exercise.  One
more  robust may simply lessen  somewhat  her
ordinary  amount of exercise.   The forenoon is the
best time for exercise. 
BATHING.
167
           IMPORTANCE OF FRESH AIR.
  It appears that among peoples who spend much
of their  time out of doors  less difficulty  is ex-
perienced   in  childbirth.   A  pregnant  woman
should be especially particular to get all the fresh
air she can.  Not only should her sleeping and
living apartments be well ventilated, but she should
spend much time out  of  doors, being careful, of
course, always to protect herself from extremes of
heat and cold and from dampness.  An indoor life
is calculated to make a woman nervous, over-sensi-
tive and delicate, which  conditions cause  her  to
suffer more  in childbed.  Do not think because
you can  not  go out for  a  long time that it is not
worth while to  go  at  all.  Five or ten minutes
spent walking out at two or three intervals  during
the day will  be much better than not to  go out  at
all.   Even a walk once around the yard will be
beneficial.
                    BATHING.
  Dr. Holbrook  says:   "Bathing,  like  eating,
should be  agreeable.   For  healthy people  and
properly managed it is agreeable.   It is an error
to insist upon one particular mode of applying
water to  everybody alike.  Strength, constitution,
present physical  condition,  previously acquired
habits, should all be considered.  It would be incon-
siderate, if not quackish, for  instance, to prescribe
a full bath in cold water, immediately upon getting
out of bed, for everybody, men, women, children,
sick or well, all alike." 
168
SLEEP.
  In their advice upon this  subject authors differ
very much.   One  class of  advisers would have
pregnant women bathe frequently, using cool and
even cold water, while others claim that the bath
is injurious.   Dr. Napheys thinks that women who
have not been  accustomed to bathing should not
begin the practice  during pregnancy, and  that
women of a lymphatic temperament and a relaxed
habit of body are always injured by the bath.
  When we find two extremes  the middle road is
the safest.  Bathing in water of an agreeable tem-
perature can  not  hurt any one  if the bath  be not
prolonged and if proper precautions are taken  to
prevent a chill.  Of course, a pregnant  woman
should keep up her daily sponge bath, for cleanli-
ness sake, as advised for all persons in a  former
chapter.  Towards  the latter part of pregnancy a
tepid sitz bath once a week  or  oftener may prove
of benefit.  What  is  a  sitz  bath?  It is nothing
more  nor less than sitting down  in a tub or other
vessel of water for  a given  time.  The duration
should not be long, not more  than five minutes.
Just before going to bed is the best time for such a
bath.
                    SLEEP.
  A pregnant woman should retire early and get
up late.  She should have all the sleep she can get.
She is furnishing blood for  a new being.   Plenty
of sleep is very necessary for every one, but much
more so for one who has the double duty of nour-
ishing herself  and another.   During  sleep the
system  recovers its  powers which it loses when 
          ATTENTION TO THE BOWELS.       169

awake.   Sleep  promotes  digestion,  and  good
digestion makes good blood.   Sleep can do no
harm.  Of course, one in order to sleep soundly
and well ought to exercise during the day and obey
all the other laws of health.   Medicines should
not be taken to force sleep, unless under extreme
conditions and  then not  without  the advice  of a
physician.   A tepid sponge bath just before retir-
ing will often induce sleep.
  A pregnant woman should not use high pillows.
Indeed, it is a bad habit for any woman.  If the
shoulders are upon the pillow it throws the weight
of the stomach and bowels more upon the womb.
If the head is higher than the body it tends to
obstruct the circulation of the blood.  A pillow
should be no higher than is sufficient to bring the
head  on a level with the shoulders when one is
lying upon the side.

          ATTENTION TO THE BOWELS.
  I have elsewhere called attention to the dangers
of retained excretions.  It is dangerous at any time
to neglect the daily evacuations of the bowels, but
it  is especially so  in  pregnancy.  The diet  of a
pregnant woman should be largely chosen  with
this point in view.  Medicines  should be avoided,
except in rare instances and then only some  very
mild  purgatives which can be taken in  broken
doses should be given ; a little epsom salts or castor
oil, if taken in half the regular dose and repeated
several times, can do no harm, unless in cases where 
170
ENGAGING A PHYSICIAN.
the woman is peculiarly apt to miscarry.  But bet-
ter than medicine in most cases is the use of injec-
tions.  Every family ought to have a rubber syringe
which can be used by the patient herself.  A half
pint of warm water is usually sufficient.  If not, a
little salt or soap suds may be added.  The injec-
tion should be held in for ten minutes or longer, if
possible.  If the  person yield  to the first  desire
only the water will come away, but if she wait a
few minutes the water will have softened  and loos-
ened the material and a free discharge be secured.
One should, however,  avoid forming a habit of
using the syringe.

             ENGAGING A PHYSICIAN.
   Although in the great majority of cases the phy-
sician can do nothing more than watch the progress
of a case of labor  and render a  little assistance
when  the child is  born, yet it is not advisable to
dispense with his services altogether, since some-
thing may happen which would  demand  the serv-
ices of a skillful physician.  Although it may be but
once in a thousand cases, you do not know but the
one case out a thousand may be yours.   It is not
best to take risks.  If, then, a doctor is to be called
in, there are good reasons why he should be notified
of the expected birth  at least a month before the
time.  There are conditions which may  exist and
which the  physician  may  remedy.  He   should
know the history of the woman, as to her general
health, the number of her confinements, her symp- 
ENGAGING A PHYSICIAN.          171
toms during pregnancy, and if there be anything
unnatural in any way.   It is  the  custom in some
communities to engage the physician  a month or
two previous, and it should exist in  all communities. 
Chapter  VIII.
             THE  ARRIVAL.

          PAINLESS CHILDBIRTH.
  It is a well-known fact that  women of savage
tribes do not suffer much nor have a tedious labor
in childbirth as the most of the women in civilized
countries do.   An Indian woman on a march, when
her time comes, will  stop for an hour or so, give
birth to a child, attend to it herself, place it on her
back, and proceed  on the journey.   The reason
why women of civilized countries suffer in child-
birth is not, as some writers would have us believe,
due altogether to their bad habits of life from  one
generation to another.  This, no doubt, has much
to do with it.   Did all women dress properly at all
times, take the proper amount  of exercise in the
open air, and pay more attention to diet and clean-
liness, there would in the course of a few genera-
tions be much less suffering in childbirth, and the
dangers of the pregnant state would be reduced to
almost nothing.  But one  great  reason why civil-
ized women suffer more than savage, is because of
their increased nervous sensibility.  The changes
which naturally take place in expelling  the child
from the womb,  it  would seem, must affect the
nerves in such a way as to give some pain.   But
those who are sensitive and suffer much also enjoy
much.  The savage is incapable of suffering great
                     (172) 
PAINLESS CHILDBIRTH.
173
pain and also incapable of intense enjoyment.  The
lower you go in the scale of animal  life, the less
important is the nervous system, therefore the less
capacity for either suffering or enjoyment, since
both must come through the nerves.   It is a mis-
take to suppose that a frog suffers as  much when
its leg is cut off as when a similar accident happens
to a man.  A horse would, under such circum-
stances, suffer far more than a frog, a savage than
a horse, and a civilized white man or woman more
than a savage.
  The Rev. J.  G. Wood, in  his "Uncivilized
Races,"  gives a number of instances of savages
manifesting an indifference to pain. Among them
is the  following:  Speaking of the Damaras,  an
African tribe, he  says : " On one occasion a man
had  broken his leg, and the fractured limb had
been put up in a splint.   One day while  the leg
was being dressed, Mr. Baines heard a great shout
of laughter, and found that a clumsy assistant had
let the leg  fall,  and had  rebroken the partially
united bones, so that the leg was hanging with the
foot twisted inward.  Instead of being horrified at
such an accident, they were all shouting with laugh-
ter at the abnormal  shape of the limb, and no one
seemed to think it a better joke, or laughed more
heartily, than the injured man himself."
  There  are some  cases, however, on record  of
women in civilized countries who had  given birth
to children without any pain whatever ; and some-
times without any warning, the child has been ex-
pelled by one uncontrollable effort of the womb.  A 
174          PAINLESS CHILDBIRTH.
physician of my acquaintance related to me the
case of one of his patients who was delivered of a
child on her way back from the well, a few yards
from the house.   She had perceived no symptoms
of approaching labor, and was immediately taken
with violent bearing-down sensations, and stooping
down the child  dropped upon the ground.  She
picked it up and carried it into the house.  An old
lady once told me that just before one of her chil-
dren was born, she  felt a  little uneasy, and lying
down on  the  bed,  one violent contraction of the
womb expelled the child.
  The subject of painless  parturition, or  child-
birth, has been discussed by various writers.  Some
go so far as to say that  pain is entirely unnatural,
and  if proper care be  taken  there  would be  no
pain.  I think such is an extreme view.   We have
those who are enthusiastic  advocates  of water-cure
in lessening the pains and  dangers  of childbirth.
Says Fowler:   "Its effects are magical in dimin-
ishing labor pains and dangers."  This water-cure
treatment consists mainly in taking daily sitz baths
in tepid water for  six weeks  or  more before the
time of delivery,  and, in some cases, of wearing
wet bandages at night over the abdomen, together
with certain regulations in diet, etc.   Dr. Joel
Shew is one of the greatest advocates of this plan.
He says:   "I require my patients to bathe daily,
drink no tea or coffee  to weaken  their digestion,
constipate their  bowels, destroy  relish for food,
shatter their nervous system, and impair the sound-
ness of natural and refreshing sleep ;  to dress so as 
PAINLESS CHILDBIRTH.
175
not to  distort  and  debilitate  their  frames,  and
instead of remaining mostly within doors, accord-
ing to the foolish customs of civil life, go regularly
and often in the open air—thus 'gaining strength
by  means  of these  powerful and natural tonics,
exercise, pure air and light."
  Many, if not the  majority, of physicians place
but little  confidence in  the claims of water-cure
enthusiasts.  Their  system has much good in it,
but they err in claiming to do everything by it, and
sometimes by applying a general principle in excep-
tional cases they do  vastly more  harm than good.
Water is a powerful agent  for good  or evil in the
treatment of disease, according as it is properly or
improperly used.
  If water produces a shock by its  low tempera-
ture it does harm, as all  shocks to the nervous sys-
tem are more or less  injurious.  If water relaxes
the system too much the nerves are weakened and
injury is done.   The  relaxation is felt as a sensa-
tion of weakness and prostration.   This is very
apt to  follow prolonged use of the tepid or warm
bath.   The local application of hot,  cold or tepid
water is rarely ever attended with evil results and
is  often beneficial  where  everything  else  fails.
When a general bath is taken it should be in water
of  a temperature agreeable to the feeling, and not
lon£ continued.
  All of life, from infancy to the hour of childbirth,
should be one of preparation for that event, for  it
takes  all of those years to perfect a female form
and constitution.  Yea,  we must go further.   The 
176          PAINLESS CHILDBIRTH.

influence of parents and  ancestors for many gen-
erations may determine the question. Oliver Wen-
dell Holmes once said that every disease could be
cured if we would only begin in time, but in some
cases we ought to begin two hundred years before
birth.  We may conclude  then, that all the good
advice, concerning proper  living in every respect,
has  its bearing on  determining the question of
painless childbirth.
  One cause of the very great suffering sometimes
incident to childbirth is  disease of the womb.  A
proper hygienic life during and previous to preg-
nancy will in most cases cure such diseases.  If
the womb  is tender to pressure  at all times, it is
pretty good evidence  of existing inflammation. A
good physician should be consulted.
  But is there anything specially which  a woman
may do during pregnancy, or can anything be done
when the hour arrives to lessen the pains of child-
birth?  There are two agencies which  have been
particularly recommended, and  for which much is
claimed.   The first  is to  regulate the diet of the
woman for a few weeks at least before the close of
pregnancy so that she partakes of but little or no
bone-forming food.   The  second  is the  use of
chloroform or ether.  These two proposed special
methods for  doing away with much of the pain of
childbirth  I  shall now discuss somewhat in detail.
   Dr. Holbrook, in his little work entitled " Par-
turition Without Pain," discusses  the method of
diet in pregnancy somewhat in detail.  It appears
that in 1841 a pamphlet was printed in England 
PAINLESS CHILDBIRTH.
177
giving an account of an  experiment tried by  a
chemist upon his wife, whose  previous  deliveries
had been  excessively painful, and it was feared she
would not survive  another.  The result was very
favorable.  Others tried the experiment, and many
successful cases were reported.  The principle of
this man's system I will give in his own language.
He says :  " In proportion as a woman subsists dur-
ing pregnancy  upon aliment which is free from
earthy and bony matter will she  avoid pain and
danger in delivery, hence the more ripe fruit, acid
fruit in  particular, and the less of other kinds of
food, but  particularly of bread or  pastry  of any
kind, is consumed, the less will be the danger and
suffering of childbirth."
  It is well  known to physiologists that the child, a
couple of  months previous to birth, has, instead of
bones, only soft cartilage, or gristle, and that the
earthy or  bony matter is  deposited  gradually, be-
ginning before birth and continuing until  nearly
adult life.    Also that the  earthy, or bone  matter
comes from certain parts of the food.  Some kinds
of food  contain  more,  some  less of bone-forming
material.   Wheat bread  and  especially Graham
bread, contains the most bone-forming material ;
corn, rye, oats, barley, beans and peas contain less
of it than  wheat.  Potatoes not half as much, and
the flesh of young animals not one-tenth as much.
Rice, sago,  tapioca, fish and eggs contain less than
potatoes.  But fruits, such as apples, pears, peaches,
plums,cherries,strawberries, gooseberries, raspber-
ries,  blackberries, cranberries,  huckleberries, cur-
12 
178          PAINLESS CHILDBIRTH.

rants, grapes, oranges, figs, lemons, dates, prunes,
raisins, melons, contain  on an  average only one
two-hundredth part as much bone-forming material
as wheat breads.  Such substances as sugar, honey,
butter and vinegar contain no earthy matter.   It is
said, however,  that salt,  pepper,  cinnamon, nut-
meg,  cloves, ginger, coffee, cocoa and liquorice
contain almost  as much  as wheat.  All the water
we drink, except rain-water or distilled water, con-
tains earthy matter.
  It is  claimed, then, that if a woman lives mostly
on fruits and avoids wheat bread, that the child
in the womb will have soft bones, and as a conse-
quence, delivery will be easy.   Dr. Holbrook rec-
ommends  that women follow the fruit diet during
the entire  term of pregnancy.  He claims  that not
only will it almost do away with the pains of child-
birth but will much lessen the various symptoms
which women may have  during their pregnancy.
Dr. Cowan  recommends that  the  last two weeks
of pregnancy the woman confine herself to a fruit
diet.
  Now, in regard to this proposed method of lessen-
ing the pain of childbirth, I have no experimental
knowledge, but it seems reasonable, and there could
be no harm in trying the experiment.   Too much
bread is usually eaten, any way.   More fruits  and
watery vegetables in proportion to the bread  and
meat ought to  be eaten  by everybody, and more
especially by pregnant females, because they are
particularly  prone to constipation,  and a fruit  and
vegetable  diet tends greatly to prevent that trouble. 
              PAINLESS CHILDBIRTH.           179

  With a view to lessening the  great pain some-
times incident to delivery, many eminent authori-
ties  of late years have recommended the use of
chloroform or ether.  It was formerly thought that
whatever would  annul the  labor-pain would  stop
the contractions of the womb, but it is now claimed
that chloroform will destroy the pain while the con-
tractions of the womb continue.  Dr. Bedford says :
"Anaesthetics (such as ether and  chloroform) do
not lessen and sometimes increase uterine (womb)
contractions," and adds further,  " under judicious
administration, it maybe affirmed that as a general
rule these agents may be  employed during parturi-
tion with safety to both mother and child."  Many
other excellent authorities have strongly advocated
the use of chloroform,  especially where the labor
is lingering, and  the pains seem to do no good.
  The danger of chloroform is almost nothing, be-
cause an amount  sufficient to produce unconscious-
ness is not required as in surgical operations.  I
would not  recommend its use  in easy labors, but
only when  the pains  are severe and the progress is
slow.  It should never  be administered except by
a physician and never given to the extent of  pro-
ducing unconsciousness.
  Dr. Holbrook thus summarizes the points which
he  makes  upon  painless  childbirth:    "Painless
parturition may be secured by attention to the fol-
lowing points during pregnancy (besides correct
previous bringing up, moral, mental and physical) :
  " Moderate healthful exercise, and avoidance of
shocks, fatigue and over-exertion. 
 l8o    PREPARATION  FOR CONFINEMENT.

   " Comfortable or at least quiet and patient men-
 tal condition, avoiding all bad tempers.
   "Amusement and agreeable occupation as far as
 possible.
   "Judicious use  of bathing, particularly of the
 sitz bath.
   "The fruit diet,  and avoidance of unsuitable
 food, and of alcoholic,  narcotic and other stimu-
 lants.
   "Watchfulness  and  prompt treatment  of the
 various ailments  of the  situation,  should  they
 appear.
   " Kindness and indulgence by the patient's hus-
 band and friends.
   " The use of chloroform, if required, at delivery ;
 but only if administered and watched by a profes-
 sional attendant."

        PREPARATION FOR CONFINEMENT.
   During  the  last  few weeks  of pregnancy the
breasts  may demand some attention.   It is  not
uncommon for  the  nipples to become  sunken or
flattened as the breasts increase in size.   This is
due to a want-of elasticity in the milk tubes. Nip-
ple shields worn constantly may be used to  advan-
tage.  A breast pump or a puppy has been applied
in such cases  to draw the nipple  out, but there is
danger of exciting the womb and producing pre-
mature  labor, on the principle of sympathetic, or
reflex action of the -nervous system.  In first
pregnancies the nipples may be hardened  by fre-
quently  gently rubbing them with the fingers  and 
        PREPARATION FOR  CONFINEMENT.     l8l

bathing them once or twice a day with weak alum
water.  Borax water or tannic acid and linseed oil
are good for tender nipples.  This matter of the
care of the nipples should  be attended to  before
the child  arrives,  since a little doctoring in time
may save a great deal of trouble.
  To those who expect to  hire a monthly nurse,
for the hygienic period, we would say, it is best to
select and engage one sometime  previous to con-
finement, and have her come a week or more before
the expected day.   A married woman or a widow
should be chosen, and, if possible, one who is gen-
tle and kind, handy about  the sick and who does
not tattle. A woman who has tales to tell of women
she has nursed, you may expect she will tell tales
about you.  Good nurses are scarce, and to be sure
of one you must engage her early and expect to
pay her a little more than common.  A bad nurse
is dear at any price.
  The following articles, necessary in confinement,
should be prepared and placed  where they can
easily and readily be obtained when needed :
  i.  Clothing for  the child.  It is not necessary
here to specify the garments that  need  to be pre-
pared.  A piece of  soft  flannel from four to six
inches wide and  long enough to go one and a half
times around the child's  body as  a binder,  should
be provided in addition to the usual  child's cloth-
ing.   The use of this band is almost universal, and
it  is recommended by good authority, yet some
writers object to its use.   The clothing of the child
should never be  starched. 
 182      signs of approaching labor.

   2. A piece of soft linen or muslin  for dressing
 the navel, some clean towels, a cake  of fine toilet
 soap and a fine sponge, a paper of pins and some
 good strong linen thread may be  put aside to be
 ready when wanted.
   3. A bandage for the mother should be provided.
 This consists of a piece of muslin about a yard and
 a quarter in length and from  twelve to eighteen
 inches in breadth.   It should  be  made and fitted
 to  the woman,  when pregnancy is about half ad-
 vanced.  If made with a gore below so  as to fit
 the shape of the person accurately  it will  be more
 comfortable and retain its place better.
   4. For the bed there should be provided a piece
 of oilcloth, or rubber cloth a yard  or more square,
 and some old comforts and sheets.
   The method  of using the above articles will be
 given under another head.  They should be put by
 themselves in some convenient place, as during the
 excitement at the time they will be needed it may
 be difficult to find them.

         signs  of approaching labor.
   A few days  before the beginning  of labor  the
 womb descends somewhat in the abdomen and the
 latter becomes a little smaller. The woman breathes
 easier because  the pressure on the stomach and
 lungs is relieved.   Feeling so much better, she
 may be inclined to take more exercise than usual.
 She should be very careful about this,  as  extra
 exertion at this time  may induce  labor too  soon.
This falling down of the womb is one of the earliest 
          SIGNS OF APPROACHING LABOR.       183

signs of approaching labor.   As a consequence,
also, of the lowering of the womb, the woman may
have very frequent desires to urinate.
  Another sign is the increased fullness of the  ex-
ternal parts, and an increased secretion of mucous
amounting sometimes  to a resemblance to  the
" whites," and requiring the wearing of a napkin.
This is considered as showing a disposition to  re-
laxation  of the parts,  and hence a sign of easy
labor.
  Towards the very last the mental condition of
the woman may change.  She may have a feeling
of anxiety and become much depressed in spirits.
This seems to be natural and should not be  in-
creased by allowing the mind  to dwell upon  the
subject.   Friends may do much harm at this stage
by withholding proper words of encouragement, or
by dropping discouraging remarks.
  Sometimes there are false pains, even two weeks
before delivery, and the woman mistakes them for
actual labor pains.  Doctors are not unfrequently
sent for two weeks too soon.   I know of one case
in particular where a doctor went seven miles to
attend  a case  of  confinement, stayed over night,
and in the morning concluding that labor had not
begun, went  home.  The woman went about her
usual work, and two weeks afterward another doc-
tor was called, but the  child was born before  he
arrived, labor  having been unusually short. 
184
LABOR.
 LABOR--ITS CAUSE, SYMPTOMS AND DURATION.
  The cause of labor is nothing more nor less than
the contraction of the muscular fibers of the womb.
What causes the womb  to contract at a certain
time we can not answer, any more than we can tell
why an apple becomes ripe and  loose on its stem
at  a certain time.  The ancients  thought that the
child was  the  active agent  in  causing its own
expulsion.  Some thought it  struggled to get out
because it wanted  food, others because it wanted
air.   The child is perfectly passive.   A dead child
is  expelled as readily as a live one.  Labor is also
independent of the will of the  mother.  It has been
known  to take place even a day or two after the
death of the mother.
   The first symptom of actual labor is generally
what is known as "the show."   This is the dis-
charge  of the mucus which hitherto has plugged
up the mouth of the womb, accompanied generally
by a little blood.   Sometimes before  and some-
times several hours after this the  "pains" will
appear.  The first pains  are grinding or cutting in
character,  and appear irregularly, sometimes sev-
eral  hours apart.  Sickness at the stomach some-
times comes on early in the labor and continues
throughout.  Shivering, not  attended with sense
of cold, may occur.  There may be frequent desire
to unload the bowels and bladder and vomiting may
occur at first.
   Labor pains are divided into two classes, " true
pains" and " false pains."   True labor pains are 
LABOR.
185
produced by contractions of the womb.  At  first
they are of a grinding or cutting character, but
afterwards become of a "bearing down" nature.
False labor pains are from various causes, as wind
in the bowels, full bladder, spasmodic action due
to nervous sensitiveness,  diseases of the bladder,
kidneys  or ovaries.  True  pains may be  distin-
guished from false by their apparent location. True
pains are always referred to the back and loins,
and seem to extend to the thighs.  False pains are
referred  to the  abdomen.  Cramping of the  legs
and  thighs is an occasional  attendant on  labor.
This is less apt to occur if the patient change her
position frequendy during the first part of labor.
  As the close of labor approaches the pains become
more severe  and more frequent.  Usually  just a
little while before the child's head is expelled there
is a gush of liquid from the mother.  This is called
the "breaking of the waters."   It  is a discharge
of the liquid which is contained  in the sac-like
membrane enclosing the child.  It rarely happens
that  this membrane  is not ruptured, and the child
is "born with  a caul."  Not unfrequently the
waters break several hours before and sometimes
several days before.  There is then what is called
a " dry labor," which is usually very tedious.
  The head  is the part which generally presents,
and occasions the most  difficulty.  After the head
is born, the  body of the  child is usually expelled
very quickly.
  The duration of labor varies  so much that  it is
impossible to fix upon any time.   What is called a 
l86   DUTY OF THE PATIENT DURING LABOR.

natural  labor  may vary from a few minutes to
eighteen hours.   The young  woman,  or  to-be-
mother, who reads this must not get the idea that
the whole period of labor  is a period of suffering
and sickness.   The time of actual  suffering com-
pared with  the  entire duration  of labor is very
short, since the intervals between  pains is some-
times great, and always very much longer than the
pains themselves, except  toward the very last part,
when the pains may come in  pretty rapid  succes-
sion, but then  a few such  pains usually puts an end
to the labor.
  The first labors of a woman are, as a rule, longer
than subsequent ones.  The  time varies also with
the sex of the child, being a  little longer in the
case of  males.  The size of the  child also affects
the time.  Children over eight pounds, it is said,
average about four hours longer in birth than those
weighing less  than eight  pounds.
  When a woman marries late in life the first labor
is usually very tedious, but subsequent labors are
as easy  as if she had married earlier.

     DUTY OF THE PATIENT  DURING  LABOR.
  When labor has  commenced, the  woman may
lie down, sit up, or walk around just as she may
feel inclined.  She will feel better to change her
position frequently at first,  but towards the last she
will generally want to lie upon her back in the bed.
The latter is  the  usual position in which delivery
is accomplished in this country.   In some countries 
      DUTY OF THE PATIENT DURING LABOR.   187

women have the habit of being delivered lying on
the side, or on the hands and knees.
  If the  bowels have not moved freely shortly be-
fore labor begins, an injection of warm water should
be taken to unload them.  She should frequently
empty the bladder also.   Attention to these matters
is of great  importance.  No false delicacy should
prevent her from doing so.  If the doctor, or  any
other person  before  whom she may feel  embar-
rassed, be  in  the  room, she  should privately ask
her  nurse, or particular female attendant, to  re-
quest them to leave the room for a few moments.
  As soon as it  is evident that labor is  about to
begin, the  woman should  dress herself for the oc-
casion.   A clean chemise or night-gown may be
put on next to the body, and  rolled up smoothly
above the hips, that it may be  pulled down after-
ward unsoiled.  Over this she  may put a petticoat
and wrapper or dressing gown.
  During the  labor she  will not care to eat  and she
should not allow herself to be persuaded by attend-
ants to eat.  She may, however, desire, and it will
not do any harm, to  drink a cup  of warm tea or
coffee when the regular meal time comes.
  If a doctor  is  called, and I think one ought to
be in nearly all cases, the woman  should  put  her
trust in  him.   He understands his business, and
will do all  that can be done by  a doctor, and noth-
ing more than is necessary.  Doctors are carefully
taught in medical colleges, and in their books, how
to manage such  cases.  Do not pay any attention
to the suggestions of old women  who may be in 
188   DUTY OF THE PATIENT DURING LABOR.

attendance, if their suggestions are contrary to
what you have learned from this book, and from
the doctor.  There  are yet many  foolish notions
among people in many parts of the country  which
have long ago been  exploded  by doctors and sci-
entific men, who have made such  things a  study.
Women may  sometimes think that the physician is
too officious  and even object  to his making the
proper examination, (which is always  conducted
with the greatest delicacy, the patient never being
exposed), and again they may think he does not
do enough.   Remember  that  in ninety-nine cases
out of a hundred he is not at all needed, but when
he is needed, he is needed badly, and you do not
know but that case may be yours.
  Do not be anxious about the result of labor.  Re-
member that  labor is  a natural process, and it is
only when some great deformity exists, or where
some exceedingly rare case of unnatural presenta-
tion that  there is any danger.  It may be truly
said that a woman is in no  more danger in labor,
than the inmates of a  house are during a thunder-
 storm, or than  persons are riding  on the railroad
 cars.  There are risks in every department of life,
 and all classes of people  are liable to accidents or
 diseases which may take their lives.
   In the first part of the labor, when the pains are
 grinding, she ought  not to "bear  down  to  her
 pains," as she may be advised by ignorant  nurses.
 Towards the last, when the pains become bearing
 down  in  their nature, then she may  bear down
 gently and thus assist a little in the expulsion of 
           DUT\ OF THE ATTENDANTS.         189

the child.  She ought never to bear down unless
the pain  is actually upon her, as it will do more
harm than good.
  Towards the last the pains may be very severe,
and the woman be inclined to cry out.   She should
do so, as it tends to relieve her.   Nurses may tell
her that it will do her harm  to cry out, but they
are mistaken.

    DUTY OF THE  ATTENDANTS DURING LABOR.
  The question as to who shall be present during
the labor may as well be answered  here.   It is
customary in this  country for the husband and one
or more married female friends and frequently for
the mother of the woman to be present.   The latter
is generally objectionable, as her maternal anxiety
may worry the patient.   Yet it is well that she be
in the house as the woman will feel better to know
that she is near.  There  is no objection to the hus-
band  being present, but too many other persons
need  not and ought not to be  in the room.   Two
women  and the husband are enough beside the
doctor.
  As  soon as it is known that labor  is about to be-
gin, the bed ought to  be prepared.  Remove all
the clothes  but the mattress.  Upon this place a
large piece of oil-cloth or other water-proof goods.
Upon this place an old, soft  comfort, and over the
comfort a clean sheet.
  Attendants should not act and speak  as though
some  one were dying, but move about briskly and
speak in ordinary tones.  Conversation generally 
190         DUTY  OF THE PHYSICIAN.

should be on topics  having no  reference to sick
persons, or to other cases of confinement, and  al-
ways upon  cheerful, not serious subjects.  Any-
thing that can be said  to the patient which will
tend to divert  her mind from her condition, and
direct it towards cheerful objects will be in order.
  Towards the last constant attendance at the bed-
side  is needed, as the pains  come very frequent,
and the woman will  desire while  a pain is on her,
to hold  the  hand of an  attendant.  Sometimes a
sheet is twisted up and looped around the bedpost
for her to hold and  brace  herself during a pain.
The  patient often derives much comfort by having
the small of her back held by an attendant.   This
should not be  done  with the  naked hand,  but a
pillow should be placed between the hand and the
back, and a gentle pressure  exerted upward.
  The room should not be kept too warm, and it
should be well ventilated, but in such a manner as
to avoid drafts upon the bed.  Do not open a win-
dow  where a current of air will pass over the bed.
  In case the doctor is unavoidably absent, or one
is not called, it is  necessary for  the attendants to
perform certain duties which they will better under-
stand when  they have  read  the  remainder of this
chapter.

    DUTY OF THE PHYSICIAN  DURING LABOR.
  I may state here that a physician who  is at the
same time attending cases of childbed fever, small-
pox,  measles,  typhus fever,  diphtheria,  scarlet
fever or erysipelas, ought not, for reasons which 
DUTY OF THE PHYSICIAN.        191
will  be given  in  another place,  to  attend  upon
women in confinement.
  The doctor need  not be sent for until the  pains
begin  to  be frequent, unless  the waters should
break  in  the early part of  labor.  It must be
remembered that a doctor can only make an exam-
ination, and if the child be presenting  right, it is his
duty to let nature alone and simply  watch  the
progress of the  labor.  He  can not assist in any
way in a natural labor, until at the very last.
  Some women have  the idea that the  doctor can
do  much  toward  hurrying  the matter  along, by
k> taking a pain," as it is called.   This  " taking a
pain " is nothing more than making an examina-
tion by inserting the two fingers of the  right hand
gently into the vagina and  feeling the mouth of
the womb  to ascertain if it be dilating and if the
child is presenting properly.  In the first part of
labor by making this examination  occasionally, he
learns whether the mouth of the womb is dilating,
and from this  knowledge may be able  to make a
rough guess as to the duration of labor.  Later he
can tell by this examination what part of the child
is presenting, and  thus learn whether  it is a natural
labor or not.  If either the apex  of the head, the
face, the  feet,  or  the  buttocks present, no  inter-
ference is necessary.
  These  examinations should  be  made as seldom
as  possible, as no good and  possible  harm  can
come  from frequent  examinations.   The fingers
should be greased with a little  lard before passing
them into the vagina. 
I92        ATTENTION TO THE CHILD.

  The doctor need not be  in  the room with the
patient in the early part of labor, except occasion-
ally to note the progress of the labor.   At the
very last he should be  at the bedside, for it is his
duty to  attend to the child.
  I give these duties of the physician not as advice
to any member of the profession at  all, but that
the woman may have  a correct idea, and  not  be
led to think that the physician is doing more or less
than his duty.  Also that in  case the physician  be
absent, any attendant of ordinary intelligence may
perform his duties.

           ATTENTION TO THE CHILD.
  As soon as the child's head is born the physician
should ascertain whether the  cord is  around  its
neck as sometimes is the case.  If so, it should  be
removed, or else the child is in danger of being
strangled.  The finger ought to be put into the
mouth of the child to  clean away  any mucus, or
membrane  which might interfere with respiration.
Until the body is born the head should be supported
by the hand.  As soon as the body is born the child
should be brought  out  from  under the clothes far
enough for it to get plenty of air, and placed on its
right side with the head removed from the dis-
charges.  The  cord should not be tied until the
infant is heard to cry.
  The cord is tied in  the following manner:  A
piece of strong linen  thread is made doubled or
trebled  and tied around  the cord with a  double
knot and tightly, at a distance of about  two and a 
           ATTENTION  TO THE  CHILD.        I93

half inches from the navel.  Another piece of thread
is tied about an inch beyond the first, that is, to-
ward the mother.   The cord is then to be cut with
a pair of blunt  pointed scissors half way between
the  two ligatures.   Care should  be taken not to
clip  off a finger of the child, as has been done by
careless operators.
  The child, being thus separated from the mother,
should be wrapped  in a warm blanket, old woolen
shawl, or piece of flannel, taking care not to cover
its face so that it can not breathe perfectly.  It should
then be put in a safe place while  preparations are
being made to wash and dress it.   Do not place it
in a  chair where some one may without thinking
sit down on it.
  Should the infant  fail to  cry a smart tap  on the
buttocks will generally cause it to do so.  You may
then be sure it is all right.  But should it be  ap-
parently dead, means should at once be taken to
cause it to breathe.  Sometimes a little cold water
sprinkled in its  face is all  that is necessary.  If
this  fail, a sudden plunge into water, blood warm,
may start respiration.   So long as there is  pulsa-
tion  in the cord, it ought not to be  tied.  The fol-
lowing method of restoration may be tried : 'k Place
the infant on his face ; turn the body gently, but
completely on the side and a little beyond, and
then on the face, alternately ; repeating these meas-
ures  deliberately, efficiently and perseveringly, fif-
teen  times in the minute only."
     13 
I94       ATTENTION TO THE MOTHER.
            ATTENTION TO THE MOTHER.
   The placenta, or  afterbirth, is a  circular mass
 composed  mainly  of blood-vessels,  to which  the
 umbilical cord, or  naval string of the  child is at-
 tached.  Before birth it lies closely attached to the
 inner wall of the womb,  from  which it  derives
 blood, which is sent  through a vein in the  cord to
 the child,  supplying it with nourishment.  After
 the blood has circulated through the child it  re-
 turns through two  arteries in the cord back to the
 placenta, from which it passes back to the mother.
 Now, when the child is born, or  shortly after,  the
 placenta becomes  detached from the womb, and
 the blood  ceases  to flow through the  cord.  The
 placenta then is no longer of any use, and the womb
 expels it as it did the child.  This generally takes
 place in from fifteen minutes to a half hour after
 the birth of the child.  Sometimes it comes away
* immediately, sometimes it may be retained for many
 hours or even weeks.
   It is generally thought to be exceedingly danger-
 ous to leave the afterbirth for any length of time in
 the womb,  but there  is no immediate danger, and
 it is better to  leave it for awhile than attempt to re-
 move it by force.   There is  a notion among people
 that it is not safe even to let go of the cord after it
 is severed from the child.  I was once called to see
 a casein which the child was born before I arrived.
 I found one of the  attendants sitting by the bedside
 holding the end of  the cord which they had severed.
 She explained that  she had always been  told it 
ATTENTION TO THE MOTHER.        195
would not do to let go of the cord until the after-
birth was removed.
  If the afterbirth does not come away of itself no
severe pulling on the cord should be allowed, as it
may break or tear loose.  It often happens that the
patient being exhausted by the labor, the womb does
not seem inclined to contract sufficiently to expel the
afterbirth.   In such cases, time is the best remedy.
Just wait awhile and it will come all right.  Some-
times the hand of an attendant placed  upon the
belly, so as to grasp the womb, may cause contrac-
tions of the latter, which will expel the  placenta.
Placing the patient over a vessel of hot water for
a few minutes has been  known to be  effectual.
Only the most gentle pulling on the cord should be
allowed.  If, while pulling very gently on the cord,
the woman be asked to cough several times, it may
come away. If these simple means fail, and no
physician be present, one should be sent for.
  If it be not removed for three or four hours there
is possible danger of blood-poisoning.  There may
be internal hemorrhage, the afterbirth plugging up
the womb and keeping the blood in.  This will be
indicated by paleness and exhaustion of the patient.
Send for a physician  at once  and in  the meantime
make attempts  to remove the afterbirth.
  As soon  as the afterbirth has been removed the
mother should be moved a  little to one side of the
bed, while the soiled clothes are removed and clean
ones  substituted.  The external  parts should be
washed very gently with  a soft cloth or sponge.
This should be done under the bedclothes, so as not 
 I96    FURTHER ATTENTION TO THE CHILD.

 to expose the parts to  the air.   The parts may be
 dried by a soft cloth carefully pushed against them,
 being careful not to rub so as to irritate  them.
   The bandage mentioned  in a former part  of the
 •chapter may now be put on.   It should be fastened
 with pins and only moderately tight.  Some writers
<do not believe in the use of the bandage, but it is,
 1  believe, an  almost universal  custom, and good
 authorities,  such as  Napheys and Chevasse, ear-
 nestly recommend it as tending to induce the belly
 to return to its original size.  It  is at least com-
 fortable to the woman  during the first two or three
 days.  It is not used as much now as formerly.
   The chemise, which until now  has been rolled
 up around the waist, should be pulled  down, and
 a  napkin smoothly folded and laid under the hips
 to receive the discharges.

       FURTHER ATTENTION TO  THE CHILD.
   There need be no hurry about washing the child.
 Some writers recommend that it be allowed  to rest
 an hour or so, or even as long as twenty-four  hours,
 before it is  washed.  When the mother has been
 attended to, as just described, it will be time enough
 to wash the child.
 * When a child is born its skin is covered  with a
 peculiar substance, which  must be removed.  In
 order to remove it more readily and effectually the
 body should be first well rubbed with lard and then
 carefully washed with  soap and water.   It is best
 to grease only a part at a time and then wash that
 part while the  remainder of the body is covered. 
FURTHER ATTENTION TO THE CHILD.     197
Be very careful not to get soap in the eyes of the
child.  Use a soft sponge or very soft cloth.
  The next  thing  in order is to  dress  the  navel
string or umbilical cord.  This is done as follows:
Take a  piece of  sott  muslin  about  five  inches
square, cut a hole near one corner, pass the cord
through this hole, grease the cloth well and fold it
over  the  cord.   Mutton  tallow is excellent for
greasing the  cloth.  The  binder, mentioned on a
preceding  page,  should  next  be  put  on.   This
retains the  dressing of the navel and  protects the
child's abdomen  against cold.   It should go once
around  the body and overlap in front and secured
by three pins.  It should not be made too tight, as
there is  danger  of pushing the bowels, causing
rupture.
  The child may now be  dressed  completely and
applied to the breast.   If the nipple be sunken too
much for  the child to  grasp  it, a wide-mouthed
bottle may be first filled with hot water, then emp-
tied and immediately applied over it, and held there
for a few minutes.  As the bottle cools there will be
a suction, which  will draw out the nipple.  A little
sweetened milk applied to the nipple may tempt the
child to take it, if it does not otherwise.  It is very
important  that the child  get  the first milk  of the
mother,  as it acts as a physic, removing from the
bowels  the  meconium, as  the  material which is
found there at birth is called.
  The child  should be kept  for  the first twenty-
four hours as much as possible lying on the right
side, as this favors the  closing  of the opening 
 I98   FURTHER ATTENTION TO THE MOTHER.

 between the  right  and  left sides of the  heart,
 through which the blood circulated before birth,
 but which  now must go through  the lungs to be
 purified.  When  put to nurse it should be placed
 on its right side and  may  lie  on the arm  of the
 mother.
   In  first pregnancies there is not apt to  be much
 milk  in the breasts for about three days, and the
 breasts may be swollen and tender, but  the  best
 relief for them is the nursing child.  In such cases
 the child should have some nourishment.  A tea-
 spoonful of white sugar may be dissolved in  half
 a teacup of boiling water and a teaspoonful of sweet
 cream added.   A little of this may be given every
 two hours until the milk appears in the breasts.
   A new-born babe ought  to  be  fed  or nursed
 regularly every two  hours.   If asleep it ought to
 be waked  to be fed, since  a healthy child, until
 three months old, should  sleep  most of the time.
 If its food agrees  well it will go  to sleep again
 very soon after being fed.

     FURTHER ATTENTION TO THE MOTHER.
   The woman should get perfect  rest as  soon as
 possible after delivery.  To  secure this, as soon as
 she is made comfortable by  change of bed clothes
 and washing the external parts, as before described,
 the room should  be kept quiet and visitors not
 allowed  to enter for the  first twenty-four hours.
 She  should maintain  the recumbent posture for
 several days not raising her shoulders nor sitting
up in bed. 
      FURTHER ATTENTION TO THE MOTHER.   199

  For the first four or five days her diet should be
light, such as toast, with a little butter, tea, cracked
wheat or oatmeal and milk.  After this, when the
danger of milk fever has passed, she should have
a more generous diet, in fact almost anything that
is agreeable and wholesome  to any other person.
The diet should be light at first so that the milk be
not secreted too rapidly.  In cases, however, where
the woman is very feeble, she should  have more
stimulating food at first, but not in great quantity.
Beef tea or chicken broth, free from fat, with light
bread, will be good.
  After the third day the woman's clothes and the
sheets of the bed maybe changed, and the woman
given a tepid sponge bath.  This  should  be done
very carefully.   The woman must not sit up, but
let  an attendant remove the  clothes carefully by
slipping  them up and letting  the woman simply
turn over to get the arms out.  Then let a part be
exposed at a time and carefully sponged with a soft
cloth and wiped dry.   The sheet under the patient
may be  rolled up to her side, and the clean one
rolled up half way and put in its place ;  then let
the patient roll over  off the  old sheet and upon
the new, which can  then be  straightened out on
the other side.  While the bathing and change of
clothes is going on, the room  should be warm and
the windows all closed.  As soon  as  she is com-
fortably fixed again the window, or windows, may
be opened for ventilation.
  For a couple of weeks after confinement there  is
a discharge from the vagina.  This is natural, and 
200   FURTHER ATTENTION TO THE MOTHER.

nothing need be done  except to keep the external
parts as clean as possible. Every four or five hours
the napkin ought to be changed, and the  parts
washed with soap and water without exposing the
patient  to the air.   It is very important that this
should be done.   If the parts  are  sore, a  little
sweet oil, goose  grease, or some other soothing
substance should be  applied.
  The bowels are apt to be constipated for some
days after labor.   This is  caused by the  pressure
of the child upon the rectum  and  muscles of that
region, causing temporary partial  paralysis  of the
nerves.  It is customary to give physic soon after
confinement.   In many cases it  is given too soon,
or when it is  not needed.  If the patient feel com-
fortable and have no pain in the lower part of the
abdomen, she should not take physic, even if the
bowels do not move.   If they do not move of them-
selves in three days, an injection of warm water
may be given on the fourth day.  A little  castor
oil, citrate of magnesia, or epsom salts may be given
on the sixth or seventh day if there is no further
movement after the injection.   This will usually be
sufficient, and they will  regulate  themselves after
this.   No patent pills  or  heavy  doses  of  physic
should be given at any time.
   It not unfrequently happens that the pressure of
the child during labor  has affected the passage  to
the bladder,  and as  a result there may be difficulty
in passing the urine  for some  time after delivery.
If the patient feels an inclination to pass urine and
can not," the physician had better be sent  for.  He 
THE GETTING UP.
201
can relieve the full bladder by passing a tube called
a catheter into it.   This operation is a very simple
one, and is done without causing pain or exposing
the patient.
  It should be known that violent  anger or grief,
or any strong emotion, will injuriously affect the
character of the milk secreted by the mother.  The
child partaking of milk thus affected  may  have
diarrhoea, colic,  fever  or convulsions.   Cases are
on  record of children dying in convulsions after
having nursed while the mother was in a violent
fit of anger, or excited by grief.

                THE GETTING UP.
  We  often hear of women going about their usual
work in a day or two after the birth of a child.
There are no doubt  some women who  can do this
without danger, but the number who can  is small.
Ordinarily, a woman should not get out of her bed,      1
except for a  few minutes at  a time,  for two weeks
after confinement.   The system needs time to re-
cover its former condition.  Perfect rest should be
enjoined.  Even after  she gets up she  should not
resume her ordinary work for two weeks longer.
  Among the laboring classes there  are many who
think they must get  up> and go  to work about the
ninth  day.   It is among these we find  the most
cases  of  diseases  of the womb.   It is mistaken
economy for a  woman  to go  to work soon after
confinement.  She will save in doctor's bills many
times as much as she would make by her labor.
  The woman should be very careful to protect her 
202           LINGERING LABORS.
person from cold, as the  system is peculiarly sen-
sitive at this time, and  rheumatic affections are
liable to be brought on by exposure within a few
weeks after confinement.

              LINGERING LABORS.
  It sometimes happens that  when everything  is
right, that is, the child is presenting in a  natural
manner, the labor is tedious.  This may be because
the child is  unusually large, or because the pelvis
of the mother is smaller than the average, yet cap-
able of transmitting the child, or because the soft
parts may be unusually tense.
  In such cases the patient and attendants are apt
to become discouraged and frightened even, think-
ing that something is  wrong,  and that the labors
never will come to an end without danger to mother
and child.
  Remember that such cases are not  unfrequent,
and that nature will bring all around in time. The
attendants  should  do everything they can to en-
courage the patient and divert her mind from her
case.  Do  everything you  can to gain time, for
time is the element which cures in this  case.  The
parts slowly relax,  and every  pain adds  to the
progress though  it be ever so little.   When the
pelvis is small, the bones of the child's head being
soft,  are pressed  together  and  have  even been
known to overlap each other, but so gradual is this
process that the  child is not  injured.   The head
may  appear very much  out of shape  when born, 
            PECULIARITIES OF BABIES.         203

but a few days will bring it all right, and no appre-
hension need be felt.
  It is  these lingering cases  where the pains  are
great and do not seem to advance  the progress
much,  that chloroform judiciously administered by
a competent physician will do much toward lessen-
ing the suffering.

           PECULIARITIES  OF BABIES.
  The average weight of male children at birth is
about seven and one-third pounds ; the average of
female children is six and  two-thirds pounds,  and
for both sexes about seven pounds.  There is  one
case on record of a child weighing seventeen  and
one-half pounds at birth, the duration  of labor being
only four hours.  Another, which  weighed seven-
teen pounds and twelve ounces, but was delivered
by instruments.  Sometimes  they weigh but three
or four pounds and live and do wrell.
   The average length of new born infants is about
twenty inches, the male averaging an  inch longer
than the females.
   The  size of the child seems to be governed to
some extent by the age of  the mother.   The aver-
age weights increase up to  the twenty-fifth year,
and diminish after the thirtieth year.   The  first
child of a woman  is  always smaller at birth than
children born afterward.
   It mav be interesting to know  the  sizes of the
unborn child at different stages of its growth  and
development.   Properly speaking, the human being
is an embryon until the end of the  fourth month of 
204        PECULIARITIES OF BABIES.
pregnancy, after which  it is  called a foetus until
birth, after which it becomes aninfant, which name
is appropriate until two years of age, when child-
hood begins.
  At the third week the embryon is from one-sixth
to one-fourth of an inch in length.   At the eighth
week it is about an inch long.   At the third month
it is about two and one-half inches long and weighs
about one ounce.  At the end of the fourth month
it becomes a foetus and  is from one to five inches
long and weighs about five ounces.  At the seventh
month  the foetus is about fourteen inches long and
weighs from two to three pounds.
  The natural and usual  position of the foetus in the
womb is with the head downward.   This is proba-
bly because the head is the heaviest part.  In cases
of twins one may be with the  head downward, the
other with the head upward.
  A curious, but well-established, fact may be men-
tioned  in  this connection.  From the breasts of
infants  of  both sexes  there  generally  may be
pressed out a fluid  which differs  but little from
ordinary milk.  The quantity is variable, from a
few drops to two drachms.  It is found at birth, or
in  two  or three days after and  continues two or
three weeks, sometimes longer.   The use of this
milk is unknown.
  In another place I made mention of the caul, or
membrane which sometimes envelopes the child at
birth.  There were formerly  curious superstitious
notions entertained concerning it.   It was consid-
ered not only as a very lucky circumstance for the 
            PECULIARITIES OF BABIES.        205

•child itself, but it was believed that  any one who
possessed this  membrane would  be secure from
danger and good  fortune was sure to attend him.
For this reason midwives sold the caul at enormous
prices to lawyers, " as an especial means of making
them eloquent," and to sailors as " an  infallible
preservative against  drowning."   I  am not sure
but a  remnant  of these superstitious beliefs still
exist in portions of our country. 
Chapter IX.
           THE TENDER SHOOT.
               INFANT MORTALITY.
   Statistics show that out of one thousand children
born one hundred and fifty die within the first year
and one hundred and thirteen within the next four
years.  One-tenth of the children born  die within
one month of birth.   Mote die in large  cities than
in the country or smaller towns.
   There must be some preventable causes for much
of  this frightful  mortality.   Many  children  die
from causes which may  be traced to  the parents.
We can not expect, as a rule, healthy children from
unhealthy  or ill-matched parents.  Children  are
frequently  born  with important  internal organs
imperfectly developed, due to some  taint  in  the
blood of father or mother, or some more remote
ancestor.   Or  these  weaknesses  may be due to
some  great agitation of the nervous system of the
mother during pregnancy or to imperfect nourish-
ment of the mother.   Such cases are only avoida-
ble by observing the directions laid down in former
chapters.
  There are  a great many causes of death which
begin to operate only after birth, the large majority
of which, there is good  reason for believing, are
avoidable.  Many die from  attempting to  bring
them  up by hand.   This is  generally but  not
                      (206) 
BATHING THE INFANT.
207
always  avoidable.   Many die from  the  diseases
peculiar to  children, as scarlet fever, croup, etc.,
but all  diseases are  more fatal  among children,
because of the delicacy of their systems.
  A very large proportion die from disorders of the
digestive system, owing largely to improper feeding
and nursing. Of 11,382 children under twelve years
of age treated at the dispensary in New York City
during three years, 3,243 had some affection of the
organs  of digestion.   Dr.  Ballard,  of England,
showed by statistics that in five years  there were
in that  country 314,242 deaths of children  under
one year of age, and of this number  277,852 were
caused by disorders of the digestive organs.

             BATHING THE INFANT.
  A baby should be washed all over daily in water
of an agreeable temperature.   To ascertain the
proper temperature  let the nurse put her bare elbow
in the water, and whatever is not too hot nor too
cold, as judged in this way, will be about right. If
she decide upon the temperature by her hands, she
may get the water too hot, because the hands are
accustomed to bearing higher temperatures than
any other part of the body.  Never use strong soap.
Castile soap or some mild toilet  soap ought to be
used.   The  brand known as " Ivory Soap " is ex-
cellent.   If the  washing be done every day as it
ought to be, very little soap need be used unless
the water is hard.   Rain water  ought to be used
if possible to obtain it.
  Ordinarily a small quantity  of  water and a soft 
208
CLOTHING OF INFANTS.
cloth or sponge are all that is necessary, but it is a
good plan to give the  child a complete immersion
in a tub of water once  a  week.  Care should be
taken not to expose  the body to drafts.  In cold
weather a part ought  to be exposed at  a time,  and
washed and wiped dry immediately, and while a
tub bath is used the room ought to be tight  and
warm.  After the child is dressed the room may
be ventilated again.
  The ears should be carefully wiped dry inside
with a soft cloth.  Care  should  be taken also to
wipe the parts under  the arms and  about  the gen-
ital organs dry.  No soap should  be allowed to
remain upon the skin.

             CLOTHING OF INFANTS.
  Infants are very susceptible to  the influence of
cold.   Statistics show that severely cold spells of
weather are accompanied  by increase in the death
rate among infants.   The body of the child should
be kept warm by clothing, and by the vital heat of
the mother or nurse rather than by a warm atmos-
phere.   It is nonsense to talk  about hardening
children  to the cold by insufficient  protection. That
was once a common  idea, but is  not believed  now
by sensible people.
  The clothing should be  of the kind which, at the
same time  it secures warmth, should secure light-
ness..  Light, soft flannels  are best next the skin,
with muslin or calico  for  outer garments.   When
the long  dress is exchanged for  a  short  one, the
feet and legs should  be protected by soft woolen 
        PURE AIR AND LIGHT FOR INFANTS.    209

stockings (or cotton ones in summer), which should
extend above the knees.   The clothes worn during
the day should not be worn at night.
  The clothes should fit  loosely and easily and be
cut with high necks and full length sleeves and be
fastened by buttons or tape rather than by pins.

        PURE AIR AND LIGHT FOR INFANTS.
  Pure  air is  especially important for infants.
Rooms should be well ventilated, and by well ven-
tilated I mean that they should have free access of
fresh outside air, and free exit of foul air with no
currents or drafts.  If  there be  an unavoidable
draft anywhere the infant  should be kept away
from that part of the room.
  Children born in summer should  be carried out
daily when the weather is dry and  those born in
winter should  be taken out after two months on
mild days.  They should never be  kept out long
at a time,  and  should  have extra clothing if the
weather be at all chilly.  Babies  should not be
taken upon long journeys in wagons or carriages
in severe weather, no  matter  how well they may
be wrapped.
  They ought not to be  carried out on wet days
nor when the wind is very strong.   Damp atmos-
phere  is frequently a cause of lung diseases.  A
strong wind may cause  the child to suspend breath-
ing for a time and thus  produce dangerous results.
A mother   or  nurse ought to be  careful about
breathing directly in a child's  face.  It may inhale
a considerable quantity of the air which has been
r4 
2IO
SLEEP OF INFANTS.
once breathed and which, of course, is unfit to be
breathed again.   Kissing of babies on the mouth is
not good as you can not kiss them without breath-
ing directly in their faces.  Kiss a baby  on the
cheek or forehead, never on the mouth.
  Light is indispensable to the health and develop-
ment of children.  The full glare of light in the
face of very young babies is, however, injurious to
their eyesight.  They should not be brought sud-
denly to a bright window, or  before a lamp.   A
thin veil should be worn, but not too close to the
child's face, when out of  doors, until it is at least
four months old.

               SLEEP OF INFANTS.
  Infants should pass the  greater part of day  and
night in  sleep, and this they will do  if they be  in
good health.  The older they get the less sleep
they will take, but until  the  sixth year they need
at least twelve hours sleep at night, and from one
to five  or  six hours in  the daytime.  It  is not
proper, therefore, to wake a child in the morning,
or at any other time, except for good reasons.
  Babies are not unfrequently killed by being over-
lain by their  mother, and  on  this  account some
physicians  have  advised that  they should  never
sleep  in  the  bed with the  mother.  But,  as Dr.
Napheys observes, "it must be  remembered that
an  infant keeps  warm  with difficulty even when
well covered, and that  contact with the mother's
body is the best way of securing warmth."  For
this reason the baby should sleep with its mother. 
SLEEP  OF INFANTS.
211
 Dr. Napheys then quotes the following rules, given
 by a physician of reputation,  for  preventing an
 infant from the accident of being overlain :
   " Let the baby while asleep have plenty of room
 in the bed.   Do not allow him  to be too near, or,
 if this be unavoidable from  the small size of the
 bed, let his face be  turned to  the opposite  side.
 Let him lie fairly, either on his side or on his back.
 Be careful to ascertain that his  mouth be not cov-
 ered  with the bedclothes.   Do  not smother  his
 face with bedclothes, as a plentiful supply of  air is
 as necessary as when he is awake.  Never  let him
 lie low  in the bed.   Let  there  be no pillow near
 the one his head is resting on, lest he roll to it and
 bury his head in it.  Remember a young child has
 neither the strength nor the  sense to get  out of
 danger; and if he unfortunately either turn on his
 lace or bury his head  in  a pillow that is near the
 chances  are  that  he  will  be  suffocated,  more
 especially as these accidents usually occur at night,
 when the mother or the nurse is fast asleep.  Never
 entrust  him at night to a young, giddy or thought-
 less servant.  A foolish mother sometimes goes to
 sleep while allowing her child to continue sucking.
 The unconscious babe after a time loses the nipple
 and buries its head in the bedclothes.  She awakes
 in the morning, finding to her  horror a corpse by
 her side !  A mother ought, therefore, never to go
 to sleep until her child has stopped sucking."
  After the third month it matters little where the
 child sleeps, provided it has  plenty of clothing to
keep  it warm  and does  not  lie where  there is a 
212
SLEEP OF INFANTS.
draft.  It should be remembered that a child upon
a feather bed will be much warmer with the same
amount of covering than one on a hard mattress.
This should be taken into consideration when the
covering is put on.  Sometimes children are made
entirely too warm by placing them on feather beds,
even when the covering is light.  A straw or shuck
mattress with a soft comfort  or blanket over it is
better for  any person to lie on,  except in very cold
weather.
  The clothing of the  child's  bed should be fre-
quently changed and  aired.   This is  even more
important with children  than  with adults, since
they are  more susceptible to foul exhalations and
secretions.
  A child should early be accustomed to sleeping
alone in  the dark.  Children  are  not, as a rule,
naturally afraid in the  dark.  They are made  so
by improper training of mothers and nurses.
  It is an almost universal  custom to rock babies
to sleep.   It is not necessary.   If you do not begin
it the child will not expect it.   They quickly learn
the habit and then it is difficult to break up.  Some-
times, however, infants are very irritable on account
of ill health and one must resort to almost every
means to quiet  them.   Everybody knows that it is
much easier  "to spoil a child" than to train it
properly.   It is easier  to give advice in this case
than to follow it. 
NURSING.
213
             HABITS OF  CLEANLINESS.
   On this subject I wish to quote the words of Mrs.
Alice B. Stockham, M.  D. :  "Habits of cleanliness
can be taught every child.  The clumsy diaper can
be dispensed with by the time  it is three or four
months old.   Let the mother practice holding out
her baby immediately after  nursing  it, and it will
easily be  taught to urinate  at  this time and also
have a passage from the bowels at a stated time in
the morning  and evening.   The actual comfort
secured to mother and child  through this  condition
more than repays for the labor and patience in se-
curing it.  Teach your children to be cleanly. 'A
dirty child is a mother's disgrace.'  When a child
begins to creep and walk the diaper must be pinned
tight enough to be injurious in order to keep it in
place, and then, too, the amount  necessary at this
time to absorb the secretions,  spreads  the legs
apart.   The bones being pliable actual deformity
often results."
                    NURSING.
   The first food of the child should be the mother's
milk, and this should be the  only nourishment for
the first six months, and in most cases  for the first
year.   There is no need of arguing this  question.
It is the universal testimony of scientific  men and
physicians.   But, notwithstanding all the counsel
of competent advisers and the results of experience,
we find  women who desire to shrink  from the re-
sponsibility of nourishing their own children.  Of
course, the mother can  not always nurse  her own 
214       WHEN NURSING IS IMPOSSIBLE.

child.  There are often good  physical reasons why
she can not, or  ought not.  When she can not, the
next best thing is to have the child nourished by a
wet  nurse.   Where this is  impossible, the only
thing that is left to  do  is to feed them  artificially
prepared  food,  or  as we  generally  say,  "bring
them up by hand."   The foundling hospitals of the
world are striking proofs of the inefficiency of the
latter method.   Statistics  show that where  these
foundlings are wet-nursed  the proportion of deaths
is about one-third, and where they are fed by hand
the proportion is from one-half to three-fourths.

   WHEN  NURSING  IS  IMPOSSIBLE AND WHEN
                   IMPROPER.
  Severe  cases of sore nipples are but  temporary
hindrances to nursing.   The condition  of the nip-
ples should be  observed before confinement  and
measures  taken, as designated in a former chapter,
to prevent soreness.  When this has been neglected
or the measures have been ineffectual, it is neces-
sary  to nourish the infant artificially for  a time.
But after  an infant  has  been  fed  for several days
with a spoon or bottle it will  often refuse to nurse.
The  cases, however, in which  it is impossible to
apply the child to  the  breast  a few  hours after
delivery are not common.  Treatment for ulcerated
and fissured  nipples will be given in a  succeeding
chapter.
  If the  mother have consumption in  a  rather
advanced stage, or if she be very sick from  any
cause, she should  not attempt  to nurse her child. 
          WrHEN NURSING IS IMPOSSIBLE.       215

A temporary weakness need not induce a mother
to wean  her child or procure a wet nurse.  It is
often possible  by proper care and judicious doctor-
ing to restore  her strength  while the child is nurs-
ing.  Nor is  it necessary  in all kinds of sickness
to take the child away from the breast.   It is only
where there is considerable exhaustion of the vital
powers, or where there is  danger of communicat-
ing the disease to the child.  It should  be remem-
bered that milk from a mother who is so sick as to
be unable to take nourishing,food, lacks the prop-
erties capable of nourishing the child.
  When there is inflammation of one of the breasts
it is necessary  to  restrict  the child to  the  other.
When the inflammation disappears the first milk
should be removed by a breast-pump and not given
to the child.
  It may  be  necessary in some cases where  the
mother is not  in the best of health, yet not actually
sick, to let the child nurse less frequently and feed
it once or  twice a  day with artificially prepared
food.
  If it be necessary to give the mother medicine
which would act through  the milk upon  the child
(for it is well known that many medicines affect
the quality of the milk), it will be proper to feed the
child for a day or two on artificial  food, while the
milk is drawn off with a breast-pump  and thrown
away. 
2l6       STATED TIMES FOR NURSING.


          STATED TIMES FOR NURSING.
  A baby may be nursed too often.   It should not
be given the breast every time it cries.   It as fre-
quently cries from being over-fed  as from being
hungry.  " For the first month he should be suckled
about every  hour and a half; for the second month
every two hours, gradually as he  becomes older
increasing the distance of time between until at
length he  has the breast about every four hours."
It may be found  best ,to vary  somewhat  from the
rule here laid down, but as a general thing, I think
it is about right.   Says Dr. Chevasse:  " It is sur-
prising how soon an infant, at  a very early age,
may,  by judicious management, be brought into
good  habits  ; it only requires, at  first, a little deter-
mination and perseverance; therefore a nursing
mother ought at  once to commence by giving the
child  the breast at stated  periods, and she should
rigidly adhere to the times above recommended."
   I have before me a little pamphlet  entitled " How
to Feed the Baby."  The author, C. E. Page, M.
D., gives the history of an experiment tried upon
a baby somewhat as follows :  The child was al-
lowed to nurse but three times a day from the hour
of its birth,  was  weaned at the age  of four months,
and at the age of nine  months was taking daily one
and one-third pints of cow's milk and nothing more.
He claims  that  the child grew and thrived and
never had a moment's sickness of any kind and
was never cross and fretful.   He says :   " I do not
expect that, because of my own successful experi- 
           STATED TIMES FOR NURSING.       217

ment—perfect and complete as it is in itself—every-
one will be induced  to  adopt the system at once.
My own faith is by no means based upon this one
experiment, nor indeed is it by one iota  increased
thereby."   He thinks the great cause of diseases
in children is over-feeding.   He says the fat they
store up is an unnatural and diseased  condition :
that  fat babies are not healthy babies ; have not  as
much muscle, and are not as strong as lean ones :
that  if a child is allowed to  eat but three times a
day it will not  take  more than  it ought to at one
time, and  if the habit is formed at the start, it will
not desire food at other times.
   He brings up a great deal  of argument in sup-
port  of these views,  and claims  to have seen the
experiment tried in many other cases successfully.
He does not recommend weaning the child so soon
as he did in the case mentioned, but says he did
that  in order to ascertain by measure the proper
daily ration.   I give his views  to  my readers for
what they are worth.   I think that  most writers-
and medical men will agree that babies  are more
often fed too much  than too  little.  I am afraid,
however, that if my readers  try the plan of three
meals a day for an  infant they will be compelled
by the cries of the child to  abandon it.
   I might give here  the history of a baby now nine
months old which I have had occasion  to observe
every day of her life.  She was apparently born
hungry, would cry and fret continually until a little
food  was given her,  then she would  become quiet
for a short time.  The mother's milk did not come
\ 
 2l8       STATE!) TIMES FOR NURSING.

 for about three days.  She  was put  to the breast
 frequently, but seemed to get no satisfaction from
 the nursing.   A little cream, warm water and very
 small quantity of sugar  was given her,  allowing
 her to  suck it from a rag.  When the  mother's
 milk came she nursed five or six times  in twenty-
 four hours, and had  several rather severe spells of
 colic during the first three weeks,  which were re-
 lieved by catnip tea  and  milk of asafcetida.  After
 this she was allowed to nurse whenever she seemed
 to be hungry.   She had no more spells of colic and
 was, everybody said, the best baby they ever saw.
 She never cried  nor  fretted, did  not have to be
 rocked to sleep and  would wake up and lay for a
 long time looking around,  cooing and  smiling.
 She is very fat and  heavy,  and everybody thinks
 she is the picture of  perfect health.
   It seems to  be  perfectly natural  for children to
 eat oftener than adults.  Of course they may  be-
 come accustomed to only three meals a day, and
 so may adults become accustomed to but one meal
 a day, but whether this be the  best is a question.
 I have tried the  one meal, the two and the three-
 meal plan on myself, and find that  the three-meal
 plan is the best.  The frequency of eating is largely
 a matter of habit.  The young of all sucking ani-
 mals nurse frequently and are  usually apparentlv
 fatter than the adults, certainly healthy.   If babies
 are subject to frequent attacks of colic or are very
 fretful, and nursing does not seem  to relieve,  but
rather increase the difficulty, by all means withhold
food from them for  considerable periods of time 
INFLUENCES.
219
and try other means of relieving or quieting them.
Sometimes a few drops of warm water will satisfy
the apparent craving for  food.  It is  not the best
plan to attempt to quiet  a child with food unless
you are pretty sure that the want of food is what is
making it uneasy.   In the case of the child  I men-
tioned it was evidently the want of food that made
her cry, and not having sufficient food for several
days she nursed too much when the milk did come
and thus brought  on the  colic.  There  are great
differences in babies and the treatment suitable for
one will not always do for another.
  While plenty of  suitable food  is necessary  to
healthy growth it must be held in mind that  a child
will not starve in a day, nor even in two or three
days if no food be taken  in that time ; so do not
think you are saving its life by continually feeding
it.  You may in some cases save life by withhold-
ing food.

INFLUENCES AFFECTING THE QUANTITY AND CHAR-
         ACTER OF  THE MOTHER'S MILK
  I have already hinted  at the fact  that  mental
states of the mother may  affect the milk, also that
medicines act  upon the  child  through  the milk.
Especial  care  is  therefore necessary in the first
place, to prevent these  violent emotions and pas-
sions,  and to abstain from medicines; and  in the
second place to forbear nursing the child in case
the first conditions can not be avoided.
  The kind of solid food, provided  it be sufficient
in quantity, and  the mother be healthy, does not 
220
INFLUENCES.
affect the character of the milk to any considerable
extent.  It is a fact, however, that certain articles,
such  as acids, and fermentable substances, when
eaten by the  mother,  often  disturb the digestive
organs of the child, causing colic and bowel com-
plaints, without effecting any change in the  milk
which can be  recognized by chemical analysis.
  The amount of liquid food taken by the mother
affects the  quantity and quality of the milk  in  a
considerable degree.   While  nursing, the mother
has an increased desire for water, and if she is not
supplied with it in  sufficient quantity, the  milk
will  be diminished  in quantity  and impaired in
quality.
  Violent mental emotions often stop the secretion
of milk for a  short time entirely.
  " The last drop of milk is the richest,"  is often
said of the cow, and it is scientifically correct, but
according to Flint this is not true of the woman.
  If the milk  be retained in the breasts beyond an
ordinary period, it alters in character.   The longer
it is  retained the weaker it becomes.  The milk is
the richer then the oftener it is removed.   In those
cases where the mother is all right  and  in  good
health, but the amount of milk does not seem to be
sufficient for the child, it ought to be applied oftener
to the breast.   In cases where it is not thought best
to allowr the child to nurse for a short  period, the
milk ought to be drawn in the meantime and thrown
away.
  A woman is not apt to menstruate  during the
first nine months after pregnancy, and rarely ever 
          TOO MUCH OR TOO LITTLE MILK.      221

 becomes pregnant again before the  expiration of
 that  time.   Should  a woman menstruate  while
 nursing, the milk will usually become less in quan-
 tity,  and changed in quality so  as  to  affect  the
 digestion of the child, causing colic and diarrhea.
 If conception take place while the woman is nurs-
 ing, the milk is also affected in quantity and quality.
 When pregnancy is known to exist, it is a common
 custom to wean the child,  and  with apparently
 good reasons.

         TOO MUCH OR TOO LITTLE MILK.
   The  quantity of milk furnished by a  healthy
 woman varies much,  but on an average it has been
 estimated at from two to three pints every twenty-
 four hours.   The quantity increases with the growth
 of the child up to about the end of three months.
 A healthy child will consume about two and a half
 pints of milk in twenty-four hours.
   There are occasional cases of women who have
 an excessive amount of milk.  In some  cases it
 oozes away constantly, keeping the clothing wet.
 The quality of the milk under such circumstances
 is poor  and  watery.  A cloth wrung out of cold
 water and applied to the breasts, and diminishing
 the quantity of drink, are common remedies.  In
 bad  cases a good  physician  should be consulted.
 Sometimes the  constant oozing away of milk is not
 from an over-supply, but from  inability to retain
 the milk.
  On the other hand  there are many cases of wo-
man who  have habitually an insufficient quantity 
2 22          BRINGING UP BY HAND.
of milk.   Such cases are more numerous in cities
among the  poorly-fed and hard-worked classes.
Indigestion  may be a cause of insufficient secretion
of milk.   In many cases the flow may be increased
by applying the child more frequently.  Attention
should be paid to the general health.  Proper food
in sufficient quantities, proper  outdoor exercise,
and fresh air will have a favorable influence.  Al-
coholic  drinks,  as ale  or porter,  are  sometimes
given to  increase the flow of milk.  This  is not
advisable, for although they do increase the quan-
tity of milk,  the effect upon the system of the mother
and upon the child is injurious.
  A little artificial food ought to  be fed to the child
every day in cases where the  mother's milk is
scanty.   This brings us to the subject of  artificial
feeding,  or—

            BRINGING UP  BY HAND.
  When  it is impossible. for the mother to suckle
her own child, and a wet nurse can not be pro-
cured, it  becomes necessary to use some  other food.
  The milk  of the cow seems to be the best adapted
to the child, but it must not be  given in  a crude
state.   It is  too strong and will not agree with the
stomach.  The following  is given by a good au-
thority as a substitute for mother's milk:   New
milk, the produce of one healthy  cow, warm water,
of each equal parts ; table salt, a few grains ;  lump
sugar,  a sufficient  quantity to slightly sweeten it.
The milk itself ought not to be heated over the fire,
but should be  warmed by the water.   The temper- 
BRINGING  UP BY HAND.         223
ature should be that of the mother's milk, which is
from ninety to ninety-five degrees Fahrenheit.
  There are many kinds  of artificially prepared
food for infants, among which  arrowroot, flour,
tapioca and other substances which contain a large
percentage of starch,  figure prominently.  Now,
it  has  been ascertained  that up  to six months  of
age the child can not digest starchy food, as  the
saliva  which is necessary to convert the starch into
sugar is not secreted in sufficient abundance. After
the sixth month a small proportion of starchy food
may be added to the milk.  Then arrowroot, tapi-
oca, baked flour and sago may be given in small
quantities, gradually increasing them.
   What Will agree with one child often will  not
agree  with another, and what will agree with  the
same  child  one time will  not  at  another time.
Artificially-fed  infants  generally  get along  well
enough in the winter  time,  but during  the  hot
weather of summer are more liable to diarrhoea,
colic and  other disturbances of digestion.  It is
necessary then to watch closely the  effects of the
food and  lessen the  quantity for a time.  Some-
times  a change from diluted milk, as given above,
 to cream,  water and sugar is a good one.
   The quantity of water added  to the cow's milk
 may be gradually decreased until about the tenth
 month, pure milk  may be given with the addition
 of a small amount of starchy food.   A little  ani-
 mal food, as beef tea or meat broth of any kind
 may be given  sometimes for a change, after  the
 teeth  have begun to appear.   The effect should be 
224
BRINGING  UP BY HAND.
 carefully watched,  however, and  if any disturb-
 ance of digestion result it should be at once discon-
 tinued.   When the  milk and  water disagrees  it
 sometimes  happens  that a little  meat broth  will
 prove beneficial.  Eggs may sometimes be given,
 but they should be carefully cooked.  The proper
 way is to place an egg in boiling water and set the
 vessel off the  fire.   In two minutes examine the
 egg by breaking the shell at one end.  If the white
 is just turned to a milky consistence it is done.  If
 the white is hard it should be rejected.  A little of
 the white and yolk may be mixed and added  to the
 milk and water preparation.
   In trying any new kind  of food a very minute
 quantity should first  be added  to the preparation
 of milk and water already used and then gradually
 increase it if no bad effects  are  observed, or if the
 bad symptoms  already existing begin to disappear.
   The child should be made to take its food slowly.
 Feeding with a spoon is not a good way.  In  the
 act  of  nursing the  child  not only  gets its food
 slowly, but  the saliva is mixed  with  it and diges-
 tion is more perfect as a consequence.  A nursing
 bottle is the  nearest approach to the natural method
 of feeding.   But  objection is  made by many late
 authorities to the  common  white  rubber  nipple,
 because of  the white lead that  is  used in the
 manufacture of the  rubber.  The  lead gets  into
 the system  of  the child and poisons it, they say.
 Whether this be so  or not, it may be well to use
something else. "Any glass  bottle of a conveni-
ent shape and  size, with a few  folds  of soft linen 
WEANING.
225
pierced with  a  small hole, and  adapted to the
mouth in the form of a nipple, will answer every
purpose."  Mrs. Dr. Lozier  says :  " I have known
a very good  artificial nipple to be made of a fine
sponge, with  cambric linen covering it.  A small
quill stitched  in thoroughly is  passed through the
center nearly to the linen cover, and by fitting the
sponge over the top of a  small-sized bottle it an-
swers a good  purpose."
  It is very important that the bottle and artificial
nipple be  kept  scrupulously clean.  Every time
after using they should  be scalded  out with hot
water.  It is  well  to keep  two bottles, then one
may be cleaned while the other is in  use.  It is
best to form a habit of cleansing the  bottle imme-
diately after using.
  Never give an infant alcoholic liquors, tea, cof-
fee, chocolate, salty meats, pickles or highly spiced
food of any kind,  not even  in the smallest quan-
tities.
                   WEANING.
  When  the child is about a year old it should be
weaned.   The time  of  weaning should  depend
upon circumstances.  Twelve months is about the
average  time.  It  may  be  best  to  wean  a few
months earlier or wait a month or two longer.   It
should not take place immediately preceding or
during warm weather.  If the mother's health  is
not good weaning should  take place sooner, but if
the mother gets sick in hot weather the child should
not be weaned, but a wet nurse should  if possible
be obtained.
    15 
226
WEANING.
  Weaning should be a gradual process, occupying
several weeks.   The amount of spoon food should
gradually be increased and the amount  of nursing
gradually diminished.   A little artificial food may
be given at the age of six months and occasionally
thereafter until the time of weaning, observing the
directions for preparing artificial food given on the
preceding pages.  Solid food ought not  to be given
until the child has several grinder teeth.
  After  weaning  the food of  the  child may  be
varied, but until two years of age good, fresh cow's
milk should form a large proportion of the food.
Fruits  and green  vegetables should  be given in
very small quantities at  a time.   The skins, seeds
and  other hard parts of fruits should be first re-
moved.   Many  raw  fruits, as  apples,  are apt to
produce colic, because of the air carried into the
stomach  and  the  fermentation which  may  take
place if digestion is  not rapid and  perfect.  Care
should be exercised in giving raw fruits, especially
in warm  weather.  None but  perfectly ripe  and
sound fruits should be given.
  Children naturally desire sugar, even at an early
age, and it is  good for them if properly given.
They may get too much at one time,  causing colic
and diarrhoea.   Candy is sugar changed slightly
by heat, and is often mixed with many injurious
substances, such as white clay and various coloring
matter,  some of which  is poisonous.   It is often
made of glucose or grape sugar, which is not as
sweet as cane sugar.  Instead, then,  of giving
children  candy let them have occasionally  a little 
                    TEETHING.               227

 pure white sugar.   But until the child is old enough
 to manage a lump of sugar without danger of get-
 ting choked the sugar had better be  put into the
 milk or other food, or in the form of a "sugar-teat."
   If the weaning be done  gradually there will be
 little danger of  trouble  with the breasts.   The
 " drying-up " of the milk may be hastened by rub-
 bing the breasts once a day with a mixture of sweet
 oil  and spirits  of camphor.   The  mother should
 drink as  little as  possible  during this time.   The
 breasts should never be drawn, as this will increase
 the  secretion of milk.
   When it is desired to complete the weaning, that
 is when the child has been allowed the breast for
 the  last time a good deal of trouble may be saved
 by putting  a bitter substance of some kind upon
 the  nipple which will create  a disgust for it in the
 child.   A very little quinine  or aloes .will do no
 possible harm to the child and will be effectual in
 completing the process  of weaning.

                   TEETHING.
   The  teeth make  their appearance  at  different
 periods in different children.   They generally be-
 gin to appear at the age  of seven months, some-
 times as early as the fourth month, sometimes  not
 until the eighth month.   The  lower teeth  appear a
 little earlier than those of  the upper jaw.  There
 are some exceptional irregularities in the  order in
which the teeth appear, but usually it  is  about as
follows:
  Between six and eight months  after birth four 
228
TEETHING.
 middle front teeth appear, two above and two below.
 At the end of twelve months there are four more
 front teeth, one in each side,  above and below.  At
 the end of eighteen months there  are four grinder
 or back teeth,  one in  each half of each jaw.  At
.the end of two  years there are  four canines, or
 •" eye-teeth" and " stomach teeth," and at the end
 of three years  there are four more grinders.  These
 constitute the twenty temporary or milk teeth.
   There are  said to be some very rare cases of
 children being born  with teeth  and also cases of
 persons who never  cut  any teeth.  King Richard
 III., of England, it  is said,  had teeth when born.
 Shakespeare makes the Duke of York,  Richard's
 nephew, say:
      " Marry, they say,  my uncle grew so fast,
       That he could gnaw a crust at two hours old;
       'Twas full two years ere I could get a tooth."
    The permanent, or second set of teeth, begin to
 replace the others from the sixth to the eighth year,
 and all except the last grinders,  or wisdom  teeth,
 have usually appeared by the thirteenth year.  The
 wisdom teeth  come  about from the seventeenth to
 the twenty-first year.
    Healthy children rarely ever have much trouble
 in cutting their teeth.  With some the irritation is
 so great as to  cause various troubles of indigestion
 and sometimes convulsions.  There is always more
 ■or less fretfulness, feverishness and thirst.  Pres-
 sure upon  the gums relieves  to  some degree the
 irritation, hence it is customary to give the child
 a rubber ring  to bite.  In some rare cases it may 
VACCINATION.
229
be necessary to lance the gums.  This can be done
by  any one.  A sharp pocket knife will answer.
Take hold of the gum with thumb and finger of the
left hand and press the knife down until it  grates
on the tooth with the right  hand.  Says Sozinskey
in his admirable work, " The Care and Culture of
Children : " " There can be no valid objection pre-
sented against this operation.   It causes little pain
and generally affords relief speedily.  If there is
any tendency to convulsions, it is criminal to delay
the performance of it one minute."

                 VACCINATION.
  Says Dr. Napheys:  " If observation and expe-
rience ever taught anything, they  have taught  the
protective power of this operation against the most
loathsome and one of the most fatal  diseases  that
ever afflicted the human race.  And that mother
who is careless and indifferent in this matter, neg-
lects for her children a means of preventing dis-
figurement and saving life, compared with  which
all other means are scarely worthy of mention."
  The testimony of medical men in favor of vac-
cination is  almost unanimous, and  I will not  stop
here to argue the question.  The  child should be
vaccinated  at an early age  if the health permit,
within the first three months if possible.   A relia-
ble  physician should be called upon to perform the
operation, not that it is a difficult one, but he will
have better opportunity of procuring pure and good
virus, and  can  give the advice necessary  in  the
case.   Do not wait until  there is small-pox  in  the 
230
EXERCISE FOR INFANTS.
neighborhood, but when the child is  about three
months old, see that it is vaccinated.   When  the
child is three years old have it vaccinated again.
It is well to vaccinate about every five or six years
through life. No matter if it did or did not  " take "
the first time.   To be  on the safe side, vaccinate
often.  When so simple an operation  can, with
almost absolute certainty, secure immunity from so
loathsome  and  dangerous a disease, there  is  no
excuse for  not having it done.

            EXERCISE FOR  INFANTS.
  The only exercise a very young  infant  gets is
that obtained when  it is picked  up  and  carried
about, and when it kicks with its legs  and  throws
its arms as it lies on its back.   It is a good plan to
take the child from its  cradle occasionally, place it
on its back on a pillow, and carry it about the room.
Until it is about three months old, it will not be able
to maintain itself in a sitting posture.  In carrying
a child then before this power is acquired, its back
ought to be supported.
  The common practice of lifting babies  high in
the air, is not to be recommended.  There is dan-
ger of letting them  fall, besides it is necessary in
doing this to grasp them very firmly, and this may
injure the delicate body.   Some persons go so  far
as to throw a baby up and catch it as it comes down.
This is to be condemned. Brain diseases  may be
produced by the quick motion and by  the  concus-
sion in falling, to  say nothing of the danger of  let- 
EXERCISE FOR INFANTS.
231
ting the child slip through the hands and fall on the
floor.
  When the child is old enough to creep and walk
it will usually take  plenty of exercise if left to its
own inclinations.   It does not need to be taught to
walk—it will teach itself.   Only let it alone and
keep articles which would injure it, if it fell against
them, out of its way.
  A child should never be lifted by taking hold of
its arms.  Dislocation of the shoulder and fracture
of the  collar bone  have  been produced by lifting
children in-this way.   In case assistance is given
in learning  to walk, the  child should not be  held
by the arms.  The proper way to  lift a child or
support it when  it is  trying to walk, is by placing •
the hand on each side of the chest  immediately
beneath the armpits.
  Objections have been made to perambulators, or
baby carriages.  It is claimed that they have a
tendency  to make a  child  crooked  and  round-
shouldered.  Perhaps if used  too frequently and
too long at a time  there  is danger, but I think if
used properly they are a good thing.  Babies enjoy
riding  in them,  and they  certainly are  a great
relief to mothers, as carrying a heavy baby is very
fatiguing. 
Chapter  X.
          BUDS  AND BLOSSOMS.
                BOYS  AND GIRLS.
   Both the boy and  the girl are, or should be,
 objects of the mother's special care from infancy
 until they  are  past  the age  of puberty,  which
 usually occurs  about  the fifteenth year.   When I
 have treated the subject of the care of girls up to
 this age, I shall have arrived at the place of begin-
 ning, for  there  the girl becomes a woman,  and it
► was at this point I began in Chapter  III.  This
 chapter will be devoted to a discussion of the care
 of youth  from  the age of infancy until they have
 become men and women.
   Every mother should  certainly be  anxious that
 her children grow up  to be noble men and women.
 The schools can do much, but parents, and espe-
 cially the mother, can  do more towards developing
 to its highest degree  the germ of manhood which
 exists in each  child.   Children should  not be
 allowed to grow up like weeds. They require con-
 stant watching  and careful  training.   Time and
 money spent in this  direction will prove  a good
 investment.  If you wish a  child " to bring your
 gray hairs in sorrow to  the grave." let him grow
 up under the  influences of the streets,  take no
 thought of  his  actions, and  have no care  of  his
 education ; but if you wish  him  to be the comfort
                      (232) 
             DIET OF THE  YOUNG.           233

and solace of your old  age, do  all in you power •
while he is young  " to train him up in the way he
should go."  Says Dr. Sozinskey :   "Through the
haphazard method of rearing  children commonly
 ollowed, parents too often  prepare for their own
lips a cup fuller of bitterness than  the waters of
Marah,  for to them children who are defective, in
either their physical or mental nature, are more or
less of a curse."
  The mind and the body should be educated to-
gether.  Both require constant attention.   Intelli-
gence and sound judgment are required  to train
children either physically or mentally.  Do not be
above receiving advice, then, from books.  Send
your  children to  school, but  do not trust to the
school-teacher  to  train them.   Teachers  do the
best they  can, but they  have not the  same oppor-
tunities  that  parents have.  Work, if possible, in
harmony with the teacher.   In the following pages
I have given some hints which may be of inestim-
able value if heeded.  They are not  my wisdom,
but simply my statement of the wisdom of many
who have  been successful in the art of training and
 caring for children.

              DIET OF  THE YOUNG.
  Children and youth should have plenty of whole-
some,  nourishing food.  In  our  large  cities we
sometimes see examples of children who are poorly
fed, the food being insufficient in quantity and poor
in quality.  Among this class we find  many pecu- 
 234.          DIET OF  THE YOUNG.

g;liar diseases and deformities which are unknown
 in the country or among the well-fed population.
    I do  not believe children will eat too much if
 left to their own inclinations.  They should not be
 prompted by parents, or enticed by improper lux-
 uries.  Never  urge a child  to  eat.  Place before
 him wholesome food, in sufficient quantity,  and let
 him eat all he wants.  If he does not want to eat,
 do not force food upon him either by advice or com-
 mands.
    By wholesome food I mean  what is generally
 wholesome for the adult members of the family.  I
 would  make an exception,  however, of tea and
 coffee and all stronger drinks.   No person  should
 ever  take stimulating drinks until after the  age of
 puberty.   I have known parents to offer babies tea
 and coffee, thus training them in a habit which they
 will find almost impossible to break off when older.
 I  do  not believe that tea and coffee are  injurious to
 adults  except  to some persons, but that they are
 injurious to children is well established.   Children
 do not need  stimulating  food.   Hence, pickles,
 highly-spiced meats and other highly seasoned  ar-
 ticles should  not be  placed before them.  The
 simpler their food the better.
    On the other hand, children should be provided
  with good, sweet cow's milk in  abundance.  Most
 children like to drink milk, and in most cases it
  agrees well with them.  If good milk is provided,
 they will rarely ever desire tea  or  coffee.   A child
  may take  a " notion " to drink tea  or coffee merely
 ibecause he sees older persons  drinking them, and 
DIET OF  THE YOUNG.
235
not because he likes their flavor.  This same desire
to imitate older persons leads boys into habits of
smoking  and chewing tobacco.   One  of the first
things a child should  be taught is not to do  things
simply because some one else does. A child should
learn to know a child's place.   If a firm stand is
taken at once bv the parents, little trouble need be
anticipated.   It is no crime,  nor cruelty, to deny a
child of that which you know will injure its health.
   Children require very little meat, and an exces-
sive quantity is injurious.  As a general rule they
do not like meat until after they are five years old.
It should, therefore,  never  be urged upon them.
The nitrogenous, or building-up food should be
given more frequently in the  form of milk and eggs
than in the form of meats.
   I have said children should not be enticed  to eat
more than a proper quantity  by improper luxuries.
Ripe, raw fruits, or fruits well  cooked  and sweet-
ened with pure sugar, are not apt  to be injurious,
and  may  be allowed in any reasonable quantity.
But pies, cakes and candies  ought not to be given
freely to children.  Limit  them to occasional in-
dulgence, and then in small  quantities. A child,
like an adult, may eat a sufficient quantity of plain
food and  then be  tempted  by the taste to eat an
extra quantity of cake and pie, and thus bring on
various disturbances of the digestive organs.
   Children should eat oftener than adults.  In this
respect some parents go to one extreme and some
to another.   In  the one case they are  allowed  to
"'piece" continually,  and usually the "pieces" 
236           DIET OF  THE YOUNG.

between meals consists of pieces of pie  and cake..
In the other, they are compelled to wait from one
meal to another, and then perhaps on certain occa-
sions, made  to wait until the  older members have
eaten, thus  making a very long  period between
meals.  If a child gets hungry between the regular
meals, he will ask for something to eat.  It is cruel
to tell him to wait an hour, which to him  may seem
a day.  Unless it be a very  short  time before a
meal, give him a piece of bread  and butter with
some fruit, or some bread and milk.   Do not give
him a cake or a piece of pie.  If he is really hun-
gry he will relish the  plain food, if he  is  simply
desirous of some luxury, he ought not  to have it
except at regular meal times.  Sweetmeats, if used
at all, should form a part of, rather than an addition
to, a regular meal.
  Children are apt to  indulge too freely in fruits
when they get them only occasionally.   Good ripe
fruits should  be on the table at least one meal out
of every three. If they have fruits frequently they
are not  apt to gorge themselves  at any one time.
Money spent in purchasing apples and other fruits
is a good investment, for it may save many a doc-
tor's bill.  Boys  and girls should not be allowed
to eat green  fruits.  The best way to keep them
from it is to furnish them with ripe ones.
  Children should be taught to eat slowly.  Most
Americans eat too fast.  It is  a  habit very difficult
to break.  We learn it in youth to a  great extent.
I remember when a child at certain times hurrying
through with my  meals in order to get the sooner 
            EXERCISE FOR  CHILDREN.         237

to play.  Instead of being reprimanded for it, I
was at other times  scolded  for not  eating  fast
enough.  Children are often inclined to talk while
eating, and  parents  are usually inclined to hush
them up at such times.  They should not be scolded
for talking while at their meals.  The talking pre-
vents their eating too fast.  They should rather be
encouraged to talk while eating.  The meal time
should be a time of general  conversation between
parents and children.  The more talking the better
the  digestion.  The  conversation  should be of a
cheerful nature  and not upon solemn subjects.
   What I have said about the diet  of children ap-
plies without  any particular change to both boys
and girls from two years of age up to fourteen or
fifteen.  It should be remembered, of  course,  that
as children  grow older their diet should approach
more and more like that of adults in quantity and
quality of food and frequency of eating.  Girls will
not eat as much as boys of the same  age, and they
do not require as much.

             EXERCISE FOR  CHILDREN.
   Children are by nature busy creatures.  Action
is a part of their very  existence.   Girls need as
much  exercise as boys, but they are generally more
restricted, and  this is one  of the  reasons  women
are  not generally as stout  and  robust as men.
Children should never  be  restrained  in their ten-
dency to exercise their bodies.
   If boys and girls are left to follow their own in-
stincts they will take  exercise enough.   They need 
238         EXERCISE FOR CHILDREN.

cautioning  only in regard  to a  few particulars.
They should not sit on the  damp ground or in a
draft when warm with exercise, nor drink too free-
ly of cold water.   If a boy has been playing and
has taken off his coat  he should put it on when he
sits down to rest.  The danger of taking cold  by
being exposed  to  drafts  when warm and  not in
motion should  be  impressed upon  the  minds  of
children.  There are some rare cases of children,
girls  especially, exercising too  severely.   Girls
have been  known  to rival each other in jumping
a rope, for  example, until one of them dies from
the rupture of a blood vessel.  There  are some
games and  sports  which may become injurious if
indulged in  too much.  Jumping and wrestling are
apt to strain the muscles  or cause rupture.   They
should not be encouraged.
  There  are many kinds of work which boys and
girls can do as well or better than adults, but it is
wrong to demand the whole or even a greater part
of a child's time during the working hours.   Chil-
dren  compelled to work  in factories or in other
places where six or eight hours a day are occupied
even in light labor, are usually stunted in body and
mind.  The young person has to grow and develop
physically and  mentally, and  this can  not take
place properly under such conditions.   Children
should be taught  to work, and a little work ought
to be required of  them each day, as soon as they
are old enough, but the greater part of their time
should be devoted to play and  mental improve-
ment.  "All work and no play makes Jack a dull 
EXERCISE  FOR CHILDREN.        239*
boy," is as true  as it is old.  Let girls be " tom-
boys " if they will.  Let them romp.  There is no
impropriety in their doing that which will develop
muscle and bone and perfect their physical systems
generally.
  Boys on farms should be taught to feed and care
for  animals and  do a great many kinds of light
work, but they should  have their time also  to go
to school, to play and  to amuse themselves with
books, pictures, etc., in the  house.   Girls on the
farm  can be taught to do  many  kinds  of work
indoors and out, but they should not be compelled
to drudge.
  It is more difficult to manage boys and girls in
town  than  in the country, because there  is less to
be done which they can do and the association of
so many brings many  evils.  But  even  in town
there are many little  duties about the house and
many errands to run with which  both boys and
girls can be employed a small portion of their time.
  Parents  often  prefer to  do  work  themselves.
because they think they can do it better and get
through with it sooner than children would.  They
think it easier  to do  the work than to  take the
trouble to teach the child to do it.   Such persons
should remember that  simply  getting  the work
done is not the object, but the training of the child.
A little work done each day by children is for their
good  in  several ways.  While they are  engaged
in it they are out of mischief.  They are learning
habits of work which  will be of value to  them as
long  as they live.  They are learning  how to do* 
240
HABITS.
work which they may be compelled to  do when
they grow older.  They are developing their mus-
cles and all the parts of their bodies  by  the exer-
cise which they might not otherwise take.
  Mothers, see that your children, both  boys and
girls, are taught to work and that they do a little,
be it ever  so  little, work every  day, but  do  not
compel them to drudge from morning till  night, as
adults often  must.   Make  almost  any  sacrifice
rather than allow a young child  to work all day
from week to week in a factory.

  HABITS OF  CLEANLINESS SHOULD BE TAUGHT.
  Children may be taught to hate dirt at a very
early age.  A child  should  be bathed every day
by its mother  or nurse, until it is old enough to
bathe itself, and then a tub of water of agreeable
temperature should be  provided  once a week in
winter and two or three times a week in summer.
Most children love to dabble in water.   Let them
have the privilege often.
  Boys often stay too long in the  water while " in
swimming," and sometimes they get drowned, but
these facts are no valid reasons for  prohibiting them
from  bathing  in the  running streams and clean
ponds and lakes.  Boys should be taught some of
the simplest  facts in regard to  bathing and  fre-
quently cautioned concerning the dangers of deep
water, rapids, etc.  A boy may learn to swim in
water not deep enough to drown him.   Small boys
ought not to go bathing  near where the water is
deep unless accompanied by older and larger per- 
HABITS.
24I
sons.   Swimming is a very desirable accomplish-
ment.  It not only affords a healthful exercise, but
may often be the means of saving life.
  The following  rules for bathing were issued  by
the Royal Humane Society of England:  "Avoid
bathing within  two hours  after a  meal.   Avoid
bathing when exhausted by fatigue or from any
other cause.  Avoid bathing when the body is cool-
ing after perspiration.  Avoid bathing altogether
in the open air, if after having been a short time
in  the water there is  a sense of chilliness with
numbness of the hands and feet; but  bathe when
the body is warm, provided no time is lost getting
into the water.  Avoid chilling the body by sitting
or  standing undressed on the banks  or in boats,
after having been in the water.   Avoid remaining
too long in the water, but leave the water immedi-
ately there is the  slightest feeling of chilliness.
The vigorous and  strong may bathe early in  the
morning  on an empty stomach.   The young and
those who are weak had better bathe two or three
hours after a meal. The best time for such is from
two to three hours after breakfast.  Those who are
subject to attacks of giddiness or faintness, and
those who suffer from palpitation or other sense of
discomfort at the heart, should not bathe without
first consulting their medical adviser."
   What has been said in regard to change of cloth-
ing in Chapter II, applies to children as well as to
adults.  See that this is attended to.  Have night-
gowns or night-shirts for girls and boys to wear,
     16 
242
BED WETTING.
and  see that they take off their underclothes on
going to bed, and put on the night-garments.

       HOW TO PREVENT CONSTIPATION.
  Teach  children to form a habit of regular daily
attention  to evacuation of the  bowels.   You  can
explain to them the necessity of regular evacuation
to prevent constipation, and warn them of the dan-
ger of going too long without evacuations.  Read
again what is said on this  head  in Chapter II.
  In another place I shall  discuss the remedies for
constipation when it amounts to a disease.  I wish
to impress here simply the  great importance of
teaching early habits  of regularity as a means of
life-long prevention of this source of many evils.

                 BED WETTING.
  Children are often addicted to this.  Sometimes
it amounts to  a disease.   Frequently it is a habit.
They should be made to pass urine before  going
to bed, and not allowed to  drink large quantities
of liquids late in  the  evening.   Children can not
retain  the urine as long as adults, nor men as long
as women.  It is wrong to scold or punish children
for wetting the bed.  When the precautions here
given will not prevent it,  see what  is said on this
point in a following  chapter.  The treatment in
such cases will there be given. 
BAD HABITS.
243
                  BAD HABITS.
   Habits acquired in youth, whether good or bad,
 are rarely broken up in adult life, or, if broken up',
 it is with great effort.  "Just as the twig is  bent
 the tree is inclined," you know.  The great import-
 ance then, of inculcating good and preventing the
 acquirement of  bad habits in youth can not be
 overestimated.
   The use of tobacco is easily learned, and a very
 difficult habit to  break.   It is a difficult  matter to
 prevent your boys from associating with  boys  who
 smoke and chew. Boys learn readily all sorts of
 evil  things  from their  companions.  The  most
 powerful teacher a boy can  have is another boy,
 or a group of boys,  but  this teaching is powerful
 in  most  cases for evil and not  for good.  Boys
 ought to be taught at an early age  the facts con-
 cerning  the use of tobacco and spirituous liquors.
 They ought to know that while older persons are
 often not injured and sometimes  appear benefited
 by  moderate indulgence in tobacco  and alcoholic
 liquors that the universal testimony of physicians
 and men of science is that these articles are very
 injurious to youth.  The filthiness  of the tobacco
 habit ought to be forcibly impressed upon the young
 minds.   They ought to  be told  that  nearly  all
 older persons who use tobacco wish they had never
 begun the habit in youth, but having begun they
 find it almost impossible to break  it off.   Boys ten
years old are not  too young to receive such advice
 and instruction. 
244
BAD HABITS.
   I can see no harm in doing what I have known
 parents to do, that is, offering to give their sons a
 certain sum of money when they come of age, pro-
 vided they do not learn to use tobacco in that time.
 If they do not learn it before the age of twenty-one,
.they are not very apt to learn it afterward.
   But the open habits  of tobacco  using, etc., are
 not so difficult to prevent as the secret habit of mas-
 turbation, or self-abuse. This is practiced by youths
 of both sexes.  I do not believe, however, that it
 is so  alarmingly  prevalent as some writers would
 have us believe, and I know that many on arriving
 at a maturerage see the evil,  and break themselves
 of the habit.   Says Flint in his work on Theory
 and Practice of Medicine:  " Many sensitive per-
 sons who have been addicted to self-abuse in  early
 life, suffer greatly from the belief that their mental
 and physical powers have been irreparably injured.
 The evils, great as they sometimes are, are greatly
 exaggerated by  popular works and lectures de-
 signed to excite fears for a mercenary end."
   Many  writers greatly exaggerate not only their
 statements of  the prevalence of this vice, but the
 consequences which result from it.   Whether  these
 men have a mercenary end in view I have no  right
 to say, but it is certain  that the advertisements we
 constantly see in  the newspapers of men who pre-
 tend to  treat  diseases which  they claim  to  arise
 from  this practice, are wonderfully exaggerated,
 and that the authors of them are filling their pockets
 with money thus drawn from young men whose
 fears have been unduly excited. 
BAD HABITS.
245
  Masturbation, or self-abuse, consists in applying
friction to the genital organs by the hand until they
are unduly excited.  It is more common among
boys than among girls.   The effects of this unnat-
ural excitement are first manifest upon the general
nervous  system, and  then indirectly upon the or-
gans of digestion, circulation, etc. Insanity is often
traced to this cause.
  How do  children learn this bad practice?  In
various ways.  Sometimes as a result of not wash-
ing the  whole body; frequently dirt accumulates
upon  the genital  organs and  causes  an itching.
This directs the child's  attention towards the or-
gans and the hand is at first used  to  give  relief.
The pleasurable feeling  thus produced is kept up
until a habit is formed.   Sometimes ignorant serv-
ant girls  who  are  left in charge of  children teach
them the practice to keep them quiet.  More fre-
quently the practice is learned from bad associates.
Children in school teach it to each other.
  I need not enumerate  the symptoms by which a
masturbator is supposed to be known.   They are
obscure,  and  the  ordinary  person  and even the
physician, often can not  determine whether  or no,
the child  is addicted to the vice.  They are ashamed
to acknowledge it  in most cases, so that question-
ing is of  little avail.  It  is a vice which does not
produce  bad effects immediately, but only when
kept up for years does it show marked effects,  and
then the  same symptoms maybe produced by other
causes, as by worms in the  intestines  or by indi- 
246
BAD HABITS.
 gestion from improper food.   Its effects differ in
 different individuals.
   It is questionable whether it would be the proper
 thing to warn children of the habit before we are
 convinced that they are addicted to it.  There are
 many  who know nothing whatever about it, and
 of course are safe as long as they don't know.  To
 tell  them  that there is such a thing, would, no
 doubt, in many cases, be  equivalant  to  teaching
 them the  practice.  They might be told that it is
 wrong to  handle those parts of the body without
 giving a reason why.   Tell  them that when they
 are older they will learn the reason why.
   Bearing on this point, I quote an opinion  of an
 eminent man, the Rev. Lyman Abbott.  He  says :
 " Our children ought to be taught by their parents
 its [the sexual passion's] sacred significance and
 its value.   They ought not to be left to learn about
 it from often immoral and always ignorant com-
 panions.   They ought not to be punished for falling
 into a habit of self-indulgence against which they
 have never been  warned.  This strange, mysteri-
 ous desire, which always accompanies health and
 vigor and which prompts both to the  purest love
 and  the  most beastial  excesses, can not be eradi-
 cated, for God has planted it in man ; it should be
 early directed by the child's natural guardian and
teacher."
  Among the indirect  means of preventing this
evil may be mentioned  the following:  Pay strict
attention to cleanliness.  See  that the parts are
kept clean  from the earliest infancy.   Employ no 
BAD  HABITS.
247
ignorant servants.  If necessary to leave a child
long in the care of a servant, instruct the servant
and show her the enormity of the offense of teach-
ing your child  such  a habit.   Such instruction,
however, should be given cautiously.  Don't antici-
pate the actions of the servant.  Do not tell her
directly that she must not teach the child so and
so, but tell her to watch him and prevent any han-
dling of  the organs, and to be careful herself not
to handle the child's organs, lest a habit be formed.
Keep the boys off of the street as much as possible.
Let them be as seldom as possible out of your sight,
or out of sight of some older person.   Observe the
character of the  girls who associate with your girls,
and  keep a close watch generally over their con-
duct.  Have children  sleep in separate  beds and
more especially  be careful  not to let your children
visit the children of other families and  stay  all
night with •them.  In general keep a close super-
vision over your children, at least, until  they are
twelve years old.  These precautions will in  most
cases prevent the formation of the habit  in early
youth.  Sometimes the habit is formed  after the
age of puberty.   In such cases, little can be done
to prevent the formation of  the habit,  but  most
young persons can then be forcibly impressed with
the danger and be led by an effort of the will to
break off the habit.   But if children have  been
properly trained and guarded, have been furnished
with plenty of harmless means of amusement, and
have been made to do a small amount of work and
study each day up to the age of puberty, there is 
248
SLEEPING.
little danger of their ever becoming victims to this
terrible vice.   The best way to keep  the imps of
mischief and  evil away is to put on guard the an-
gels of industry.  If children  have plenty to do
that is harmless, they will have little time or incli-
nation to do that which is evil.
  Try in every way possible to secure in your chil-
dren  good habits, such as punctuality, industry,
truthfulness,  neatness of dress, cleanliness of per-
son,  politeness,  deference and  respect for  age.
The way to do this is,  in  the first place, to set  a
good example.  You must be yourself all that you
would expect of your children.  Frequent advice.
frequently calling attention to their failures to ob-
serve proper manners, frequent commendation when
they do what is right will in time secure the result.
Begin early to train, and keep training all the way
up from  infancy  to manhood.  The results will
amply pay the trouble.

                    SLEEPING.
   I have elsewhere stated  that two children ought
 not to sleep in the same bed.  It may not always
 be practicable to follow this advice, but there are
 good reasons  for giving it.  If one has learned a
 bad habit, the other is almost  sure to learn it.   If
 one is diseased  in any way, the healthy one may
 be affected.   Besides, the sick one may be restless
 and uneasy  and thus  disturb the sleep  of the well
 one.
   There is a common notion that a child suffers if
 allowed to sleep with  an old person, or that a weak 
SLEEPING.
249
person will affect a stronger one if they sleep to-
gether.  Whether there is  any special  influence"
exerted by one over the other, I can not say, but
it  is certain  that when  two very much unlike in
strength, sleep together, one  will suffer from too
much clothing and the other from too little.
  To sleep lying on the back is not a good habit.
The abdominal organs press upon the large blood-
vessels  and check  the circulation.  Bad dreams
and nightmares are often  a consequence.  If an
infant be laid down on its side, rather than  on its
back, every time it  goes to sleep, it  is reasonable
to suppose that a habit will be formed of sleeping
on the side.
  Children should be  required to go to bed eariy,
whether they  get up  early  or not.  They should
not be roused from sound slumber if it is late in the
morning, but if they are simply dozing, and it grows
late in the day, they had better be made get up.
They may form a mere habit of dozing long after
the sun is up.  This produces habits of laziness.  It
is true they should have a great deal of sleep, but
we should aim to secure this  during the hours of
darkness, hence the propriety of going to bed early.
  Children often take cold and thus bring on croup,
sore throat, etc., by  getting restless in the night and
throwing off the bedclothes.  The restlessness may
be produced by being covered too warmly, or by
eating too much before going to bed, or by other
causes.   It would be  well  to make  night clothes
for children in such  a manner that if the bedclothes
are thrown off they would not be exposed in any 
25O          CARE OF THE TEETH.

part of the body to the air.  A night-gown might
be made all in one piece, just as though stockings,
drawers and  shirt were all in one and opened in
front or back and  secured by buttons.   Such  a
garment made very loose will be very comfortable
and may be the means of saving life by preventing
the taking of colds.  This is a hint worthy of con-
sideration.
             CARE OF THE TEETH.
  I said nothing about the  care of the teeth in the
chapter on general hygiene, preferring to speak of
it here, because if one does not begin to care for
the teeth early in life there is little hope of keeping
them in sound condition.
  It is, to me, an unexplainable fact that teeth
often begin to decay and ache before they get their
growth.  It seems to be true, that while some per-
sons may  take extra  care of their teeth  from the
first, they  will decay at an early age, while  with
others they will remain sound and perfect without
any care up  to old age.  Writers have sought to
explain why teeth decay among civilized nations.
Some claim  that it is because our food  does not
contain the elements  for their  nutrition.   Others,
that it is because  we eat sweet food and sour food,
and cold articles and hot articles, and do not keep
them  clean.   Some writers tell  us that savage
nations always have sound teeth.  This is  not true.
Many instances of decayed teeth are seen among
savages.  Others  again, maintain  that our  teeth
decay  because we do not use them enough, our
food being prepared  by cooking and being finely 
CARE  OF THE  TEETH.
251
divided we do not need to masticate it much.  It
seems  to be a law of nature that a part disused in
time disappears or dwindles in size  or  becomes
weaker.
  But, notwithstanding, it is a fact that sometimes
all  that we can do is of no avail to prevent decay
of the teeth, yet there is no doubt that a great cause
of their decay is want of cleanliness.  Particles of
food left between the teeth decompose and act upon
the enamel.  Acids affect the enamel.   If the teeth
be  brushed two or three times a day with a soft
brush and water, much decay might be prevented.
  Another cause is  over-hot and over-cold drinks.
These may cause the  enamel to  crack and allow
the food to penetrate the inner substance, and cause
its  decay.   Cracking  nuts and biting thread with
the teeth tend to crack and wear the enamel.
  Children then, as soon as they get their second,
or permanent set of teeth, should be taught to form
a habit of cleaning  them regularly every day, and
should be warned against the danger of using their
teeth for cracking nuts and biting hard substances.
 Impress upon their minds the advantages of having
 good sound teeth through life.   Good teeth add to
 the beauty  wonderfully, and who does not desire
 to  escape the horrors of toothache?  A stiff tooth-
 brush ought not to  be  used, as it injures  the gums.
 Once in a great while the teeth may be polished
 by putting  on the brush a little powdered charcoal.
 Avoid all  tooth powders  and other preparations
 which are sold for the  purpose of cleaning the teeth. 
252
MENTAL CULTURE.
          EFFECTS OF RAPID GROWTH.
  Says Dr.  Fothergill, an eminent  English physi-
cian:  "Rapid growth is  a great tax upon the
system, the  more so that it is not unseldom accom-
panied by loss of appetite and even  a feverish con-
dition. Under these circumstances the growth goes
on  at the expense of the material of the body ;
hence  the listlessness, the  rapid emaciation, the
tendency to  disease."
  This writer thinks that consumption often  orig-
inates at this period,  and that we can  not be too
careful to see that children have good, easily di-
gestible food, good air, warm clothing and be not
taxed with labor while growing.
  There is a belief among eminent  authorities at
present that  consumption is caused often  by  want
of proper proportions of fat in the food.  Dr. Foth-
ergill thinks children while growing should not be
denied fats.   Plenty of cow's milk,  cream and all,
since cream  is fat, should  form  a large share of
their food.   Good fresh butter is  a palatable  and
wholesome form  of fat.   Children  should not be
denied butter.
               MENTAL CULTURE.
  I said at  the  beginning of this chapter  that
parents should not trust  to the  teacher entirely to
give the proper education to children.  There is
much that parents can do to supplement the teach-
er's work.   The parents' part of mental education,
moreover, should begin long before the ordinary
school age.  You  may begin to  educate a child 
MENTAL CULTURE.
253
from the moment of birth, not only mentally, but
morally and physically.   I  have given some hints
in regard to its physical education in what has been
said about the feeding,  exercise, etc., of infants.
The best moral  education  it can receive is to be
taught obedience to  parents  and respect  for the
rights of others.  An infant a few weeks old may
manifest a willfulness of disposition  and have fits
of anger, which traits may be repressed or encour-
aged  by parents.  It begins to observe  objects
almost as soon as born, and  it  is then its mental
education begins. The parents may aid very much
here by furnishing the  child at a very early age
 with a variety of playthings, for the child acquires
 its  ideas of form by observing forms, and it learns
 to observe by observing.
  The education at an early age should be largely
of the nature of  amusement.  What is known  as
the kindergarten (garden of  children) system  of
educating children is  based upon this principle.  A
great deal may  be done by parents from day  to
day, asking  children questions about their  play-
things.   The faculty of language is not only thus
developed, but observation and memory are stimu-
lated.   The simple question, "What did  you do
to-day?" stimulates  the  child's  memory,  for  his
mind is at once set to work to recall  the past.  His
answer educates in the use  of language.   If he
mispronounces a  word, correct him, and make him
repeat it correctly.
  The question, "What  is this?" when you take
up or point to some object is a means of educating 
254
MENTAL CULTURE.
 in language.  When the child gets older the ques-
 tion, " How many?" may be asked, and still later,
 "What  is the color?" "What is the shape? " of
 this  or that object.
  When should children be  sent to  school?  It
 depends somewhat upon the strength of the child.
 I should say never before the age of six years, and
 in cases of very precocious  and weakly children
 not before eight or nine.  Children are often sent
 to school simply to get them out of the  way at
 home.  This is wrong.   Going to school is almost
 a necessary evil.  I say necessary evil,  because
 there are many objections to the common mode of
 educating children together in school.   The teach-
 ers are not always what they should be, the air of
 school-rooms is not the  purest, the confinement so
 many hours at a time  is not  good  for physical
 development, the child  is in danger  of learning
 much that is evil from  bad schoolmates.  These
 are  some of  the objections to school education.
 But  on the other  hand, children  learn  much in
 school they never would learn at home ; they learn
 much by coming in contact with  other children.
 A child who has never  gone to school up to the
 age of eleven  or twelve years will be very green
 and  awkward.   He must learn the ways of the
 world, and the school is the  place.  He must go
 into  society sooner or later anyhow, and it is better
 that  he be fortified by home training to withstand
the temptations of society and be initiated into the
world at an early date.
  Parents might do much towards the school  edu- 
MENTAL CULTURE.
255
cation  of their children  by watching  closely the
progress they  make in their studies and giving a
little help  here  and there.  The parent ought to
know something of the teacher's  mode of instruc-
tion and government.  Schools should be visited.
Teachers should be questioned and a mutual un-
derstanding ought to exist between parents and
teachers.  It ought to be much to  the child's ad-
vantage to have educated parents, but often parents
who have the  knowledge and  ability, leave  all the
instruction to the teacher.  The father is usually
away from home a good deal, and too busily en-
gaged in his special work to  pay any attention  to
his children.  The mother  is often too much en-
gaged  in visiting, in  fancy work,  in  reading the
last novel, or  in some other less important business
than training  children.  A great reform is needed
here.   People generally do not realize the great
importance of rearing children properly.  Men and
women ought to live  their lives over in their chil-
dren.   No pleasure ought to  be  greater than that
of training and watching the development of their
offspring.  Every child  has  a right to an  educa-
tion.   It is cruel to  withhold it.   If  you can not
train,  or have your children trained, properly, you
 ought not  to have children.
   Where the need of jails and penitentiaries,  of
poor-houses, of criminal courts, if all children were
properly trained?  Think of it, parents; you are
responsible in a  large  measure for  whatever  of
crime and pauperism  and suffering the next gen-
eration will experience. 
256
MENTAL CULTURE.
  As soon as the boys and girls are old enough to
read, they should not be stinted in books and papers.
The way to stimulate a desire to read  and to learn
is to provide plenty of material of the kind the child
can comprehend.  In these days  of  cheap books
and papers there is no excuse for the ordinary fam-
ily for not providing the children with  material of
this kind.  No  better investment  could be made.
Better  wear plainer clothes, have less expensive
furniture, buy less  candy and  other  unnecessary
luxuries than to stint your children in books  and
papers.  Many a man spends for tobacco and cigars
more than enough in a year to pay for all the books
and periodicals his children would need.  Here is
an argument for the wife to  use with her husband
if he says he  can not afford to buy books for his
children.  Many a woman puts  more money in
clothes than is really necessary to a neat and tidy
appearance.  Could not some of  it be invested in
material for the mental growth of the children ?
  Books and periodicals furnished in abundance
afford not only  a means of  mental culture, but by
making home pleasant  and attractive, they keep
boys off the streets and thus prove  a means of
moral culture.  There are many intellectual games
which amuse and instruct children, and are thus the
means of keeping them at home, and of developing
their minds.
  There are many games in fact, with which grown
people often waste much valuable time, and which
ought to be  the almost exclusive prerogative of
children.  Among these are checkers, chess,  and 
MENTAL CULTURE.
257
many games with cards.  It does  not look well to
see a couple of big stout men sit down in a corner
grocery or saloon and spend hours playing check-
ers.   One would think they could find  something
more profitable to do and which would, at the same
time, afford as much rest and recreation from their
ordinary labors.   But to see a  couple of children
anywhere from ten to fifteen years of age amusing
themselves in this way on a rainy day in the house,
seems eminently appropriate.  They can not study
all the  time,  the weather will  not always permit
them to play out of doors, they should not work all
the time, and  it is dangerous for them to be idle.
  There is no necessity for teaching children games
with ordinary playing cards, and  there are many
good people who  have a  holy horror  of them :
therefore,  I  would advise  that checkers, chess,
dominoes, backgammon and games with author.
natural history,  geography and literature cards be
substituted for such games as euchre, cassino, whist,
etc.   A great deal may be learned, and at the same
time much valuable information be imparted,  by
some of the new games with cards on the  princi-
ples  of the well known " authors."
  Parents should use judgment in selecting play-
things for children, boys  especially.   He is not
wise who buys  toy pistols, guns and firecrackers
for boys.  There is scarcely ever a Fourth of July
or Christmas  passes,  that some boy is  not killed
or seriously injured by such playthings.   There is
no intellectual culture connected with using  such
playthings, and while there  are so many harmless
    17 
258
MENTAL CULTURE.
modes of amusing, many of which at the same time
afford a good  intellectual  drill, the former should
be discarded.
  Children who display a love and a talent for any
special study, ought to be encouraged in that study
in every way.   Boys sometimes at an early age
show a natural disposition  to study  animals.  Do
not repress their  desire to collect  specimens of
insects, or bird's eggs.  Instead of scolding  them,
buy them books on natural history.  Does a boy
show a disposition to use tools?  Let him  have
tools.  He will educate himself in a great measure,
in that which he will be the best adapted for  when
a man.
  I have stated that children should have a variety
of playthings.   I wish to dwell a little upon this
subject.  Anything which  causes a child  to  think
tends to develop his mind.   Children are naturally
busy-bodies.   They must be thinking of what they
are doing.  Any kind of a toy almost may  serve
as a stimulus to thought.   But children soon tire
of one thing.   They need frequent change of occu-
pation.   They may be greatly delighted with a
certain toy and in  a short  time it ceases to interest
them, but if  something else is substituted  for a
time and they tire of that,  they will  return to  the
first with renewed interest.  Hence, the necessitv
of a great variety of playthings to keep them con-
stantly amused and occupied.
  " But the expense of furnishing so many toys,"
says some one.  I answer  that costly toys are not
needed.  Children, in fact, are more often pleased 
MENTAL CULTURE.
259
with what costs  nothing at all than with the most
costly  objects.   Any man with a little  ingenuity
can construct many little articles which will greatly
delight children.  A very young child will be inter-
ested in blocks of wood, clothes pins, a bunch of
keys, paper  weights, strong  sea shells, spools or
buckeyes on  a string, a strap of leather, a slipper,
a pasteboard box, etc., in fact any article which
can not hurt  the child and which the child can not
break or tear, will amuse  and  instruct  him for a
time, and after he  has  gone the round, he will be
amused again by the same objects.   Even destruc-
tible articles may be given them, provided they are
of no value and can not hurt the child, as old news-
papers, advertising pictures and pamphlets.  Short
pieces  of the  smooth  limbs  of tree  sawed  and
trimmed so that no sharp edges are left, make good
playthings.
  As the child gets older, corn cobs, sets of  blocks
of all sizes and shapes, bundles of twigs or  sec-
tions of branches of trees, gourds,  cards and pict-
ures of all kinds, rag dolls, balls, marbles, animals
made by putting  sticks in potatoes to  represent
legs, ears, etc.,  and cheap metal and wooden toys
may be furnished.
  Nothing delights little girls more than to plav
keeping house, even if  they have nothing more to
represent a house than a few boards or brickbats
laid  around  on  the ground and a few old broken
dishes  for  furniture.   How easy for a  father to
make a small house, large enough for two or three
children to get  into.  Let it be made of very thin 
2CJO
MENTAL CULTURE.
boards and in sections so that it can be taken apart
and laid away.   Three "walls" made of boards
with small windows cut in them, and two pieces, or
one, for a roof.  These sections to be so constructed
that they may be keyed  together  to make them
hold in  their places, could be made by any man
with a little constructive talent. A mechanic could
make one at  a very small  cost.
  Now, I imagine some mother smiling as she reads
this, but nevertheless I am convinced that children
who have the advantages of a great variety of in-
teresting playthings will develop more perfectly in
body and mind, will be less trouble to parents, and
that all necessary outlay of money and time in this
direction will be amply rewarded.
  Parents should observe  that there  is  frequently
a great difference mentally, not only between boys
and girls, but between individuals  of the same sex.
Some  learn very rapidly  and are  not inclined to
take enough physical exercise.  Such  should  not
be  urged to  study, but should be encouraged to
romp  and  play more.  Others, again, are not in-
clined to mental exertion and need constant stimu-
lation in that direction.   Much may be done  for
this latter  class  by frequently calling attention to
their books, asking questions as to their progress,
and by praising their efforts.
  Says Prof. Sizer:   "Girls usually learn faster
than boys, become  excited by the  praise bestowed
upon  their excellence in  scholarship ;  hence  the
extra exertion of the brain and nervous system, and
the extra sedentary habit which still closer appli- 
MENTAL CULTURE.
26l
cation to study involves, shatter their constitutions
at a very early age.   Your fat, awkward, red-faced
girl, who loves the bracing breezes, enjoys fun and
frolic, and likes to sport in the open air more than
she likes books, is not  likely to be injured by the
above  influences.   If she be  rightly trained  her
mind will ripen at sixteen, and at twenty she will
be a good scholar.   On the  other hand, the little,
delicate, susceptible girl  with thin, sharp features,
expanded forehead, large, intelligent eyes, with a
strong endowment of the love of approbation, is
the very one to be driven by praise and encourage-
ment almost to  madness  in mental  activity.  She
bends  soul  and body over her books, becomes a
prodigy in  education, and  her friends, misguided
teacher and all, lavish praises on her educational
superiority, which serves still more  to inflame her
brain and add fuel to that fire  which is consuming
her vitality  and preparing her for the tomb."
   The mental powers of children are increased by
telling them stories.   All children delight to hear
stories.  The stories, of course, should be innocent;
no blood and thunder tales of murders and robberies,
but fairy tales and  stories about animals  and his-
torical facts in the form of stories.   When they get
old enough to read, such books as " Grimm's Ger-
man Stories" and  "Anderson's Fairy Tales " may
be put  in their hands.   The  Youth's Companion,
St. JVicholas, Harper's Young People, are among
the periodicals which I would  recommend for chil-
dren old enough to read fluently.  These periodi-
cals are filled with good and pure literature adapted 
262          CHILDREN AND MONEY.
especially to the wants of young people.  They are
filled with stories of an  innocent  nature and with
scientific and historical facts, told in a simple man-
ner.  Pictures are another excellent means of edu-
cating the mind, and these periodicals contain the
best efforts of the best artists in the line of picture-
making for the young.

            FRIGHTENING  CHILDREN.
  Never do  it.  Nothing can be worse  for them.
Never use fear as  a means of discipline.   Never
punish a child by shutting  him up in a dark room,
or attempt to secure obedience by telling him that
some bad man will  get him, or that something ter-
rible will happen.   A child is naturally brave and
has no sense of fear, unless  it be taught him.  Never
scare children for fun.   A recent writer has said,
"it is like tickling them with a needle; it is all
pain and no pleasure."  An injury is wrought upon
the delicate nervous system of the child by frights,
and if they are scared frequently in  early life they
are apt to be cowards all their days.

             CHILDREN AND  MONEY.
  Children should early learn the value of money.
How can they learn its value unless thev have the
privilege of handling and using  some of it?  Small
sums  should  be given children and let them buy
some of their toys and playthings.  If they make
a bad investment  let  them  abide by the  conse-
quences.  They will do better next  time and thus
learn how to make purchases.  Whenever possible 
AGE  OF PUBERTY.
263
children should be made to appreciate the value of
money by requiring them to earn it by doing some
simple work.  Give  a boy a cent  or a  nickel for
running an errand and he will appreciate the money
much more than  if simply given him, and  will do
the work more cheerfully and with greater alacrity.
You may  advise him as to how to spend it, but
advise simply, do not command.  If he spends it
foolishly criticise him  kindly.  He will be more
careful next time.

                AGE  OF PUBERTY.
   There is very little difference physically between
boys and  girls, except in regard  to the forms of
the sexual organs, up to the age of ten  years.  Up
to the age of  eleven or twelve boys are taller and
heavier on an average than girls.   After ten years
of age girls grow more rapidly than boys, and  in
two or three years surpass them in  height  and
weight.  Boys then gain, and become taller  and
heavier than girls.   Shortly after  the twelfth year
boys and girls begin to differ considerably in physi-
cal and mental character.  These differences have
 been given in Chapter I.
   The period when the sexes begin to develop and
 show  the wide difference  between  male and female
 and when the sexual organs become  capable of
 fulfilling the  end  designed in their  creation, is
 called the age of puberty.  Then the boy becomes
 a man and the girl a woman.   This change takes
 place gradually, and the time varies  in different
 individuals and in different climates.   In this lati- 
264
AGE  OF PUBERTY.
tude it  comes usually about  the fifteenth year;  a
little earlier in hot climates and a little later in cold
climates.   It is  also a little earlier in the female
than in the male.  A few cases of girls becoming
pregnant at nine, ten and twelve years of age are
recorded.
  The period of puberty is marked in males by
important physical changes.  Hair begins to grow
about the  genital organs, under  the arms,  and
beard appears on the face.   The  boy's shoulders
get broader, his larynx  enlarges,  the vocal cords
get longer, and  as a consequence his voice has a
lower pitch.  The sexual organs increase in size.
Semen is secreted by the testicles, and  erections
of the penis occur.   Sometimes, in sleep, spontan-
eous emissions  of semen occur,  usually accom-
panied with voluptuous dreams.  Young men are
often much alarmed at this, especially if they have,
in early boyhood, been guilty of self-abuse.  They
are too bashful to consult a physician, or speak of
it  to any one, and finding  the advertisement of
some quack doctor, or reading  some of the works
alluded  to  in the first part of  this chapter, they
imagine that they are  ruined for life unless they
proceed at once to doctor themselves. They should
know that these  emissions are, nearly always, nat-
ural and healthy, and nothing need be done, unless
they occur oftener than once a week, or are fol-
lowed by considerable depression.  In case they
are too frequent, or are attended with bad symp-
toms,  the family physician  should be consulted.
The avoidance of a  very soft bed and too much 
AGE  OF PUBERTY.
265
covering, plenty ot exercise, and the avoidance of
anything likely to excite sexual  passion, will do
much toward preventing a too frequent occurrence
of these emissions.
  Mothers may not feel inclined to speak  of such
matters to their boys, but the boys ought to know
it.  There will be no harm in  a boy of that age
reading this book.
  In the boy who now becomes a man, there are
marked mental changes.  He becomes  more shy
and bashful  in the presence of the opposite  sex,
yet he begins to be attracted towards them.  He
is apt to be romantic in thought, and develop ambi-
tious plans and ideas.  In other words,  he ceases
to be a boy  in mind, and begins to  think  and act
moreand more like a man.   More  might be  said
on  this point, but I have  only space to call atten-
tion to the fact that mothers should  recognize this
change in their boys, because their conduct towards
them should be governed thereby.  The boy is now
a man, and  he should be treated as a man, and not
as a boy.
  He has ideas of what is honorable and right, and
his honor and sense of right can be appealed  to
should he stray from the path of duty.   When yet
a boy he could be made  obey, without much rea-
soning.  Now he must see the reason, or necessity
for obeying.  He now needs to be advised rather
than  commanded.  Now is the time, provided a
love of books has been created in him when a boy
by proper training, when books will make a strong
impression upon him.  See that only the best liter- 
266
AGE  OF PUBERTY.
ature falls in his way, remembering that  you can
only shut out the bad  literature by putting  in the
good.  If you are not well versed in a knowledge
of the literature of the day, or have not a consid-
erable acquaintance with books, ask the advice of
some one who is thus posted.
  The period of puberty, is,  perhaps, in females
more marked upon the mental than upon the phy-
sical nature, yet there are important changes in the
body.  The  pelvis becomes considerably larger,
fat  appears more  abundantly  in  all parts  of the
body, giving roundness and plumpness to the form.
The breasts and hips  especially show this  enlarge-
ment.  The external genital organs become larger,
and hair appears around them as in the male. The
womb becomes considerably larger, the ovaries
enlarge,  and the process known as menstruation
begins.   Menstruation will be discussed as  a sep-
arate subject.
  The mental  changes which take place  in the
female at puberty, are best  described in  the lan-
guage of another:  "The once light-hearted girl
inclines to reveries ; she seeks solitude ; her mother
surprises her in causeless tears ;  her teacher  dis-
covers an unwonted inattention to her studies, a
less retentive memory, a disinclination  to mental
labor; her father misses  her accustomed  playful-
ness ; he, perhaps, is annoyed by her listlessness
and inertia.   What does it  all mean? What is the
matter with the girl ?
  " Mother, teacher, father, it is for you  to know
the  answers to these questions.  You have guarded 
AGE  OF PUBERTY.
267
this  girl through years of helpless  infancy  and
thoughtless childhood.   At the peril of her life,
and of what is  more value than  life, do not now
relax your vigilancfe.   Every day the  reaper Death
reaps with his keen sickle the flowers of our land.
The mothers weep, indeed ; but little  do they real-
ize that it is because they have neglected to cherish
them, as was their duty, that the Lord of Paradise
has taken them back unto Himself."
   The period of puberty in both males and females
should not be hastened, but  deferred  as long as
possible.   As has been stated, the usual age is from
fourteen to fifteen years, varying with certain con-
ditions, some of which  may be controlled.   It is
earlier in warm climates, and in those  persons of
nervous  and bilious temperaments.  These are in-
fluences, of course, we can not control.  But habits
of life have much to do with it, and these we  can
control to  a great extent.   An  indoor  life, seden-
tary habits, too much study, highly seasoned food,
stimulating drinks,  as tea, coffee and  alcoholic
liquors,  irregularities  in sleeping, and whatever
stimulates the emotions, as  reading  sensational
stories and papers, dancing, theater-going,  much
conversation on courtship, marriage,  etc., all have
a  tendency to hasten the development of the sexual
function.  As a proof that the above  influences are
active we  have  only  to note the  fact that puberty
occurs earlier in youths brought up in cities and in
large towns than in those brought up in the country.
   It  is not a good sign to see an occurrence of
puberty  earlier  than the usual average  time.  It 
268
AGE  OF PUBERTY.
shows  a weak and excitable constitution.   Those
who develop early, usually decay early.
  With girls especially is this period a critical one,
as most mothers know.   By overtaxing their phys-
ical and mental powers the foundation for lifelong.
disease may be laid.   Says Dr. Eastman, of In-
dianapolis :  "I am asked, ' Why so many weakly
girls?' I answer,  why this buckram red-tape of
our schools, which, like the  sausage mill, is annihi-
lating the identity of muscles and  sinews  brought
within the revolution of their grinding cylinders.
How cruel  to overtax  the brains of girls, at the
critical age (between ten and fifteen), rendering
them unfit  for the physical duties of life,  while
their projecting shoulder-blades suggest the sprout-
ing of angels'  wings, and mark their progress to-
ward the spirit-land."
   It is at this period that  seeds of consumption,
scrofula, hereditary insanity or other taints of con-
stitution seem to gain force  by the new excitement
of the system,  and  sometimes  rapidly grow and
develop, carrying the victim speedily to the grave.
If the girl passes this period in safety she  stands a
fair chance  of living many years.  Too much care
can not  be  taken  to  prevent exposure to  the
weather, or to other causes which would impair
vitality, at  this  time.   Some of the peculiar dis-
eases  incident to this period will be discussed in
another  chapter. 
MENSTRUATION.
269
                MENSTRUATION.
  The term menstruation is applied to the periodi-
cal flow of blood, or a bloody fluid, from the womb.
This fluid itself is  called the menses or catamenia.
All of these words are derived from a Greek word
meaning month, and refer to the fact that this flow
occurs naturally every twenty-eight days, which
constitutes a lunar month.  Many other words are
used among the people to express  the same idea.
Among these are monthlies, monthly sickness, courses,
grannies, spells, periods and flowers,  but  perhaps
the most common way of expressing it is to use
the phrase "become unwell."
  Menstruation, physiologically, is nothing more
nor less than the  periodical ripening and casting
off of an ovum, or egg, from ovary, attended with
a discharge of a bloody fluid from the womb.   In
other words, it is the  laying of eggs.  If one of
these eggs is fecundated by the male element it
remains  in  the womb  and is hatched into a new
being.  If not, it is cast off as waste matter. This
egg is very small, not more than yi-g- of an inch in
length.
  There is  nothing strange about this when  we
know that all living beings come from  eggs, or
germs.  A seed of a plant is an egg.  Birds  and
many lower animals are hatched  from eggs out-
side  of the body of the parent, but man and most
of the higher animals are  developed from eggs
hatched  within the  body of the parent.   In birds,
if the egg is  not fecundated by the  male before 
270
MENSTRUATION.
it leaves the body of the female,  it can not be
hatched.
  The question may be asked, if the higher ani-
mals other than man produce in the same way why
don't they menstruate?  To  this we  may answer,
they do. All female mammals, or animals which
produce their  young alive, experience periodical
excitements known as "heat," or "rut," and in
monkeys there is  at this  time a slight discharge
resembling the menses of the human female.  This
period of "heat" is  simply  the excitement pro-
duced by the ripening and throwing off of an egg,
or eggs, although it is not  usually attended with a
flow of blood as in  the human female.
  The menstrual flow is not always the same in all
women even within the limits of health, neither in
time of appearance, time of continuance, or quan-
tity of the discharge.  Sometimes a periodical dis-
charge of mucus from the genital organs precedes
for a few months the regular menstrual flow.  Some-
times, also, after the first regular menstruation the
woman goes several months without another period
and then comes the second flow, after which they
become quite regular.  In most cases it begins reg-
ularly every twenty-eighth day  and lasts  about
three  days, but sometimes  the  interval is twenty-
seven days, sometimes  thirty,  and in some  few
cases  each interval is two months.   Sometimes the
flow lasts four or five days, or even longer,  and
sometimes less  than three days, and the women
are seemingly in  good health.   As  a rule these
periods  occur every month regularly from puberty 
                MENSTRUATION.             271

until what is known as the change of life, unless
interrupted by pregnancy.  This change of life, or
menopause, as it is  sometimes called,  also varies in
time, but  usually  it occurs between the  ages of
forty-five and fifty.
  Parents  are  sometimes  alarmed  when their
daughters arrive at the age of fifteen years, if the
menses do not appear.   So long as the girl seems
in good health and spirits and natural in  every
other way there need be  no  alarm.   Time  will
bring all  right. As before  stated,  however,  too
great care can not  be taken about this time.  Hard
study should be prohibited, plenty of sleep should
be enjoined, gentle exercise only should be taken,
but sufficient of that, and plenty of good nourishing
food. The mother should prepare the mind of her
daughter for the change which is about to occur.
Serious results  have been caused by  ignorance on
the part  of the girl.   Girls  are sometimes  badly
frightened at the unexpected appearance of a bloody
fluid from their genital  organs,  and imagine some-
thing awful  has occurred.  Ashamed to say any-
thing about  it to any one, they have been known to
wade in cold water and wash themselves and their
clothes and, in some instances, taking a cold which
resulted in death.   It is criminal for  a  mother  not
to explain this thing to her daughter.   Besides en-
dangering their lives, ignorance of this fact places
girls in exceedingly embarrassing positions.  It is
true that  in some  communities young girls know
much about these   matters, having  learned from
their  companions,  but  this is not the proper way 
272       HYGIENE OF MENSTRUATION.

for them to get the information.  Much that is evil
is taught at the same time, and wrong ideas are
often conveyed.   If a mother is too timid to impart
such instruction to her daughter, she should place
before  her books which  will give the needed in-
struction,  or  request some married  lady  friend
whom she can trust to give it.
  If a woman be in good health her menses will
usually be quite regular, to the very day and some-
times to the very hour.   If they vary a few days,
and  no inconvenience is felt, there  need  be no
alarm.  Cold  retards and heat hastens ovulation,
hence in the spring the periods may come a little
sooner,  and in the fall a little later.  No anxiety
need be felt,  either,  if after they have appeared
once they do  not recur until the second  or third
month.   Irregularities are  not uncommon at first.
So  long as no symptoms of ill health occur there
need be no alarm.  If, on the contrary, there be
headaches, pain  in the  back, fever,  exhaustion,
nausea, or nervousness, something should be done
to bring on the courses.  The treatment of such
cases will be given in another chapter.

          HYGIENE OF MENSTRUATION.
  Menstruation in a state of perfect health is not
attended with  pain or any other great  disturbance
of the  system.  There are, however, few  women
who do  not have more  or less  pain, fever and
headache during  their  periods.  In  some it  is
attended with great  pain.   These cases will be
noticed in the  proper place.  The  point to be 
          HYGIENE OF MENSTRUATION.       273

noticed here, is the care of the  person during the
menstrual period.  There is no doubt that many of
the diseases of women are brought on by want of
proper  management at these times.   During the
whole time of the flow there should be rest of both
body and mind and perfect protection from expos-
ure.  It is  the  opinion of  the  highest medical
authorities that labor or exposure at  these times is
fruitful  of much subsequent suffering.  But here a
proper regard for health seems to conflict directly
with the necessities and customs of society.  There
are  few comparatively who can afford to rest and
protect themselves properly under the present con-
ditions  of society.   What then shall be  done?   It
is a problem which can only be solved completely
by revolutionizing  entirely the  social  customs of
the day.  I wish to devote a page or two to a dis-
cussion of this question.   Dr. Edward H.  Clarke,
in  two works, "Sex  in  Education" and "The
Building of a Brain," has portrayed in a powerful
manner the evils which result from improper man-
agement of the mind  and body  during  the  men-
strual periods in girls.  He shows conclusively that
girls suffer more  from attendance at  school than
boys and  the sole  or  principal reason being, that
while  they have more ambition  to excel in  their
studies than boys,  at the same time they have not
the physical endurance, caused by the  periodical
interruptions  of  the  menstrual  flow.   In  other
words,  the mental labor  exacted from them  is
inconsistent with their physical  ability  during  at
least one week out of every four.  While the body
     18 
274       HYGIENE OF MENSTRUATION.

is  undergoing  peculiar  changes  which  make a
drain upon the vitality, there should not be another
drain imposed  upon it, by great  exercise of the
mind.   Rest of mind  and body  are necessary,
while the function of ovulation is going on.
  Dr.William A. Hammond, who is acknowledged
as  standing in the very front rank among the physi-
cians and surgeons in the United States, wrote the
following letter in reply to several  questions asked
by Dr. Clarke.   I  give the questions and letter in
full:
  " It falls to my lot to see a good many young ladies
whose  nervous systems are exhausted,  and  thus
rendered irritable,  by intense application to studies
for which their minds are not suited.   Only a few
days ago a mother brought her  daughter to me to
be treated for spinal irritation, with all its  accom-
panying, nervous derangements; and  I find, upon
inquiry, that this girl  of sixteen, who could not
spell correctly,  was compelled to study civil engi-
neering and spherical trigonometry,—subjects not
as likely to be of use to her as a knowledge of the
language of Timbuctoo.   In my opinion,  schools
such as the one this girl went to do more to unsex
women than all the anomalies who prate about the
right to vote, and to wear trousers.  Now for your
questions.
   " ' i. Is one sex more liable to  suffer  in health
from attendance in school than the other?'
   " Undoubtedly,  every physician in a large city,
who has had experience with school boys and girls,
knows that  the latter suffer more frequently and 
           HYGIENE OF MENSTRUATION.        275

severely.   In country schools, where the attendance
is only for a short time of the year, and for a  few
hours each day, and where the pupils have to walk
two or more miles to get to school, the difference,.
though existing would probably be not so distinctly
marked.
  " l 2. Does  the advent of puberty increase  the
liability, and, if so, more in one sex than the other?'
  " Puberty being a much more complex process
in girls than in boys, the former are more liable to
disease at this time ; and  this liability is increased
by whatever tends still more to exhaust the nervous
system, such as mental application or anxiety.
  " I have repeatedly seen cases in which the flow
of the menses  had been  suddenly stopped  by the
anxiety induced by the  necessity of learning  a
school lesson.
  " ' 3.  In the education of girls, should  any atten-
tion be paid to  the catamenial week ? '
  " The utmost possible care.  People who are very
careful to avoid draughts  of cold air when they are
overheated, pay no  attention whatever to their
daughters at a  time when the system  is  peculiarly
liable to disease.  I have  known of cases in which
girls menstruating, and wishing to go to balls, have
been instructed by their mothers to stop  the func-
tion by putting their feet in ice cold water;  and in
two of these cases epileptic convulsions were  the
result.  A large number of the cases of epilepsy in
women which come under my care are directly the
result of menstrual disturbances, due to inatten-
tion and imprudence. 
276        HYGIENE  OF MENSTRUATION.
  " '4.  Is  the  nervous system  any more liable to
suffer from excessive  study  at  puberty or  during
the  catamenial week  than other parts  of  the
organism?'
  "Yes.  My experience is  decidedly to this con-
clusion, and the results are  hysteria, spinal irrita-
tion,  chorea,  epilepsy, catalepsy, neuralgia,  wry
neck  (torticollis),  cerebral  congestion,  cerebral
anaemia, nervous  exhaustion  and, occasionally,
acute inflammation of the membrane of the brain."
— William A. Hammond.
  Dr. Clarke  received similar  replies from many
leading physicians, and  the same  questions ad-
dressed to a  large number  of leading teachers
throughout the country elicited replies the tenor of
nearly  all of which were  that girls  suffer from
being compelled or allowed to go  to school and
work under the same conditions as boys.*
   Now, I had always,  until I came to consider this
question from  a  physiological standpoint, been in
favor of the co-education of the sexes through the
entire school course.   I  am  still  in  favor  of boys
and  girls  under twelve  or thirteen years  of age
going  to  school together, but  after  this time the

   * Since writing the above I have found an article by Dr. Mary
Putnam Jacobi, the eminent lady physician of  New York City, in
which she takes grounds opposed to the views of Dr. Clarke. She
thinks his conclusions are somewhat forced ; that the  statements
he makes are somewhat exaggerated ; that statistics may be mis-
leading and are of little value unless made on a very large  scale.
She says that her own observations  have been different from the
statistics he gives.  Here, then, we have two eminent authorities
differing materially in their views.  I am inclined to agree  in the
main with Dr. Clarke. In such cases  it is at least wise  to be
cautious. Let the daughters be closely watched. 
HYGIENE OF MENSTRUATION.       277
differences in the physical natures of the two are so
great  that  I  seriously  doubt  the  propriety  of
educating them in the same classes.
  From a moral standpoint it  is better to educate
the sexes together, because the association of young
men and  women  tends  greatly  to the benefit of
both, a question which I  can not stop to discuss
here, but from a physiological standpoint it is not
desirable for the reasons given.
  The demands  of society are such that  it is
scarcely possible for a married woman or a maiden
who has passed the school age, to act precisely as
she  should  during  her  menstrual periods, but I
would  urge upon  all women who may read  this
book to see to it that they do no heavy work, either
physically or mentally, and that they stay within
doors,  or at least close to home, during this period.
This is more especially to be enjoined upon those
who suffer greatly at these times. 
Chapter XI.
     SOME OF THE ILLS OF WOMEN.
               SEX AND DISEASE.
  As almost every one knows, there  are  certain
diseases  peculiar to  each sex, others  common to
both, and still others which are liable to afflict one
sex more than the other.  Those of the first class
are due to differences in physical structure, those
of the last class mainly to differences in occupation
and habits of life. Women are liable to more dif-
ferent diseases than men, for they may have nearly
all that men may have and  many which men can
not have, yet in spite  of this fact women stand as
good a chance in the race for life, take it altogether,
as men.   Women are  more often sick than men,
but their sicknesses are not so often fatal.   From
the nature of their occupations they are less liable
to death  from accident or intentional violence.
  A large proportion  of the  diseases of females
might be prevented if women could  be made to
follow hygienic laws.  A considerable proportion
of the regular medical profession and a large army
of quacks thrive by treating, or pretending to treat,
the preventable diseases of women  alone.   Were
directions similar to those given in this book fol-
lowed for several generations of women, the occu-
pations of a large number of physicians would be
gone.
                      (278) 
CONSTIPATION.
279
  I propose in  this chapter to notice briefly some
of the more common  diseases of women.   I shall
point out the causes, the principal  symptoms, and
give a  simple home treatment, but  I do not wish it
to be understood that this book is to usurp the place
of the regular family physician.   A good home
doctor book ought to aid rather than interfere with
die intelligent  physician's  work, by rendering his
advice and medicine more effectual.
  The prescriptions here given  are  standard  ones
in the medical  profession,  and in nearly all cases
can be filled by any common  druggist.  They are
also mild and comparatively harmless, so that it is
not likely that any one will do more harm than good
with them.   There are many  medicines which are
very valuable  yet comparatively harmless, others
of value must be used with caution.  I would not
advise the use  of the latter class, unless given  by
a reliable physician.

                 CONSTIPATION.
  I place this first on the list of diseases of women,
because it is not only one of the most easily pre-
ventible, but because it is one of the most common
and most liable to cause other diseases.  It is more
common among women than among men for va-
rious reasons.
  The principal cause of constipation in  both sexes
is the neglect to attend  regularly  to the demands
of nature.   Women are more liable  to neglect this
than men, and one of the  principal reasons of this
is that the majority of water-closets are repulsive, 
28o
CONSTIPATION.
either  from insecurity from observation or  from
filth  and bad odors.  In a pamphlet written by a
leading physician of Indianapolis, Dr. Joseph East-
man, I find the following quoted from Prof. Good-
ell :  "Where in the country, and for  that matter
in cities also, is not to be found the privy, made up
of rough boards rudely spiked together, with cracks
wide enough to destroy all privacy ; with a door
without a bolt, and generally hanging by one hinge ;
with a crescent-shaped  hole  for a  window ;  and
with its sole article of furniture a barrel of rasping
corncobs?  When is it  even sheltered  from the
rude blasts of winter, or not poisoned  by noisome
stench, acrid vapors, and unclean flies?  After
such  an unsightly but  truthful  picture, can  we
wonder that the calls of nature are looked upon as
grievous dispensations of Providence, hateful duties
which are to be put off until driven to them by sheer
necessity, which knows no law ? " The writer adds :
" The  title of doctor means teacher,  and no feeling
of delicacy should deter us from teaching, when-
ever occasion presents, that water-closets should
be so arranged as to invite rather than  repel."
  Another cause of constipation in women is their
want of  exercise.  This  can not be  said of the
majority of women perhaps, but it is true of a large
number,  especially in cities.  They sit too much
on sofas and cushioned chairs.  A frequent change
from a sitting to a standing posture, and frequent
movements  of  the body to give  the  abdominal
muscles exercise and thus aid in carrying the mate-
rial of the bowels downward is necessary. 
CONSTIPATION.
28l
  A large number of persons of both sexes bring
on  constipation  by not eating  a variety  of  food,
and by eating too much bread  and meat, and not
enough of watery vegetables and fruits.  In another
chapter will be given the properties of the different
foods as to the effect on the bowels.
  Constipation is very apt to be a  condition of the
pregnant  state.   The  pressure of the enlarged
womb in some degree  paralyzes the intestines and
lessens  their size.   The  liver  is  apt to be torpid
from  the  disturbances  of pregnancy, and this is
another cause, since bile is a natural purgative.
  There are many remedies for constipation, some
being more effectual on some  persons, and  some
on  others.  The main point is to avoid using any
strongly purgative medicines.   Medicines should
be  used only as a last resort, and then only the
mildest, and  these should be  used with caution.
After trying a diet consisting largely of fruits and
watery vegetables  for a few days, if no beneficial
results are  obtained, resort must  be had to  medi-
cines.
  If  the patient has  gone several days without
action of the bowels, it is necessary to  do  some-
thing to bring on an action, and then try to keep
them open.  A syringe ought to be in every family,
but as I have stated in another place, one should
not use it too much, lest a habit be formed of mov-
ing the  bowels in that way.   But a  half pint of
tepid water with  a little salt or soap suds, will
usually start an action, then if a very mild physic,
as  a small dose of castor oil, or epsom salts, be 
282
CONSTIPATION.
taken, and this followed up  by a loosening diet
and strict attention to regularly visiting the water-
closet, most cases will  be brought right.  I have
found that a teaspoonful of cream of tartar with a
little sugar stirred in a glass of water and drank
every  day,  for several days, will  often  produce
good  results.
  Sometimes very simple remedies are effectual, as
drinking every evening a glass of water in which
a tablespoonful of Indian corn meal, or wheat bran,
has been stirred.  Eating an apple or an orange
before breakfast each morning is sometimes suffi-
cient.  Sometimes one or two glasses of cold water
drank before breakfast will be  effectual.   Knead-
ing the abdomen  with  the  hands every day for a
few minutes is good.  A cloth wrung out of  warm
or hot water and applied to the abdomen over night
has been recommended.   The cloth should  be
secured in place by a dry one over it, going around
the waist, and should  be  worn  every night for a
week or more.
  If the bowels have not had  a movement  for a
long time, the material becomes so compacted that
sometimes even a syringe will do no good, and  it
is necessary to use a scoop  to dig out the impacted
material.  However, if one persists in the use  of
the syringe it is  rarely necessary to  resort to the
scooping process.  A sniall amount of liquid mav
be injected and kept in by an effort of the patient,
and in ten or fifteen minutes a little more may  be
injected, and retained as long as possible, and then
if this comes away and brings nothing, inject some 
CONSTIPATION.
283
more, and keep this up a half dozen times.  The
liquid softens gradually the impacted material, and
after a while success will follow.  Never give phy-
sic in cases  of this kind until  an action has been
secured by the syringe, and then only the mildest
kinds.
  There are sold in bulk in most drug stores what
are called " Improved Compound Cathartic Pills."
From two to four are said to be  a purgative dose.
If one only  be taken every evening for four or five
days, good  results will follow.  Never  use patent
pills.   The  pills I here mention  are sanctioned by
the regular  medical profession, and are no secret,
their  composition  being  given. The  following
makes a good pill for  constipation :
  Rhubarb, castile  soap and compound extract of
colocynth, each half  a drachm.  Mix and divide
into twenty pills.  Take  one  each day or each
alternate day.
  Here is another  prescription  which is very safe
and reliable:
  Powdered turkey  rhubarb  and bicarbonate of
potassa, of each one drachm.   Triturate thoroughly
in a mortar  and divide into twelve powders. Take
one each day.
  Almost any druggist can prepare  these prescip-
tions.   If he can not fill the one, use the other.
  But, I repeat,  do not use medicine  if you can
get along without it.   Entirely too much purgative
medicine is used.  Many men  have become  rich
manufacturing and selling purgative  pills,  and 
284
DIARRHCEA.
thousands are every year making themselves worse
by using them.
  The habit of straining at stool is a very injurious
one.  Piles and prolapsus ani, or protrusion of the
bowel, may be caused by inordinate efforts at stool.

                  DIARRHOEA.
  This is more often a symptom or condition of
other diseases than a  disease of itself, but it some-
times requires especial treatment. There are many
causes of extreme looseness of the bowels.  It  is
occasionally a condition of pregnancy.   It is often
a result of constipation.  The  hardened material
of the bowels produces an irritation which causes
the diarrhoea.  Sometimes it is the result of undi-
gested food.
  The important point in treatment of diarrhoea is,
that it should  not, in most cases, be too quickly
checked.  As a condition of some diseases it ought
not to be checked at all, as is  generally the case
in typhoid fever.  When it is caused  by undigested
food  a physic  will generally cure it by removing
the irritating cause. Here, as in constipation, much
may be done by proper attention to diet.  Vegeta-
bles and  fruits should for a time be abstained from.
Boiled rice, eaten with milk, is excellent.  Boiled
milk is also good.
  A diarrhoea may be caused by getting thoroughly
chilled or by taking cold from a sudden lowering
of the body temperature.   The blood in such cases
recedes from the  surface.  The feet  should be put
in warm  water, if they are cold, and warm fomen- 
         DEVIATIONS OF  MENSTRUATION.      285

tations may be applied to  the abdomen.  Ginger tea
or any warm stimulating drink will cause the blood
to diffuse to the surface, and prove beneficial.
  The following prescription may be found useful
in summer diarrhoea:
  Aromatic syrup of rhubarb, half a fluid ounce ;
magnesia,  fifteen  grains;  cinnamon  water  and
camphor water, of each two fluid drachms.  Mix,
take  in two  doses three hours  apart.   In severe
cases a physician should be called.

         DEVIATIONS  OF MENSTRUATION.
   Proper menstruation,  about every twenty-eight
days, unless interrupted by pregnancy, is necessary
to the health of the female from about fifteen  to
forty-five years of age, hence any considerable
deviation from the natural condition must be treated
as a disease.  There  are three  long words which
are  used by  physicians to express the principal
deviations from normal  menstruation.  They are
amenorrhea,  dysmenorrhea  and menorrhagia.   The
first applies to either the non-appearance, the  sup-
pression or the retention of the menstrual flow, the
second applies to painful menstruation, the third to
excessive menstruation.
   If in a female who has been menstruating regu-
larly the menses do not appear at the regular  time
she  has either conceived or there has been some
disturbance of the system, as  taking  cold, which
has  caused their suppression.  Many times if preg-
nancy does  not  exist and nothing be  done the
menses will appear in a few days after the  expected 
286
DEVIATIONS OF MENSTRUATION.
 time.  Sometimes slight causes, as fright or mental
 excitement of any kind, may delay them for a short
 time.  Slight delays, if there be no fever, headache
 or other disturbance of the system, do not call for
 treatment.
   If, however, there be marked disturbances of the
 system, as indicated by flushed face, strong pulse,
 headache, pain in the side and back, nausea, loss
 of appetite, or sense  of exhaustion, steps should
 be taken to bring on  the  flow.  Usually soaking
 the feet in hot water with a little mustard in it, and
 drinking a half pint  or more of ginger tea, and a
 mild physic will bring all right.   A warm hip bath
 and warm poultices to  the  breasts should be used
 in case the menses had appeared and from taking
 cold  they had suddenly stopped,  also  a physic
 should be given.   Castor oil, epsom salts, senna
 tea and citrate of  magnesia are all mild purgatives
 if not  given in very large  doses, and any one of
 them may be used.
  Read again what is  said concerning menstrua-
 tion in the preceding chapter.
  Dysmenorrhea,  or painful menstruation, is a very
 common trouble.  The causes seem to be of two
 general kinds, physiological and mechanical.  In
 the former case the  nervous system and the circu-
 lation seem to be  at fault, as a result of  improper
 living in many ways.  In the latter case there is
 some obstruction  at the mouth of the womb,  gen-
 erally caused by displacement of that organ.
  In the first kind the symptoms are about as fol-
lows :  Before the time for the flow the patient 
         DEVIATIONS OF MENSTRUATION.      287

feels indisposed, with pain in the back, headache
sometimes, and later by pains in the region of the
womb similar to labor pains.  The womb seems to
be swollen and  heavy, the pain being somewhat
relieved by pressure of the hand over the abdomen.
Sometimes the pain is of the nature of neuralgia,
and some authors describe a neuralgic dysmenorr-
hea.  Sometimes a membranous cast of the inside
of the womb comes away in fragments.   This is
called membranous dysmenorrhea.
  Where the cause is obstruction at the mouth  of
the womb, the symptoms do not differ greatly from
those already described.  The  pain seems to  be
more in one place, and is apt to be spasmodic, as
the blood may collect in the womb, and  can only
be expelled by vigorous contractions of that organ
causing pain, and when the blood is forced out the
pain ceases, until the womb fills up again.
  Whatever be the cause of painful menstruation,
the woman subject to it should avoid being on her
feet much for  a day or two before the  expected
time begins, and remain quiet.  Cloths wrung out
of hot water  and placed over  the abdomen will
often give much relief.  The following prescription
is simple, and has been found excellent:
  Spirits of camphor, one fluid drachm ; paregoric,
two fluid drachms ; tincture of ginger, half a fluid
drachm ; compound spirit of lavender, half a fluid
ounce ; water enough to  make two fluid ounces.
Mix, and take a dessert spoonful every hour or two.
  Injections of hot water into the vagina have been
recommended.  No medicine seems to  have any 
288      DEVIATIONS OF MENSTRUATION.

effect in preventing the  recurrence of painful men-
struation.  Strict attention to-all the laws of health
will tend to modify the attacks very much.  Many
women have painful menstruation until they become
pregnant, and have no trouble  afterwards.  One
thing should be avoided certainly, and that is the
use of opium or morphine on such occasions, if for
no other  reason than the danger  of  contracting a
habit of  using these drugs, a habit more to be
dreaded than the habit of using intoxicating liquors.
  Menorrhagia, or excessive menstruation, means
that the amount of discharge  is too  great, or  that
it continues too long, or that  the flow occurs oftener
than usual.  Sometimes all of  these conditions are
present.   The causes are various.   Sometimes  it
is  attributable  to over-excitement of  the  sexual
organs.   Some women have what is called a hem-
orrhagic  diathesis, that is, a  peculiar constitutional
tendency to bleeding, due to thinness of the blood.
Standing too much upon the feet about the time of
menstruation,  may tend to increase the flow by
determining the  blood  to  the pelvis.  General
weakness and  relaxation of the system, brought on
by over-work or other causes,  may produce it.
  The menstrual fluid  is blood  mixed with  the
mucus of the  vagina.   This mucus  prevents  the
blood from  clotting, unless there be an unusual
amount of blood.  The presence, then,  of clots in
the discharge indicates an unusual amount of blood.
Sometimes this blood comes  from humors or ulcers
in the womb, and is not properly menstrual blood, 
DEVIATIONS  OF MENSTRUATION.
289
which merely oozes out of the lining of the womb,
from ruptures in the minute blood vessels.
  The loss of blood by profuse menstruation pro-
duces  symptoms  similar to the loss of blood from
any other cause.  There is a paleness, exhaustion,
probably headache, and other nervous symptoms.
  The patient should be kept quiet in bed.  Warm
drinks should be avoided and the room kept mod-
erately cool.   The feet and legs below the knees
should be kept warm.   The hands and arms should
also  be kept warm, that the blood may be drawn
away from the region of the womb.  Cloths wrung
out of hot water may be applied to  the feet and
hands and frequently changed.  Some  recom-
mend cloths wrung out of cold water to be applied
to the abdomen.   Cold lemonade, slightly sweet-
ened, may be drank.   A hot brick or bottle of hot
water  applied to  the  small of the back has been
known to check profuse menstruation.
  If these  simple measures fail and the discharge
of blood be considerable, a competent physician
should be sent for.  Of course it is not necessary
to check the flow entirely, but to bring it within
proper bounds.  If the flow has  continued only
moderately, but longer than the usual time, or if
the amount is very great, accompanied with clots,
and the woman feels  weak  and  exhausted, then
measures should be taken as above, before'a doc-
tor is  sent for.
  Occasionally there  occurs what is  known as
vicarious  menstruation.   The  blood,  instead of
coming from the womb, may come  from various
    l9 
29O              THE  WHITES.
parts of the body.  There may be, instead of the
ordinary menstrual flow, an oozing of blood  from
the mucous membrane  lining  the nose, lungs.
stomach, bowels or bladder.  It has been known
to flow from the eyes, ears, gums, armpits, nipples,
from old scars, ulcers, tumors, and from the sur-
face of the  skin generally.   Usually, however, the
vicarious flow is from the stomach or lungs.  This
curious  and  apparently alarming  phenomena  is
more  apt to occur in  nervous women in delicate
health.   It rarely, if ever, is dangerous.  Nothing
need be done  except to bathe  the feet in warm
water,  and put warm  applications to the small of
the back, unless  the  flow  is excessive,  in which
case a physician should be called.

                  THE  WHITES.
   This  is  the most  common name of a disorder
which probably afflicts every woman more or less,
at some time in her life.  The medical names are
leucorrhea  and fluor albus, both terms meaning a
flow of a whitish substance.  The discharge varies
much in consistence and  appearance,  and may
come from the womb, or from the vagina.
   The general cause is irritation of the organs, fol-
lowed by relaxation.   Falling of the womb is often
a cause of  it.   It is  sometimes only a local symp-
tom or expression  of a general weakness  of the en-
tire system.  It is apt to be common in those who
have suffered many  miscarriages, or have borne
many children.  Pessaries, or supports intended to
keep up the womb, by their irritation, will, sooner 
THE WHITES.
29I
or later, produce it.  Habitual  constipation and
piles are sometimes a cause.  It is a not unfrequent
accompaniment of pregnancy.
  When the discharge is great and long continued,
the patient becomes weak and loses flesh, the com-
plexion gets dingy, and dark  circles  may appear
under the eyes, all  indicating general debility.
  As to treatment, more can be done by attention
to the  general health than by local  applications.
Injections of astringent  substances generally give
only temporary relief.  When the flow is excessive
an injection into the vagina of one or the other of
the following mixtures may be given :
  1. Alum, two drachms ; water, eightfluid ounces ;
dissolve.   Inject once or twice daily.
  2. Tannic acid, one ounce ;  glycerine, four fluid
ounces ; mix, and dissolve by a gentle heat. Inject
daily.
  If the woman be  pale and weak from the dis-
charge, a tonic like the following may be given:
  Tincture of chloride of iron, three fluid drachms ;
dilute  phosphoric acid, half a fluid ounce ;  syrup
of lemons, three fluid ounces.  Mix.  Dose, a des-
sert spoonful once  or twice  daily.  This is very
agreeable to the taste and  a good general tonic.
  Pregnant women troubled with whites  should
avoid sexual intercourse,  take plenty of rest in a
recumbent posture, and  a warm hip  bath  occa-
sionally.
  Strict attention to cleanliness should in all cases
be enjoined.  The discharges  are sometimes irri-
tating  to the external parts, and  may be the cause 
292
ITCHING.
of other troubles.  It may be the cause of disease
in the man if sexual intercourse is had at this time.

  ITCHING OF THE EXTERNAL GENITAL ORGANS.
  This is, in  medical  language, -pruritus of the
vulva.  It is not  strictly a disease,  but may be  a
symptom  of a nervous disorder, or a result of un-
cleanliness, or in some cases it may be caused by
parasites, either  the body  louse, the crab louse,
which attaches itself exclusively to these  parts, or
the common itch  mite.  This itching may occur in
pregnancy and become  very troublesome.
  In many cases  the itching is  only slight, or only
felt after exertion, in warm weather, or after get-
ting warm in bed, or before a fire.  Sometimes the
itching is  so great that the person is almost crazed,
and can not resist the desire to scratch and rub the
parts.  This gives only temporary relief and exag-
gerates the trouble if continued.
  If it is caused by uncleanliness, an abundant use
of castile  soap and'water will be sufficient in a few
days to effect a cure. If due to parasites, the first
two mentioned may be  destroyed by dusting the
parts with a mixture of equal parts of calomel and
pulverized white sugar; if to the itch mite, it may
be destroyed by an application of sulphur and lard.
The parts should afterwards be well washed with
soap and water.
  Frequent warm hip baths are advisable when the
itching is  an accompaniment of pregnancy 
NEURALGIA.
293
                   NEURALGIA.
  The word neuralgia means nerve-pain.  It con-
sists in a pain in the nerve without inflammation of
other parts. It is not a disorder peculiar to women,
but women being more sensitive, are, perhaps, more
inclined  to  it than men.  At any rate, they seem
to suffer  more  intensely.   Neuralgia may affect
any part of the body, and different names are given
sometimes,  when it affects different  parts.  Thus
tic doloureux is neuralgia of the face ; hemi-crania,
or 7nigraine, is neuralgia affecting one  side of the
head; sciatica,  neuralgia  of the hip and thigh;
gastrodynia, neuralgia  of the  stomach;  angina
-pectoris is chiefly neuralgia of the heart.  Tooth-
ache  is  sometimes  purely neuralgia,  sometimes
simply the pain  produced by exposure of the nerve
of the tooth to  the air, or  it may be pain from
inflammation of the jaw  bone or root of the  tooth.
  The causes of neuralgia are various.   Savage
people rarely, if ever,  have it, partly,  perhaps,
because of their out-door life, but mainly,  I think,
because of the less development of their  nervous
systems.   Exposure to cold winds without sufficient
clothing will undoubtedly produce it in persons who
live mainly in-door lives.   It may be  due to bad
condition  of the blood owing to indigestion, want
of exercise,  constipation, and various  other causes.
It is often an accompaniment of the pregnant state.
Overwork, mental worry, or anything  that brings
on a weakened state of the system may produce it.
  Hot applications will in most ordinary cases give 
294
SICK HEADACHE.
relief.  These should always be tried first.  A hot
brick wrapped  in flannel, a sack of hot salt or a
bottle of hot water may be held against the part.
I think moist heat better than  dry, hence I would
prefer the following:   Wet a cloth thoroughly and
hold it for a moment  or two against a hot stove,
then immediately apply it to the part, repeating the
operation several times.
  Mustard draughts often afford relief.   Electricity
has been used with good results.  A piece of paper
saturated with chloroform and laid over the part is
often efficient.  The Chinese, it is said, use oil of
peppermint  applied  to the  part.   Half of a  cut
lemon applied to  the part  has been known to give
relief promptly.
  I would not advise women to take medicine in-
ternally  for  neuralgia without  the  advice  of  a
competent physician, and not then  until he had
made a thorough examination to find out the exact
condition of the  system.  It is not sufficient that
you send to a doctor  asking  for medicine for neu-
ralgia.   He  should  see and examine before he
prescribes.   By all means do not fall into the habit
of using morphine, laudanum  or  opium to relieve
the pain
                 SICK HEADACHE.
  This name is applied to a pain in the forehead and
through the  temples, accompanied by sickness at
the stomach  and  vomiting.   Dr. Hartshorn says of
it:   " Sick headache is mainlv a neurosis (nervous
disease), and vet the pain is not always  of a neu-
ralgic character.  In some persons a hereditary 
FAINTING.
295
proclivity to it appears.  Certain women, especial-
ly, are subject to attacks  every one, two or three
weeks (though seldom at  regular intervals) from
puberty  to  cessation  of menses.  Relief of such
attacks by treatment  is often difficult to obtain.
Early retirement to bed is mostly requisite."
  Much  may be done for this  trouble by a strict
hygienic life.   Strict  attention  to the bowels is
necessary.  Constipation should never be allowed.
The woman should be careful to avoid getting much
fatigued.  Care  in eating—never to overload the
stomach is also  important.   The pain may often
be much alleviated by having some one rub and
gently pat the head and comb and brush the hair.
Vomiting generally gives  relief in an attack.   If
one  feels very much nauseated  the vomiting and
consequent  relief may be  hastened by drinking a
large quantitv of warm water or water and  salt.
It is much easier to vomit when the stomach is full
than when it is  nearly empty.   The  straining is
not so great and greater relief follows.  If the feet
are at all cold,  they should be  put in  hot water.
Cloths wrung out of hot water may be applied to
the stomach in severe attacks.

                   FAINTING.
  During pregnancy women  especially those  with
the first child, are apt  to have occasional spells of
fainting.  It  may  be  only a  temporary feeling of
faintness, without loss of consciousness, or it may
amount to complete loss of consciousness. It is not
so alarming as it would seem,  although fatal results 
296
DISPLACEMENTS OF THE WOMB.
 have occurred.  If the woman be long unconscious
 the supply of blood is cut off from the child in the
 womb,  and  it may perish  in  consequence.  It
 occurs in some woman but seldom, and the spells
 are very light; in others it  may occur frequently
 and be very profound.   Women who  are known
 to be subject to these fainting spells should not  be
 left entirely alone, as  they may  come on without
 any warning, and if something is not done serious
 results may follow.
   The  treatment is simple and  almost  always
 successful, if resorted to promptly.  The patient
 should never be  raised up.  The body should  lie
 in a horizontal position on the back, the clothing
 loosened about the neck and chest, a little cold
 water sprinkled on the  face and some hartshorn or
 smelling salts held to  the nose.  A few drops  of
 brandy or whisky may be given.  If the  fainting
 does not amount to actual unconsciousness, nothing
 need be done except that the woman when feeling
 faint should immediately  lie  down.

         DISPLACEMENTS  OF THE WOMB.
  The womb is so arranged in the pelvis  that it is
 free to move up or down or sideways.  It is sus-
 pended by ligaments, partly, and partly supported
 by the vagina, bladder  and rectum.  It floats,  as
 it were, in  the pelvic  cavity, in  the midst of the
other organs.  It undergoes remarkable changes
during pregnancy, and returns to  nearly its orig-
inal condition.  In the virgin it weighs only about
an ounce, and at  the end of pregnancy it weighs 
DISPLACEMENTS OF  THE WOMB.      297
two pounds without its contents.   It is forced down
slightly by a cough or a sneeze, and moves up and
down a little at every breath.  The bladder, when
full, pushes it  backward,  and the rectum, when
full, pushes it forward.   Tight clothing around the
waist forces the bowels down upon it, and pushes
it down or tends to bend it forward, backward, or
sideways upon  itself.
  The womb being thus  easily  moved, it  is not
strange that such causes as unnatural pressure by
clothing from without, pressure by full bladder and
rectum from within, and sudden jars and shocks to
the whole body, accompanied with general  weak-
ness of the system, brought on by bad  living, would
tend to produce serious displacements.  The prin-
cipal  kinds  of  displacements are prolapsus,  ante-
version and retroversion.   The first means a falling
down  of the womb ; the  second, a falling  of the
womb forward ; the third, falling of the womb back-
ward.  When the womb is bent or doubled on itself
forward it is called anteflexion,  and  when  folded
backward it is called retroflexion.  Sometimes the
womb falls so low as to turn itself completely inside
out, as a pocket in a coat may be turned inside
out.  This is called inversion.
  During pregnancy the womb,  as we have  seen,
grows rapidly in size.  It not only becomes a large
sac, or pouch, but its walls become much thicker,
so that it contains about twenty-four times as  much
tissue as before.   This increase  in size is called
evolution.  After the birth of the child there is  a
remarkable decrease,  and in five  or six weeks  it 
298      DISPLACEMENTS  OF THE WOMB.

has been reduced to nearly its original size.   The
decrease is called  involution.  But  sometimes this
change ceases before it has  diminished to  the
proper size and it remains permanently quite large.
This is called sub-involution.  It is  caused usually
by the woman getting up too soon and going to work
alter delivery.  This condition causes often great
distress and many subsequent troubles.  Again, the
womb may  continue to grow smaller  after it has
reached the proper size.   This is  called super-in-
volution.  This affects the general health,  and pro-
duces a condition similar to old age.
  I can not enter here into a full discussion of the
displacements of the womb.  I  could  not  give
directions for  home treatment that would  avail
very much.   I have named and briefly described
some of these displacements, more to impress upon
the reader the importance of exercising great care
in preventing their occurrence than with the hope
of laying down a satisfactory treatment.  But a
few points may be  noticed in connection with the
symptoms and treatment of some of the forms of
displacement.  In  all severe cases a  competent
physician should be consulted and his directions
followed to the letter.
  When the womb has been displaced suddenly by
violence  of any kind there  is always  severe pain
in that region, sometimes accompanied by fainting,
flooding or vomiting. When it has left its position
by degrees the symptoms are not strongly  marked,
the organs gradually becoming accustomed to their
new positions.  In  falling of the womb there are 
DISPLACEMENTS OF THE WOMB.      299
apt to be dragging pains in the small of the back,
with obstinate  constipation, the patient having a
desire to evacuate the bowels without success. The
bladder may be much  affected, making urination
difficult. The " whites " is a frequent symptom, and
sometimes profuse menstruation.  The patient feels
as  if the contents of the pelvis  were  constantly
about to escape downwards.  All of these symptoms
are generally relieved by lying down and increased
by exercise in the erect position.
   The most essential point in  treatment of falling
of the womb  is to remove all weight of  clothing
from the hips and abdomen.   The  clothes should
be suspended entirely from the shoulders by fasten-
ing them to a  waist or by suspenders.  A bandage
made to fit the shape of the  abdomen will afford
great relief, but if worn long will do harm, because
it relieves  the  abdominal muscles of their proper
work,  and as a consequence they degenerate from
non-use and lose their power.
   By lying down and elevating the hips the womb
will"slip back to its right  place.  Then  put on  the
bandage and wear it for a short time in the erect
position.   Once  each day apply passive  exercise
as follows :  Let the patient lie upon her back with
her feet drawn up.   Let another person then knead
and rub the abdomen with the hands, very gently
at first, especially  if there  be  tenderness.  The
force can be increased as the  patient is able to bear
it.  This  exercise  should continue  from five to
fifteen minutes—not so long at first.  In the course
of a few weeks  the abdominal  muscles will have 
300      DISPLACEMENTS OF THE  WOMB.
acquired more strength  and  then the bandage'
should be no longer used, except when the woman
is about to exert herself very  much with  work
which requires her to be on her feet, then it may
be put on for a short time.  Much  benefit may be
derived  from exercise of the legs while the patient
lies on  her back.  Let her bend  them upon the
body and straighten them  out  again a number of
times.   Also  when  the legs are drawn up let an
assistant hold the knees apart while the patient
makes an  effort to draw  them  together.   These
movements tend  to  strengthen the  muscles of the
lower part of the abdomen.
  The patient should avoid being on the feet long
at a time, and take great care to live hygienically
as to diet, bathing,  exercise,  etc.   It  must be
remembered that a cure depends  much upon the
restoration  and maintenance of strength and vigor
of the entire  body.  Anything that will improve
the general health will aid in curing all cases of
womb displacement.
  When the womb has fallen forward, it rests upon
the bladder and  causes frequent desire  to  make
water and  a feeling  of  oppression  in  that part.
Painful  menstruation  and  sterility  are  common
results of this kind of displacement.   The womb,
in this case, may usually be replaced by the patient
herself, by lying upon her back and pressing firmly
upon the belly just above the pubes, or at the lowest
point of the abomen.   It may be retained in place
by a  bandage having a pad  pressing .upon this
part.  The same precautions in regard to use of a 
HYSTERIA.
301
 bandage  as  given  in falling of the womb should
 be taken here.  The passive and  active exercise
 and other means there suggested may be used.
   In backward displacement the  symptoms  will
 generally be more  in  connection with the lower
 bowel.   Constipation will be a  result, yet there
 will be  frequent desires to move the bowels with-
 out success.  The menses may or may not be  dis-
 turbed.   I shall not attempt to describe any special
 treatment  for  this  form  of displacement.  The
 measures for improving the general health should
 be employed, and if the  symptoms are  severe, a
 good physician should be consulted.

                   HYSTERIA.
   This  is the medical term for  a peculiar  disease
 which manifests itself in a great variety of ways.
 The name hysteria  is from a Greek word meaning
 womb,  and was so given by the old  physicians,
 because they thought disease of the womb was
 always  the cause of it.   Common people called it
 "hysterics," and there is  a widespread notion that
 it is not a disease at all, but that the patients pre-
 tend only to the symptoms  they exhibit.   Hence,
 many people are offended if told that they have
 hysterics.  It is as truly a disease as is neuralgia,
 but it is not always  a disease of the body.  Some-
 times it is a disease of the body, sometimes of the
 mind, and often of  both.
  What is called a "fit  of hysterics" may vary
 from mere uncontrollable laughter or crying, to a
severe paroxysm, resembling an epileptic fit. Some- 
302                HYSTERIA.
times it is preceded by a  sensation like that of a
ball rising in the throat.   This has been called the
"globus hystericus."  Physical hysteria, or hys-
teria  of the body, is, according to Dr. Beard, a
disease of debility, and usually the result of some
disorder of the sexual organs, along with a peculiar
sensitiveness of the  nervous  system,  or  a weak
condition  of the  blood ; and  mental  hysteria, or
hysteria of the mind, is the result of some influence
upon the emotions, and is a disease of the  strong,
full-blooded, non-nervous people.
  The symptoms  are so various that it would not
be practicable to attempt to give  them  here.  No
two  persons are  affected  alike.   It  is, however,
important that one be able to distinguish a hysteric
fit from an epileptic convulsion.  There is not com-
plete  unconsciousness in  hysteria, but  there is in
epilepsy.  The attacks  in epilepsy are more sud-
den ; there is foaming at the  mouth, biting of the
tongue  and difficult  breathing,  all of which are
absent in hysteria.
  These hysteric  fits, when severe, often occasion
great alarm, not  only to the  friends, but often to
the physician when he  does not  understand their
nature ; but they are comparatively harmless. Often
threats or propositions to resort to severe measures,
as cutting off the hair or touching her with a red-
hot iron made in the presence of the patient will
arouse her,  although  she seem to be unconscious.
  Women  between  the  ages  of fifteen and thirty
are most liable  to them.   It is rare after the child-
bearing period  or before puberty.  Women are the 
NERVOUSNESS.
303
common subjects, but there are occasional cases of
hysteria among men.
  Since it is difficult for one  not acquainted with
this disease to tell what is the  matter, an experi-
enced physician should be  called when a peculiar
fit of any kind occurs  for the first time.   The old
physician who has seen many similar cases  can
assure the friends that the  patient is in no danger.
provided he is convinced that it is a case of hysteria.
  Much exercise in the open air is very important
for persons subject to hysteria.   Mental excitement
should be avoided.   Regular employment of some
kind ought to be enjoined.  Reading exciting stories
is not good for such persons.

                0 NERVOUSNESS.
  Under this heading I wish to say  a few  words
about a peculiar condition, which  may hardly be
called a disease, yet it is so widely prevalent  and
is the source of so much suffering, that it merits a
special  notice in a work of this kind.
  What is  commonly called  nervousness is more
properly nervelessness, that is,  in a certain sense
a want  of nerve power or force.   It is not a want
of nerve activity ; this is, at times at least, increased,
but it is a  feebleness  or instability  of the reserve
nerve force which may be said to be the power be-
hind  all the   actions of the system.  It  has been
properly termed neurasthenia, a word which liter-
ally  means  "nerve weakness."  The nerves  are
easily excited to activity.   In other words, they are
irritable. 
304
NERVOUSNESS.
  Now, since all the actions of the body, as circu-
lation, digestion, etc.,  go on through  the  agency
of the nerves, this irritability may produce many
and  various effects  upon the  body.  Dr.  Beard
classifies the kinds of nervousness as follows:  (i).
Brain exhaustion,  in which there maybe sleepless-
ness, depression, morbid fears and impulses, feeling
of fullness in the  head, headaches, impairment of
memory,  inability to mental work,  and lessening
of will power.  (2).  Spinal exhaustion, which may
be complicated with the other kinds, but specially
known by tenderness and aching in the back, de-
pression and indigestion.  (3).  Nervous dyspepsia,
where the irritability is mainly in the stomach.  (4).
Sexual exhaustion, in which the sexual organs, and
through  them almost  every pari of the system, is
affected.  (5). Traumatic exhaustion, that is, nerv-
ousness  from  some  severe  injury or shock.  (6).
Hemi-exhaustion, where only  the  nerves  of one
side of the body are affected.   (7).  Hysterical ex-
haustion, which I  have noticed under  the head of
Hysteria.
   Nervousness is peculiarly characteristic of Amer-
icans.  There are many reasons for believing this.
It is well known  to physicians that less medicine
is required to produce the same effect  upon Amer-
icans than upon any foreigners.  It is  known to all
that intoxicating liquors and tobacco  affect Amer-
icans more than foreigners.   The American people
are  handsomer, that is, they have more intellectual
 and refined  appearance, as a rule, and this is the
 basis of beauty.   They do more mental work, and 
NERVOUSNESS.
305
do it in less time. Our women suffer more in child-
birth.  All these, and many more facts, go to show
that we are a people of sensitive nerves, or  that
nervousness is the great peculiarity of our people.
I draw these points from  a work entitled "Amer-
ican Nervousness," by Dr. Geo. M. Beard.  He is
a scientific thinker and observer, and his arguments
in that work are strong and conclusive.
  But what is the practical  bearing of this subject
of nervousness.   It is this: Knowing that as a
people we are peculiarly  sensitive, we may avoid
much suffering by a more strict attention to hygienic
rules. We need  to take more care of ourselves,
because  we  are more delicately constructed.  A
high-bred American woman should not be expected
to do  the work  of an Irish or  German  emigrant.
I see, almost every day,  an Irish  woman, in all
kinds of weather, going around town  with two
great buckets full of swill which she has gathered
up from  the back doors of houses, and carrying
them three or four blocks to her home to feed her
pigs.  She appears healthy and strong.   My wife
could not do that, though she is just as healthy,
 and will live, in all probability, to be just as old.
   This nervousness does not shorten life, but makes
life full of suffering for some persons.  Those per-
 sons  who have sensitive nerves, though they suffer
 much, enjoy much ; but if they took  proper  care
 of themselves they might enjoy as much and suffer
 a good deal less.  Much of the suffering in  this
 world is through fear of what may be  the result of
a disease or diseased condition.  People  should
20 
3°6
NERVOUSNESS.
have more knowledge of their physical and mental
natures, which a study of physiology and hygiene
would give them.
  Much of the great mental work of the world has
been done by men and women who were what mav
be called nervous people.  They had only a small
capital of reserve nerve force.  George Eliot, Her-
bert Spencer, Jonathan Edwards, Kant, Schiller,
Bacon, Darwin, and many others might be cited
as examples.  Dr. Beard states an undeniable fact
when  he says:  " The Indian squaw, sitting in
front of her  wigwam, keeps almost all of her force
in reserve ;  the  slow  and easy  drudgery of the
savage domestic  life  in the open  air—unblessed
and uncursed by the exhausting sentiment of love ;
without reading or writing or calculating ;  without
past or future, and only a dull present—never calls
for the full quota of her available force ; the larger
part is always lying on its arms.
  " The sensitive white woman—prominently the
American woman, with small inherited endowment
of force; living  indoors;  torn  and crossed  by
happy  or unhappy love;  subsisting on  fiction,
journals,  receptions ;  waylaid at all  hours by the
crudest of robbers, worry and ambition, that seize
the last unit of her force—can never hold a power-
ful reserve, but must live and does live, in a physi-
cal sense, from hand to mouth, giving out quite as
fast as she takes  in—much faster oftentimes—and
needing long periods of rest before and after any
important campaign, and yet living as long as her
Indian sister—much longer it may be—and bearing 
MISCARRIAGES.
307
age far better,  and carrying  the  affections  and
feelings of youth into the decline of life."

                 MISCARRIAGES.
  Having spoken of the causes and the dangers of
miscarriage in  another chapter, I have here to
speak only of the symptoms  and treatment.   As
before stated, the principal  symptoms  are pain and
flooding.   Pain  is  nearly  always  an accompani-
ment.   In early miscarriages it may not be greater
than often accompanies menstruation.
  When pregnancy is more advanced there  may
be a chill followed by fever,  rapid  pulse, thirst,
restlessness and sometimes sickness at the stomach
and vomiting.   Occasionally there is palpitation of
the heart, coldness of the hands and feet, dimness
of vision  and an uneasy feeling in the lower part
of the  abdomen.  Pain in the back and in  the
bladder are  often  symptoms.   The  breasts  may
be observed to become shrunken.  The pains will
be  after  awhile periodical and accompanied by
more or less hemorrhage.  In early miscarriages
the ovum  is usually expelled entire.  In later  mis-
carriages  the membranes  are  ruptured, the foetus
expelled   first  and  then the  membranes  and
afterbirth.  The latter often  remains  firmly  at-
tached to  the womb for a varying period.  Some-
times, after the foetus is expelled,  the pains cease
and the woman  may suppose all is well, but  after
a time,  it  may be  several days, the  pains return
and usually with a great deal of hemorrhage.  The
afterbirth  may undergo  putrefaction and  come 
3o8
MISCARRIAGES.
away in bits  with dark  and  bad-smelling dis-
charges.   Blood-poisoning  may  occur  by  the
absorption of the putrefied material.
  In the treatment  of threatened miscarriage we
must try to prevent it if possible ; if not, to conduct
the patient safely through.  In those women who
are in the  habit of miscarrying at about the same
stage of pregnancy great care  should be  taken
when that time arrives, that the woman do  nothing
that might cause action in the womb.  She should
lie  down much of the time  and avoid all  excite-
ment of whatever kind.   The probable causes of
former  miscarriages should be inquired into and
avoided if possible.
  If pains  and hemorrhage  have actually com-
menced, often the miscarriage may be prevented
by  maintaining  perfect quiet of both body and
mind.   The woman should at once  take to her
bed, lie on her back and not be covered too warm-
ly.   Her food should be  of the lightest and most
easily digesdble, and all stimulants and hot drinks
be avoided.  A physician should be called  and the
case plainly stated to him.  He may be able to give
something to quiet  the contractions of the womb.
The extremities should be kept warm.  If  the feet
are cold a warm iron or brick should be placed
against them.
  When the hemorrhage is great and the pains
increase in frequency and severity, and there is a
discharge of the waters, with dilation of the mouth
of the womb, we know the foetus can  not be saved,
and the attention should be directed towards favor- 
HEMORRHAGE  AFTER  DELIVERY.
 ing  its expulsion.  Sometimes  the  foetus  may be
 felt in the vagina, and  can be hooked down with
 the finger.  These cases  should not be trusted in
 the  hands  of persons unskilled in  diseases  of
 women.  Hence I will omit any further discussion,
 turning the cases over to the family physician, and
 end  by quoting the following from Dr. Theophilus
 Parvin,  concerning the  after-treatment:   "The
 patient should remain in bed at least a week  after
 a miscarriage, for many a woman becomes a per-
 manent invalid from neglect of proper care at this
 time."
         HEMORRHAGE  AFTER DELIVERY.
  When everything has progressed in a satisfactory
 manner until the birth  of the  child we have  good
 grounds for believing that no subsequent difficulty
 will  arise.   But there are  rare cases in which the
 womb does not  contract,  as it  should.  This con-
 traction closes the mouths of the blood vessels and
 prevents  any serious  hemorrhage.   Sometimes
 women of little strength usually, develop an enor-
 mous degree of strength  under temporary excite-
 ment,  but  afterwards  relapse into  a condition of
 total prostration.  Sometimes enormous power is
 exerted by the uterus  in  expelling  the child, and
 as soon as this is accomplished  it falls into a  con-
 dition  of inertia, and  is unable to  contract suffi-
 ciently to close the vessels.  In  such cases death
 may ensue from rapid loss of blood.
  There is a great  difference  in individuals as to
the amount of blood they may lose without danger.
Some can lose  a great quantity, others compara- 
3ic
CHILDBED FEVER.
tively very little.  The bleeding may be external
or internal.   The mouth of the womb being closed
up  by a clot or a  portion of the afterbirth,  may
keep the blood in the womb.  It is, of course, lost
to the woman when it flows internally.
  The physician should remain for at  least an  hour
after the birth of the child to attend to any case of
this kind which might occur.  Various means have
been used to stop flooding.  Physicians generally
rely upon cold applications to the lower part of the
abdomen, injections of cold water, and the admin-
istration of ergot,  which  causes  contractions of
womb.  Of  late years many physicians  use injec-
tions of hot water (115 to 120 degrees  Fahrenheit).
Hot and cold water have the same effect in stopping
hemorrhage, but warm or tepid water  has an oppo-
site effect, that of relaxation.   I think cold appli-
cations  are objectionable, because they are apt to
chill the body even when applied locally.  The
remedies  recommended for  profuse  menstruation
are  applicable  here.   I would not  recommend
ergot to be  given  unless  it  be administered  by a
physician.   But whatever is done should be done
quickly, if the flooding be copious and exhaustion
is apparent in the patient.

                CHILDBED  FEVER.
  This  is truly a  dreaded disease,  but happily
much may be done  to prevent its occurrence, and
physicians have learned better how to treat it of
late  years, so that  the  mortality from it  is  not so
great as in the past. 
CHILDBED FEVER.             3II
  As  to  the  causes, there is much difference of
opinion.   From the fact  that it occurs  most fre-
quently in cities and towns and in hospitals,  espe-
cially in  those  hospitals which  have surgical pa-
tients in the same building, and  from the fact that
many cases often happen in the same neighborhood
among patients attended by the same physician, it
is believed by some that it is a contagious disease,
and may be communicated  by the physician from
one patient to another.  Evidence  seems to  be  in
favor of the view  that erysipelas,  typhus  fever,
smallpox, measles,  scarlet  fever,  diphtheria and
some other diseases furnish a peculiar  poison,
which, if it enter the system of a woman just after
delivery, will produce the disease known as puer-
pal, or childbed fever.  This is  denied by some
good authorities, but believed by many equally  as
good.  The latter  class advise that special precau-
tions be  taken  by  physicians.   If they have been
attending cases of any of these diseases, they should
not immediately undertake to wait upon cases  of
confinement.  Several physicians in Philadelphia
decline all cases of confinement under circumstances
of this kind.   It is believed that  it may also be con-
veyed by the doctor from one patient suffering from
it, to  another woman whom he may attend in con-
finement.  Dr. Wark advises that a physician who
had attended a case of childbed fever, should not
attend a case of confinement inside of three months,
and  should take  great pains in  the meantime to
purify his  clothes  and body by washing and the
free use  of disinfectants. 
312
SLEEPLESSNESS.
   As a means of prevention it is of great impor-
 tance that the womb contract  and be emptied of
 its contents soon after  the  child is born, and that
 the vagina be washed out by an injection of lime
 water, or weakened solution of carbolic acid.
   The disease usually begins about the second day
 after delivery, rarely later  than  the fourth day.
 The earlier  it begins,  the more  dangerous  it is
 likely  to  be.  A chill of greater  or less severity
 usually is the first  symptom.  The  patient is  de-
 pressed and anxious;  the  pulse  is frequent and
 weak.   Perspiration is often copious, but it does not
 lessen the  fever.   The discharge from the vagina
 (lochia) is  almost  if not entirely checked.  The
 milk becomes* scant or  disappears in the breasts.
 Great pain is felt in the  lower part of the abdomen,
 spreading over the whole region, and frequently so
 great that the weight of the bedclothes can not be
 borne.  The abdomen  swells  and becomes tight
 like  a drum.
  A good physician should  be called at the verv
 first indication of the fever.   I shall not attempt to
 give any treatment  here.  I introduce the  subject
 that  my readers may be aware of the dangers of
 this disease, and be stimulated  to greater exertion
 in preventing it and in  calling  in medical  aid in
 time, should it unavoidably occur.

                SLEEPLESSNESS.
  This is not properly a  disease, but a condition
resulting from some disturbance to the natural ac-
tions of the system.   It may be a symptom of manv 
SLEEPLESSNESS.
313
diseases, and it often occurs in pregnancy.  I intro-
duce the subject here because many people resort
to drugs in  such cases, and do themselves vastly
more harm than good.  This is written, then, in  a
spirit of warning as to what not  to  do, rather than
as advice as to what to do.
  If sleep has been less than usual for several days
or weeks, more serious symptoms  are sure to fol-
low.  Sleep  is as necessary as food to keep the
body m a proper condition.  The person who has
lost sleep to any great extent becomes irritable  in
body  and mind, the  appetite  fails, the pulse be-
comes more frequent,  the strength diminishes, and
serious diseases may be the final result.  A person
may sleep much, yet the sleep be so interrupted by
frightful dreams that it is not refreshing.
  Drugs, except the mildest, should never be used
to procure sleep unless in extreme cases of disease,
and then only under the advice of a competent
physician.  There are many simple remedies which
are often sufficient, and they should be tried first.
A heavy meal eaten late before retiring is often the
cause of sleeplessness, or of frightful  dreams, but
we must not conclude that eating shortly before
going  to bed will prevent sleep.  On the contrary
a small quantity of food before retiring often is very
effective in inducing sleep.
  A warm bath taken before retiring is very often
the most efficient.  Gentle exercise in the open air
is an excellent remedy for sleeplessness.   Rubbing
the body with the hands, and stroking the hair has
a <rood effect.  Sitting before an open fire will often 
314             SLEEPLESSNESS.

make persons sleepy.   They should  retire to a
warm bed as soon as possible after they begin to
feel sleepy.   Too much warmth, or  too little pre-
vents sleep.   The  amount  of covering should be
carefully regulated to suit the temperature  of the
room.  The feet should be warm on retiring.  A
warm brick  or iron to the feet will often aid much
in securing sleep.
  A proper  condition of the mind has much to do
with sleeping.  We  can,  in a great measure, by
efforts of the will, control the mind so as to induce
sleep.  We  can not  stop thinking by an effort of
the will, but we  can  try to think of other things,
and thus turn the mind into other channels.  Per-
sons are often kept awake thinking over some event
of the past day, or over some past trouble, or about
the future.  So long as the mind is intent upon one
subject, it is difficult  to go to sleep, but if we allow
the mind to  wander,  we soon go to sleep.  We can
make the mind wander by  trying to think of many
different things.  Allow one subject to  suggest an-
other, and this another, and so  on,  and  presently
you will be  asleep.
   Tea or coffee ought  not to be drank within two
hours of bedtime, as they tend to wakefulness.  If
medicines are used,  and they should not  be until
all simple means fail, only the mildest  of those
which tend  to produce sleep should be given.  The
following prescription  may be used :
   Bromide  of potassium, one-half ounce ; glycer-
ine, one-half ounce ; cinnamon water,  two ounces.
Mix.  Take one dessert spoonful in water before 
GATHERED  BREASTS.
315
retiring.  If no effect, another dose in an hour after-
wards may be given.
  Even the mildest medicines should not be given
for any lengthened period, nor in large doses.

              GATHERED BREASTS.
  This most troublesome  affection  may occur  at
any time during the  nursing period, but is most
frequent shortly after childbirth.   It  is more com-
mon after the first confinement.   Women who are
delicate, and particularly those who are scrofulous,
are most subject to it.
   The causes are various.  A blow or a fall may
incite inflammation.  Exposure to cold, great men-
tal excitement, over-eating, and  undue accumula-
tion of milk, may be causes.  The latter is, per-
 haps, the most common cause.   The child  should
be put early to the breast, as before stated, and
 when the child  can not take enough of the milk,
 the breasts  should be drawn by a  breast pump.
 Often a woman goes away visiting, or to a party,
 leaving  her  child  at home for a long time.  The
 milk accumulates to an undue degree, and  inflam-
 tion  is the result. Thus  the mother's neglect of
 maternal duty is punished.  Sore  nipples  often
 leads the mother to avoid putting the child to  the
 breast as often  as she ought.  Says Dr. Napheys :
 " No nursing mother is safe whose breasts are  not
 properly and daily emptied.  If this can not be
 done by the  child, another infant should be applied,
 or a small  puppy, either of which expedients is
 preferable to a breast pump, which, however, is 
316
SORE  NIPPLES.
much better than nothing. If the tender or chapped
condition of the nipples interferes with free nursing
this condition must be promptly remedied."
  The first point in treatment is to keep the breasts
as nearly empty as possible.  At  the very begin-
ning the breasts may be rubbed with camphor and
olive oil.   This will do much toward  assisting the
flow of milk toward the nipple.  When the breast
has become very tender and sore like a boil, then
rubbing will do more harm than good.  A poultice
of slippery elm or flaxseed should  be applied and
kept moist by frequent wetting with warm water.
  The breast should be supported  in a sling made
by  passing a  handkerchief under  it and  tying
around the neck.  The bowels should  be moved
by some  quick purgative,  as  cream of tartar  or
citrate of  magnesia.   If an abcess forms, a physi-
cian should be called, who will advise its opening
with a lancet.  This is the best course to pursue,
since if the pus is allowed  to  accumulate until it
breaks through the skin, there will be much more
suffering and the healing will  be delayed and per-
haps an unsightly scar be left. An abcess is very
much of the nature of a boil and should be treated
accordingly.
                 SORE  NIPPLES.
  If the directions given in a preceding chapter be
strictly followed there will be  little danger of sore
nipples.   A nipple shield should be used when  the
child nurses.   Says Dr. Wark:  " The nipples of
the  shields usually  sold are too  deep  and  the
mother suffers as much pain  and  injury when  the 
MILK  LEG.
317
nipple is drawn into the shield as when it is pulled
naked into the child's mouth.  To prevent  this the
nipple of  the shield  should be made  shallow
enough to fit the  mother's nipple by placing in it
a  bit of soft sponge, which should  be carefully
removed and cleansed every time it has been used,
then placed in clean water until it be  required on
a subsequent occasion."
   Treat the inflammation with poultices of slippery
elm bark.   After  the inflammation has  lessened,
the following preparation will do much toward re-
storing the natural condition.
   Take mutton suet, one ounce; balsam of Peru,
two drachms ; glycerine, one drachm ; honey, one
drachm.  Melt the suet with gentle  heat,  add the
other ingredients  and thoroughly mix.  Apply a
little of the mixture to the nipples each  time after
the child nurses.
                   MILK LEG.
   This term has been applied to a peculiar  inflam-
mation of the lower extremities from  an erroneous
notion that in some way the milk was diverted from
the breasts to the limbs, causing the white swelling.
The medical term  is phlegmasia dolens.  It occurs
usually from ten days to two weeks  after confine-
ment, and  is  much more apt to occur in  women
who have borne several children.  It  is  more fre-
quent in women of  delicate constitutions.  It rarely
occurs in women who are not pregnant, and has
been  observed in  a few cases  in men.  Women
who have had copious hemorrhages either  before, 
3i8
MILK  LEG.
 during, or after labor,  are  very liable to it.   It is
 very apt to occur after an abortion.
   The first symptoms are usually uneasiness, chills,
 headache, frequent pulse, pains in the groins, and
 then in the leg.   Soon  the  limb  swells, becomes
 hot, whitish and shining.  Sometimes the  attacks
 are so slight that it can not be distinguished from
 an ordinary local dropsy.  The limb is stiff and
 without power to move.  The flow of milk, and dis-
 charges from the vagina become lessened or cease.
 There is general fever and thirst, with  sleepless-
 ness.
   The disease is seldom fatal, and  runs  its course
 in two or three weeks.   Treatment  should be di-
 rected largely to  improving  the general strength
 if that seems to be low.  Perfect cleanliness is im-
 portant.  The vagina should be washed out every
 day by an  injection  of warm water, to every two
 quarts  of which  has been added two drachms of
 carbolic acid.   The bowels should be moved by a
 gentle purgative as cream of tartar.  If the patient
 be very weak, an injection into the rectum of salt
 water and  mucilage of slippery elm bark may be
 given to move the bowels.  The diet  should be
 nutritious and stimulating, chicken broth, beef tea,
 egg-nog, etc., being excellent.
  The affected limb should be bathed with turpen*-
tine, and  wrapped in  flannels wrung out of hot
water. 
              MORNING SICKNESS.            319


                VARICOSE VEINS.
  This means a distended or knotted condition of
the veins.  It occurs most frequently in the veins
of the legs.   Women who have borne several chil-
dren are most liable to it during pregnancy.   Tight
garters and tight corsets tend to cause and increase
this condition.
  The patient should keep the recumbent position
as much as possible.  The feet should be supported
when seated. By  lying for a time with the feet
elevated  above the level of the hips, the blood will
flow out  of the  veins  and reduce the distension.
Then an elastic stocking, to be  procured through
any druggist, should be put on and worn.

              MORNING  SICKNESS.
  This usual accompaniment  of pregnancy some-
times becomes so excessive  as to  call for special
treatment.   In ordinary cases the nausea is often
relieved or prevented by simple measures, as wash-
ing the hands and face in cold water; drinking a
cup of coffee or a glass of milk  and eating a crust
of bread  or a cracker before getting out of bed in
the morning, and then remaining quiet in bed for
fifteen or twenty minutes ; frequently  taking rests
during the day in a half  recumbent  posture, espe-
cially after meals.
   Emptiness of  the stomach seems  to be a condi-
tion favorable to the nausea.  A pregnant woman,
during the first three months, should not allow her-
self to get hungry, but yet  should be very  careful 
320
GREEN SICKNESS.
not to eat too much at a time.  Lemon juice is an
efficient  remedy  for some women.  The acids of
most fruits are generally good.  A strong effort of
the will,  an effort to think of something  else than
the feeling in the  stomach, will often be effectual
in relieving the nausea.
  Sometimes the nausea  and vomiting  continues
during the whole  day, and is very distressing.  In
such cases there is usually some disordered condi-
tion of the digestive organs.  The effect of differ-
ent articles of diet  should be  carefully  observed,
and if any one seems to be the cause of the distress,
it should be avoided.  There are some cases, how-
ever, which seem to  be entirely due  to  increased
reflex action of the nervous system.  In such cases
bromide  of potassium is highly  recommended as a
quieter of the reflex nerve centers.  The  following
prescription may be used :
   Take  bromide of  potassium, two   drachms;
cinnamon  water,  three fluid ounces.  The latter
dissolves  the former.   A dessert spoonful of the
solution may be taken two or three times  a day.

               GREEN  SICKNESS.
  This is the common  name of what doctors call
chlorosis, which is from a Greek word  meaning
greenness.  It is so named  from one of its most
common  symptoms, a peculiar pale and greenish
tinge to the complexion.  It  rarely occurs except
at or very near the age of puberty.  Authors differ
as to its real nature.  Some think it is simply an 
GREEN SICKNESS.
321
 impoverished condition of the blood, others regard
 it as a disease of the nervous system.
  The symptoms are about as follows:  There is a
 peculiar waxy, yellowish or  greenish  color in the
 face, the lips are nearly colorless and the tongue
 often pale.  The feet and face sometimes swell and
 a dark circle may appear under each eye.  There
 is weakness,  nervousness and  palpitation of the
 heart.  Ringing in  the  ears and disturbed  sleep
 are common.  There is  more or  less impairment
 of digestion, and  a  morbid  or  depraved  appetite
 is often present, as  for chalk, slate pencils, clay,
 or in some cases for strong  acids.  There may be
 neuralgia of the abdominal  walls.  Menstruation
 is either  absent  or  irregular  and painful.   The
 temperature is usually lower than natural.
  The treatment should  be  mainly hygienic.   If
 proper  hygienic  measures have been  taken  with
 the girl just before and during the time of  puberty
 there is little danger of it occurring, but if it  does
 occur, there should  be special  attention to  good
 diet,  bathing, change of air and scene, cheerful
 company and light exercise in the open air.   The
 girl  should  be taken  from school if any of  the
 symptoms of this disorder appear, and her condi-
 tion carefully inquired into.   The food should be
 nourishing, yet easily digestible.  The girl should
 be warmly clothed.
  Such  tonics as quinine and iron are  good, but a
physician should direct their  use.
    21 
322
CHANGE OF LIFE.
              "CHANGE OF  LIFE."
  Menstruation usually ceases between the ages of
forty-five  and fifty.  There  are instances where
women menstruate up to the sixtieth year and even
past that age ; and  again, of others whose menses
stopped at the age  of twenty-eight years.  This
period is called by the common people the " change
of life," by scientific men the menopause. Although
a perfectly  natural  process and not  a disease in
itself, it is frequently attended with grave  condi-
tions, so  that middle-aged women usually dread
this  period.   Statistics,  however,  show  that no
more  females die between the ages of forty and
fifty than  between the ages of ten and twenty, and
that men  are about as apt to die at  this age as
women.   Moreover, if a woman passes this period
in safety,  her chances of reaching a hundred years
are much  greater than that of men.
  In a woman of vigorous constitution menstruation
will most likely cease between the ages of forty-five
and fifty,  the discharges becoming less and less at
each period  until they cease altogether.  The wo-
man then will very likely gain in  flesh.  They
sometimes become very corpulent after this period.
Sometimes the menses will return a few times after
an intermission of a month or two.
  In delicate women there may be a variety of dis-
orders, more or less severe.  There may be a  con-
dition very similar to the green sickness of girls at
puberty.  In fact, many of the dangers which beset
the period of puberty are likely to be  again prom- 
CHANGE OF LIFE.
323
inent.  Many women suffer from what are called
"hot flashes."  The face and neck are at  times
suffused with blood and there is a feeling of full-
ness and giddiness in the head.   These flushes are
followed by chills and  perhaps  faintness and cold
perspiration.
  Sometimes the woman's mind is  affected so that
she imagines she has various diseases.   If she has
palpitation of the heart, which is sometimes a symp-
tom, she  imagines  she has some  disease of that
organ, and that she will some day drop  dead sud-
denly.  If she has a sore breast, she thinks  she is
going to have a cancer that will end her days with
terrible suffering.   Sometimes a condition resem-
bling insanity is  present.   These  mental  effects
soon pass away, however, and the woman is then
mentally  stronger than ever before.   She grows
more masculine in physical and mental  character,
and as Dr. Tilt expresses  it, "the change of life
does not give talents, but it often imparts a firm-
ness of purpose to bring out effectively those that
are possessed, whether it be to govern a household,
to preside in  a drawing-room, or to thread and un-
ravel political entanglements."
  Those women usually suffer most at the meno-
pause who have had painful menstrual periods, or
have suffered several abortions or unnatural labors,
also those who may have had displacements and
diseases of the womb,  or have been prostrated by
repeated attacks of fevers or other diseases.  There
seems to be difference in women of different tem-
peraments.  Those of the lymphatic temperament 
324
CHANGE OF LIFE.
usually have the easiest time.   Those of the nerv-
ous temperament suffer most.   Women of the san-
guine temperament are more liable  to severe hem-
orrhages and  to  the head symptoms.  Those of
the bilious temperament are more  likely to have
troubles with the stomach and liver.
  In nearly all cases the sexual passion disappears
with the change  of life, but there  are occasional
cases where it is  greatly increased.  This is to be
regarded as a dangerous symptom.  There is likely
disease of the womb  or ovaries, or an unnatural
excitability.   Sexual  intercourse  at  such times
may result seriously.   Medical  treatment  is not
usually demanded, but it is very important that the
woman take especial care to protect herself from
cold and wet and to avoid over-exertion physically
or mentally. When complications arise they should
be treated by a competent physician according to
their nature. 
Chapter  XII.
HOME TREATMENT  OF SOME OF  THE
         DISEASES OF CHILDREN.

           INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
  Every mother should  have some knowledge of
the nature and  symptoms of the common diseases
of children, that she may be able to recognize the
need and call in time the assistance of a physician
who has made a special study of disease.  Says
Dr. Sozinskey:   "The mother  or  attendant who
has the charge of a suffering child, should realize
that she has a weighty responsibility resting on her,
that she has a duty to perform, the right discharge
of which calls for knowledge, practical skill and
faithfulness.  To the ignorance, want of tact, and
negligence of those to whom are given the grave
trust of bringing up the young,  may be attributed
a considerable  percentage of  the  deaths which
occur in early  life.  Instructed, discerning eyes
should watch over them  from birth so carefully that
disease can not develop unrecognized, for timely
action  only, as  a rule, can be effective, either in
warding off illness or in removing it."
  It is  not necessary that mothers have the knowl-
edge of a physician or be  ambitious to  become
doctors, but simply a knowledge of  the more com-
mon symptoms and remedies  of the most common
diseases.   Indeed,  a  pretension to medical skill
                     (325) 
326         INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS.
 may be  the  cause of much trouble, by leading to
 delay  in calling in one  more competent to deal
 with the case.  A mother  should  use her knowl-
 edge of  diseases not to enable her to dispense with
 the services  of a phyician, but to aid him in  avert-
 ing the dangers which may beset her children.
   Children should  be closely observed  by those
 who have charge of them, and any departure from
 health at once inquired into.  There are some in-.
 sidious diseases, which, if observed and taken in
 time, may be cured, but if allowed  to get a certain
 start, will baffle the skill of the best practitioners.
   It should be borne in mind that children are very
 much like animals ; we can not tell so easily what is
 the matter with them as we can in the case of grown
 people. They may make a great to do over a slight
 ailment,  and show very little indications of a more
 serious malady; as  for example, a child may cry
 and complain much when it has a slight attack  of
 colic,  which is  not usually serious, and scarcely
 show any symptoms to the ordinary observer when
 it  has  the dreaded  membranous croup or  diph-
 theria, until the disease has progressed considera-
 bly, and is perhaps beyond the  reach  of medical
 skill.   Close observation, then, is necessary to de-
 tect departures from the  healthy standard.  This
 faculty a mother should cultivate.
  I do not believe  in dosing children for  every
 slight ailment, nor in sending for a doctor  every
 time one cries from pain, but it is better to be a
little over-anxious than too careless.  I have known
parents to send for a doctor in  the night when there 
CROUP.                  327
was  only a slight convulsion from  worms in the
intestines, the doctor arriving only to find the child
in a peaceful sleep, and as well as usual.   On the
other hand, I have known parents to neglect send-
ing for a doctor, when the child had been observed
to breathe more and more rapidly for a day or two,
and when the doctor at last was called, it was too
late.  Membranous croup had progressed so far
that no human skill  could save the little patient.
Good judgment is required of those who have the
care of these tender shoots, and a little knowledge
of disease will materially aid in deciding upon
what to do in such cases.

                    CROUP.
  Croup is essentially a disease of childhood.  It
usually  occurs between  the  ages of one  and ten
years, rarely a little earlier or later.  Those  who
have had it once  are likely to have it again.  It
seems to run in certain families.  Fleshy children,
with fair skin, are most liable  to it.
  There are two varieties  recognized by physicians
generally ; the spasmodic, nervous or  false croup,
and the membranous, inflammatory, or true croup.
These differ considerably.  A pure  case of either
kind is rare, one generally having some  of the
characteristics of the other.
  The first kind consists in a spasmodic closure of
the entrance  to the windpipe, shutting off to  a
greater  or less degree  the air to the lungs.   The
child may go to bed apparently all  right, and
waken about midnight with a ringing  cough, and 
328
CROUP.
a struggle for breath.   If not relieved in some way,
it may die for want of air.  Sometimes relief comes
without treatment.  Being relieved, the child will
usually  go to sleep and appear all right the follow-
ing day.  The attack may occur for several nights
in succession.  This variety, when not complicated,
seems to be  purely a nervous disease, and is un-
attended with perceptible inflammation.   But it
rarely occurs in a pure form.  There is nearly al-
ways some inflammation, and the choking is due
partly to the thickening of the mucous membrane
and phlegm, as well as to the spasm.
  The remedies for this variety should be at hand,
as assistance is needed at once, and there is rarely
time to send for a doctor.  Anything that will relax
the system and produce vomiting without  danger
of interfering with other functions of the  body, is
admissible in this form of the  disease.  A warm
bath is often sufficient.  Wrapping the  child in a
sheet wrung out of hot water and covering it up
well with blankets is good.  At the same time
something should be given to produce vomiting.
For this purpose  various articles have been used,
and are recommended  by good  authorities, as
ipecac,  lobelia, alum and tartar emetic.  Perhaps
there is nothing  better than syrup of lobelia.   A
bottle should be  prepared and kept  in the house
ready for use.  Any druggist can fill the following
prescription:
  Take  tincture  lobelia, four  drachms;  simple
syrup,  sufficient  quantity  to  make four ounces.
Mix.  Give  a  half teaspoonful  the  moment  the 
croup.                 329
difficult breathing begins,  and  repeat in fifteen
minutes if vomiting is not excited or relief does
not come.  Prepare the warm bath as soon as pos-
sible after giving the first dose.
  Syrup of onions is  an excellent remedy to pro-
duce vomiting  in  croup.  It has also a soothing
influence.  It is easily made as follows :  Slice a
large onion in a pan; pour on about three  table-
spoonsful of water, add a teaspoonful of sugar and
let  boil one  minute.  Drain off in  a cup.   Use
freely.
  The membranous variety of croup is a very dan-
gerous disease.  Its coming is  insidious.   There
may  be  but  slight hoarseness and difficulty  of
breathing for several  days before severe symptoms
set in.  This increase in the difficulty of breathing
is so  gradual  that it  may  not  be noticed.   The
little one  breathes more rapidly than usual  and if
attention is not called to  the child  no notice may
be taken  of its breathing.  This fact ought to be
known to every mother, and her children closely
observed.  The child may play and appear all
right, while at the same time the disease is making
progress.
   As the breathing becomes more labored a pecu-
liar noise is heard at each  respiration,  It can not
be mistaken if once heard.   The best way to
 describe  it is to call  it a croupy sound, as there is
 nothing else just  like it.   A loose,  rattling cough
 may appear  and the body show  signs  of fever.
 The material thrown out in the windpipe becomes
 organized and a false membrane is formed.  This 
33°
CROUP.
 with the spasmodic action which is nearly always
 present, closes the windpipe gradually and death
 may result unless there is  a change which may
 remove the obstruction.   Sometimes the membrane
 is coughed up in  the form of a tube, or cast of a
 portion of the windpipe.  Or it may  be dissolved
"or absorbed.   In  some cases, probably no mem-
 brane is formed, the closure being due  to spasmodic
 action  and phlegm.  I  treated  one  case  which
 terminated fatally, where the patient  breathed for
 four days so loudly that she could be heard in all
 parts of the house,  even when two doors intervened.
 No one thought she could live after the breathing
 became thus difficult.   A great  deal of  phlegm
 appeared to gather and was coughed loose to be
 swallowed.
   As in spasmodic  croup,  the  treatment  should
 begin early and be  energetic.  No doubt the reason
 there are  so  many fatal cases  of   membranous
 croup is because treatment is  not begun in time.
 A physician should be sent  for  upon the  earliest
 indication  of the disease.  But much  may be done
 to aid the physician.  The room should be warm,
 and the air moist.   Some water should be kept on
 the stove in an open vessel  that the steam may
 moisten the air.  Let the patient inhale steam made
 by pouring hot water upon unslacked lime.  It is
 claimed by some good authorities that lime has the
 power of dissolving the  membrane.   This will do
 no harm if it does no good.  Moist  air is more
 soothing to the air passages than dry air.
   A sponge or cloth dipped  in hot water and ap- 
CROUP.
331
plied to the outside  of the throat, and  frequently
changed, is recommended.  A dose or two of some
mild physic, as castor  oil, citrate of magnesia, or
cream  of tartar, should be given at the very first.
  The warm bath, either by sponging the body
with a cloth and very warm water and rubbing dry
with a towel, or wrapping the patient  in  a sheet
wrung out of hot water for ten or fifteen minutes, or
by immersing in warm water, will  always  aid  and
may be given once or twice a day.
  The above are all simple measures  which may
be used whether recommended by the doctor or not.
If he is a competent physician he will not object to
them,  and perhaps recommend some one  or more
of  these  measures.   In bathing,  care  should be
taken, as in all other cases, not to expose the body
of the child to cold drafts of air.  The room should
be closed when the bath is  in progress, and win-
dows  opened when it is through, taking care to
keep the child well covered and out of direct drafts
if the weather is cold.
  It is all-important that the very first symptoms of
croup  be attended to.  In  my own experience,  I
have found  a  relaxing substance  applied  to  the
throat and breast  to be beneficial in  the  earliest
stages.  For this purpose I have recommended an
ointment made as follows :  Take pulverized lobelia
seed, one drachm ; mix thoroughly with one ounce
of lard.   Rub  well on throat and  breast in every
case of difficult breathing and rattling in the throat.
You can  buy the  pulverized lobelia seed  at any
drug store and mix it with the lard yourself.   Pre- 
332
DIPHTHERIA.
pare some of this ointment  and keep in  a wide-
mouthed bottle, well stopped.

                  DIPHTHERIA.
  This disease,  also called putrid sore throat, is
not confined to children, but often affects adults.
It is of several varieties.
  Simple diphtheria begins with a general depres-
sion, slight soreness  in the  throat and  a  swelling
of the lymphatic glands behind the jaw.  There is
some fever and headache, with furred tongue, con-
stipation and difficulty of swallowing.  The back
part of the  mouth  appears red or  purplish  and
swollen.  Often  as early as the second or third day
may be seen whitish or yellowish-white  membran-
ous deposits upon the tonsils.  These symptoms
continue from five to nine days, when, in favorable
cases, convalescence begins.  This  variety is not
very dangerous.
  The croupous form is the most common among
children.  It seems most apt to  follow measles  or
scarlet fever.  This kind begins about the same as
the simple diphtheria, but soon  the  symptoms of
croup appear.  There is difficult breathing, cough
and hoarseness.   Death  may follow  from suffoca-
tion as in the croup.  This form is very dangerous.
  The ulcerative variety is  not common and need
not be described here.
  The malignant form of diphtheria is very fatal.
The symptoms are severe from the first.  Intense
headache, frequently with vomiting, and  hemorr-
hage  from  the nose, mouth, stomach,  or rectum. 
DIPHTHERIA.
333
The glanas of the neck are greatly swollen, and
swallowing is  almost impossible.  The back part
of the mouth is covered with a thick, leathery de-
posit, at first yellowish,  but soon  becoming dark,
almost black, and giving an offensive odor.   Such
cases usually die  in spite of all treatment.
  Physicians are  not exactly agreed as to the cause
and real nature of diphtheria.  It is generally be-
lieved to be a specific disease, that is, from some
peculiar poison  which  acts upon the blood, and
manifests itself locally in the  throat.  Some  high
authorities have  claimed the  constant occurrence
of  microscopic organisms called  bacteria  in the
throat in  diphtheria.  The disease  has been pro-
duced in  rabbits  by inserting into their blood the
material from the throat of a patient affected with
it.  If this view of the matter be correct, diphtheria
is a contagious, or infectious disease, and  some-
what similar in  nature to smallpox, yellow fever,
etc.  This much is known, that physicians who
have attended cases of diphtheria have  contracted
it, and the disease often goes through a whole fam-
ily, affecting every member, and sometimes breaks
out in communities.   Princess Alice, of  Hesse,
caught the disease by kissing  her sick child.  It is
supposed that the disease which caused the deaths
of  Washington  and  the Empress Josephine was
diphtheria, not so much being known at that time
as  now concerning it.
  Children are much more liable to the disease than
adults.   Places  where many people are crowded 
334               DIPHTHERIA.
together,, and there is much filth, seem to be most
favorable for its development.
  In the treatment great differences of opinion are
held, probably because no treatment yet discovered
is satisfactory in severe cases.  Chlorate of potash,
a medicine which has become very common of late
years, is largely used,  and is very good, if used
early and freely.   The following prescription may
be used in cases of suspected diphtheria:
  Take chlorate  of  potash,  two  and  one-half
drachms; peppermint water,  four fluid  ounces;
dissolve.  Take a teaspoonful  every three  hours
for a child under ten years, increasing the dose for
older persons.
  The following is also highly recommended :
  Take chlorate of potash, two drachms ; tincture
of chloride of iron, one fluid drachm ;  simple syrup
and peppermint water, each two  fluid ounces ; mix.
Dose for children,  a teaspoonful  every three hours.
  Local applications are regarded by most physi-
cians as of great importance.  Flannel  wrung out
of hot water to which vinegar  has been  added in
equal amount, and applied around the  neck will
give some relief.   Sulphur  blown through a quill
upon the patches of deposit in  the throat has been
recommended.
  A good physician should be called  in, but there
will be no harm in using the means here suggested
in addition to his treatment.  The chlorate of pot-
ash mixture ought to be given before  the doctor is
called, on the first complaint of a sore throat. 
WORMS.
335>
                    WORMS.
  There  are about thirty species of worms which
have  been known  to  inhabit  the  human body.
Many of these  are rare, and some are confined to
certain parts of the world only.   Different species
inhabit  different  parts of the  body.  It  is only
those which are found in the intestines of which I
need to speak  here.  These are of two principal
kinds, the flat or tape worms and the round worms.
  Tape worms are rather rare and rarely more
than  one inhabits the same person at the same
time.  Their history is  peculiar.  The animal is
composed of many joints.   In some of these joints
eggs are produced.  These joints break off and
come away, a few at a time, with the discharges.
These joints may be eaten by pigs.  If  they are
the eggs hatch in the stomachs of these  animals
and the young worms make their way to the mus-
cles,  where they become encysted, that  is,  en-
closed in a lime-like substance, and remain dor-
mant until the flesh of the pig is eaten by man,
when they develop  in his stomach and intestines
into tape worms.   The meat of the pig which con-
tains these  cysts is called " measly pork."  They
can be seen as minute white  specks.   Thorough
cooking kills the worms.
   The symptoms of tape worm  are emaciation, de-
pression  of spirits, nervousness, disordered stom-
ach,  a tendency to diarrhoea, uneasiness and pain
in  the  abdomen, itching of the nose  and anus.
But all  of these  symptoms may be produced  by 
336
WORMS.
other causes, so that the only conclusive proof that
there is a tape worm is the presence of joints of it
in the discharges.
  The  remedies are various.  Turpentine is effec-
tual, but has  a peculiar  intoxicating effect upon
some persons.  Pumpkin seeds are said to be quite
efficient in removing them.
  Though tape worms are rather rare, they might
be almost unknown if all meat  that is eaten was
thoroughly cooked.  One species of tape worm is
found in the immature state in mutton and beef, so
that  one should not only avoid raw pork, but raw
beef and mutton.   This applies not only to the pre-
vention of  tape  worm,  but  to  other  parasites,
especially the  trichina, which sometimes proves as
fatal.
  Children are mbre especially apt  to be troubled
with species of round worms.   Of these there are
two  principal kinds, the lumbricoid,  or  white
worms, and the thread or seat worms.  The former
are from five to fifteen inches long, and taper to a
point at both ends.   It is  the commonest of body
worms.  It  inhabits mostlv the small intestines,
but may come up  into the stomach, and even into
the throat, and one case is recorded of one getting
into  the middle ear.
  These worms may exist in numbers in the intes-
tine, and causes  great irritation.  When they get
into  the stomach  nausea  and  vomiting may occur
and  the worms be thrown up.   As in the case of
tape worm, no positive evidence of their existence
is known until they appear in  the discharges.  If 
COLIC.
337
one or more be discharged there is good reason to
think there  may be more.  It is supposed  that
these worms grow from  eggs which get into the
body through water which is drank  or  are taken
in with vegetables.  Among the symptoms which
these worms produce are itching at the nose, grind-
ing the teeth during sleep, bad  or irregular appe-
tite, and swelling of the abdomen.  Convulsions
are often produced by worms and even spasmodic
croup.  They have  been known to  ascend  the
esophagus  and get into the windpipe, producing
death by suffocation.
  The most certain remedy is santonin, but it must
be used with care ; not more than half a grain once
or twice a day should ever be given a child.   A
purgative should be  given  at  the same time with
whatever remedy used.   Pink root  and senna tea •
are common remedies.  Children are often dosed
for worms  when no worms  exist.  Unless  pretty
certain that they do  exist,  medicines  for worms
should not be given.
  The seat and thread worms are  only about an
eighth of an  inch in length.  They inhabit  the
rectum,  or  lower bowel,  and may exist in great
numbers. They cause itching and restlessness.
Injections of lime water will destroy them.

                    COLIC.
  By colic is generally meant severe pain in some
part  of  the  abdominal  region.  It is rather a
symptom than a disease.   There are several vari-
eties. The only one which I need to speak of here
     22 
338
COLIC.
  is that most common in children, and especially in
  infants.  It is known as flatulent or wind colic, the
  pain  being  caused  by  the  distention of gases
  accumulating in the  bowels  and stomach.   It is
  usually caused in infants by over-feeding.  More
  food is taken than can  digest and gases are formed
  by the fermentation of the undigested food.  It is
  often caused  in  older children by  eating  green
  fruits, or a large  quantity  of fruits of any kind.
  Apples  are very wholesome for children  if eaten
  ripe and in moderate quantities at a time, but un-
  ripe and imperfect fruit and a gorge  of them will
  produce sometimes very distressing symptoms.
     If we know the colic to have been produced by
  an overloaded stomach or from very unwholesome
  food, the first thing to be done is to give a prompt
•  emetic ;  a  teaspoonful  of mustard in a little warm
  water will answer.  This, however, can not well be
  given to an infant. Warm applications to the abdo-
  men are always beneficial.  Kneading the bowels
  with the hands, as one would knead bread,  is good.
  A mild physic, as castor oil, should be given if the
  pain is not speedily relieved.  There is often an acid
  condition of the stomach.  A little magnesia or lime
  water should be given.  It will do no harm if it is
  not needed.  Essence  of peppermint, essence of
  cinnamon  and tincture or  extract  of ginger are
  good to tone up the bowels  and give relief to the
  pain.
    If the physic does not operate in about four hours
  and the pain be not completely relieved, an injec- 
CONVULSIONS.
339
tion of warm water and soap  or salt and water
should be given.
  In very young infants attacks of colic may usually
be relieved by very simple measures.  Warm appli-
cations to the abdomen and a few drops of essence
of peppermint on a little sugar will  usually give
relief.   Much dosing of very young infants should
be avoided.  Great care should be taken to prevent
colic in infants.  Never over-feed, keep the bowels
regular; don't allow a day to pass without one or
more movements of the bowels.  A little lime
water added occasionally to the milk of artificiallv-
fed infants will correct the acid condition of the
stomach.
                  CONVULSIONS.
  Convulsions, or fits as they are commonly called,
are always alarming to people, no matter from what
cause, although not necessarily dangerous.  They
may accompany  teething,  indigestion,  whooping
cough, worms, fevers,  and  many other affections.
Sometimes the fit comes on without any prelimin-
ary symptom, but usually there is  restlessness in
sleep, a rolling of the head, twitching of the limbs,
clenching of the  fists,  and  a snore-like breathing.
The convulsion  consist  in involuntary muscular
movements, rolling of the  eyes, drawing  back of
the head, and frothing at the mouth.
  The mother and attendants must not get fright-
ened and lose their wits, for whatever is to be done
must be done quickly.   Children rarely die in the
first convulsion, and the patient may be saved from
subsequent ones  by prompt treatment.   Put the 
34°           CHOLERA INFANTUM.
child into water as hot as can be borne as soon as
possible.  If the water is ready you need not wait
to take off its clothes.  Let it remain in the water
until a  change takes place.    If not a sufficient
amount of water be at hand to  immerse the child
in,  pour hot water  down  the  back of its neck.
Wrap in warm blankets as soon as taken from the
bath.   Send for a physician that he may ascertain
the cause of the convulsions and prescribe against
a return of them.

              CHOLERA INFANTUM.
  This complaint is more frequently called summer
complaint.   It is  very fatal,  especially in young
children in large cities during the hot weather.  It
seems to be produced by the extreme heat, com-
bined with the poisons which are apt to affect the
atmosphere of towns and cities.   In New York and
Philadelphia the prevalence and mortality from it
increased as the thermometer rose above ninety de-
grees  Fahrenheit  in the  shade.  In  the hottest
week in July,  1866, over 1,200 children died in
New York City from this  disease.
  The symptoms are diarrhoea, vomiting,  debility,
refusal of food and sometimes stupor.  At first the
head may be hot  and the abdomen swollen, but
coldness and emaciation follows as the disease pro-
gresses.  Sometimes death results very soon from
brain trouble ; in other cases the patient is gradu-
ally weakened by the diarrhoea and inability to ap-
propriate nourishment.
   It rarely occurs in children after the second year. 
      THRUSH AND CANKER OF THE MOUTH.   34I

The teething period is most liable to be the time
of the attack.
  If a child is taken with diarrhoea and vomiting,
and the head be hot, a physician should be sent for
at once.  In the  meantime clothes wrung out of
cool water should be applied to  the  head and a
mustard plaster to the abdomen.   Follow the doc-
tor's directions as  to diet, etc., to the letter.  Insist
that he  sees the patient often until the danger be
past.
      THRUSH AND CANKER OF THE MOUTH.
  Thrush, or "whitemouth," is very common among
infants, but is rarely serious.  After a day or two
of inflammation of the mouth, with some fever, and,
perhaps, nausea and diarrhea, there appear a num-
ber of small whitish points, like specks of curdled
milk, on the tongue and  within the mouth.  The
trouble  may last two or three weeks or longer.  It
is thought to be  a  minute vegetable growth.
  Canker of  the  mouth is a kind of  ulceration
which is most common in children from two to six
years of age.   It  begins  on the cheeks, gums  or
lining of  the lips,  and may reach the back part  of
the mouth.  The  ulcer is  grayish, or yellowish-
white with an inflamed border.  It is quite painful.
The saliva flows very freely.  There is often fever,
and the breath is offensive.  It  may last several
weeks,  or even months.  It is rarely fatal.
  Chlorate of potash is a valuable remedy in both
these cases.  Dissolve as much as will  in a little
water, and give a half teaspoonful several times a
day.   Some mild physic had best be given.  If the 
342
NIGHT  TERRORS.
child is feeble, a doctor had better be called, that
he may prescribe tonic treatment.

               "NIGHT TERRORS."
  I extract the following description and treatment
of this condition  from Dr. Hartshorne's "Essen-
tials of the Principles and Practice of Medicine: "
  " Dr. C. West gives the following description of
an attack, which is not very uncommon, occurring
in infants or children under ten years of age:
  "A child who has  gone to bed  apparently well,
and who has slept soundly for a short time, awakes
suddenly in great terror, and with a loud and pierc-
ing cry.  The child  will be found  sitting up in its
bed, crying out as  if in an agony of fear, ' Oh,
dear !  oh, dear ! take it  away !  father ! mother!'
while terror is depicted on its countenance, and it
does not recognize its parents, who, alarmed by its
shrieks, have come into its room, but seems wholly
occupied with the  fearful  impression that has
aroused it from sleep.  In from ten minutes to half
an hour, as the terror abates, it may become quiet
at once and fall  asleep ; but frequently it bursts
into a fit of passionate weeping, and sobs itself to
rest  in its  mother's  arms.  In some instances a
quantity of limpid urine is voided as the fit passes
off, but this occurrence  is by no  means constant.
Usually the remainder  of  the  night is passed in
tolerably sound sleep ; two attacks do not occur in
the same night.  Seizures  of this  kind may come
on in a great variety of circumstances, and accord-
ing to  the cause whence they have  arisen, may con- 
NIGHT  TERRORS.
343
tinue to return  for many weeks together,  or  may
occur but a few times.  As far as I have  had the
opportunity of judging, they are never the indica-
tions  of primary mischief  in the brain,  but are
always  associated with some  disturbance of the
intestinal canal, and more or less  obvious gastric
disorder. In the majority of cases constipation of
the bowels exists."
   " My experience with such cases confirms that
of Dr. West, as indicating that these attacks do not
prove disease of the brain.   But the nervous sys-
tem of a child so affected must be morbidly suscep-
tible ;  and signs of  indigestion,  constipation,  or
irritation of the bowels are not always present.
   " During the attack the child should be at  once
gently lifted up from the bed and either carried for
a few moments or laid down in a different position.
Washing the face softly with a rag dipped in cool
or cold  water  may arouse thoroughly.   If any
medicine be suitable, it will be a teaspoonful or
two of camphor water.  Care is needed to prevent
the attacks.  Violent exercise and mental excitement
are almost as apt to bring them on as indigestion
or constipation.  The bowels should, however, be
kept open, as by fluid extract of rhubarb or senna,
etc.  Bromide of potassium is advised by Dr. S.
Ringer in obstinate recurrent attacks.  Some  prac-
titioners prefer chloral in from three to six  grain
doses.   To promote tranquil sleep some one should
remain  with the child, if timid, for awhile after it
goes to  bed ; or a light should be left burning low.
A child liable  to night terrors ought to be allowed 
344                EARACHE
to finish its morning sleep undisturbed. Abundance
of sleep is sedative to an over-excitable brain. Neg-
lect of such precautions  may convert a mere trans-
itory functional disturbance into a serious attack of
brain disease."

           BED WETTING (ENURESIS).
  Children sometimes have an inability to retaip
the urine long at a time, generally due to a weak-
ness of  the nervous system.   Much can be done
to prevent bed wetting by  withholding liquids,
except  in very small quantities, for some hours
before bedtime, and  by taking  the child up to
urinate after two or three hours sleep.  The follow
ing prescription is said to be excellent:
  Take benzoic  acid,  two drachms;  cinnamon
water, six fluid ounces.  Mix.  Take a teaspoon-
ful three times a day.
  Bromide of  potassium may be given in small
doses to  very excitable  children.   A  quantity
equal to half the bulk  of a grain of Indian corn
may be dissolved in  a  little water and  given just
before going to bed.

                   EARACHE.
  This is rather common in children, and  may be
caused  by inflammation, or be entirely neuralgic.
When there  is inflammation  there is considerable
pain in  the ear, and soreness  on pressure behind
the ear  and  in the  opening.   After a day or two
relief is given by a discharge  of  pus from the ear.
  Earache may generally be relieved by dropping 
             CONTAGIOUS DISEASES.          345

into the ear three or four drops of olive or almond
oil, with one or two  drops  of laudanum.  When
there is a discharge, the ear  should  be syringed
out with soapsuds made of castile  soap and warm
water.   Care should  be taken not to use force in
injecting the liquid.  Turning the  head to one side
and pouring the liquid  in with a spoon is  just as
good, the patient  turning the head to  allow it to
run out  again.

             CONTAGIOUS DISEASES.
  It is not my purpose to speak at length of small-
pox, measles, scarlet  fever,  mumps, chicken-pox,
and whooping-cough, but there are a few facts con-
cerning each of these diseases which ought to be
known to every mother.
  First of all I would say, no  matter how simple
the disease, I would  never  advise mothers to ex-
pose their children to it, as some do on the  ground
that it is better to have the disease when  young,
and that the chances are great that they will have
it some time in life.
  If proper hygienic measures have been adopted
in a family the milder of the above named diseases,
as measles, chicken-pox, mumps and  whooping-
cough, will not be severe  anytime in life ;  and, as
to smallpox, if proper attention is given to vaccina-
tion, as suggested in a previous chapter, little need
be feared from that.  As to scarlet fever, the disease
is dangerous at any time, and great care should be
taken to avoid it.  Moreover, it is not very com- 
346          CONTAGIOUS DISEASES.

mon, and the large majority go through life with-
out ever taking it.
  Smallpox or  variola, is the  most certainly con-
tagious of all the so-called contagious  diseases.
The period of incubation, that is, the time between
exposure to the disease and its beginning, is about
twelve days. The symptoms begin much like those
of an ordinary  fever, and unless  the disease is in
the vicinity, it is difficult for the physician to decide
as to its nature, until the eruption occurs.   This
appears about the third day of the attack.
  In the large majority of cases it does not occur a
second time. It  is said to  have occurred in the
same person three and even five times.   Louis XV
died of a second attack.
  If a person has been  effectually vaccinated the
liability to an attack is almost removed.  If it does
occur it is very much modified in  severity and is
then  known as varioloid  (variola, or smallpox
like.)  It was formerly  a custom to inoculate  for
smallpox, that is, they gave the disease to the per-
son by inserting the virus into his blood, the result
being smallpox in a somewhat modified form.
  There may be some who do not know the nature
of vaccination.   I will explain briefly.  Vaccinia,
or  cowpox, is  the  name  of  a disease  affecting
cattle.  It was known more  than a hundred years
ago that  cowpox was  sometimes  communicated
from the cow to man, and it was a common notion
that if a person once had cowpox he would never
have smallpox.  This led Edward Jenner, an En-
glishman, to investigate the nature of cowpox.  He 
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES.          347
made many experiments and learned that cowpox
could be communicated to man by inserting into
his blood a small portion  of the  virus or matter
from the eruption on  the  cow, and that it could
then be continued from one  individual to another
by successive transmissions  in the same manner,
and that in  some way  it effected a change in  the
condition of the individual so that he was not liable
to take smallpox.  When the virus from a small-
pox  patient  is inserted into a healthy  cow  the
animal is affected with cowpox and the virus thus
obtained is used for vaccination.  It is generally
the custom now  to  vaccinate with virus  obtained
directly from the cow and not from arm to arm.
   Chickenpox, or varicella, is a  very  mild disease
resembling varioloid.  After a period of incubation
of four or five days  pimples  form here and there
over the body.  There  is very little fever and no
danger to life.  It is only  necessary  to avoid  ex-
posure to cold and to keep the bowels  regular.   It
seldom affects adults.
  Measles is a very common  disease.   It begins in
from ten to fifteen days after exposure to the con-
tagion.   There is slight fever and  depression, with
the symptoms of  a cold in the head, running at the
nose, redness  and  watering of the  eyes,  and a
cough.  About four days  after the beginning of
the fever the eruption appears.   It is not so bright
in color as  scarlet fever. In  about seven days the
eruption disappears.
  It is rarely fatal when not complicated with other
diseases, except  in very young children.  Some- 
348
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES.
times the attacks  are so  mild that  an observer
would  scarcely  know there was  anything more
than a  common cold.   It  sometimes occurs the
second time.
  Scarcely any treatment is necessary except to
take care  to  avoid exposure, and to keep  the
bowels open.  Active purgatives should be avoided.
Let the patient drink plenty of liquids of any kind
that are agreeable, either hot or cold.  The eyes
are apt to  be  weak for some  days.  The  patient
should not read or do work which requires close
attention during convalescence.
   Whooping-cough is purely a contagious disease.
It is  most common in young  children, but adults
may have it.  It seldom occurs the second time.
It begins about six days after exposure to the con-
tagion.  There is  some  fever, and a spasmodic
cough.  For  hours at a time  the patient may be
apparently as well as  ever,  when suddenly he be-
gins to cough violently for several seconds or min-
utes.  The cough is peculiar, consisting of  several
short efforts at expelling the air from the  lungs,
and then a drawing  in of the air  through a con-
tracted glottis, making a whooping sound, whence
the name of the  disease.  This whooping is, how-
ever, not always present, but the coughing is  al-
ways paroxysmal, that is, by spells. Vomiting often
occurs during the coughing spells.  The spells of
coughing are  sometimes so severe as to threaten
death by exhaustion, but such cases are rare.
  The disease seldom lasts  longer than six  weeks,
but may continue three or four months, or  even a 
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES.
349
year.  Unless complicated with some other disease
as pneumonia, it is rarely dangerous.
  Mild cases need no treatment, except to avoid
exposure to  dampness and cold.  When there is
no fever, the child need  not  be  kept  in the house
during mild weather.  He will cough less if allowed
to spend much  time in the open air.  Some kind
of cough syrup may be given if the cough is tight
and little phlegm appears.  In severe cases, the
following prescription may be used :
  Take  syrup  of ipecac,  two  and one-half fluid
drachms ;  syrup of squills, three fluid drachms  ;
mixture of assafoetida, enough to make two fluid
ounces.  Give one or two teaspoonfuls not oftener
than every three hours. The mixture of assafoetida
is made by rubbing one drachm of assafoetida grad-
ually with four ounces of water until thoroughly
mixed, then adding two  fluid ounces  of syrup of
ginger.
  Mumps,  or parotitis, is generally  a very  mild
disease and  lasts  but  a  few days.    The parotid
gland, located  in  front of, and  a little below, the
ear,  swells and becomes hot and painful.  There
may be considerable inconvenience in swallowing.
This is particularly noticed  in  taking some sour
substance, as a pickle, in the  mouth.   One or both
sides may be affected, and sometimes there is con-
siderable fever,  with delirium, and great swelling
of the sides of the face.
  The disease is never dangerous, unless, as some-
times occurs, there is a change of the inflammation
to another part.  This occasionally happens.  It 
35°
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES.
changes to the breasts in  the  female, and to  the
testicles in the male.   There are some rare cases
where it changes to the brain, and death is said to
have resulted.
  Care  to avoid cold  and dampness is important.
A change of the disease is more likely to take place
if the patient becomes chilled.   A poultice of flax
seed may be applied to the jaw in severe cases, and
a mild physic be given.
  Scarlet fever, or scarlatina, is to  be dreaded, as
its results are  very uncertain.   There are  three
recognized varieties.   The first, or simple variety,
is the least dangerous, a majority of cases getting
well.  The second, or anginose (choking) variety,
is more  serious,  and  in the  third, or malignant
(violent, bad) variety, recovery is the exception.
  It affects children mostly, but seldom occurs in
infants  under  three months  old.   It is generally
considered contagious, but many who are exposed
to it do  not take it, and it sometimes occurs where
its cause can not be found, there being no cases in
the neighborhood.  Sometimes one child  in a fam-
ily of children  will get it, and  the  others escape,
and sometimes all but one of the family of several
children will have it.  I once treated a   genuine
case of scarlet  fever in a family of four  small
children, where all lived in one room.   There were
no cases of the  disease  within  ten  miles.   The
child recovered, and none  of the others  took  the
disease.
  It begins usually about five days  after exposure
to its cause.   There is usually headache,  pains in 
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES.          35 I
the back and limbs, with some fever and soreness
of the throat.  On the second  day the eruption
appears on the face and neck, and gradually spreads
over the whole body.  It  differs  from measles in
the eruption appearing sooner, being of a brighter
red color, and not in patches, and not attended
with symptoms of cold in  the head, but with sore
throat.  On the appearance of such  symptoms  a
physician should be sent for at once.  If there are
cases in the  neighborhood great care  should be
taken not to expose children to the contagion, and
a doctor should be called  on the  first appearance
of a sore throat, and complaint  of headache and
pains in the back and limbs. 
Chapter XIII.
     WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES.
               PRESENCE OF MIND.
  The person who can  keep cool and take things
deliberately will be of the most service to the suffer-
ing in all cases of accidents and in  every trying
emergency.  There is  no  use  of screaming, rush-
ing around wildly, and giving expression to feelings
<of horror and  pity.  This will excite the patient,
and those who are trying to  be calm and aid the
sufferer.  This art of  keeping cool  under trying
circumstances can be cultivated by every  one.   It
is a power to be proud of, as life may sometimes
depend upon it.  Physicians are often accused of
being hard-hearted, simply because they have cul-
tivated the habit of controlling their feelings.  You
had better run the risk  of being called hard-hearted
than to be so excitable as  to be of more harm than
good in trying cases.
   Says Dr. Hope:  "Every one knows that all
have not the  same  gifts, all  have  not the  same
strength of nerve.   Most people have naturally  a
feeling of dread and of nervous horror at  the sight
of blood, and this is quite natural; for blood always
suggests to  the mind suffering or  death.   Still,
much can be done by mere force of will, determina-
tion, facing the thing bravely.  Not that we  should
be hard-hearted and  have no sympathy  with  our
                       (352) 
                     pain.                  353

fellow-creatures when suffering.  But  by a  de-
termination to conquer one's self, in plain language,
to make one's self go through it, this can be done,
and is done by hundreds every  day."
   The first and most important thing, then, in all
cases of accident is presence of mind or self-control.

                     PAIN.
   Pain is not entirely an evil, as we might, at first
thought, be ready to say.  If it were not for pain
we would take no care of ourselves.  Nature warns
us  when we violate  her  laws.   If a child puts its
hand in the fire the pain compels it to take it away
before it has time to produce  serious injury.   In
using tools we might seriously injure ourselves  and
not know it if the  pain  did not warn us.  Many
similar illustrations might be given.   It should be
remembered, however, that the pain is not always
proportionate to the extent of the injury or severity
of  the disease.   Extensive wounds  and fatal
diseases are not often attended with much pain,
while very simple affections and slight injuries are
accompanied by severe pain.
  There is a great difference in different persons
in respect to the power of enduring pain.  Some
do not actually suffer as  much  as  others  because
their nervous systems are not so highly developed.
But among those who actually feel great pain there
is  much difference.  Sometimes the stoutest men
are ready to cry out at the slightest  pain, while
there are many delicately organized women who
may suffer the most excruciating pangs without a
    23 
354
A MEDICINE CHEST.
murmur.  There are two reasons for this.  First,
frequent occurence of pain accustoms persons to it
and they learn to bear it with patience ;  secondly,
an effort of the will, which  may be cultivated in
this respect, will enable persons  not only to resist
the inclination to cry out at pain, but will do much
towards  alleviating its  severity.  Women usually
suffer more than men and are more patient under
suffering.  Children cry out at the slightest twinge
of pain, while adults generally repress their inclina-
tions with little difficulty.  People who have been
sick  a great  deal, complain less when suffering
than those who  have seldom had to undergo suf-
fering.
  A child may be made to forget its pain  to a great
extent by amusing it with toys, pictures, etc.  How
quickly the child stops crying when its  mother or
some sympathizing person takes it, talks soothingly
and carries it around.  One should, however, be
certain  that the child is crying from real pain.
Children often cry from anger or mere fretfulness,
when there is no pain.  A close observer will gen-
erally be able to tell whether the child is really
suffering.  It  should be remembered that crying
is nature's safety valve for emotion and should not
be suppressed by  force.  It is really wicked  to
compel a child to quit crying by threats or punish-
ment.
               A MEDICINE CHEST.
  In many cases of sickness and accident it is very
important that no  time  be  lost.  A very simple
remedy,  if applied  at  the right  time, may save a 
A MEDICINE CHEST.
355
life, or at least much subsequent  suffering.   A
medicine chest, or more properly named, an emer-
gency chest,  should be kept in every family.
  Get a box with a lock and  key.   Place it out of
the way of children, but where it  can be found  in
a moment's notice.  Place in it some long strips of
old linen, calico and  flannel, which must be clean
and dry.  Some court plaster  and a  little lint,
which is obtained by scraping a  linen towel with a
knife.  A  small  pair of scissors, a paper of pins,
two or three  needles ready threaded  and some
wrapping twine.  All of these articles may be put
by  themselves in a  small pasteboard box.   A little
common salt  and a lump of alum.  The following
articles should be  kept in  well-stopped bottles:
Castor oil, linseed  oil, sweet oil, alcohol  or good
wine or brandy, tincture of Jamaica ginger, epsom
salts, carbonate of soda, ground mustard, some
good  cider vinegar, lime water, syrup of ipecac  or
lobelia, essence of peppermint.
  Although the uses of most  of these articles have
been or will be mentioned in  this book,  I will here
repeat the uses of  each  in order.  The strips of
linen,  calico  and flannel, will be  useful in burns
and scalds, and in bandaging wounds.   The court
plaster in slight wounds, and the  lint in stopping
blood, or in  dressing  sores.  The scissors, pins,
needles and thread, and twine, will come useful  in
many ways, especially in  dressing wounds.  The
salt and  mustard to be used in  producing quick
vomiting in cases of poisoning.  The alum, syrup
of ipecac  and  lobelia, may be used in  producing 
356
A MEDICINE CHEST.
vomiting in croup.  The castor oil, sweet oil  and
'epsom salts, in producing quick action of the bow-
els.  The ginger, peppermint essence and alcohol,
or brandy, in cramping of the stomach, colic,  and
where  a quick stimulant is  desired.  The vinegar
and carbonate of soda are useful in cases of pois-
oning.  The linseed oil and lime water in cases of
burns and scalds.  The lime water is made by sim-
ply dropping a lump of quick lime in cold water,
letting it stand until all action has ceased and it has
settled, and pouring off the clear liquid.  The tinc-
ture of ginger may be bought at the drug store
under that name, or what is called extract  of Ja-
maica  ginger will answer the same purpose.
  In regard to the quantities  of these articles, I
■will say that not more than an ounce of each need be
provided, except in case of the lime water and vin-
egar.  Three or four ounces of these will be suffi-
cient.   The solid  articles  may be put  in wide
mouthed bottles, as old quinine bottles which may
be obtained of druggists or physicians.  As soon
as possible after one of the articles has  been used
its place should be filled with a fresh supply.  Have
every bottle plainly labeled.
  Now, I imagine I hear some one saying, " This
sounds very well in a book, but is not meant to be
carried out."  I will simply say that the wise man
carries his umbrella on a fair day and the one who
is always prepared is prepared when an emergency
occurs.  How often are we advised to give a certain
remedy in poisoning, for example, when, no matter
how common the article, it is not to be found in the 
              BURNS AND  SCALDS.           357

house, or if in the house it  is in some out-of-the-
way  place  where  no  one  can  find it  without
considerable search.  Families are apt to be out
of ginger, soda, etc. ; the  scissors get misplaced,
needles and pins can not be found when wanted,
etc. ; but if all these articles are  always found in
one particular place there is no  danger of delay
from such causes.
  I would urge the importance of these preparations
more  especially to people living in the country, for
town people have near neighbors and drug stores,
and doctors are within easy reach.

               BURNS AND SCALDS.
  The first thing to learn is how to avoid accidents
from fire.  Children should be taught  the import-
ance of being careful about handling fire.   Alight
or fire should never be taken near vessels contain-
ing kerosene, gasoline or  other  inflammable oils.
Lamps should be kept well filled and  never filled
while burning, nor within four feet of light or fire.
Never pour oil on a fire.  If you do use oil for kind-
ling fires first put a little on the fuel and then take
the vessel to a safe  distance before applying the
match.  Do not stand over it.  Matches should be
kept where mice or children can not get at them.
A tin box nailed high up  on the wall away from
articles of furniture is the best place.
  Gasoline or vapor  stoves are coming much into
use.  Many persons are afraid to use them. They
are as harmless  as wood or coal stoves, if the rules
given above are observed.  One can not explode 
35§           BURNS  AND  SCALDS.
 by simply using it.  It is only when some careless
 or ignorant person  attempts to fill it while it is
 lighted or brings a light near the vessel containing
 the oil that accidents occur.
   Ether,  alcohol, chloroform, spirits of  camphor,
 turpentine, benzine,  sunlight oil, and many others
 not in common use, are  more or  less easily con-
 verted into vapor, and their vapors mixed with air
 are explosive, the same as the vapors of kerosene
 and gasoline.  Be careful of handling such sub-
 stances near a fire or light.  Even common grease,
 as  lard or tallow, is sometimes dangerous when
 large quantities are  spilled over a stove or very
 near the  fire.  Place no  confidence  in  men who
 pretend to sell non-explosive oils.   In fact, no oil
 or liquid  is  explosive and does not in itself burn,
 but the heat converts a portion of it into vapor,
 and this vapor burns, quietly  if not mixed with
 air, but  explodes if  first mixed with  air.   Some
 oils  vaporize  at  much lower temperatures than
 others, hence, are more dangerous to handle.   It
 should be remembered that all  inflammable sub-
 stances are  dangerous when proper care is not
 taken.  The illuminating gas burned in towns and
 cities is explosive when mixed with air.   A gas jet
 must never be blown out, but turned out.
  When a fire  breaks  out try to  keep calm and
not get excited.   Go  to work to put out the fire and
call for help at  the same time, but while you work
think what you  are doing.  There is some truth in
the stories we  hear  of people  throwing looking-
glasses out of the up-stairs window and  carrying 
BURNS AND  SCALDS.
359
the feather bed down carefully.  If your clothes
get on fire do not run about, but lie down and roll
over, trying to smother the flames, or seize the first
cloth,  garment, bed quilt, table cover, carpet, or
anything of the kind, and wrap yourself in it.  If
obliged to pass through fire or smoke wet a cloth
and put it over the face and  head.  Take a full
breath before you start and stoop low.
   If oil is spilled upon a wooden surface and the
vapor gets on fire, the most of the oil will be con-
sumed without burning the wood.  The fire in such
a case will be more easily extinguished after it has
burned a little while than at first.  The best plan
is to throw a cloth  over it.  Never throw water
upon burning  oil.   It only spreads the  flame and
increases it.  If obliged  to handle phosphorus do
so with wet fingers  or under water.  Sodium and
potassium are  two substances  which, on the con-
trary,  must not be touched writh wet fingers or you
will get burned.
   In the treatment  of burns and scalds, the first
thing necessary is to exclude the air, for air is irri-
tating to any part where it does not come naturally.
In all burns of any extent, the epidermis of the
skin, which is insensible and protects the sensitive
parts beneath,  is destroyed, and the  parts are ex-
posed to the air.  Water is  always soothing to  a
burn,  because  it  excludes air.  Wet applications
are never out of place.   Oils which are  not stimu-
lating are sometimes better.   One of the best for
this purpose is linseed oil, and  lime water is recom- 
360         WOUNDS  AND BLEEDING.

mended by the best of authorities.   A piece of soft
flannel should be laid over it.
  If a burn or scald be over an  extensive surface
and  severe, a doctor  should at once  be sent  for.
When the injured surface is great, death may result
from the shock.  There is, in such cases, very little
pain, and  persons may be deceived  into the  belief
that the injury is slight. The newspaper statements
like the following are not true:  "After enduring
untold agony for some hours, death relieved  him
of his sufferings."   If the burn be extensive enough
to cause death in a short time, the  death is from
the  shock  to the nervous  system, and there is very
little or no pain.  Sometimes a burn or scald over
a great surface does not produce a shock sufficient
to cause death, but by reflex action of the nervous
system causes inflammation of some internal organ.
  If a person has been  badly burned,  great care
should  be used in removing  the clothes.  They
should not be pulled or dragged off, but cut loose
with knife or scissors so  completely that they will
fall off.  If any part stick to the body it should not
be removed.

             WOUNDS AND BLEEDING.
  Some persons are frightened at the first sight of
blood.  This fear should be overcome by persistent
effort of the will.   A wound may be very slight,  a
mere scratch, and the bleeding be profuse, making
it seem of frightful severity.  Again,  a wound may
be a fatal one and there be little bleeding, and  a
small extent of surface broken, so that  it may ap- 
            WOUNDS  AND BLEEDING.         361

pear slight.   Therefore, always  examine a wound
closely before you make up your mind about it.
  First, observe  the  color of the blood.  If it be
bright red, it is from the injury  of an artery.  If
darker,  of a  vein.  This  is,  however, not a very
good test, since there is  little difference between
the color of the blood in the veins  and arteries.
The manner of the flow tells more.   If the blood
seems to flow steadily, only veins, or at  least very
small arteries are injured, and  the  danger is not
apt to be so great.  If the blood flows  by spurts,
there are one or more arteries injured, and the bleed-
ing may be severe.  Send for a  physician, but in
the meantime do not be idle.   If the wound be in
the arm or leg, take a handkerchief,  or any piece
of goods of a similar size, tie it loosely around the
limb above the wound, and placing a stick through
the loop twist it as tight as  you  can.  If this does
not stop the flow, take another piece of cloth, wad
it up, and put it on the wound, and twist another
handkerchief around the limb.
  If the wound  does not appear to be  deep, and
only small vessels injured,  there  are many sub-
stances  which will stop the flow of blood.  Cotton,
cobwebs,  or  lint  scraped  from  a towel, a  little
pounded alum, or if nothing else, a handful of dry
earth may be used.  Many a life  has been saved
on  the  battle-field, by cramming a  wound with
earth.
  Bleeding from  slight wounds may often be ar-
rested by simply plunging the part into cold water
or by bandaging the wound tightly while the blood 
362         WOUNDS AND  BLEEDING.

is flowing. Warm or lukewarm water should never
be put on a wound while it is bleeding; use either
cold or hot water.  Slight wounds about the head
and face usually  bleed freely, but are rarely dan-
gerous.
  Some persons have a peculiar tendency to bleed
freely  from  slight causes.  The  extraction of a
tooth  has caused serious  hemorrhage.   Persons
knowing themselves to have such a tendency should
warn  the dentist,  that he may be prepared to stop
the bleeding.
  Nose bleeding  is serious  sometimes.  Bathing
the face and neck in cold water,  holding the arms
above the head, pouring a solution of alum into the
nostrils are  usually efficient.  If these measures
have  failed,  send for  a physician.   He may be
obliged to plug the  nostrils.  If this is not done
properly, more harm than good will result.
  Arteries may be felt pulsating in  the following
places where they come near the surface:  (1) At
the wrist next the thumb ;  (2)  on  each side of the
neck  in front;  (3) upon the temples in front of the
ear ;  (4) upon the lower jaw half way between the
chin and the ear; (5) by holding the corner of the
upper lip between thumb and finger; (6) by hold-
ing the lower lip  in same manner; (7) in the arm-
pits ;  (8) at bend of elbow ;  (9) behind the knee ;
(10) upon the  thigh just  below the groin.  Every
one should know the location of these arteries, as
occasions may come when by pressing with thumb
and fingers, or by a bandage at one of these places, 
             WOUNDS AND BLEEDING.         363

the flow of blood may be checked until surgical aid
could arrive.
  If a fish hook  gets  into the  flesh push it on
through, if necessary, breaking off the head.  Do
not attempt to pull it out the way it went in.   If a
wound is made with a sharp knife, it may often be
made to heal up quickly with scarcely any inflam-
mation, by tying it up tightly in a rag in the blood
so that the separated parts come close together, and
leaving the bandage on  for four or five days.   If it
becomes painful, holding it in  warm water a little
while without undoing the bandage  and then  put-
ting some grease or oil of some kind on  the outside
of the rag, tying another one over it to retain the
grease.  Remember that air is always irritating to
raw surfaces, and  anything that will exclude the
air and keep the parts soft so  that the blood  may
circulate freely will facilitate the healing.  Wounds
made  beneath the skin when the skin  is  only
slightly cut or broken usually heal rapidly.
  When a  person spits  blood it is not necessarily
from the lungs, it may be from the mouth, pharynx,
or stomach.  If from the lungs, pharynx, or mouth,
it will be of a bright red color.  If from the stom-
ach it will be  dark and mixed with particles of
food.  In any case give a little vinegar or lemon
juice and a little cold water or bits of ice,  and  con-
sult a physician.
  If a wound is made by broken glass or splinters
of wood, it should be  carefully  examined before
the parts are closed and  held by  a bandage, as 
364
BROKEN BONES.
there may be particles of foreign matter remaining
in the wound.

   BROKEN BONES, DISLOCATIONS AND SPRAINS.
  A broken bone may be known by the person not
being able to raise the limb, by its  bending where
it ought not and by the pain and swelling, and by
hearing the broken ends grate on each other when
the parts are moved.  The bones of  a child's arm
may be partly bent and partly broken, making a
crook in the limb.
  Place the patient in as easy a position as possi-
ble, apply wet cloths  to the  part and send  for a
physician.   In case of a broken thigh, the spasms
of the  muscles sometimes draw the  broken bone
out of place and cause intense pain.  If the doctor
is long in  coming much relief may  be given in the
meantime by tying a bandage  round  the  ankle,
crossing it over the instep and  bringing the ends
together under  the foot and tying to this a weight
of about eight  pounds,  letting  it  hang over  the
foot of the bed  so as to draw the leg  down.
  Dislocations of bones may generally be known
by the unnatural appearance of the  parts, by the
pain and the inability  to make all the usual move-
ments of the limb.   Sometimes  it is difficult to dis-
tinguish a fracture from a dislocation, or there may
be both a  dislocation and a fracture.  It is not gen-
erally best to attempt to replace a dislocated bone,
without sending for a physician, since one  should
be absolutely sure  that there is  no  fracture before 
DROWNING.
365
pulling on the limb, and that the bone be properly
put back in place.
  The lower jaw is sometimes dislocated in the act
of yawning.  In such a  case  the  mouth is  fixed
wide open, and the person can not speak.  Wrap
a cloth around each thumb, or put on thick gloves,
and place the thumbs far back upon the  grinder
teeth, and press downward and backward  till you
feel the jaw slip into place.
   Sprains  are  often more  serious than fractures
or  dislocations.  They are very  painful, and  a
long  time  in  getting well if severe.  The best
thing to  do is to  keep the  limb quiet, and  apply
warm and moist applications.  Warm vinegar and
a flannel cloth are as good as anything.  The parts
should not hang down.   Much pain and swelling
may be avoided by keeping the limb in a horizontal
position.  The limb  should be brought into use
gradually after the pain and  swelling  disappear.
Long continued exertion will bring back the symp-
toms.
                   DROWNING.
   The human  body is a little lighter than water,
 when the lungs contain the ordinary amount of air.
 If persons who are thrown into the water would only
 have the presence of mind  to try simply to keep
 the nostrils out of the water and breathe naturally,
 allowing all other parts of the body to sink  as low
 as they will, they would never drown.  You can
 not drown a cat, a dog, or any other land animal
 by simply throwing- it in water.   Even kittens a
 day old can swim.  Man  is the only animal that 
366
DROWNING.
has to learn to swim, and it is  simply because he
loses his presence  of mind.   The swimming of a
cat or dog consists in simply making the same mo-
tions in the water that it does on the land, and in
keeping its nose above water.   If a man would do
the same, and not  get  scared, he would  swim  as
easily.  Getting frightened he draws water into
his lungs, and this expels the air, or he  exhausts
himself in frantic efforts  to keep his body on top
of the water.
  It is not  good policy even  for a good swimmer
to go in bathing alone  in deep  water, for he may
be attacked with " cramps" and become  helpless.
One should  inspire quickly,  and  expire' slowly
when in the water.
  Persons  apparently  dead from  drowning have
been restored to life by patiently working with them
in the proper manner.  The English Life Boat As-
sociation issued a circular  giving directions for
restoring the drowned.   I give  a condensed state-
ment of their plans.
   Remove all  clothing from the face, neck, and
chest.  Place the  patient on the face with  one arm
under his  forehead.  In this position the tongue
will fall forward, and the water  escape more freely.
If breathing begins, proceed  at once  to restore
warmth.  Apply hot flannels, or other cloths over
the stomach, between the thighs, and to the soles
of the feet.   Give a little brandy, wine,  or strong
coffee. Rub the body and limbs vigorously with
the bare hands.
   If breathing be not restored, or if it be very slight, 
DROWNING.               367
turn the patient on the side, support the head, and
tickle the throat and nostrils with a feather, at the
same time rub the face and chest, and dash water
on them.  If this does not succeed imitate the nat-
ural act of breathing as follows :   Replace the pa-
tient on the face, supporting the chest on a folded
coat or something of the kind, then turn  the body
gently on the side and a  little beyond, then back
again, repeating this several times a minute, occa-
sionally varying the side.  Every time the body is
placed upon the face make gentle pressure between
the shoulder  blades.  Let  some  one be rubbing
the  feet  and  limbs  with dry  cloths to restore
warmth.
   If no result in five minutes of this kind of work,
place the body on the back, supporting  the head
and shoulders on the folded  coat.  Draw forward
the tongue  and  cleanse  the mouth and nostrils.
The tongue  may be held forward by  an elastic
band,  or a string tied under the chin.   Stand at
the patient's  head, grasp the arms  just  above the
elbows, and  draw them gently upward  above the
head and keep them there for about two seconds.
This draws the air into the lungs.  Then turn the
arms down, and press them firmly against the sides
of the chest.   This presses the air out of the lungs.
Repeat this process about fifteen times in a minute,
until a spontaneous effort to breathe is perceived.
Then  proceed to produce warmth in the manner
before described.   Cases are on record of persons
recovering after six hours of suspended animation.
One  should  not, therefore,  be  discouraged if no 
368       BITES OF  SNAKES AND DOGS.

apparently good results appear  in three or four
hours of such work.

                  FREEZING.
  When a person is  stupefied from the effects  of
extreme cold, do not take him into a warm room
at once, but wrap him in blankets, remove clothes,
if wet, and rub  the skin thoroughly, especially at
the extremities, and give a little warm tea, coffee,
or weakened wine.   Make him move about if you
can; if not, bend and move the limbs to arouse the
circulation.
  The extremities,  as the hands, feet, nose and
ears, are often frozen before  the person is aware
of it.  The parts become very white.  When such
is the case, rub with  snow, or bathe in cold water,
and keep away from the fire.  Apply sweet oil or
lard and wrap in flannel.  Rub the parts carefully
if they are frozen stiff, as injury may be done.
  Extreme cold produces  a feeling of drowsiness.
To yield, and  to go to sleep under the circum-
stances, is certain death.  This feeling  should  be
resisted by exercise and force  of the will

          BITES OF  SNAKES AND DOGS.
  The bite of a rattlesnake does not always kill,
even  when no  remedies are given.   The danger
from bites of serpents of any kind, as well as from
insects, depends upon various circumstances.   In
the case of many reptiles the bite is more virulent
some times of the year than others. Much depends
upon the condition of the person bitten.   The bite 
            DANGERS FROM FOUL AIR.        369

 of a spider, and even of a fly have been known to
 cause death, while there have been recoveries from
 the bites of the most poisonous reptiles known.
   If bitten by a poisonous reptile, tie a string tightly
 above the wound, and suck the wound, if the mouth
 be not sore.   Give plenty of alcohol and water,  or
 whisky, brandy, or other liquor containing  much
 alcohol.  Cauterizing the  wound  with a  red-hot
 iron may be tried.  This is not a very painful op-
 eration.
   For the bite of a dog or other animal supposed
 to be mad, apply the same  remedies, except the
 use of the spirits.  The animal should not be killed,
 if he can be secured with  safety, because he may
 not  really have been mad, and no one knowing
 otherwise,  the fear of hydrophobia, even where
 there is no danger, may affect the patient seriously.
   An eminent French scientist  is at this time ex-
 perimenting to find out a remedy for the prevention
 of hydrophobia.   He has  been  for a number of
 years experimenting with a view of discovering a
 method of preventing,  or  lessening the virulence
 of all contagious diseases, on a principle similar to
 that of vaccination.  There is reason for entertain-
 ing hopes of success in this line, but it will be many
 years, probably, before the world will see the ben-
 efits.
        DANGERS  FROM FOUL AIR, ETC.
  Old wells, cisterns, sewers and sometimes mines,
 oontain what is known as "damps," or  "choke
 damp."  This is carbonic acid gas, which will suf-
focate  a person, destroying life in a  manner similar
    24 
37O        DANGERS FROM FOUL AIR.
to drowning.   Before entering a place of this kind,
a lighted candle should be lowered.  If the candle
continues to burn, there is perfect  safety.   It may
be driven out of a well or cistern by lowering  a
large kettle containing burning straw or shavings.
This creates an upward current of air, which draws
it out.  This  operation  may have  to  be  repeated
many times.
  The illuminating gas burned in cities and towns
is suffocating as well as explosive.  I repeat here
what was said under the head of burns and scalds.
Never blow out a gas jet, but  turn it out.  A lamp
of any kind gives off a small amount of carbonic
acid gas in burning, therefore rooms should be well
ventilated where  lamps are  lighted.  A  coal oil
lamp when turned low does  not consume all the
gas which it generates from the oil.  Hence to the
carbonic  acid  gas  will be   added another kind,
which  is  just  as incapable  of  being  respired.
Never leave a lamp turned down at night.  Let  it
burn at full height or put it out.   If you must leave
a lamp burning it is best to get a very small lamp.
  Charcoal burned in  a room,  without  a flue to
carry of the gas, is dangerous.   It generates car-
bonic acid gas.
  To recapitulate, there are two  principal kinds of
gases which may  affect the atmosphere which we
may enter.  Both of these will produce suffocation
if sufficient in quantity, but one kind, the carbonic
acid gas, will extinguish fire ; the other kind (such
as is produced from evaporated oils and the illum-
inating gas), is inflammable  when fire is brought 
             POISONS AND POISONING.         371

 near, and explosive if mixed with  air.  The in-
 flammable  gases  are usually  known  by their
 peculiar  odor.  Carbonic acid  gas,  unless mixed
 with another kind, is odorless.
   If a person has been exposed to suffocating gases
 the treatment should be  the same as that required
 to restore from drowning.

             POISONS AND POISONING.
   When  poison  has been  swallowed there is no
 time to be lost.   A doctor should be immediately
 sent for, and in the meantime something should be
 done, either to neutralize the poison or cause its
 ejection from the stomach.   If the nature  of the
 poison  be known it may in some cases be proper
 to attempt to neutralize it at  once by giving other
 substances which  form with it harmless chemical
 compounds, but the best  plan generally is to give,
 the first thing, something that will produce vomit-
 ing.  The quickest  emetic is  a teaspoonful of
 ground mustard in half a pint of warm water.   Salt
 and warm water, soap suds, alum and warm water
 or simply large quantities of luke warm water.  In
 case these fail or  be not at hand vomiting may be
 induced by pushing the finger down the throat as
 far as possible.  If nothing but cold water be at
 hand drink copiously of it,  and push the finger
 down the throat.
  After producing vomiting, or at the same time
you are trying to  produce it, give the proper anti-
dote if  one is known.   Some  poisons  have  no
special  antidote.   As  general antidotes  in  such 
372         POISONS AND  POISONING.
cases any oily or mucilaginous substances should
be given, such as oil or grease of any kind, cream,
milk, white  of  egg,  flour and water, or  starch.
These  substances  save by preventing the absorp-
tion of the poison.  Oils  or  grease should not be
given in case of phosphorus  poisoning.  This is
one exception.
  I give the most common poisons and their anti-
dotes in alphabetical  order for ready reference.
This table  can be  used of course only when the
name of the poison is known to  the attendants.
I have given all  of the names in common use. To
save repetition I have made frequent cross-refer-
ences.  Do not fail to make use of them.
  Acetic Acid.—See Acids.
  Acids.—A class of  substances known by a sour
taste, and  chemically opposed to alkalies.  The
common dangerous acids are sulphuric acid (oil of
vitriol), nitric acid (aqua fortis), hydrochloric acid
(muriatic acid), acetic acid  and oxalic acid. The
antidotes are the harmless  alkalies, as powdered
chalk, magnesia, soap and lime water.  If nothing
else be at hand, scrape the plastered wall, put the
scrapings in water and drink the mixture.
  Acetate of Lead.—See Lead.
  Alkalies.—A class of substances known by their
acrid or bitter taste,  a soapy feel, and chemically
opposed to acids.  The common poisons  among
the  alkalies are concentrated lye, potash,  sal soda
and ammonia (hdrtshorn).   Acids are the chemical
antidotes, but as many of the  acids are themselves
poisonous, only certain ones should be used. Vin- 
             POISONS AND POISONING.          373

 egar,  lemon juice, sour  milk  and sour cider are
 about the only available harmless acids.  Use these
 freely.
   Ammonia.—See Alkalies.
   Antimony—May have been taken in the form of
 tartar emetic or of black antimony.  Give plenty of
 strong tea of oak bark, elm bark, currant or black-
 berry leaves.
   Aqua Fortis.—See Acids.
   Arsenic—May have been  taken in  the  form of
 Paris green or ratsbane (white arsenic).  Iron is its
 chemical  antidote, but no convenient form of it
 will probably be at hand.   Give milk and raw egg,
 or lime water or flour and water.
   Bateman's Drops.—See Opium.
   Bedbug Poison.—See Mercury.
   Blue Mass or Blue Pill.—See Mercury.
   Calomel.—See Mercury.
   Carbolic Acid and Creosote.—Differing from  the
 common acids.  Give sweet  oil or castor oil and a
 mixture of lime, sugar and water.
   Chloroform, Ether  and Chloral.—The first two
 are  generally inhaled.   Dash cold water in the
 face, suspend patient by the legs for a few moments.
 Practice artificial  respiration, as for drowned per-
 sons.
   Chloral.—See Chloroform.
   Chloride of Zinc.—See Zinc.
   Concentrated Lye.—See Alkalies.
   Copperas—See Iron.
   Copper—May have been taken in the form of
blue vitriol (blue stone), verdigris, food cooked in 
374         POISONS AND POISONING.
copper  vessels, " greened  pickles."   Give milk
and white of eggs, and strong tea.   Do  not give
acids.
   Creosote.—See Carbolic Acid.
   Cyanide of Potassium.—See Prussic Acid.
   Dog Button.—See Strychnia.
   Green Vitriol.—See Iron.
   '' Greened Pickles.'''—See Copper.
   Hartshorn.—See Alkalies.
   Hydrochloric Acid.—See Acids.
   Iodine.—Give  large  quantities of starch and
water or flour and water.
   Iron—May have been taken in the form of sul-
phate of iron (copperas,  or green vitriol).  Give
magnesia, or carbonate of soda and water.
   Laudanum.—See Opium.
   Lead.—In the forms of acetate of lead, or sugar
of lead; white lead, or  white paint;  red lead, or
red paint.  Give  epsom salts, two ounces in a pint
of water, a wine  glass full every ten  minutes until
it  operates freely.  Painters and others who work
with  these substances  are  often slowly poisoned,
causing what is called "lead colic," attended with
loss of  power in the limbs, noticable  in the wrists.
Send for a physician.
   Lunar Caustic.—See Silver.
   Lye.—See Alkalies.
   Matches.—See Phosphorus.
   Mercury.—In the form of calomel;  corrosive sub-
limate,  or " bedbug poison f red precipitate; ver-
milion ; blue  mass, or blue pill.  Give white of eggs
freely,  or flour and water, or milk, or linseed oil. 
POISONS AND POISONING.         375
  Morphine.—See Opium.
  Muriatic Acid.  See Acids.
  Nitric Acid.—See Acids.
  Nitrate of Silver.—See Silver.
  Opium.—In the form of laudanum, or tincture
of opium; paregoric;  Bateman's drops;  soothing
syrup; poppy seeds, morphine, etc.   Give plenty
of strong coffee, put mustard plasters on calves of
legs; keep the  patient roused by  dashing cold
water in the face and beating soles of feet.
  Oxalic Acid.—See Acids.
  Oxide of Zinc.—See Zinc.
  Paregoric.—See Opium.
  Paris Green.—See Arsenic.
  Phosphorus.—In the form of matches, rat poison,
etc.   Give magnesia, chalk or whiting with warm
water.  Give no oil, or fat of any kind.
  Poppy Seeds.—See Opium.
  Potash.—See  Alkalies.
  Prussic Acid  and Cyanide of Potassium.—Very
powerful  poison.  Little  hope of saving patient.
Give a teaspoonful of hartshorn in a  pint of water.
Dash water in the face.   Give stimulants.
  Ratsbane.—See Arsenic.
  Rat Poison.—See Phosphorus and Sirychina.
  Red Precipitate.—See Mercury.
  Red Lead.—See Lead.
  Saltpeter.—Give flour and water or linseed oil.
  Sal Soda.—See Alkalies.
  Soothing Syrup.—See  Opium.
  Silver.—In the form of nitrate of silver, or lunar 
376
SUNSTROKE.
caustic.   Give salt and water freely.   Then castor
oil and flaxseed tea.
  Strychnia.—\n the form of rat poison ; nux vom-
ica, or dog button, or strychnine.  Convulsions are
produced and the body bent backward.  Give flax-
seed tea.  Keep quiet and darken the room.  Give
belladonna or  opium, under medical advice.
  Sugar of Lead.—See Lead.
  Sulphuric Acid.—See Acids.
  Sulphate of Iron.—See Iron.
  Sulphate of Copper.—See  Copper.
  Sulphate of Zinc.—See Zinc.
  Tartar Emetic.—See Antimony.
   Verdigris.—See Copper.
   Vermilion.—See Mercury.
   Vitriol, Oil of.—See Acids.
   Vitriol, Green.—See Iron.
   Vitriol, White.—See Zinc.
   Vitriol, Blue.—See Copper.
   White Lead.—See Lead.
  Zinc.—In the  form  of chloride of zine, white
vitriol, or sulphate of zinc, or oxide of zinc.  Give
milk, or magnesia, or chalk and raw eggs.
  All poisonous  articles should be plainly labeled
and kept out of reach of children.

                  SUNSTROKE.
  This is a sudden prostration  caused by  long ex-
posure  to excessive heat, when the  system  is
weakened  by fatigue  or other causes.   It may
occur with men who work in the house as well  as
those who are in the sun.  Most cases occur in the 
SUDDEN CHILDBIRTH.
377
large cities.  It is most common in men who are
addicted to drink.
  It begins usually  with dizziness  or pain in the
head, disturbed vision and labored  breathing, fol-
lowed  by unconsciousness.  Sometimes it  is very
sudden,  like  a stroke  of apoplexy.   Carry the
patient to  the  nearest cool,  shady  place.   Don't
take time  to carry him far to a house.  Loosen
clothes about neck  and waist.  Let him  lie with
the head a little raised.  Apply wet cloths to the
head and turpentine or mustard to the legs  and
soles of the feet.  Send for a doctor at once.

              SUDDEN  CHILDBIRTH.
  While the cases are exceedingly rare in which
a woman may  be taken with labor pains  without
warning which result  in birth of the child before
she can get to a bed or call assistance, yet  they do
sometimes occur.  There should be no cause for
alarm, either to the  mother  or other person who
may be present.  If  the child  cry vigorously pro-
ceed to tie and cut the cord.  This is a very simple
operation.  Proceed  according to  the  directions
given in Chapter VIII.  Lay the child on  its right
side, and wrap  it up warmly, leaving its face un-
covered.   It will get  along  well  enough. The
only danger is of flooding in the mother.  This is
not'verv likely to occur.   See what is said on thin
subject in Chapter XL
  A woman should not be left entirely alone during
the last weeks of pregnancy. 
 37§     OBJECTS IN THE NOSE AND EAR.


             RUNAWAYS AND PANICS.
   It is safer in all runaways to remain in the vehi-
 cle until  thrown out  or the  horse stops than to
 jump out while the horse is running—the vehicle
,breaks the force of the final stop.  In driving if a
 horse tries to run away it is  better to try to keep
 him in the middle of the road, if he can not be
 stopped, than to  attempt to turn him to one side.
 He will soon become exhausted and stop or slow
 up, while if you turn him the vehicle may be upset
 and broken and you be thrown out violently.
   If in a  public building while there is a panic it
 is safer to keep your seat and  try to prevent  others
 from running over you.  Even in case the building
 be on fire your chances of escape are much  better
 if you are free from the crowd.

              OBJECTS  SWALLOWED.
   If a child has swallowed a coin, button, or other
 small object do not be alarmed.  They will gen-
 erally  pass through the intestines without  harm.
 Keep the bowels open  by gentle purgatives.   Pins
 and needles which are swallowed often make their
 way through the  tissues without pain or injury and
 escape through the skin years afterward.

         OBJECTS IN THE NOSE AND EAR.
   I have known mothers to be very badly  fright-
 ened because a cherry seed, a pea, a bean, or
 something of the kind, had gotten into the ear or
 nose  of  a child.  There is  no need  of   alarm. 
OBJECTS IN THE EYE.          379
Hasty attempts to remove them generally result in
pushing them farther in.  A small object may often
be dislodged from the nostril by closing the other
nostril and  having another person blow  forcibly
into the mouth.  Sometimes they may be expelled
by making the child take a full breath, closing the
other nostril and the mouth with the  hands, and
striking him a sharp blow  on the  back.   If these
measures  will not  answer compress the nostrils
above it to  prevent it from going further and try
to hook it down with a hair pin or bent wire.  Call
a physician  if this fails, and keep the child, in the
meantime, quiet.
   Bodies  may be removed  from the ear by taking
the  child's  head between  the  knees,  face down-
ward, and with a small  syringe injecting a stream
of warm water into the ear, holding the nozzle of
the  syringe outside so  as  to allow the  object to
come out with the water.   If this fails call a physi-
cian.  There is no immediate  danger.  In fact, I
have known objects to remain for  years in the ear
without causing  any apparent harm.   An insect
that gets into the ear may be killed and brought
out by pouring in a little oil of any kind.

              OBJECTS  IN  THE EYE.
   Do not allow the  child  to rub  the eyes.  Take
 hold of the eyelid with thumb and finger and hold
 it open a moment or two, while the child forcibly
 blows its nose.  This is often sufficient to dislodge
 the  particle of dirt. If this  fails, turn the lid over
 a knitting-needle or something of the kind, and 
38o
FAINTING.
 look for the object.  Remove  it by touching with
 the corner of a handkerchief.

                 FAINTING, ETC.
   Never raise a fainting person.  Let the body lie
 straight.  The blood  has left  the  head and the
 prone position favors its return.  If one faints in a
 chair seize the back of the chair and pull it down
 until the head is on a level with the feet or  lower.
 There may be recovery before the upright position
 is regained.  Loosen the clothing and  sprinkle
 cold water  in the face.   Keep away  the  crowd.
 Fresh air is of great importance.
   In a fit of apoplexy, however, the blood flows to
 the head.  It is not always  possible to tell when a
 person  falls  apparently dead, what the  nature of
 the  fit  is.   Apoplexy is  not  very  common  and
 occurs  more frequently in middle-aged and old
 people and those with short, thick necks and heavy
 build.   The  attack  is  usually  very sudden,  a
 " stroke" literally.   The face is apt to be flushed.
 In ordinary fainting the face is  pale.
  An  apoplectic should  be raised, the clothing
loosened and a doctor sent for at once.  Frequently
death is almost  instantaneous, and there are few
cases in which anything more can be done than is
here recommended.
  If a man is found lying apparently dead he has
probably fallen in a  fit  of apoplexy  or is dead
drunk.  The smell of liquor will often prove the
latter. 
TOOTHACHE
38l
                   CHOKING.
  Bits of bone or meat, or other substances, some-
times become fixed in the throat, producing suffoca-
tion   or  troublesome  cough.  In  most cases  a
smart blow on the back between the shoulders will
cause the substance to fly out.  If this does not
avail look into the throat, and if the object can be
seen, get hold of it with the thumb and finger, or use
a blunt-pointed pair of scissors as a pair of forceps.
If this does not succeed, take a pewter or silver table-
spoon, bend  it a little and push the handle down
the throat, keeping it well back.   Send for a doctor
if there be one near.  If the substance be small
and the person can swallow give some dry bread
or  potato and a drink of water after  it.  If this
does not answer give an  emetic of mustard and
warm water or  any  other emetic  you may  have
handy.
                  TOOTHACHE.
   If there is a cavity in the tooth  most cases will
be cured quickly by inserting a little plug of cotton
or lint saturated with clove oil, carbolic  acid, or
creosote.  Be careful in using these articles,  espe-
cially the two latter,  and not get them spread over
the  surface of the mouth.  Sometimes a little cay-
enne pepper or camphor  inserted into the cavity
will stop the aching.   Laudanum is often efficient.
 If the pain  is in teeth apparently sound, or dis-
 tributed in several teeth apply the remedies  given
 under the head of neuralgia, as treated in a former
 chapter. 
382          INGROWING  TOE NAIL.


        BOILS, CARBUNCLES AND FELONS.
  A boil is a single lump  or tumor under the skin
containing either soft  matter  or a hard substance
called a core.  Whenever this is discharged it heals
promptly.  Sometimes  there  is a  succession  of
them.
  A carbuncle  is larger and  has several openings
like the  cells of a honeycomb.  It is  extremely
painful.  Any soft, moist  application will promote
the discharge of the matter.   A poultice of bread
and milk is as good as anything.
  A felon, or  whitlow, is a  gathering next the
bone  in some part of the hand, the matter being
confined by the tough ligaments and membranes,
causing intense pain.  It  should be opened at  an
early stage by cutting down  to the bone with a
sharp knife.    By this simple  operation,  which
causes but momentary pain, days of intense suffer-
ing may be prevented, and perhaps the loss of a
joint or two of the finger.

             INGROWING TOE NAIL.
  The pressure of tight  shoes often  causes  the
edges of the toe nail to cut into the flesh causing
great suffering.  If the case  is not of too  long
standing it may be cured by scraping the rounded
part of the nail very thin  with a piece  of broken
glass.  This weakens this portion and makes the
nail grow flatter and wider.  Severe cases of long
standing require a surgical operation. 
MISCELLANEOUS  EMERGENCIES.      383
         MISCELLANEOUS EMERGENCIES.
  If a person has been struck by lightning strip the
body and dash  with cold water.  Wipe dry and
put in bed, with hot applications to  the  feet and
stomach, and employ artificial respiration,  as  in
drowning.   Give a little brandy or other stimulant,
if the patient can be made  to swallow.  These
means may save a life, since all  lightning strokes
are not fatal.
  In an epileptic fit bystanders can do nothing
more than to keep the person out of reach of arti-
cles which  would injure him,  and to loosen the
clothing about the neck.
  Persons who have attempted suicide by hangings
are often only suffocated, and may be restored by
the same means used in restoring the drowned.
  In assisting persons who have broken through ice
get, if possible, a long pole or board and push it
towards them.   This distributes the weight of the
body on the ice.
  Shock or collapse from any cause, as from  light-
ning, powerful electric battery, cold  water, burns
or scalds, etc., are to be treated similar to ordinary
fainting.   Let  the  patient keep the lying-down
position, throw  aiittie cold water in the face  ::t
first, put warm  applications  to the feet and stom-
ach and give stimulants. 
Chapter  XIV.
           CARE  OF THE SICK.
        IMPORTANCE OF GOOD NURSING.
  It is a common saying that good nursing is half
the battle against  disease.  Physicians are often
blamed  for unsuccessful treatment when the fault
lay entirely with the attendants who would not, or
could not, carry out his orders.  There are com-
paratively few good  nurses.  There  are plenty of
the kind who  are ignorant, careless, cruel, slovenly,
and  dishonest, and some who may combine  all
these qualities.
  The  ignorant nurse is  a dangerous  character,
because although she may do  everything the doc-
tor directs faithfully, yet there will be contingen-
cies  arise in  the doctor's absence, and which he
could not possibly have forseen, which will call for
the exercise of knowledge and skill on the part of
the attendant, and  sometimes it will be necessary
to go contrary to the doctor's orders.
   The careless nurse is even more dangerous than
the ignorant  one.  The very thing upon which the
patient's life depends, the careless nurse may neglect
to do.
   The cruel nurse uses rough language in the pres-
ence of the patient, gets out of patience, makes loud
and unnecessary noise, and in various  ways does
the sick person more harm than good.
                      (3«4) 
          CONDUCT IN THE  SICK  ROOM.       385

  The slovenly nurse is not  careful of her own ap-  '
pearance, does  not  keep the room  clean, leaves
medicines and other articles standing around in
sight of the patient,  and in  the way, and renders
herself disagreeable generally.
  The dishonest nurse will substitute her own med-
icines for those left by the doctor, or give something
recommended by the old women  of the neighbor-
hood, or wilfully withhold the doctor's medicines,
or neglect to carry out the doctor's directions as to
bathing, diet, etc., and then lie  to  him when he
questions her about the matter.

       THE QUALITIES  OF A GOOD NURSE.
  The qualities of a good  nurse are, cleanliness,
firmness, gentleness, honesty, patience, and good
common sense.  She needs some general knowl-
edge of physiology and hygiene,  and of the nature
and actions of medicines.  I speak as though wo-
men were the only good nurses,  and, as a general
rule, they are best adapted  to  that kind of work,
but  sometimes the superior strength of a man is
necessary in lifting patients  and  attending to mat-
ters in case of an emergency.  An affectionate hus-
band will usually make a better nurse for his wife
than any woman would.

          CONDUCT IN THE  SICK  ROOM.
  Never whisper.  If you  have  anything to say,
say  it  in  a  natural tone of voice  or not at  all.
Whispering  and subdued noises annoy a patient.
He can not hear what is said, yet knows  that  you
     25 
THE  NURSE AND THE  DOCTOR.
.  are talking and desires to hear.  If you want to
  talk about anything you don't wish the patient to
  hear go into another room.  While it is generally
  important to keep the room quiet, you may keep it
  too quiet.  When  a person is sleeping  it is not
  always the loud noise that awakes him, but the un-
  usual noises.
     Be cheerful.  There is time enough to cry and look
  sad after the patient is dead.   " As long as there is
  life, there is hope," and if you can put on a cheer-
  ful though sympathetic expression the patient may
  be benefited, but if your countenance be  very sad
  and you give way to moans and cries you may do
  much harm by frightening the patient.   It is your
  duty to do all you can to cheer the patient.  In
  talking to a sick person sit or stand where he can
  see you without turning his head.

            THE  NURSE AND THE DOCTOR.
     The nurse and the doctor should  act in unison.
  The nurse should  consider  herself  privileged to
   ask the doctor's opinion on any question and make
   suggestions to  him.   If she does this in the proper
   spirit no doctor of good sense will be offended.   If
   she shows a real desire to learn he  will  take pleas-
   ure in instructing her.   The doctor may not happen
   to think of everything that is  best to be done, and
   if the nurse thinks of something that in her opinion
   would be good she should suggest it to him in  the
   form of a question as to its propriety.  She should
   never ask the doctor's opinion  and then  act in
   opposition to it.  Remember  that he has charge of 
GIVING MEDICINES.
387
the case and stands responsible, and that the nurse
is  only carrying out  his orders.   There may be
exceptions  to  this  rule.  " Circumstances alter
cases.''  A change in the disease in the absence of
the doctor may  necessitate the withholding of a
medicine, or the  giving  of something  he has  not
prescribed.
               GIVING MEDICINES.
  A nurse may be too particular about the time of
giving the medicine.   Sometimes  the  patient is
sleeping  soundly  and it will not  be best to wake
him.   As a rule a patient should  never be  waked
to take medicine.  Do not give it to him the mo-
ment he wakes  nor when  he wishes to be moved,
nor  should  he be interrupted  by  an offer of the
medicine  when he is about to make a request.
  The nurse can not be too careful about the exact
dose.  In bad cases  request the  doctor to write
down the  directions in full.  If there are two kinds
of medicines to be given alternately she should be
very careful that she gets the right one each time.

                THE  SICK ROOM.
  A sick  person, as a general  thing, should have
the most pleasant room  in the  house.  There  are
some cases, as in brain  troubles and some fevers,
where a quiet room, without much  light, is to be
preferred  before other  considerations.   A room
with a fireplace  or grate is usually preferable.  A
screen of  some kind should be  placed between  the
patient and  the fire.  A  high-backed chair  with a
shawl thrown  over it will answer for a screen. 
388
THE  SICK  ROOM.
  The room should, of course, be well ventilated,
and by well ventilated I  mean that openings be
left sufficient to secure a good supply of fresh air
and a free exit  of foul air,  and no danger of a
draft near the patient.  A window should  be kept
open  a few  inches all the time, both  above and
below, and the openings so screened and  the bed
so placed that no currents will pass over  the sick
person.
  In  case of  contagious  diseases,  as small-pox,
there  should be  but little furniture in  the  room,
especially woolen articles and cushions,  as such
things absorb and retain the poison for some time.
Flowers and pictures are never out of place. Many
growing plants are  not good.   Vessels of water,
the water being  changed every day, are  good to
keep the air pure.  Water absorbs poisonous gases.
The water or other liquids which the patient is to
drink should, for the same reason, be  kept in
another room and well covered.
   Medicines should be kept out of sight of the
patient. The vessel with the  excrements should
be removed as soon as possible and returned well
cleaned.  In case of typhoid fever, it  should be
disinfected.   The doctor will give directions con-
cerning this.  If he does not ask him about it.
The  food which is  not  eaten should be at once
removed.  Never allow  dressings  of wounds or
anything offensive to remain  in the room.
   The room should be kept scrupulously clean.  A
carpet is  objectionable because of the  dust which
sweeping is  apt  to  produce, but if the broom be 
THE  BED.
389
dampened and care is taken to have the parts most
trodden upon covered with rugs or  strips of old
carpet, which can be removed and cleaned each
day, it need  not  be taken up.   A strip or two of
carpet where the attendants must walk is, however,
better than none at all.
  In bad cases of sickness, too many visitors should
not be allowed.  Gossiping neighbors should be
invited to another room.
  Articles which  may be wanted  during the night
should be placed  in an adjoining room, or in  any
place where they will be out of the way, and out
of the sight of the patient, and easy of access.

                   THE BED.
  A wire  woven or coiled wire spring bed, with a
cotton covered shuck mattress, is about the best.
Feather beds are objectionable.   A straw tick is
preferable to  a feather bed.
  The coverings should be as light as possible to
secure the proper warmth.   A sheet with a couple
of woolen blankets  are  usually  enough.   If the
weather be cold, a little fire  in the room will pre-
vent the necessity of much covering.
  The bed should be lcept clean, not so much of
dirt that can be seen, but of dirt that can be smelled,
and which you know exists, because in most diseases
the patient throws off through the pores of the skin
much poisonous matter.   The bedclothes should be
changed frequently, the frequency depending much
upon the nature of the disease, but there can be no
harm in changing the sheets every night and morn- 
39°
FEEDING THE PATIENT.
ing, having one  set airing or sunning, while the
other is in use. The sheets thus changed and aired
should be replaced by washed ones about every two
or three days.
  Before putting  on a clean sheet or one that has
been airing, see that it is warm and dry.  If the
weather  is at all chilly, warm the  sheets by the
fire.   In changing sheets,  move the patient to one
side of the bed, roll the soiled sheet  up to the side
of the patient, roll the clean sheet half way into a
round  roll, place the roll by the side  of the patient,
and after smoothing out the mattress  spread  it in
the place of the soiled one, and let the patient roll,
or be lifted over  on the clean sheet.   The soiled
sheet   may then  be removed  and the clean one
straightened out on the other side.
  Pillows  should  not be  high, as a general  rule.
Frequent shaking up of the pillow will add to the
patient's comfort.

             FEEDING  THE PATIENT.
  Generally,  a sick person  is fed  too much.  A
common fault of the friends of the sick is the  habit
of frequently asking the patient if he wants some-
thing to eat.  Ask the doctor's advice about the
food and follow his directions.
  When the disease is  of short duration but  little
food is required until convalescence begins.   Food
is not medicine.   It keeps up the strength of the
patient if  it  is digested and  assimilated, but the
system is incapable of  digesting much, as a rule,
in sickness, and any more than is digested is very 
FEEDING THE PATIENT.          39I
injurious.  If a stout person is taken sick he may
become weak in a few days, or even a few hours,
but this  is not the weakness  of exhaustion  from
want of nourishment so much  as nervous prostra-
tion.   He is in no danger of starving soon. A very
little food will  be sufficient while he  is  lying in-
active.   In long protracted illness, food is neces-
sary to keep up the strength, and a little should be
given  frequently whether the patient  crave it or
not.  But, as a rule, do not force  food upon pa-
tients.   Be very careful about giving  patients too
much  food when convalescing.  Sometimes the
craving  is very strong, and if the patient is allowed
all he  asks for, he may suffer  serious  relapse as a
consequence of this  over-indulgence.  The judg-
ment of the nurse should govern here rather than
the desires of the patient.   A little food, and often,
is the rule in sickness, yet it ought not to be given
so often that the stomach has no time to rest.
   In many acute diseases abstinence  from food is
the best of remedies.  This is especially true in
diseases in which the digestive organs are involved.
These organs  should have rest.
   Give plenty of water.  Water does not need to
be digested and is essential  to the changes which
take place  in the system for removing waste and
causing repair.  There  are cases, however, when
a feverish  condition of the internal  organs calls
loudly for  water and  more  may  be  given than
necessary  and  evil  consequently  result.   Give
oftener and not much at a time, or substitute warm
drinks or agreeable acid mixtures, as  lemonade, 
392      KINDS OF FOOD FOR  THE SICK.

vinegar and sugar and water,  juices of fruits, etc.
Acid drinks are rarely out of place and usually are
agreeable to the sick.  If you desire a patient  to
take only a small quantity of water or other liquid at
a time put no more in the drinking vessel than you
want him to take and let him drink all  of it.  Bet-
ter use a small cup as the quantity will seem larger
than if in a larger one.
  There are many   cases  where it is not best
to raise the patient's head to give  him  a drink.
Let him drink through a straw or bent glass tube.
Glass tubes made for this purpose  can be had  in
the drug stores.  They are called " sick tubes."
  The best  ware in  the house should be  used  to
hold  the patient's food  and  drink  and not only
all articles of food, but the vessels which  contain
them  should be perfectly clean.  Food should be
brought in on a waiter covered with a clean nap-
kin.  If such an article  as  a  waiter be not in the
house  a broad  board, as a box  lid, with  a clean
white towel or napkin spread  over it so as to hide
it entirely will make  a very good waiter.   Do not
bring a great quantity of any kind of food at a
time.   A very little only is  necessary and a large
amount is apt to disgust the patient.

         KINDS  OF FOOD FOR THE SICK.
  Food  for the sick should be easy of digestion,
nourishing, and for the most part in a liquid form.
A great variety is not needed at one time.  We
should only change from one kind to another when
a dislike for one kind arises. 
         KINDS OF  FOOD FOR THE  SICK.      393

  The amount of seasoning in food should depend
somewhat on the nature of the disease.  Pepper
and most condiments are stimulating and are proper
in debilitated  conditions, but in high  grades of
fevers the food should be more bland.   Consult the
physician on this point.
  The following are some  preparations especially
valuable in many cases of sickness:
  Beef Tea.—Chop fine a pound of lean beef, add
to it a pint of cold  water, cover and let stand for
two hours by the  side of the fire ; then put it on the
fire and boil for half an hour.   Remove the  scum
and the fat which comes to the top and salt to taste.
Do not strain but  pour off the  liquid.  This is a
nutritious and usually agreeable article.
  Essence of Beef .—Cut up a pound of lean  beef,
put into a pint bottle,  without water, cork loosely,
and immerse the bottle in a vessel of water.  Bring
the water in the vessel to a boil and let it boil two
hours.  The juice of the beef will have separated
from the fibers.   Pour off and salt to taste.
  Chicken Broth.—Take half a chicken with the
skin removed.  Add a quart  of cold water and a
tablespoonful of rice and boil slowly for two or three
hours.  Skim off the fat" and  salt to taste.
  Toast Water.—Toast brown, without burning, a
slice of stale bread half an inch  thick.   Pour on a
pint of boiling water.   Cover closely until it cools.
Strain.  It may, or may not  be sweetened.   This
is an  agreeable but not very nourishing drink.
  Apple Tea.—Take  a good, sound,  ripe apple.
Cut it in thin slices  and pour on boiling water.  Let 
394      KINDS  OF FOOD  FOR THE SICK.

stand an hour.  Pour  off when cool and sweeten,
or it may be given when warm.  This is an agree-
able acid drink and  may be relished when lemon-
ade becomes distasteful.
  Lime Water and Milk.—Mix  equal quantities of
clear lime water and  fresh milk.  Take  a table-
spoonful at once.  This will often be  retained in
an irritable stomach  when nothing else will.
  Barley Water.—Wash two ounces of pearl barley
in cold  water.  Put the barley in a pint and a half
of cold water, and boil twenty minutes in a covered
vessel.   Strain, sweeten, and flavor with lemon
juice.   This is very agreeable, but not very nour-
ishing.
  Rice Milk.—Boil  a  tablespoonful of  rice for an
hour and a half in a pint of fresh milk. Rub through
a sieve  and add a teaspoonful of white  sugar, and
boil again for two or three minutes.
   Oatmeal with Beef Tea.—Mix well a tablespoon-
ful of oatmeal with two tablespoonfuls of cold water.
Add to this  a pint of beef tea made  as  directed
above, and heat till it comes to the boil, stirring all
the time.  Boil for five minutes.
   Oysters are  very easily digested and are usually
relished by the sick.  They should not be cooked
much.   To make an oyster stew, put the oysters in
a little cold  water and allow it to heat gradually
until it begins to simmer,  not boil, and then re-
move.   Season  with salt and  pepper and a little
butter.   Oysters are the most easily digested when
roasted in the shell.  The shell should be placed
on a moderately strong fire, and allowed to remain 
         KINDS  OF FOOD  FOR THE SICK.      395

until the shells open a little.   Then remove them at
once, and serve with a little pepper and salt.
  Panada.—Take two slices of stale bread. Toast
them brown without scorching, cut  up into small
pieces,  put in a  bowl and pour on a pint of boiling
water.   Add a little sugar and grated nutmeg.
  Eggs, if perfectly fresh and properly prepared,
are very nutritious and generally relished by sick
persons.  They are especially  good in convales-
cence.   They are generally  best soft boiled.  Put
an egg  into boiling water, and set the vessel off the
fire for  several minutes.   The egg will be found to
be perfectly cooked, but not hard.   An egg boiled
for twenty minutes is said to be more easily digested
than one soft boiled, but I do not think they would
be relished so well by the majority of persons.  A
soft boiled egg and a slice of toast and a  little but-
ter, makes a good breakfast in  many cases for  an
invalid.
  Egg-nog.—This may  be  prepared in  a variety
of ways.  The following is as good as any:   Beat
an  egg, yolk and white, thoroughly, add  a tea-
spoonful of white sugar, and a teaspoonful of brandy
or  port wine ; beat again and add  as much rich
milk as there is of the mixture.  This is good in
weak conditions,  since it is not  only nourishing but
stimulating.
  Broiled Beefsteak.—Often a  small piece of ten-
derloin, flank, or porter-house steak, free from fat,
carefully broiled, and served on a plate with a small
bit of butter and  a little salt and pepper, is much
better than broths or soft foods for a sick person. 
KINDS OF  FOOD FOR THE SICK.
  Baked Apples.—Take good, sound, ripe apples,
not too sour, bore out the core and place in a pan
in a slow oven.  They ought to be an hour in cook-
ing.  When they become soft through and the skin
cracks,  take out  and sprinkle white  sugar over
them and into the cavities.   Let the patient eat the
pulp with a spoon when partly or entirely cool.
  Boiled Flour.—Tie up a quart of flour in a pud-
ding bag, tie tightly and put into a pot of boiling
water.  Boil  half a day or more.  Then take out
the flour ball  and  dry it by the fire.  Peel off and
throw away the thin outer portion, and grate  the
mass with a nutmeg grater into a powder.  One or
two teaspoonfuls of this may be rubbed into a paste
with a little milk and then  poured into a pint  of
scalded  milk (milk just brought to the boil).  This
is a very useful preparation in diarrhoea of infants.
  There are  many other preparations which  are
highly recommended for the sick, but those I have
given will afford  sufficient variety.   Persons who
are not  very sick may eat  many of the kinds  of
food that are eaten by well  persons, remembering
always to be  careful and not eat very much.  The
following articles, however, should, in nearly  all
cases, be avoided by the sick:   Fat meats and
oily foods, fried articles, pies and cakes, cabbage,
turnips,  beans, radishes, onions, and other strongly-
flavored vegetables.  Potatoes are sometimes rec-
ommended among the foods for the  sick, but  my
experience is against them.  As  a  class, I think
fruits, lean meats and grains, are always to be pre-
ferred to what are usually known as vegetables. 
BED SORES.
397
Tomatoes are  often relished, and  seem  to agree
very well.  If fresh fruits can not be obtained, dried
fruits are good  substitutes.  In some cases, in fact,
the dried fruit is preferable.
  To preserve ice for the sick, see chapter on Foods
and Drinks.  See word Ice in index for exact refer-
ence
                   BED SORES.
  I quote Dr.  Hope on  this subject.  He says:
"Perhaps many persons will be shocked when I
tell them that scores of people die, when long con-
fined to bed, not of the disease or accident, but of
sores caused by neglect;  and in numbers of cases
neither patient nor nurse has any idea of what is
going on. Particularly in fevers the patient's mind
is not in a state to complain of a slight pain, there-
fore such sores must be sought for by the nurse and
prevented.   They generally form about the bottom •
of the back and  about the hips.   The  constant
pressure of  the body causes a slight redness at
first, and  if  attended to then the mischief may be
stopped;  but if allowed to go on the part dies and
leaves a sore which too frequently takes  away all
chance of recovery. Examine carefully every day,
bathe the parts with spirits and water,  and take off
the pressure, first by altering the position, if possi-
ble ;  and secondly, by making little pillows or pads
and placing  them so as to bear the weight.  Unless
you do this  all  treatment you can adopt will be of
no  avail." 
 398   THE USE OF CLINICAL THERMOMETER.


    THE USE OF THE CLINICAL  THERMOMETER.
   Of late years physicians are making much use
 of what is called the clinical thermometer, a ther-
 mometer made  especially for taking the tempera-
 ture  of the human body.   As a means of deter-
 mining the exact nature of the  disease its value is
 undisputed ; and since the more accurate the knowl-
 edge of the disease the more effectual the treat-
 ment, it  can not be denied that it is a valuable
 instrument.
   The physician can not always be with the patient
 and  some  one else ought  to be  able to take the
 temperature in his absence.  Sometimes the physi-
 cian  leaves his thermometer and instructs the nurse
 how  to use it.   This is not always practicable.  A
 good (the  best) thermometer may be bought for
" three dollars, and will last a lifetime.   It is a good
 thing to  have in the family to be used whenever
 there are any indications of illness.  The follow-
 ing facts will be of value in this connection:
   In a state of health the temperature of the body
 in the armpit  averages 98^ degrees  Fahrenheit,
 with a range in health  from 99 to 97^  degrees.  It
 is about one degree higher in tropical  than in tem-
 perate climates.  In temperate climates it is highest
 in the early morning and lowest at midnight.  In
 tropical climates  it is lowest in the early morning
 and highest during the day.  It is always one or
 two degrees higher in children than in adults.
   When  the temperature rises above  98^ degrees
 the person is  not well; when above  100 degrees 
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS.
399
he is probably very sick;  if above 105 degrees he
is in great danger;  if it rises to 108 or 109 a fatal
result may be expected in a very short time. There
may be some exceptions, but  these statements are
generally true.  On the other hand, if the tempera-
ture fall much below 98^ degrees the patient  is in
danger.
  The temperature is taken as follows :  After first
jarring the instrument to shake the mercury down,
place the end  under  the  arm,  closing the arm
tightly over it, and allowing it to remain five min-
utes.  Taking it out the degrees of temperature may
be read on the  scale.  Sometimes the instrument
is placed under the tongue  and sometimes in the
rectum.
             MISCELLANEOUS  HINTS.
  Firmness  is not rudeness.  If a patient  must,
for his own good, be denied something, the nurse
should be firm enough to resist his appeals.  The
patient's whims and fancies should not be honored,
when doing so would be unfavorable to his recov-
ery.   The strong desires  of a sick person some-
times  for certain  articles  of food or  drink are
nature's cravings, and may often be heeded with
advantage.  But one  should use judgment.  A
patient may crave pickles.  The system demands
an acid.   The patient thinks of pickles naturally.
Now pickles are usually very hard to digest.   Give
him vinegar and water or  let him chew a pickle
and swallow the juice only.
  Handle a  sick person with the  utmost care, es- 
400
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS.
pecially in cases where motion of the limbs or body
gives pain.   Go  slowly and deliberately  about
changing a patient's clothes.  By care all jolts and
knocks may be avoided.
  Frequent sponging the surface of the body, and
particularly the extremities, with  a soft cloth and
tepid water is nearly always grateful, and does no
harm unless the patient is very weak and can not
bear to be moved.  Great care should be used in
this operation.  Bathe only a part at a time, cover-
ing one part  before exposing another.   When the
skin is hot and dry this sponge bathing is especially
valuable.  Ask the doctor's advice about it.
  Do not get out of patience.  Remember that you
are well and the patient is sick and there is an ex-
cuse for his being irritable.  Remember that you
are  cross sometimes,  even when you  are well.
How, then, must it be with one who is racked with
pain or has been taken from  an  active occupation
and is compelled to lie still in one position.
  It is a good plan in dangerous cases for the nurse
to keep a record  of the occurrences between the
doctor's visits so that she may make a faithful and
correct report to him.  Let her, for example, take
a sheet of paper and rule off five columns and head
one medicine, a second food, a third sleep, a fourth
evacuations and  fifth  miscellaneous.   In the first
column let her note the hours for giving medicine
and mark each one  with a cross when given, or
state the reason why when not.  In the second the
hours food was given, the quantity eaten, etc.   In 
MISCELLANEOUS HINTS.          4OI
the third the number of hours  of sleep taken by
patient, the nature of the sleep,  etc.  In the fourth
the number of evacuations, the time, the  appear-
ance of the excrements, etc.  In the fifth whatever
else may be of importance.
26 
Chapter  XV.
           FOODS  AND DRINKS.
IMPORTANCE OF A KNOWLEDGE OF  THE  SUBJECT.
  Not only does our  health depend largely upon a
proper selection of food, but there is a question of
domestic  economy  connected  with this subject
which is of no little importance.
  Health and money  are two very necessary means
of securing domestic happiness.  A  careful and
proper  management of  the food supply  of  the
household will go far toward securing the one and
preventing an undue waste of the other.
  A discussion  of the food question should have a
place in a work of this kind, because women  are
more nearly concerned in it than men.  While the
man may purchase, or at least furnish the money,
it is generally the woman's duty to select and pre-
pare that which daily becomes a part of our bodies,
and without which we could exist but for  a brief
time.
  I can not have the space to give special direc-
tions for cooking.  This is not a cook book.   But
it is hoped that the general hints  here given  will
aid the young  housekeeper in her daily work of
providing for the table.  A good cook book should
be in every house.   All cook books contain much
that is worthless.  None  but what contain some-
thing of value.  There are many valuable  recipes
                      (402)' 
HOW TO SELECT ARTICLES OF FOOD.
for cooking in the weekly family papers and other
periodicals which abound in most communities.  It
is a good  plan for a young housekeeper to begin
clipping out  all recipes which she may find,  try
them as occasion demands and if found good pre-
serve by pasting in a scrap book set  aside for the
special purpose.   This matter is of sufficient im-
portance to demand  this much of a sacrifice of
time.
      HOW TO SELECT ARTICLES OF  FOOD.
  Very few housekeepers know how to select meats
and vegetables properly so as to get the most pal-
atable  and wholesome articles for the table.   A
woman at  the  head of  the household  should be
able to make  wise selections from the articles in
the markets, and either buy them herself or instruct
a servant  or  member  of the family how to select
them.  Butchers or grocers will  not  always send
the best when an order is sent them.
  In buying  beef select that  which is  of  a clear
cherry-red color.  The beef of a young animal is
paler.  Beef of  a very deep red or  bluish-red
color  should  be  rejected.   The  fat should  be
slightly yellow, although this  differs with the food
the animal has been fattened upon, being yellow
in corn-fed animals and whiter in those fattened on
grass.  The best beef  has the fat marbled through
the lean.   Beef that is  in good  condition should
rise up quickly when  pressed upon by the finger.
If it makes a dent which remains or disappears
slowly it is bad.
  In regard to the part of the animal which is best, 
4O4    HOW TO SELECT ARTICLES OF FOOD.

tastes differ very much and different butchers have
different ways of cutting up beef  and apply differ-
ent names to the parts.  The " tenderloin," which
lies close  to  the back bone and under  the  short
ribs, is generally considered the choicest.  It is
sometimes  taken  out by itself, but frequently  cut
with  the  "porterhouse" and "sirloin"  steaks.
Either of these are good, however, and generally to
be preferred to " round steak," which is tougher.
There is very little  bone in  the round  steak, and
hence it is  cheaper when sold at the same price as
the loin steaks.
  Good roasts come from the fore  quarters,  the
best being  the rib roast just behind the shoulder.
The pieces with much bone are best for soups, as
the shanks and brisket.  The  neck is the toughest
and stringiest.  It may be used for mince meat or be
eaten cold, after very long boiling.   Every part of
the beef is  good if cooked properly, and those parts
which sell  at the lowest price are the best for soups.
   Veal should not  be from calves less than four
weeks nor more than six or seven weeks old.  The
meat  should be of a clear  pinkish color, of firm
consistency and the fat should be  white.  Nearly
all parts of the calf are tender and  palatable.
   Mutton should be fat and the fat hard and white.
The color  of good mutton is  darker  or deeper red
than  beef.  If properly managed in killing there
will be no  "wooly taste."  This is not due to the
wool, but to the gases in the intestines.
   The lean of pork should be  fine grained and of a
very light  color; the fat should be very white.  Be- 
       HOW TO SELECT ARTICLES OF FOOD.    405

ware of pork that has minute white specks through
the lean or small darkish  kernels through the fat.
Bacon should  not have yellow streaks through it.
Hams  should weigh from eight to fifteen pounds,
have a thin skin and solid fat.  Run a knife along
the bone on the fleshy side.  If the knife comes out
smeared the ham should be rejected.
  Young chickens are known by their tender skin,
smooth legs and comb, and by pressure  upon the
top of the breast bone. If young this bone will yield
to pressure.  A dressed fowl should appear plump,
young and white or yellow, not bluish.   Turkeys,
ducks and geese are known to be young by similar
signs.   Young ducks feel tender under the  wings
and the web  of the foot is transparent.   Tame
ducks  have yellow legs, wild ones  reddish legs.
Young geese have yellow bills and feet.  Turkeys
are best in the fall and winter.
  Fish when fresh  have full bright eyes, the gills
are red, the body stiff and the smell not unpleasant
though fishy.
  All vegetables when fresh are crisp, not limp and
tough.  If wilted they  may be partly restored  by
sprinkling them with water and laying them in sl
cool, dark place.  As a rule, medium sized veget-
ables are better than very small or very large ones.
Potatoes are sometimes unsound and the unsound-
ness can not be detected without cutting into them.
Cut off the larger end of  one ; if spotted, they are
unsound.
  Lard should be  white  and solid  and have  no
strong, disagreeable smell.  Good butter has  a very 
406     HOW TO SELECT ARTICLES OF FOOD.

agreeable smell and should not be very salty to the
taste.   The salt is  often put in to  increase the
weight, and a  good deal of it will somewhat dis-
guise the taste, so that you can not tell how strong
it is by  simply tasting.  The color  is no real test,
because it is so easy to color  butter artificially.
Butter that has  not  been colored is usually white
when the cows do not get grass, and a beautiful
yellow  when they do.  The butter will be white
if the temperature is too high in churning.  Yellow
butter,  if  it has not been artificially colored,  is
much to be preferred.
  The white granulated sugar is the most economi-
cal.   The cheaper sugars are usually adulterated
with glucose,  which is not unwholesome, but  is
less sweet than cane sugar.
  In selecting  canned fruits or vegetables notice
the can  closely.   If the end be "japanned " better
reject it.  You  will  notice  at  the end which  is
soldered a small spot or lump of solder somewhere
near the center.  If there are two of these do not
buy the can.  If the can seems to be bulged out
or swelled at the ends it is not good.  The reasons
for these  rejections are as follows:   There is  a
cheap method of soldering in which a poisonous
chemical is used instead  of the ordinary resin.
This resin leaves a brownish mark.  The other
substance  does  not.   In order that no one can tell
whether there  be resin there or not the ends are
japanned.   When cans are filled and soldered
they are heated.  The air in them expands  and
when a  hole is  made  in the top the air is driven 
       HOW TO SELECT ARTICLES OF FOOD.    407

out.   This hole is then filled up with a drop of
solder before it can  cool.  Now  cans sometimes
spoil  slightly  after being  kept awhile, and the
gases  produced   within  from  the  fermentation
causes the can to swell.   These " swells," as they
are called, are sometimes bought up, holes punched
in them to let out the gas and a drop of solder put
on to fill  up the  hole again.  Hence, a  can with
two of these lumps of solder is evidently one which
has been  thus " doctored" for sale.
   Good flour  adheres to  the  hand, and  when
pressed leaves the imprint of the lines of the hand.
   True vinegar is acetic acid  diluted with water
and flavored with various extracts of the substances
from  which  it is  made.  The  acetic acid comes
from  a further fermentation of alcohol.   All alco-
hol comes from  sugar, and  sugar  from starch.
Vinegar  can, therefore, be  made  from any sub-
stance containing either starch, sugar or alcohol.
The best  flavored  vinegar is made from fermented
cider. Much of the vinegar in the market is proba-
bly made  from glucose, or  grape sugar, which is
made from Indian corn.  It may contain mineral
acids, such as  sulphuric or  muriatic acids.  If the
former, it may be  shown by its turning milky white
on the addition of a solution of choride of barium ;
if the latter,  by turning milky on adding a solution
of nitrate of silver.  If good  cider vinegar can
not be had  families may make a very good vine-
gar by the following recipe :
   Take water, one gallon; brown sugar, one and
one-fourth pounds ;  yeast, one-fourth pint.  Let 
408
BUYING.
stand in a warm place three or four  days, then
draw off and add a few raisins and  an ounce of
cream of tartar.  In two  weeks it may be poured
off again and bottled for use.
  Another method of making vinegar is as follows :
Save the fruit parings when you have them in con-
siderable quantity, pour water over  them and let
them stand in a warm  place  several days.   Then
mash and stir vigorously with a stick and drain off
the water.  To  this add from time to time the rins-
ings  of fruit cans and vessels containing preserves ;
in fact, any waste liquid material containing sugar.
Fermentation will go  on  and good vinegar will
result.  When sour enough a quantity may be taken
out for use  and  more fruit juices or sugar and water
may be added.   Do not remove the  " mother," or,
as it is  sometimes called, " the vinegar  plant,"
which forms on top of the liquid.

                    BUYING.
  It  is best to buy for cash.  The ready money will
be more apt to secure the best articles at the lowest
price.  Buy of regular dealers whom  you know,
rather than of  transient and unknown persons.
If the dealer imposes inferior goods on you do not
buy again of him if you can avoid it.  It does  not
pay to run  around to hunt up bargains in articles
of food.  The best is the  cheapest when health is
considered.  There are some exceptions  to this
rule.  Fancy prices are sometimes asked for fancy
" gilt-edged " articles when a more common article
is just as good. 
STORING.
409
  It is economy to buy in large quantities when
the articles are of a  nature  that will keep well.
There  are  few, however, of this  kind.   Sugar,
vinegar, salt, tea, if kept in a tight can, and coffee
if not roasted,  may be  bought in large quantities
and money saved  thereby.  Corn  meal does not
keep well and should be bought in small quantities.
Flour keeps better, but not very long.   In a family
of five a barrel  of flour will lose in quality before
it can be used. Buckwheat flour,  rice and hom-
iny should  be bought in small quantities.  Potatoes
may be bought in  considerable quantities if you
have a good place  to store them.  Apples, also, if
they are of  a good keeping variety.   Money may be
saved often by  buying the winter supply of apples
and potatoes in the fall.

                   STORING.
  Have a stout  keg or barrel for vinegar and keep
it in the cellar, with a  supply  for  the table  in a
bottle or jug in  the kitchen.
  Spices and pepper should be kept in well stopped
bottles or small tin cans in a dry place.
  Coffee should be kept by itself as  its  odor affects
other articles.  Tea should be  kept in tight  tin
cans.  When coffee is bought already roasted  and
ground by  the grocer  only small quantities should
be  bought  at a time, and it should be put in self-
sealing glass cans.  A quart can will hold a pound
of ground coffee if it be packed down by stamping
with the handle of a knife.
  Flour readily absorbs gaseous substances, hence 
410
STORING.
if stored in a room where there are onions, fish, or
any substance which taints the air, its quality will
be affected.  It should be kept in a cool, dry place.
  Salt should be kept in the dryest place in  the
house.   It absorbs moisture from  the air readily.
Heat  does not affect it.
  If necessary to keep fresh meat longer than  ex-
pected  sprinkle it with  black or red pepper,  or
powdered charcoal and  put in  the coolest  place
where flies will not get at it.   Meat or fish kept on
ice  in the summer must be cooked as soon as re-
moved from the ice.
  A cellar is a good thing, but not  an  absolute
necessity in  warm countries.  A refrigerator will
not cost  so much and is  much more useful in  the
summertime if ice can be procured.  Any carpen-
ter, or  indeed any one  who can  use tools well
enough to make a box, can make  a refrigerator.
Every farmer ought to put up ice in the winter.  A
log pen with plenty  of sawdust and straw will
answer as well for an ice house as the most ex-
pensive building.  A location easily drained should
be chosen.  Place a few  planks or logs to keep the
ice  off of the ground.   Build a log pen or rude
framework of  plank.  Roof it with poles covered
with plenty of straw.   Pile the ice in the middle so
that a space of two feet all around will be left.   Fill
this space with sawdust,  putting straw between the
chinks if logs are used,  to keep  the sawdust from
leaking out;  put plenty of sawdust on top of the
ice  pile and make a drain which will carry off the
rain which will fall, and the work is complete. This 
PRESERVING FOODS.
4II
may not preserve the ice as perfectly as a more ex-
pensive  structure, but it will preserve enough to
amply pay the cost of material and labor.
  A piece of ice  may  be  kept from  melting for
some time in warm weather by wrapping in a cloth,
putting it in  a dish, placing the dish on  a pillow,
laying another pillow on  the  dish and wrapping
the whole in a blanket.
  A cellar is, of course, very convenient in  cold
countries, in fact, almost an absolute necessity.  It
should be carefully watched and kept clean.   If a
thermometer be kept hanging in it and observa-
tions made frequently the proper temperature  may
be  kept.  Fruits  and vegetables  should  be  kept
cool.   The  temperature should not range  below
34 nor above 60 degrees Fahrenheit.   In very cold
weather a lamp kept burning  in a cellar will keep
the temperature  above freezing  if the cellar is a
good  one.  Vessels of water will also keep  the
temperature up a  little  and  may  prevent a freeze
when the thermometer is ranging dangerously  near
the freezing point.  A cellar  built on  top of the
ground is the best.  If  the walls be of brick and
double and a small stove kept going in the coldest
weather it will serve in very extreme climates.

              PRESERVING FOODS.
  One of the greatest discoveries of modern times
is the art of preserving foods by canning.  If this
operation is properly performed most kinds of food
retain nearly their original  flavor.  This process is
one of  the  many which places us immeasurably 
4I2
PRESERVING FOODS.
above the savage, who  to-day has  a feast and to-
morrow a famine.   It enables us to distribute the
abundance of certain luxuries of a particular season
over the whole year, and permits the inhabitants
of distant regions to double their store of luxuries
by exchanging a part of that of which they have a
superabundance for that which they have not.
  While canned fruits and vegetables may be bought
comparatively cheap, yet it is desirable  in many
cases that families do much of their own canning.
Every housekeeper ought to know how to can fruits
properly.
  The only important point in canning  fruit  is to
exclude as much as possible of  the air.  Heating
causes the air in the fruit and in the can to expand.
By expanding, much of it is driven out of the can.
If the can be perfectly full of the fruit and sealed per-
fectly tight while hot,its chances of keeping perfectly
are as a hundred to one.  Doubtless  the  thorough
heating of the fruit has something to do with its
keeping aside from merely excluding the air.  The
fermentation which takes place when fruit spoils is
caused by certain  germs that may exist in the air,
or have fallen on the fruit previously.  These germs
can not produce fermentation without air, but  since
it is impossible to exclude all of the air, the heating
no  doubt kills  those germs which  may have  been
in the fruit, and this prevents their  development.
  Tin or glass cans may be used.  One is as good
as the other.   The tin  will not affect the fruit, if
the latter does not become partially spoiled, and
if it does the effect will be noticeable, and the fruit 
               PRESERVING FOODS.           413

should be rejected anyway.  When  but little fruit
is to be canned, perhaps self-sealing glass jars are
the best.  If properly cared for they will last  for
many years.  The cans should be put in cold water
which should gradually be brought to the heating
point.   The cans may then be taken out, wrapped
in a towel, and the fruit put  in while  boiling hot,
and having been filled perfectly full, the covers are
to be screwed down as tightly as possible.  Each
can should be filled with the hot fruit  the moment
it is taken out of the hot water, and  sealed  up im-
mediately.
  If large quantities  are to be put up,  tin cans are
the  cheapest.  I see no reason why each  family
should not do their own soldering.  This is a sim-
ple  process.  The art  may be  learned from any
tinner in a few minutes, and the materials cost but
little.  After they  are soldered, they should be put
into a kettle of boiling water for several minutes,
then take them out, punch a hole with an awl in the
lid  to let out the expanded air, then apply a little
solder to the hole  as  soon  as possible.  Cans put
up in this way will keep better  than when  sealed
with wax.   To open  the can lay a  few live coals
on the top and blow on them for a  minute.  The
cover will come loose, and may be lifted off with a
knife blade, or they may be unsoldered by  apply-
ing the heated soldering iron.  Cans which you
buy in the stores may be used again if opened in
this way.
  If you have on hand a quantity of apples in the
winter time  which are beginning to rot, pick them 
414     ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF FOODS.
over, take out all those beginning to decay, pare
and cut away the rotten part  and can them up.
You will thus save the fruit and have apples almost
as good as fresh ones in the spring when apples are
scarce and dear.
  Grapes  may be preserved whole by dropping
them  in a thick syrup of sugar, boiling  hot, and
canning immediately.
  It is best in most cases to sweeten fruit when
canning it.  If properly canned the risk of spoiling
and thus losing both fruit and sugar is very small.
The sugar helps preserve the fruit and lessens the
chance of losing it.
  Cider may be kept from becoming " hard," that
is, fermenting, by putting into each barrel about a
pint of ground mustard.  Cider which is to be kept
should be made late in the  season.
  Grape juice may be kept unfermented by adding
sugar and canning.  The juice may be extracted
by cooking the grapes just a little, putting the pulp
in a muslin bag, and pressing the juice out.  The
 juice of any fruit may be procured  and preserved
in this way.

        ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS  OF  FOODS.
   Food is necessary for two purposes : (1) To fur-
nish material for the growth and to supply the waste
of the body ; (2) to keep up the animal heat.  On
this basis the  essential elements of all  articles of
food may be divided into two  classes.  By essen-
tial elements I mean those parts of an ordinary food
which are digested, absorbed and actually used bv 
        ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF FOODS.     41$

the body.   For example, a potato consists of starch,
albuminous matter, water and cellulose.  The water
is the same as we drink, and,  though absorbed, is
not used to build up the system any more than the
water we drink, hence, the water is not an essen-
tial element of the potato, as far as food is con-
cerned.  The cellulose is only another name for
woody fiber which forms the  frame-work  of vege-
tables, and is not digested, but passes away through
the bowels.  It is then not a  food.   The  starch is
converted into sugar and absorbed, and the sugar
thus obtained is used in the system  to keep up an-
imal heat.   The potato contains also some album-
inous matter,  which is used  to build up  the body
and supply waste.  The starch and the albuminous
matter are therefore essential  elements of food.
  Those elements  in  foods which  build up and
keep the body in repair are called nitrogenous, be-
cause they all contain  nitrogen, one of the simple
elements in nature.  They are also called  albumin-
ous,   because they resemble  ordinary  albumen.
They are principally as follows:  Fibrin,  the prin-
cipal part of lean meat; albumen, the principal part
of eggs, also found to some extent in meat;  casein,
the solid   part of  milk,  nearly  pure in cheese ;
legumin, or vegetable  casein,  found in  beans and
peas ; gelatine, or jelly, found in bones,  skin and
some other parts of the animal, and  in fruits.  (It
is claimed  by some physiologists  that gelatine is of
little or no value as nourishment;) gluten, found
in the grains, more especially in the part  next the
bran or hull. 
416    DICTIONARY OF FOODS AND DRINKS.

  Those elements  in foods which produce animal
heat are called carbonaceous, because they consist
largely of carbon, one of the simple elements in
nature, and contain no nitrogen.  They are prin-
cipally starch, found in all grains, in potatoes and
many roots, and to some extent  in  fruits and gar-
den vegetables ; sugar, found  in all fruits  and in
most vegetables ; fats and oils, found in the fat of
all animals, in some vegetables, and in milk and
eggs.
  Now, we need a variety of food  in order to get
a proper share  of the building and heat-making
material, since but few single articles of food con-
tain the proper proportion.  If we were to live on
potatoes alone we  would not get enough building
material, if on lean meat  alone  we would not get
enough heat-making  material.  In winter and in
cold climates we  need, of course,  more  of those
foods which contain the heat-making material than
in summer or in warmer climates.
  Some substances are not of much value as food,
containing very little  nourishment, but  since they
are very palatable they form an important addition
to other foods.   Such substances  may be called
relishes.  Many of them will be mentioned  in the
following

       DICTIONARY OF FOODS AND  DRINKS.
  Ale.—See Beer.
  Apples.—Wholesome and easily  digested, when
ripe and not eaten in too large quantities ata time.
They  contain over eighty per  cent,  water, some 
        DICTIONARY OF FOODS AND DRINKS.    417

.sugar, starch  and acid.   They tend  to loosen the
bowels.  The skins and hard parts of  the  core
should not be eaten.   They are not so apt to pro-
duce bad effects when cooked as when raw.
  Arrowroot.—This is often recommended for the
sick.  The true article is obtained from the root of
a tropical plant.  It is nearly pure starch.  There
are  many  substances which are sold  under the
name of arrowroot which are only preparations of
starch from various plants.  English arrowroot is
made chiefly from  potatoes.   Arrowroot  is, in my
opinion, of very little use either to the sick or well,
since we get as much starch as we want in more
palatable form in wheat, corn, potatoes and many
other articles.  It is not palatable unless sweetened
and then  does  not seem to be  satisfying.   One
may as well  feed a patient pure  starch, such as is
prepared for laundry purposes.
  Asparagus.—Easy of digestion ; contains about
five per cent, of nourishment.  It increases  the
action of the kidneys slightly.  Is not constipating.
  Bacon.—See Pork.
  Bananas—Contain in ioo parts about seventy-
four water, twenty sugar and four albuminous  mat-
ter.  They are nourishing, but somewhat difficult
of digestion.  They tend to loosen the bowels.
  Barley.—Not much used in this country for food.
It contains sixty-nine per cent,  of starch, four or
five of sugar, and about six of albuminous matter.
It is, therefore, very nutritious.  It is used for bread
in many countries.   We find in the market  here
what is known as pearl barley, which is simply the
     27 
418    DICTIONARY OF FOODS AND DRINKS.

grain with the husk removed.  Well boiled  and
eaten with milk and sugar it forms a delicious dish,
and  can  often be  used to  afford variety.  It  has
usually no marked action on the bowels.
  Beans—Contain over twenty per cent, of album-
inous matter and  about fifty of starch, and  are,
therefore, highly nutritious.  When ripe and hard
they should be boiled at least five hours, otherwise
they  are  very  indigestible.   When  used  green
they need not be cooked quite so long.  They are-
inclined to be binding and  should not be eaten by
persons who are constipated.  They are very eco-
nomical  as  an article  of  diet, containing much
nutriment in proportion to the price.
  Beef.—The most nutritious of meats and perhaps
more extensively used than any other.  The lean con-
tains about twenty per cent, of albuminous  matter,
a small amount of salts and the remainder is water.
The fat is mainly heat-producing.   Beef is easily
digested  if of good  quality, properly cooked  and
well chewed.  It  is best   eaten fresh.   Dried or
smoked beef affords, however, a variety and is
convenient as it needs no cooking.
  Beer.—Ale, lager and porter are  simply forms
of beer differing but slightly, hence need no sepa-
rate treatment.  Beer is made by allowing malt,
which is sprouted barley or other grain, to ferment,
and by the addition of hops.   The  sprouting of
the grain changes the  starch to sugar, the fermen-
tation changes  part of the sugar to alcohol,  and
the  hops  impart a bitter and slightly intoxicating 
       DICTIONARY OF FOODS AND DRINKS.    419

principle.  The amount  of alcohol in beers varies
from two to eight per cent.
  Because the  Germans and other European peo-
ple drink large  quantities of beer and are generallv
a healthy people, that is no reason why Americans
should drink it.  Alcoholic drinks, not even the
mildest, do not  generally agree with  Americans.
Total abstinence or only an occasional indulgence
in the mildest of alcoholic liquors is undoubtedly
the best for the American people.  Beer contains
some nutriment, and may be classed among the
foods, but when we consider the cost and the dan-
gerous effects of the alcohol and hops which we
take along with  it, we will come to the conclusion
that it is  a very expensive food.
  Beets—Contain about ten per cent, of sugar and
over eighty  per cent, water, with a  very small
amount of  albuminous matter.   They  are readily
digested and wholesome, and are somewhat loosen-
ing to the bowels.
  Brandy.—Distilled wine, containing about forty-
five or fifty per cent, of alcohol.   Should never be
used, except  in sickness where a quick stimulant is
desired.  It  is  a difficult matter to obtain it pure.
Most of that obtained in the drug stores  is a mix-
ture of drugs with a little alcohol.   If not positive
that it is pure brandy, better use diluted alcohol in
sickness.   Sometimes  it is  made of alcohol and
water, flavored with oil  of cognac.  When made
this way it is not objectionable, but is  no better
than simple  alcohol  and water.  But again it  is
made with only a little alcohol, and to keep up the 
DICTIONARY OF FOODS AND DRINKS.
intoxicating power, fishberries and other intoxicat-
ing drugs are added.  Alcohol will burn readily.
A test that would  show that  it contained alcohol
instead of other intoxicants would be to set a small
quantity of it on fire.  Nearly  half of it ought to be
consumed.
  Blackberries.—An agreeable, wholesome  fruit,
containing sugar  and an acid.  They are said to
be  slightly  constipating,  which I am inclined to
doubt.
  Buckwheat—Contains about eighty per cent, of
starch, and about two and one-half of albuminous
matter.  Buckwheat cakes are sometimes the cause
of  a breaking out, or rash of  the skin.   They  are
wholesome, if made properly—so as to be very
light, and not eaten too frequently.
  Butter—Is the fat, or oil of milk.   It is purely a
heat-producing food,  and for this purpose is no
better than other fats, though usually more agree-
 able to the palate.  It is not wholesome when  it
becomes rancid.   The substitute for butter, known
 as  oleomargarine, is prepared from tallow, and  is
 not unwholesome, although not as agreeable as real
 butter.
    Cabbage—-Is but slightly nourishing, consisting
 of ninety-four parts water and a small amount of
 sugar and albuminous  matter.  It should be well
 cooked or it will be difficult of digestion.  It forms
 an excellent addition to vegetable soup, and as a
 relish is valuable.  Good for constipation.
    Carrots.—More nutritious than cabbage.  They
 contain some starch, sugar, albuminous matter, and 
        DICTIONARY OF FOODS AND DRINKS.    42 I

about  eighty-three  per  cent,  water.   They are
loosening to the bowels.
  Celery—Resembles the carrot in composition and
properties.
  Cheese.—Highly nutritious, containing large per
cent, of both heat-making  and building material.
It is not easily  digested, however, and causes con-
stipation in many persons if eaten in any consider-
able quantity.
  Cherries.—Very wholesome and  agreeable acid
fruit.   They contain from eight to thirteen per cent.
of sugar, and a small  amount of  albuminous mat-
ter.  Like all acid fruits, they are loosening to the
bowels.
  Chicken.—See Poultry.
  Chocolate—Is made from the  seeds of a tropical
plant.   It contains much nutritious matter, consist-
ing in  the main of fat (cocoa butter), about thirty-
five per cent. ; starch,  about  one-half  per cent.,
and glutin, about three per cent., besides a narcotic
principle  similar to that found in tea and coffee.
As  a beverage it is  much  preferable to tea and
coffee, in my opinion.   Prepared with milk and
sugar it is not only mildly stimulating, but a highly
nutritious and  agreeable drink.   Children,  how-
ever, had better drink the milk without  the choco-
late.   It is said to be slightly constipating.
  Cider.—Fresh cider contains no alcohol.  It is
simply the juice of apples and is  as harmless as
the apple itself.  Hard cider is  the fermented juice
and  contains  from  five to  ten per  cent, of alco-
hol.   It is the wine  of apples.  In another place I 
422     DICTIONARY OF FOODS AND DRINKS.

have given directions for preventing fermentation.
Sweet cider is a pleasant,  wholesome drink, loos-
ening to the bowels.  Hard cider is intoxicating if
taken in considerable quantities, and is not to be
recommended as a drink, though it is  less objec-
tionable than beer, ale or porter.
  Clams.—See Oysters.
  Cloves—Are the dried flower buds of a species
of plant growing in tropical countries.  Like all
other spices, they should be used with moderation.
They contain little or no nutriment, and are useful
only to give flavor to other substances, and to stim-
ulate the stomach.  Clove  tea is a useful medicine
in colic and painful menstruation.
   Coffee. — The coffee bean, or  berry,  contains
some nutriment, but the drink prepared from it is
valued  chiefly for  a  peculiar aromatic principle
which is stimulating.   It is apt  to keep some per-
sons  awake  if drank before retiring.    It is no
doubt useful, when not used too  strong, to adults,
and especially to old  people, but  children  and
youth while growing up are better without it.  It
seems to be better adapted to the people of warm
climates.  *To  make  good coffee it should not be
boiled longer than ten minutes, and if it can be
boiled in a very tight vessel, so that the aroma can
not escape, it is much better.  There  are patent
coffee pots which are excellently adapted to the
purpose.  It is said to have a tendency to produce
constipation.
   Corn — Contains eleven per cent, albuminous
matter, sixty-four and one-half of starch, eight of 
DICTIONARY OF FOODS AND DRINKS.     423
fat, and a little of sugar.  Corn bread is  not as
nutritious as wheat bread  nor so generally  well
relished, but affords an excellent variety occasion-
ally.  In many cases it loosens the bowels,  proba-
bly because of its  coarseness.   Green corn, or
roasting ears, are wholesome if well cooked.  The
variety  known as sugar corn is by far the best for
this purpose.  It  is  now canned  and sold quite
cheap in the groceries.  A can purchased occa-
sionally during the winter affords an agreeable vari-
ety when green vegetables are scarce.  Corn starch
is not nearly as nutritious as cornmeal, being nearly
pure  starch.  Some food containing building mate-
rial should  be eaten with it.   Hominy is a whole-
some form of corn.
   Cranberries—Contain but  little  nutriment, but
are excellent relishes, sharpening the  appetite.
They are especially good eaten with  fresh meats.
 One  should eat but a small quantity at a time.
   Cucumbers—Are difficult of digestion and con-
 tain  but little nutriment.   As pickles they afford
 a relish. They should not be eaten freely.
    Currants—Are slightly nutritious. Afford a good
 relish and are loosening to the bowels.
   Dates.—NhoMt one-half sugar.  They are very
 nutritious and agreeable.
   Ducks.—See Poultry.
   Eggs—Contain all the elements required by the
 body in about the right proportions. Very valuable
 as food.   They should be  used  largely by the
 young, being  preferable  to  meat.  At  average
 prices they  are  among the  cheapest of foods, a 
424     DICTIONARY OF FOODS AND DRINKS.

pound of eggs being more than equal to a pound
of meat in nutrient value.
  Fats and Oils.—The only difference between fat
and oil  is that the former is solid and the latter is
liquid  at  ordinary temperatures.   Their use  as.
food is principally to furnish animal heat.   There
is a common notion among a certain class of people:
that fat meat is injurious, and that  lard ought not
to be used in cooking.  It is without foundation.
It is true that articles are often rendered indigesti-
ble by being improperly cooked in grease, but if
fats are properly used they are not only harmless
but absolutely necessary in the human economy.
It is the opinion of many good authorities, among
whom are Dr. William B. Carpenter, Dr. Hooker
and  Dr. J. Hughes Bennett, of Edinburgh, that a
deficiency of fat in the food is one principal cause
of tuberculous disease, or consumption.  Says Dr.
Edward  Smith:   "It is very  probable that fat
exerts an influence in the passage of refuse matter
through the bowel; so that with  some excess of
fat the bowels will act more readily than where the
dietary is  deficient in that  lubricating substance."
  Figs—Are rich in nutritious elements.  They
are especially valuable for  their loosening effects
on the bowels.
  Fish—Contain  more water  than meat, and  are
therefore less nutritious.   Salmon is probably more
nutritious than any other kind.  Fish, when fresh,
are easily digested, and as they afford an excellent
variety should be eaten frequently.   Thev are said
to be especially good for brain workers, since they- 
DICTIONARY OF FOODS AND DRINKS.     425
contain a large amount of phosphorus which is an
element of nervous tissue.
   Gatne.—By this term I mean all wild quadru-
peds and birds that are used for food.  As  a rule,
only those animals which live on  vegetable food
are fit to eat.  The flesh of birds contains less fat
than that of most quadrupeds, and is of a more del-
icate flavor.  Rabbits and squirrels are wholesome
food,  and nearly as nutritious as beef.  The flesh
of the groundhog, or woodchuck, and of the opos-
sum,  is excellent eating.  The raccoon is some-
times eaten.  Venison is excellent food.  The flesh
of wild animals is usually better relished by invalids
than that of tame animals, on account of the more
delicate flavor.  It is also more easily digested.
   Geese.—See Poultry.
   Giu.—See Whisky.
   Ginger—Is  the root  of a  plant growing in  the
East and West Indies.  Where it grows it is, when
young and tender, preserved  in sugar, and eaten
as a dessert.  The dried root which we get is very
stimulating, and,  while valuable as  a medicine,
should not be used much  in  food.  The digestive
organs are weakened by its constant use.
   Gooseberries.—Very similar to currants in com-
position and effect.
   Grapes—Contain from nine to fifteen per cent, of
sugar, about one and one-half per cent,  of acid,
less than one per cent, of albuminous  matter,  and
over eighty per  cent, of water.  The seeds  and
skins are indigestible.  Grapes are very wholesome
food.   When perfectly ripe they  may  be eaten 
420
DICTIONARY OF FOODS AND DRINKS.
freely, rejecting  the  skins and seeds.   They are
somewhat loosening to the bowels.
  '■'■Greens.'1''—Various young and tender plants are
used in this country for food and  relish,  either
cooked or  eaten  raw with  vinegar.  Among the
number may be mentioned mustard leaves, yellow
dock,  or sour  dock,  cowslips, radish and  turnip
tops, spinach  and  dandelion.   Lettuce may be
reckoned in this list.   It contains a narcotic prin-
ciple similar in  effects to opium.  Much lettuce
eaten  at a meal  will  produce drowsiness.  None
of these plants used for greens are of much nutri-
tive value,  but as they afford a relish in the spring
of the year  when green foods are scarce, they are
of value.
  Ham.—See Pork.
  Hominy.—See  Corn.
  Honey—Is mostly sugar,  and is about equal to
it in nutritive value.  It loosens the bowels.  It  is
now largely made artificially,  even the  combs are
made  and  filled  by machinery.  One  should not
eat much honey at a time, as it cloys the appetite.
Solomon was aware of this when he said, " It is not
good to eat too much honey."
  Horseradish—Is very stimulating.  It arouses an
appetite, and may be used in moderate  quantities.
  Huckleberries—Have  very   indigestible  skins,
which  are generally eaten.   Otherwise  they are
excellent  fruit.   They are  good for  constipated
bowels.
  Ice  Cream—When  eaten  frequently  no  doubt
^causes indigestion.  It lowers  the temperature of 
        DICTIONARY OF FOODS AND DRINKS.    427

the stomach so much that digestion is arrested  for
a time.   It is my experience that it is less hurtful
when no other food is eaten with it.
   yelly.—The jellies made from fruit contain gel-
atin, a nitrogenous matter, almost the same as the
gelatin  from  animals.  There  is a  difference of
opinion as to the nutritive value of gelatin.  Says
Dr. Whittaker:  "Though the gastric juice  will
attack and  dissolve  gelatin,  it has very little, if
any, nutritive properties, and should never, in any
of its forms (jellies,  isinglass,  Iceland moss), be
relied upon as an article of food."  Flint comes to
about the same conclusion.   On the other hand,
Dr. Edward Smith says:  "My experiments, and
those of others, have  proved  that it is a valuable
food,  since it increases vital action  in  the same
direction, if not in the same degree, as albumen."
Fruit jellies contain a considerable amount of sugar
and the peculiar acid of the fruits, and are usually
well relished, and whether highly nutritious or not
afford a harmless and agreeable addition to other
foods.
   Lamb.—See Mutton.
   Lard.—See Fats and Oils.
   Lemons—Contain citric acid.   They are cooling
and agreeable.  Lemonade  is one of  the  most
agreeable, and at  the same time, one of the most
harmless of drinks.
   Lettuce.—See "Greens."
   Liver.—The livers of various animals are  used
for food.  There can be no objection to liver if it be
sound.   That  of  the  calf is  considered a luxury. 
DICTIONARY OF FOODS AND DRINKS.
The liver of the ox is the most nutritious, contain-
ing about twenty per cent, of albuminous matter.
It should be well cooked.
  Macaroni—Is simply fine flour made into a paste
and dried.  It forms a  large part of the food of
the people of Southern Italy.  It is said to be more
nutritious than ordinary wheat bread, because the
Italian wheat from which it is made contains more
gluten.   It  is  not  so easily  digested as  bread.
Vermicelli is of the same composition as macaroni.
  Milk.—One of the most valuable of foods. Like
eggs, it contains all of the elements needed by the
body.   It should be the principal food of children.
  It agrees  with and is valuable to  most  adults.
It  is easy of digestion.   It always  curdles when
taken into the stomach, a  fact wrhich should be
known  to all mothers, since  if a child from any
cause throws up its food, one must not come to the
conclusion that a bad condition of the stomach has
caused  the  curdling of the  milk and that, there-
fore, the milk has not agreed with it.   The sour-
ing of the milk does not lessen its nutritious prop-
erties very much.   It consists in the conversion of
the sugar to lactic acid.  Buttermilk is not only
very nutritious, but a cooling and agreeable ^drink.
In India it is used to such an extent  that the peo-
ple have a saying that " a  man may live without
bread, but without buttermilk he dies."
  Molasses.—See Sugar.
  Mustard.—A strong  stimulating condiment.  It
should be used with great moderation.
  Mutton.—"Although an agreeable and valuable 
        DICTIONARY OF FOODS AND DRINKS.    429

food for all  classes, it is not so well fitted as beef
to sustain great exertion, but  is rather a food for
those of  sedentary  and quiet habits,  including
women and  the sick."—Dr. Edward Smith.  Lamb
is less nutritious.  It  is more easily digested.
  Nutmeg—Is the seed of a tropical  fruit.  Mace
is the fleshy covering of the nutmeg dried.   The
whole fruit  is used  in countries where it is grown
when green as preserves.   Both the nutmeg and
mace are rather mildly  stimulating and are  per-
haps the least objectionable of the spices if used
in any considerable quantity.
  Nuts.—Walnuts, hickorynuts, almonds,  hazel-
nuts, filberts, peanuts, and chestnuts, all contain a
considerable amount  of oil,  and are nutritious, but
rather difficult of digestion.   I think, however, that
the ill  effects that  are often  ascribed to them are
due to the fact that they  are usually eaten between
meals, and  as an addition to,  rather than a part of
our regular food.   For my own part, I have never
observed any ill effects from eating nuts when they
were eaten  as a part  of the ordinary food.  The oil
they contain makes them loosening to  the bowels,
and in my own case, I have  found hickorynuts to
be  an excellent remedy for constipation.  Cocoa-
nuts, as we get them, are rather  indigestible, but
in many parts  of the world they  form almost the
sole food and drink of the people.
   Oatmeal—Contains about fifty-eight  per cent,  of
starch, twelve and one-half of albuminous matter,
five of sugar, five and one-half of fat, and is therefore
very nutritious.  It is a singular  fact  that a grain 
430    DICTIONARY OF FOODS AND DRINKS.

wdiich can be so cheaply produced, and which af-
fords such a nourishing and delicious food, is not
more extensively used.   While oats can be grown
much more cheaply than wheat, oatmeal sells at a
higher price than flour, chiefly because the demand
for it is not great.  Large quantities of  it are used
in Scotland by the poor classes, but in this country
it seems to be  rather  a luxury than a  necessity.
It should be well  cooked to render  it  digestible.
Boiled for two hours, or rather  kept at  the boiling
point by  putting it with a little water in  one vessel
and placing this vessel inside of another containing
boiling water,  for this length  of time, and eaten
with cream and sugar, it is one of the most nutri-
tious and palatable of foods.
  Onions—Contain a  stimulating oil which gives
them their  peculiar  odor.  In  cooking, this oil is
largely evaporated.   They are moderately nutri-
tious, containing more flesh-forming  material  than
the potato, but only about one-fourth as  much heat-
giving material.   They form an important article
of food in Spain and some other countries, but here
they are used mainly as a  relish.  They have the
reputation of increasing the action of the kidneys,
and of being expectorant, that  is, increasing the
flow of mucus.  Like  all watery vegetables,  thev
would be useful in relieving constipation.
  Oranges—Contain much less  acid than lemons,
and more sugar, but otherwise  the two are similar.
They are an agreeable and wholesome  fruit.
  Oysters.—Not of  high nutritive value-,, but are 
        DICTIONARY OF FOODS AND DRINKS.    431

easy of digestion  and wholesome  in their season.
Clams are very similar.
  Parsnips—Are easy of digestion and wholesome
to those who like them.  They contain about one
per cent, of flesh-forming elements, eight or nine
of starch, one  and one-half of oil, and eighty-one
of water.
  Peaches—Are not more  nutritious than apples ;
are easy of digestion, and loosening to the bowels.
  Pears—Are more diffiult of digestion than apples
or peaches,  but more nutritious.
  Peas.—Very similar to beans, which see.
  Pepper. — The cayenne,  or  red  pepper,  is
stronger than black  pepper. Both are powerful
stimulants and should not be used too freely.
  Pickles.—See Vinegar.
  Pine-apples.— Agreeable  and  wholesome, but
not  very nutritious.  Are more digestible when
cooked.
  Plums.—Similar in composition and properties
to# peaches.  Prunes are a dried species of plum.
  Pork—Is  not quite as nutritious as beef and not
so  easilv digested.  There is  a great deal  of, I
think, unfounded  prejudice against the eating of
pork.   If the  animal be healthy there is  no  more
agreeable and wholesome meat.   One reason why
it is not so easily digested is  the great hardness of
its  muscle  fiber.   It should be well cooked and
well chewed.  Ham is best when thoroughly boiled
and eaten cold.   Bacon is considered a luxury by
a few and a necessity by many.   Too much of it
is eaten by the  laboring  classes.   It should  be 
432    DICTIONARY OF FOODS AND DRINKS.

eaten more in the winter than in the summer.  Too
long drying  or  smoking makes bacon and  ham
more difficult of digestion.
  Potatoes—Do not contain enough flesh-forming
matter to make a complete food,  but are valuable
along  with  meat.   The  Irish potatoes  average
about two per  cent, albuminous matter, eighteen
of starch, and three of sugar.  The sweet potato
differs somewhat, containing more sugar.  Pota-
toes  should be  thoroughly  cooked.   When boiled
they should  be  put in boiling water, and when
done the water  poured off and exposed to dry heat
until  they  appear  mealy.   If  roasted the oven
should be hot when they are  put in.  If fried the
grease should be very hot when they are put in it.
Young potatoes  are not wholesome.  They should
get their growth before  they are eaten, and then
are  better  after laying out of the ground a  few
days.
  Poultry.—This term includes domestic birds, as
chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys.  The flesh of
these birds is regarded as  lighter food than beef,
mutton or pork.   This is  not because of inferior
nourishing qualities, but rather because they have
a more delicate  flavor and are more easily digested.
They contain nearly as much nutriment as beef.
  Prunes.—See Plums.
  Pumpkins  and Squashes—Are only moderately
nutritious, but wholesome.
  Quinces—Are hard  and tough  when raw,  but
when well cooked with sugar form delicious pre-
serves.  The flavor is  so strong that they may be 
DICTIONARY OF FOODS AND DRINKS.     433
mixed with an equal quantity of apples, to which
they will impart their flavor in preserves.   Such
preparations should be eaten in great moderation.
  Raspberries.— Somewhat similar  in properties
and composition to Blackberries, which see.
  Radishes—Resemble carrots in composition.  Dif-
ficult of digestion, but not unwholesome if the stom-
ach is in good condition.
  Rhubarb—Contains much acid.  Is easy of di-
gestion if well cooked, and  is decidedly loosening
to the bowels.
  Rice—Contains seventy-nine parts  in a hundred
of starch,  six of albuminous  matter, and a small
amount of  fat and sugar.  It is not a  perfect  food,
containing too little flesh-forming material.   It is
quickly digested when well  cooked.  It  forms the
greater part of the food of millions of  people.  It is
a curious fact that when new it is not  so digestible
as when old. In  India it is  sometimes not  used
until it is three years old.
  Sago.—A form of starch,  produced from various
species of palm trees.  See  Arrowroot.
  Salt—Appears to be a very essential part of food,
although it does not add anything towards building
up the tissues.  It has been in  use from the most
ancient times and  is universally sought after by
man and beast.  An excessive use of it is doubtless
injurious.   Many nutritious  foods would not be rel-
ished without a little salt.
  Squashes.—See Pumpkins.
  Strawberries.—Similar to  raspberries and black-
berries in properties and composition.
    28 
434     DICTIONARY OF FOODS AND DRINKS.

  Sugar.—Nearly all  foods  contain  more or  less
sugar, but it is most abundant in fruits and vegeta-
bles.   It is an important article of diet, furnishing
the heat-making material in a very palatable form.
It furnishes no building material to the body,  and
therefore is by no means a complete food.  When
eaten in excess it cloys the appetite and  produces
indigestion.  As  an  addition  to  tasteless  foods,
rendering them palatable, it is valuable.
  Tallow.—See Fats and Oils.
  Tapioca—Is, like sago and arrowroot,  nearly
pure starch, obtained from a tropical plant.
  Tea.—Black and green teas do not differ in com-
position and properties.  The  difference  is in the
mode of preparation and  in  the  maturity  of the
leaves.  Its peculiar properties are  due to a sub-
stance called theine, which is a stimulating, aromatic
oil, which gives it flavor, and tannin, which makes
it astringent.  The  stimulating effects are some-
what similar to coffee.   It should be made at a low
heat, never be boiled, as boiling drives off the oil
which gives it flavor, and  dissolves out too  much
of the tannin.  Tea  is more suitable  to  cold  cli-
mates, and as a winter drink.  Young people do not
need it, and are better off without it.   Middle-aged
and old people are  often benefited by its use.  It
should never be used too strong.   Most people in
this country drink it too strong.
  Tomatoes—Are moderately  nutritious and  very
wholesome.  They are loosening to the bowels.
  Turnips—Contain a little over one per cent, of
building material, about  seven of starch and sugar,, 
        DICTIONARY OF FOODS AND DRINKS.     435

and  over ninety per cent, of water.  They  are,
therefore, of but little nutritive value, but are whole-
some.
   Veal.—See Beef.
   Venison.—See Game.
   Vermicelli.—See Macaroni.
   Vinegar—Is diluted acetic  acid mixed with fla-
voring extracts of whatever it be made from.  A little
stimulates digestion, but taken habitually it weak-
ens the stomach  and causes emaciation.   Pickles
eaten occasionally in very moderate quantities, are
not hurtful to strong stomachs. " Greened pickles "
are made by  heating them in a copper or brass
vessel or by putting a copper  coin in the vessel, or
by adding sulphate of copper.   Such pickles are
poisonous, and should not  be  eaten.
   A writer in  the Popular Science Monthly says:
" The value of vinegar as a condiment depends on
the fact that acetic acid dissolves gelatin, fibrin and
albumen ; hence it aids in  digesting  young meats,
fish, lobsters,  and hard-boiled  eggs.  The  acid
assists also in the  conversion of cellulose (woody
fiber) into sugar, which  is  the first stage in the di-
gestion of the green leaves used in salads.  It is a
mistake to use vinegar on beans, for it renders in-
soluble the legumin, which is their chief nutritive
constituent.   Oil,  pepper, mustard,  and  a  little
white wine make  the best dressing for beans.   It
has been  proved that some vegetable acid is neces-
sary for the preservation of health, as long contin-
uance in a diet lacking such acids produces scurvy.
Vinegar will partly supply this lack, but not wholly. 
DICTIONARY OF FOODS AND DRINKS.
A craving  for acids is better supplied by fruit or
acid vegetables."
  Water—Is not properly a  food, but  without  it
no food would be sufficient except those containing
large quantities of it.  One should drink plenty of
water, yet not an excessive  amount.   A habit may
be acquired of drinking too much water.   Drink-
ing much iced water is frequently injurious.
  Water-melons—Consist almost entirely of water.
A small amount of sugar  is the  principal nutri-
ment found in them.  They  are wholesome when
thoroughly ripe.
  Wheat.—The most important vegetable produc-
tion of temperate climates.   It is almost  a com-
plete food, as far as its composition  is concerned,
and one of which we never tire, if we have some-
thing  else  to eat with it.  The outside layer of a
grain of wheat is mostly silica, a  flinty substance
destitute of nutritious  properties.   It  is taken off
with the coarsest bran. Next to this is a layer con-
taining a large per cent, of gluten, which is a valu-
able albuminous  food.  The  center of the  grain is
mostly starch.   In ordinary white flour  a large
part of the gluten goes  with the bran  and mid-
dlings, although a considerable amount is left  in
the  finest  flour,  as may be shown  by mixing a
quantity of flour  with  water   and  rubbing  it
thoroughly on a fine cloth stretched over a vessel.
When the  water which goes through is no longer
milky in appearance  the sticky substance left on
the  cloth is  gluten and the white settlings in  the
water in the vessel is starch. 
DICTIONARY OF FOODS AND DRINKS.
437
  A great deal has been written about the great
amount of nutriment which we throw away in the
shape of gluten in the bran, but most writers have
overlooked the fact that the bran being coarse  and
irritating, causes such looseness of the bowels  that
a large amount of the nutriment is carried away in
the excrements before  it can be digested, so  that
after all, bread from fine white flour may be more
nutritious than when made from the whole wheat.
  Whole wheat  flour,  or  Graham flour  as  it is
called, is good for some people and as  an occa-
sional change for all.   It  should  be used largely
by  persons   troubled  with constipation.   Bread
made out of Graham flour  can never be made as
palatable to most  persons as bread made from fine
flour.   It  may  be  relished  occasionally for  a
change, but one tires  of it, which is not true of
light, white bread.
  I do not agree  with those who think that bread
should form the largest part of our diet.  Although
it may, and should be, eaten at every meal, yet
garden vegetables or  fruits,  or both, should  also
form a part of every meal.
  For an occasional change wheat may be boiled
whole and eaten with sugar and milk.  It is very
palatable. Cracked wheat is perhaps better.  Ordi-
nary  Graham flour may be  boiled  and eaten as
mush, either warm or cold  with milk and sugar, or
it may be sliced  and fried.  The good housewife
will use all of these forms for  the sake of variety.
   Whisky.—Pure  whisky  contains  from fifty to
sixty per cent, of alcohol,  a little  fusel  oil, which 
438     DICTIONARY OF FOODS AND DRINKS.

gives it its peculiar  flavor,  the  remainder being
mostly water.  It is  a very difficult matter to get
pure  whisky  in  this  country.  Most  that is sold
under that name is a vile  compound of a little
alcohol,  tobacco,  fish berries,  cayenne pepper,
burnt sugar, etc., and water.  Whisky is made by
distilling grains, chiefly corn or rye.   Could we
get it pure  it might frequently answer a good  pur-
pose in  sickness, but since it is almost impossible
to do so, we  had  better let it alone.   It is not a
food in the proper sense of that  term.  Gin is
whisky flavored with juniper berries.   It acts upon
the kidneys, increasing their secretion.
   Wine.—There are  many  kinds of wines.   The
term  is usually applied to the fermented juice of
grapes.   A fermented juice of any kind, which has
not been subjected to distillation, may be called
wine.  Thus hard cider is wine of  apples, and we
have  blackberry, currant,  elderberry and  other
wines.  Wine contains more or less alcohol, vary-
ing from five to twenty-five  per cent.  In addition
to alcohol and water it contains certain acids and
flavors of the fruit from which it is made, and some
sugar.   The weakest wines, if used  in modera-
tion by  adults,  are not objectionable.   The danger
in this  country is that a desire  for some stronger
alcoholic drink may  be  cultivated. In Italy and
Greece the people all drink wine, as we drink water
or milk, and  drunkenness  is" a  rare  occurrence.
But the wines of those countries are weak and the
disposition of the people is  such that there is no
danger  of their  using them  to  injurious excess. 
DICTIONARY OF FOODS AND DRINKS.     439
The example of that people is no guide for us.  As
a rule, people of  warm countries rarely ever go to
excess in alcoholic liquors, while those of colder
countries do.  Russia  shows the greatest  amount
of drunkenness, Greece the least.  Wine contains
very little nutriment, and  should not be counted
among the proper foods. 
Chapter XVI.
HOUSEKEEPING AND  DOMESTIC ECON-
                    OMY
  IMPORTANCE AND DIGNITY OF HOUSEKEEPING.
  I do not believe in drudgery.   A woman should
have time for recreation, for reading, for conver-
sation, for fancy work, etc.   If her family consists
of but two or three members she will  find time
enough for these things  and to keep her house in
order and do the cooking necessary, provided she
has good health and knows how to manage.  If
she has a large family to cook for and a large house
to see after, she needs help; but she needs all the
more the ability to manage for them—there is more
management with  the same  amount or more of
work.
  The young lady  who expects  to  marry  a rich
man, and who does not know anything about house-
keeping, may  try.to console  herself by thinking
that she will always have servants to do her work.
She should know that servants are quick to notice
the ignorance and incapacity of  the mistress, and
most of  them are  ready  to take advantage  of her
ignorance. She should  know, also, that servants,
and especially  good ones,  are  not always  to be
had, and that with the best there  is still plenty for
the mistress to do  in planning and directing the
work of the house.  Again,  fortune is  fickle and.
                     (440) 
           DIGNITY OF HOUSEKEEPING.        441

though to-day you  may be in  the midst of plenty,
to-morrow you may be the wife of a bankrupt, too
poor to hire a servant.
  The best legacy a mother can leave her daughter
is a practical knowledge  of housekeeping.   The
mother who has  neglected to teach her daughter
the duties of a housekeeper has neglected one of
the most  sacred  of her duties.  Your wit,  your
grace and  ease in society, your accomplishments
in music or painting, or your literary talent,  may
be admired by your husband, but  no one, nor all
of those combined,  can take the place of a good
dinner, or  atone for a dirty house.
  The following extracts from high authorities con-
firm what I have just said on this subject:
  The " Buckeye Cookery " says :   " Housekeep-
ing, whatever may be the opinion of the butterflies
of the period, is an  accomplishment in  comparison
to which, in its bearing on woman's relation to  real
life and to the family,  all others are trivial. It
comprehends  all  that  goes to  make  up a well-
ordered home, where the sweetest relations of life
rest on firm foundations,  and the purest sentiments
thrive.  It is an accomplishment that  may be ac-
quired by  study and experiment, but the young and
inexperienced housekeeper generally reaches  suc-
cess only  through great tribulation.   It ought to
be absorbed in girlhood,  by easy lessons taken be-
tween algebra, music and painting.   If girls were
taught to take as  much genuine pride in dusting a
room well, hanging  a curtain gracefully, or broiling
a steak to   a nicety, as thev feel when they have 
|42        BEGINNING  HOUSEKEEPING.
 mastered one of Mozart's or Beethoven's grand
 symphonies,  there  would be fewer complaining
 husbands and unhappy wives."
   Jennie June (Mrs. Croly) says: "The marriage
 relation is one  of reciprocal  interests, duties, and
 responsibilities ;  and no young lady ought to marry
'until she is willing to  assume her  share  of them.
 True  affection  on  the part  of the husband will
 lighten  and  make duties  pleasures, but whatever
 aspect they bear, she must not shrink from them.
 If she has not  received the training necessary to
 fit her for the position, it is her misfortune ; but it
 will be her fault if she does not try as far as possi-
 ble to remedy the evil."
   Marion Harland  (Mrs.  Terhune) says:  "You
 may pass a long, useful, and contented life without
 learning how to embroider a  tidy.  As American
 homes now are—and there is faint prospect of re-
 construction of our domestic system—no American
 woman, however exalted or assured her social rank,
 or whatever may be her accomplishments, can af-
 ford to  remain  ignorant of practical housewifery.
 This is a rule without exception.   Disregard of it
 is unwise and selfish."

            BEGINNING  HOUSEKEEPING.
   No man or woman who  has tried both, but will
 say that keeping house is much preferable to board-
 ing.   When  you keep your  own  house you can
 have what you want to eat when you want it, which
 you can not always  have when boarding, no mat-
 ter how much you may pay.  As a matter of ecoh-
t 
           BEGINNING HOUSEKEEPING.        443

omy, keeping house is much  cheaper than board-
ing.   In fact, enough  may be saved in a year to
pay for a good set of  household  furniture.  There
is  money made  in keeping boarders  at three dol-
lars per week.   I have nothing  to  say against it.
It  is hard work,  and those who make it deserve it,
but a young married couple may save just half of
this sum by keeping house and boarding themselves.
Three  dollars, or at least three dollars and a half,
will pay for the  food  two persons eat in a week,
and  if it is  properly selected and prepared, the
meals  will average much  better than those  you
would  get at a boarding-house where you each  pay
three dollars a week for meals.  You will thus by
housekeeping save over seventy-five dollars a year,
which  sum will  go  far towards furnishing a house
comfortably.
   You need not  get much furniture at first.  You
can add more when  by experience you discover
what is needed the most.  Better do without many
articles than  go  in debt for them.   It is a custom
now in cities and large towns to sell furniture on
the installment plan, so that  a young man with a
regular salary, although he have but a few dollars
ahead, may begin housekeeping and apply a por-
tion of each week's earnings  toward paying for his
outfit.   He  should be careful not to buy too much
in this way, lest sickness or accident may stop his
salary for a time and he thus  become  hopelessly in
debt. 
444
THE  KITCHEN.
                 THE KITCHEN.
  The kitchen should be a well-aired  and well-
lighted room, on the sunny side of the house if
possible.   If it has a hard wood floor, the boards
closely joined, it is  best without a carpet.  The
floor should be treated with an  occasional coat of
linseed oil.  If this is done, grease spots may be
washed up and not show.   If the floor is made of
soft wood  or  contains cracks,  an oilcloth carpet
should be put on it.  This is easily kept clean and
will last a long time.   Strips of rag carpet or old
woolen carpet  may be laid where the  cook  may
want to sit when paring  potatoes or any work of
the kind.  They will be warmer and more com-
fortable to the feet, and can be taken out and shaken
each day, and  may be moved  to any part of the
room.  Never put a rag or woolen carpet over the
whole floor.
  The walls should not be painted or papered, but
simply whitewashed about once a year.  If you
build the house, do not have the woodwork in the
kitchen painted, but oiled or varnished.
  If the kitchen occupies an addition,  or wing to
the house,  which is not as high as the rest of the
building, see that a chimney be built so tall that its
top is as  high  as any part of the house.  Then you
will  not  have  a smoky  flue.   I have seen many
kitchens in "shed rooms," and when  the chimnev
is  short,  the  stove  is almost  sure to  smoke when
the wind is in certain directions.  Nothing is more 
THE  KITCHEN.
445
annoying or better calculated to  disturb the peace
and happiness of a home than a smoky flue.
  In regard to the furniture of a kitchen, that will
depend upon your means and upon the size of the
family somewhat.  A few articles well chosen and
kept in perfect  order will be  of more value than
many not kept in order.  The ingenious housewife
will be able  to  make  many shifts, and substitute
often one article  for another.  Kitchen furniture,
however, does not cost much, and  there are few
families  who can not afford  to  have most of the
little conveniences belonging to a kitchen.
  An  ingenious  husband may manufacture many
articles and  pieces  of furniture.  For  example:
A safe or cupboard may be made of a few boards.
Let it consist of two upright  boards with four or
five boards of the same width  for shelves.  Place
it close against  the wall, which will answer  for a
back.  For doors make curtains of cheap calico to
run on a string or wire at the top.  This will not,
of course, be as good as a closed cupboard, but it
is a hundred times better than none at all, and will
answer until you are able to buy something better.
A potato masher is a very convenient article. One
may be whittled out of a stick of stove wood.  A
horseradish grater  can be  made bv  cutting an
old tin fruit can in two lengthwise and punching a
number of holes  in it  with a nail, laving it on a
block of wood and striking the nail with a hammer.
  A tight tin box in which bread  and  cake may be
kept is a very great convenience.  Any tinner can
make one.  It will  be more convenient if it be 
44<5
THE  KITCHEN.
made of a height to fit a shelf in the cupboard and
have a door at  the side to let down rather  than a
lid at the top.  Then it need not be pulled out  of
the cupboard to open it.
  The following articles are  not absolutely  neces-
sary, but are very convenient and do not cost very
much:  A slaw  cutter, a lemon  squeezer, gem
pans, a meat broiler, an egg  beater, a can opener,,
and a chopping knife.
  Such articles as hominy, oatmeal, cracked wheat,,
etc., are most conveniently and best cooked  in ves-
sels with a double wall; that  is, the article  is put
with a little water in a vessel and  this vessel has
surrounding  it  another vessel holding  water.   In
this way the heat will never rise above the boiling
point,  no matter  how great  the fire,  and  hence,
there will be no danger of burning the food. Now,
there are vessels made with  double walls for this
purpose,  but they are  no better,  nor  more con-
venient, than  one which  can be improvised  as
follows:  Get  a small tin bucket which will  go<
completely inside of a common iron pot or stew
kettle of any kind.  Put the article to be cooked in
the tin kettle with a little water and put on the lid.
Put  water enough in the pot to  come up a little
more than half way on the  tin bucket, and put a
lid on the pot.   If the pot be flat on the bottom a
small pebble or two may be  placed in the  bottom
to raise the bucket a little.
  A " dish-rag" made of small metal chains may
be had in the hardware  stores.   It is very conve-
nient in cleaning  the bottoms o£ kettles.  A large 
THE  KITCHEN.
447
oyster or  mussel shell  is, however,  much  better
than a knife for the same purpose.
  Have plenty of good strong nails driven either
into the wall or into the back of the closet if there
be one, for the purpose of hanging utensils.  Keep
each one always  in the same place when not in use.
A good substitute for a  kitchen  closet is a very
large dry goods  box, placed on end in one corner.
Nails may be driven in the inside  of the back and
sides  to hang articles upon, and those which can
not be hung up may be placed upon  the top and
bottom boards of the box.
  Gasoline, or vapor, stoves do not cost much, are
perfectly safe and  reliable if properly managed
(see chapter on  " What to Do in Emergencies "),
and where wood or coal is high, are much cheaper
than coal or wood cooking stoves,  especially in the
summer, when a fire is not  needed to warm the
room.  Those who once use them feel that thejr can
not do without them.  With them you burn no more
fuel than is just necessary to cook the food, and in
hot weather are  not roasting yourself at the same
time, besides, the amount of heat maybe regulated
perfectly.  They are especially valuable in sickness,
where hot water is needed on short notice.
  A kitchen should  be well ventilated.  When
articles which  fill the room  with  an  odor  are
cooked, the  outside windows and  doors should
be opened as much as possible. 
448            THE DINING-ROOM.
               THE  DINING-ROOM.
  Although it is not essential that a separate room
be set apart for a dining-room, it is a great conve-
nience, and where the house is large enough, one
room should  be thus set apart.   It need not be a
large room, but it should be a pleasant one.  It
should adjoin the kitchen for convenience, but a
tight-fitting door should  be between the two, that
the odor of cooking  may be  kept  out as much as
possible.
  There  need be but little  furniture in a  dining-
room.  A plain carpet, common chairs, and besides
the dining table, a side table to receive  dishes and
food, and a stove or grate, are about all  that are
needed.  In  some  cases a  dining-room may be
warmed by the same  stove which warms the sitting-
room.
  Appropriate pictures on the wall  and a few plants
in the window would be pleasing to all.  A bouquet
of fresh  flowers or a dish of cut flowers on the
table add much to the pleasure  of those whose
finer tastes are  cultivated.
  Furnish a table according to your means, but, if
possible, have dishes of good ware, and knives,
forks and spoons of good material.  Silver knives
are, however, not advisable.  If you are able, get
heavy plated silver spoons and forks and  the  best
steel knives.  The best plated ware is really better
than solid silver for it is stronger and does not cost
so much, and no one can tell the difference until
after many years  of wear.  Solid silver knives 
THE  SITTING-ROOM.
449
■would be too soft to keep an edge and no material
upon which silver plating can  be put would be
hard enough  for a  knife.  Broken and cracked
dishes should  never be put upon the table, if it can
possibly be avoided.  Better wear cheaper clothes
or do without  many other articles than to use old,
yellow,  grease-soaked   and cracked or  broken
dishes.
  Clean and whole dishes, bright knives and forks,
and a clean tablecloth, will tend to make a man
relish the plainest food,  while,  on the  other hand,
a dirty tablecloth, broken and stained dishes, rusty
knives and forks will take away from the most ex-
pensive luxuries.

               THE SITTING-ROOM.
  As this is the room  in which the inmates will
spend most of their time  when not engaged in tak-
ing care of the house, it should be the most com-
fortably furnished and warmed of any of the rooms.
Do not try to have furniture in sets.   Let the chairs
be selected for ease and comfort and not merely
for show.  Let there be a big arm-chair and an
easy rocker, or two  or  three of them of different
styles and sizes, and a small sewing chair.  A foot-
stool is a luxury.   One  can easily be made out of
a wooden box and some  pieces  of carpet.
  The radiated heat  and light from a grate or fire-
place,  when long continued,  is injurious to the
persons sitting in front of them.   Headaches and
Dained eyes are often the result of sitting long be-
fore an open fire.  Even stoves give out sufficient
    29 
45°
THE  SITTING-ROOM.
radiated heat to cause unpleasant sensations.  All
of this may be remedied by the use of a fire screen.
One maybe made cheaply as follows : Make three
 mg, narrow, light frames of wood.   Hinge them
together in an upright manner, and cover with red
or brown  canton  flannel, satinne, cretonne or cal-
ico.  Small brass hinges may be bought  at the
hardware stores for a few cents,  and the cloth can
be tacked on with the large brass-headed  tacks to
be had in furniture stores.  The frames should be
each about eighteen inches wide and high enough
to come above the level of the head when  a person
is sitting in a chair.  The parts may be hinged to-
gether so that the two outer ones will fold in to-
ward the  center one, or so  that one will fold upon
one side of the center part, and the other fold upon
the other side.  When  the panels are placed so that
they make small  angles with each other, they will
stand upright.  When not in use, it may be folded
up and placed in  the corner of the room.   A very
pretty piece of furniture may be  made  out  of this
by painting the woodwork black  and. either paint-
ing flowers upon  the cloth or embroidering upon it,
or covering it with peacock feathers.
  Many prefer a grate or fireplace to a  stove for
heating a sitting-room.  The former are more cheer-
ful and aid much in ventilating the room, by caus-
ing a constant current up the chimney.   Yet they
are more expensive than a stove, consuming much
more fuel, and, if care is not taken, they may cause
cold drafts of air from openings  in the room, and
persons sitting in such drafts may take cold. 
THE  PARLOR.
451
  Hard coal base-burners are much in use.  They
keep an  even heat and  if properly managed are
unobjectionable.  If allowed to get choked up with
ashes and cinders, they may allow a very injurious
and offensive gas to escape into the room.

                 THE PARLOR.
  This is not an essential part of the house by any
means.   Thousands of people in this country live
and are happy in houses where a kitchen, dining-
room, sitting room, parlor and  bed-room are com-
bined in three, or even  two rooms.  But  where
means will allow, a handsomely adorned  and fur-
nished "best room," where company may be en-
tertained and Sundays be  spent, is certainly de-
sirable.
  It will be  useless to advise  concerning the fur-
nishing of this room.   If you have taste and means,
you will furnish it without suggestions from books ;
if you have not, no book can help you.
  It would be impossible to lay down any fixed
rules, or suggestions that would aid  one in  select-
ing furniture for a parlor.  Your own taste must
govern your selections.  You may be aided some-
what by observing the houses  of persons of taste
and  culture.   Persons, however, frequently make
great blunders by attempting to imitate others who
have greater means and  more cultivated tastes.
  The following hints about furnishing and  decor-
ating rooms are taken from the fournal of Decor-
ative Art.  They are so appropriate that I could
not forbear quoting at length : 
452
THE  PARLOR.
  " The ideal beautiful home is attained rather by
avoiding errors of taste than by the adoption of
special dogmas of art.   For my own part, if I have
any  dogmas to preach, they may fairly be  con-
densed in this one rule : 'Avoid shams and affecta-
tions of all kinds.'
  " Don't mistake mere prettiness for beauty.  Mil-
linery, for instance, is out of place  in the home
beautiful.
  " Don't attach to your chairs and sofa-cushions
meaningless bows of ribbon which tie nothing.
  " Don't dress up your toilet-tables in muslin pet-
ticoats stiffened with crinoline or colored calico.
  "Don't  scatter startling white  'tidies' about
chairs and sofas as on  so  many bushes, as if you
were hanging out the wash to dry.
  " Don't display on your walls china  plates and
dishes.  They were never meant to go  there.   An
exception may be  made now and then  in favor of
a piece of fine color to  help light  up  the room, or
where a delicate china  painting  is worthy of care-
ful examination.   But  hang up ordinary domestic
china!  Don't.
  " Don't hang small pictures so that their beauty
is lost to any one under eight feet high.  If a pic-
ture  is not seen from  the same position that the
artist saw it when he painted it, the  drawing will
appear foreshortened, and  the general  effect  con-
sequently  falsified.
  " Don't hang  any picture in the home which has
not the  impress of elegance, purity and cheerful-
ness. 
THE  PARLOR.
453
  " Don't give place to representations of corpses,
tortured  saints or any thing occasioning  painful
emotions.  And,  above all, having such  pictures
and  not  wanting them down stairs, don't banish
them to the nursery, school-room or bedroom.
  " Some things I would relegate to the bedroom—
out of the way somewhere—in locked drawers, for
instance.  I mean mementos of sea-weed and dried
ferns for  flowers  and  wretched daubs  on  china,
canvas or paper in crude efforts of youthful mem-
bers of the  family.  No true lover of the home
beautiful will inflict these on his  family and friends
and  compel them to violate truth by pretending to
like  them.
  " Don't buy your carpet  or your wall-paper be-
cause it looks pretty in the  roll when you  see it in
the store.  But think of the fitness of each, with
its ultimate   surroundings.    Remember that the
carpet is  to be a background for your furniture,
and  the wall-paper, unless it is to be the actual dec-
oration of the walls, is  to be merely a background
for your pictures.
  " Don't admit into the home beautiful any piece
of furniture or implement of every-day life which
does not honestly  serve  its purpose—no light, flimsy
chairs which  an able-bodied man dare not sit upon ;
no puffy, debilitated sofas, all wind and  springs;
no burnished, brass-sheeted fire-irons, bought only
to be looked  at, and give  place to the ugly little
black poker and shovel when coal is to be broken
or ashes are to be removed.
  " There is no reason  why an object should not be 
454
BEDROOMS.
useful  as well as ornamental.  Indeed, there  can
be no beauty without fitness.   Nature everywhere
teaches us the compatibility of the highest utility
with the greatest beauty."
  A parlor should not be shut up tight for six days
and only opened on Sundays or when visitors  are
to be entertained.  It should be opened and aired
every day, whether used or not.   In hot weather it
may be kept dark during the heat of the day, but
should be opened to the light and air in the morn-
ing for an hour or so at least.

                  BEDROOMS.
  Much has been said elsewhere in this book con-
cerning the hygiene of the sleeping apartment.  I
will repeat and emphasize the statement that a bed-
room should be well  ventilated.  There  should be
free access for fresh air, but the bed should be so
placed that a draft will not strike the sleepers.   If
possible all bedrooms  should have chimney flues,
even if no fire is ever built in the room.  An open
flue is one of the best and safest of ventilators.   In
damp weather a very little fire in  a grate  or  fire-
place,  or even in a stove, will  render  the  air  of a
room purer by creating a current up the flue which
will carry out impure air. In all cases there should
be  a small opening in some other part of the room
that fresh air may  enter.
  It is an excellent plan  to have a fire in an ad-
joining room  and  keep the bedroom door open all
night.
  The windows of the bedroom should.be thrown 
TAKING  CARE OF ROOMS.         455
open as soon as the sleepers leave it  and be left
open for an hour or more, to thoroughly air the
room.
  Bedrooms need not be large, if they are well
ventilated. A room nine by ten feet is large enough,
if it communicates with another room,  or a hall by
a door, or a transom over the door, which may be
left open.
  The whole floor of a bedroom need not be car-
peted.  A strip in front of the  bed, or enough to
cover the space between  the bed and the door is
sufficient.
            TAKING CARE OF ROOMS.
  There are two extremes in housekeeping.  There
 are those who allow the dust  and dirt of years to
 accumulate in all parts of the house, and there is
 an odor always to be  observed by persons accus-
 tomed  to  clean  surroundings,  and in some cases
 the food may have  a savor of something not to  be
 bought at the grocery.  There are  a few who go to
 the other extreme and spend their lives in scouring
 and dusting and  scrubbing, and wear themselves
 out trying to keep  everything perfectly  clean and
 in order.  This is the least objectionable of the two
 extremes.  The  humorist, Josh Billings, thus char-
 acterizes  the extremely  neat  person:   "If  you
 should shut one of  these people up in a  hogshead,
 she would keep busy scouring all the  time,  and
 would clean a hole right through the side  of  the
 hogshead in less than three months."
   Rooms not used  much do not need to be swept
 and dusted every day.  Carpets are worn more by 
456
HOUSE-CLEANING.
too frequent  sweeping than by the dust,  and the
dust raised by sweeping is worse than what would
rise by the ordinary use of the room. When sweep-
ing is done it should be thorough.  A good sweep-
ing, getting well into all the corners, every alternate
day, is better than a partial sweeping every day.
  A good  carpet should be  swept with a damp
broom.  Dip the  broom in a pail of clean water
and strike the upper part of it against a solid object
as the edge of the  door-step or the porch floor, to
knock off the surplus water.  After using the broom
a few minutes rinse it thoroughly in a pail of water
and proceed as before.  A great deal  of the fine
dust will adhere to the broom and be washed off
instead of rising in the air to penetrate the lungs
and settle  on the furniture.  Spent tea leaves, or
bits of wet paper scattered over the carpet and then
swept up will assist greatly in catching the dust.
A cloth of  some kind should be thrown over the
center-table or shelves which contain trinkets which
would  readily catch the dust from sweeping. A
feather or wool duster is convenient for dusting the
furniture, but not essential.  An old calico rag will
answer.
              " HOUSE-CLEANING."
  Let none of my readers take offense when I say
that many women act very foolishly in the matter
of house-cleaning.  They  have  an idea that at
periodical times,  say twice a year, they must fall
to work and tear the whole house upside down and
rearrange  everything,  and scour and scrub as
though their lives depended upon it, and  that all 
REGULAR TIMES FOR HOUSEWORK.
this must be done as quickly as possible.   Many a
woman has contracted the cause of her death, or a
lifelong disease, in her frantic efforts to clean house.
  Now, I believe in house-cleaning, but I object to
the methods and the hurry exhibited by some peo-
ple.  Take one room at a time and take your time
for that.  Do not rush things.   Do not worry over
the work.   I am not speaking to those who can
well afford  to hire  some stout  persons to do the
work, but to those who are obliged to do such work
themselves.
  Rooms with the woodwork varnished or finished
with a  hard oil finish are more easily kept clean.
A damp cloth will  easily remove fly-specks and
smoke  from a varnished or oiled surface. Sal soda,
potash, or  strong soap  will be needed  to  clean
painted woodwork,  and then  repeated washings
will remove the paint as well as the dirt.  In build-
ing a house this is a point worthy of consideration.

       REGULAR TIMES FOR HOUSEWORK.
  The  systematic worker accomplishes the most
with the least effort.   A woman may be systematic
in her household duties.  The heavy  work should
be done in the forenoon. A woman ought to have
at least two hours in the afternoon which  she can
devote  to whatever she may feel like  doing, let  it
be calling, shopping, reading or entertaining com-
pany.  The cleaning and arranging of the  house
for the day should be done, and the principal part
of the preparation of the meals, should be made be-
fore this time. 
458
WHAT IS DIRT2
  It is true that so multifarious are the duties of a
housekeeper that it is difficult to have a perfectly
regular system, yet the more nearly systematic the
work  is carried on, the  easier it is for the parties
concerned.
  Says Jennie June :  " Regularity is the pivot upon
which all household management turns;  where
there  is a lack of system, there is a lack of comfort
that no  amount  of  individual  effort can supply.
Forethought  also  is  necessary, so that the  work
may be all arranged beforehand, done in its proper
order and at the right time."

                WHAT IS DIRT?
  Anything which is offensive to the senses is dirt.
Anything out of its proper place is dirt.  The soil
of the garden and the gravel of the street are not
dirt in those situations, but they would  be  dirt on
the floor of a house.  Dust almost constantly on
furniture may be unavoidable in some situations, as
when the house is  very close to a dusty street; but,
as  a  general  thing, to  see  dust  thick  enough to
write  your name in is an evidence of careless house-
Keeping.  A whisk of a duster once a day or some-
times once in two days will keep furniture clean.
  Some  persons would regard books and papers
on  the floor,  or carelessly strewn over a table, as
dirt.  If this be dirt  it is, to say the least, a very
pardonable kind.  Persons who make but little use
of books  and papers  usually keep  them neatly ar-
ranged. 
SUGGESTIONS.
459
SUGGESTIONS TO THOSE ABOUT TO BUILD A HOUSE.
  Persons contemplating building a house usually
have their own  notions about it.  It  is a subject
which is  frequently thought about and discussed
by  those  who expect to build, and yet there are
few things  in which people make more blunders
than in building a house.  It is a  question, too,
which one does  not like to give advice concerning.
It would be much easier to advise were money not
a factor in the problem.  I have here  laid down a
few hints which may prove useful  to those con-
cerned.
   Up-stairs and Down-stairs.—Many people prefer
a house of two or more stories because they think
the up-stairs room is more  healthful as a sleeping
apartment.   There is, in fact, nothing in this.  An
up-stairs room may be as unhealthful as a down-
stairs room, and more so.  Bad air is usually lighter
than pure air and of course rises.  The lightness
of the air, however, depends upon its temperature,
which frequently varies.   If  the surroundings of
the house are good, if no  decaying  matter is left,
if no sewers open or leak in the neighborhood, if
there be no  stagnant  pools near, if water-closets
are in good condition, if proper ventilation is made,
the air will be as pure, taking it one day with an-
other,  in  a down-stairs room as in an up-stairs
room.
  To persons then, with limited means, I  would
say, build a  one-story house,  or at least one of a
story and a half. An up-stairs room, if it be only 
4"°              SUGGESTIONS.
 half height at the sides, is convenient frequently as
 a store room, or for a spare room to be used only
 occasionally, but upper stories are bv no  means
 essential, and a great deal of labor may be saved
 by having the rooms most frequently used on the
 ground floor.  Going up  and down stairs is very
 hard work,  and many women are not  physically
 capable of much climbing of stairs.  Many diseases
 of the womb, miscarriages, etc., might be  traced
 to the violent efforts made in  going up and down
 stairs.
   In the cities upper apartments are in many cases
 absolute necessities.  My suggestions are intended
 mainly  for those who live  in the country and small
 towns and  villages.  Elevators, of course, over-
 come some of the objections to upper rooms, but
 these are found  only in very large buildings.
   A basement  room, that  is, one  partly  under
 ground, is  objectionable except for mere storage
 purposes.   Such rooms are apt to be damp in spite
 of all precautions.
   Porches and Verandas .—These contribute much
 to the comfort  of a home.  A  veranda makes  a
 house warmer  in  winter  and cooler in summer.
 The little additional expense they require will be
 amply compensated in the saving of fuel and of
 carpets,  and in the increased comfort  to the in-
 mates.
  A Bath-Room.—Not an essential room, as a bath
 may be taken anywhere, but a very convenient one.
 It  need not be larger than  six by eight feet square.
Any one can make a bath-tub.  Make a strong box 
SUGGESTIONS.
461
of one and a half inch plank, about four feet long,
two feet wide and two feet deep, and get a tinsmith
to line it with zinc or galvanized iron.  Make a
hole at one end and put in a spout to extend  out-
side of the house, to carry away the waste water.
The bath-room may be warmed by having the pipe
from the kitchen stove or a stove in some adjoining
room pass through a  drum  in the bath-room.  A
small sheet  iron  stove which will  get hot quicklv
will perhaps be more  satisfactory.
  A Clothes-Room.—Where there are  large fami-
lies this is  a very  convenient room.   Instead of
several wardrobes or  closets, a single small room
might be devoted to the  storing of clothes.  It
might contain  bureaus or chests, for  the clothes
which are  kept folded,  and  plenty of hooks or
hangers for those which may be hung up.  Extra
bedclothes, pillows, mattresses and everything of
the kind might be kept here.  There  need be no
carpet and the room need not even be plastered, a
plain ceiling of wood  being sufficient.  The trunks
and valises of members of the family could also be
kept here.   It should, however, never be  used for
storage of perishable articles, as fruits and vegeta-
bles.   If some small pieces of gum camphor be
wrapped in paper and laid in several places in the
room, moths would never appear in the clothes.
As the camphor evaporates soon, it should be re-
newed about once a month.
   The Pantry.—A small room adjoining the kitchen
for the storage of many articles and for  keeping
flour and meal, etc.,  is considered by many to be 
462        ECONOMY NOT STINGINESS.

almost indispensable.  The extra expense of such
a room is but little.  It will spare the necessity of
making the kitchen  so large.  This room should
be well plastered and made proof against rats and
mice, if possible, and should be kept scrupulously
clean.   If flour and  meal, bread crumbs and other
eatables be allowed  to  remain on the floor, mice
will be attracted and it will be a difficult matter to
keep them  out.
  A Dumb Waiter.—In building a house, if  you
have a cellar under the kitchen you may save much
future labor by having a dumb waiter constructed,
and the extra  expense is but little.  A hollow case
the whole length along the wall is needed, and a
framework with from one to three  shelves should
be made to slide easily up and down in it by means
of cords passed over  pulleys  and balanced  by
weights. Any articles can be carried up and down,
wood, coal, vegetables, etc.

           ECONOMY NOT STINGINESS.
  Many persons have an idea that strict ecomomy
and  stinginess or penuriousness are one and  the
same.  There could  not be a greater error.  Econ-
omy is a virtue and one of the highest kind.  The
example is set for us by nature herself.  Nature
never wastes material.  A part of the body which
is no longer of any use is absorbed, and the mate-
rial that would otherwise go to supply it is reserved
for those  parts which are of use.  It  is wrong to
waste anything when it can be avoided.  Economy
is not selfishness.  It is  liberality, for one can not 
ECONOMY NOT STINGINESS.         463
have anvthing to give away unless he saves some-
thing more than he uses.  Stinginess is selfishness.
It is meanness ;  it is low.  It is not becoming a
man nor a christian.  "As ye have freely received,
freely give."  The lesson of economy was  taught
by the Great Teacher when he ordered  his disci-
ples to gather up the fragments after  feeding the
five thousand.
   If there were more persons constantly practicing
domestic economy, or economy in their own affairs,
there would be less need of the newspapers and
politicians talking about political economy.  What
matters it how high the tariff is, or how low, if
Mr. Jones constantly spends more than he makes.
His family is going to suffer whatever  becomes of
the government.
   If my readers will admit that economy is  simply
saving that which  would otherwise be lost, that a
dollar saved is the same as a dollar earned, and
that stinginess is the refusal to aid others when we
can aid  them without making ourselves suffer, I
need not argue further for the practice of the one
and the discontinuance of the other.
   Extravagance is not exactly wastefulness, but it
is just as bad.  The wasteful person  destroys  or
allows the destruction of that which is useful.  The
extravagant person buys that which is not needed,
or that which can not be paid  for.   Both will inev-
itably lead to poverty.
   Economy should be taught in our schools, not as
a special branch, but incidental to all branches and
by general  hints  and  examples.  Parents  should 
464
ECONOMY NOT STINGINESS.
teach  children to  be economical.  They should
teach  them that it  is wrong to waste  anything
which can be  used.   It is too frequently the case
that poverty is the only teacher of economy.  Peo-
ple are often compelled to be economical by pov-
erty,  and habits of economy thus acquired usually
remain after  the  persons become  wealthy.  But
their  children too often  become extravagant and
wasteful and are  reduced to poverty.  Their chil-
dren again learn the lesson of economy and become
-wealthy, or at  least well-to-do, and thus it goes, up
and down, one generation piling up wealth and the
next scattering it.   This ought not to be and would
not be were economy taught as a virtue and waste-
fulness and  extravagance  condemned  as  vices.
Were all persons economical there would be fewer
of the extremely rich and few that could  be called
poor.  There  would be  a greater number of thai
•class  who have neither poverty nor riches, the most
blessed of all people under the sun.  There would
be fewer extremely rich,  because in a great meas-
ure the extravagance of one  class puts money in the
pockets of another class.
  The main reason for there being so many poor
people in  this country is the want of economy.
This is a wealthy country.  There  is an immense
amount of food produced annually.  The stock of
manufactured articles is great.  The power of
steam to produce is almost unlimited. The national
treasury is overflowing  with money.   Notwith-
standing the statements of politicians and the cries
of hard  times which we  so  frequently hear, it.is a 
ECONOMY NOT STINGINESS.
465
/act  that wages are good and  that labor is well
paid.  Why then the strikes  among workingmen,
the riots, and the  poverty?  The  answer is easy.
If you investigate you will find  that the working-
men who strike are almost to a  man reckless and
extravagant.   They spend money in the saloons
and  for tobacco which  ought  to go for the necessi-
ties  and the  luxuries of the  home.  If they  have
a  day off from their work, instead of spending  it
fixing things  in the home, they spend it along with
more money than  they would  earn in a day, in
some saloon.  In  many cases the wives  of these
men are shiftless and wasteful in the home.
   The man who earns a dollar a day and lives on
ninety cents a day will be able in the course of ten
years  to buy a comfortable home.  On the other
hand the man who spends ten cents more each day
than he earns will soon be hopelessly involved in
debt or be an inmate of the poor house.
   "  Is it  possible," says  Samuel  Smiles,  " for  a
man working for small wages to  save anything and
lay it by in a savings bank, when he requires every
penny for the maintenance of his family?  But the
fact  remains, that  it is done by  many  industrious
and  sober men; that they do deny themselves and
put their spare earnings into savings banks and the
other receptacles provided for poor men's savings.
And if some can do this all may do it under  simi-
lar circumstances, without depriving themselves of
any  genuine  pleasure or any  real enjoyment."
     30 
466      SOME HINTS ON  ECONOMIZING.
    SOME HINTS ON ECONOMIZING IN THE HOME.
   The following suggestions are made at random.
 Some may seem unnecessary to many persons, but
 it must be remembered that they are intended for
 all readers, and  what does  not hit you may hit
 some one else.
   If you will have a little patience and will wait
 until  articles such as fish, fruits, poultry and vege-
 tables are in full  season  before  you purchase you
 will not only  save money, but get goods of better
 quality and finer flavor.   If you do buy of the ear-
 liest samples that come into market, buy very spar-
 ingly—just a taste, to give variety.   A story is told
 of Washington somewhat as follows: In Febru-
 ary a fine  shad was caught in the Delaware, and
 the President's steward  finding it in the  market
 bought  it.   When it came into the dining-room
 Washington inquired, " What fish is that? "  "A
 shad,"  replied the steward ; " a very fine shad.  I
 knew your  excellency was extravagantly fond of
 fish, and was so fortunate as to procure this one in
 the market; a solitary one, sir, and the first of the
 season."  " The price, sir ;, the price?" demanded
 Washington sternly.   "Three dollars," said the
 steward.  " Take it away," said Washington.  "It
 shall  never be said that my table sets such an ex-
 ample of luxury and extravagance."
  Save all fragments of meat, bread, fruit and veg-
etables which  may be left at a meal, and contrive
some way to work them up into  a palatable form
for the next meal or the next day.  Some articles 
         SOME HINTS ON  ECONOMIZING.       467

are the better for being warmed over ;  others again
are not good unless worked over, or  treated in a
different manner.   There are some  few articles
which can not be worked over and be made palat-
able  nor wholesome.   Potatoes belong to this list.
In such cases one should be careful to cook no more
than will be eaten  at one meal.  Rather cook less
than would be eaten, and make up for the  small
quantity by having more of some other articles.
Beans are better for  being warmed over.   Meats
need not be thrown away if left over.  Notwith-
standing the ridicule that is often cast upon board-
ing-house hash, there is nothing better than  hash,
properly made, occasionally for breakfast, especially
in the winter.   Chop the meat fine,  add potatoes
chopped fine, an  onion, a little butter and water.
Let boil from twenty minutes to half an hour, season
with salt and black pepper.  Beef or pork which
has  been roasted, boiled, broiled or fried may be
used.   Chicken and turkey make  excellent hash.
You may omit the potatoes  and  onions, adding
only water and  a very little butter ; no butter if the
fowls be fat.  The gravy left over may be  added.
 Bread that gets too dry may be steamed or toasted.
None should be thrown away.
   Calculate closely and cook not very much more
 than will be eaten.  Some women seem to have no
 judgment  in such  cases.  The slop-pail will be
 found  running  over with cold  potatoes, biscuits,
 pancakes  or with whatever may have been the last
 meal.  It looks like a little thing to  throw  away a
 biscuit or a slice  of bread, but if  you  do it every 
468       SOME HINTS  ON ECONOMIZING.
day for a year and then  count up the cost of the
flour thus  wasted, you will be astonished.  Many
women throw  away from  day to day in the shape
of food what would make them independently rich
in forty years.
  There are many kinds  of food that afford a great
deal of nourishment at a low price, yet one could
not well live on these alone, for the system demands
variety.  Luxuries are not necessarily those  arti-
cles which cost the  most money.   Take the most
costly food and  live on  it for weeks together and
it becomes unpalatable.   Many times have men,
on  a wager, tried to eat one quail every day for
thirty days and failed.  At last it  has been accom-
plished, if the  newspapers are to be  relied upon.
But this is a rare exception.   Corn bread is a lux-
ury when  you  have not eaten it for several months.
Beans are a luxury when  eaten only occasionally,
and so with many of the cheaper articles of food.
At  least this is true with a large number of people
in this country.  What then is the lesson of econ-
omy ?  Buy the expensive foods only occasionally,
to afford a variety with the cheaper articles.  Say
you eat Indian  corn meal once  a week, varying
each time the  mode of preparation until you have
gone the round of all the different ways in which
it may be  prepared.  Suppose you have corn bread
one meal  this  week, corn pancakes one meal next
week, cornmeal mush and milk the  next week,
fried mush the next, and so on.   In the same way
alternate, bean soup, boiled beans and baked beans
with rice, hominy, potatoes, cabbage, etc., using 
SOME HINTS ON ECONOMIZING.
469
always the  cheaper articles the most frequently,
and preparing them in as many different ways as
possible.  Meats are usually expensive, and most
people,  especially  those who do not do manual
labor, eat more meat than they ought to.   Meat
ought not to be eaten more than twice a day by
persons who do no manual labor, and for many
persons once a day is sufficient.
  When one eats coarse and common food most of
the time the finer articles taste the better when one
gets them.  When you purchase an expensive arti-
cle of food ask yourself whether you  have earned
the right to  enjoy it by having eaten cheaper food
for some time.
  One should be thankful for  good  health and  a
good appetite  rather than  long for  luxuries,  for
without  health  and  appetite the most tempting
viands are distasteful.  Hunger is the best sauce,
is an old proverb, and there is much truth in it.  Of
course, no one wants to live on cornmeal and beans
exclusively, although they do  contain all the ele-
ments the system demands  and are very palatable
when properly prepared.   Yet if more of these
articles were eaten instead of so much rich food,
the world would be the better for it.
   In the way of food nothing is more economical,
and at the same time more desirable than soups of
various kinds.   The French people excel in making
soups and are the most economical  people  in the
 world,  especially in the line of cooking.  It does
not require any particular skill  to make good soup 
47O      SOME HINTS ON ECONOMIZING.
out of very cheap  articles.  A few directions,  if
followed, will secure success :
  The cheapest parts of the animal are the best for
soup and only a small quantity of meat is needed
to make a large quantity of nutritious and palatable
soup.  The shank or leg of the beef, the neck, the
tail, even  the parts  often  thrown away by the
butcher, as the shin bone, that is, the part just
above the foot, may be used.  Pieces of meat and
bones left from another meal may be added.   Dif-
ferent kinds of meat maybe used at the same time,
and the soup  be the better for it.  The meats for
soup  should be put  in  cold  water and  allowed
gradually to come to the boil and then kept boiling
without interruption until  the meat is tender and
loose from  the bones.  When the water gets low
add hot water so as not to stop the boiling.
  The great secret of making good  soup lies in
getting a combination of  many flavors  and not
enough of one kind to give it a distinctive flavor.
With beef as a basis, the following may be added,
not much of each, just a little :  Potatoes, cabbage,
turnips, tomatoes, rice, vermicelli, onions,  black
pepper, red pepper, cloves, salt  and vinegar.  Of
the spices and vinegar but a very little  should be
added  and  not until  about ready to  serve.   The
others maybe put in after the.beef has boiled half
an  hour.   Oatmeal,  rice,  pearled barley, vermi-
celli, macaroni, milk  and  eggs  may be  added to
any meat soup with good results.
  Soups to be  fine  and  suitable for  any  palate
should have no fat, or at least very little.  Skim off 
          SOME HINTS  ON ECONOMIZING.       471

the fat as  it rises before the vegetables are added.
This fat may be used  for frying meats, potatoes,
etc.  Add salt  sparingly at first, more can easily
be added, if desired, when served.   Soup ought
to be  served as often  at least as once a week the
year round.
  Much may be saved by persons who own or rent
a small tract of ground by raising their own garden
stuff.   If you have but a piece of ground three feet
by six you can  at  least have  a  bed of lettuce or
onions.  Use every foot  of  ground  not  actually
needed for buildings, walks and fences. The same
ground may be made to produce more than one crop
the same season.  Lettuce, radishes and early pota-
toes may be removed in time to raise  a second crop
of the same, or a crop of turnips.  The soil of a gar-
den can not well be made too rich.   Gather up the
leaves  that fall from the shade and fruit trees in the
fall and spread them on the garden  to be spaded
under in the spring.  Scatter all wood ashes on the
garden, unless  there  be a very large quantity in
comparison with the  size of the garden.   The
ground should  be spaded very deep and be made
very fine.
  Some further hints about economizing in regard
to food have been given in the chapter on foods and
drinks, which see.
  Save all rags and bits of paper, old carpets, old
iron, copper and zinc and old  rubber shoes to sell to
the parties who buy up such articles.  Even bones
are bought up in some localities.   Burn old leather
shoes and  boots. They make excellent fuel. Bones 
472       SOME HINTS  ON ECONOMIZING.

make good fuel.  Burn them  in  the stove if you
can't sell them.
  Chickens and pigs are easily raised in the coun-
try and sometimes in villages.  Much may be saved
by thus raising a good  part of your own meat.
  Study economy in the use of fuel.   A large stove
is more economical than a small one.   A small stove
requires constant replenishing, the draft being con-
centrated the  fuel  burns out  more rapidly; and
there being less surface to radiate heat it does not
warm the air  of  the room so  well as a large one.
Put in plenty of fuel, and when it  gets a good start
close the dampers and  let it burn slowly.
  In a kitchen  stove keep the dampers closed ex-
cept when starting  the fire.  Put water on to heat
as soon as the fire is started that it may get the ben-
efit of all the heat produced.   Have articles to be
cooked ready  to  put on as soon as the  fire gets
under headway.  Where a pot is to be kept boiling
add fuel frequently, but little at a  time.
  Gasoline, or vapor stoves, have been mentioned
elsewhere as more economical for cooking purposes
than wood or coal stoves.  Keep  your can of gas-
oline well stopped or you will  lose much  of it  by
evaporation.   Do not turn the  flame high.  A pot
may be kept boiling after it has begun, with a very
low flame.  Care should be taken to avoid a cur-
rent of air against  a gasoline  stove, as the flame
may be blown out and  then the oil will soon escape
in great quantity.   In  case such an accident hap-
pens, wipe up  the  oil with cloths and  carry these
cloths  and deposit  them some distance  from the 
          SOME HINTS ON ECONOMIZING.       473

house.   Bring no light or fire into the room until
it has been thoroughly aired.   The gasoline evap-
orates rapidly and  leaves  no grease  spot.  The
only thing to avoid is setting the vapor of it on fire.
  Remember  that water can be  made no  hotter
than the boiling point unless confined tightly in a
strong vessel.    It  is therefore useless to try to
hurry the cooking of any  article so long as it is
boiling.
  Be economical of time,  since  time is money.
Work systematically.   Have stated  times for cer-
tain kinds of work.  Prepare fuel, kindlings, etc.,
the night before, for use early in the morning.  On
wash days, or when you have some particular work,
have  for the  table  that which requires but  little
preparation, or prepare something the day before.
Have a place for everything and keep things in
their places.   Then  no time need be lost in search-
ing for articles when  needed.  This advice is easier
to give than to take.  It requires some thought to
keep things in order.
  Keep a strict account of all expenditures. Noth-
ing is more conducive to economy or preventive of
extravagance.   The little  sums  expended  every
day soon amount to  large ones, and  a contempla-
tion of these will check  any tendency to  extrava-
gant outlay. 
Chapter  XVII.
     WOMAN'S WORK AND WORTH.

  What can a woman do? is a question frequently
asked.  I might answer the question in a word by
saying that she can do almost anything a man can
do and some things which he can not do.
  If any one wishes to know what  the women of
the United States are doing at the present time let
him consult the Report of the ioth U. S.  Census.
According to this report there are 594,510 women
engaged in agricultural  pursuits.  This includes
bee-keeping, dairy business, stock raising  and tur-
pentine producing.  There are 1,361,295 women
engaged  in professional  and  personal  services.
This includes a great variety of occupations, among
which may  be  mentioned the following, with the
number in  each:   Actors,  1,820; auctioneers, 3 ;
preachers, 165 ; lawyers, 75 ; physicians and  sur-
geons, 2,432 ; journalists,  288;  artists and teach-
ers of art, 2,061 ; dentists, 61 ; janitors, 699;  mid-
wives, 2,118; nurses, 12,294; hotel-keepers, 2,136 ;
laundresses, 108,198;  authors and  lecturers, 320;
teachers and scientific persons, 154,375 ;  sextons,
14.  In trade and  transportation there  are 59,364
women engaged. This also includes a great variety
of  employments.  Among what might be consid-
ered peculiar occupations for women are the follow-
ing :  Bankers and brokers of money and stocks,
                      (474) 
woman's work and worth.
475
68 ; shippers and freighters, 6 ; traders and dealers
in coal and wood, 90; traders and dealers in real
estate, 39 ; undertakers, 55 ;  traders and dealers in
live stock, 14.   There are 631,988 women engaged
in manufacturing and mining, and  nearly  every
branch of manufacturing industry is represented by
women as employers or emplovees.
  The whole number of different  occupations en-
gaged in by men and women is given as 265.  Of
this  number only 47  are  followed exclusively bv
men.  The  total number of persons employed is
14,744,942, of which number 2,647,157 are women
and  girls.   As there are about the same number
of women as men in the country, this shows that a
large number of women are engaged in household
duties or are unemployed.
   While woman's especial talent lies in the line of
duties connected more immediately with the  home,
yet  she  is  not  excluded, as the  above  statistics
show, from  the varied occupations by which a ma-
 jority of men  earn a living.  It  is not a proper
place here to discuss what is generally called "wo-
man's rights."   I believe a woman has a perfectly
natural right to do whatever nature has made her
capable of doing, provided it is right in itself.  Why
should she not have?  That is a difficult question
to answer.
   The majority of  women, however, desire  to be,
and are, somewhat dependent upon men.  By de-
pendent I mean that they expect to leave certain
duties and privileges which have no immediate con-
nection with the home to the exclusive management 
476       woman's  work and worth.

of men.  On the other hand, men are just as depen-
dent on women.  They expect certain duties  per-
taining more immediately to the  home to be man-
aged mainly by women.
  As time advances woman appears to be taking a
higher place in the world's  history.   She is show-
ing more and more her ability to do what man can
do.  But let the progress be what it will  there will
always be a plainly  drawn line between  the phys-
ical and mental qualities of the sexes, and their hab-
its and occupations will necessarily be  somewhat
different.  There will be perfect equality, but not
perfect similarity.
  There  should be more similarity than there  is at
present.   Men ought to take more interest in the
affairs of the home, and women ought to take more
interest in the affairs of state  and of business.  A
business  education for women is  demanded almost
as much  as for men.  How many women are there
who do not know the value of money and the  sim-
plest business principles.  A knowledge of political
matters will not degrade women, yet she can well
afford to  leave the managing of the political ma-
chine mainly to  men, and devote more time  to
social, educational and domestic affairs.
  There  is  always a large  number of women who
are by the force of circumstances  compelled  to
make their own living.  I do not mean by this that
married  women do  not earn their living.  Their
husbands work away from home  and   earn the
money, but the wives work in the home and earn all
they get, although in an indirect manner.  But I 
          THE PROFESSION OF TEACHING.      477

 refer to that class who have no men to keep house
 for, and are compelled to work for wages or to carry
 on some business for a livelihood. It is to this class
 I address myself, and wish to call their attention to
 some of the available occupations suitable for and
 now open for women.
   First, it may be well to observe that each occu-
 pation has something in it which, if proper precau-
 tions are not taken, is detrimental to health.   There
 is danger of exposure to inclemencies of the weather,
 to evils  of  confinement to rooms, of excessive use
 of certain sets of muscles to the neglect of others,
 etc.  All of these evils may be avoided  or coun-
 teracted if proper care is taken.  As we go along,
 I shall call attention to some of these dangers.

          THE PROFESSION OF  TEACHING.
   Women are mentally, naturally better fitted for
 teachers then men.   They are better judges of hu-
 man nature.  They naturally take more interest in
 children, hence are peculiarly well adapted to teach
 primary schools.  But unless the greatest caution
 is taken women are liable to injure their health bv
 closely following this  profession.
   Some  of the dangers to health to which the wo-
 man teacher is exposed are as  follows :
  Exposure to great variations in temperature.—
 School-rooms get too warm, the air gets  too dry
 and ventilation is often bad.   Study to counteract
 all this.   Keep a thermometer in your school-room
 and never allow the heat to get above seventy de-
grees nor below  sixty.   Keep a clean vessel of 
THE  PROFESSION OF TEACHING.
pure water on  the stove constantly.  See that no
openings are made  which would cause a draft to
strike the person.   Give boards of education no
rest until your school-room is properly ventilated
and  so  arranged that it  can  be comfortably and
evenly warmed.  Provide good warm clothes to
wear in going to and from the school.  Keep the
feet  warm and  dry  by proper clothing.   Walk
briskly going to  and from school, but arrange your
boarding  place so that you will not have to walk
more than half a mile.  When the weather is ex-
tremely cold, wear a veil over  the face when out
of doors.
  Standing on the feet too long at a time.—This can
be avoided.  Do not forget and remain on your
feet until you are tired enough to drop.  Sit down
for a short time before you get tired standing.  Do
not sit too long either.  Change your position fre-
quently.
   Want of sufficient physical exercise.—Read what
I have said in another part of this book about gym-
nastics for women.  Take plenty  of exercise but
let it be very gentle.
   Worrying over the management of the  pupils,
over the treatment received from parents, over the
matter and methods of teaching.  Don't do  it.  Do
the best you can while in the school-room.  Plan
 all you want to outside of the school-room.   Read
 on methods and management.  Try experiments.
 Adopt plans  of others.  Do anything and every-
 thing to make a good teacher of yourself, but don't
 worry about it.  If  you  have done your best and 
WOMEN AS  PHYSICIANS.          479
don't succeed as a teacher, quit the business and
seek some other employment.  There are a great
many occupations open for you, as I have said be-
fore.  Worry will  kill you as sure as you keep it
up.  Don't worry.
  Remember, too, that the profession of teaching
is a crowded one.   There is room enough for good
teachers, but no room for poor ones.

             WOMEN AS PHYSICIANS.
  Here is a great field for woman's work.  Only a
few years ago it was thought to  be an awful thing
for a woman to practice medicine.  Now there are
thousands of female practitioners, and some of the
most eminent physicians of the  country at present
are women.  Dr.  Mary  Putnam Jacobi, of New
York, has"an immense practice  and stands among
the leaders in the profession in that city.  She is a
graduate of the "School  of Medicine" of Paris,
France, and is now a professor in the medical col-
lege  founded by Elizabeth Blackwell, M. D.  The
last  named lady is also one of the leaders of the
profession.   She is noted as the first woman that
ever obtained a medical diploma in America.  Her
sister, Dr.  Emily  Blackwell, is  also a  prominent
physician.
  The history of the progress of women in this pro-
fession is an interesting one.  With a few rare ex-
ceptions women were not recognized  by medical
colleges until within the last quarter of a century.
As early as 1799 Mara Zega was a famous  doctor
of medicine in Europe.  The great universities of 
480         WOMEN AS PHYSICIANS.

Europe  graduated during the last century a few
women who excelled  as surgeons.   In 1849 Dr.
Elizabeth Blackwell graduated from a medical col-
lege in  New York state,  and afterwards gained
admission into the great hospitals in London and
Paris.   In 1870 the Vienna  University admitted
women to the medical degree,  and in 1873 a woman
took the prize in operative surgery.  In 1870 the
government of Holland ordered the colleges to ad-
mit women.  In 1873  Russia admitted women to
all  medical schools.   In 1876 the fifteen universi-
ties of Italy were thrown open to  women.   In 1875
the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Toronto,
Canada, gave its first  diploma to a lady.   In 1876
the College of Physicians of Dublin admitted women
to its halls.  In 1877 the London University did the
same.   At present there are one hundred and three
lady students in  the  Paris schools of medicine.
There are  several medical colleges especially for
women in the United States, and a large number of
colleges admit both sexes on equal footing.   In all
of our large cities there are prominent lady physi-
cians.   In some  cases both husband and wife are
doing each a large practice.
  There will be for many years,  at least, to come,
a great  demand for lady physicians.  Many peo-
ple prefer them to men, and where there is but one
lady physician in a small place she will not fail of
securing a good practice.  The medical profession
is not crowded with  women.  Many a lady who
may not be  adapted to succeed  as a teacher may
succeed as a physician. 
              WOMEN AS PHYSICIANS.         481

   From statistics it  is  shown  that  the average
income of lady physicians is one thousand dollars
a year.  Some few realize as  high as eight or ten
thousand.   From  circulars sent out  to  women
physicians by Dr. Emily Pope, it was shown  that
of the number who had practiced from five to ten
years over two-thirds of them had good health and
one-third of them had improved  in health.
   A woman to be successful  as  a physician must
have certain mental  and physical qualities.   She
must have a fair share of patience, must have firm-
ness of will and  physical courage that will enable
her to control her feelings and not be overcome  at
sight of suffering or of severe injuries.  Above all,
she  must have a love of the work, without  which
no one can  succeed in any profession.   Dr. Alice
Stockham has expressed the qualities of a woman
physician admirably as follows :
   "To be a successful physician a  woman  must
be a lady—a womanly woman.  No aping of mas-
culine  habits, of  dress  or foibles will conduce  to
success.  She must have an affinity for the work,
feel at home in the sick room, with a desire and a
tact to relieve the suffering, devoid of any morbid
sensibility at  sight of pain, offensive deformities
and ghastly injuries and operations ; she must be
born to command, firm  in  purpose  and quick  to
execute, at  the same  time  have  dignity and  self-
control.   Nothing  must escape  her observation. .
She  must be able to  reason from cause to effect,
strong in convictions, but slow to give an opinion.
    3i 
4.82          WOMEN AS LAWYERS.

She  needs a love for scientific  research, and  the
ability to apply herself to study."
  It  is scarcely necessary to advise  a lady physi-
cian  in regard  to taking care  of her health.   A
physician is  supposed to know more about such
matters than other people.   I will simply say that
 here are  dangers to health in the prosecution of
this profession, but they are no greater on an aver-
age than  in that of other professions  and trades,
and  close by cautioning those who expect to enter
this profession in regard to the care of their health.
Go into it with the determination not only to fight
your way to success, but with a determination to
protect yourself from the dangers imminent to the
profession and  to counteract  the results  of a close
application to your calling.

              WOMEN AS LAWYERS.
  The number of women practicing law  in  the
United States is small compared with those in some
other professions, yet seventy-five is a goodly num-
ber when we consider the nature of that  profession
and  the esteem  in which women have  been held
by law-makers.  Six ladies have been admitted to
practice in the United States Circuit Court.  Of
these Mrs.  Belva Lockwood, who, in  1884,  was
candidate for president, stands at the head in legal
 ability.   Among the popular institutions in which
ladies may obtain a legal education are the univer-
 sity at Ann Harbor,  Michigan, and the  Boston
 University Law School.
   If a  young  lady  thinks she would  like the  pro- 
             WOMEN AS PREACHERS.         483

fession of law and has the ability, I see no reason
why she should not  prepare herself for and follow
it.  There is room enough for good lawyers.   The
poor ones  are  rather numerous.   It takes a good
while for a lawyer to get established and get into
a  position  to  make money.  Unless you  have
especial  ability and a particular liking for law and
have the patience to wait for a  reputation, I would
advise you not to think of becoming a lawyer.
There are many other  occupations more suitable
to the majority of women.

             WOMEN AS PREACHERS.
  The statistics show that there are  more  than
twice as many women  in the  ministry than there
are in the law.   I would not urge upon women to
become preachers.   It is a noble profession, it is
true, but public speaking, it seems to  me, is gen-
erally better suited to men than to women. There
are few  women who can  speak in public, so as to
be  heard easily by a large audience.  There are,
it is true, many lady elocutionists and public  read-
ers, but  the art of speaking and reading for an
audience is largely  a natural gift rather than an
acquired power, and where you  find one who has
this power the  chances  are that  she has not the
mental ability which a preacher ought to have. To
write a sermon  is one thing and to deliver it prop-
erly is an entirely different thing.  Preachers should
be highly educated,  should have  great intellectual
power and have at the same time reasonably  good
delivery.   There  are a great  many occupations 
484
WOMEN AS DENTISTS.
 more suitable to the female than preaching.   It is
 not a lucrative profession, and if a young woman
 does not feel that she has a " special call " to enter
 the ministry she had better not think of it.

.,             WOMEN AS DENTISTS.
i   The  number  of dentists among women in the
 United States is  reported  as sixty-one.   There is
 no more profitable profession and none better suited
 to a large class of women than dentistry.  "The
 first lady  dentist ever graduated in this  country
 was sent out from a Cincinnati dental college, and
 during the war this lady returned the largest income
 of any dentist west of the Mississippi."
   Among  the  leaders  in  this profession  is  Mrs.
 Elizabeth Morey, of New York City.  She gained
 a knowledge of the practice  from her husband.
 She is the inventor of the skeleton  tooth.   It is
 a contrivance  designed to correct  the  deformity
 known as  pin-tooth, a tooth much smaller than the
 others, detracting from  the  appearance.  It  con-
 sists of an artificial tooth of the right size  made to
 fit over the small tooth.   Mrs. Morey says :  "In
 my opinion women are better  fitted  than men to
 make  good dentists.  The latter use too  much
 force and  often crush a  tooth or injure the jaw in
 taking one out.   When I am obliged to pull a  tooth
 I take it  out whole.  Men are, perhaps, better
 adapted for the inventive and  mechanical  parts
 than women." •
   Almost  every dentist's office  has a  lady attend-
 ant whose business it is to aid the dentist,  handing 
WOMEN AS PROFESSIONAL NURSES.
him tools, napkins, water, etc., to receive custom-
ers, to hold a nervous lady's head, to soothe a fright-
ened child, and attend to such like duties.
  A dentist should have almost the  same mental
qualifications as a physician.   No nervous, excit-
able, timid woman would ever succeed as a dentist.
A strong effort of the will can in many cases over-
come timidity and nervousness.
  There is nothing particularly deleterious to health
in the work of a dentist for a woman any more than
for a man.  Overwork and close  confinement to
the room will of course have its bad effect, but they
may be easily avoided.

        WOMEN AS PROFESSIONAL NURSES.
  There is at present  a demand for  trained lady
nurses.  Says Mrs. Rayne:  "There could be no
better profession for the development of all the finest
and most womanly qualities, or one in which the
laborer is  more worthy of his  hire."   In another
part of this book I have given some instructions in
regard to  nursing the sick which every one ought
to know, but to be in the highest degree successful
as a nurse one needs to know many things which
could not be detailed in a work like this, and above
all needs an experience with the sick.
  There was established in 1873 what is known as
the Bellevue Training School for Nurses in connec-
tion with the famous Bellevue Hospital of New York.
Here women are  instructed in regard to taking
accurate observations and reports of symptoms for
the physician's use, such as state of pulse, temper- 
486     WOMEN AS PROFESSIONAL NURSES.

ature,  appetite, breathing,  sleeping, delirium, ef-
fects of medicines,  diet, etc.   The ladies, after
going through a certain period of training, are sent
out with diplomas,  which  enable them to  obtain
positions in hospitals, asylums and in the homes of
the wealthier class  who can afford  to hire such
trained nurses.
  Graduates  of this  school  have been called to be
superintendents of more than a dozen large hospi-
tals throughout the  United States, and many are
employed in  the large cities as professional nurses.
  The demand for such trained women is increas-
ing every day.   Many surgeons will refuse to per-
form an important operation unless assured that  a
trained nurse is to have charge of the patient.  Many
wealthy people who  formerly had a  prejudice
against professional nurses now employ them.  The
reason of this prejudice lies in the fact that formerly
nearly all of those who  hired  out  as professional
nurses were ignorant of their duties and were not
to be trusted.
  I will say to young ladies, if you wish to devote
your lives  to usefulness, attend a training school
for nurses and prepare yourself for this profession,
one of the noblest in existence, rather than go as a
missionary to heathen lands.
  Resolve to be a good nurse, or none at all.  Don't
be a Sairy Gamp. If you do not have the qualities
of a nurse mentioned in the chapter on nursing the
sick, do not enter this profession.
  Nursing ought  not to be a hard life. It ought
not to be a dangerous one.   Take care of your own 
        WOMEN AS TELEGRAPH OPERATORS.    487

health.   Protect yourself from the weather, take
plenty of exercise when off duty, be temperate in
eating,  keep yourself scrupulously clean and neat,
sympathize  with your  patients, but  don't  worry
over them.

      WOMEN  AS TELEGRAPH OPERATORS.
  There are a  great many women employed in
telegraph offices, and at present the supply of ope-
rators seems to be greater than the demand. I can
hardly  advise a young lady to  learn telegraphy.
While there are many parts of the work to which
women  are especially well adapted, there are  also
serious  drawbacks.   Male operators  get  much
higher wages on an average than  female, and the
alleged  reason is that the men are liable to be called
upon to work at any hour, day or night, and at
times to do extra work which  would greatly tax
the power of endurance of a woman.   Telegraph
companies say that women, as  a general rule, are
oftener  absent from their duties, although they are
usually  more frequently punctual to time when they
are present.
  Many women  prefer the work in a telegraph
office to that of clerking in a store because they are
not obliged  to  stand  up so much of the time, and
to the work in factories because their clothes are
not soiled and worn so much, and  to doing house-
work, because the latter has more  the air of servi-
tude.   These  facts will perhaps explain why there
are  so  many women applicants  for positions as
telegraph operators. 
488         WOMEN AS CANVASSERS
            WOMEN AS CANVASSERS.
  There are several branches of this business which
are especially well suited for women.  Among the
most important  of these  is canvassing for books.
Do not smile as you  read this, for while it is true
that book agents are sometimes looked down upon
and made sport of, it is nevertheless a  perfectly
legitimate and honorable business.   Some of the
best women  in the land are among the number, and
some are 'known to make as much as two thousand
dollars a year at the business.
  Some of the  best  books published are sold en-
tirely by agents.   The agent has a right to demand
a market for her book as much as the milliner has
for her goods; and if she acts the  lady in every
case no persons with any respect for themselves
will treat her with disrespect.   The qualifications
for a successful  book agent are so many and vari-
ous that I can not enumerate them all here.  She
should have a quiet, lady-like manner, should have
some knowledge of human nature, and should have
a determination to succeed in spite of temporary
disappointments.   She should  endeavor to make a
good  impression upon all she meets whether  she
makes a sale or not.   She needs tact rather than
talent.  Much  may be learned by a little experi-
ence in the  work.  Let  her try different plans of
approaching people and study  carefully the effects
of each.   Most publishers  of subscription books
instruct their agents carefully as to the  mode of 
             WOMEN AS CANVASSERS.          489

canvassing.  Any instruction of the kind would be
unnecessary here.
  Select a good book.   There are many such, but
there are also many comparatively worthless.   Se-
lect one which you can conscientiously recommend,
one which you will not be ashamed to ask any one
to buy.   Make yourself thoroughly familiar with
the book before beginning the canvass. Do not bore
people.  Be particularly careful how you approach
busy men, scholars and men with large libraries.
They may be annoyed  at your approach  because
they are too busy to look at the book, or because
they think they know a great deal about  books  and
do not wish to listen to a speech.
  Small and medium sized towns are perhaps  the
best places for women to canvass.   If you work in
a large city, expect to do more among the middle
class rather than among the wealthy.  Canvassing
in the country, unless it be thickly settled  and the
roads and weather fine, may be too much of a hard-
ship for women.   Canvassing is, however, gener-
ally a healthful occupation.   There are many  wo-
men who could not endure the confinement of teach-
ing or clerking who would  improve in  health by
canvassing.
  Books are  not the only articles which may be
successfully handled by- the lady agent.  Some
women make big wages selling corsets.  This  will
be particularly suited to some ladies who would not
have  all  the qualifications  necessary  for selling
books.   Here she would meet only with those of
her own sex. 
49°      DRESS MAKING AND MILLINERY.

  Insurance companies employ a good many lady
agents.  Organs and pianos are frequently sold by
lady music teachers, or by ladies who have some
musical talent.  The sales here are necessarily few
in number, but  the commissions are large—from
#50 to  $100 usually, on an instrument.
  There is still  money  to be made in selling sew-
ing machines.  Many women engage in this with
success, although the business is not so profitable
as it was formerly.   Cook-stoves are sold by wo-
men by photographs and circulars, the employer
attending to  the  delivery  and  setting up of  the
stoves.
  A great many women are employed as clerks in
stores.  The  wages are not high and the confine-
ment to a room so many hours, and  especially the
being obliged to stand upon the feet so much, make
it a  rather objectionable occupation.  Many are,
however, compelled, or  at least  think  they  are
compelled, to engage in such work.   I would  ask
such persons  to consider the advantages  of some
of the  other occupations mentioned in this book,
and especially that of book canvassing.

         DRESS MAKING AND MILLINERY.
  It requires much taste, skill and  experience to
make a  successful dressmaker.   If a young lady
has decided to  become a  dressmaker she should
not rest contented with being an ordinary one.  She
should apply  her whole mind  to the work, deter-
mined  to learn  all there is in it.  She must have
patience, be  content to begin  at  the bottom and 
         DRESS MAKING AND MILLINERY.     49I

climb up by  degrees.  She must learn all the de-
tails of the art, become skillful in  cutting and  fit-
ting, and acquire the taste and judgment required
in trimming and draping.  She must read and keep
posted in the styles, and study the wants of her
customers.  It is not a trade which any one may
" pick up."   It must be learned slowly by patiently
serving an apprenticeship.  It  is  true  there are
many who boast of having picked up the trade, but
the facts are they have  never learned it, and do
not understand their business.  People are begin-
ning to find this out, and a demand for really skill-
ful dressmakers is growing every day.
   There are  about seven thousand dressmakers  in
the City of  New York,  about two hundred and
seventy of whom are men.  The wages range from
four to sixty  dollars per week, graded  according to
ability.   In all large cities there is a constant de-
mand for good fitters at  salaries varying from fif-
teen to forty  dollars  per week.
   There are  books giving plain directions for cut-
ting and fitting.  They may be had by applying to
any large  book  dealer.    The millinery business
frequently goes with dressmaking.  This requires
more taste than skill. This business is more crowded
than dressmaking because it  requires less time to
learn it,  and  so many have not the patience nor the
ambition to master the art of dressmaking.
   Since  the  advent of the sewing machine there
are  few women who  are really  skillful with the
needle.  There is  always  a  demand  for women
skillful with the needle, because there are  many 
492      DRESS MAKING AND  MILLINERY.
kinds of work which can not be done by the ma-
chines.  Many consider hand-sewed garments su-
perior, and such command a higher price.
  Whatever you do, then, in this  line if it be only
plain sewing, learn to do it well  and never  slight
vour work, and your work will advertise you.   Says
Mrs. Rayne:   "The  woman who would succeed
must work conscientiously, be just in small as well
as in large dealings, and endeavor to  inspire con-
fidence in those who would employ her, by wear-
ing the attractive products of her own skill, and
surrounding herself with the  tokens of her own
success ; and,  above all, let her keep her domestic
troubles and the wrangles of her work-room  out of
sight, and as separate from her business life  as she
would the bread and butter of the nursery from her
customers' silks and satins."
  A word  about the health of dressmakers. Sit-
ting long in one position is  very injurious to health.
The person who cuts and fits has  sufficient change
of position, but the one who trims or works with
the needle, or  with the machine, needs to be cau-
tious.   Think  to  bring into action other muscles
than those used in your work.   Vary your work
as much as  possible.   Of course you must  watch
the ventilation of your rooms, clothe yourself prop-
erly, regulate your diet, in  short, pay attention to
all the laws of health as laid down in other parts
of this book. 
GARDENING.
493
                  GARDENING.
  There is money to be made in gardening where
markets are good.  The work is not heavy, if prop-
erly managed.  It requires almost constant atten-
tion, but at no time is  there need of particularly
heavy labor.  There are many women who might
engage  in gardening for profit.   With a little cap-
ital a man or  boy may be hired to do  the rough
and heavy work, while the woman could do the
planning and the lighter part  of the work.  The
out-door exercise would of itself be a remuneration
in many cases,  even if no money were to be made
at it.
  In Europe a large proportion of the women work
out of doors, many of them doing all the drudgery
and hard work in the fields.  These women are gen-
erally robust and healthy in body, but-do not stand
very high  intellectually.  Our American women
of course could not endure what many of the peas-
antry of Europe undergo, and we ought not to ex-
pect it of them.  A stout body at the expense of the
mind is not to be desired.   But a little more phys-
ical labor would not degrade our women  provided
it  were  done judiciously.  Let the woman who
wishes to engage in out-door work begin by work-
ing a few minutes only each day, gradually increas-
ing the time, always stopping short of great fatigue,
and in the majority of cases a decided improvement
in bodily health will be observed, and with no dan-
ger to the intellect, but rather an improvement.
The mornings and evenings should be  chosen for 
494
GARDENING.
work, avoiding the heated hours of the middle of
the day.
  Good prices are always paid for the earliest veg-
etables and small fruits,  and it requires but little
more labor to produce early vegetables than to pro-
duce late ones.
  The cultivation of flowers is in  many places a
profitable  occupation,  and one  for which women
are  especially adapted.  The demand for flowers
is growing, it seems, from year to year.
  The cultivation of strawberries and raspberries
is a very profitable business  when  properly man-
aged, and one which women can easily engage in.
In a fair season an acre of strawberries will yield
a clear profit of from $150 to $175.   "A lady, who
lives in a home of luxury in Freeport, Illinois, made
a handsome fortune out of strawberries.  She kept
a man to work  the farm, hired children to pick the
berries, and took orders from  commission  houses
and families herself, not disdaining to deliver the
berries  from her own  carriage, or wagon, both of
which she handled herself."
   If you go into the business of gardening resolve
to succeed at it.  Do not be discouraged if  you do
not make anything the first year.  You must study
the business, read books on the subject, employ the
most approved methods, attend closely to the busi-
ness, doing the right  thing at the right time.  So
long as people continue to like fruits and vegetables
there will be a demand for gardeners. 
POULTRY RAISING AND BEE KEEPING.
      POULTRY RAISING AND BEE  KEEPING.
  If properly managed poultry pays well, and the
care of fowls is a business well suited  to females.
Like gardening, it requires attention, but no severe
labor.  Chickens kept in a  small  enclosure, fed
daily with  a variety of food  and plenty of drink,
will  lay the year round,  if they are of the  right
breed.  Brown Leghorns and Brahmas are excel-
lent for laying.
  Keeping a small number of some choice breed
and selling the eggs for breeding purposes is profit-
able.   The eggs of choice breeds sometimes bring
as much as three dollars a dozen for breeding pur-
poses.   It would  hardly be profitable to raise the
fancy breeds if the eggs were to be sold for eating
only, since these high-bred fowls require much
more attention.
  Fowls  should  be fed on grains,  as corn, wheat
and oats, as the  main diet, but need a variety, in
the shape  of  meat, scraps from  the kitchen and
tender vegetables.   They should have sheltered
places to roost and a sunny plat of ground where
they may exercise.  Gravel  and sand should be
thrown frequently in this open plat.  During the
summer have a portion of the ground over which
they run spaded, that they may have  fresh,  loose
earth to wallow in and to absorb the excrements.
  Do not attempt to keep chickens and cultivate a
srarden or flowers in the same enclosure. You will
make a failure of both, and  trouble and vexation
will be your sole reward.   Do not turn  your chick- 
POULTRY RAISING AND BEE KEEPING.
ens loose upon the street to prey upon your neigh-
bor's garden.  If he kills them and eats them you
ought not to complain, for they are his as  much as
they are  yours if he  feeds  them with  his choice
vegetables.
  Bee culture  is another  of the employments for
which  women are  better adapted than men.  It
involves no great outlay of  strength and expense,
but, like gardening, much close attention and great
skill and gentleness.  " The hand of woman, from
nature, habit and education, has  acquired an ease
of motion which is agreeable to the sensibilities of
bees, and her breath  is seldom obnoxious to their
olfactories by reason of tobacco or beer."
  It  is  a business a woman can do at home and at
the same time  care for children and oversee house-
hold work.  It is, therefore, especially suited  to a
widow woman with children and a home of her own
comprising an acre or less of ground.
  To be successful in bee keeping one must learn
the business, must thoroughly understand the nature
and habits of bees and keep posted on the improved
methods of caring for them.   She should  have
books  on the subject and subscribe for a journal
devoted to bee culture.
  Honey always brings a good price notwithstand-
ing a great deal of  an imitation  article is thrown
on the market.  One who is regularly in  the busi-
ness may in the  course of a few years, establish a
reputation so  that she will  have  a market at her
very door for all the honey she may be able to pro-
duce. 
WOMEN AS PROFESSIONAL COOKS.
        WOMEN AS PROFESSIONAL COOKS.
  Every woman should learn to cook, and many
men too,  for that  matter; but  there  is need for
cooks who follow the business as a regular profes-
sion, who know all the details of the business and
can get up any kind of a dinner.   Cooking is prop-
erly a woman's business,  yet most of the  profes-
sional cooks are men.   This ought not  to be so.
Women can learn anything in this line  that men
can and generally much quicker.
  Mrs. Vanderbilt, it is said, pays her cook a sal-
ary of $7,000 a year, and there are many wealthy
families who  pay from  $3,000 to $4,000  yearly to
their cooks.   There are cooking schools in  New
York and Boston, but the expenses of  attending
them are too  great  for persons  of limited  means.
There are many good cook books, and with the aid
of one, in a little time for practice, almost any one
can acquire skill in this line.
  If this information and advice is appropriated by
only one of the many women who are complaining
of having nothing to do to make a living, the writer
wall feel  abundantly rewarded  for making  these
statements.
  A great many women make money keeping
boarders and managing restaurants.  In the city of
Indianapolis, the most  popular  restaurant  is  man-
aged  and run  entirely  by ladies of the  Woman's
Christian Temperance Union.   They make the
business pav, yet furnish the cheapest  meals to be
had in the city.   Cheap restaurants are demanded,
    32 
498
HOUSEKEEPING AS A PROFESSION.
not low. filthy places  where liquors  and tobacco
are retailed, but neat,  clean, orderly  lunch  rooms
where a transient visitor to the town or city may
get just what he wants, from a five-cent lunch up
to a half-dollar meal, and  at a reasonable  price.
The general rule is to charge five cents for each
item on the bill of fare, no matter if it  cost but half
a cent, but the restaurant which will furnish a cup
of coffee, a glass of milk, or a piece of bread and
butter for three cents each,  and other articles  in
proportion, will become the popular one if the sur-
roundings are  made  attractive  and  the  location
be favorable.  Women are especially  well adapted
to managing such eating-houses.

        HOUSEKEEPING AS  A PROFESSION.
  Every woman should learn to keep house.  Every
woman should know how to keep house whether she
ever does  a stroke of work  or not.  Then she will
be able to oversee the  work of servants, if she be
so fortunate as to be able to keep them.   But there
is need of professional housekeepers, women who
are willing to hire out for that purpose.
   Little need be said here to the woman who would
be called.to keep house for others. What has been
said in the preceding chapter will apply here.   If
she studies her business and systematizes her work
she will have much leisure  for the improvement  of
her mind  and  for recreation.  If she economizes
closely, is particularly neat and  clean, and attends
to her own business strictly she is sure of keeping 
       WHAT ALL WOMEN OUGHT TO KNOW.    499

a place when one is  obtained, and she ought to
command fair wages.
  Of course there is no great demand for this class
of workers, housekeeping being largely a matter
of love and duty towards a husband and children,
but there  are always cases where a bachelor of
wealth owns  a  home  and wishes  some  one to
manage it as a wife would manage her own home,
and there are always cases of widowers who need
housekeepers.  Why should not some women ore-
pare themselves especially for such work?

      WHAT ALL  WOMEN OUGHT TO  KNOW.
  I have said once or twice before that all women
ought to know how to keep house and to cook.  I
wish to emphasize it  by repeating it here.  In this
country fortunes fluctuate.  You may be the daugh-
ter of a millionaire to-day and to-morrow be depend-
ent on daily toil for a living.   This is one strong
reason why women should  know how to do some-
thing useful.  But there are other reasons.  If you
know how to cook and manage a house, you will
know how to manage servants in these duties, you
will not be in trouble should your servants leave
you without warning, as they often do.  You will
know how to teach these arts to your children and
if fortune throws  them  where  they will be  com-
pelled to do such work they will know how and be
thankful  for your instruction as long as they live.
There is a still stronger reason.   You need exer-
cise, physical exercise, daily.    If  you have no
other occupation which will require your moving 
500    WHAT ALL WOMEN OUGHT TO KNOW.

about, you will not be inclined to  take this suffi-
cient  amount of physical exercise.   If you are in
delicate health, do only the lighter parts of the
work  about the house, as arranging and dusting
articles in the rooms, putting things back in their
places; simply "potter"  around in other words.
  Says Mrs. Edna D. Cheney:  " It hardly strengh-
ens a  woman to be told  that women  are  more
angelic by nature, more amiable, more religious,
and more  holy than men,  when she is  suffering
from excessive nervous irritability, from neglected
solitude, from want of employment suited to her
feeble powers or from the unused energies of mind
and body which  are devouring her day by  day."
  You need recreation.  Are you engaged in liter-
ary work?  You can not read  and write all  the
time.   You can not ride out, or walk or visit, just
any time for a change, but you can almost any time
take a rest from mental or  from sedentary toil of
any kind, by taking  a turn  in  the  kitchen  or  by
doing a little of the housework.
  The great majority of women are, of course,
compelled to learn these arts of cooking and  keep-
ing house.  To these I need say only, learn to do
your work well.  But to the smaller number who
may think such arts beneath their regard, I appeal
and would urge upon them to learn to do some-
thing  useful, and since there is such universal need
of knowing how to manage the affairs of the home
learn  that  first of all, and then learn and practice
whatever else may be legitimate and to your taste.
  There are some other things every woman  ought 
       WHAT ALL WOMEN OUGHT TO KNOW.    501

to learn to do.   In these days of sewing machines
and factory work there may be no absolute neces-
sity for all women to learn to be proficient with the
needle, but no woman ought to be as clumsy with
a needle as the majority of men are.  Every woman
ought to be able to handle a needle and to  do plain
sewing.  There are so  many cases where a  few
stitches are necessary, and  to be  dependent  on
some one else  in  such  cases is frequently very
inconvenient.   It is  important for the majority of
women to know how to run a  sewing machine,
but not for all.   Should necessity demand, the art
is soon learned.  But  to learn to use a needle is
another thing and ought to be begun in early youth.
  Every woman ought to learn the value of money
and to keep simple accounts.  No matter how rich
you  may be, an account of receipts and expendi-
tures will  be of value to you.  Extravagance will
be prevented to a great extent, and habits of econ-
omy taught by  the  simple  device of keeping  an
account of incomings and outgoings.  This will in
itself teach  the value of  money.   A woman ought
not to  be ashamed to ask the price of an article
before  purchasing it.
  There is much good sense in the following advice
given in a letter from Margaret Fuller to a ladv
friend :  "I should think two or three hours a dav
would be quite enough, at present, for you to give
to books.  Now, learn buying and selling, keeping
the  house,  directing the servants; all that will
bring you worlds of wisdom if you keep it subor-
dinate to the one grand aim of perfecting the whole 
502    WHAT ALL WOMEN OUGHT TO KNOW.

being.   And let your self-respect forbid you to do
imperfectly anything that you do at all."
  No matter how well  educated a woman may be
in book knowledge or in the fine arts, as music and
painting, there will always be times in her life when
she will appear very awkward if she has not a
general knowledge of the common affairs of every-
day life, such as the  routine of household work and
the common and simpler forms of business.  These
things  can not be learned from books, only by
actual  practice.  Every young lady, then, should
spend some time each day in the kitchen and take
a hand frequently in  the everyday work of the
home ;  should do much of her own purchasing and
thus learn the value  of money and the  methods of
the business world.  She will be no less the lady
in the afternoon  and evening if she have assisted
her mother or the servants in the forenoon in house-
hold work or in marketing and shopping.
  There is yet another reason why each woman
should  learn to work at something.   She ought to
make herself independent of others as far as possi-
ble, or  at least place herself in that condition which
will enable her to make herself independent at any
time.   Says Weaver:   "A  dependent life is an
ignoble one, unless compelled by misfortune ;  just
as ignoble in woman  as  in man.   No woman of
health  and sound mind should allow herself to be
or feel  dependent on anybody for her living.   The
sick are always dependent, though they have wealth
at their command.  But the  well should never be
dependent.  To eat  and wear the fruits of another's 
WOMEN  AS ARTISTS.
503
 labor tends to degradation.  To feel that one is
 shining in borrowed plumes and  eating the bread
 of dependence is degrading to a noble mind.  A
 noble mind will not willingly do it.  The want of
 employment and the dependence of many women
 have ruined their character and  made them little
 else than nuisances to their fellow-men.  Thou-
 sands  of women have no  employment, and live
 through life in a state of abject dependence.  What
 are  they, what can they be, under  such circum-
 stances?  It requires employment to develop men,
 why should it not to develop women?  Dependent
 men are ninnies, why should not dependent women
 be?"
              WOMEN AS ARTISTS.
  This term may include a variety of occupations.
 Photographers are frequently  classed as  artists.
 It may include all those who work in any kind  of
 decorative material.  The desire to decorate homes
 is one which is growing every day, and while there
 are so  many cheap means of decoration, so many
 decorative articles,  and so many pictures made by
 machinery at such  a small  cost,  it may be ques-
 tioned whether there would be any encouragement
 for  one to learn to paint, draw and design for a
 living.  Let us see  about this.
  There is a growing demand for hand-painted dec-
orations and real paintings from nature to take the
place of the chromos,  cheap prints  and  machine
decorations which are  so common.   This demand
is greatest, of course,  among the wealthier class,
and especially the educated and refined among the 
504         WOMEN IN LITERATURE.

wealthier class.   Many ladies are making a good
living painting small pictures from nature, decorat-
ing pottery, painting on china, silk, etc.   There is
in fact no end to the number and variety of surfaces
on which to paint, and of the materials used.
   Does it require natural talent to be able to pro-
duce  such work?  Not so  much  as people gener-
ally suppose.  One must have good taste, an ordi-
nary appreciation of color, and a little dexterity of
hand  to begin with, and the rest can be  acquired
by patience  and perseverence under the eye of a
good  teacher.
   Artists, instead of painting only pictures on can-
vas to be framed and  hung up, are now employed
to decorate plastered walls and ceilings with repre-
sentations of various  kinds, and  the time is evi-
dently not far distant when the majority of homes
will show evidence of the artist's work, and not be
simply storeboxes spread inside with mortar.
   Women are especially successful in the decora-
tive branch of art.   They have more cultivated
tastes, as  a rule, than men, and there is no reason
why a large proportion of women should not make
money by means of educated talent in this line.
   Photography is a good business for women, and
there  ought to be more of them engaged in it.

            WOMEN IN LITERATURE.
   Many women  have  been  very successful in lite-
rary work.  Many have become  famous  and rich
by their pens.  It is not the purpose of these para-
graphs to give a  history of women in literature, nor 
WOMEN IN LITERATURE.         505
yet to advise young women to attempt to enter this
field.   I say attempt to enter it, because where one
is successful  among those  who  try, a  thousand
make complete failures.  This may be sad but it is
true. When I say successful, I mean in its broadest
sense.   There was a time when persons who were
very talented as writers  were not  well paid, and
hence unsuccessful financially.  But to-day litera-
ture as a general  rule is well paid.  Let a writer
become famous for her productions and her finan-
cial success  is sure.  The American people  are
readers, and they read good literature in the main.
But the country is flooded with good literature.
  It is true the population of civilized countries in-
creases and education is  spreading among  the
masses everywhere, so that the demand for books
and papers will constantly increase, but it must be
remembered that a really good literary production
will last for centuries, and also that with the in-
crease of civilization the number of talented minds
increases.
  I would say then to the young lady with literary
aspirations, write and  keep  writing; try various
papers and  magazines ;  get the opinions of good
judges concerning your productions, but  do  not
expect to rise at once to literary fame, and  do  not
expect  money for your first work.  Have some
other occupation if you are  dependent upon your
own exertions for a living.  Do not expect to make
a  living with your pen.  Place no  confidence in
the opinions of your personal friends concerning
your  productions.  Get the opinions of strangers 
5°6
WOMEN  IN  LITERATURE.
who are known to be good judges in such matters.
Do not rest satisfied with the opinion of one per-
son.  Some of the best literary  productions have
been refused by leading magazines and book pub-
lishers, afterwards accepted by others and became
popular.
  Remember  always  that short  articles  are more
often read than long ones, other things being equal.
Write to the point, using no more words than nec-
essary, when narrating facts, or making arguments.
If you are writing fiction and have  a power in the
line of word painting, be careful how you indulge
it.  Flowery language is appreciated in small doses,
but when it is all of that kind,  it palls the taste.
   Journalism  is a profession  in this country, al-
though there are no special  schools in which it is
taught.   It  must be learned in that dearest of
schools, experience.   It is a business well adapted
to the powers and capabilities of women.   A large
number of women are employed in connection with
the work on daily and weekly papers, besides those
who are editors or assistant editors, or paid con-
tributors to the monthly and weekly magazines.
  Every lady can not make a successful journalist.
Not by any  means.   It requires  a peculiar talent,
not necessarily literary talent either, in the true
sense of that term, but a talent for gathering, con-
densing and expressing news and  other matters
interesting to the public. A newspaper writer must
be able to write on the spur of the moment and on
almost any subject.  Comparatively few persons are 
WOMEN  IN  LITERATURE.         5o7
by nature adapted for journalism, and the greater
number of these make money by their pens.
  There will be no harm, however, in trying your
hand at various kinds of writing.  You do not know
your own powers, may be, and if you do not place
your hopes  high you  can not suffer great disap-
pointment if you fail to please.  In order to  secure
a reading for your manuscript use a little business
sense in preparing it.   If you have a reputation
already established it matters  not upon what you
write nor how  careless your penmanship, it  will be
published, otherwise it is  necessary to  observe the
following rules:
  Write as plainly as possible, on one side of the
paper only ; be very particular as to spelling, punct-
uation  and   capitalization; use  good paper and
black ink.  If you send  your communication to a
strange paper enclose stamps sufficient for  its re-
turn if not accepted.   Make no apology for writing
it, but in as  few words as possible request an exam-
ination  of the manuscript and its publication if ac-
ceptable, or its return if not.
  If you have exhibited  real literary power it will
soon be discovered ;  if you have not the  person
who rejects your manuscript has done you a favor.
An  editor may reply simply by saying  that your
communication is not suitable for his paper.  This
may be  simply one way to get rid of you, to avoid
saying that  your manuscript has no merit,  or it may
be  that he  thinks your  communication has merit,
but that it really is not suited  to his paper.   Such 
508           UNMARRIED WOMEN.

a reply ought not to discourage one.  Try another
time at least.
              UNMARRIED WOMEN.
  There ought not to be many of them ; but in the
nature of things there must be a few at all  times.
The term " old maid " ought not  to be a hateful
one, yet it is to many unmarried women.   I have
no patience with the man or woman who takes de-
light in making sport  of unmarried women by call
ing them old maids.   What sense is there in ridi-
culing this condition in life?  A woman has a per-
fect right to  remain  single through life  if she
chooses.   Why should she be ridiculed for it ? Per-
haps the majority of unmarried elderly ladies are so
from necessity.   They were disappointed in early
life. They were unfortunate. Should we make fun
of people's misfortunes ? We ought rather to admire
the spirit which dares to face the battle of life alone
rather than to risk her happiness  for life with one
whom she could not love and respect.  The women
who marry for  spite, or simply to avoid becoming
old maids, are the ones who ought to be ridiculed,
if any are.  Yet  they need our sympathy rather.
The term "old bachelor" is  also  regarded with
some degree of contempt, but it should not be  so.
The two terms, "old maid'' and " old bachelor,"
ought  to be  eliminated  from our vocabularies.
The term " old maid" is not so  frequently heard
now as formerly.   It is to be hoped that it will  go
out of fashion entirely.   Says  Mrs. Rayne :   "I
believe a large proportion of unmarried women are
so simply because they have too much conscience 
UNMARRIED  WOMEN.
5°9
and delicacy of feeling to form marriages of inter-
est or convenience without the concurrence of their
affections and their taste.   A woman who is de-
termined to be married, and who ' plays her cards
well,'  as the phrase is, usually succeeds.   But
how much more estimable and honorable is she
who regards  a  life-union as too important and sa-
cred to be entered into from motives of vanity or
selfishness."
  Are the lives of unmarried women happy, may
be asked?  From the fact that there are so many
unhappy matches, and  that so  many people have
not sufficient mental  training and power  to make
the best of circumstances, I infer that the propor-
tion of happy single women is as great,  if not
greater, than of happy wives.   This is, of course,
no  argument against  matrimony.  We need  more
proper marriages, not a less number of marriages.
  There are temptations rather peculiar to the un-
married woman,  such as selfishness, caused by a
want of worthy objects of affection ; despondency
of mind, produced by the suspicion of  neglect of
friends ;  and a general  irritable disposition, aris-
ing from want of an interesting occupation. These
are temptations which  every single woman  must
guard against.  Married women, however,  have
their temptations, arising from  their conditions in
life.  They are apt to become narrow-minded and
selfish in another form.   For the sake of advancing
their children in society and wealth, mothers may
become selfish  and trample upon all principles of
right and duty towards others. 
5*o
UNMARRIED  WOMEN.
  There  are many noble  examples of unselfish,
disinterested workers for humanity in the ranks of
the unmarried.   Each of my readers doubtless can
call to mind some elderly unmarried female of her
acquaintance who is doing constantly a world of
good  in the community, who takes the lead in all
progressive movements, whose charities are innum-
erable and whose opinions are valued by all.  Such
names as Frederika Bremer, Emily Bronte, Hannah
More, Harriet Martineau, Eliza Cook,  Miss Sedg-
wick, Gail Hamilton, the Cary sisters, Anna Dick-
inson, Maria Edgeworth, Miss Mitford and Jane
Austin, all eminent in literature and as workers for
the good  of humanity, are sufficient  reasons  for
respecting this  class of  women.
   Says Mrs. Lydia Maria Child, in concluding an
article on the subject of unmarried women :  " The
conclusion of the matter, in my mind, is, that a
woman  may make a  respectable appearance as a
wife,  with a character far less noble than is neces-
sary to enable her to lead a single life  with useful-
ness and dignity.  She is sheltered and concealed
behind  her husband ;  but the unmarried woman
must  rely upon herself, and she lives in a glass
house, open to the gaze of every passer-by.   To
the feeble-minded marriage is almost a necessity,
and if wisely formed it doubtless renders the life of
any woman more happy.  But happiness is not the
sole end and aim of this life.  We are  sent here to
build up  a character;  and sensible women  may
easily reconcile themselves to a single life, since
even  its  disadvantages may  be  converted  into 
INFLUENCE OF WOMEN.
5"
means of development of all  the  faculties with
which God has endowed them."

             INFLUENCE OF WOMEN.
  Each individual wields an influence in the world.
It may be small and it may be great.  It may be
for good and it  may be  for evil.  Women have
each an individual influence in the society in which
they move.   So have men.  I shall  not use this as
an  argument for morality and good conduct in
women.  Everybody should do what is right, be-
cause it is right and because it conduces to human
happiness.   If we influence others  to do good we
ought to be  glad of it.  But the man or woman
who does good simply because some one else does,
works from a not very high motive.  The fact of
the matter is, we are all  too easily influenced by
others.   We do what  others  do, not stopping to
question whether it is  right or wrong.   Children
ought to be taught  the difference  between right
and wrong-doing, and  to act according to the right
because they see it is right and pay no attention to
the conduct of others.
   We hear much said about the great influence of
women for good in the world.  I am inclined to
think that it is very much over-estimated.  I mean
the influence of women  as a  class, not the  indi-
vidual  influence  of certain women.  If women
exert such a great influence for good, why do we
have so many thieves, and  gamblers,  and liber-
tines, so many paupers and worthless men gener-
ally.   Most of them had  mothers to train them in 
512
INFLUENCE OF WOMEN.
early youth and who loved them, yet some way the
mother's love and care and teaching did not keep
them out of vice when they grew up.
  While a mother's love  may do  much, yet it can
not take the place of the proper training which can
be given only by one who has  herself been prop-
erly trained. A mother's love and influence merely,
may in  some instances reclaim young men from
vice, but it is the exception and not the rule.  It is
true we read of many cases in the literature of the
day of the power of a mother's love over men after
they had grown up, but the very fact that these
cases are written about,  proves their comparative
rarity.  Let one read all the newspaper accounts
of murders and think  no further, and he will get
the idea that murder is the rule in this country, but
a little  reflection will convince  him that  it is the
rare exception; that where one man commits mur-
der there are ten thousand who do not.   So it is
with these cases.  They are remarkable because
rare, and  hence  become the themes  for writers.
We have only to look about us and reflect, and  we
will be convinced of the  contrary.
   What, then, is the lesson  for women?   Be good
and do good.  Your influence will then be for good.
But do not rely upon your influence, if you expect
to have your children an honor and a blessing to
you in your old days.  Train your children.  But
first train yourself.   Learn all you can, first in  the
business of taking care of your own physical, men-
tal and moral  nature and  then in the business of
caring for and educating  children ; then if you have 
THE  KINGDOM OF HOME.          513
plenty of time, devote  it to literature, to politics,
or whatever may seem to your taste.
  It is not the mother's love for her children, nor
the memory of it, which influences the conduct of
the grown-up man or woman,  so much as the effect
of an  early  training given by the mother.  This
kind of influence is expressed in the following ex-
tract from the writings of an eminent divine :  "I
do not believe the assertion at all too strong when
I say that the greatest and best of those whom we
count among the great and good of our race, have
always derived the elements of their characters
from the maternal care bestowed on  them in child-
hood."
             THE KINGDOM OF HOME.
   So many excellent thoughts  have been written
on this subject by men  and women  far more com-
petent than the writer of this  book, that he  prefers
to let them  speak for  him, asking  his readers to
give  these  paragraphs  their  closest attention, for
they well deserve it.
   "A house is no home unless it contains food and
fire for the mind as well as for the body.  For hu-
man beings are not so constituted that they can live
without expansion.  If  they do  not get it  in one
way, they must in another, or perish.   *  *  *  *
To woman the care of the home is confided.  It is
the sanctuarv of which she should be the guardian
angel.  To all elements that are introduced there
she should be the ' ordering mind.'   She represents
the  spirit of beauty, and  her influence  should  be
spring-like, clothing all objects within  her sphere
     33 
514         THE KINGDOM OF HOME.
with lively, fresh and  tender hues."—Margaret
Fuller Ossoli.
  "You have chosen  a comparatively poor man,
vour business is to  adapt yourself to his circum-
stances, to make the most of his means in  provid-
ing a pleasant home, and bringing up carefully and
conscientiously the  children  which may be given
vou.  If society find you out, or if you find it worth
while to fill up any of the chinks or interstices with
occasional glimpses of the false, glittering, outside
world—good ! you will come back to your sweet
home with so  much the more relish; but do not
marry it, do not sacrifice your own sense of  duty,
and  the  happiness  and welfare  of  husband and
family to it.
  " Talk of happiness—there is  none  like that of
an intelligent, affectionate family circle.  There is
no pleasure, no enjoyment equal to that of a mother
ministering to the wants, or gratifying  the  natural
and innocent tastes  of her children.  The pleasure
is all the greater, because it is a surprise."—Mrs.
J. C. Croly, (Jennie June).
  " The French have no word into which the Eng-
lish  word home may  be  legitimately translated ;
yet it is sufficiently evident that many of the French
people have the thing  without the name, while a
large portion of the American people have the name
without the thing.   There are comparatively few
who have an adequate idea of what home is,  as an
institution.  It is recognized as a  house, containing
a convenient number of chairs and tables, with a
sufficiency of chamber furniture and eatables, a 
              THE KINGDOM OF HOME.         515

 place to eat and sleep in simply.  It is not unjust
 to say that  half of the young married people of
 America have no higher conception of home than
 this.  What they call their homes are simply board-
 ing-houses,  where, for  purposes of economy and
 convenience, they board themselves.
   " In my idea home rises to the dignity of an in-
 stitution of life, and, like everything legitimately to
 be called an institution of life, is both an outgrowth
 of life and a contributor to its development.  Like
 all institutions, it has its external form and internal
 power and  significance.   Like  the church, it has
 its edifice  and  appointments not only,   but its
 membership, its bonds  of spiritual fellowship, and
 its germinal  ideas,  developing themselves  into in-
 fluences that bear flowers and fruits  to charm and
 feed the soul.  It is into the meaning of the word
 Home that I would introduce you first, my friends,
 and then into the home itself.  Marriage is the le-
 gitimate basis of a genuine home.   A husband is
 its priest and a wife  its priestess ; and it is for you,
 young husband and young wife, to establish  this
 institution, maintain it, beautify it in its outward
 form, fill it with all good influences, develop its ca-
 pacities, make it the expression of your best ideas
 of intimate  social life, and  to use it as an instru-
 ment of genial power in moulding such outside life
 as may  come into contact with  it.   Its  outward
 form  and its  internal arrangements should, so far
 as your means will permit, be the outgrowth of
your  finest ideas and the expression of your best
tastes, combined  with  the practical ingenuities 
5 l6          THE KINGDOM OF HOME.

which may be rendered necessary by a wholesome
economy."—TitcomFs Letters.
  "God has set the solitary in families;  and in
that institution are enclosed the greatest results of
earth and heaven.  With a vision sufficiently clear
.we might see in the germ the  full circle of the
flower; in the  acorn the branching oak, with five
hundred summers murmuring in its leaves.   So in
the  ground and  seed-plot  of home we may have
prevision of the best conditions of this world or the
other. From this we build up images of that which
no mere definite speech  can express.   The fairest
social state will appear when ' our sons shall be as
plants grown up in their youth,' and ' our daughters
as corner-stones, polished  after the similitude of a
palace.'   And,  linking  our homeliest work,  our
closest love, with wider and more enduring scenes,
we speak of ' the Family in heaven and earth.' "—
Rev. E. H. Chapin, D. D.
   " You have only to peep into the room of almost
any man who takes care of himself, if you wish to
know what sort of homes men make.   True, some
of these homes are quite presentable ; but are they,
the best of them, in their appointments and keep-
ing,  the  highest models  of the  civilized home?
Contrast that with  the  dainty  appointments  and
keeping  of  the majority  of  the  homes  of most
women who care and provide for themselves.   Of
course, in a  complete home,  occupied by a com-
plete  family, there should be both the masculine
and feminine elements; but whose taste is  it  that
prevails in the furnishing  and the keeping of the 
              THE KINGDOM OF HOME.         517

 house?  Will it, as a rule, be  nicely furnished  if
 the woman have not the taste to select and adjust?
 It  is true the man usually provides  the means for
 its furnishing and its sustenance, and if this is what
 is intended  by the expression  we will so under-
 stand it; but, after all, it is the woman who  is
 really the artist; she plans and  molds and puts her
 impress upon it.   True, she is often guided  by his
 wishes  in  many particulars, but the  home when it
 is made is the expression of her taste and thought
 far more  than his.  She  puts herself into it, and
 everything therein is largely molded by her pres-
 ence."—Julia Colman.
  "The Christian home, implying marriage, mutual
 affection, piety, gentleness, refinement, meekness,
 forbearance,  is our ideal  of  earthly happiness—a
 beautiful  and  impressive type  of heaven.   It  is
 more a residence, a place of abode, however at-
 tractive in its surroundings, however richly adorned
 with art and beauty.
  " It is where the heart is, where the loved ones
 are—husband, wife, father, mother, brothers, sis-
 ters, all united  in  sympathy, fellowship and wor-
 ship.   It may be humble, unpretentious, exhibiting
 no signs of material wealth ; but there is the wealth
 of mutual  affection, which fire  can  not  consume
 and no commercial disaster alienate or destroy, and
this is home—the home  of the heart, the home of
childhood, the elysium of riper  years, the refuge
of age."—Samuel D. Burchard, D. D.
  " If you want to gather up  all tender memories,
all  lights  and shadows of the heart, all banquet- 
5T8           THE KINGDOM OF HOME.
ings  and reunions, all filial,  fraternal, paternal,
conjugal affections, and had only just  four letters
with which to spell out that height, and depth, and
length, and breadth, and  magnitude, and  eternity
of meaning, you would write  it  all out with these
four capital letters : H-O-M-E."—Rev. T. De Witt
Talmage.
         " Home's not merely four square walls,
            Though with pictures hung and gilded;
           Home is where affection calls,
            Filled with shrines the heart hath builded !
           Home ! go watch the faithful dove,
            Sailing 'neath the heaven above us ;
           Home is where there's one to love !
            Home is where there's one to love us!

         " Home's not merely roof and room,
            It needs  something to endear it;
           Home is where  the heart can bloom,
            Where there's some kind lip to cheer it!
           What is home with none to meet,
            None to welcome,  none to greet us ?
           Home is sweet,—and only sweet—
            When there's one we love to meet us! "
                                   —Charles Swain, 
APPENDIX.
    MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES FOR THE HOUSEHOLD.
  There are many books of recipes and many writ-
ten recipes in the world.   Many of them are of little
value, not being reliable.  Others are of value to
certain classes of persons only.   The following are
selected from a large list as being of especial value
to housekeepers, and to women generally.  They
have all been tried and tested by good authorities,
and I have no hesitation in recommending them to
my readers, although I have not seen all  of them
tested  myself.   They are not given here in any
particular order, it being a difficult matter to clas-
sify subjects so varied and disconnected.   The sub-
ject of each paragraph, however, will be found in
alphabetical order in the index of the book.

   To Remove Unpleasant Odors from  a Room.—
Burn a teaspoonful of ground coffee on a hot shovel,
or on a shovelful of live coals.   Sugar, resin, or
vinegar may also be burned for the same purpose.

   To Remove  Grease Spots.—Gasoline,  sunlight
oil and benzine are frequently used for this purpose.
They are objectionable because they themselves are
oils and leave a spot, although not so distinct as
common grease.  An alkali is  the only substance
which  will perfectly remove  grease  spots.  Soap
                      (5i9) 
52°         MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES.
will be efficient if used repeatedly with much  rub-
bing or brushing.  Ammonia (hartshorn) is better
than anything which can be used.

   To Remove Ink Stains.—There is  no one  sub-
stance which will remove  all kinds of ink stains,
as  inks  are  made of many different  chemicals.
Oxalic acid will, however, remove the stains made
by  the most  of the black inks  in common  use.
Sweet milk is efficient in many  cases.  Washing
clothing  in cold water while the stain  is fresh will
frequently remove the ink entirely.   Printer's ink
may be removed by turpentine.

  To take out Mildew.—Wet the cloth and rub with
chalk and soap and lay in the  sun, or  soak for a
short  time in  buttermilk and lay in the sun.

  To  Remove Iron Rust from Cloth.—Wet the spot
with oxalic acid, hold a warm flat iron to it a min-
ute or two, rinse and rub in water.

  Economical Soap.—Save all the pieces of toilet
soap which are too small to use, until you get enough
to fill a tea cup when cut up in bits.  Soak in soft
water over night, then boil until all are melted, and
pour into a tea  cup, or other suitable mold, and
when cold you will have a fine  cake of soap as
good as the original pieces you bought.

  Enamel for Shirt Fronts, Collars and Cuffs.—One
ounce of white wax and two ounces of spermaceti,
melted together with a gentle  heat.  A piece of
this the size of a hazel-nut will  be sufficient to add 
            MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES.         521

to the proper quantity of starch for a dozen shirt
bosoms.

   Chloride of Lime—Is one of the best general dis-
infectants.   It may be had at almost any drug store,
and is cheap.   It must be kept from  the  air, as  it
soon loses  its  strength  entirely  when  exposed.
Place a tablespoonful at a time in different places
on the floor of the cellar.  If quick  results are
desired, as when a cellar has  been neglected  and
decayed vegetable matter has accumulated, place
a little on a plate and  pour on a small quantity of
vinegar.  The chlorine gas which is generated acts
as the disinfectant.  This gas is injurious to cloth-
ing and  to  life if developed  in any considerable
quantity.   A very little  of it is constantly being
given off when the chloride of lime is  exposed to
the air.  It is produced rapidly when a strong acid
is added.   Vinegar being a weakened acid will not
cause a very rapid development.   It  is this gas
which destroys the foul gases which may be pro-
duced in decaying substances.  It must be remem-
bered always that close attention to  cleanliness  is
the great secret of keeping  a place wholesome.
Use disinfectants to purify the air only.  Remove
from the floor and other places all decayed or de-
caying  matter, and wash everything that  can be
washed.  Carbolic acid or copperas may be used
in case chloride of lime  can  not be  obtained.  A
cellar  may be whitewashed, using  an ounce of
carbolic acid to a gallon  of whitewash, or  a little
copperas  may be thrown here and  there  on the
floor. 
522         MISCELLANEOUS  RECIPES.

   To Kill Rats and Mice.—It is not generall v known
that one of the surest and safest means of destroy-
ing  these animals is plaster of paris.  Mix thor-
oughly one part with Wo parts of flour, and put on
plates  in places where the animals frequent.   The
plaster is not a  poison  in the  ordinary sense, but
causes death by hardening in the stomach.

  Furniture Polish.—Raw linseed oil, one  pint;
muriatic acid, one ounce ; turpentine, one  ounce ;
benzine or gasoline,  3 pints.  First mix the oil and
acid, shake for five minutes  then add the  turpen-
tine, shake well and add the benzine or  gasoline.
This is said to be the best furniture  polish in the
world.

  Flour Paste.—The best paste for paper is made
from flour.   In making scrap books  use no  other
kind.  To a pint of cold water add two heaping
tablespoonsful of flour.   Stir vigorously to  remove
all lumps, then place on fire and stir until it boils.
A few  cloves added when it is cooked will  make it
keep sweet longer.

  Morocco Leather—May be improved in appear-
ance, when a little worn, with  a  varnish of white
of an egg.

  Rust on Stoves and Stove Pipes.—Rub  with a
cloth saturated with common coal oil.  When stove
pipes are laid away for the summer they should be
well rubbed with coal oil. 
            MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES.         523

   To Remove Dandruff.—Brush the scalp every
day vigorously with a good  stiff hair brush, and
then anoint with a mixture made as follows : Take
one pint of alcohol and a tablespoonful  of castor
oil, mix and shake well, then scent with a little oil
of lavender or bergamot.

  For Chapped Lips and Hands.—Glycerine is a
common remedy for such troubles.   It is in many
cases too stimulating and leaves the  parts too  sen-
sitive.  I prefer linseed oil with a very small quan-
tity of tannic acid added.   This toughens the skin
and makes it pliable.

  Bites and Stings  of Insects.—Ammonia (harts-
horn) will relieve the pain  in  most cases.  Apply
a little to the spot  as soon as possible.  If none be
at hand take wood ashes, wet with hot water and
bind on the place.

  Bedbugs.—The  most effectual poison is corrosive
sublimate  applied  in solution to parts of the furni-
ture  containing them.  It is  a deadly poison and
should be  kept carefully away from children.  It
is said that a strong tea made of  common smart-
weed will kill them.   Of  course  no  good house-
keeper will allow bedbugs to remain in the house,
but no one can prevent their entrance under  some
circumstances.  Like the itch, it is no disgrace  to
get them but a disgrace to keep them.

   To Destroy Ants.—Sprinkle a little sugar upon a
sponge and place  it in the cupboard  or other place 
524         MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES.
infected.  The next morning dip it quickly in boil-
ing water.  Large numbers of ants  may thus be
caught in this sponge trap.  Camphor will,  it is
said, keep them away from a cupboard.

   Cockroaches—Are sometimes very troublesome
about houses.   Cayenne pepper sprinkled about in
cupboards will keep them away.

   Persian Insect Powder—To be had  in most drug
stores, will destroy any insect which  may become
troublesome about the house.

   Corns and Bunions.—The fact that  there are so
many remedies for these excrescences which trouble
so many persons, is proof that they are not easily
cured.   In fact, they can never be cured so effect-
ually that a  misfitting boot or shoe will not cause
them to return.  The following is one of the many
remedies which are claimed to be infallible : Take
strong  acetic acid and apply night and morning to
the corn with  a camel's  hair  brush.   In  about a
week the corn ought to disappear.

   Cement for General Purposes.—Take equal parts
of white glue and Russian isinglass  and  dissolve
in hot acetic acid.   Warm before using by immers-
ing the bottle in hot water for a few minutes.  This
cement will  hold together wood, earthen  or glass-
ware, in fact almost any substance.

   To Clean Windows.—There is nothing better than
soap and  water rubbed  on with  a cloth.  Wipe
partly  dry with a dry cloth, then rub vigorously 
MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES.         525
with old newspapers.  If there are spots of varnish
or paint on the glass rub with a cloth moistened
with turpentine.

   To Make Shoes Waterproof.—Take several small
pieces of an old rubber shoe, put in an old pan with
some beef or mutton tallow.  Heat until the rubber
is partly dissolved, which may be known  by the
mixture tutning black when a drop is cooled on a
chip.  Grease the shoes well with this, both soles
and uppers, holding them to the fire while rubbing
in the mixture.

   To take out Scorch in Cloth.—Peel and slice  two
onions, extract the juice by pounding and squeez-
ing ; cut up half an ounce  of fine, white soap  and
add to the juice.   Add to this two ounces of fuller's
earth and half a pint of vinegar.   Boil all together
and when cool spread upon the scorched place and
let dry. on.   Then wash and boil out the goods and
the spots will disappear, unless burned so badly as
to destroy the threads.

   The Crying of a Child— What it may Indicate.—
The cry of teething is a fretful cry ; that of earache
is short, sharp and piercing, the head being moved
from side to side, and the  hand often put up to the
affected side of the head ; the cry of croup is hoarse
and ringing, so peculiar that it may be called " the
croup v  cry;" the cry of colic  is  an  interrupted
straining cry, accompanied by drawing up of the
legs ; tears in a severe illness are a  sign of amend-
ment (Dr. Chavasse). 
526         MISCELLANEOUS  RECIPES.

  Freckles—Are not easily removed ;  in  fact their
removal is impossible in many persons.  The fol-
lowing is said to be good for this purpose :  Scrapo
horseradish  into  a cup of cold,  sour  milk,  let it
stand twelve hours, strain and  apply two or  three
times a day.

  Facts About Dressing.—White or light colored
clothes  make persons  appear larger than  they
really are.  Very large women  should dress in
black or  dark  colored goods.  Yellow, orange
or red colors are suitable to persons with dark hair
and  complexion ; light blue is suitable to very fair
complexions; light green is unsuitable to persons
of a ruddy complexion ;  violet is unfavorable  to all
complexions.  Clothes with stripes running up and
dowrn make persons look taller than they really are,
and when the stripes run transversely they look
thicker than they really are.

  To Remove a Tight Ring from the Finger.—Take
a piece of common wrapping  twine, soap it  thor-
oughly and wind it round the finger, beginning at
the point and continuing until it reaches  the  ring,
then slip the end of the string through the ring and
unwind it.

  To Make Washing Easy.—Put the clothes to soak
the night before, and at the same time place on the
hot stove in a vessel two pounds  of soap cut into
small pieces, one ounce of borax and two quarts of
water.  Let these simmer until the fire goes out;
in the morning the  mixture will be solid.  Begin 
            MISCELLANEOUS  RECIPES.         527

washing by putting the washboiler over the fire
nearly full of cold, soft water.   Into this put about
a quarter of a pound of the soap and borax mixture,
then wring the clothes  out of the water in which
they have been soaking and put them in the boiler.
Let the clothes boil a  few minutes, take out and
rub the places most soiled, as the wrist bands and
collars of shirts, wring  out and put into cold water,
rinse thoroughly and wring out.  Borax makes the
clothes white and  saves nearly one-half the soap.
The washer-women of Belgium and Holland, it is
said, use borax largely in washing, and their clothes
are noted for their whiteness.

  Hair Oil.—Hair in a perfectly healthy condition
needs  no oil,  because it is naturally supplied  with
oil from the scalp.   But there are many cases where
the hair is dry and harsh from  a deficiency in the
natural supply of oil, and in  such cases a little hair
oil is not objectionable,  but a benefit.  Any one can
make  a good hair oil by the following recipe:
Take one-half pint of alcohol and pint of castor oil.
Mix and shake thoroughly, then add a few drops
of oil  of lavender, or bergamot, to scent it.   Any
other perfume may be added if desired.   The pro-
portions of alcohol and  castor  oil may  also be
changed, the object being to use enough alcohci
to dissolve the castor oil partially but not wholly.

   When Cooking  Onions place  half  a teacupful
of vinegar on the stove  and let  it boil.   The vapor
of the vinegar will nearly if not quite destroy the
odor of the onions. 
528         MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES.

  Mica (often  called  "isinglass") windows  in
stoves may be cleaned by washing with vinegar.

  To Thaw Out a Pump.—If hot water be simply
poured down the ice will scarcely be affected, be-
cause the hot water is lighter and comes to the top,
leaving only cold water next to the ice.  Pour the
hot water down through a tube, lowering it as fast
as the ice melts.

  Silk  goods should  not be folded in white paper
as the chloride of lime used in bleaching the paper
will change the color of the silk.  Use brown  or
blue paper.

  Fruit Stains  in white goods may generally be
removed by washing in water without soap, then
holding the article for a few minutes in the fumes
of burning sulphur.  They may be removed  from
the hands in the same manner.

  Ill-fitting  Collars and Shirts are often  made  so
by the  laundress.  Damp linen will easily stretch.
If a collar is pulled lengthwise when wet it may
be increased half an inch in length.  They should
be  pulled crosswise, and  carefully in doing up.
The same is true of shirt fronts;  a vigorous pull
lengthwise will change the  shape of the neck band
in front.

   The  Feet should be washed every day in  sum-
mer, running the finger between  the toes, and  at
least twice a week in winter.  In spite of all this 
MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES.
529
 some persons will  have bad  smelling feet.  It is
 often a  hereditary peculiarity.  As a remedy in
 such cases, two tablespoonsful of ammonia (harts-
 horn) may be added to a half gallon of the water
 used in washing them.


                   CAKES.

  Eight-Egg White Cake.—Into three cups of sifted
 flour stir two teaspoonsful of baking powder.  Stir
 together one-half cup of butter and two  cups  of
 white sugar,  adding three-fourths of a cup of sweet
 milk, the whites of eight eggs well beaten and the »
 flour.  Stir barely long enough to mix.  For layer
 cake bake  in jelly pans.

  Chocolate Cake.—One cup butter, two of sugar,
 one  of milk,  five  eggs, leaving out the whites  of
 three, four cups sifted flour, two teaspoonsful bak-
 ing powder, or one small teaspoonful soda and two
 of cream of tartar in the flour ; bake in three layers
 in deep jelly  tins.  For icing, take whites  of three
 eggs,-beaten stiff, one  and a half cups powdered
 sugar, six tablespoonsful grated chocolate, two tea-
 spoonsful vanilla.

  White  Cake.—One cup butter, two of sugar, one
 of sweet milk, three of flour, whites of five eggs,
 two teaspoonsful baking powder.

  Snow  Cake.—One-half tea  cup butter, one of
sugar, one and a half of flour, half cup sweet milk,
    34 
53°        MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES.
whites of four eggs, teaspoonful  baking powder;
lemon flavoring.

  One-Egg Cake.—Stir  together one and a half
cups of sugar and a piece of butter about the size
of an egg; three cups of sifted flour in which has
been mixed two teaspoonsful of baking power, one
egg, and one cup of milk.

  Gyp's Cookies.—One cup sugar, one-half cup  of
butter, one egg, one tablespoonful of milk or water,
two teaspoonsful baking powder, flour enough  to
roll;  any flavoring.

  Gyp's  Sponge Cake.—Three eggs, whites and
yellows beaten separately, then together, one cup
sugar, one and  a half cups flour, one teaspoonful
baking powder.   Beat well.

  Crullers.—Two cups sugar, one  of sweet milk,
three eggs, a heaping tablespoonful butter, three
teaspoonsful  baking  powder, mixed  thoroughly
with six cups of sifted flour and a teaspoonful cin-
namon.  Beat the butter and sugar into a " cream,"
add milk;  add  flour, baking powder and  spices
gradually; put another cup flour on the board and
work until stiff enough to roll.  Roll out to a quar-
ter of an inch thick, and cut into strips, and cook
in hot lard.

  Delicate Cake.—Three cups flour, two of sugar,
three-fourths cup sweet milk, whites of six eggs,
half cup butter, teaspoonful cream of tartar, half 
            MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES.         53 I

teaspoonful of soda, lemon flavoring.  One and a
half teaspoonsful of baking powder may be used
instead of the cream of tartar and soda.

  Neapolitan Cake.—Black Part—One cup brown
sugar, two eggs, half cup butter, half cup molasses,
half cup strong coffee, two  and a half cups flour,
one of raisins, one of currants, a teaspoonful each
of soda, cinnamon and  cloves.   White Part—Two
cups sugar, half cup butter, one of milk, three and
a quarter of flour, whites of four eggs, small  tea-
spoonful cream tartar.  Frosting made of whites
of two eggs, to go between the layers.

  Cocoanut Cake.—Make batter as directed in the
recipe for Eight-Egg White Cake.   Make frosting
of the whites of  about  three  eggs,  mix grated
cocoanut with it  and  spread between  the layers.
Spread frosting on top, and sprinkle over with the
cocoanut.

  Corn Starch Cake.—One cup butter, one and a
half cups  flour, one of corn starch, one of sweet
milk, whites  of eight  eggs, two cups sugar  and
three teaspoonsful baking powder.

  Mountain Cake.—One large cup of butter, three
cups of white sugar, four cups of flour, five eggs,
the whites and yellows beaten separately, one tea-
spoonful of cream tartar, and one of soda dissolved
in a cup of milk.  Beat to a batter and  bake  in a
hot oven. 
532         MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES.

  Ash Cake.—One pound of white sugar, one tea-
cupful of butter, half a cupful of sweet milk, the
whites of ten eggs, half a teaspoonful of soda, one
teaspoonful of cream tartar, three cups of flour;
flavor with vanilla or almond.  Bake in jelly tins,
and put icing between the layers.

-  Frosted Loaf Cake.—Three cups flour,  two  of
sugar, three-fourths cup of sweet milk, whites of six
eggs, half cup butter, heaping teaspoonful of bak-
ing powder;  lemon flavoring.

  Good Boy's  Cake.—One cup butter beaten  to a
cream, two cups white sugar, four eggs beaten sep-
arately, three cups flour, one cup of sweet milk, one
teaspoonful of soda dissolved in the milk; lemon
flavoring.  Bake one hour.

  Gold Cake.—Yellows of eight  eggs beaten to a
froth ; mix with them one cup sugar, three-fourths
of a cup of butter previously stirred to a cream, add
two cups flour, a half teaspoonful of soda dissolved
in half  a cup of milk ;  when  well mixed, stir in a
teaspoonful of cream tartar.

  Silver Cake.—Two teacupsful  of white sugar,
three-fourths of a cup of butter,  one cup of sweet
milk, four cups of flour, whites of four eggs beaten
to a  stiff froth, one teaspoonful  of  soda, two  of
cream tartar ;  flavor with vanilla, nutmeg or lemon.
Bake in quick oven. 
            MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES.         533

   White Cake.—Three-quarters of a pound of flour,
one pound white sugar, six ounces of butter, whites
of fourteen eggs, one  teaspoonful  cream tartar
sprinkled  into the flour; rub the butter and sugar
to a " cream," then add the eggs alternately with
the flour into the butter.   Bake in a quick oven.

  Mrs.  W.'s Snow Cake.—The whites often eggs,
one cup and a half of fine white sugar, one cup of
flour, a small teaspoonful of cream tartar.   Beat
the whites to a stiff froth, sift on  them the sugar;
put the cream tartar in the flour, and sift it in ; beat
well.

  Berwick Sponge Cake.—Three eggs,  beat two
minutes ,•  add one and a half cups sugar, beat five
minutes ;  add one cup flour, one teaspoonful cream
tartar, and beat two  minutes ; add half cup cold
water, half teaspoonful soda, beat one minute  ; add
cup flour, a little salt; rose or lemon flavoring.

  Angel's Food.—Whites of eleven  eggs, one and
one-half tumblers of sifted granulated sugar, one
tumbler sifted flour, one  teaspoonful vanilla, one
teaspoonful of  cream tartar.  Sift  the flour four
times, add cream tartar  and  sift again;  beat the
whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, add the sugar and
the flour.  Put in vanilla  and bake forty minutes in
a moderate oven.  Do not open the stove until the
cake has  been in fifteen  minutes.  Do not grease
the pan. 
534         MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES.

          PIES, PUDDINGS, ETC.

  Sweet Potato Pie.—Boil potatoes soft, peel them,
line  a pie dish with nice  crust, slice in potato to
cover the bottom, add a generous covering of sugar,
a little flour, a pinch of salt, then another layer of
potato, more sugar and bits of butter, pour in some
rich  milk or cream ; flavor with nutmeg, and bake
rather slow.

  Lemon Pie.—One lemon grated, one cup sugar,
the yelks of three eggs, small pieces butter, three
tablespoonsful  milk, two teaspoonsful corn starch
or flour ; beat all together  and bake in  rich crust;
beat  whites to a stiff froth, with three tablespoonsful
sugar, place on pie when done and then brown in
oven.

  Lemon Pie.—One egg, one lemon, one cup sugar,
one teaspoonful flour; bake with two crusts.

  Custard Pie.—Three  tablespoonsful sugar, one
egg,  one pint milk, one tablespoonful of sifted flour ;
grate nutmeg over the top.

  Raisin Pudding.—One quart of sweet milk, six
eggs, one-half teacupful butter, one-half teacupful
sugar, one teacupful  raisins with  seeds removed,
flour sufficient to make thick batter; pour in a mold
and steam until cooked.

  Sauce for Pudding.—Put a pint of water and a
cup of sugar in a saucepan, add a pinch of salt and 
            MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES.         535

stir until the sugar is melted.  Mix an even table-
spoonful of corn starch to a smooth paste with
a little water, and stir into the saucepan when the
sugar and water begin to boil.  When clear remove
from fire, and  beat in a teaspoon  heaping full of
butter  and a teaspoonful of vanilla.

  Bread Pudding.—Crumb about a pint and a half
of bread crumbs, moisten with an egg beaten with
sugar, and enough milk to soften the bread, a hand-
ful  of raisins, and half a sliced  lemon.   Use  rice
instead of bread  when you want a nice  rice pud-
ding.   Add two  tablespoonsful sweet milk when
making rice pudding.

  Pumpkin Pie.—-Stew pumpkin, cut  into small
pieces, in a half  pint water, and, when soft, mash
with potato masher very fine ; let the water dry away,
watching closely to prevent burning or scorching;
for each pie take one well-beaten egg,  half cup
sugar, two tablespoonsful pumpkin, half pint rich
milk (a little cream will improve  it), a little salt;
stir well together and season with cinnamon or nut-
meg ;  bake with  under crust in a hot  oven.  Some
Some steam pumpkin instead of stewing it.

   Mince Meat.—Take five or six pounds of beef—
a neck piece does very well,—boil in just enough
water to cover it; skim well.   When very tender,
salt to taste, and let the liquor boil away as  much
 as  possible.  When perfectly cold, remove bones,
 gristles, etc.   Mince three pounds beef suet, seed
and cut  four  pounds raisins,  wash  and dry four 
53^        MISCELLANEOUS  RECIPES.

pounds currants, cut a pound of citron into  small,
thin pieces, chop very fine four quarts good cook-
ing apples ; put all into a large pan, then add two
ounces cinnamon, one of cloves, one of ginger, four
grated nutmegs, the juice and grated rinds of two
lemons,  one  tablespoonful salt, one  teaspoonful
pepper,  and two pounds sugar.  Put in a porcelain
kettle one quart boiled cider, or one quart currant
or grape juice, one quart molasses, and a  large
lump of butter ; let it come to the boiling point, and
then pour over the ingredients in  the pan.   Mix
well.  If too  rich, add more apples.   If you have
no cider, use  vinegar and water in equal propor-
tions.  A glass of jelly and a few cherries adds to
the flavor, and wine or brandy always improves it.
Some, however, object  to the use of wine.   The
mince meat made by the  above recipe, will keep
two months.

  Brown Betty.—Butter a pudding dish ; put in a
layer of sweet, rich apple sauce; add a few lumps
of butter, then a layer of cracker crumbs sprinkled
with cinnamon, then a layer of sauce, and  so  on
until  the dish is  filled,  making the  last layer of
crumbs; bake in oven,  and  eat  with cold, sweet-
ened cream.

   Saratoga Apples.—Cut slices  across  the core
and  drop in hot lard.   Turn when slightly brown.
Place slices on a  plate sprinkled with white sugar.
Pile up as fast as done, sprinkling sugar between
the slices.  Large, sound apples should be selected. 
MISCELLANEOUS  RECIPES.         537
  Saratoga Potatoes.—Peel the potatoes and slice
them moderately thin ; put  to soak  about  half an
hour in salted cold  water.   Take them out, drain
all the water off you can.   Drop into hot lard ;  fry
brown on both sides.

  Spiced Pears.—Put in a porcelain  kettle one pint
vinegar,  three pints sugar, cinnamon, cloves, etc.,
let boil.  Put in the pears and let boil until perfectly
clear.

  Pickled Peppers.—Take  large green ones  (the
sweet variety is best), cut off the tops  around  the
stems, lift off, take out the seeds ; soak in  strong
brine  for two days,  changing water twice ; stuff
with chopped cabbage, or a mixture of nasturtiums,
chopped onions, red cabbage, grapes,  and cucum-
bers ;  season with mustard seed and a little mace,
if you like it.  Sew up the incision, place in a jar,
stem end up, and cover with cold spiced vinegar.

   Ripe Tomato Pickles.—Choose large, sound, ripe
tomatoes, put in a jar; scald spices  (tied in a bag)
in vinegar, and pour while hot over them.

   Cucumber Pickles.—Fill self-sealing glass jars
with nice, little cucumbers, small red peppers,  and
bits of horseradish.  Put a cup  of  sugar  in each
jar, and pour in boiling vinegar enough to cover
the pickles.   Seal at once.

   Tomato Catsup. — Half bushel  tomatoes,  four
ounces salt,  three ounces ground black pepper, one
ounce cinnamon, half ounce ground cloves, a very 
538
MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES.
little cayenne pepper, one  gallon vinegar.  Slice
tomatoes and stew in their own juice until soft;
work through a sieve that will keep the seeds from
going through.   Boil the pulp and juice down very
thick, stirring all the time; then add the vinegar
with which a small teacupful  sugar and the spices
have been mixed ; boil up twice, remove from fire,
let cool and bottle.   If you like onions,  peel and
chop very fine about a half dozen, and put in about
fifteen minutes before the vinegar and spices  are
put in.

  Corn Bread.—One quart buttermilk, one  heap-
ing pint corn meal,  one  teaspoonful soda, one  of
salt, one tablespoonful sugar, and three eggs.  Have
the oven hot, and do not use  too deep a pan.

  Omelet.—Three eggs, a pinch of salt, and three
teaspoonsful of milk to each  egg.   First beat the
eggs  good, then add  salt, and stir in the milk.
Melt a lump of butter the size of an egg in a skillet,
then pour in the mixture, lifting the  edges with a
clean knife until all the soft part is cooked ;  slip
from the skillet on to a dish and serve.

  Apple Cream.—Peel and slice half a dozen ap-
ples of fine flavor and stew them with a very little
water, or steam until soft;  add four tablespoonsful
of white sugar and the whites of four eggs to them,
and beat the whole  until very light.  Serve in a
tall glass dish with cream poured over. 
           MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES.         539


MEATS AND THEIR ACCOMPANIMENTS.

  With roast beef, grated horseradish.
  Roast pork, apple sauce.
  Roast veal, tomato or mushroom sauce.
  Roast mutton, currant jelly.
  Roast turkey, cranberry sauce.
  Boiled turkey, oysters.
  Broiled fresh mackerel, sauce of stewed  goose-
berries.
  Roast goose, apple sauce.


TABLE  OF WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES
          FOR THE HOUSEHOLD.

  One quart sifted flour weighs one pound.
  Three coffeecups sifted flour weigh one pound.
  One pint of soft butter (well packed) weighs one
pound.
  Two teacups soft butter (well packed) weigh one
pound.
  One and one-third pints powdered sugar weigh
one pound.  '
  Two   coffeecups  powdered  sugar  weigh one
pound.
  One  tablespoonful  "Coffee A" or  best brown
sugar weighs one ounce.
  Two tablespoonsful (well rounded) of flour weigh
one ounce.
   One tablespoonful of soft butter weighs one ounce. 
54O        MISCELLANEOUS  RECIPES.
  Two  teaspoonsful  (heaping)  of flour, sugar or
meal, equal one heaping tablespoonful.
  One tablespoonful equals about  one-half a fluid
ounce.
  One teaspoonful equals about  one fluid drachm.
  A wine glass of common size holds about four
tablespoonsful, or two fluid ounces.


TIME OF BOILING VARIOUS ARTICLES.

  Green beans in pod, three hours.
  Dry beans, at least four  hours.
  Beef,  to the pound,  thirty-five minutes.
  Cabbage, one hour.
  Carrots, one hour.
  Codfish, dry, to the pound,  thirty-five minutes.
  Onions,  one hour.
  Parsnips, one hour.
  Pork,  to the pound,  twenty-five minutes.
  Potatoes, thirty minutes.
  Rice,  twenty minutes.
  Turnips, forty-five minutes.
THE  END, 
INDEX.
	Page.
Abortion, .....	133
Absorption, . . . . .	3<»
Accounts, should keep,	473
Actors, women as, . . . . .	474
Acids, ......	• 373
Afterbirth, ....	194
Age, to marry, ....	100
Air, pure, .....	71, 209
Alkalies, .....	. 372
Ammonia, .....	373
Amenorrhea, .....	285
Amusements, .	257
Angina pectoris, ....	• 293
Antidotes (see dictionary of poisons and antidot<	:s arranged
alphabetically)	372
Ants, to destroy, ....	523
Apoplexy, .....	380
Apples, baked, ....	396
Apples as food, ....	416
Apples, Saratoga, ....	• 537
Apple cream, ....	538
Arrowroot, .....	417
Artists, women as, ...	• 474, 5°3
Arteries, to find, ....	362
Arsenic, .....	373
Authors, women as, .	474
Auctioneers, women as,	474
Barren women, ....	• 153
Bathing in pregnancy,	168
Bathing, rules for, ....	241
Babies, peculiarities of, .	214
Bad habits, .	. 243
Baked apples, .	396
(541 
542
INDEX.
Barley water,  .
Bandage for mother,
Bandage for child,
Bed for  sick,
Bed wetting,
Bed sores,   .
Bedrooms,
Bedbugs,
Beans, warmed over,
Beef tea,
Beef essence,
Beer,
Bee-keeping,
Bites and stings,
Bile,    .       .
Birth, several at a,
Blood,  .
Blood-spitting,
Bleeding,
Bladder,
Boiled flour,
Boiling, time of,
Boils,
Bones, broken,
Bones described,
Bones, what to do with,
Boys and girls, differences,
Bowels,
Bowels, constipation of,
Book agents, women as,
Broth, chicken,
Bread,  corn,
Bread,  dry, what to do with,
Brandy,
Bringing up by hand,
Brain,
Brain work,
Broken bones,
Breasts, gathered, 
INDEX,
543
Buying,
Bunions,
Burns and scalds,  .
Canvassers, women as.
Canning fruits,
Cakes,  ....
Caul,
Carpus,
Cartilages,  .
Capillaries,
Canker of the mouth,
Canned goods, to select,
Carbuncles,
Care of sick,
Cellar, how to care for,
Cement,
Choosing a husband,
Chapped hands and lips,
Children and money,
Change of life,
Child-bearing,
Childbirth, painless,
Childbirth, chloroform in,
Child, new-born, attention to,
Childbed fever,
Chicken broth,
Chicken-pox,
Chest, a medicine,
Charcoal, burned in room,
Choke-damp,
Choking,
Chloroform in childbirth,
Chyle and chyme,  .
Cholera infantum,
Chocolate, .
Cider,   .
 Circulation of the blood,   .
 Club-foot,
 Clavicle, 
544
INDEX.
Cleanliness,
Clothing, change of,
Clothing and shelter,
Clothing, tight,
Clothing for children,
Clothing for pregnancy,
Clothing for babies,
Constipation,
Convulsions,
Condiments,
Consumptives marrying,
Consummation of marriage,
Confinement, preparations for,
Colic,
Cow's milk for children,
Coffee,
Coffee not good for young,
Corn bread,
Courses,
Corns on feet,
Cockroaches, to destroy,
Cooking,
Cooking onions,
Cooks, professional,
Collars, ill-fitting,
Collapse,
Contagious diseases,   .
Courtship,  .
Cousins marrying,
Coccyx,
Condom,
Cord around child's neck,
Crying of a child,
Cramps,
Croup,
Culture,  mental,
Dancing,
Damps,
Dandruff, 
INDEX.
545
Dentists, women as,
Death rate in married,
Diarrhoea,   .
Diet in pregnancy,
Diet of youth,
Displacements of Womb,
Diphtheria,
Dislocations,
Digestion, organs of,
Digestion, time of,
Disinfecting,
Dirt,   .
Dining-room,
Dog bites,
Dress-making,
Dressing,
Drowning,  .
Dumb-waiter,   .
Duration of pregnancy,
Dyspepsia,
Dysmenorrhea,
Earache,
Ear,
Ear, objects in,
Eating, frequency,
Eating, manner of,
Economy,   .
Education,
Eggnog,
Eggs, to cook,
Engagements,
Enamel for collars,
Epilepsy,
Esophagus,
Ether,
Excretions retained,
Exercise and rest,  .
Exercise in pregnancy,
Exercise for babies,
   Page.
474. 484
          24
         521
         458
         448
     •    368
         490
         526
         365
         462
         H3
          92
         286
         344
          43
     •    378
          88
          88
124, 462,  466
    255.  273
         395
    224.  395
    i14,  116
         520
35 
54^
INDEX.
Exercise for children,
Excessive child-bearing,
Eye,    .
Fainting,
Femur,
Feet, protection of,
Fever, childbed,
Fecundation,
Feeding sick,   .
Felons,
Fibula,
Fire in damp weather,
Fire, what to do in,
Fish-hook in flesh,
Flour paste,
Flooding,
"Flowers," the,
Foetus,
Food for sick,
Food, quantity,
Food, quality,
Food, animal,
Foods and drinks,
Foods, selecting,
Foods, elements of,
Foods, dictionary of,
Foul air,
 Fruits for children,
 Fruit stains,
 Freckles,
 Freezing,
 Frightening children,
 Fraud, sexual,
 Fuel,
 Furniture polish,
 Gas, should not be blown out
 Gasoline,
 Gasoline stoves,
 Gardening,
  Page.
   237
   129
40, 379
   295
     18
74, 528
   310
    142
   390
   382
   ~i8
     75
    358
   363
    522
    3°9
    269
    204
    392
     84
     85
     85
    400
    411
    414
    416
    369
    236
    528
    526
    368
    262
     137
    472
     522
     37°
     472
     358
47i» 493 
INDEX.
Gathered breasts,  .
Getting up after confinement,
Ginger,
Girls and boys, differences,
Gravel,
Greened pickles,
" Grannies,"      .
Graham bread,
Grease spots,
Growth, too rapid,
Gymnastics for women,
Habits, bad,
Hair,
Hair-oil,
Hash,
Hanging,
Hemorrhage,
Hearing,
Health defined,
Health, value of,
Heart,
Headache,
Heredity,   .
Helpmeet,
Hip bones, .
Hooping-cough,
Home,
Home economy,
 Housekeeping,
 House-building,
 Housework,
 Husband,  choosing,
 Hysterics,  .
 Hygiene,
 Ice, breaking through
 Ice-house,
 Ice-cream,  .
 Ice, to keep,
 Inf*'" ence of mother on unborn child, 
54«
INDEX.
Influence of women,
Independence for women,
Ink stains,  to remove,
Infant mortality,
Infant, bathing,
Infant, clothing,
Infants, air and light for,
Infants, sleep of,
Infants, cleanliness in,
Infants, exercise for,
Ingrowing  toe-nail,
Ironing shirts,     .       .
Itching of genital organs,
Jealousy,    .      .      .      .
Joints,  ....
Journalism,
Kidneys,
Kissing,     .      .       .      .
Kitchen,
Larynx,     .
Lawyers, women  as,  .
Labor, signs of approaching,
Labor, cause of,
Labor, symptoms and duration of,
Labor, duty of attendants,
Labor, duty of physician,
Labors, lingering,
Lead colic,
Leather, old, what to do with,
Leucorrhea,
Literature for women,
Lime water,
Lightning stroke,
Liver,       .
Ligaments,
Life, change-of,
Love defined,  .
Long engagements,
Longest bone, 
Lungs,
Lymphatics,
Masturbation,
Marry, who should not,
Marrying cousins,  .
Marrying, proper age for,
Marrying, proper time for,
Matches, proper and improper,
Marriage, consummation of,
Man and woman,
Man and wife sleeping together,
Macaroni,
Medicine chest,
Medicines, giving,
Measles,
Menorrhagia,  .
Meats and accompaniments,
Measures, domestic,
Menstruation, deviations of,
Menstruation explained,
Menstruation, hygiene of,
Mental work,  .
Meat for children,
Mica stove doors, to clean,
Mice and rats, to kill,
Mildew to remove,
Milliners,
Ministers, women as,
Migraine,
Milk leg,
Milk, secretion of,
Milk, character of.
Milk, too much or  too little,
Milk, the first,
Miscarriages,
Morning sickness,
Monthly sickness,
Monthlies,
Monthly nurse, 
55O                       INDEX.


Money for children,
Mortality of infants,
Mother's influence on unborn child,
Mothers' marks,
Mumps,
Muscles,   ....
Nervous system,
Nerves,     ....
Nervousness,
Neuralgia,  ....
Nipple, rubber,
Nipple, to draw out,
Nipples, sore,  .
Nipples, tender,
Night terrors,  .
Nose bleeding,
Nose, objects in,
Nursing sick,
Nursing child,
Nurse, monthly,
Nuts,   ....
Oat-meal,   ....
Objects swallowed,
Objects in nose and ear,
Objects in eye,
Occupations for women,
Odors, to remove,
Oil glands,
Omelet,
Onions,     ....
Oranges,
Oysters,    ....
Pain,   ....
Painless childbirth, *
Panics,
Pantry,     .       ...
Parlor,
Paste,      ....
Parotitis, 
INDEX.
551
	Page.
Parturition, painless,	174
Periods, monthly,	269
pelvis, .....	17
Pepper, ....	92
Pederasty, .....	137
Pears, spiced,	• 537
Peppers, pickled, ....	537
Physician, engaging, .	170
Physicians, women as,	474
Pharynx, ....	23
Pickles, .....	374. 399. 537
Pies, .....	92, 534
Piles, .....	7o
Placenta, ....	• 194
Playthings, ....	257
Potatoes, ....	91, 396, 432, 537
Pork, .....	43i
Porches, ....	460
Poisons—See alphabetical arrangement of poisons and anti-	
dotes beginning on page	372
Powder, insect,	• 524
Poultry-raising, ....	495
Pregnancy, signs of, .	• 147
Pregnancy, hygiene of, .	162
Pregnancy, clothing for,	. 163
Pregnancy, diet for,	165
Pregnancy, exercise in,	. 165
Pregnancy, bathing in, .	167
Pregnancy, duration of,	144
Pregnancy, prevention of,	139
Pre-natal influence,	155
Presence of mind, ....	352
Pruritus, .	292
Preserving foods, ....	4"
Prevention of pregnancys	137
Preachers, women as, .	483
Professional nurses,	. 485
Professional cooks,	497
Privy, regular time for,	70
 
552
INDEX.
 Puberty,
 Pulse,  .
 Pure air,
 Puddings,
 Pump, to thaw out,
 Quickening,
iRats and mice, to kill,
 Rapid growth,
 Reflex action,
 Reproductive organs,
 Respiration,
 Reelfoot,
 Recreation,
 Rice milk,
 Ring, to  remove from finger,
 Rust on stoves,
 Rust stains,
 Saliva,  .
 Salivation,
 Salt,
 Saratoga potatoes,
 Saratoga apples,
 Scarlet fever,
 Scalds,
 Sciatica,
 School age,
 Scapula,
 Scorch in cloth,
 Sex and education,
 Sex predicted,
 Sex and disease,
 Sexual intercourse at change of life,
 Sexual intercourse, inability for,
 Sexual fraud,  .
 Sexual indulgence,
 Seduction,
 Senses, cultivation of,
 Shoes, old, what to do with,  .
 Shoes, to make water-proof, 
Shirts, ill-fitting,
Shock,
Sickness, morning,
Sickness, green,
Sick, care  of,  .
Sick, bathing the,
Sick headache,
Sinews,
Sitting-room,
Signs of pregnancy,
Skin,    ....
Sleep in pregnancy,
Sleep of infants,
Sleeping together, children,
Sleeping together, man and wife,
Sleeping, covering,
Sleeplessness,  .
Small-pox,
Smell,   ....
Snake bites,
Soap, economical,
Sore nipples,
Soups, cheap,  .
Spots, to remove,  .
Spells, monthly,
Spermatozoa,
Sprains,
Spinal column,
Spinal cord,
Spleen,
Stories for  children,
Stains, fruit,
Storing provisions,
Sterility,
Stone in the bladder,  .
Stomach,
Sunstroke,
Sunshine,
Sudden childbirth, 
554
INDEX
Supra-renal capsules,
Swallowed objects,
Swimming,
Systematic work,
Taste,
Tears,   .
Tendons,
Tea,
Tea, beef,  .
Temperaments,
Terrors,    .
Teeth,   .
Teething,
Teaching,
Temperature,
Telegraph operators
Thorax,
Thrush,
Thymus gland,
Thyroid gland,
Thermometer,
Tight clothing,
Time of boiling,
Touch,
Tour, wedding,
Tobacco,
Toys,
Toothache,
Toe-nail, ingrowing,
Toast water,
Twins,
Ulna,   .
Unwell, to become,
Unmarried women,
Urinary organs,
Vaccination,
Varioloid,  .
Varicella,
Varicose veins,
women as
       Page.
         47
        378
        365
        473
         45
         42
         20
90, 234, 434
        393
         97
        342
        250
        227
    •    477
        399
    •    487
         16
    •    34i
         47
         47
        398
     19, 74
        540
    .     46
        117
   234, 243
        258
        38i
        382
        393
        144
         17
        269
        508
         52
        229
        348
        347
        3»9 
INDEX.
555
Vegetables for sick,
Vertebrae,   .
Ventilation,
Vinegar,
Wastefulness,  .
Washing made easy,
Water-proof shoes,
Water-closet, regular time to visit,
Wedding tour,
Wetting the bed,   .
Weaning,
Weights, domestic,
Whisky,
Wheat,
Whites,
Whooping-cough,   .
Windows, to clean,
Windpipe,
Wine,  .
Woman's work,
Women's rights,
Women, unmarried,
Womb, displacements,
Work and worry,  .
Work for children,
Work for all women,
Worms,
Wounds and bleeding,
         Page.
      .   396
           16
           72
     407. 435
          467
          526
      .   528
           70
      •   "7
     242, 344
          225
          539
      .   437
          436
          290
          348
          524
           3i
      •   438
          474
     120, 475
          508
5i. 53. 79. 296
          127
      .   238
          499
          336
          360 
 
 
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