Qass. Book- COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT / CHAVASSE'S fP-vf^ - . ,,. ADVICE TO A WIFE ON THE MANAGEMENT OF HER OWN HEALTH AND ON THE TEEATMENT OF SOME OF THE COMPLAINTS INCIDENTAL TO PREGNANCY, LABOR, AND SUCKLING REVISED BY FANCOURT , BARNES, M.D., F.R.S.E. CONSULTING PHYSICIAN TO THE BRITISH LYING-IN HOSPITAL FOUBTEENTm EDITION NEW YORK GEORGE ROUTLEDGE & SONS Limited 27 AND 29 West 23d Streets "; two COMB ««'^^° 2894 Copyright, 1898, BY J. & A. CHURCHILL m PEEFACE. The continued and unexampled success of this work leaves no ground for doubt as to its usefulness. In- deed, it has now been read with advantage by several successive generations of wives. There seems to be no reason why it should not continue to be referred to in the same way by those to come. In revising this new edition I have left the collo- quial style in which the book is written untouched. It may be noticed by the reader that there is a certain amount of repetition in some parts of the book. This I have allowed to remain, as in my judgment it is a fault on the right side. "Where necessary, new information has been added, chiefly in the question of antiseptics. It must be borne in mind that the bulk of the subject matter cannot change to any extent, inasmuch as it deals with a branch of medicine which has reached its sci- entific maturity. Among the various remedies and prescriptions found in the book are some old forms which I have preserved because they are good, and have been tried and proved to be so. It is not always the last new drug which is the most efficacious. rAK"COUET BAETs"ES, M.D. 7, Queen Anxe Street, W. January, 1898, ADVICE TO A WIFE. INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. A good wife is Heaven's last^ best gift to man— his angel and minister of graces innumerable — his gem of many virtues — his casket of jewels ; —her voice is siveet mv^ic — her seniles, his brightest day — her kiss^ the guardian of his innocence — her arms, the pale of his safety, the balm of his health, the balsam of his life — her industry, his surest wealth— her economy, his safest stetvard — her lips, his faithfid counselors, herbosom^ the softest pillow of his cares — and her prayers, the ablest advocate of Heaven''s blessings on his ^eod.— Jeremy Taylor. A guardian angel o'er his life presiding. Doubling hi pleasures and his cares dividing. Rogers. Of earthly goods the best is a good Wife ; A badi the bitterest curse of human life. SiMONIDES. 1. It may be well — before I enter on the subjects of menstruation^ pregnancy^ labor, and suckling — to offer a few preliminary observations, especially ad- dressed to a Young AVife. 2. My subject is health, — the care, the restoration, and the preservation of health, — one of the most mo- mentous themes that can be brought before a human being, one that should engross much of our time and of our attention, and one that, unless it be properly inquired into and attended to, cannot be secured. The human frame is, as every one knows, constantly 6 ADVICE TO A WIFE. liable to be oat of order ; it would be strange, indeed, if a beautiful and complex instrument like the human body were not occasionally out of tune — '* Strange ! that a harp of a thousand strings Should keep in tune so long." — Watts. 3. The advice I am about to offer to my fair reader is of the greatest importance, and demands her deepest attention. How many wives are there with broken health, with feeble constitutions, and with childless homes ! Their number is legion ! It is painful to contemplate that in our country there are far more unhealthy than healthy wives. There must surely be numerous causes for such a state of things ! A woman, born with every perfection, to be full of bodily infirmities ! It was ordained by the Almighty that wives should be fruitful and multiply ! Surely there must be something wrong in the present system if they do not do so ! In the following pages it will be my object to point out many of the causes of so much ill-health among wives, — ill-health that some- times leads to barrenness, — and to suggest remedies both for the prevention and for the cure of such con- ditions. 4. ^^ It is an astounding and lamentable fact that one out of eight — that twelve and a half per cent, of all the wives of England are barren — are childless ! A large majority of this twelve and a half per cent, might be made fruitful, provided a more judicious plan of procedure than is at present pursued were adopted. My anxious endeavors, in the following pages, will be to point out remedies for the evil, and to lay down rules — rules which, I hope, my fair reader will strenuously follow. INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — HEALTH. 7 5. My theme;, then^ is Health,- — the Health of Wives, — and the object I shall constantly have in view will be the best means both of preserving it and of restoring it when lost. By making a wife strong, she will not only, in the majority of cases, be made fruitful, but capable of bringing healtliy children into the world. This latter inducement is of great impor- tance ; for puny children are not only an anxiety to their parents, but a misery to themselves, and a trouble to all around ! Besides, it is the children of England that are to be her future men and women — her glory and her greatness ! How desirable it is, then, that her children should be hardy and strong ! 6. A wife may be likened to a fruit tree, a child to its fruit. We all know that it is as impossible to have fine fruit from an unhealthy tree as to have a fine child from an unhealthy mother. In the one case, the tree either does not bear fruit at all — is barren, or it bears undersized, tasteless fruit — fruit which often either immaturely drops from the tree,* or, if plucked from the tree, is useless ; in the other case, the wife either does not bear children — she is barren, or she has frequent miscarriages, '^ untimely fruit '^ or she bears puny, sickly children, who often either drop into an early grave, or, if they live, probably drag out a miserable existence. You may as well expect ^^ to gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles,^^ as healthy children from unhealthy parents ! Unhealthy par- ents, then, as a matter of course, have unhealthy children ; this is as truly the case as the night follows the day, and should deter both man and woman so circumstanced from marrying. There are numerous ^ '' The weakest kind of fruit Drop earliest to the gvo\m^,'' —Shakespeare. 8 ADVICE TO A WIFE. other comj)laints besides consumj)tion and insanity, inherited and propagated by parents. It is a fearful responsibility;, both to men and women, if they be not healthy, to marry. The result must, as a matter of course, be misery ! How many a poor unfortunate child may, with anguish of soul, truly exclaim, ^' Be- hold, I was shapen in wickedness, and in sin hath my mother conceived me ! ^' — The Psalms. 7. If a wife is to be healthy and strong, she must use the means— she must sow the seeds of health be- fore she can reap a full harvest of health ; health will not come by merely wishing for it. The means are not always at first pleasant ; but, like many other things, habit makes them so. Early rising, for in- stance, is not agreeable to the lazy, or to those fond of bed ; but it is essentially necessary to sound health, and is in the end a pleasure. Exercise is troublesome to the indolent ; but no woman can be really strong without it, and exercise becomes, after a time, a pastime. Thorough ablution of the whole body is distasteful to one not accustomed to much washing — to one laboring under a kind of hydrophobia ; but there is no perfect health without the daily cleansing of the whole skin, and, after a short period, thorough ablution becomes a luxury. But all these processes entail trouble. True ; is anything in this world to be done without trouble ? and is not the acquisition of precious health worth trouble ? Yes, it is worth more than all our other acquisitions put together ! Life without health is a burden ; life with health is a joy and gladness ! Up, then, and arouse yourself, and be doing ; for life is no child^s play, — ** Life is real ! life is earnest." — Longfelloiv, ^^ Fear not, nor be dismayed ; be strong, and of good i:S'TRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — IDLENESS. 9 Xo time is to be lost if you wish to be well^ to be a mother j, and to be a mother of healthy children. The misfortune of it is^ many ladies are more than half -asleep^ and are not aroused to danger until danger stares them in the face ; when danger does show itself^ they are like a startled hare — full of fears ; they are not cognizant of ill-health slowly creeping upon them^ until^ in too many cases^ the time is gone by for relief^ and ill-health has become confirmed — has become a part and parcel of them- selves ; they do not lock the stable until the steed be stolen ; they do not use the means until the means are of no avails — *' A sacred burden is tins life ye bear, Look on it, hft it, bear it solemnly, Stand up and walk beneath it steadfastly. Fail not for sorrow, falter not for sin, But onward, upward, till the goal ye win." F. A. Kemhle. 8. Idleness is the mother of many diseases ; she breeds them, feeds them^ and fosters them^ and is moreover, a great enemy to fecundity. Idleness makes people miserable. I have heard a young girl, surrounded with every luxury, bemoan her lot, and complain that she was most unhappy in consequence of not having anything to do, and who wished that she had been a servant, so that she might have been obliged to work for her living. Idleness is certainly the hardest work in the world. ^* ^\^oe to the idle I Woe to the lonely I Woe to the dull ! Woe to the quiet little paradise, to the sweet unvaried tenor, to the monotonous round of routine that creates no cares, that inflicts no pangs, and that defies even disappointment.^^ — T/ie Times. 10 ADVICE TO A WIFE. 9. It frequently happens that a lady, surrounded with every luxury and every comfort, drags out a miserable existence ; she cannot say that she ever, even for a single day, really feels well and strong. This is not to live, — '* For life is not to live, but to be weW— Martial. 10. The life of such a one is wearisome in the extreme ; she carries about her a load grievous to be borne ; and, although all around her and about her might be bright and cheerful, a dark cloud of despondency overshadows her, and she becomes as helpless and *' As weak as wailing infancy."— Cra65e. 11. If a person be in perfect health, the very act of living is itself true happiness and thorough enjoy- ment, the greatest this world can ever bestow. How needful it therefore is that all necessary instruction should be imparted to every Young Wife, and that proper means should, in every way, be used to insure health ! 12. The judicious spending of the first year of married life is of the greatest importance in the making and in the strengthening of a wife's constitu- tion, and in preparing her for having a family. How sad it is, then, that it is the first twelve months which, as a rule, are especially chosen to mar and ruin her own health, and to make her childless ! The present fashionable system of spending the first few months of married life in a round of visiting, of late hours, and in close and heated rooms, calls loudly for a change. How many valuable lives have been sacri- INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — IDLENESS. 11 ficed to such a custom I How many miscarriages, premature births, and still-born children, have re- sulted therefrom I How many homes have been made childless — desolate — by it I Time it is that common sense should take the place of such folly I The present system is bad, is rotten at the core, and is fraught with the greatest danger to human life and human happiness. How often a lady, during the first year of her wifehood, is gadding out night after night, — one evening to a dinner party, the next night to private theatricals, the third to an evening party, the fourth to the theater, the fifth to a ball, the sixth to a concert, until, in some cases, every night except Sunday night is consumed in this way, — coming home frequently in the small hours of the morning, through damp or fog, or rain, or snow, feverish, flushed, and excited, too tired until the morning to sleep, when she should be up, out, and about. When the morn- ing dawns she falls into a heavy, unrefreshing slumber, and wakes not until noon, tired and unfit for the duties of the day ! Night after night — gas, crowded rooms, carbonic acid gas, late hours, wine, and excitement are her portion. As long as such a plan is adopted, the preacher preacheth but in vain. Night after night, week after week, month after month, this game is carried on, until at length either an illness or broken health supervenes. Surely these are not the best means to ensure health and a family and healthy progeny ! The fact is, a wifenow-a-days is too artificial ; she lives on excitement ; it is like drinking no wine but champagne, and, like cham- pagne taken in excess, it soon plays sad havoc with her constitution. The pure and exquisite enjoyments of nature are with her too commonplace, tame, low. 12 ADVICE TO A WIFE. and vulgar. How little does such a wife know of the domestic happiness so graphically and sweetly de- scribed by that poet of the affections, Cowper, — ** Fireside enjoyments, home-born happiness And all the comforts that the lowly roof Of undisturbed retirement, and the hours Of long uninterrupted evening, know." 13. A fashionable lady might say, '' I cannot give up fashionable amusements ! I must enjoy myself as others do ; I might as well be out of the world as out of the fashion. ^^ To such a one I reply, " I myself am not a fashionist — it is not in my line ; and as in the following pages I have to tell some plain unvar- nished truths, my advice to you is, close this book at once, and read no more of it, as such a work as this cannot be of the slightest use to you, however it might be to one who values health ^ as a jewel of great price ' — as one of her most precious earthly possessions." Eeally the subject is assuming such a serious aspect that it behoves a medical man to speak out plainly and unreservedly, and to call things by their right names. Fashion is oftentimes but another name for suicide and for baby-slaughter — for ^' massacre of the innocents ! '^ Heaven help the poor unfortunate little child whose mother is a votary of fashion, who spends her time in a round and whirl of fashionable life, and leaves her child to the tender mercies of servants, who, '^^ gang their ain gait," and leave their little charge to do the same. Such a mother is more unnatural than a wild beast ; for a wild beast, as a rule, is gentle, tender, and attentive to its offspring, scarcely ever for a moment allowing its young to be out of its sight. Truly, fashionable life deadens the INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — FASHIO:Nr. 13 feelings and affections. I am quite aware that what I have just now written will, by many fashionable ladies, be pooh-poohed, and be passed by as ^^ the idle wind.''^ They love their pleasures far above either their own or their children's health, and will not allow anything, however precious, to interfere with them ; but still I have confidence that many of my Judicious readers will see the truth and justness of my remarks, and will profit by them. 14. A round of visiting, a succession of rich liv- ing, and a want of rest, during the first year of a wife's life, often plays sad havoc with her health, and takes away years from her existence. Moreover, such proceedings often mar the chances of her ever be- coming a mother, and then she will have real cause to grieve over her fatuity. 15. A French poet once sung that a house without a child is like a garden without a flower, or like a cage without a bird. The love of offspring is one of the strongest instincts implanted in woman ; there is nothing that will compensate for the want of chil- dren. A wife yearns for them ; they are as necessary to her happiness as the food she eats and as the air she breathes. If this be true, — which, I think, can- not be gainsaid, — how important is our subject — one of the most important that can in this world engage one's attention, requiring deep consideration and earnest study. 16. The first year of a married woman's life gen- erally determines whether, for the remainder of her existence, she shall be healthy and strong, or shall be delicate and weak ; whether she shall be the mother of fine, healthy children, or— if, indeed, she be a mother at all — of sickly, undersized offspring — 14 ADVICE TO A WIFE. ** Born but to weep, and destined to sustain A youth of wretchedness, an age of pain." — Roscoe, If she be not a parent, her mission in life will be only half performed, and she will be robbed of the greatest happiness this world can afford. The delight of a mother, on first calling a child her own, is exquisite, and is beautifully expressed in the following lines — '* He was my ain, and dear to me As the heather-bell to the honey-bee, Or the braird to the mountain hare." — Good Words, 17. I should recommend a young wife to remember the momentous mission she has to fulfil ; to ponder on the importance of bringing healthy children into the world ; to bear in mind the high duties that she owes herself, her husband, her children, and society ; to consider well the value of health. ^^ The first wealth,^^ says Emerson, ^^ is health '^ ; and never to forget that ^^life has its duties ever.^^ — Doiiglas Jer- raid. 18. A young married lady ought at once to com- mence taking regular and systematic outdoor exercise y which might be done without in the least interfering with her household duties. There are few things more conducive to health than Avalking exercise ; and one advantage of our climate is, that there are but few days in the year in which at some period of the day it .might not be taken. Exercise should al- ways be taken in pure air. The more exercise you take, the more air you inhale, therefore the more im- portant is it that the air should be pure. Indeed, in- halations of pure air cleanse the air cells of the lungs and oxygenate the blood. Walking — I mean a walk, not a stroll — is a glorious exercise : it expands the li^TRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — WALKING. 15 chest and throws back the shoulders ; it strengthens the muscles ; it promotes digestion, making a person digest almost any kind of food ; it tends to open the bowels, and is better than any aperient pill ever in- vented ; it clears the complexion, giving roses to the cheeks and brilliancy to the eye, and, in point of fact, is one of the greatest beautifiers in the world. It exhilarates the spirits like a glass of champagne, but, unlike champagne, it never leaves a headache be- hind. If ladies would walk more than they do, there would be fewer lackadaisical, useless, complaining wives than there are at present ; and instead of hav- ing a race of puny children, we should have a race of giants. "Walking exercise is worthy of all Qommenda- tion, and is indispensable to contentment, health, strength, and comeliness. Of course, if a lady be pregnant, walking must then be cautiously pursued ; but still walking in moderation is even then abso- lutely necessary, and tends to keep off many of the wretchedly depressing symptoms, often, especially in a first pregnancy, accompanying that state. I am quite sure that there is nothing more conducive to health than the wearing out of lots of shoe-leather, and leather is cheaper than physic. 19. Walking is even more necessary in the winter than in the summer. If the day be cold, and the roads be dirty, provided it be dry above, I should ad- vise my fair reader to put on thick boots and a warm shawl, and to brave the weather. Even if there be a little rain and much wind, if she be well wrapped up, neither the rain nor the wind will harm her. A little sprinkling of rain, provided the rules of health be followed, will not give her cold. Much wind will not blow her away. She must, if she wishes to be 16 ADVICE TO A WIFE. strong, fight against it ; the conflict will bring the color to her cheek and beauty to her eye. 20. Let her exert herself ; let her mind conquer any indolence of the body ; let her throw off her leth- argy — it only requires a little determination ; let her ^' run the race that is set before her '' ; for life, both to man and woman, is a race that must be run. Bear in mind, then, that if a lady is to be healthy, she miist take exercise, and that not by fits and starts, but regularly and systematically. A stroll is of little use, she must walk ! And let there be no mistake about it, for Nature will have her dues : the muscles are not to be trifled with, but require to be tired ; the lungs ^sk for the revivifying air of heaven, and not for the stifling air of a close room ; the circula- tion demands the quickening influence of a brisk walk, and not to be made stagnant by idleness. This world was never made for idleness ; everything around and about us tells of action and of progress. Idle people are miserable people ; idle people are diseased people ; there is no mistake about it. ** And heard thy everlasting yawns confess The pains and penalties of idleness." Pope's Dunciad, There is no substitute in this world for exercise and for occupation ; neither physic nor food will keep people in health, they must be up and doing, and buckle on their armor, and flght, as every one has to fight, the battle of life ! Mr. Milne, a master of the North Warwickshire hounds, at a hunt dinner, pithily remarked, '' that fox-hunting was the best physic for improving a bad constitution.'' I am quite sure, with regard to the fair sex, that an abundance of IKTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — WALKING. 17 walking exercise and of household occupation is de- cidedly the best physic for improving a lady's con- stitution^ more especially if she has, as unfortunately too many of them have, a bad one ; indeed, an abun- dance of walking exercise and of household occupa- tion will frequently convert an indifferent into a good constitution. Moreover, there is not a greater beau- tifier in the world than fresh air and exercise ; a lady who lives half her time in the open air, — in God^'s sunshine, — and who takes plenty of walking exercise, has generally a clear and beautiful complexion — ** She looks as clear As morning roses newly washed with dew." Shakspeare. 21. Many wives, I am quite sure, owe their good health to their good legs, and to their good use of them. Woe betide those ladies who do not exercise their legs as they ought to do I — ill-health is sure to be their portion. Why, some ladies are little bet- ter than fixtures ; they seem, for hours together, to be almost glued to their seats ! Such persons are usually nervous, dispirited, and hysterical, and well they might be — fancying they have every disease under the sun — which hysteria feigns so well ! There is no chance of their being better until they mend their ways — until they take Nature's physic — an abundance of exercise and of fresh air ! 22. Do not let me be misunderstood : I am not advocating that a delicate lady, unaccustomed to exercise, should at once take violent and long con- tinued exercise. Certainly not ! Let a delicate lady leccDi to take exercise, as a young child would Iear?i to walk — by degrees; let her creep, and then go; 18 ADVICE TO A WIFE. let her gradually increase her exercise, and let her do nothing either rashly or unadvisedly. If a child attempted to run before he could walk, he would stumble and fall. A delicate lady requires just as much care in the training to take exercise as a child does in the learning to walk ; but exercise must be learned and must be practiced, if a lady, or any one else, is to be healthy and strong. Unfortunately, in this our day, the importance of exercise as a means of health is but little understood and but rarely adopted ; notwithstanding, a lady may rest assured that until a ^^ change come o^er the spirit of her dreams,^^ ill-health will be her daily and constant companion. Standing is not exercise. It spells fatigue. The human body is not so constructed as to adapt it to standing. Long continued standing gives rise to congestion in the veins of the legs, and thus prepares the way for varicose veins. It also tends to produce falling of the womb, as well as con- gestion of the organs surrounding it. Loitering about, therefore, and standing are things to avoid. Nature points out this fact by providing birds who stand, such as herons, ibis, and ostriches, with long legs devoid of muscles and blood-vessels. They con- sist almost entirely of bone, tendon and sinews. 23. A lady should walk early in the morning, and not late in the evening. The dews of evening are dangerous, and are apt to give severe colds^, fevers, and other diseases. Dew is more likely than rain to give cold — ** The dews of the evening most carefully shun — Those tears of the sky for the loss of the sun." Chesterfield. 24. A breath of wind is not allowed to blow on INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — WALKIXG. 19 many a fair face. The consequence is^ that the cheek becomes sallow^ wan^ '^ as wan as clay/^ and bloodless ; or if it have a color^ it is the hectic flush, which tells of speedy decay ! 25. Sitting over the fire will spoil the complexion, causing it to be muddy, speckled, and sallow. The finest complexion in a lady I ever saw belonged to one who would never go, even in the coldest weather, near the fire : although she was nearly thirty years of age, her cheeks were like roses, and she had the most beautiful red and white I ever beheld ; it re- minded me of Shakspeare^s matchless description of a complexion — ^' 'Tis beauty truly blent, whose red and white, Nature's own sweet and cunning hand laid on." 26. Sitting over the fire will make her chilly, nerv- ous, dyspeptic, and dispirited. It will cause her to be more chilly, and thus will make her more suscep- tible of catching cold ; and it will frequently produce chilblains. If she be cold, the sitting over the fire will only warm her for the time, and will make her feel more starved when she leaves it. Crouching over the fire, as many do, is ruination to health and strength and comeliness I Sitting over the fire will make her nervous ; the heat from the fire is weaken- ing beyond measure to the nerves. It will disorder and enfeeble her stomach, — for nothing debilitates the stomach like great heat, — and thus make her dyspeptic ; and if she be dyspeptic, she will, she must be dispirited. The one follows the other as surely as the night follows the day. 27. If sitting over the fire be hurtful, sitting with the back to the fire is still more so. The back to 20 ADVICE TO A WIFE. the fire often causes both sickness and faintness, and weakens the spine, and so debilitates the whole frame. 28. A walk on a clear, frosty morning is as exhila- rating to the spirits as the drinking of champagne, with this difference, that on the day following the head is improved by the one but not always by the other. Nature^s simple pleasures are the most desir- able — they leave no sting behind them ! 29. There is nothing like a long walk to warm the body and to make the blood course merrily through the blood-vessels. I consider it to be a great mis- fortune that my fair countrywomen do not use their legs more, and their carriages less. Walking, although it is the primary and perhaps the most health-giving of all exercises, is nowadays by no means the only resource for women. Bicycling, tennis, golf, and for young girls, even cricket, de- servedly hold a high position, and are every year becoming more popular. Swimming, rowing, and punting, are also most useful adjuncts to the athletic training of woman. The dangers to avoid in bicycling are riding too fast and too far. Here the Italian adage, '^ chi va piano, va sano, e clii va sano, va lontano,"' is the key to the situation. Gently does it. Plus fait douceur que violence. With this proviso, I have no hesitation in saying that the bicycle will be a new source of health and pleasure to thousands. Of lawn tennis the same principle holds good as in bicycling — take things easily ; play in a double set and not in a single. Golf is a perfect game for women ; here they can walk at their own pace, in fresh air. At golf they INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — EXERCISE. 21 may ^' drive ''as they like,, no harm results. Their lungs are filled with fresh air^ their shoulders ex- panded. They tread lightly the verdant pasture land. Nothing in the way of healthful exercise, incited by an object in vieW;, is to compare with golf. 30. Unfortunately this is an age of luxury. Every- thing is artificial, and disease and weakness, and even barrenness, follow as a matter of course. In proof of my assertion that this is an age of luxury, look at the present sumptuous style of living : carriages roll- ing about in every direction; dining- tables groaning under the weight of rich dinners, and expensive wines flowing like water ; grand dresses sweeping the streets, almost doing away with the necessity for scavengers. I say, advisedly, streets, for green fields are, unfortunately, scarcely ever visited by ladies. We are almost in extravagance rivaling ancient Rome just before luxury sapped her strength and laid her m rums ! 31. If a lady has to travel half a mile she must have her carriage. Strange infatuation ! Is she not aware that she has hundreds of muscles that want exercising ? that she has lungs that require expand- ing ? that she has nerves that demand bracing ? that she has blood that needs circulating ? And how does she think that the muscles can be exercised, that the lungs can be expanded, that the nerves can be braced, and that the blood can be properly circu- lated, unless these are all made to perform their proper functions by an abundance of walMng exer- cise ? It is utterly impossible I 32. Does she desire to be strong ? Then let her take exercise ! Does she hope to retain her bloom and her youthful appearance, and still to look charming in 22 ADVICE TO A WIFE. the eyes of her husband ? Then let lier take exer- cise I Does she wish to banish nervousness and low spirits ? Then let her take exercise I There is noth- ing standing still in Xature— if it were, creation would languish and die I There is a perpetual motion ! And so must we be constantly employed, when not asleep, if we are to be healthy and strong ! Xature will not be trifled with ; these are her laws- immutable and unchangeable, and we cannot infringe them with impunity — '* Labor is Ufe ! Tis the still water faileth ; Idleness ever despaireth, bewaileth ; Keep the watch wound, for the dark night assaileth; Flowers droop and die in the stillness of noon. '• Labor is glory ! The flying cloud lightens ; Only the waving wing changes and brightens ; Idle hearts only the dark future frightens ; Play the sweet keys, wouldst thou keep them in tune ! " Mrs. Frances Osgood, How graphic and beautiful are the following lines of Cowper — '* By ceaseless action all that is subsists. Constant rotation of th' unwearied wheel, That Nature rides upon, maintains her health, Her beauty, her fertility. She dreads An instant's pause, and lives but while she moves." The word ^^ fertility ^^ is most appropriate to our sub- ject — for how many women does idleness make bar- ren ! The number is legion I AVhat a dreadful thing it is for a lady — let her station be ever so ex- alted — having nothing to do I This is the curse of riches ! One of the curses of our favored land. IlSTRODrCTORY CHAPTEll. —EXERCISE. 23 33. If a newly-married ^Yoman be delicate^ as un- fortunately^ too many are, she may be made to bear exercise well, provided she begin by taking a short walk at first — be it ever so short — and by gradually increasing it, until she be able to take a tolerably long one* She might find it irksome at the beginning, and might be inclined to give it up in despair ; but if she value her health and happiness, let me urge her to persevere, and she may depend upon it that she will be amply rewarded for her trouble. 34. A delicate lady frequently complains of cold feet. She has neither suflicient food nor suflicient exercise to keep them warm. Walking and plenty of nourishment are the best remedies she can use to warm them. If they be cold before retiring to rest, — a frequent cause of keeping her awake, — let her walk briskly for half an hour, before undressing for the night, about the hall, or the landing, or a large room ; or what is better still, let her have a dance with her husband, or a romp with her children, if she have any. On a cold winter^s evening it is much better to be taking gentle exercise round a billiard table than sitting in front of a fire. 35. Cold feet generally indicate a sluggish circula- tion. In addition to what has been advised, let me suggest a very easy and grateful remedy. With cold feet there is a cold perspiration. IN'ow this perspira- tion damps the stockings and shoes worn. The feet are, as it were, in a constant cold bath. They cannot get warm. You may burn them and the shoes by almost putting them into the fire, but you will not warm them. Well, the remedy is this — wear woollen stockings or silk stockings, and change them ticice a day, hanging up the disused pair to dry, and putting 24 ADVICE TO A WIFE. on a dry, warm pair instead. The same must be done with the shoes or boots that may be worn. 36. It should be a rule, that ladies who have cold feet should never wear patent leather shoes or boots. The reason for this is that as the dampness from the feet cannot pass through the prepared leather — it does fairly well through ordinary leather — the cold moist- ure is pent up, and this adds to previous troubles. 37. Some ladies declare that they are always cold, their feet especially, which are as cold as ice ! The fact is, they not only do not take exercise enough, but they do not take nourishment enough — breakfast especially — to keep them warm. Many ladies really and truly half starve themselves ; they consider it to be vulgar to eat much, and to satisfy tlieir apf)etite I They deem it low to take a long walk : every poor woman can do that ! It is much more easy and pleas- ant, to lounge back in an easy carriage, and to be rolled along ! Truly ; but if carriage exercise be more agreeable, is it as healthful ? Certainly not. There is very little exercise in riding in a carriage, but every organ, muscle, nerve, and blood-vessel of the body is put into beneficial action by walking. Walking is essential to health, and if to health, to happiness ; there is no substitute for it ; there cer- tainly is no perfect health or perfect happiness with- out it. 38. The reason why my fair countrywomen take so much opening medicine is the want of exercise. How truly it has been said that ^"^ physic, for the most part, is nothing else than the substitute of exercise or temperance. ^^ I consider it to be a grievous mis- fortune for any one — man, woman or child — who can- not, without the frequent taking of physic, keep their INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — EXERCISE. 25 bowels regular. When such is the case there is some- thing wrong, very wrong, about her system and about her proceedings^ and the sooner the matter is in- quired into and altered the better. The necessity of a constajit swallowing of opening medicine is a proof of chronic ill-healthy and will in time injure her con- stitution beyond remedy. I cannot speak too strongly on this subject. I have, in my professional experi- ence, seen so much mischief and misery caused by the frequent swallowing of opening pills, that I should not be doing my duty if I did not raise my voice against the bad practice. Why, many ladies make it a rule, during the whole of their lives, to take opening pills two or three times a week ! The bowels, they say, will not act without them ; but I maintain that if they would resolutely refrain from swallowing them, and adopt the rules of health laid down in these pages, they would be able altogether to dis- pense with them, to their great benefit and delecta- tion. But then the rules of health require trouble and perseverance (and what that is worth having does not !), while the swallowing of a couple of pills can be done quickly, and with very little trouble : but al- though the frequent taking of pills gives at the time but little trouble, they cause much trouble after- wards ! Look, then, at the result of each system, and decide accordingly I It has been said that '^ glut- tony kills more than the sword '' ; my conviction is, that the constant taking of opening medicine kills more than gluttony and the sword combined ! The abuse of aperients is one of the crying evils of the day, and who so proper as a medical man to raise his voice to suppress or at all events to lessen, the evil I The law of nature is that relief of the bowels should 2G ADVICE TO A WIFE. be as regular a habit as tlie daily course of the earth round the sun. Neglect of this law is sure to entail general disorder. 39. If a lady be costive, and is in consequence in- clined to take a dose of physic, let me advise her to take instead a long walk, which will, in the majority of cases, do her much more good. If requiring repe- tition, the one is far more agreeable, and the effects much more likely to be lasting than the other. Ex- ercise, I am quite sure, as a rule, is in the long run much more effectual and beneficial and agreeable than opening physic ! 40. A newly-married wife ought to be cautious in the taking of horse-exercise. As long as she be not pregnant, horse-exercise is very beneficial to health, and is a great enjoyment ; but the moment symptoms of pregnancy develop themselves she must instantly giv^ it up, or it will very probably cause her to mis- carry. 41. Let her breathe the pure air of heaven, rather than the close contaminated air either of an assembly or of a concert room. The air of an assembly or of a concert room is contaminated with carbonic acid gas. The gas-lights and the breath of numbers of persons give off carbonic acid gas, which gas is highly poisonous. The truth of this assertion is patent to every one who will observe the effects that a large assembly, more especially in the evening, when the gas or candles are flaring away, has on the system : the headache, the oppression, the confusion of ideas, the loss of appetite, the tired feeling, followed by a restless night — all tell a tale, and loudly proclaim that neither an assembly nor a concert room is a fit place for a young wife desirous of having a family. INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — VENTILATION. 27 42. Let a young married lady attend well to the ventilation of her house. She may depend ujiou it that ventilation, thorough ventilation, will prove one of the best friends she has in the world. Let her give directions to her servant to have early every morning every window in the house opened, as the morning air is fresher and sweeter than it is later in the day. For ventilation open your windows both at top and bottom. The fresh air rushes in below while the foul air escapes above. This opening of the window, top and bottom, of course applies only to the rooms that are unoccupied ; in an occupied room in hot weather one sash only — the upper — should be opened. When the upper sash of a window is opened the ventilation is perfect. It gives the same result as the Tobin^s tube. 43. Let her give orders that every chimney in the house be unstopped ; and let her see for herself that her orders have been obeyed ; for servants, if they have the chance, will stop up chimneys, as they are fully aware that dust and dirt will come down chimneys, and that it will give them a little extra work to do. But the mistress has to see to the health of herself and of her household, which is of far more consequence than either a little dirt or extra work for her servants. She may rest assured that it is utter- ly impossible for herself and for her family to have perfect health if the chimneys are allowed to be stop- ped. I assert this fearlessly, for I have paid great attention to the subject. The apartment, if the chimney be stopped, must necessarily become con- taminated with carbonic acid gas, the refuse of respi- ration, which is, as I have before stated, a deadly poison. 28 ADVICE TO A WIFE. 44. Chimneys^ in many country houses^ are perma- nently and hermetically stopped : if we liave the ill- fortune to sleep in such rooms, we feel half-suffocated. Sleep did I say ? No ! tumble and toss are the right words to express our real meaning ; for in such cham- bers very little sleep do we get, — unless, indeed, we open the windows to let in the air, which, in such an extremity, is the only thing, if we wish to get a wink of sleep, we can do ! Stopped-up Bedroom chimneys is one and an important reason why some persons do not derive the benefit they otherwise would do from change of air to the country. 45. I unhesitatingly declare that ninety-nine bed- rooms out of every hundred are badly ventilated ; that in the morning, after they have been slept in, they are full both of impure and of poisoned air. I say, advisedly, impure and poisoned air, for the air be- comes foul and deadly if not perpetually changed — if not constantly mixed, both by day and by night, with fresh, pure, external air. Many persons, by breathing the same air over and over again, are liter- ally ^' poisoned by their own breaths ! ^^ This is not an exaggerated statement — alas, it is too true ! Let every young wife remember that she requires just as much pure air in the night as in the day ; and if she does not have it, her sleep will neither refresh her nor strengthen her, but that she will rise in the morning more weary than on the previous night when she retired to rest. 46. The way, then, to make a house healthy, and to keep off disease, is by thorough ventilation — by allow- ing a current of air, both by day and by night, to con- stantly enter and to sweep through the house, and every room of the house. IXTRODUCTOKY CHAPTER. — FRESH AIR. 29 47. Let her, if she can, live in the country ; for '* God made the country, and man made the town." Cowper. In a town, coal fires, manufactories^ many of them unhealthy, confined space, the exhalations from the lungs and from the skin of the inhabitants, — num- bers of them diseased, — all tend to load the air with impurities. Moreover, if in the town she desires a walk, it is often itself a walk, and a long one too, before she can get into the country — before she can obtain glimpses of green fields and breathe the fresh air ; hence walks in the town do but comparatively little good. In the country her lungs are not cheated ; they get what they want, — a good article, pure air, — and the eye and heart are both gladdened with the beauties of Xature. 48. Cold air is frequently looked upon as an enemy, instead of being contemplated as, what it really is to a healthy person, a friend. The effect of cold upon the stomach is well exemplified in a walk, in frosty weather, producing an appetite. 49. Hot and close rooms, soft cushions, and lux- urious couches must be eschewed. I have somewhere read, that if a fine, healthy whelp of the bull-dog species were fed upon chicken, rice, and delicacies, and made to lie upon soft cushions, and if, for some months, he were shut up in a close room, when he grew up he would become unhealthy, weak, and spiritless. So it is with a young married woman ; the more she indulges, the more unhealthy, weak, and inanimate she becomes — unfit to perform the duties of a wife and the offices of a mother, if, indeed^ she ever be a mother. 30 ADVICE TO A AVIFE. 50. Eich and luxurious ladies are less likely to be blessed with a family than poor and hard-worked women. But if the hard-worked be poor in this world^s goods, they are usually rich in children, and ^''children are a poor man^s riches.^^ Here is, with a vengeance, compensation ! Compensation usually deals very justly both to man and womankind. For instance, riches and childlessness, poverty and chil- dren, laziness and disease, hard work and health, a hard-earned crust and contentment, a gilded chamber and discontent — *' These are ofttimes wedded as man and wife, And linked together, hand in hand, through life." Riches seldom bring health, contentment, many children, or happiness ; they more frequently cause disease, discontent, childlessness, and misery. ^^ The indulgences and vices of prosperity are far more fatal than the privations entailed by any English form of distress.^^ — The Times, Riches and indolence are often as closely united as the Siamese twins ; disease and death frequently follow in their train. " Give me neither poverty nor riches " was a glorious saying of the wisest of men. Rich and luxurious living, then, is very antagonistic to fecundity. This might be one reason y^\\y poor curates' wives and poor Irish women generally have such large families. It has been proved by experience that a diet, principally consisting of milk, butter-milk, and vegetables, is more conducive to fecundity than a diet almost ex- clusively of meat. In illustration of my argument, the poor Irish, who have usually such enormous families, live almost exclusively on butter-milk and potatoes : they scarcely eat meat from year's end to I INTEODUCTORY CHAPTER. — STERILITY. 31 yearns end. Riches, if they prevent a lady from hav- ing children, are an evil and a curse, rather than a good and a blessing ; for, after all, the greatest treas- ures in this world are ^^ household treasures ^^ — healthy children I If a wife be ever so rich, and she be childless, she is, as a rule, discontented and mis- erable. Many a married lady would gladly give up half her worldly possessions to be a mother ; and well she might — children are far more valuable. I have heard a wife exclaim with Rachel, ^^ Give me chil- dren, or else I die.^^ Truly, the love of children is planted deeply in woman^s heart. ^^ The love of children is woman's instinct. ^^ 51. There is in this country, at the present time, a great deal of womb disease, much of which, by ju- dicious management, might have been altogether pre- vented ; but really as long as rich wives live a life of excitement, of luxury, of idleness, and of stimulants, there will be but little chance of a diminution of the same. 52. Uterine ailment — womb ailment — is a fruitful source of a lady^s illness ; indeed, I will go so far as to affirm that uterine complaints are almost always, more or less, mixed up with a woman^s ill- ness ; hence, the womb has, by a medical man, to be considered in all the diseases and disorders appertain- ing both to girlhood and to womanhood. 53. If a young wife be likely to have a family, let her continue to work heartily and well : but if she have been married a year or two without any prospect of an increase, let her commence to live abstemiously on fresh milk, butter-milk, bread, potatoes, and farinacious diet, with very little meat, and no stimu- lants luhatever ; let her live, indeed, very much either 32 ADVICE TO A wifp:. as a poor curate^s wife or as a poor Irish woman is compelled to live. Sterility^ or barrenness^ however, results in a large number of cases from a congenital malformation of the mouth of the womb. It is small and round, some- times not much larger than a pin-hole. This pre- vents the entrance of the fertilizing element of the husband, and so produces sterility, while at the same time it obstructs the exit of the monthly flow, and so causes pain at the periods. A simple surgical opera- tion, which consists in opening up the contracted entrance to the womb, relieves both the sterility and the painful periods. 54. It is not the jioor woman that is cursed with barrenness — she has often more mouths than she can well fill. The one that frequently labors under that ban is the pampered, the luxurious, the indolent, the fashionable wife : and most assuredly, until she change her style of living to one more consonant with com- mon sense, will she continue to be barren. It is griev- ous to contemplate that oftentimes a lady, with every other temporal good, is deficient of two earthly blessings — health and children ; and still more lam- entable, when we know that they frequently arise from her own seeking, that they are withheld from her in consequence of her being a votary of fashion. Many of the ladies of the present day, too, if they do bear children, are, from delicacy of constitution, quite unable to suckle them. Should such things be ? But why, it might be asked, speak so strongly and make so much fuss about it ? Because the dis- ease has become desperate, and delays are dangerous — because children among the higher ranks are be- coming fewer and far between, Who so proper as a INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — STERILITY. 33 medical man to raise his voice to proclaim the facts, the causes, and the treatment ? I respectfully in- quire of my fair reader, is fashion a wife's mission ? If it be not, what is her mission ? I myself have an idea — a very ancient and an almost obsolete one — that the mission of a wife is a glorious mission, far removed from fashion, from frivolity, and from folly. A fashionable wife, after a fashionable season, is fre- quently hysterical and excitable, and therefore ex- hausted ; she is more dead than alive, and is obliged to fly to the country and dose herself with quinine to recruit her wasted energies. Is such a wife as this likely to become a joyful mother of children ? I trow not. Her time is taken up between pleasure and excitement to make herself ill, and nursing to make herself well in order that she may, at the earliest possible moment, again return to her fashion- able pursuits, which have with her become, like drinking in excess, a necessity. Indeed, a fashion- able life is a species of intoxication. Moreover, wine- drinking in excess and a fashionable life are usually joined together. Sad infatuation, destructive alike to human life and human happiness — a road that often leads to misery, disappointment, and death ! These are strong expressions, but they are not stronger than the subject imperatively demands — a subject which is becoming of vital importance to the well- being of society, and, in the higher ranks, even to its very existence, and which must ere long, engross the attention of all who love their country. Fashion is a sapper and miner, and is ever hard at work sap- ping and undermining the constitutions of its votaries. Something must be done, and that quickly, to de- 3 34 ADVICE TO A WIFE. feat its machinations^ otherwise evils will, past remedy, be consummated. 55. AVhile the poor, then, have usually an abun- dance of children, the rich have, as a rule, but few children. How very seldom we hear of a rich lady having three at a birth ? It is no very uncommon occurrence for a poor woman to have that number, and even as many as five at a birth ! A case of this latter kind occurred in AVales : — *^ A woman living on the property of Sir AYatkins AV. Wynn presented her hus- band, a laborer, with five children at a birth. The Queen sent her £7, Twice she has had three at a birth, all of whom have lived. A AVelsh correspon- dent tells us the poor woman has twenty-two chil- dren. ^^ — Shi^ezcsbiirj/ Paper. 56. I consider thorough abhition of the body every morning one of the most important means of health to a young wife. A Avarm bath may be taken every morning for purjooses of ablution, and not to lie in. The time in the bath should not be more than seven minutes, which is amjile for washing purposes. If prolonged beyond seven minutes a warm bath tends to become enervating. There is nothing more tonic and invigorating and refreshing than cold ablu- tion. Moreover, it makes one feel clean and sweet and wholesome ; and you may depend upon it, that it not only improves our physical constitution, but likewise our moral character, and makes our minds more pure and holy. A dirty man has generally a dirty mind. 57. The ewers and basins in our own country are, for the purposes of thorough ablution, too small, while on the Continent they are still smaller. They are of pigmy dimensions, the basins being of the size of an i:n^tkoductory chapter. — ablutioks. 35 ordinary slop-basin, and the ewer holding enough water to wash a finger. How can persons with such appliances be decently clean, or sweet, or thoroughly healthy ? It is utterly impossible. Many people on the Continent have a dread of water — they labor under a species of hydrophobia ; hence one reason why the ewers and basins are of such dwarfish pro- portions. 58. A young wife ought to strip to the waist, and then proceed to Avash her face after the following manner : — She should fill the basin three parts full with water ; then, having well soaped and cleansed her hands, she should resoap them, and dip her face into the water, after which she should, with her soaped hands, well rub and wash her face and ears ; having done which, she should take the wetted sponge, and go over the parts previously travelled by the soaped hands, and then she should dip and wash and cleanse her face in the water, and so that part of the operation will be done. ISTow for the remaining process of ablution. Having well rubbed her neck with her soaped hands, she ought thoroughly to bathe her neck, her chest, and arms by means of a large sponge dipped in cold water — the colder the better. - She cannot cleanse her own shoulders, back, and loins with a sponge — she cannot get at them. To obviate this difficulty she ought to soak a piece of flannel, a yard and a half long and half a yard wide, folded lengthwise, in cold water, and throwing it over her shoulders, as she would a skipping-rope, she should for a few times work it from right to left and from left to right, '^''and up and down and then athwart, ^^ her loins and back and shoulders. This plan will effectually cleanse parts that she could not 36 ADVICE TO A WIFE. otherwise reach ^ and will be most refreshing and de- lightful. She should then put both her hands^ her forearms, and her arms into the basin of water as far as they will reach, and keep them in for a few seconds, or while she can count fifty. The wet parts should be expeditiously dried. Then, having thrown off her remaining clothes, and merely having her slippers on, she ought to sit for a few seconds, or while in the winter she can count fifty, or while in the summer she can count a hundred, either in a sitz-bath, or in a very large wash-hand basin — called a nursery basin,* sold for the purpose of giving an infant his morning bath, — containing water to the depth of three or four inches. While sitting in the bath or in the basin, she ought in the winter time to have either a small blanket or a woollen shawl thrown over her shoulders. If she have any difficulty inget- tmg in and out of the basin she should place a chair on each side of the basin ; she can then, by pressing upon the chairs with her elbows, arms, and hands, readily do so. Of course this only applies where a bath cannot be obtained. The bath is the most simple, expeditious, and satisfactory way of washing. 59. If a lady be too delicate to take a sitz-bath, or if a sitz-bath should not agree with her, then she ought every morning to use the bidet, and, w^hile sit- ting over it, she should well sponge the parts with * A nursery basin holding six or eight quarts of water, according to the size of the patient — whether she be either a small or a big woman. It will only be necessary to fill it about one third full of water ; this, of course, is only for the sitz-bath — the sitting bath. The same basin for the previous washing ought to liave been three-parts full of water. I IXTKODUCTORY CHAPTER. — ABLUTIOXS. 37 the water, allowing the water for a few seconds to stream over them. Every lady should bear in mind that either the sitz-bath or the bidet^ every morning of her life (except under certain circumstances), is absolutely essential to her comfort and her well- being. At firsts until she becomes accustomed to the cold (which she Avill do in a few days), she ought to use the water tejncl, but the sooner she can use cold water, and that plentifully, the better — as it will greatly contribute to her health and strength. But, as I said before, the process ought to be quickly per- formed, as it is the shock in bracing and in strengthen- ing the system that does so much good. When a lady is very delicate, it may, during the ivinter, be necessary to put a dash of tcarm water into the bath, in order to take off the extreme chill ; but as she be- comes stronger, she will be able to dispense with the icai^m w^ater, as the colder the water is, provided she can bear it, the more good it will do her. 60. If her loins or her back be at all weak, the ad- dition of a large handful of table-salt, or of a small handful of bay-salt, or of Tidman^s sea-salt, dissolved in the water in the sitz-bath, will be of great service to her. 61. The feet and legs ought every morning to be bathed, not by standing in the water, but, on the completion of the washing of the other parts of the body, by putting one foot at a time for a few seconds (not minutes) in the basin containing the water (the basin for that purpose being placed on the floor), and well and quickly washing the foot, cither with a flannel or with a sponge, and well cleansing wdth the finger and thumb between each toe, and allowing the water from the sponge or flannel to stream into the 38 ADVICE TO A WIFE. basin from the knee downwards. All this, of course, must be done expeditiously ; and care ought to be taken, after such ablution, to well dry with a towel between each toe. The washing of the feet, as above directed, will be a great refreshment, and will be most beneficial to health, and Avill be a means of warding ofE colds, of preventing chilblains, and of preserving the feet in a sweet and healthy state. Tlie feet ought to be kept as clean, if not cleaner, than the hands. Parts that are not seen should be kept cleaner than parts that are seen. Filth is apt to gather in coverod-up places ; and if filth, erup- tions of the skins I There would be very little skin disease if people would keej) their skins — the whole of their skins — perfectly clean ; but then ablution must be daily performed, mnl uo\ l)v fits and starts, as is too often the case ! G2. The moment she has finished her bath she ought quickly to dry herself. I should recommend her to use as one of the towels the Turkish rubber ; it will cause a delightful glow of the whole body. G3. The whole of the body, by the above methoil, except the hair of the head, is every morning thor- oughly washed. The hair of the head ought occa- sionally, even with soap and water, to be cleansed, to keep it clean, and sweet and wholesome ; for nothing is more dirty, if it be not well attendeii to, than human hair, and nothing is more repulsive than a dirty head. Brushing of the hair, although bene- ficial both to the hair and health, will not alone thor- oughly cleanse the hair and scalp. Some ladies attempt to clean their hair by simply washing it with rosemary, or with rose-water, or with other w:ishes, but there is no more effectual way of doing it oc- IXTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — THIX HAIR. 39 casionally than with a flannel and soap and water. Bathing in the sea during the season^ provided no grease has been previously used, is very good for the hair ; it both strengthens the roots and beautifies the color. I should advise my fair reader not to plaster her hair with grease or with pomade, or with other unknown compounds : many of them are apt to make the head dirty, scurfy, and sore ; indeed, many a nasty eruption is produced by such means. 64. It might be said that it is utterly impossible for a lady to keep her hair tidy unless she use some application to it. If such be the case, either a little scented castor oil, or cocoa-nut oil, may be applied by means of an old tooth-brush, to smooth the hair. 65. If the hair should fall off, either a little cocoa- nut oil or a little scented castor oil, well rubbed every night and morning into the roots, is an excel- lent dressing. These are simple remedies, and can never do any harm, which is more than can be said of many quack nostrums, which latter often injure the hair irreparably. 66. If the hair should continue to fall off, the ends of the hair ought, every fortnight, to be cut by a hairdresser ; this plan will be found most beneficial in strengthening the hair, and in keeping it from coming off. 67. The best carpet, either for a bath-room or for a dressing-room, is kamptulicon, or linoleum, as the water spilt upon it after the use of a bath or ablution can, by means of a flannel, be readily absorbed ; the window ought then to be thrown wide open, and the room will quickly be dried. 68. It would be well for her, when practicable, to have, after she has finished dressing, a quarter of an 40 ADVICE TO A WIFE. liour's walk, either in the garden or in the grounds, in order to ensure a reaction, and thus to induce a healthy glow of the circulation, and to give her an appetite for her breakfast. A quarter of an hour's walk before breakfast is more beneficial to health tlian an hour's walk after breakfast. 69. If a lady have not been accustomed to a thor- ough ablution, as above directed, of her whole body, let her if possible, before commencing, take a trip to the coast, and have a few dips in the sea ; after whicli she might at once go through the processes above ad- vised with safety, comfort, and advantage ; but whether she be able to bathe in the sea or not, she must, if she is to be strong and healthy, gradually accustom herself to a daily abhition of the whole of her body. The skin is a breatliing apparatus, and unless it be kept clean it cannot properly perform its functions. Perspiration is another important func- tion of the skin. Free perspiration relieves the body of various matters which are thrown off by its various organs. It relieves the liver and kidneys, thus giving them less work to do. The amount of urine voided on a hot day is for this reason less than on a cold one, when the skin is not acting and all the work is thrown on the kidneys. Ladies now-a-days are so afraid of perspiring that dress-preservers are de rigiieitr. It might be said it will take time and trouble daily to cleanse the whole of the skin : it will ; but not more than ten minutes, or a quarter of an hour to go through the whole of the above pro- cesses of bathing and of drying the skin. The acqui- sition of health takes both time and trouble ; but nothing worth having in this world is done without it ! There is no royal road to health ; and althougli INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — ABLUTIONS. 41 the path at first may be a little rugged aud dis- agreeable, it soon becomes from practice smooth and pleasant I 70. Oh I if my fair reader did but know the value of tliorougli cold water ablutions, she would not lose a day before giving the plan I have above recom- mended a trial. It would banish all, or nearly all, her little ailments and nervousness ; it would make her dispense with many of her wrappings ; it would, in the winter time, keep her from coddling and cuddling over the iSre ; it would cause her to resist cold and disease ; it would, if she were inclined to constipa- tion, tend to regulate her bowels ; it would strengthen her back and loins ; it would make her blooming, healthy, and strong ; and it would pave the way and fit her, in due time, to become a mother, and the mother of fine, healthy children ! My reader must not fancy that I have overdrawn the picture ; I have painted it from the life. ^^I only tell what I do know, and declare what I do believe.'^ Let me urge but a trials and then my fair inquirer will have cause to be thankful that she had been induced to carry out my views^ and I shall rejoice that I was the means of her doing so. Hear what a physician and a poet, a man of sound sense and sterling intellect, says of the value of ablution. He speaks of ivarm ablu- tion, which certainly is at the beginning of using tliorougli ablution the best, but the sooner cold can be substituted for iimrm the better it Avill be for the health, and strength, and spirits of the bather — " The warm ablution, just enough to clear The sluices of the skin, enough to keep The body sacred from indecent soil. Still to be pure, even did it not conduce 42 . ADYICE TO A AVIFE. (As much it does) to health, were greatly worth Your daily pains ; it is this adorns the rich, The want of it is poverty's worst foe. With this external virtue age maintains A decent grace ! without it, youth and charms Are loathsome. " — Armstrong. 71. With regard to diet, — Although I have a great objection (which I will particularize) to a young wife taking rich food and many stimulants, yet I am a great advocate for an abundance of good whole- some nourishment. 72. The meager breakfasts of many young wives (eating scarcely anything) is one cause of so much sickness among them, and of so many puny children in the world. Let every young wife, and indeed every one else, make a substantial breakfast. It is the foundation meal of the day ; it is the first meal after a long, the longest fast. The meager, miser- able breakfast many young wives make is perfectly absurd ; no wonder that they are weak, ^^ nervous,^' and delicate. A breakfast ought as a rule to consist of eggs, or cold chicken, or cold game, or bacon, or ham, or cold meat, or mutton chops, or fish, and 2)lenty of good iread, and not of hot buttered toast, or hot rolls swimming in butter. Both of these latter articles are like giving the stomach sponge to digest, and making the partaker of such food, for the rest of the day, feel weak, spiritless, and miserable. If she select coffee for breakfast, let the half consist of good fresh milk ; if she prefers cocoa, let it be made of new milk instead of water ; if she chooses tea, let it be llach tea, with plenty of cream in it. Milk and cream are splendid articles of diet. Let her then make a hearty breakfast, and let there be no mistake IXTRODUCTORY CHAPTEK. — DIET. 43 about it. There is no meal in the day so wretchedly managed^ so poor and miserable, and so devoid of nourishment, as an English breakfast. Let every young wife, therefore, look well to the breakfast, that it be good, and varied, and substantial, or ill- health will almost certainly ensue. There is an ad- mirable work, Tlie Breahfast Book, in which the author proves the importance of people making good , and substantial breakfasts, and in which he indicates the kinds most suitable for the purpose. I have, in the text, availed myself of many of his valuable sug- gestions. 73. A meager, unsubstantial breakfast causes a sinking sensation of the stomach and bowels, and, for the remainder of the day, a miserable depression of spirits. Robert Browning truly and quaintly remarks — ' ' A sinking at the lower abdomen Begins the day with indifferent omen." 74. '^ Iso breakfast, no man,^' is a just observation, and is equally applicable to the fair sex — ^' no break- fast, no woman '' ; for one who is in the regular habit of eating but little or no breakfast is not a woman. She cannot half perform either a woman^s functions or a woman^s duties. This is one and the principal reason why a wife, who is a wretched eater of break- fast, is usually a wretched nurse to her child. 75. It frequently happens that a young wafe has no appetite for her breakfast. She may depend upon it, in such a case, there is something wrong about her, and that the sooner it is remedied the better it will be for her health, for her happiness, and for her future prospects. Let her, then, without loss of 44 ADVICE TO A WIFE. time;, seek medical advice, that means may be used to bring back her appetite. The stomach in all prob- ability is at fault ; if it be, the want of appetite, the consequent sensation of sinking of the stomach, and the depression of the spirits, are all explained. With judicious treatment, all may soon be set to rights. 76. If the loss of appetite for breakfast arises from pregnancy — and sometimes it is one of the earliest symptoms — time will remedy it, and the appetite, without the necessity of a particle of medicine, will shortly, with its former zest, return. 77. A young married woman's diet ought to be substantial, plain, and nourishing. She must fre- quently vary the kind of food, of meat especially, as also the manner of cooking it. Nature delights in a variety of food, of air, and of exercise. If she were fed for some considerable period on one kind of meat, she would scarcely digest any other ; and, in time, either a disordered or a diseased stomach would be likely to ensue. I have sometimes heard with pain and annoyance a patient advised to live on mutton chops, and to have no other meat than mutton ! Now this is folly in the extreme. Such an unfortu- nate patient's stomach, in the course of time, would not be able to digest any other meat, and, after a while, would have a difficulty in digesting even mut- ton chops, and wretched and ruined health would to a certainty ensue. 78. Three substantial and nourishing meals a day will be sufficient. It is a mistaken notion to imagine that "little and often'' is best. The stomach re- quires rest as much as, or more than, any other part of the body : and how, if food be constantly put into it, can it have rest ? There is no jpart of the body IKTKODUCTORT CHAPTER. — DIET. 45 more iDiposed and put upon than the human stom- ach — ' ' To spur beyond Its wiser will the jaded appetite, — Is this for pleasure ? Learn a juster taste, And know that temperance is true luxury." Armstrong. 79. It is a mistaken notion, and injurious to health , for a young wife^ or for any one else^ to eat^ just be- fore retiring to rest^ a hearty meat meal — *' Oppress not nature sinking down to rest With feasts too late, too solid, or too full."' Armstrong. 80. She will, if a hearty meat meal be eaten, be restless, or she will feel oppressed and sleep very heavily, awakening in the morning tired and unre- freshed : her sleep will not be, as it ought to be — " Like infants' slumbers, pure and light.*' — Kehle. 81. How often we hear a delicate lady declare that she can only eat one meal a day, and that is a hearty meat meal the last thing at night ; and who, more- over, affirms that she can neither sleep at night, nor can she have the slightest appetite for any other meal but her evening meal, and that she should really starve if she could not have food when she could eat it ! The fact is, the oppressed stomach oppresses the brain, and drives away sleep, and appetite, and health. The habit is utterly wrong, and oftentimes demands professional means to correct it. 82. The best supper for a wife, if she suffers much from flatulence, is either a crust of bread, or an Aber- nethy biscuit, and a glass of sherry ; much slop, es- 46 ADVICE TO A WIFE. pecially at night, encourages flatulence. Flatulence is a frequent cause of a restless, sleepless night ; in- deed, when people cannot sleep at night, the stomach, in nine cases out of ten, is at fault. 83. A slice or a crust of bread and a glass of good dry sherry certainly makes a light and easily-digested supper, and is thus very conducive to sweet and re- freshing sleep. Bread and wine is spoken of in the Book of books with great commendation — ^^ AVine that maketh glad the heart of man, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart. ^' 84. Some persons sleep better at night without an evening meal at all — by going supperless to bed. A clear and an empty stomach at bedtime is with them the secret of sweet and refreshing slumber. They cannot, at one and the same time, do two things — di- gest food and sleep ! And as most people can dis- pense with food better than they can with sleep, by all means let sleep be the first considered. 85. How is it that sometimes a lady who s an excellent appetite is, notwithstanding, very thin t It is not what she eats, hut what she digests, that makes her fat. Some people would fatten on bread and water, while others would, on the fat of the land, be as thin as Pharaolr s leankine. Our happiness and our lon- gevity much dejoend on the weakness, or on the sornd- ness of our stomachs ; it is the stomach,as a rule, that both gauges our happiness and that deter- mines the span of the life of both men and wo- men. How necessary it is then, that due regar^^ should be paid to such an important organ, and that everything should be done to conduce to the stomach^s welfare, — not by overloading the stomach with rich food ; not by a scanty and meager diet, but by adopt- IKTKODUCTORY CHAPTER. — DIET. 47 ing a middle course betwixt and between high living and low living — the juste viilieu, AYe should all of us remember that glorious saying — those immortal V7ords of St. Paul — '"^ Be temperate in all things.^^ 86. Where a lady is very thin, good fresh milk (if it agree) should form an important item of her diet. Milk is both fattening and nourishing, more so than any other article of food known ; but it should never be taken at the same meal (except it be in the form of pudding) with beer, or stout, or wine : they are incompatibles, and may cause derangement of the stomach and bowels. Milk would often agree with an adult, wiere it now disagrees, if the admixture of milk with beer, or stout, or wine were never allowed. If she cannot take milk, let her take cream and water. Cream, butter, and sugar are fatteners ; but they must be given in moderation* or they will disorder the stomach, and thus the object will be defeated. Far- inace"»"s foods, such as corn-flour and arrow-root, are all f -Lcners. Stout, if it agrees, is very fattening, much more so than wine. If claret be drunk at all, it should be sound and good, and of a first-class vint- age. Cheap claret is like many other cheap articles —cheap and nasty ! 87. Let me advise my fair reader to take plenty of tim 'over her meals, and to masticate her food well ; as nothing is more conductive to digestion than thoroughly masticated food. JSTo interruption should be allowed to interfere with the meals ; the mind, at si-ich times, should be kept calm, cheerful, and un- ruffled, for ^^ unquiet meals make ill digestions.^^ Many persons bolt their food ! AVhen they do, tliey are drawing bills on their constitutions which must inevitably be paid ! The teeth act as a mill to grind 48 ADVICE TO A WIPE. and prepare the food for the stomach ; if they do not do their proper work, the stomach has double labor to perform, and being unable to do it efficiently, it and the whole body in consequence suffers. 88. The teeth being so essential to health, the greatest care should be taken of them : they should be esteemed among one^s most precious posses- sions.* 89. With regard to beverage, there is, as a rule, nothing better for dinner than toast and water, or if it be preferred, plain water — '' Nought like the simple element dilutes ; " and after dinner, one or two glasses of sherry or claret. A lady sometimes, until she has had a glass of wine, cannot eat her dinner ; when such is the case, by all means let a glass of wine be taken, — that is to say, let her have it either just hefore or during dinner, instead of after dinner ; or let her have one glass of sherry hefore or (luri)}g dinner, and one glass after dinner. 90. A young wife sometimes has a languid circu- lation, a weak digestion, and constipated bowels ; then a glass of sherry rZ?^r^';«Y/ dinner and another glass after dinner is beneficial ; and however much she might dislike wine, she should be induced to take it, as the wine will improve her circulation, will strengthen her digestion, and will tend to open her bowels. But let me urge her never, unless ordered by a medical man, to exceed the two glasses of wine daily. * On the best means of preserving the teeth and gums, see two of my other works — Advice to a Mother and Coun- sel to a Mother, I I^^TRODUCTOKY CHAPTER. — WIXE. 49 91. If a lady drink wine at all, let it be wine — if she can get it ! — there is so much rubbish in the market called wine that she cannot be too particular in the matter. The only likely way of obtaining it genuine is by applying to a respectable wine mer- chant, and by paying a fair price for it. Cheap wine is dear at any price, and is a conglomeration of nasti- ness ! 92. The old German proverb says, ^^ Wine is not made, it grows. ^^ This proverb nowadays is un- fortunately not always true. A great deal of the wine that is now consumed is made, and does not grow, and has never seen the grape at all, but has been made in the chemist^s laboratory ; indeed there is scarcely any wine that is not more or less ^^ doc- tored/^ either with brandy or with something worse ! Wine from the pure juice of the grape is a novelty — a rara avis—^ndi is beyond the reach of the majority of wine drinkers ! ^^If you prescribe tuine, let it be wine. Take care that your patient is not the victim of those audacious falsifiers, who take spirits, mix them with flavoring and sweetening substances, and then send them back as wine, at an enormous profit to themselves. . . . Medical men calmly order dys- peptic patients to take ^ their glass of sherry,^ without inquiring whether this is the product of the sun in the vineyard or of ^ applied chemistry ^ in tlie labora- tory.''— i)r. R. Druit, 93. If wine does not agree, and a stimulant is nec- essary, a tumblerful either of bitter ale or of good sound porter ought, instead of water, be taken at dinner. But remember, if she drink either beer or porter, she must take a great deal of outdoor exer- cise ; otherwise it will probably make her bilious. If 4 50 ADVICE TO A WIFE. she be inclined to be bilious, wine is superior to either beer or porter. 94. Wine, beer, and porter do not always agree ; some persons enjoy sounder health as thorough tee- totalers. Wine, beer, and porter will then irritate, excite, and make feverish, and take away tlie appetite. Such people are better without stimulants altogether — wine, beer, and porter weakening and not strength- ening them. It would be folly in the extreme for such persons to be forced to swallow such stimulants — the more they took the worse they would be. Al- cohol in the wine, in the beer, and in tlie porter act upon them as a poison — there is no mistake about it. Alcohol in excess is a poison, — a deadly poison, as I shall presently prove, — and some peculiar constitu- tions cannot take it, how^ever minute the quantity, or however dilute it be. This is not strange — such per- sons have a peculiar idiosyncrasy ; in the same way as some people cannot take opium, however minute it may be — it makes tliem almost wild, as though tliey were insane ; others cannot swallow small doses of ipecacuanha without j^roducing violent vomiting and faiutness ; while, again, there are some persons who cannot take the smallest doses of either calomel or blue pill without its inducing severe soreness of the gums and excessive salivation. 95. Brandy ought never to l)e taken by a young wife but as a medicine, and then but rarely, and only in cases of extreme exhaustion. It would be a mel- ancholy and gloomy prospect for her daily to drink brandy ; she would, in all probability, in a short time become a confirmed drunkard. There is nothing, when once regnlarly tahen, more fascinating and more desperately dangerous and degrading than brandy- IKTRODUCTOEY CHAPTER. — ALCOHOL. 51 drinking. It has caused the destruction of tens of thousands both of men and of women I If a lady once takes to reguhir daily brandy-drinking her health will as surely melt away as ^^ wax melteth at the fire.^^ Oh ! that my feeble voice could be heard through the length and breadth of our land^ and be the humble means of deterring people from ever commencing the insidious^ and hazardous, and dis- gusting practice of regular daily brandy-drinking ! Eobert Hall had a horror of brandy — and well he might have. ^' Call things/'' he says, '^by their right names. . . . Glass of brandy and water ! That is the current but not the appropriate name ; ask for a glass of liquid fire and distilled damnation.^'' — Greg- ory's Life of Hall, 96. A barren lady, in consequence of her being barren, is frequently dreadfully depressed in spirits — nothing is more depressing to some wives than the want of children. Xow, in her fits of depression, such a one is apt to fly to si]3S of brandy in order to relieve her depression. Oh ! fatal mistake ! She is only confirming her barrenness, she is only clenching the nail ; as she will, under such treatment, be barren for the rest of her life ; for there is nothing more conducive to barrenness — there is not a greater enemy to conception — than brandy-drinking ; of this I am quite convinced ! 97. A wife ought not, if she feels low, to fly on every occasion to wine to raise her spirits, but should try the eflEects of a walk in the country, and '*Draw physic from the fields in clrcmghts of vital air.'' Armstrong, 98. An excitable wife is a weakly wife ; '^ excite- 52 ADVICE TO A WIFE. ment is the effect of weakness^ not of strength/^ Wine in large quantities will not strengthen ; but on the contrary, will decidedly weaken ; the more the wine, the greater the debility and the greater the ex- citement — one follows the other as the night the day. A person who drinks much wine is always in a state of excitement, and is invariably hysterical, weak, low, and nervous, and frequently barren. 99. Alcoholic stimulants in excess are ^^a delusion and a snare,^^ and are one of the most frequent causes of excitement, and therefore both of weakness and of barrenness. Alcohol, pure and undiluted, and in ex- cess, is a poison, and is ranked among the deadly poisons ; if a person were to drink at one draught half a pint of undiluted alcohol it would be tlie last draught he or she would ever, in this world, drink, — it would be as surely fatal as a large dose of either arsenic or strychnine ! Brandy, whisky, gin, and wine are composed of alcohol as the principal ingre- dient ; indeed, each and all of them entirely owe their strength to the quantity of alcohol contained therein. Brandy, whisky, gin, and wine, witliout tlie alcohol, would, each one of them, be as chip in porridge — perfectly inert. Brandy and wine, the former espe- cially, contain large proportions of alcohol, and both the one and the other, in excess, either 2:)revents a wouian from conceiving, and thus makes her barren ; or if she do conceive, it poisons the unborn babe within her : and it either makes him puny and deli- cate, or it downright kills him in the womb, and thus causes a miscarriage. If he survives the poison, and he be born alive, he is usually, when born, deli- cate and undersized ; if such a one be suckled by such a mother, he is subjected, if the mother can IXTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — ALCOHOL. 53 nurse him, — which m such cases she rarely can, — to a second course of poisonmg ; the mother^s milk is poisoned with the alcohol, and the poor, unfortu- nate little wretch, having run the gauntlet in the womb and having to do so now out of the womb, pines and dwindles away, until at length he finds a resting-place in the grave ! If you wish to make a dog small, give him, when he is a puppy, gin ; the alco- hol of the gin will readily do it ; this is a well-known fact, and is, by dog-fanciers, constantly practiced. If you desire, in like manner, to make a Tom Thumb of a baby, give him the milk of a mother or a wet- nurse who imbibes, in the form of wine, or of brandy, or of gin, alcohol in quantities, and the deed is done ! Gin-drinking nursing mothers, it is well known, have usually puny children ; indeed, the mother drinking the gin is only another way of giv- ing gin to the babe — an indirect instead of a direct route, both leading to the same terminus — the grave ! 100. Brandy was formerly sold only by the apothe- cary. Brandy is a medicine — a powerful medicine — and ought only to be prescribed as a medicine ; that is to say, but seldom, in small and in measured quan- tities at a time, and only when absolutely necessarv : now it is resorted to on every occasion as a panarea for every ill ! If taken regularly and in quantities, as unfortunately it frequently now is, it becomes a desperate poison — a pathway leading to the gra : ; ! It is utterly impossible for any person to hold in i i>e mouth, for five minutes at a time, a mouthiui of neat brandy, without experiencing intense suffering. If it have this fearful effect on the mouth, what effect must this burning fluid, when taken in quantities, have on the stomach ? Injury, most decided injury 54 ADVICE TO A WIFE, to the stomachy and^ through the stomach, disease and weakness to the remainder of the body ! Brandy is a wonderful and powerful agent : brandy has the effect, if taken in excess and for a length of time, of making the liver as hard as a board ; brandy in large quantities, and in the course of time, has the power of making the body marvelously big — as big again ; but not with firm muscle and strong sinew, not with good blood and wholesome juices — nothing of the kind ; but of filling it full, even to bursting, with water ! Brandy has the power of taking away a giant's strength, and of making him as helpless as a little child ! habitual brandy-drinking poisons the very streams of life ! It would take more time and space than I have to spare to tell of the wonderful powers of brandy ; but, unfortunately, as a rule, its powers are more those of an angel of darkness than those of an angel of light I 101. If the above statements be true (and they cannot be contravened), they show the folly, the ut- ter imbecility, and the danger, both to mother and to babe, of dosing a wife — be she strong or be she delicate, and more especially if she be delicate — with large quantities either of wine or brandy. Brandy, gin, and whisky act on the human economy very much alike ; for, after all, it is the quantity of alco- hol contained in each of them that gives them their real strength and danger. I have selected brandy as the type of all of them, as brandy is a fashionable remedy for all complaints. The habit of drinking imperceptibly but rapidly increases, until at length, in many cases, that which was formerly a tea-spoon- ful becomes a table-spoonful, and eventually a wine- glassful, with what result I have earnestly endeav- IXTKODUCTORY CHAPTER. — ALCOHOL. 55 ored faithfully to portray. Avoid, then, the first step in regular brandy-drinking ; it is the first step in this, as in many other things, that of ttimes leads to danger and eventually to destruction ! Dr. Parkes, in his valuable work on Hygiene, asserts that '^ if al- cohol were unknown, half the sin and a large part of the poverty and unhappiness in the world would dis- appear.'^ Shakspeare was aware of the diabolical powers of alcohol when he said, ^'^Othou invisible spirit of wine, if thou hast no name to be known by, let us call thee devil I '^ The Bible, too, gives em- phatic testimony of the evil effects of ^^ wine'^ and of ^^ strong drink'': — ^^Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging, and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." — Proverbs. 102. I am quite convinced that one cause of bar- renness among ladies of the present day is excessive wine-drinking. This is an age of stimulants, and the practice is daily increasing. A delicate lady is rec- ommended to take three or four glasses of wine daily. It seems for the moment to do her good, and when- ever she feels low she flies to it again. The conse- quence is, that she almost lives upon wine, and takes but little else besides ! Who are the fruitful women ? Poor women who cannot afford to drink stimulants ; for instance, poor Irish women and poor curates' wives, who have principally water, and milk, and butter-milk to drink. 103. There is decidedly, among the higher ranks, more barrenness than formerly, and one cause of it, in my opinion, is the much larger quantity of wine now consumed than in the olden times. Many ladies now drink as many glasses of wine in one day as their grandmothers drank in a week ; moreover, the 56 ADVICE TO A WIFE. wine-glasses of the present day are twice the size of old-fashioned wine-glasses ; so that half-a-dozen glasses of wine will almost empty a bottle ; and many ladies now actually drink, in the day, half-a-dozen glasses of wine ! 104. In the wine-growing and wine-drinking coun- try of France, barrenness prevails to a fearful extent ; it has become there a serious consideration and a State question. Wine is largely consumed in France by ladies as well as by gentlemen. The usual and every day quantity of wine allowed at dinner at the restmcrcmts of Paris, for each lady, is half a wine- quart bottleful — a similar quantity to that allowed for each gentleman. Where a gentleman and a lady are dining together, and have a bottle of wine between them, it is probable that the former might consume more than his own share of the wine ; but whether he does or not, the quantity the lady herself drinks is sadly too much either for her health or for her fruitf ulness. I am, moreover, quite convinced that the quantity of wine consumed by French wives is not only very antagonistic to their fertility, but like- Avise to their complexions. Brandy, too, is now largely consumed in France. 105. Wine was formerly a luxury, it is now made a necessary of life. Fruitful women, in olden times, were more common than they are now. Riches, and consequently wine, did not then so much abound, but children did much more abound. The richer the person, the fewer the children. 106. Do not let me be misunderstood : wine and brandy, in certain cases of extreme exhaustion, are, even for very young children, most valuable remedies ; but I will maintain that both wine and brandy require INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — ALCOHOL. 57 the greatest judgment and skill in administering^ and do irrej^arable mischief unless they are most carefully and Judiciousl}^ prescribed. Wine ought to be very rarely given to the young ; indeed^ it should be ad- ministered to them with as much care and as seldom as any other dangerous or potent medicine. 107. Statistics prove that wine-bibbing in England is greatly on the increase^ and so is barrenness. You might say there is no connection between the two. I maintain that there is a connection^ and that the al- cohol contained in the wine {if wine le taken to ex- cess, ivliicli, imfortiinately, it noio frequently is) is most antagonistic to fruitf alness. 108. It is surprising nowadays the quantity of wine some few young single ladies at parties can im- bibe without being intoxicated ; but whether ;, if such ladies marry, they will make fruitful wives, is quite another matter ; but of this I am quite sure, that such girls will, as a rule, make delicate, hysterical, and unhealthy wives. The young are peculiarly sen- sitive to the evil effects of over stimulation. Excessive wine-drinking with them is a canker eating into their very lives. It is time that these facts were proclaimed through the length and breadth of our land before mischief be done past remedy. 109. The champagne-cup is a fashionable and favorite beverage at parties, especially at dances. It is a marvel to note how girls will, in quantities, imbibe its contents. How cheerful they are after it ; how bright their colors ; how sparkling their eyes ; how voluble their tongues ; how brilliant their ideas ! But, alas! the effects are very evanescent — dark clouds soon overshadow the horizon, and all is changed ! How pale, after it, they become ; how sallow their 58 ADVICE TO A WIFE. complexions ; how dim their eyes ; how silent their tongues ; how depressed their spirits — depression fol- lowing in an inverse ratio to over-stimulation ; and if depression, as a matter of course weakness and disease I The champagne-cup is one of the most fascinating but most desperately dangerous and deceptive drinks a young girl can imbibe, and should be shunned as the plague. Young men who witness their proceed- ings admire them vastly as partners for the evening, but neither covet nor secure them as partners for life. Can they be bhimed ? Certainly not ! They well know that girls who, at a dance, imbibe /Vt^/^ of the champagne-cup, and wlio, at a dinner-party, drink, as some few are in the habit of drinking, four, or five, or even six glasses of wine, — that sucli wives as these, if ever tliey do become mothers (which is very doubt- ful), will be mothers of a degenerate race. It is folly blinking the question ; it is absolutely necessary that it be looked boldly in the face, and that the evil bo remedied before it be too late. 110. There is an immense deal of drinking in Eng- land, which I am quite convinced, is one reason of so few children in families, and of so many women being altogether barren. It is high time that these subjects were looked into, and that the torrent be stemmed, ere it overflow its banks, and carry with it a still greater amount of barrenness, of misery, and of de- struction. 111. If a lady be in the habit of drinking daily five or six glasses of wine, she will, if enceinte, be very prone to miscarry ; much more likely than the one who drinks, during the same period, only one or two glasses of wine. I am quite sure that the alcohol contained in the wine, if wine be taken in excess, is INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — ALCOHOL. 59 very aj)t to kill the babe in the womb. There is nothing at all wonderful in this circumstance^ when it is considered that undiluted alcohol is one of the most deadly of poisons — that a draught of undiluted alcohol will cause a person to die almost as certainly as though it were a draught of prussic acid I Alcohol has more power on the babe in the womb than on the mother herself. What is true of alcohol holds good of other chemicals absorbed into the system in their action on the child in the womb. For instance, where a mother who has had several miscarriages, say at about the third or fourth month of pregnancy, seeks medical advice, and is properly treated during her next pregnancy by drugs which will purify her blood, she will not miscarry, but give birth to a healthy child. Here is a complete demonstration of the action on the child of various fluids imbibed by a pregnant woman. If, then, a mother is in the habit of mis- carrying, she must undergo medical treatment. Some- times a trifling operation w^here a lady frequently miscarries will put things straight. The doctor will quickly decide. 112. It might be said that the light wines contain but little alcohol, and therefore can cause, even if taken to excess, but slight injurious effects on the constitution. I reply that even light wines, taken in quantities, conduce to barrenness, and that, as a rule, if a lady once, unfortunately, takes to drinking too much wine, she is not satisfled with the light wines, but at length flies to stronger wines — to wines usually fortifled with brandy, such as either sherry or port wine, or even, at last, to brandy itself ! I know that I am treading on tender ground, but my duty as a medical man, and as a faithful chronicler of these f;0 ADVICE TO A WIFE. mutters, obliges me to speak out j^lainly, witliout fear or without favor, and to point out the deplorable consequences of such practices. I am quite aware that many ladies have great temptations and great inducements to resort to wine to cheer them in their hours of depression and loneliness ; but unless the danger be clearly pointed out and defined, it is utterly impossible to suggest a remedy, and to snatch such patients from certain destruction. 113. I am quite convinced of one thing, namely, that the drinking of much wine — be it light as claret, or be it heavy as port — sadly injures the complexion, and makes it muddy, speckled, broken-out, and pasty. 114. It is high time that medical men should speak out on the subject, and that with no ^^ uncertain sound,^^ before mischief be done past remedy, and before our island becomes as barren of children as France unfortunately now is. I do not, of course, ignore the fact tliat sterility in all countries is arti- ficially produced by various proceedings known as ^^ checks.^'' The morality of such conduct cannot meet the approval of evenly balanced minds ; and as a rule, the punishment meted out by Nature to those who violate her laws is misery and disease. It is possible to traverse the laws of man with impunity, but never those of Nature. The sun rises every morning. 115. If a lady be laboring under debility, she is gen- erally dosed with quantities of wine — the greater the debility the more wine she is made to take, until at length the poor unfortunate creature almost lives upon wine. Her appetite for food is by such means utterly destroyed, and she is for a time kept alive by IKTRODUCTOEY CHAPTER. — ALCOHOL. 61 stimulants ; her stomach at length will take nothing else^ and she becomes a confirmed invalid^ soon drop- ping into an untimely grave ! This is a most grievous and^ unfortunately^ in this country^ not an uncommon occurrence. Much wine will never make a delicate lady strong — it will increase her weakness^ not her strength. Wine in excess does not strengthen^ but, on the contrary, produces extreme debility. Let this be borne in mind, and much misery will then be averted. 116. This is an age of stimulants — it is the curse of the day ! Let me paint a case, not an imaginary one, but from the life : — A lady in the higher ranks is very weak and ^'^ nervous ^^ ; she has no appetite; she cannot sleep at night ; she can take no exercise ; she is depressed and low — feeling as though she should sink into the earth ; her 23ulse is feeble ; she has pal- pitations of the heart ; she feels faint after the least exertion ; she has neuralgia — pains flying about from place to place. She is ordered wine ! she drinks it — glass after glass — with momentary relief ; but it is a flash in the pan, it is an enemy in the guise of a friend ; as soon as the effects are over, she is weaker than before ; at length the w^ine alone is not strong enough for her ; she feels more depressed than ever ; she now drinks brandy as well I She goes on drink- ing wine and brandy, more and more and more, until, at length, she lives on them — it is her meat and drink, her sleep and exercise, her pill and potion, and everything else besides ! Stimulants in excess, in- stead of giving strength, cause excessive debility. Such a patient is never out of the doctor's hands, until she falls into those of the undertaker I It is folly to expect that a wife, almost living on stimu- 63 ADVICE TO A WIFE. lants^ can even for a single day feel well — leaving alone the chance of her ever being the mother of a family ! It is a blessing that she is never likely to be a mother — she could not perform the offices and duties of a parent I I am aware that the picture I have just j)ainted is grim, hideous, and ghastly, but it is, notwithstanding, a faithful likeness, as doctors in extensive practice can abundantly testify. Oh, that my words could, before it be too late, reacli the hearts and consciences and understandings of such patients, and thus be the means of snatching them from inevitable destruction, and from a disgraceful ending ! It might be asked. What in the first in- stance caused her illness ? The stomach was at fault : it was, from improper management, weak and dis- ordered, and quite incapable of doing its needful work : hence the whole machine was thrown out of gear, and this was, beyond measure, aggravated by the subsequent swallowing of so much wine and brandy. It might moreover, be asked, AVhat, in such a case, is a poor creature to do ? Let her con- sult an experienced doctor, and have her stomach put in order, and then let her keep it in order, not by brandy or by much wine, but by simplicity of living — by the rules of health as laid down in these pages. 117. There is in Crabbers Poems a graphic and truthful description of the effects of wine on the human economy, which I cannot help quoting — * Wine is like anger ; for it makes us strong, Blind and impatient, and it leads us wrong ; The strength is quickly lost ; we feel tlie error long.'' 118. A woman can bear less alcohol than a man, a INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — ALCOHOL. 63 delicate woman than a strong one ; but what is the ridiculous and reprehensible custom ! Why, the weaker a woman is^ the more alcohol is recommended to her. And with what result ? ^^ To make confu- sion worse confounded '^ — to increase her weakness^ until she becomes as weak as a babe I Oh ! foll}% folly, the very quintessence of folly I 119. My deliberate opinion is, and what I have for many years held and publicly proclaimed, that no woman — be she strong, or be she delicate, and more especially if she be delicate — should ever exceed two glasses of wine daily — claret, as a rule, being the best for the purpose. Beyond that amount, wine becomes a slow and insidious poison. Wine beyond two glasses gives false strength — excitement ; or, in other words, debility and prostration — chronic ill-health and hysteria ! 120. Eemember, then, I am not objecting to a lady taking wine in moderation — certainly not ; a couple of glasses, for instance, in the day, of either sherry or claret, may do her great good ; but I do strongly object to her drinking, as many ladies do, five or six glasses of wine during that time. I will maintain that such a quantity is most detrimental both to her health and to her fecundity. The effect of the use of wine is beneficial ; but the effect of the aiuse of it is deplorable in the extreme. Wine is an edged tool, and will, if not carefully handled, as- suredly wound most unmercifully. I have not the slightest doubt that the quantity of wine consumed by many ladies is one cause, in this our day, of so much delicacy of constitution. It is a crying evil, and demands speedy redress ; and as no more worthy medical champion has appeared in the field to fight 64 ADVICE TO A WIFE. the battle of moderate wine-drinking, I myself have boldly come forward to commence the affray , fervently trusting that some earnest men will join me in the conflict. I consider that the advocates of a i)lentif ul supply of alcoholic stimulants are wrong, and that the upholders of total abstinence principles are equally wrong ; and that the only path of health and of safety lies between them both — in moderation. A teetotaler and an advocate of a plentiful supply of alcoholic drinks are both very difficult to please; indeed, the one and the other are most intemperate. I am aware that what I have v/ritten will be caviled at, and will give great offense to both extreme parties ; but I am quite prepared and willing to abide the consequences, and sincerely hope that what I liave said will be tlie means of ventilating the subject, which is sadly needed. The violence and obstinacy of the contending parties, each of whom is partly right and partly wrong, have long ago prevented a settlement of the question at issue, and have consequently been the means of causing much heart-burning, misery, and suffering. The Times once pithily remarked, that it would be well if the two combatants were ^^to mix their liquors.^' 121. You may as well say that you are not to eat because you may gluttonize, as that you are not to drink wine because you may get drunk — the one ab- surdity is as great as the other. Extremes either in eating or in drinking are alike detrimental to happi- ness, to health, and to longevity. Blessed is that man, or that w^oman, who is '' temperate in all things.^' 122. The use of wine and the abuse of wine is gra- phically, truthfully, and beautifully told in Ecclesias- ticits, the advice contained therein being w^ell worthy INTKODUCTORY CHAPTER. — ABUSE OF WIXE. G5 of deep consideration and of earnest attention : — '' Wine is as good as life to a man if it be drunk moderately : what is life then to a man that is with- out wine ? for it was made to make men glad. Wine measurably drunk^ and in season, bringeth gladness to the heart and cheerfulness of the mind. But wine drunken with excess maketh bitterness of the mind, with brawling and quarreling. Drunkenness in- creaseth the rage of a fool till he offend ; it dimin- isheth strength and maketh wounds. ^^ 123. A wife has a noble mission to perform — to stem the progress and to help to destroy the giant monster intemperance, who is now stalking through the length and breadth of our land, wounding and slaying in every direction, filling our hospitals, work- houses, lunatic asj^lums, jails, and graves with in- numerable victims. 124. There are three classes of persons who should be engaged in such a noble mission, namely, the clergyman, the doctor, and the wife ; but the last named of * all the three classes has more power and persuasion than the other two combined : hence one reason of my earnest appeal to her, and of my strenu- ous endeavor to enlist her in the holy cause of tem- perance. 125. A young wife ought to rise betimes in the morning, and after she be once awake should never doze. Dozing is both weakening to the body and enervating to the mind. It is a species of dram- drinking ; let my fair reader therefore shun it with all her might. Let her imitate the example of the Duke of Wellington, who whenever he turned in bed, made a point of turning out of it ; indeed, so deter- mined was that illustrious man not to allow himself 5 66 ADVICE TO A WIFE. to doze after he was once awake, that he had his bed made so small that he could not conveniently turn in it without first of all turning out of it. Let her, as soon as she be married, commence early rising ; let her establish the habit, and it will for life cling to her — ** Awake ! the morning shines, and the fresh field Calls us ; we lose the prime, to mark how spring Our tender plants ; how blows the citron grove, What drops the myrrh, and wliat the balmy reed ; How Nature paints her color ; how the bee Sits on the bloom." — Milton. 126. It is wonderful how much may be done be- times in the morning. There is nothing like a good start. It makes for the remainder of the day the oc- cupation easy and pleasant — *' Happy, thrice happy, every one Who sees his labor well begun, And not perplexed and multiplied By idly w^aiting for time and tide." — Longfellow, 127. How glorious, and balmy, and health-giving is the first breath of the morning, more especially to those living in the country ! It is more exliilarating, invigorating and refreshing than it is all the rest of the day. If you wish to be strong, if you desire to retain your good looks and your youtliful api^earance, if you are desirous of having a family, rise betimes in the morning : if you are anxious to lay the founda- tion of a long life, jump out of bed the moment you are awake. Let there be no dallying, no parleying with the enemy, or the battle is lost, and you will never after become an early riser ; you will then lose one of the greatest charms and blessings of life, and will, probably, not have the felicity of ever becoming INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — EARLY RISIi^G. 67 a mother ; if you do become one^ it will most likely be of puny children. The early risers make the healthy^ bright^ long-lived wives and mothers. But if a ^yite is to be an early riser^ she must have a little courage and determination ; great advantages in this world are never gained without ; but what is either man or woman good for if they have not those quali- ties ? 128. An early riser ought always to have some- thing to eat and drink^ such as a little bread and butter/ and either a cup of tea or a draught of new milk^ before she goes out of a morning ; this need not interfere at the usual hour with her regular break- fast. If she were to take a long walk on an empty stomachy she would for the remainder of the day feel tired and exhausted^ and she would then but most unfairly^ fancy that early rising did not agree with her. 129. The early morning is one of the best and most enjoyable portions of the day. There is a perfect charm in nature which early risers alone can appre- ciate. It is only the early riser that ever sees the ^^ rosy morn/" the blushing of the sky^ which is glo- riously beautiful ! " See the ros}' morn appearing, Paints with gold the verdant lawn, Bees on banks of thyme disporting. Sip the dews, and hail the dawn." Nature^ in the early morning, seems to rejoice and be glad^ and to pour out her richest treasures ; the birds vie with each other in their sweetest carols ; the dew on the grass, like unto myriads of diamonds, glittering and glistening and glinting in the rays of 68 ADVICE TO A WIFE. the sun ; occasionally the cobwebs on the shrubs and bushes^ like exquisite lace^ sparkling with gems ; the fresh and matchless perfume and fragrance of tlie earth and flowers ; — these, one and all, are gloriously beautiful to behold, and can only be enjoyed to per- fection in the early morning ; while the majority of people, during the choicest period of their existence, are sweltering and dozing, and deteriorating botli in body and mind, on beds of down, when they ouglit to be up, out, and about I Can it be wondered at, when such weakening and enervating practices are so much in vogue — for luxury is tlie curse of the day — that there are so many barren wives in England ? It looks, on the first blush, us though many of the customs and practices of the present day were to cause barrenness ; for assuredly, if they had been in- stituted on i^urpose, they could not have performed their task more surely and successfully. 130. It might be said that the dews of the morn- ing are dangerous ; but they are not so. Nature is having her morning bath, and diffusing health and happiness around her. The dews of the early morn- ing are beneficial to health, while the dews of the evening are detrimental. How truly the poet sings — ** Dew-drops are the gems of morning, But the tears of mournful eve ! " — Coleridge. 131. Early rising imparts health to the frame, strength to the muscles, and comeliness to the coun- tenance ; it clears the brain, and thus brightens the intellect ; it is a panacea for many of the ills of life, and unlike many panaceas, it is both simple and pleasant in its operation ; it calms the troubled breast ; it gives a zest to the after employments and IKTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — EARLY RISIXG. CO pleasures of the day ; and makes both man and woman look up from ^^nature^s works to nature's God!" 132. Early rising rejuyenizes the constitution ; it makes the middle-aged look young, and the old look middle-aged ; it is the finest cosmetic in the world, and tints the cheeks with a bloom the painter emu- lates but in vain I On the other hand, late rising adds years to the looks, fills the body with aches and pains, and the countenance with crow-feet and wrinkles ; gives a yellowness and pimjDles to the face, and depression to the spirits. Aged looks and ill- health invariably follow in the wake of late rising. 133. If a mistress rises earl}^, the servants are likely to follow suit ; a lazy mistress is almost sure to have lazy servants ; the house becomes a sluggard's dwell- ing ! Do not let me be misunderstood ; I do not rec- ommend any unreasonable hours for rising in the morning ; I do not advise a wife to rise early for the sake of rising early ; there would be neither sense nor merit in it ; I wish her to have her full comple- ment of sleep — seven or eight hours ; but I do advise her to go to led early, in order that she may rise early. I maintain that it is the duty of every wife, unless prevented by illness, to be an early riser. This last reason should have greater weight with her than any other that can possibly be brought forward ! All things in this world ought to be done from a sense of duty ; duty ought to be a wife's and every other person's pole-star ! 134. There is a w^onderful and glorious object in creation which few, very few, ladies, passing strange though it be, have ever seen — the rising of the sun ! The few who have seen it are, probably, those who 70 ADVICE TO A WIFE. have turned night into day^ who are returning home in the early mornings, jaded and tired^ after dancing the whole of the previous night. These, of course, cannot enjoy, and most likely do not even see the magnificent spectacle of the sun, ^^ which cometh forth as a bridegroom out of his chamber, and re- joiceth as a strong man to run his course/^ 135. I am not advising my fair reader to rise every morning with the rising of the sun — certainly not ; but if she be an early riser, she might occasionally indulge herself in beholding the glorious sight ! 13G. ^'The top of the morning to you ^' is a fa- vorite Irish salutation, and is very expressive and complimentary. ''The top of the morning'^ — the early morning, the time when the sun first rises in his majesty and splendor — is the most glorious, and health-giving, and best part of the whole day ; when nature and all created beings rejoice and are glad — " But mighty Nature bounds us from her birth, The sun in the heavens, and Hfe on earth ; Flowers in the valley, splendor in the beam, Health in the gale, and freshness in the stream." — Byron, 137. Let a young wife, if she be anxious to have a family and healthy progeny, be in bed betimes. It is impossible that she can rise early in the morning unless she retires early at night. '' One hour's sleep before midnight is worth three after. ""' Sleep before midnight is most essential to health, and if to health, to beauty ; hence, sleep before midnight is called ieaitty'SJeej) ! The finest cosmetic is health ! 138. She ought to pay particular attention to the ventilation of her sleeping apartment, and she her- INTRODUCTORY CHAPTEE. — YEXTlLATIO:t^. 71 self^ before leaving her chamber in the morning, ought never to omit to open the windows ; and in the summer, if the room be large, she should during the night leave, for about two or three inches, the window-sash open. If the room be small, it will be desirable to have, instead of the window, the door (secured from intrusion by a door-chain) unclosed ; and to have, as well, either the skylight or the land- ing window open. There ought, by some means or other, if the inmates of the room are to have sweet and refreshing sleep, to be thorough ventilation of the sleeping apartment. I have no patience to hear some men — and there are such men ! — assert that it is better to sleep in a close room — in a foul room ! They might, with equal truth, declare that it is de- sirable for a healthy person to swallow every night a dose of arsenic in order to prolong his life! Car- bonic acid gas is as truly a poison as arsenic ! ^^ If there be a dressing-room next to the bedroom, it will be well to have the dressing-room window, instead of the bedroom window, open at night. The dressing- room door will regulate the quantity of air to be ad- mitted into the bedroom, opening it either little or much as the weather might be cold or otherwise. ^^ The idea that it will give cold is erroneous ; it will be more likely, by strengthening the system and by carrying off the impurities of the lungs and skin, to prevent cold. 139. Some persons, accustomed all their lives to sleep in a close, foul room — in a room contaminated with carbonic acid gas — cannot sleep in a fresh, well- ventilated chamber, in a chamber with either door or window open ; they seem to require the stupefying effects of the carbonic acid gas, and cannot sleep 72 ADVICE TO A WIFE. without it ! If such be the case, and as sleep is of such vital importance to the human economy, let both window and door be closed ; but do not, on any account, let the chimney be stopped, as there must be, in a bedroom, ventilation of some kind or another, or ill-health will invariably ensue. 140. It is madness to sleep in a room without ventilation — it is inhaling poison ; for the carbonic acid gas, the refuse of respiration, which the lungs are constantly throwing off, is a poison, — a deadly poison, — and, of course, if there be no ventilation, a person must breathe tliis carbonic gas mixed with the atmospheric air. Hence the importance, the vital importance, of an open chimney or of an open win- dow, or of both. Tlie chimney, then, even if the window be closed, ought never to be stopped ; and the window, either of the bedroom or of the dressing- room, should not be closed, even in the night, unless the weather be either very wet or bitterly cold. I should strongly recommend my fair reader, and, in- deed, every one else, to peruse the good and talented Florence Nightingale's Notes on Nursing, They ought to be written in letters of gold, and should be indelibly impressed on the memory of every one who has the interest of human life and happiness at heart. Florence Nightingale declares that no one lohile in heel, ever catches cold from proper ventilation, I believe her ; and I need not say that no one has had more experience and better opportunities of judging about what she writes, than this accomplished authoress. 141. I fearlessly assert that no one can sleejo sweetly and refreshingly unless there be thorough ventilation of the chamber. She may have, in an unventilated apartment, heavy, drowsy, death-like mTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — SLEEP. 73 sleep, and well she may ! She is under the stupefy- ing effects of poison ; the carbonic acid gas^ which is constantly being evolved from the lungs, and which wants a vent, but cannot obtain it, is, as I have before remarked, a deadly poison ! She may as well take every night a stupefying opiate, as breathe nightly in a bedroom charged with carbonic acid gas ; the one would in the long run be as pernicious as the other. To show the power of carbonic acid gas in sending people to sleep, we have only to notice a crowded church of an evening, when, even if the preacher be an eloquent man, the majority of the con- gregation is fast asleep — is, in point of fact, under the soporific influence of the carbonic acid gas, the church being at the time full of it. Carbonic acid gas is as certain, if not more certain, to produce a heavy death-like slumber as either numbing opium or drowsy poppy ! 142. I moreover declare that she cannot have sweet refreshing sleep at night unless during the day she takes plenty of exercise, and unless she have an abundance of active, useful occupation. Occupation — active, useful occupation — is the best composing medicine in the world ; and the misfortune of it is, that the wealthy have little or no occupation to cause them to sleep. Pleasure they have in abundance, but little or no real occupation. '' The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much : but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. ^' — Ecclesiastes, 143. Sleep is of more consequence to the human economy even than food. Nothing should therefore be allowed by a young wife to interfere with sleep. And, as the attendance on large assemblies, balls. 74 ADVICE TO A WIFE. and concerts sadly, in every way, interferes with sleep, they ought one and all to be sedulously avoided. 144. As exercise is very conducive and provocative of sleep — sound, sweet, child-like sleep — exercise must be practised, and that not by fits and starts, but regularly and systematically. 81ie ought, then, dur- ing the day, with exercise and with occupation, to tire herself, and she will then have sweet refreshing sleep. But some ladies never do tire themselves ex- cept with excitement ; they do not know what it is to be tired, either by a long walk or by household work. They can tire themselves with dancing at a ball : poor fragile creatures can remain up the whole night waltzing, quadrilling, and galloping, but would be shocked at the idea and at the vulgarity of walk- ing a mile at a stretch ! Poor creatures I they are to be pitied ; and if they ever marry, so are their hus- bands. Are such wives as these likely to be mothers, and if they are, are their ofTspring likely to be strong ? Are such wives as these likely to be the mothers of our future warriors, of our future statesmen, and of our other worthies — men of mark who — " Departing, leave behind them Footprints on tlie sands of time ! " 145. Sleep is one of the best gifts of Providence. Sleep is a comforter, a solace, a boon, a nourisher, a friend. Happy, thrice happy, is a wife who can sleep like unto a little child I AVhen she is well, what a comfort is sleep ; when she is ill, what a soother of pain is sleep ; when she is in trouble, what a precious balm is sleep ! 146. Shakspeare, our noblest poet and shrewdest observer of Nature, thoroughly knew the value and INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — SLEEP. 75 importance of sleep to the human economy ; his writ- ings are full of its j^raises ; on no other subject does he descant more lovingly or well, as the following quotations, called at random, will testify. In one place he says — *' Tliy best of rest is sleep.'' In another place — ** Sleep, gentle sleep, Nature's soft nurse. " In a third — '* Sleep that knits up the raveled sleeve of care, The death of each day's life, sore labor's bath, Balm of hurt minds, great Nature's second course, Chief nourisher in life's feast." In a fourth — *' Downy sleep, death's counterfeit." In a fifth — " And sleep that sometimes shuts up sorrow's eye." Many other extracts from his plays, bearing out my assertions, might, if time and space allowed, be ad- duced. 147. A luxurious, idle wife cannot sleep ; she, night after night, tumbles and tosses on her bed of down. What has she done during the day to tire herself, and thus to induce sleep ? Alas I nothing. She in conse- quence never experiences — '* Tired Nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep."— Fo?«ig. For, after all, outdoor exercise and useful occupation are the best composing medicines in the world ! Many an idle lady who cannot sleep, instead of taking exercise, takes opiates — *'To steep the senses in forget fulness." 76 ADVICE TO A WIFE. The constant taking of exercise is most beneficial, strengthening alike both the bodily and mental facul- ties ; while the constant taking of opiates is most inju- rious, weakening alike both the body and mind. Un- fortunately, in this our day, there is too much of the one and too little of the other taken ; but in this, as in everything else, a reckoning day is sure to come, when old scores must, to the uttermost, be paid. Do not let me be misunderstood ; opiates in many diseases are invaluable, but, like all valuable but powerful medicines, require the judgment and the discrimina- tion of a doctor in their administration. 148. The frequent swallowing of an opiate is a species of dram-drinking, another form — a worse form — of in- toxicating liquors ; it is like brandy, — if lavislily and not judiciously given, — it can only have but one termi- nation — the grave ! Oh I if a wife would think a little more of God's grand remedies, — exercise and fresh air, — and a little less of man's puny inventions — opiates — how much better it would be for her, and for all con- nected with her. 149. The taking of opiates is, moreover, ^fashion- able method of intoxication ; but it is far worse in its effects than is even brandy-drinking. Now, the quack- ing by powerful agents is the quintessence of folly, of f oolhardiness. Of folly in attempting to procure sleep by artificial means, when natural means — nature's remedies — should be used : of f oolhardiness, to admin- ister poison, to play with edged tools, to gamble with loaded dice — the stakes being too frequently death ! Opiates, in certain diseases, when prescribed by a medical man, are most valuable ; but for patients themselves to prescribe them for themselves is quite as perilous as patients inhaling chloroform by them- WTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — OPIUM HABIT. 77 selves ; indeed^ opiates, like chloroform, require skill- ful handling, careful watching, and strict supervision. 150. Encompassed as she is with every luxury — par- taking of all the delicacies of the season, of the richest viands, and of the choicest wines — decked out in costly apparel — reclining on the softest cushions — sur- rounded with exquisite scenery, with troops of friends and with bevies of servants ; — yet, notwithstanding all these apparent advantages, she is oftentimes one of the most debilitated, complaining, ^^ nervous,^^ hysterical, and miserable of mortals. The causes of all these afflictions are — she has nothing to do ; she is overwhelmed with prosperity ; she is like a fire that is being extinguished in consequence of being over- loaded with fuel ; she is being killed with overmuch kindness ; she is a drone in a hive where all must work if they are to be strong and well, and bright and cheerful ; for labor is the lot of all and the law for all, for '^ God is no respecter of persons.'" The reme- dies for a lady affected as above described are simple and yet efficacious — namely, simplicity of living, and an abundance of outdoor exercise and of useful occu- pation. It would be to the manifest advantage of many a fair dame if she were obliged to put down her close carriage, and compelled to w^alk instead. Hid- ing in close carriages nurses many ailments which walking would banish ; a brisk walk is the best tonic and the most reviving medicine in the world, and would prevent the necessity of much nauseous physic. Nature's simple remedies are oftentimes far superior and far more agreeable than any to be found in the Pharmacopoeia. It would have been a blessing to many a rich, indolent, and luxurious lady if she had been born in a lower rank — in one in which she would 78 ADVICE TO A WIFE. have been compelled to Avork for her daily bread ; if she had been^ she would, in many instances, have been far happier and healthier — ** Verily I swear, 'tis better to be lowly born, And range with humble livers in content, Than to be perked up in a glistering grief, And wear a golden sorrow." — Shakspeare. 151. Indolence and luxury kill more than hard work and hard fare ever did or ever will kill. Indo- lence and luxury are slow poisons ; they destroy by degrees, and are in the end as certain in their delete- rious effects as either arsenic or deadly nightshade — *' Come hither, ye tliat press your beds of down, And sleep not ; see him sweating o'er his bread Before he eats it. " Tis the primal curse, But softened into inercy — made the pledge Of cheerful days, and nights without a groan." — Coivper. 152. An active, industrious, nsef ul wife, on the con- trary, sleeps like a little child : for exercise and use- ful occupation cause sweet and refreshing sleej) — ** Not poppy, nor mandragora. Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world. Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep." Shakspeare, 153. How often we hear a rich lady complain that she has no appetite ; she is, in the midst of plenty, half-starved ! What exercise has she taken, what use- ful work has she done, to ensure an appetite ? The poor woman, on the contrary, who labors for her living, has often a keener appetite than she has the means to gratify — a crust with her is delicious, '^ hun- IKTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — LIGHT. 79 ger being the best sauce. ^^ How true it is that fortune — '^ Either gives a stomach, and no food, — Such are the poor, in health ; or else a feast, And takes away the stomach, — such are the rich, That have abundance, and enjoy it not." — Shakspeare. 154. I must not forget to speak of the paramount importance in a dwelling of an abundance of light — of daylight. Light is life^ light is healthy light is a physician^ light is a beautifier^ light is a comforter. Light is life : the sun gives life as well as light ; if it were not for the sun^ all creation would wither and die. There is ^*^no vitality or healthful structure without light.""^ — Dr\ Forbes Winslow, Light is health : it oxygenizes the bloody and renovates and invigorates the frame. Light is a physician : it drives away many diseases, as the mists vanish at the approach of the sun ; and it cures numerous ailments which drugs alone are unable to relieve. Light is a beautifier : it tints the cheeks with a roseate hue, and is far superior to ^^ cosmetic, wash, or ball.^^ Light is a comforter : it brightens the countenance, cheers the heart, and drives away melancholy — *' Prime cheerer, light ! Of all material beings first and best." — Thomson, It is a glorious fact to know, that — " There's always sunshine somewhere in the world." For the sun '' goeth forth from the uttermost part of the heaven, and runneth about unto the end of it again: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.'" 155. Look at the bloom on the face of a milkmaid ! What is it that tints her cheek ? An abundance of 80 ADVICE TO A WIFE. light. Behold the pallid^ corpse-like countenance of a factory-girl ! What blanches her cheek ? The want of light, of air, and of sunshine. 156. A room, then, ought to have large windows, in order that the sun may penetrate into every nook and corner of the apartment. A gardener thoroughly appreciates the importance of light to his flowers ; he knows, also, that if he wishes to blanch some kinds of vegetables — such as celery and sea-kale — he must keep the light from them : and if my fair reader desires to blanch her own cheeks, she ought to keep the light from them ; but, on the otlier hand, if she be anxious to be healtliy and rosy, she must liave plenty of light in her dwelling. 157. The want of light stunts the growth, dims the sight, and damps tlie spirits. Miners, who live a great part of their lives in the bowels of the earth, are generally stunted ; prisoners, confined for years in a dark dungeon, frequently become blind ; people who live in dark houses are usually melancholic. 158. Light banishes from rooms foulness, f ustiness, mustiness, and smells. Light ought, therefore, to be freely allowed to enter every house, and be esteemed as the most welcome of visitors. Let me then advise every young Avife to admit into her dwelling an abundance of light, of air, and of sunshine. 159. There is nothing like letting daylight into dirty places : the sun is the best scavenger, purifier, and disinfector ; but the sun itself cannot be con- taminated by filth, for ^^the sun, though it passes through dirty places, yet remains as pure as be- fore.^^ 160. Some ladies, to keep off the sun, to prevent it from fading the furniture, have in the summer-time II INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.— TIGHT LACIIl^-G. 81 all the blinds of the windows of the house down. Hence they save the fading of their furniture, and, instead of which, they fade their own and their chil- dren's cheeks. Many houses, with all their blinds down, look like so many prisons, or as if the inmates were in deep affliction, or as if they were performing penance ; for is it not a penance to be deprived of the glorious light of day, which is as exhilarating to the spirits as, and much more beneficial than, a glass of champagne ? 161. It is a grievous sin to keep out from a dwell- ing the glorious sunshine. We have heard of '^a trap to catch a sunbeam '' : let the open window be a trap, and a more desirable prize cannot be caught than a sunbeam. Sunbeams, both physical and metaphorical, make a house a paradise upon earth ! They are the heritage of the poor as well as of the rich. Sunshine is one of our greatest, purest, and cheapest enjoyments — ** O, 'tis the sim that maketh all things shine." Shakspeare. There is in Ecclesiastes a beautiful passage on the effects of light : ^^ Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun."' 162. Let me strongly caution the newly-made wife against the evil effects of tight lacing. The waist ought, as a rule, to be from twenty-seven to twenty- nine inches in circumference ; if, therefore, she binds and girds herself in until she be only twenty-three inches, and in some cases until she be only twenty- one inches, it must be done at the expense of com- fort, of health, and happiness. If stays be worn tightly, they press down the contents of the lower 6 83 ADVICE TO A WIFE. parts of the abdomen.* This might prevent a lady from having a family^ or produce a miscarriage. Tight lacing was in olden times a frequent cause of miscarriage. I am sorry to find that the reprehensible practice has been again advocated^, and become fashion- able. The result^ if tight lacing be adopted in preg- nancy^ will frequently be miscarriages^ or premature labor, or still-born children. 163. Tight lacing is a frequent cause of displace- ment of the womb ; inclining the womb, as the case may be, either backwards or forwards. I have en- tered so fully into the evil effects of tight lacing in my two other books, Advice to a Mother and Covnsel to a Mother, that I consider it quite unnecessary to say more in this place on the subject. Moreover, it is not so necessary now as in the early editions of my two works to dwell upon the subject, as, I am happy to say, the evil effects of tight lacing are at the present time better understood. Stays used to be formidable-looking apparatuses ; indeed, they were instruments of torture. Now they are more simple, and therefore more suitable. I am sorry to say that, even at the present day, there are some few persons endeavoring to revive the reprehensible and dan- gerous practice of tight lacing. Such individuals are either interested parties or simpletons ! More- over, tight lacing, in addition to causing displace- ments, either backwards, forwards, or downwards of the Avomb, produces organic disease of the liver. It impedes the action of the lungs, heart, and general * The Abdomen. — That part of the body from the level of the lowest part of the breast-bone to, say, five inches below the level of the hips. Iiq-TRODUCTOKY CHAPTEK. — DRESS. 83 circulation of the body. It produces indigestion and yet women persist in tight lacing. The French adage^ ^^11 faiit soitffrir pour etre beau/' comes in here with a vengeance — if^ indeed^ a small waist is a beauty ; it is not seen in the Venus of Milo. 164. There is no doubt that tight lacing is a great, if not a princij)al cause of constipation. It has been found that when the waist is loose the bile can flow freely into the bowels, and so the food taken can have a sufficient quantity of it to act on it as it passes through the body. When tight lacing is resorted to, the quantity of bile is diminished by one half, at least, if it be not almost stopped. Then follows all kinds of ailments — headache, jaundice, and other evils. The matter may not rest here, but go on to actual disease and death. 165. Let her dress be loose, and be suitable to the season. She ought not to adopt the fashion of wear- ing in the morning warm clothes with long sleeves, and in the evening thin dresses with short sleeves. 166. If a young wife be delicate, and if her circula- tion be languid, a flannel vest should be worn next the skin, in the day-time, both winter and summer. Scarlet is, in such a case, a favorite color, and may be selected for the purpose. It is important that it should be borne in mind that the wearing of flannel next the skin is more necessary in the summer than in the winter-time. A lady, in the summer, is apt, when hot either from the weather or from exertion, to get into a draught to cool herself, and, not wear- ing flannel next the skin, she is almost sure at such times to catch a cold. Now, flannel being a bad conductor of heat, keeps the body at a tolerably equal temperature, and thus materially lessens the risk. 84 ADVICE TO A WIFE, When it is considered that many of the diseases afflicting humanity arise from colds, the value of wearing flannel next the skin as a preventive is at once apparent. 167. Never was there such a time as the present when more thought was given to dress. Grand dresses now sweep our dirty streets and thorough- fares ; rich velvets, silks, and satins are as plentiful as dead leaves in autumn. '' There is so much to gaze and stare at in the dress, one^s eyes are quite dazzled and weary, and can hardly pierce through to that which is clothed upon.^^ Dress is becoming a crying evil ; many ladies clothe themselves in gorgeous ap- parel at the expense of household comforts, and even of household necessaries — ** We sacrifice to dress, till household joys And comforts cease. Dress drains our cellars dry, And keeps our larder lean — puts out our fires, And introduces hunger, frost and woe, Where peace and hospitality might reign." — Cotvper. 168. It might be said. What has all this to do with the health of a wife ? I reply, much. The customs, habits, and luxuries of the present day arc very antag- onistic both to health and to fecundity ; they can only make work for the doctor, and gladden the hearts of those who preach the doctrine of the eligi- bility of small families ! 169. She must not coddle, nor should she unneces- sarily muffle up her throat with furs. Boas are a frequent cause of sore throats and quinsies, and there- fore the sooner they are discarded the better. 170. There is something besides dress and amuse- ments to make a young wife healthy and happy, and to look young. That something is constant employ- INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — DRESS. 85 ment — housewifery being especially beneficial for the purpose — '* Oh, if to dance all night, and dress all day. Charmed the small-pox, or chased old age away. Who would not scorn what housewife's cares produce, Or who would learn one earthly thing of use ? '* — Pope, 171. A good wife dresses to please her husband — to look lovely in his sight — to secure him in her cage, whom she has already caught in her net — ' ' She's adorned Amply that in her husband's eye looks lovely, — The truest mirror that an honest wife Can see her beauty in." — Tohin. Swift truly says that^ ^ ^ The reason why so few marriages are happy is because young ladies spend their time in making nets, not in making cages. *^ 172. If my gentle reader will freely use cold water ablutions, she will find that she will not require nearly so much clothing and muffling up. It is those who use so little water who have to wear so mtich clothing, and the misfortune of it is, the more clothes they wear, the more they require. Many young people are wrapped and muffled up in the winter-time like old folks, and by coddling they become prematurely old — frightened at a breath of air and at a shower of rain, and shaking in their shoes at an easterly wind ! Should such things be ? 173. Pleasure to a certain degree is as necessary to the health of a young wife, and to every one else, as the sun is to the earth — to warm, to cheer, and to in- vigorate it, and to bring out its verdure. Pleasure, in moderation, rejuvenizes, humanizes, and improves the character, and expands and exercises the good 86 ADVICE TO A WIFE. qualities of the mind ; but^ like the sun, in its in- tensity, it oppresses, dries up, and withers. Pleas- ures kept within due bounds, are good ; but in excess are utterly subversive of health and happiness. A wife who lives in a whirl of pleasure and excitement is always weakly, and " nervous, ^^ and utterly unfitted for her duties and responsibilities ; and the mis- fortune of it is, the more pleasure she takes, the more she craves for — *' As if increase of appetite had grown By what it fed on." — Sliakspeare, How true and beautiful is the saying of Emerson, that " Punishment is a fruit that, unsuspected, ripens within the flower of the pleasure that concealed it.'^ 174. Let the pleasures of a newly-married wife, then, be dictated by reason, and not by fashion. She ought to avoid all recreations of an exciting kind, as depression always follows excitement. I would have her prefer the amusements of the country to tliose of the town — such as a flower-garden, botany, archery, lawn-tennis, bowls, bicycling : everything, in fact, that will take her into the open air, and will cause her to appreciate the pure, simple, and exquisite beauties of nature. Lawn-tennis I consider to be one of the best games ever invented ; it induces a lady to take exercise whicli perhaps she would not otherwise do ; it takes her into the open air, it strengthens her muscles, it expands her chest, it pro- motes digestion, it circulates her blood, and it gives her an interest which is most beneficial both to mind and body. I am quite sure that one reason why ten- nis so much benefits the health is, it is attended with so much pleasure, for — INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — PLEASURES. 87 " No profit grows, where is no pleasure ta'en." 175. Oh I that my countrywomen should prefer the contaminated and foul ah^ of ball and of concert- rooms to the fresh^ sweety and health-giving air of the country ! 176. Let me in this place enter my strong protest against a young wife dancing, more especially if she be enceinte. If she be anxious to have a family, it is a most dangerous amusement, as it is a fruitful source of miscarriage ; and the misfortune is, that if she once have a miscarriage, she may go on again and again, until her constitution be severely injured, and until all hopes of her ever becoming a mother are at an end. 177c Although dancing during pregnancy is in- jurious, singing, at such times, is highly beneficial, and may be indulged in during the whole period of pregnancy ; indeed, it is, during the time she is enceinte, peculiarly valuable : it is exercise without too much fatigue, it is pleasure blended with benefit, and cannot be too strongly recommended. 178. The quiet retirement of her own home ought then to be her greatest pleasure and her most precious privilege. Home is, or ought to be, the kingdom of woman, and she should be the reigning potentate. England is the only place in the world that truly knows what liome really means. The French have actually no word in their language to express its meaning. The author of The Pleasures of Hope sweetly and truly sings — *' That home, the sound we English love so well, Has been as strange to me as to those nations That have no word, they tell me, to express it." 179. A father, a mother, children, a house, and its 88 ADVICE TO A AVIFE. belongings^ constitute^, in England, home — the most delightful place in the world, where affections spring up, take root, and flourish, and where happiness loves to take up its abode — *' Sweet is the smile of home ; the mutual look When hearts are of each other sure ; Sweet all the joys that crowd the household nook, The haunts of all affections pure."— ZebZe. 180. Allan Eamsay, in The Gentle Shepherd, gives in a dialogue between Peggy and Jenny a charming description of what home and what a good wife ought to be. Peggy, in reply to Jenny, says — '' Then I'll employ wi' pleasure a' my art To keep him cheerfu', an' secure his Jieart. At e'en, when he comes weary frae the hill, I'll hae a' things made ready to his will. In winter, when he toils thro' wind and rain, A bleezing ingle an' a clean hearthstane ; An' soon as he flings by his plaid an' staff, The seething pots be ready to take aff ; Clean hag-a-bag I'll spread upon his board. An' serve him wn' the best we can afford ; Good humor and white bigonets shall be Guards to my face to keep his love for me." 181. A wife who is constantly gadding /rom home, and who is never happy at home, does not know, and does not deserve to know, Avhat home really means ; she is, moreover, usually weak both in mind and body — ** The first sure symptom of a mind in health Is rest of heart, and pleasure felt at home." — Young, 182. A well-regulated, calm, and contented mind is the best physician in the world — Avhich not only ofttimes prevents disease, but if it does occur, tends IKTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.— COXTEXTMEKT. 89 very much to lessen its poignancy^ and eventually to cure it. The liurly-burly of a fashionable life is very antagonistic^ then^ to health and to all home com- forts. How true is that beautiful saying in Isaiah — '' In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength. ^^ 183. Cheerfulness^ contentment^ occupation, and healthy activity of mind cannot be too strongly rec- ommended. A cheerful, happy temper is one of the most valuable attributes a wife can have. The pos- session of such a virtue not only makes herself, but every one around her happy. It gilds with sunshine the humblest dwelling, and often converts an indif- ferent husband into a good one. Contentment is the finest medicine in the world ; it not only frequently prevents disease, but, if disease be present, it assists in curing it. Happy is the man who has a contented wife ! A peevish, discontented helpmate (helpmate, save the mark !) is always ailing, is never satisfied, and does not know, and does not deserve to know what real happiness is. She is ^"^ a thorn in the flesh. " A bad wife is the greatest misfortune. Dante, who was unhappy in his conjugal relations, says in his Inferno — '' Ma la fiera moglie Mi nuoce piu ch' altro." Notwithstanding she might have all that she can desire in this world, yet being discontented, she her- self is of all women, the most miserable — ** Nought's had, all's spent, Where our desire is got without consent." Shakspeare, in another place, pertinently asks — ' ' What's more miserable than discontent ? " !)0 ADVICE TO A AVIFE. 184. Everything ought to be done to cultivate cheerfuhiess ; it might be cultivated just as readily as exercise or music is cultivated : it is a miserable thing to go gloomily through the worlds when everything in nature is bright and cheerful. '' Laugh and grow fat ^' is a saying as old as the hills, and is as true as it is old. The moping, miserable people there are in the world are enougli to inoculate the rest of mankind with melancholy. Cheerfulness is very contagious, and few can resist its blandishments. A hearty laugh is good for the digestion, and makes the blood course merrily through the veins. It has been said that it is not genteel to laugh aloud ; but, like many fashion- able sayings, it is the very essence of folly ! Cheer- fulness is like a valuable prescription, for '^ a cheerful countenance doetli good like a medicine." 185. One of the greatest requisites, then, for a happy home is a cheerful, contented, bright, and merry wife. Her face is a perpetual sunshine ; her presence is that of an angel ; she is happy in herself, and she imparts happiness to all around her. A gentle, loving, confiding, placid, hopeful, and trust- ing disposition has a great charm for a husband, and ought, by a young wife, to be assiduously cultivated — " For gentleness, and love, and trust, Prevail o'er angry wave and gust. " — Longfelloic, Pope has a similar passage to the above — ** And trust me, clears ! good humor will prevail. When airs, and flights, and screams, and scolding fail." 186. Sweet temper gives beauty to the countenance ; while a wife who, without rhyme or reason, is always grieving and grumbling, becomes old before her time ; she herself plants wrinkles on her brow and furrows IXTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.— HOUSEHOLD. 91 ou her cheeky and makes her complexiou muddy aud pasty looking — " For the canker grief, Soils the complexion, and is beauty's thief/' — Crahhe, 187. Every young wife^ let her station be ever so exalted^ ought to attend to her lioiiselioJcl duties. Her health, and consequently her happiness, demands the exertion. The want of occupation — healthy, useful occupation — is a fruitful source of discontent, of sin, of disease, and barrenness. If a young married lady did but know the importance of occupation — how much misery might be averted, and how much happi- ness might, by attending to her household duties, be ensured — she would appreciate the importance of the advice. Occupation improves the health, drives away ennui, cheers the hearth and home ; and, what is most important, if household duties be well looked after, her house becomes a paradise, and she the ministering angel to her husband. '^1 find,^^ says Dr. Chalmers, '^ that successful exertion is a power- ful means of exhilaration, which discharges itself in good humor upon others. ^^ 188. But she might say — ^' I cannot always be oc- cupied ; it bores me ; it is like a common person ; I am a lady ; I was not made to work ; I have neither the strength nor the inclination for it ; I feel weak and tired, nervous and spiritless, and must have rest.''^ I reply, in the expressive words of the poet, that — '* Absence of occupation is not rest, A mind quite vacant is a mind distress'd." — Coicper, Hear, too, what another poet sweetly sings of rest — ** Rest ? Thou must not seek for rest Until thy task be done ; 92 ADVICE TO A WIFE. Thou must not lay thy burden down, Till setting of the sun."— T. 31. W, " If time be heavy on your hands/^ are there no household duties to look after^ no servants to in- struct, no flower-beds to arrange, no school-children to teach, no sick-room to visit, no aged people to comfort, no widow or orphan to relieve ? " Nor any poor about your lands ? Oh ! teach the orphan boy to read, Or teach the orphan girl to sew — Pray heaven for a human heart." — Tennyson,^^ 189. To have nothing to do is most wretched, wearisome, and destructive to the mind. The words of Martin Luther on this subject should be written in letters of gold, and ought to be kept in constant remembrance by every man and woman, be they rich or poor, lettered or unlettered, gentle or simple. '' The mind,^^ said he, '' is like a mill that cannot stop working ; give it something to grind, and it will grind that. If it has nothing to grind, it grinds on yet ; but it is itself it grinds and wears away.^^ 190. A lady in this enlightened age of ours con- siders it to be horribly low and vulgar to strengthen her loins with exercise and her arms with occupation, although such a plan of proceeding is, by the wisest of men, recommended in the Bible — ^' She girdetli her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms/^ — Proverbs. 191. A husband soon becomes tired of grand per- formances on the piano, of crochet and worsted work, and of other minor employments ; but he can always appreciate a comfortable, clean, well-ordered, bright, cheerful, happy home, and a good dinner. It might IIS^TRODUCTORY CHAPTER. —HOUSEHOLD. 93 be said that a wife is not the proper person to cook her husband^s dinner. True ! but a wife should see and know that the cook does her duty ; and if she did perchance understand lioiv the dinner ought to be cooked, I have yet to learn that the husband would for such knowledge think any the worse of her. 192. A grazing farmer is three or four years in bringing a beast to perfection^ fit for human food. Is it not a sin, after so much time and pains, for a careless cook, in the course of one short hour or two, to ruin, by bad cookery, a joint of such meat ? Is it not time, then, that a wife herself should know how a joint of meat ought to be cooked, and thus be able to give instructions accordingly ? 193. A boy is brought up to his profession, and is expected to know it thoroughly : how is it that a girl is not brought up to her profession of a wife ; and why is it that she is not taught to thoroughly under- stand all household duties ? The daughters of a gentleman^s family in olden times spent an hour or two every morning in the kitchen and in the laundry, and were initiated into the mysteries of pastry and pudding making, of preserving fruits, of ironing, etc. Their mothers^ and their grandmothers^ receipt-books were at their finger-ends. But now look at the picture : the daughters of a gentleman^s family of the present day consider it very low and horridly vulgar to understand any such matters. It is just as absurd to ask a lady to play on the piano who has never been taught music, as to ask a wife to direct her servants to perform duties which she herself knows nothing about. Thfe duties of a wife cannot come either by intuition or by instinct more than music can. Again I say, every lady, before she be 94 ADVICE TO A WIFE. married, ought to be thoroughly taught her profession — the duties of a wife ; she then would not be at the tender mercies of her servants, many of whom might be either unprincipled or inefficient. 194. Do not think that I am overstating the impor- tance of my subject. A good dinner — I mean a Avell- cooked dinner (which, be it ever so plain, is really a good dinner) — is absolutely essential to the health, to the very existence, of yourself and your husband ; and how, if it be left to the tender mercies of the present race of cooks, can you have it ? High time it is that every wife, let her station be high or low, should look into the matter herself, and remedy the crying evil of the day. They manage these things better in Sweden. There the young ladies of wealthy families cook — actually themselves cook — tlie din- ners ; and instead of their considering it a disgrace, and to be horridly low and vulgar, they look upon it as one of their greatest privileges ! And what is the consequence ? A badly-cooked dinner is rare, and not, as it frequently is in this country, of frequent occurrence; and ^^ peace and ha^^piness^' reign tri- umphant. It is a pity, too, that we do not take a leaf out of the book of ou'r neighbors the French. Every woman in France is a good cook ; good cook- ery with them is a rule — with us it is the exception. A well-cooked dinner is a blessing to all who partake of it ; it promotes digestion, it sweetens the temper, it cheers the heart and home. There is nothing tries the temper more than an ill-cooked dinner ; it makes people dyspeptic, and for a dyspeptic to be sweet- tempered is an utter impossibility. Let me, there- fore, advise my fair reader to look well into the matter ; either the gloom or the sunshine of a house IKTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — HOUSEHOLD. 95 depends much upon herself and upon her household management. I will^ moreover^ maintain that no man can be a thoroughly good man who has a bad cook — it is an utter impossibility I A man who par- takes of a badly-cooked dinner is sure, as I have just now remarked^ to be dyspeptic, and, if dyspeptic, to be quarrelsome, snappish, and unamiable, the one following the other as a matter of course. Take warning, therefore, ye wives I and look to the din- ners of your husbands, and know yourselves how dinners ought to be cooked I A well-cooked dinner imparts to the happy recipient, health, and peace, and content ; while an ill-cooked dinner gives to the mis- erable partaker thereof disease, discord, and discon- tent ! Every girl, then, let her rank be what it may, ought above all things to be accomplished in house- wifery, especially in tlie culinary department. ^^Poor creature ! '^ quoth a wife, '^ for a man to be so depen- dent on his cook I ^' Poor creature he truly is, if bad cooking makes him dyspeptic, which, unless he have the digestion of an ostrich, it assuredly will ! 195. If the potatoes be sent to table as hard as bullets, if the spinach taste tough and '^^like bitter herbs, ^^ if the turkey be only half boiled, if the ham be only half done, if the bread be ^^ heavy as lead,^^ — how, in the name of common sense, can a husband feel comfortable and cheerful, and be loving and affectionate — suffering, as he must do, all the horrors of indigestion ! If men were saints — but unfortu- nately they all are not I— they might ''grin and bear it," or— " Be like patience on a monument. Smiling at grief." 196. If wives do not cook the dinner themselves, 96 ADVICE TO A WIFE. they should surely know how dinners ought to be cooked : and ^^it is not necessary to be cooks them- selves^ but a cause of good cooking in others." Half the household miseries and three-fourths of the dys- pepsia in England would, if cookery were better un- derstood, be done away with ! There are heaps of good cookery books in the market to teach a wife how a dinner should be cooked. She has only to study the subject thoroughly and the deed is done, to the great happiness and Avellbeing of herself and of her hus- band. 197. Every young wife .sliould be able — ought to be instructed either by her mother or by some com- petent person — it should be a part of her education — to teach and to train her own servants aright. Unfor- tunately, in the present day, there is too much cant and humbug about the instruction of the lower or- ders, and domestic servants among the rest. They are instructed in many things that are perfectly use- less to them, the knowledge of which only makes them dissatisfied with their lot, and tends to make them bad servants. Among other useless subjects taught them are the '^ologies.'^ It would be much more to the purpose if they were thoroughly in- structed in all household duties, and in ''the three E^s — reading, ^-iting, and Arithmetic ^^ — in obedience to their mistresses, and in simplicity of demeanor and dress. The servants themselves would be im- mensely benefited by such lessons. 198. A '' blue-stocking ^^ makes, as a rule, a wretch- ed wife ; it would be far better for the health of her husband, of herself, and her family if, instead of cul- tivating Latin and Greek, she would cultivate her household duties, more especially a thorough knowl- INTRODUCTORY CIIAPTEK. — HOUSEHOLD. 97 edge of the cooking department. '^A man is, in general, better pleased when he has a good dinner upon his table than when his wife speaks Greek/^ Johnson, ^' From a morning that doth shine, From a boy that drinketh wine, From a wife that talketh Latine, Good Lord dehver me." Litany of the Darwin. family, 1719. 199. Not only, then, ought a wife to understand household duties, but she should, previous to her marriage, be taught by her mother or others the mys- teries of nursing. How many a poor creature marries, who is as ignorant of nursing as a babe ! Sliould such things be ? If love and affection could instruct her, she would be learned indeed ; but, unfortunately, nursing is like everything else, it must, before it can be practised, be taught, and then proficiency will soon follow. Who so proper as a wife to nurse her husband in his sickness ? She might if she knew how, truly say — ** I will attend my husband, be his nurse, Diet his sickness, for it is my office. And will have no attorney but myself." — Shakspeare. 200. Nursing, that is, the power of being a real nurse, is a special gift, like that of painting and the sister arts. A first-rate nurse is one having the talent of nursing. The word ^^ nursing '^ is only a string of letters covering a multitude of offices, each of which requires the gift of genius to do well. Now we are not all geniuses, but we may do our best to be humble copyists, though we cannot originate. AVell, in this age, when opportunities abound in which a knowledge 7 98 ADVICE TO A WIFE. of nursing can be acquired^ it should be a shame for any lady to confess that she has not had good instruc- tion in this divine art. What an outlook for husband and child — a wife and mother ignorant of duties and devoid of knowledge in the time of greatest need — sickness ! 201. As soon as a lady marries^ the romantic non- sense of school-girls will rapidly vanish, and the stern realities of life will take its place, and she will then know, and sometimes to her grievous cost, that a tiseftdwite will be thought much more of than either an ornamental or a learned one ; indeed, a husband soon discovers that there is a ^^ beauty in utility ^^ — *' Thou shalt learn The wisdom early to discern True beauty in utility." — Longfelloiv, 202. It is better for a young wife, and for every one else, to have too much than too little occupation. The misfortune of the present day is, that servants are made to do all the work, while the mistress of the house remains idle. Remains idle ! Yes ! and by remaining idle, remains out of health ! Idleness is a curse, and brings misery in its train ! How slow the hours crawl on when a person has nothing to do ; but how rapidly they fly when she is fully occupied. Besides, idleness is a frequent cause of barrenness. Hard-worked, industrious women are prolific ; . while idle ladies are frequently childless, or, if they do have a family, their children are puny, and their labors are usually both hard and lingering. We doctors know full well the difference there often is between the labor of a poor, hard-worked woman, and of a rich, idle lady : in the one case the labor is IXTKODUCTORY CHAPTER. — IDLENESS. 99 usually quick and easy ; in the otlier^ it is often hard and lingering. Oh I if wives would consider betimes the importance of an abundance of exercise and of occupation^ what an immense amount of misery^ of pain^ of anxiety, and anguish they might avert ! Work is a blessed thing ; if we do not work, Ave pay the penalty — we suffer '^ in mind, body, and estate/^ An idle man or an idle woman is an object of the deepest pity and commiseration. A young wife ought, then, always to remember that — " The way to bliss lies not on beds of down." — Quarles, And that — '* Sweet tastes have sour closes ; And he repents on thorns that sleeps on beds of roses." 203. Longfellow graphically describes the import- ance and value of occupation ; and as occupation is as necessary to a woman as to a man, I cannot resist transcribing it — " Toiling — rejoicing — sorrowing, Onward through life he goes ; Each morning sees some task begun, Each evening sees its close : Something attempted, something done, Has earned a night's repose." 204. Truly may it be said that '' occupation earns a night's repose. " It is the finest composing medicine in the world, and, unlike an opiate, it never gives a headache ; it never produces costiveness ; and never, by repetition, loses its effect. Sloth and restlessness, even on down, are generally bedfellows — '•Weariness Can snore upon the flint, when rusty sloth Finds the down pillow hard." 100 ADVICE TO A WIFE. 205. The mind, it is well known, exerts great in- fluence over the body in promoting health, and in causing and in curing disease. A delicate woman is always nervous ; she is apt to make mountains of mole-hills ; she is usually too prone to fancy herself worse than she really is. I should recommend my gentle reader not to fall into this error, and not to magnify every slight ache or pain. Let her, instead of whining and repining, use the means which are within the reach of all to strengthen her frame ; let her give battle to the enemy ; let her fight him with the simple weapons indicated in these pages, and the chances are she will come off victorious. 206. There is nothing like occupation, active oc- cupation, to cure slight pains — ^^ constant occupation physics pain ^' — to drive away little ailments, and the dread of sickness. 207. What a blessed thing is work I What a pre- cious privilege for a girl to have a mother who is both able and anxious to instruct her daughter, from her girlhood upwards, in all household management and duties ! Unfortunately in this our age girls are not either educated or prepared to be made wives — use- ful domesticated wives. Accomplishments they have, without number, but of knowledge of the manage- ment of an establishment tliey are as ignorant as the babe unborn. Verily, they and their unfortunate hus- bands and offspring will in due time pay the penalty of their ignorance and folly I It is, forsooth, unlady- like for a girl to eat much ; it is unladylike for her to work at all ; it is unladylike for her to take a long walk ; it is unladylike for lier to go into the kitchen ; it is unladylike for her to make her own bed ; it is unladylike for her to be useful ; it is unladylike for IXTRODCCTORY CHAPTER. — D0:MESTIC LIFE. 101 her to have a bloom upon her cheek like unto a milk- maid ! All these are said to be horribl}' low and vulgar, and to be only fit for the common people I Away with such folly I The system of the bringing up of the young ladies of the present day is '^ rotten to the core.^' A wife looking ^^ well to the ways of her household '^ is, in an old book, set forth in terms of great approbation : — '' She openeth her mouth with wisdom ; and in her tongue is the law of kind- ness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed ; her husband also, and he praiseth her.^'' 208. A wife^s life is made up of little pleasures, of little tasks, of little cares, and little duties, but which, when added up together, make a grand sum total of human happinesss. She is not expected to do any grand work ; her province lies in a contrary direction — in gentleness, in cheerfulness, in contentment, in house-wifery, in care and management of her chil- dren, in sweetening her husband^s cup of life, when it is, as it often is, a bitter one, in abnegation of self : these are emphatically a "^"^woman^s rights,'^ her herit- age, her jewels, which help to make up her crown of glory— '' The trivial round, the common task, Would furnish all we ought to ask ; Room to deny ourselTes ; a road To bring us daily nearer God." — Keble, 209. There is in Crabbers Poems a conversation supposed to take place between a husband and a wife which is very beautiful ; it contains advice, both to husband and wife, of priceless value. I cannot re- 102 ADVICE TO A WIFE. fraiii from transferring an extract of it to these pages ; the husband addresses the wife thus : — " Each on the other must in all depend, The kind adviser, the unfailing friend ; Through the rough world we must each other aid, Leading and led, obeying and obey'd ; Favor'd and favoring, eager to believe What should be truth — unwilling to iDerceive What miglit offend — determined to remove What has offended ; wisely to improve What pleases yet, and guard returning love.' 210. If a young married lady, without having any actual disease about her, be delicate and nervous, there is no remedy equal in value to change of air — more especially to the sea-coast. The sea-breezes, and if she be not pregnant, sea-bathing, frequently act like magic upon her in restoring her to perfect health. I say, if she be not pregnant ; if she be, it would, without first obtaining the express permission of a medical man, be highly improper for her to bathe. 211. A walk on the mountains is delightful to the feelings and beneficial to the health. In selecting a sea-side resort it is always well, where it be practi- cable, to have mountain air as well as the sea-breeze. The mounting of high hills, if a lady be pregnant, would not be desirable, as the exertion would be too great, and if she be predisposed, might bring on a miscarriage ; but the climbing of hills and moun- tains, if she be not enceintey is most advantageous to health, strengthening to the frame, and exhilarating to the spirits. Indeed, we may compare the exhilara- tion it produces to the drinking of champagne ; with this diflference — it is much more beneficial to healtli i:NrTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. — DOMESTIC LIFE. 103 than champagne^ and does not leave the next morn- ing, as champagne sometimes does, either a disagree- able taste in the mouth or headache behind — ** Oh ! there is a sweetness in the mountain air And life, that bloated ease can never hope to share." Byron, 212. Bugs and Fleas, — This is a very common- place subject, but, like most commonplace subjects, is one necessary to be known, as these pests of society sometimes destroy the peace, comfort, and enjoyment of a person when away from her home. Many ladies who travel from home are made miser- able and wretched by having to sleep in strange beds — in beds infested either Avith bugs or with fleas. Now, it will be well for a lady never to go any dis- tance from home without having four things in her trunk, namely — (1) A box of matches, in order, at any moment of the night, to strike a light, both to discover and frighten the enemy away. (2) A box of night-lights. Bugs never bite when there is a light in the room. It would therefore be well, in an in- fested room, and until fresh lodgings can be procured, to keep a night-light burning all night. (3) A packet of " La Pouclre Insecticide/' manufactured in France, but which may be procured in England, or Keating's insect powder, a preparation which, although per- fectly harmless to the human economy, is utterly destructive to fleas. (4) A four-ounce bottle of oil of turpentine, a little of which, in case of a discovery of bugs in the bed, should be sprinkled between the sheets and on the pillow. The oil of turpentine will, until fresh lodgings can be procured, keep the bugs at a respectable distance. Care should be observed. 104 ADVICE TO A WIFE. while sprinkling the sheets with the turpentine^ not to have (on account of its inflammability) a lighted candle too near the bed. I know, from experience, that bugs and fleas are, when ladies are away from home, a source of torment and annoyance, and am therefore fully persuaded of the value and importance of the above advice — ** Yet let me flap this bug with gilded wings, This painted child of dirt which stinks and stings." Pope. 213. If it be not practicable for her to visit the sea-coast, let her be in the fresh air — in the country air. Let her mornings be spent out of doors ; and if she cannot inhale the 6'm-breezes, let her inhale the 7norning breezes — '' The skies, the air, the morning's breezy call, Alike are free, and full of health to slV—Brydges, 214. Cheerfulness and evenness of temper ought, by a young wife, to be especially cultivated. There is nothing that promotes digestion, and thus good health, more than a cheerful, placid temper. We know that the converse is very detrimental to that process ; that violent passion takes away the appetite, deranges the stomach, and frequently disorders the bowels. Hence it is that those who attain great ages are usually of an even, cheerful temper. 215. A young wife is apt to take too much open- ing medicine ; the more she takes, the more she re- quires, until at length the bowels will not act without an aperient ; hence she irritates the nerves of the stomach and bowels, and injures herself beyond measure. If the bowels be costive, and variety of food, and of fruit, and of other articles of diet, which IXTRODrCTORY CHAPTER. — COXSTIPATIOX. 105 I either have or will recommend in these pages^ to- gether with an abundance of air^ and of exercise^ and of occupation^ will not open them^ then let her give herself an enema ; which she can w^ithont the slight- est pain or annoyance^ and with very little trouble, readily do, provided she have a proper a23paratus, namely, '^'a self -injecting enema apparatus," one made purposely for the patient, to be used either by herself, or to be administered by another person. A pint of 1 62)1(1 water, with some soap and salad oil, is as good an enema as can be used, and which, if the first should not operate, ought in a few^ minutes to be repeated. The enema does nothing more than wash the bowels out, removing any offending matter, and any depression of spirits arising therefrom, and neither interferes with the stomach nor with the digestion. Xo family ought to be without a good enema apparatus, to fly to in any emergency. Many valuable lives have been saved by means of it. It should always be kept in good order and ready at hand. It may be used every day without harm. 216. There is another excellent remedy for habit- ually costive bowels, namely, the eating of hrown bread — of bread made with undressed flour — that is to say, with the flour ground all one way — with flour containing the flour, the pollards, and i]iQjine bran, with all therein contained of the grain of the wheat, except the very coarse bran. Many people are made costive and ill by the eating of bread made with the finest flour only. Bread made with the undressed flour stimulates the bowels to action, and is, besides, much more nourishing — undressed flour being much richer in phosphates than the perfectly dressed flour —than what is usually called Best Firsts or Biscuit lOG ADVICE TO A WIFE. Flour ; and the phosphates are of vital importance to the different animal tissues and to the bones. 217. Some patients with very weak stomachs can- not properly digest hroivn bread — it makes them feel uncomfortable and aggravates their dyspeptic symp- toms ; but if the bowels be costive and the digestion be not overweak, iroicn bread is an admirable means of opening them. If millers could devise means to reduce the luhoU of the bran to an impalpahle powder, they would be conferring an incalculable boon on suffering humanity, as then all the bran would be left in the flour — thus increasing the hygienic qual- ities of the bread. 218. Another admirable remedy for opening the bowels of a costive patient is the drinking of cold water — drinking half a tumblerful or a tumblerful of cold water the moment she awakes in the morn- ing, and at any other time during the day she feels inclined to do so. 219. A variety of diet will often regulate costive bowels better — far better — than physic ; and will not — as drug-aperients assuredly will — bind the bowels up more firmly than ever after the operation of the drug has once been accomplished. 220. If a young wife has costive bowels, let her, instead of either swallowing opening pills, or before even administering to herself an enema, try the effect of visiting the water-closet at one particular period regularly every morning of her life. It is surprising how soon, as a rule, the above simple plan will get the bowels into a regular state, so that, in a short time, both aperients and enemata would be perfectly unnecessary, to her great comfort and to her lasting benefit. IXTRODCCTORY CHAPTER. — COXCLUSIOK. 107 " How use doth breed a habit in a man," and in woman too. But if the bowels^ without either medicine or enema, are to be brought into a regular state, patience and perseverance must be the motto, as it ought to be for everything else for which it is worth the striving. 221. If a wife's bowels be costive, she ought not to be anxious to take an aperient : she should wait a while, and see what Nature will do for her. Active purgatives, except in extreme cases, which only a doctor can determine, are very injurious. 222. In summing up my Advice to a Young Wife, I beg to give her the following inventory of some of the best physic to be found in the world : — Early rising ; thorough morning ablution ; good substantial plain food ; great moderation in the use of stimulants ; a cool and well-ventilated house, especially bedroom ; an abundance of fresh air, exercise, and occupation ; a cheerful, contented, happy spirit ; and early going to bed : all these are Nature's remedies, and are far superior and are far more agreeable than any others to be found in the Materia Medica. So true it is that Nature is, as a rule, the best doctor, and that a wife's health is pretty much as she herself chooses to make it. Shakspeare graphically and truthfully remarks that — *' Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie, Which we ascribe to Heaven ; the fated Gives us free scope ; only doth backward Our slow designs, when we ourselves are dull." 223. By adopting the dictates of reason and of common sense, many of the nervous, useless, lack- adaisical, fine ladies will be unknown, and Ave shall 108 ADYICE TO A WIFE. have instead blooming wives^ who will in due time become the mothers of hardy^ healthy, happy chil- dren. 224. In the foregoing pages the burden of my song has been health — the preservation of health — the most precious of God^s gifts, and one that is frittered away as though it were but of little value. Health ought to be the first consideration of all, and of every young wife especially, as, when she is married, her life, her health, are not altogether her own, but her husband^s and her f amily^s. Oh, it is a glorious gift, a precious boon, to be in the enjoyment of perfect health, and is worth a little care and striving to obtain. 225. In concluding the first division of my subject, let me entreat my fair reader to ponder well on what I have already said ; let her remember that she has a glorious mission ; let her thoroughly understand that if good habits and good rules be not formed and fol- lowed during the first year of her wifehood, they are not at all likely to be instituted afterwards. The first year is the golden opportunity to sow the seeds of usefulness, to make herself healthy and strong, and to cause her to be a blessing, a solace, and a comfort to her husband, her children, and all around her. The wife^s mission concerns the husband quite as much as it does the wife herself — ** The woman's cause is man's. They rise or sink Together. Dwarf 'd or godlike, bond or free ; If she be small, slight-natured, miserable, How shall men grow ? ''—Tennyson, 226. I cannot, in closing this introductory chapter, do better than quote the following graphic and truth- ful description of a good domestic wife — i:ntroductory chapter. — coxclusion^. 109 " Yes, a world of comfort, Lies in that one word, wife. After a bickering day To come with jaded spirit home at night, And find the cheerful fire, the sweet repast, At which, in dress of happy cheeks and eyes, Love sits, and, smiling, lightens all the board." — J. S. Knoivles. 227. Pope has painted an admirable portrait of a wife, which is well worth studying and engraving on the memory — ** She who ne'er answers till her husband cools. Or if she rules him, never shows she rules ; Charms by accepting, by submitting sways, Yet has her humor most when she obeys." 228. George Herbert, two centuries and a half ago beautifully describes his wdfe as — *' My joy, my life, my crown ; " and truly a good wife is emphatically a man^s joy, his life, and his crown I 229. There is, too, in Wordsworth a most exqui- sitely beautiful description of what a woman, if she be perfect, ought to be, which I cannot refrain from quoting. It is a perfect gem, a diamond of the first water, brilliant and sparkling, without flaw or blemish — *' A being breathing thoughtful breath — A traveller betwixt life and death ; The reason firm, the temperate will, Endurance, foresight, strength, and skill ; A perfect woman, nobly plann'd. To warn, to comfort, and command ; And yet, a spirit still, and bright. With something of an angel light." PART I. MENSTRUATION. Menstruation — " the periods '" — is the manifestation, the proof posi- tive, the sign-mannal of puberty ; the due perfo^nnance of which is, as a rule, necessary for health and for conception ; it usually ceases dur- ing pregnancy, iisually during suckling, and oftentimes during severe illness ; it comes on generally to the day, and frequently to the very hour, every lunar month, for the space of about thirty years, and then disappears altogether ; constituting, at its close, '' change of lifer 230. Menstruation plays a momentous part in the female economy ; indeed, unless it be in every tvay properly and duly performed, it is neither possible that a woman can be well, nor is it at all probable that she will conceive. The large number of barren, of delicate, and of hysterical women there are in England arises mainly from menstruation not being duly and properly performed. Sufficient attention has not hitherto been paid to this subject. I there- fore purpose devoting this special chapter to its due and careful consideration, and would beg my fair reader^s earnest attention to it. It is a matter that deeply concerns her, as the due performance of men- struation usually betokens health and happiness ; while the converse frequently tells of ailments and misery. ^ 110 MEXSTRUATIOX — EARLY MARRIAGE. Ill 231. Barren wives^ principally among the ^^ upper ten thousand/^ are very numerous — one wife in every eight wives being barren, being childless ! Must there not be some baneful influences at work to cause such a lamentable state of things ? Undoubtedly, and many of them, indeed most of them, are prevent- able ! 233. ^^ A tree is known by its fruit, ^^ so is a healthy womb — one capable of bearing a child — known usually by menstruation. If menstruation be, in every way, properly and healthily performed, there is, as a rule, no reason, as far as the ivife herself is concerned, why she should not conceive, carry, and, in due time, bring forth a living child. Hence the importance of Mexstruatiox, the subject on which we are now about to enter. Indeed, it is one of the most important that can engage the attention of every wife ; for if menstruation be healthy, the womb is healthy, and the woman, as a rule, is healthy, and capable both of conception and of child-bearing. 233. But to our subject. This is an important epoch in the life of a woman, and may be divided into three stages, namely — (1) The commencement of menstruation — of puberty ; (2) the continuation, at regular periods, of menstruation — the child-bearing age ; and (3) the close of menstruation, of child-bear- ing — ^^ the change of life.^^ 234. (1.) The commencement of menstruation. A good beginning at this time is peculiarly necessary, or a girl's health is sure to suffer, and different organs of the body — her lungs, for instance — may become imperilled. (2.) The continuation of menstruation. A healthy continuation, at regular periods, is much needed, or conception, when she is married, may 112 ADVICE TO A WIFE. not occur. (3.) The close of menstruation. Great attention and skilful management is required to ward off many formidable diseases^ which at the close of menstruation — at ^^the change of lif e ^^ — are more likely than at any time to be developed. 235. Whether, therefore, it be at the commence- ment, at the continuation, or at the close, watchful- ness and care must be paid to the subject, or irre- parable mischief may, and probably will, ensue. 236. Menstruation — ''the periods'^ — the appear- ance of the catamenia or the menses — is then one of the mod important epochs in a girFs life. It is the boundary-line, the landmark between childhood and womanhood ; it is the threshold, so to speak, of a ivoman^s life. Her body now develops and expands, and her mental capacity enlarges and improves. She then ceases to be a child, and she becomes a woman. She is now, for the first time, as a rule, able to con- ceive. 237. Although puberty has at this time commenced, it cannot be said that she is at her full perfection ; it takes eight or ten years more to complete her organ- ization, which will bring her to the age of twenty- three or twenty-five years. These perhaps are the best ages for a woman, if she have both the oppor- tunity and the inclination to marry. 238. If she marry when very yourfg, marriage weakens her system, and prevents a full development of her body. Moreover, such a one is, during the progress of her labor, prone to convulsions — which is a very serious childbed complication. Besides, if she marry when she is only seventeen or eighteen, the bones of the pelvis — the bones of the lower part of the trunk — are not at that time sutKcieutly devel- MENSTRUATION. — EARLY MARRIAGE. 113 oped ; are not properly shaped for the purpose of labor ; do not allow of sufficient space for the head of the child to readily pass^ as though she were of the riper age of twenty-three or twenty-five. She may have in consequence a severe and dangerous confine- ment. She will most probably not only herself have a hard^ and lingering, and perilous childbirth, but her innocent babe wdll most likely be still-born, or undersized, or unhealthy. Statistics prove that 20 per cent. — 20 in every 100 — of females who marry are under age, and that such early marriages are often followed by serious, and sometimes even by fatal consequences to mother, to progeny, or to both. Parents ought, therefore, to persuade their daughters not to marry until they are of age — twenty-one ; they should point out to them the risk and danger likely to ensue if their advice be not followed ; they should impress upon their minds the old adage — '* Early wed, Early dead." They should instil into them that splendid passage from Shakspeare, that — '' Things growing are not ripe until their season." 239. '^ What wonder that the girl of seventeen or eighteen, whose bones are only half-consolidated, and whose pelvis, especially with its muscular and liga- mentous surroundings, is yet far from maturity, loses her health after marriage, and becomes the delicate mother of sickly children ? Parents who have the real interest and happiness of their daughters at heart ought, in consonance with the laws of physi- ology, to discountenance marriage before twenty ; and the nearer the girls arrive at the age of twenty-five 8 114 ADVICE TO A WIFE. before the consummation of this important rite^ the greater the probability that, physically and morally^ they will be protected against those risks which pre- cocious marriages bring in their train/^ * 240. If a lady marry late in life^ say after she be thirty, the soft parts engaged in parturition are more rigid and more tense, and thus become less capable of dilatation, which might cause, for the first time, a hard and tedious labor. Again, when she marries late in life, she might not live to see her children grow up to be men and women. Moreover, as a rule, ^^the offspring of those that are very young or very old lasts not.'^ Everything, therefore, points out that the age above indicated — namely, somewhere be- tween twenty-one and thirty — is the most safe and suitable time for a woman to marry. 241. While talking about marriage, let me strongly urge a mother not to allow her daughter, if she be very delicate, to marry. 242. A man himself, too, should never contemplate marrying a woman unless she be healthy and of a healthy stock. If this advice were universally fol- lowed, how much happiness would be insured, and how much misery would be averted ! The conse- quences of marrying an unhealthy woman are really terrible — to husband, to wife, and to progeny. 243. The assurance companies all speak in language not to be misunderstood, of the great stress they lay, in the assurance of a life, upon a healthy family. Their testimony is of immense weight, as, of course, the value of lives is their especial business. * The Medical Adviser in Life Assurance. By Sir Edward Sieveking, M.D. London : J. & A. Churcliill. ME]S"STKUATIOK. — 3IARRIAGE. 115 244. A healthy family^ in the selection of a wife, is far before a wealthy family ; but, indeed, ^^ health is wealth/^ and wealth most precious ! 245. Let us pursue the subject of marriage a little further, as it is one of great importance. Feeble parents have generally feeble children ; diseased parents, diseased children ; nervous parents, nervous children; — ^ Hike begets like.^^ It is sad to reflect that the innocent have to suffer, not only for the guilty, but for the thoughtless and for the incon- siderate. Disease and debility are thus propagated from one generation to another, and the English race becomes wofully deteriorated. The above is a gloomy picture, and demands the efEorts of all who love their country to brighten its sombre coloring. 246. It is true that people live longer now than formerly ; but it is owing to increased medical skill and to improved sanitary knowledge keeping alive the puny, the delicate, and the diseased. Unfortunately, those imperfect creatures who sw^ell the ranks of the population will only propagate puny, delicate, and diseased progeny like themselves. Not only do chil- dren inherit the physical diseases, but they inherit likewise the moral and mental infirmities of their parents. 247. Diseased and delicate people have, then, no right to marry ; if they do, a reckoning day will as- suredly come, when they w^ill have to pay the extreme penalty of their temerity and folly. Truly marriage is a solemn responsibility, and should not be entered into without nature consideration. Pure blood and pure mind are, in marriage, far above riches, or rank, or any other earthly possession whatever ! 248. Menstruation generally comes on once every 116 ADVICE TO A WIFE. month — that is to say, every twenty-eight days ; usu- ally to the day, and frequently to the very hour. Some ladies, instead of being '^ regular ^^ every month are ^^ regular ^^ every three weeks. Each menstrua- tion continues from three to five days ; in some, for a week ; and in others for a longer period. It is estimated that, during each ^^ monthly period,^^ from four to six ounces is, on an average, the quantity dis- charged. 249. A lady seldom conceives unless she be ^^ reg- ular, ^^ although there are cases on record where women have conceived Avho have never had their ^' periods ;^^ but such cases are extremely rare. 250. Menstruation in this country usually com- mences at the ages of from thirteen to sixteen, some- times earlier ; occasionally as early as eleven or twelve ; at other times later, and not until a girl be seventeen or eighteen years of age. Menstruation in large towns is supposed to commence at an earlier period than in the country, and earlier in luxurious than in simple life.* 251. Menstruation continues for thirty, and some- times even for thirty-five years ; and, while it lasts, is a sign that a lady is liable to become pregnant — * ^'In the human female, the period of puberty, or of commencing aptitude for procreation, is usually between the thirteenth and sixteenth year. It is generally thought to be somewhat earlier in warm climates than in cold, and in densely populated manufacturing towns than in thinly populated agricultural districts. The mental and bodily habits of the individual have also considerable influence upon the time of its occurrence ; girls brought up in the midst of luxury or sensual indulgence undergoing this change earlier than those reared in hardihood and self- denial." — Dr, Carpenter's Human Physiology, 3IEiN^STRUATI0N. — LATE MATER:NriTY. 117 unless^ indeed, menstruation should be protracted much beyond the usual period of time. As a rule, then, when a woman ^^ ceases to be unwell/^ she ceases to have a family ; therefore, as menstruation usually leaves her at forty-five, it is seldom that after that age she has a child. 253. I have known ladies become mothers when they have been upwards of fifty years of age ; although they seldom conceive after they are forty- three, or, at all events, forty-five years old. I my- self delivered a woman in her fifty-first year of a fine healthy child. She had a kind and easy labor, and was the mother of a large family, the youngest being at the time of her last confinement twelve years old.* I also delivered a woman aged fifty-four of a healthy live child. ^^ Dr. Carpenter, of Durham, tells us that he has attended in their confinements several women whose ages were fifty. ' I well recol- lect a case occurring in my fathers practice in 1839, where a woman became a widow at forty-nine years of age. Shortly afterwards she married her second husband, and within twelve months of this time gave birth to her first child. These cases belong to the working classes.^ ^' 253. In very warm climates, such as in Abyssinia * '^ Some curious facts come to light in the Scottish Re- gistrar-General's report in reference to prolific mothers. One mother, who was only eighteen, had four children ; one, who was twenty-two had seven children ; and of two who were only thirty-four, one had thirteen and the other fourteen children ; and, on the other hand, two women became mothers as late in life as at fifty-one and four at fifty-two ; and one mother was registered as having given birth to a child in the fifty-seventh year of her age." 118 ADVICE TO A WIFE. uiid ill India^ girls menstruate when very young — at ten or eleven years old ; indeed^ they are sometimes mothers at those ages. But when it commences early, it leaves early ; so that they are old women at thirty. '' Physically, we know that there is a very large latitude of difference in the periods of human maturity, not merely between individual and indi- vidual, but also between nation and nation — differ- ences so great, that in some southern regions of Asia we hear of matrons at the age of twelve.'^* 254. In cold climates, sucli as Russia, women begin to menstruate late m life, frequently not until they are between twenty and thirty years old ; and as it lasts on them thirty or thirty-five years, it is not an unusual occurrence for them to bear children at a very advanced age — even so late as sixty. They are frequently not ^^ regular ^^ of tener than three or four times a year, and when it does occur, the men- strual discharge is generally sparing in quantity. 255. The menstrual fluid is not exactly blood, although, both in appearance and in properties, it much resembles it ; yet it never in the healthy state clots as blood does. It is a secretion from the womb, and, when healthy, ought to be of a bright red color, in appearance very much like blood from a recently cut finger. 256. The menstrual fluid ought not, as before observed, to clot. If it does, a lady, during ^^ her periods,^' suffers intense pain ; moreover, she seldom conceives until the clotting has ceased. Application must therefore, in such a case, be made to a medical man, who will soon relieve the above painful symp- t De Quincey. MEXSTRUATION. — AX^MIA. 119 toms^ ancl^ by doing so^ will probably pave the way to her becoming pregnant. 257. Menstruation generally ceases entirely in pregnancy^ during suckling, and usually both in diseased and in disordered states of the womb. It also ceases in cases of extreme debility, and in severe illness, especially in consumption ; indeed, in the latter disease — consumption — it is one of the most unfavorable of the symptoms. 258. Some ladies, though comparatively few, men- struate during suckling ; when they do, it may be considered not as the rule, but as the exception. It is said, in such instances, that they are more likely to conceive ; and no doubt they are, as menstruation is an indication of a proneness to conception. Many persons have an idea that when a woman, during lactation, menstruates, her milk is both sweeter and purer. Such is an error. Menstruation during suckling is more likely to weaken the mother, and consequently to deteriorate her milk, and thus make it less sweet and less pure. It therefore behoves a parent never to take a wet nurse who menstruates during the period of suckling. 259. During ^^the monthly periods ^^ violent exer- cise is injurious ; iced drinks and acid beverages are improper ; and bathing in the sea, and bathing the feet in cold water, and cold baths are dangerous ; indeed, at such times as these no risks should be run, and no experiments should, for one moment, be permitted, otherwise serious consequences w411, in all probability, ensue. ^^ The monthly periods ^^ are times not to be trifled with, or woe betide the unfortunate trifler ! 260. A lady sometimes suffers severe pains both just before and during her '^'^ poorly ^^ times. When 120 ADVICE TO A WIFE. such is the case^ she seldom conceives until the pain is removed. She ought therefore to apply to a medi- cal man for relief. AVhen she is freed from the pain, in all probability she will in due time become en- ceijite. 261. If a married woman have painful menstrua- tion^ even if she becomes pregnant, she is more likely, in the early stage, to miscarry. This is an important consideration, and requires the attention of a doctor skilled in such matters. 2G2. The pale, colorless-complexioned, helpless, listless, and almost lifeless young ladies, who are so constantly seen in society, usually owe their miser- able state of health to absent, to deficient, or to pro- fuse menstruation. Their breathing is short — they are soon ^^ out of breath \" if they attempt to take exercise — to walk, for instance, either upstairs or up a hill, or even for half a mile on level ground, their breath is nearly exhausted — they pant as though tliey had been running quickly. They are ready, after the slightest exertion or fatigue, and after the least worry or excitement, to feel faint, and sometimes even to actually swoon away. Now such cases may, if judicially treated, be generally soon cured. It therefore behoves mothers to seek medical aid early for their girls, and that before irreparable mischief has been done to the constitution. If this advice had been early followed, how many a poor girl might have been saved from consumption, and from an untimely grave, and made a useful member of society ; but, alas ! like many other things in this world, mothers will not ^Hiearken unto counsel ^^ until it be too late — too late ; and then, at the eleventh hour, doctors are expected to work miracles ! MEI^STKUATION. — THE WHITES. 121 263. There is an evil practice which^ as it is very general^ requires correction^ namely^ the giving of alcoholic stimulants by a mother to her daughter at the commencement of each of ^^her periods ; ^^ more especially if she be in much pain. This practice often leads a girl to love spirits — to become, in course of time^ a drunkard. There are other reme- dieS;, not at all injurious^ that medical men give at these times^ and which will afford both speedier and more effectual relief than a stimulant. 264. If a single lady^ who is about to be married, have painful, or scanty, or too pale, or too dark menstruation, it is incumbent on either her mother or a female friend to consult, two or three months before the marriage takes place, an experienced medical man on her case ; if this be not done, after marriage she will most likely labor under ill-health, or be afflicted with barrenness, or, if she do conceive, be prone to miscarry. Anaemic girls who suffer from scanty and pale-colored menstruation should always be treated until the anaemia has disappeared. 265. In a pale, delicate girl or wife, who is labor- ing under what is popularly called poverty of Uoody the menstrual fluid is sometimes very scant, at others very copious, but is, in either case, usually very pale — almost as colorless as water, the patient being very nervous and even hysterical. Xow, these are signs of great debility ; but, fortunately for such a one, a medical man is, in the majority of cases, in posses- sion of remedies that will soon make her all right again. 266. A delicate girl has no right, until she be made strong, to marry. If she should marry, she will frequently, when in labor, not have strength. 122 ADVICE TO A WIFE. unless she has help^ to bring a child into the world ; which, provided she be healthy and well formed, ought not to be. How graphically the Bible tells of delicate women not having strength to bring children into the world : '^ For the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth/^ — 2 Kings xix. 3. 267. The menstrual discharge, as before remarked ought, if healthy, to be of the color of blood — of fresh unclotted blood. If it be either too pale (and it sometimes is almost colorless), or, on the other hand, if it be both dark and thick (it is occasionally iis dark, and sometimes nearly as thick, as treacle), there will be but scant hopes of a lady conceiving. A medical man ought, therefore, at once to be con- sulted, who will, in the generality of cases, be able to remedy the defect. The chances are that, as soon tis the defect be remedied, she will become pregnant. 268. Menstruation at another time is too scanty ; this is a frequent cause of sterility. Medical aid, in the majority of cases, will be able to remedy the de- fect, and, by doing so, will probably be the means of bringing the womb into a healthy state, and thus predispose to conception. This is usually the result of anemia. 269. A married lady is very subject to ^^ the whites ;" the more there is of ^Hhe whites ^^ the less there will usually be of the menstrual discharge ; so that, in a bad case of ^^the whites,^^ menstruation might entirely cease, until proper means be used both to restrain the one and to bring back the other. In- deed, as a rule, if ^^the periods,^^ by proper treat- ment, be healthily established and restored, '^the whites " will often cease of themselves. Deficient MEKSTRUATION". — THE WHITES. 123 nieiistruatioii is a frequent cause of '^ the whites/'^ and the consequent faihire of a family ; and as defi- cient menstruation is usually curable, a medical man ought, in all such cases, to be consulted. 270. ^^ The whites ^^ may be the result of costive bowels. Kemedy the constipation and '^ the whites'^ soon disappear. 271. " The periods/^ at other times are either too profuse or too long continued. Either the one or the other is a frequent source of barrenness and is also weakening to the constitution, and thus tends to bring a lady into a bad state of health. This, like the former cases, by judicious management may gen- erally be remedied ; and, being remedied, will in all probability result in the wife becoming a mother. 272. The color of the menstrual fluid, Avhen not healthy, sometimes varies at each period, and at dif- ferent periods ; some of it may be very dark — almost black ; some, bright red — as from a cut finger ; and some of a greenish hue. Sometimes it may last but one day ; sometimes a couple of days ; at other times three or four days, and even a week — there being no certainty ; sometimes it may cease for a while, and then, may return again upon the slightest worry, or anxiety, or excitement ; so that a lady, in such a case, may be said to be scarcely ever properly clear of her ^^ periods. ^^ During the interval — if there be an interval — she is troubled with ^'^the whites."^^ In point of fact, she is never free from the one or the other ; she feels nervous, dispirited, and even hyster- ical : has pains of the left side, under the short ribs ; flatulence and racking neuralgic pains, flrst in one place and then in another. So that at one time or another scarcely any part of the body but either is. 124 ADVICE TO A WIFE. or has been, more or less affected. There may be dragging pains round and down loins and hips ; or palpitation of the heart, making her fancy that she has a disease of the heart, when she has nothing of the kind — when it is the womb, and not the heart, that is really at fault, and which will, if properly treated, be cured. ^'^The whites ^^ and ^^the periods ^^ to- gether terribly drain her system and weaken her nervous energy exceedingly, causing her to be totally unfitted for her duties and making her life a toil and trouble. Now this is a wretched state of affairs, and while it lasts there is, of course, not the slightest chance either of health or of a family. I should advise such a one to apply to a doctor experienced in such matters, wlio will be able to restore the womb to a healthy state, and thus bring back healthy mens- truation, which, in due time, may lead to pregnancy. But if she put off attending to the symptoms just described, continued ill-health, chronic dyspepsia for the rest of her life, and barrenness, will be her por- tion. The above sketch of one of a numerous class of similar cases is not overdrawn : indeed, many of my fair readers will recognize the picture as one painted from the very life — which it really has been. 273. When a lady is neither pregnant nor ^' regu- lar, ^^ she ought immediately to apply to a doctor, as she may depend upon it there is something wrong about her, and that she is not likely to become enceinte until menstruation be properly established. As soon as menstruation be duly and healthily estab- lished, pregnancy will most likely, in due time, ensue. 274. When a lady is said to be ^^ regular, ^^ it is understood that she is ^^ regular ^^ as to quality, and quantity, and time. If she be only ^^ regular ^^ as to il MENSTRUATION. — HEALTH. 125 the time, and the qumitity be either deficient or in excess; or, if she be ^^ regular ^^ as to the tiiney and the quality be bad/ either too pale or too dark ; or if she be ^^ regular ^^ as to the quality and quantity, and be irregular as to the time, she cannot be well, and the sooner means are adopted to remedy the evil, the better it will be both for her health and for her happiness. 275. A neglected miscarriage is a frequent cause of unhealthy menstruation ; and until the womb, and in consequence, '^ the periods, ^^ by judicious local treat- ment, be made healthy, there is indeed but scant chance of a family or of good health. 276. I have no doubt that — among fashionable ladies — alcohol, which they take in quantities ^^to keep them up to the mark,^^ as they call it, is one great cause of hysteria. Ladies who never taste brandy, and but one or, at most, two glasses of wine daily, seldom labor under hysteria. And why is it so ? Alcohol, at all in excess, depresses the system, and thus predisposes it to hysteria and to other nervous affections. 277. A lady who is not a votary of fashion, and who is neither a brandy-drinker nor a wine-bibber, may have hysteria — one, for instance, who has natur- ally a delicate constitution, or who has been made delicate by any depressing cause. . 278. A large family of children, repeated miscar- riages, and profuse menstruation, are three common causes of hysteria : indeed, anything and everything that produces debility will induce hysteria. 279. There are two classes of wives most liable to hysteria, namely, those who have had too many chil- dren, and those who have had none at all. Both 126 ADVICE TO A WIFE. these conditions of wifehood are detrimental to health ; but of the two^ the childless wife is far more liable to hysteria, and to many other diseases, than is the prolific mother. 280. Diseases of the womb and of the breast are more likely to fasten, especially at " change of life/^ upon a childless than upon a prolific wife. This fact — for it is a fact — ought to be very consolatory to a mother who is burdened with, and weakened by, a numerous progeny. 281. It is an unnatural state of things for a wife to be childless, as frequently, alas ! too many are from preventable causes ; but so it is, and so it will be, until more attention is paid to the subject — until the importance of healthy menstruation be more insisted upon than it is or has been — and until proper treat- ment be adopted to remedy the widespread evil. 282. Hysterical patients need not despair, as by strengthening their systems, their wombs especially, with judicious treatment, hysteria may generally be cured. 283. Now hysteria causes a wretched train of symp- toms, mimicking almost every disease to which flesh is heir. Menstruation, in nearly all cases of hysteria, is more or less at fault ; it may be too profuse, or too deficient, or absent altogether ; so that, in 23oint of fact, hysteria and malmenstruation together generally go hand in hand. There is another peculiarity of hysteria ; it generally attacks the delicate, those with poor appetites, those with languid circulations — with cold hands and cold feet, and those subject, in the winter-time, to chilblains. 284. I will enumerate a few of the symptoms of hysteria to show its Protean form ; if I were to dwell MEXSTEUATIOX. — HYSTERIA. 127 on all the symptoms, this book would not be large enough to hold them ! The head is often attacked with frightful pains^ especially over one eyebrow ; the pain is said to resemble that of the driving of a nail into the sknll. The patient is low-spirited and melancholy^ and^ without rhyme or reason^ very tear- ful. She likes to mope in a corner, and to shun society, and looks gloomily on all things. She is sub- ject to chokings in the throat — she feels as though a ball were rising in it. If this sensation should be in- tensified, she will have a hysterical paroxysm.* She has, at times, violent palpitation of the heart — mak- ing her fancy that she has a diseased heart, when she has nothing of the kind. She has short and hurried breathing. She has j)ains in her left side, under the short ribs. She has oftentimes violent pains of the bosom — making her very unhappy, as she firmly be- lieves that she has cancer of the breast. She has noisy eructations and belchings of ^^ wind,^' and spasms of the stomach and rumblings of the bowels. She has neuralgic pains in different parts of the body, first in one place, then in another, so that there is not a single part of her body which has not been more or less affected at some period or other. 285. Hysteria frequently simulates paralysis, the patient complaining that she has suddenly lost all power in her arm or her leg, as the case may be. The paralytic symptom generally leaves as quickly as it comes ; only to show itself again after the slightest * I have dwelt so largely on the symptoms of a, Jit or par- oxysm of hysteria in one of my other Books — Advice to a Motlier — that I need not say more upon it in this work. I therefore beg to refer my fan* reader, interested in the sub- ject, to that volume. 128 ADVICE TO A WIFE. worry or excitement^ and sometimes even without any- apparent cause whatever. 286. Hysteria will sometimes mimic either tetanus, or one particular form of tetanus^ namely, lock-jaw ; so that the patient^s body, in the one case, will be- come bent like a bow — she resting the while on her head and feet ; or, in the other case, the jaws will be locked as in lock-jaw ; but both the one and the other are unlike either tetanus or lock-jaw, as the two former are both evanescent, and unattended with danger ; wliile the two latter, if real, are of longer continuance, and are most perilous. 287. There is another common symptom of hysteria, which is, the patient passing an immense quantity of clear, colorless, limpid urine, like water, the hyster- ical patient sometimes filling, in a very short time, a pot-de-cha7nlre. 288. Flatulence is sometimes the torment of her life ; it not only causes much discomfort, but fre- quently great pain. The wind rumbles about the bowels outrageously ; first in one place, then in an- other, and then rising in volumes to her throat, almost chokes her. Her abdomen, is, at times, as largely distended as though she were advanced in pregnancy. 289. There is another peculiarity of hysteria which is very characteristic of the complaint, namely, a hysterical patient is afraid to go either to church, or to any other place of worship. If she should venture there she feels as if she should be smothered or suf- focated, or as though the roof were going to fall upon her ; and, at the sound of the organ, she is inclined either to swoon away or to scream outright. When- ever she does go to church, she likes to sit near the J ME]vfSTRUATIO:N". — HYSTERIA. 139 door^ in order that she may have jDlenty of air^ and that she may be able, if she feel so inclined^ to leave the church at any moment — she having no confidence in herself. The going to churchy then^ is with many a hysterical patient a real agony^ and sometimes even an impossibility. Many persons cannot understand the feelings of hysterical patients not wishing to go to church ; but doctors^ who see much of the com- plaint^ know that feeling thoroughly^ and can enter into and appreciate the horrors they at such times experience. 290. It might be asked^ Can all these symptoms be cured ? I say emphatically that^ in the generality of cases, they may be, provided that the womb, and in consequence menstruation, by judicious treatment, is brought into a healthy condition. 291. Many diseases that are considered by ladies to be desperate are purely hysterical, and are amenable to treatment. It may be well to state that hysteria may be real or feigned, or it may be a mixture of the two — partly real and partly feigned. It is, with single girls, frequently feigned ; with married women, it is usually real, and unless relieved, it is the misery of their lives. 292. Although, in some instances, all the symptoms above enumerated may be present ; in others, some, or even many, of the symptoms may altogether be absent, and yet the complaint may decidedly be a case of genuine hysteria. 293. There is one consolation for a patient who is hysterical : hysteria is usually curable ; while many other diseases that may counterfeit hysteria are in- curable. All doubtful cases require the careful in- vestigation of a judicious and experienced medical 9 130 ADYICE TO A WIFE. man to decide ; but Avhether a case be hysteria, or otherwise^ skilled treatment is absolutely needed. 294. Sydenham, with his usual shrewdness, remarks that hysteria is ^^ constant only in inconstancy ; ^^ for there is scarcely a disease under the sun that hys- teria does not imitate, and that, sometimes, most ac- curately. Truly, hysteria is the most accomplished and versatile actress of the day ; she is, at one moment, tragic ; she is, the next, comic ; she is — '* Everything by starts., and nothing long." 295. The sterile and the single woman are both much more prone than is the fruitful married woman to womb diseases, more especially during ^'change of life^^ ; it therefore behoves the sterile and the single woman, if they have, during ^^ change of life,^^ or at any other time, any suspicious womb symptoms, to consult, without loss of time, a doctor experienced in such matters, in order that, if the womb be at all affected, disease may, when jDracticable — and it often is practicable — be nipped in the bud. 296. There is among young wives, of the higher ranks, of the present time, much hysteria ; indeed, it is among them, in one form or another, the most frequent complaint of the day. Can it be wondered at ? Certainly not. The fashionable system of spend- ing married life — such as late hours, close rooms, ex- citement, rounds of visiting, luxurious living — is quite enough to account for its prevalence. The menstrual function in a case of this kind is not duly performed ; it is either too much or too little in quan- tity ; ^' the periods ^^ occur too soon or too late, or at ir- regular periods. I need scarcely say that such a one until a different order of things be instituted, and MEXSTRUATIO>y^. — HYSTERIA. 131 until proper and efficient means be used to restore healthy menstruation^ is not likely to conceive ; or, if she do conceive, she will most likely either mis- carry, or, if she go her time, will bring forth a puny, delicate child. Such a fashionable wife and happy mother are incompatibilities I Oh, it is sad to con- template the numerous victims that are sacrificed yearly on the shrine of fashion I The grievous part of the business is, that fashion is not usually amenable to reason and common sense ; argument, entreaty, rid- icule, are each and all alike in turn powerless in the matter. Be that as it may, I am determined boldly to proclaim the truth, and to make plain the awful danger of a wife becoming a votary of fashion. 297. Many a lady, either from suppressed or from deficient menstruation, who is noAV hysterical and dyspeptic, weak and nervous, looking wretched, and whose very life is a burden, may, by applying to a medical man, be restored to health and strength. 298. Menstruation is the gauge whether the womb be sound or otherwise ; it is an index, too, that may generally be depended uj)on, quite as much as the fruit on a tree indicates whether the tree be healthy or diseased. How large is the multitude of barren women ! How many disappointed homes in conse- quence I How much chronic ill-health in wives arises from unhealthy neglected menstruation I It is strange that, when relief may usually be readily obtained, such symptoms are allowed to go on unchecked and un- tended. The subject in hand is of vital importance ; indeed, menstruation, as a rule, decides whether a wife, shall be a healthy wife or a diseased wife — whether she shall be the cause of a hapjDy or of a dis- appointed home — whether she shall be blessed with a 132 ADVICE TO A WIFE. family or afflicted with barrenness. If snch be true, and it cannot be gainsaid, menstruation may be con- sidered one of the most important questions that can engage the earnest attention of both doctor and wife ; but unfortunately it is one that has hitherto been grievously neglected, as the many childless and deso- late homes of England abundantly testify. CHANGE OF LIFE, OR PREGNANCY, OR DISEASE OF THE WOMB ? 299. How is a patient to distinguish, at about the time of her ^^ ceasing to be unwell,^^ if she be really pregnant, or merely going through the process of ^^ change of life," or if she have a tendency to a diseased womb ? The case must be taken in all its bearings ; the age of the jiatieiit ; the symptoms of pregnancy, over and above the cessation of menstru- ation, or the absence of such symptoms ; ^^ the periods " ; the sudden general fatness of the patient, or otherwise ; the general state of her health ; if she have a bearing-down, or " the whites," or other dis- charges to which she had not previously been subject. Women at the " change " frequently suffer from nerv- ous and other troubles — pains in the breast, discharge from the womb, pelvic or uterine pains. They fancy they have tumors, disease, cancer even. In the majority of instances the case is simply the loss of balance between the several functions. For a time tlie harmony usually working between the various organs is disturbed. The nervous system often gives the most prominent evidence of this disorder. It is important to recognize this truth. Disorder does not necessarily mean disease. 300. The age. It is comparatively rare for ladies MENSTRUATION. — CHANGE OF LIFE. 133 to conceive after the age of about forty-three years. For conception to occur after that age — it does^ how- ever^ sometimes— is considered the exception, and not the rule. 301. The symptoms of pregnancy. These must be carefully studied, and as I shall have to go over them in a subsequent part of this book, I beg to refer my fair readers to those paragraphs ; I am alluding, of course, to the other symptoms described, besides cessation of menstruation. 302. ''The periods.^' It being the ^^ change of life, ^"^ the periods have for some time been irregular, that is to say, have not come on regularly as was their wont, occurring more frequently or less frequently ; the loss being larger or smaller in quantity than it used to be ; in point of fact, the patient is now neither '' regular '^ as to time nor as to quantity, but varies in a most uncertain manner in both respects. 303. The sudden general fatness of tlie patient, A lady at the " change of life ^' frequently becomes sud- denly fat ; there is not a bone to be seen, she is cush- ioned in fat ; her chin especially fattens, it becomes a double chin : she is '^ as fat as butter. ^^ A patient who is pregnant, particularly when late in life, fre- quently becomes, except in the abdomen, thin and attenuated ; her features, her nose and chin espe- cially, have a pinched and pointed appearance ; very different to the former case. 304. (By way of parenthesis I may say, — There is one consolation for a lady who has a child late in life : it frequently, after it is over, does her health great good, and makes the '' change of life^^ pass off more favorably and kindly than it otherwise would have done. A lady who late in life is in the family 134 ADVICE TO A WIFE. way requires consolation^ for she usually suffers, at such times, very disagreeable symptoms, which make her feel very wretched. So that for her there is often — as there is in most all other affairs in the world — compensation ! ) 305. The general state of the liealth must be taken into consideration. The patient may neither be pregnant, nor be laboring under the symptoms of ^^ change of life,^^ alone ; but there may be other causes in operation as well, namely, threatening symptoms of a diseased womb, indicated by bearing- down of the womb, by severe '^ whites, ^^ and by other disagreeable discharges from the womb, which will require the care and treatment of a medi- cal man skilled in such matters, to cure or to relieve. A doctor should, in all doubtful cases, be at once consulted, as early treatment, in womb affections, is a great element of success. 306. It should be borne in mind, too, that diseases of the womb are very apt to show themselves at the ' ^' change of life,^^ more especially when a lady has never had a child. These facts should make a wife, at such times, doubly diligent, as ^"^to be forewarned is to be forearmed,^^ and thus to be prepared, in all doubtful cases, by calling in advice in time, for any and for every emergency and contingency that may arise. How much misery and ill-health might, if this counsel were followed, be averted ! The womb is the cause of much, indeed of most, of the bad health and suffering of ladies, not only during ^^ change of life,^^ but during the whole period of womanhood — from puberty to old age ; there may be displacement, or bearing-dow^n, or disease, or disorder of the womb : — hence the importance of our subject. MEKSTRUATION". — CHANGE OF LIFE. 135 and the great need of careful investigation, and of early treatment. How many people lock wp the stable when the horse is stolen ! How many persons defer applying for relief until it be too late — too late ! THE ^' CHANGE OF LIFE." 307. As soon as a lady ceases to be ^^ after the manner of women ^^ — that is to say, as soon as she ceases to menstruate — it is said that she has ^^ a change of life '/^ and if she does not take proper care, she will soon have '^a change of health'" to boot, which in all probability will be for the worse. '' Change of life ^^ is sometimes called ^''the critical period."" It well deserves its name — it is one of the critical periods of a woman's life, and oftentimes requires the counsel of a doctor experienced in such matters to skillfully treat. 308. After a continuation of about thirty years of ^^the periods/" a woman ceases to menstruate — that is to say, when she is about forty-four or forty-five years of age, and, occasionally, as late in life as when she is forty-eight years of age, she has '^ change of life,"" or, as it is sometimes called, ^*^a turn of years"" — '^ the turn of life.'" Now, before this takes place, she oftentimes becomes very "^^ irregular ; "" she is at one time '^ unwell "" before her proper period ; at another time either before or after ; so that it be- comes a dodging time with her, as it is styled. In a case of this kind menstruation is sometimes very pro- fuse ; it is at another very sparing ; it is occasionally light-colored — almost colorless ; it is sometimes as red as from a cut finger ; while it is now and then dark, and as thick as treacle. 136 ADVICE TO A WIFE. 309. When a lady is about having the ^^ change of lite/' violent flooding is apt to come on — as profuse as though she were miscarrying. Thus violent flood- ing is often the finale of her ^"^ periods/^ and she sees no more of them. 310. Others^ again^ more especially the active and abstemious^ suffer so little at ^^ change of life/' that, without any premonitory symptoms whatever, it sud- denly, in due time, leaves them — they the while ex- periencing neither pain nor inconvenience. 311. A lady at the ^^ change of life'' usually begins to take more food ; fat moi-e especially accumulates about the bosom and about the abdomen, thus giving her a matronly appearance, and, now and then, making her believe that she is enceinte, especially if the ^^ wish be father to the thought." So firmly has she sometimes been convinced herself of being in an interesting condition, that she has actually prepared baby-linen for the expected event, and has even en- gaged her monthly nurse. Now, it would be well, before such a one makes up her mind that she is really pregnant, to consult an experienced doctor in the matter, and then her mind would be set at rest, and all unpleasant gossip and silly jokes be silenced. Skilled knowledge, in every doubtful case, is the only knowledge worth the having ; the opinion of old women, in such matters, is indeed of scant value ! 312. She has peculiar pains, sometimes in one place and then in another ; the head is often affected, at one time the back, at another time the front, over her eyes, light and noise having but little or no effect in aggravating the headache. She is very ^^ nervous," as it is called, and has frequent flutterings of the heart, and sudden flushings of the face and neck — causing ME2s"STRUATI0X. — CHANGE OF LIFE. 13? her to become, to her great annoyance, as red as a peon}' ! The nervous symptoms at the '' change of life^^ often involve intense mental suffering. The patient frequently imagines that she is becoming in- sane. With due treatment all this passes off. 313. She has swellings and pains of her breast, so as often to make her fancy that she has some malig- nant tumor there. She is troubled much with flatulence, and with pains, sometimes on the right, and at other times on the left side of the abdomen. The flatulence is occasionally very troublesome, so as to cause her to shun society, and to make her life almost burdensome ; she has not only '' wind^^ in the bowels, but '^wind''^ in the stomach, Avhich fre- quently rises up to her throat, making her sometimes hysterical. Indeed, she is often hysterical — a little thing making her laugh or cry, or both the one and the other in a breath I She has frequently pains in her left side^n the region of the short ribs. She has pains in her back — in the lower part of her back, and low down in her abdomen. 314. The nose is, at these times, very much in- clined to bleed, more especially at what was formerly her ^^period.^^ Nature is doing all she can to effect relief, and, therefore, should not be meddled with unnecessarily. The nose should be allowed to bleed on, unless, indeed, the bleeding be very profuse. 315. Eruptions of the skin, more especially on the face, are at such times very apt to occur, so as to make a perfect fright of a comely woman ; there is one comfort for her — the eruption, with judicious treatment, will gradually disappear, leaving no blemish behind. 316. The above symptoms, either a few or all of 138 ADVICE TO A WIFE. them, at the " change of life^^ are of common occur- rence, and require the assistance of a doctor experi- enced in such matters. If they be neglected, serious consequences may, and most likely will, ensue : while, on the other hand, if they be properly treated, such symptoms will gradually subside, leaving her in excellent health — better, probably, than she has been in for years, more especially if her constitution has been previously weakened by repeated child- births. 317. Fat is apt, at these times, to accumulate about the throat and about the chin — giving her a double chin. There is oftentimes, too, a slight in- dication of a beard. 318. We sometimes hear of a lady being ^^fat, fair and forty. ^^ Now, when a wife, at the age of forty, suddenly becomes very fat, however ^^ fair^^ she may be — and she is often very fair — she seldom has any more family, even though she be ^^ regular ^^ — the sudden fatness often denoting premature ^^ change of life.^^ If such a one had, before the fat had accumu- lated, taken more out-door exercise, she would, in all probability, have kept her fat down, and would thus have prevented premature ^^ change of life.^^ Active, bustling women are seldom very fat, and sometimes have their ^^ periods ^' until they are forty-eight years of age ; indeed they occasionally bear children at that age, and have splendid confinements. How true it is, that luxurious living and small families, and hard and tedious labors and premature decay, generally go hand in hand together ! But so it is, and so it always will be ; luxury draws heavy bills on the con- stitution, which must eventually be paid, and that with heavy and with compound interest. MEXSTRUATIOX. — CHAXGE OF LIFE. 139 310. Bleeding piles are very apt to occur at the '' change of life '^ ; they frequently come on periodi- cally. Now, bleeding piles, at such times as these, may be considered a good sign, as an effort of IsTature to relieve herself, and to be very beneficial to health, and therefore ought not, unless very violent, to be interfered with, and certainly not without the con- sent of a judicious medical man. Meddling with Xature is a dangerous matter, and is a hazardous game to play I 320. When ^^ change of life'' begins, — during its continuance, and for some time afterwards, — a lady labors at times, as above stated, under great flushings of heat ; she, as it were, blushes all over ; she gets very hot and red, almost scarlet, then perspires, and afterwards becomes cold and chilly. These flushings occur at very irregular periods ; they may come on once or twice a day, at other times only once or twice a week, and occasionally only at what would have been her ^^ periods.'^ These flushings may be looked upon as rather favorable symptoms, and as a struggle of Xature to relieve herself through the skin. They are occasionally attended with hysterical symptoms. A little appropriate medicine is desirable. A lady while laboring under these heats is generally very much annoyed and distressed ; but she ought to com- fort herself with the knowledge that they are in all probability doing her good service, and that they may be warding off from some internal organ of her body serious mischiefs. 321. The '^ change of life,^^ then, is one of the most important periods of a lady^s existence, and generally determines whether, for the rest other da}^s, she shall either be healthy or otherwise. It therefore impera- 140 ADVICE TO A WIFE. tively behoves her to pay attention to the subject, and in all cases, when it is about to take place, to consult a medical man, who will, in the majority of cases, be of great benefit to her, as he will be able not only to relieve the symptoms above enumerated, but to ward off many important and serious diseases to which she would otherwise be liable. When the ^^ change of life '^ ends favorably, which if properly managed, it generally does, she may improve in constitution, and may really enjoy better health and spirits, and more comfort than she has done for many previous years. A lady who has during her wifehood eschewed fashionable society, and who lias lived simply, plainly, and sensibly, who has avoided stimulants, and who has taken plenty of outdoor exercise, will during the autumn and winter of her existence reap her reward by enjoying what is the greatest earthly blessing — health ! Not only her health will be established, but her comeliness and youthfulness will be prolonged. Although she may not have the freshness and bloom of youth, which is very evanescent, but will probably have a beauty of her own, which is ofttimes more lasting than that of youth, telling of a well-spent life — "And yet 'tis said, there's beauty that will last When the rose withers and the bloom be past." Crdbbe, 322. It is surprising how soon a fashionable life plants crow-feet on the face and wrinkles on the brow ; indeed, a fashionist becomes old before her time ; and not only old, but querulous and dissatisfied. Nothing ages the countenance, sours the temper, and interferes with " the critical period, ^^ more than a fashionable life. Fashion is a hard, and cruel, and I I MEKSTRUATIOX. — CHANGE OF LIFE. 141 exacting creditor, who will be paid to the uttermost farthing — " See the wild purchase of the bold and Tain, Whose every bliss is bought with equal pain." — Juvenal. 323. With regard to stimulants during the '' change of life/^ let me raise my voice loudly against the aluse of them. Beyond a very moderate quantity they be- come, during the period of the '^ change of life/^ positively injurious. There is a great temptation for a lady during that time to take a stimulant, for she feels weak and depressed, and it gives her temporary relief ; but, alas I it is only temporary relief — the ex- citement from it is evanescent, and aggravated de- pression and increased weakness are sure to follow in the train of the ahuse of it. 324. Although many women at the ^^ change of life '' derive some benefit from taking a stimulant, others, at such times, are better without any stimulant whatever. When such be the case, let them be thorough teetotalers. A tumblerful or two of fresh milk during the twenty-four hours is, for those who cannot take a stimulant, an excellent substitute. PART n. PREGNANCY. Of the fruit of thy body.— The Psalms. The fruitful vine.— The Psalms. The fruit of the w'o»i6.— Genesis. The children which were yet unborn.— The Psalms. TJiy children icithin thee.— The Psalms. SIGNS OF PREGNANCY. 325. The first sign that leads a hidy to suspect that she is pregnant is her ceasing-to-ie-umcelL This, provided she has just before been in good health, is a strong symptom of pregnancy ; but still, there must be others to cori'oborate it. 326. A healthy married woman, during the period of child-bearing, suddenly ceasing-to-be-unwell is of itself alone almost a sure and certain sign of preg- nancy, requiring but little else besides to confirm it. This fact is well known by all who have had children. They base their predictions and their calculations upon it, and upon it alone, and are seldom deceived. 327. But as ccnsing-fo-be-unwell may proceed from other causes than that of pregnancy, such as disease or disorder of the womb or of other organs of the 142 PREGXA:N^CY. — MORXIXG SICKXESS. 143 body — especially of the lungs — it is not by itself alone entirely to be depended upon ; although^ as a single sign, it is, especially if the patient be healthy, one of the most reliable of all the other signs of pregnancy. 328. The next symptom is morning-sickness. This is an early symptom of pregnancy. It sometimes oc- curs a few days, and indeed generally not later than a fortnight or three weeks after conception. It is frequently distressing, oftentimes amounting to vomit- ing, and causing a loathing of breakfast. This sign usually disappears after the first three or four months. Morning-sickness is not always present in pregnancy ; but, nevertheless, it is a frequent accompaniment ; and many who have had families place more reliance on this than on any other symptom. Being one of the earliest, if not the very earliest, symptom of pregnancy, it is, by some ladies, taken as their start- ing-point from which to commence making their " count.'' 329. Morning-sickness, then, if it does not arise from a disordered stomach, is a trustworthy sign of pregnancy. A lady who has once had morning -sick- ness can always for the future distinguish it from each and from every other sickness ; it is a peculiar sickness, which no other sickness can simulate. Moreover, it is emphatically a morning-sickness — the patient being, as a rule, for the rest of the day entirely free from sickness or from the feeling of sickness. 330. A third symptom is sliooting, tliToMing, and lancinating pains in, and enlargement of tliehr easts, loith soreness of the nipples, occurring about the sec- ond month. In some instances, after the first few months a small quantity of watery fluid, or a little. 144 ADVICE TO A WIFE. milk^ may be squeezed out of them. This latter symptom, in a first pregnancy, is valuable, and can generally be relied on as fairly conclusive of preg- nancy. It is not so valuable in an after pregnancy, as a little milk may remain in the breasts for some months after a lady has weaned her child, even should she not be pregnant. 331. Milk in the breast, however small it may be in quantity, especially in the first pregnancy, is a reliable sign, indeed, I might go so far as to say, a certain sign, of pregnancy. 332. Tlie veins of the l)reast look more blue, and are consequently mere conspicuous than usual, giv- ing the bosom a mottled appearance. The breasts themselves are firmer and more knotty to the touch. The nipples, in tlie majority of cases, look more healthy than customary, and are somewhat elevated and enlarged ; there is generally a slight moisture uj)on their surface, sufficient in some instances to mark the linen. 333. A dark brown areola or disc may usually be noticed around the nipple, the change of color com- mencing about the second month. The tint at first is light brown, but gradually deepens in intensity, until the color may be very dark towards the end of pregnancy. The darkening of the skin round the nipple is not, however, always discernible. Even when it is, it may not necessarily mean pregnancy. The great sign is the apjiearance of milk, even only a few drops, in the breasts. 334. A dark hroivn areola or marh around the nipple is one of the distinguishing signs of pregnancy — more especially of the first pregnancy. Women who have had large families seldom, even when they PREG^^AXCY. — QUICKEXIXG. ' 145 are not enciente, lose this mark entirely ; but when they are pregnant it is more intensely dark — the darkest brown — especially if they be brunettes. 335. A fourth symptom is quickening. This gen- erally occurs about the completion of i\\Q fourth cal- endar month ; sometimes a week or so before the end of that period ; at other times a week or two later. A lady sometimes quickens as early as the tliird month, while others, although rarely, quicken as late as the fifth, and, in very rare cases, the sixth month. It will therefore be seen that there is an uncertainty as to the period of quickening, although, as I before remarked, the usual period occurs either on, or a week or so before, the completion of the fourth calendar month of pregnancy. 336. Quickening is one of the most important signs of pregnancy, and one of the most valuable, as at the moment it occurs, as a rule, the motion of the child is first felt, whilst, at the same time, there is a sudden increase in the size of the abdomen. Quickening is a proof that nearly half the time of pregnancy has passed. If there be a liability to miscarry, quicken- ing makes matters more safe, as there is less likeli- hood of a miscarriage after than hefonre it. 337. A lady at this time frequently feels faint or actually faints away ; she is often giddy, or sick, or nervous, and in some instances even hysterical ; al- though, in rare cases, some women do not even know the precise time when they quicken. 338. The sensation of ^*' quickening^' is said by many ladies to resemble the fluttering of a bird ; by others it is likened to a heaving, or beating, or rear- ing, or leaping sensation, accompanied sometimes with a frightened feeling. These flutterings, or lO 146 ADVICE TO A WIFE. heavings^ or beatings, or leapings, after the first day of quickening, usually come on half or a dozen times a day, although it may happen, for days together, the patient does not feel the movement of the child at all, or if she does, but very slightly. 339. The more frequent description given by a lady of her feelings, when she hsis first ^^ quickened, ^^ is that it is more like ^^the flutterings of a bird ;^^ when she is about another month gone with child — that is to say, in her six month — that it more resem- bles ^^a leaping in the womb,^^ or, in the expressive language of the Bible, '^ the babe leaped in her womb.^^ The difference of the sensation between ^' fluttering ^^ and ^Heaping ^^ might in this wise be accounted for : the child between four and five months is scarcely old enough, or strong enough, to leap — he is only able to flutter ; but, when tlie mother is in the sixth month (as the case recorded in the Holy Scri2")tures), the child is stronger, and he is able to leap : hence the reason why he first flutters, and after a time leaps ! 340. ^' Quickening '' arises from the ascending of the womb higher into the abdomen, as, from its in- creased size, thete is not room for it below. More- over, another cause of quickening is, the child has reached a further stage of development, and has, in consequence, become stronger both in its muscular and nervous structure, so as to liave strength and motion of his limbs, powerful enough to kick and plunge about the womb, and thus to give the sensa- tion of '^'^ quickening. ^^ 341. The old-fashioned idea was that the child was not alive until a woman had quickened. This is a mistaken notion, as he is alive, or '^ quick, ^^ from the PRECT:N^Ais^CY. — aboiitio:n^. li? very commencement of his formation. Hence the heinous sin of a single woman^ in the early months of pregnancy, using means to promote abortion : it is as much murder as though the child were at his full time^ or as though he were butchered when he was actually born ! An attempt, then, to procure abortion is a crime of the deepest dye, viz., a heinous murder I It is attended, moreover, with fearful con- sequences to the mother^s own health ; it may either cause her immediate death, or it may so grievously injure her constitution that she may never recover from the shock. If these fearful consequences ensue, she ought not to be pitied ; she richly deserves them all. Our profession is a noble one, and every qualified member of it would scorn and detest the very idea either of promoting or of procuring an abortion ; but there are unqualified villains who practise the dam- nable art. Transportation, if not hanging, ought to be their doom. The seducers, who often assist and abet them in their nefarious practices, should share their punishment. 342. Dr. Taj'lor, on the '^'^ legal relations '^ of abor- tion, gives, in his valuable work on Medical JiiriS' prudejice, the following : — ^^ The English law relative to criminal abortion is laid down in the statute 1 Vict. c. Ixxxv. sec. 6. By it, capital })unishment, which formerly depended on whether the female had quickened or not, is abolished. The words of the statute are as follows : — ' Whosoever, Avith the intent to procure the miscarriage of any woman, shall un- lawfully administer to her, or cause to be taken by her, any poison or other noxious thing, or shall un- lawfully use any instrument or other means whatso- ever with the like intent, shall be guilty of felony, 148 ADVICE TO A WIFE. and being convicted thereof^ shall be liable^ at the discretion of the courts to be transported beyond the seas for the term of his or her natural life^ or for any term not less than fifteen years^ or to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding three years/ ^^ 343. Flatulence has sometimes misled a young wife to fancy that she has quickened ; but, in determin- ing whether she be pregnant, she ought never to be satisfied with one symptom alone ; if she be, she will frequently be misled. The following are a few of the symptoms that will distinguish the one from the other : — In flatulence the patient is small one hour and large the next ; while in pregnancy the enlarge- ment is persistent, and daily and gradually increases. In flatulence, on pressing the bowels firmly, a rum- bling of wind may be heard, which will move about at will ; while the enlargement of the womb in pregnancy is solid, resistant, and stationary. In flatulence, on tapping — percussing — the abdomen, tliere will be a hollow sound elicited as from a drum ; while in preg- nancy it will be a dull, heavy sound, as from thrum- ming on a table. In flatulence, if the points of the fingers be firmly pressed into the abdomen, the wind will wobble about them ; in pregnancy they will be resisted as by a wall of fiesh. 344. The fifth symptom is, immediately after the the quickening, increased size and hardness of the abdomen. An accumulation of fat covering the ab- domen has sometimes led a lady to suspect that she is pregnant ; but the soft and doughy feeling of the fat is very different to the hardness, solidity, and re- sistance of the pressure of pregnancy. 345. Increased size and hardness of the abdomen is very characteristic of pregnancy. When a lady is not I PREGNANCY. — E:MACIATI0K. 149 pregnant the abdomen is soft and flaccid ; when she is pregnant^ and after she has quickened^ the abdo- men^ over the region of the womb^ is hard and resist- ing. 346. The sixth symptom is poxding or protriision of the navel. This symptom does not occur until some time after a lady has quickened ; indeed, for the first two months of pregnancy the navel is drawn in and depressed. As the pregnancy advances, the navel gradually comes more forward. It may ulti- mately become smoothed out on the same level as the skin of the abdomen. Sometimes it may become so stretched as to bulge forward beyond the abdominal skin. It may then contain a coil of intestine, and is called umbilical hernia. 347. The seventh symptom- is emaciation. The face, especially the nose, becomes pinched and pointed ; the features altered — a pretty woman be- coming, for a time, plain ; these appearances generally occur in the eai^ly months ; the face, as the pregnancy advances, gradually resumes its pristine comeliness. Emaciation occurs from other causes besides those of pregnancy ; but still, if there be emaciation, together with other signs of pregnancy, it tends to confirm the patient in her convictions that she is enceinte. 348. Many a plump lady, then, tells of her preg- nancy by her sudden emaciation. There is one com- fort — as soon as the pregnancy is over, if not before, the body usually regains its former plumpness. 349. The eighth symptom is irritability of the Uaddery which is sometimes one of the early signs of pregnancy, as it is, likewise, frequently one of the early symptoms of labor. The irritability of the bladder, in early pregnancy, is oftentimes very dis- 150 ADVICE TO A WIFE. tressing and very painful — the patient being dis- turbed from her sleep several times in the night to make water — making generally but a few drops at a time. This symptom usually leaves her as soon as she has quickened ; to return again — but, in this lat- ter instance, usually without pain — just before the commencement of labor. 350. In the way of relief, one of the best remedies is a small teaspoonf ul of sweet spirits of nitre, in a wineglassful of water, taKen at bedtime. Another is, drinking plentifully, as a beverage, of barley water with best gum arable dissolved in it — half an ounce of gum to every pint of barley water — the gum arabic being dissolved in the barley water by putting them both in a saucepan over the fire, and stirring them until the gum be dissolved. This beverage may be sweetened according to taste, either with sugar-candy or with lump sugar. The best relief is afforded by wearing, during the day, a good obstetric belt made to fit properly ; and by bandaging the abdomen at night with a flannel binder, or using a flannel or linen belt. 351. Sleepiness, heaiihiirn, increased floio of saliva (amounting in some cases, even to salivation), tooth- ache, loss of appetite, longings, excitability of mind, eruptions on the shin, and lihes and dislikes in eat- ing, — these symptoms — the one or the other — fre- quently accompany pregnancy. As they may arise from other causes, they are not to be relied on fur- ther than this — that if they attend the more certain signs of pregnancy, such as cessation of being '^ regu- lar,^' morning-sickness, pains and enlargement of and milk in the breasts, the gradually darkening brown areola or mark around the nipple, etc. , they will then PREGNANCY. — SLEEPINESS. 151 make assurance doubly sure^ and a lady may know for certain that she is pregnant.* 352. Sleepiness often accompanies pregnancy — the patient being .able to sleep in season and out of season — often falling asleep while in company, so that she can scarcely keep her eyes open I 353. Heartburn, — Some pregnant ladies are much afflicted with heartburn ; for affliction it assuredly is ; but heartburn, as a rule, although very disagree- able, is rather a sign that the patient will go her time. Moreover, heartburn is very amenable to treat- ment, and may generally be much relieved by am- monia and soda — a prescription for. which appears in these pages (see ^^ Heartburn in Pregnancy). ^^ 354. Increased flow of saliva is sometimes a symp- tom of pregnancy, amounting, in rare cases, to reg- ular salivation — the patient being, for a time, in a pitiable condition. It lasts usually for days ; but sometimes, even for weeks, and is most disagreeable, but is not at all dangerous. 355. Toothache is a frequent sign of pregnancy — pregnancy being often very destructive to the teeth — destroying one with every child ! During preg- * This work is exclusively intended for the perusal of wives. I beg however, to observe that there is one sign of pregnancy which I have not pointed out, but which to a medical man is very conclusive ; I mean the sounds of the foetal heart, indicated by the stethoscope, and which is for the first time heard somewhere about the fifth month. Moreover, there are other means besides the stethoscope known to a doctor, by which he can with certainty tell whether a woman be pregnant or otherwise, but which would be quite out of place to describe in a popular work of this kind. 152 ADVICE TO A WIFE. nancy it is better to leave the teeth alone. The toothache usually disappears with the close of the pregnancy. 356. Loss of appetite — Some ladies- have, during pregnancy — more especially during the early months — wretched appetites ; they loathe their food, and dread the approach of meal-times. While others, on the contrary eat more heartily during pregnancy than at any other period of their lives — they are ab- solutely ravenous, and can scarcely satisfy their hunger ! 357. The longings of a pregnant lady are some- times truly absurd ; but, like almost everything else, ^' it grows upon what it is fed.^^ They long for suck- ing pig, for the cracklings of pork, for raw carrots and raw turnips, for raw meat — for anything and for every- thing that is unwholesome, and which they would at any other time loathe and turn away from in disgust. The best plan of treatment to adopt for a pregnant lady, who has longings, is not to give way to sucli longings, unless, indeed, the longings be of a harm- less, simple nature, and tlien they will soon pass by harmlessly. 358. ExcitaMlity of mind is very common in preg- nancy, more especially if the patient be delicate ; in- deed, excitability is a sign of debility, and requires plenty of good nourishment, but few stimulants. 359. Lihes and dislikes in eating are of frequent occurrence in pregnancy — particularly in early preg- nancy — more especially if the patient liave naturally a weak disgestion. If her digestion be weak, she is sure to have a disordered stomach — one following the other in regular sequence. A little appropriate medi- cine, from a medical man, will remedy the evil, and PREGXAKCY. — CLOTHING. 153 im2)rove the digestion^ and thus do away with likes and dislikes in eating. 361. Eruptions on tlte shin — principally on the face, neck, and throat — are tell-tales of pregnancy, and, to an experienced matron publish the fact that an acquaintance thus marked is enceinte, CLOTHING. 360. Some newly-married wives, to hide their preg- nancy from their friends and acquaintances, screw themselves up in tight stays and in tight dresses. Now, this is not only foolish, but it is dangerous and may cause a miscarriage, or a premature labor, or a cross-birth, or a bearing-down of the womb. A wife, then, more especially during pregnancy, should to the breasts and to the abdomen — " Give ample room and verge enough." The neck swells, especially the gland called the thy- roid in front of the neck. Undue enlargement of this gland constitutes goitre. In all ages poets, by the divine afflatus gifted be- yond other men with true insight into the energies of the animated world, have been struck with the trans- forming force of pregnancy. And so Browning, the greatest of all poets, in mental analysis, describes — *' The strange and passionate precipitance Of maiden into motherhood, Which changes body and soul by Nature's law ; So when the she-dove breeds, strange yearnings come For the unknown shelter by undreamed-of shores ; And there is born a blood-pulse in her lieart To fight if needs be, though with flap of wing, For the wool-flock or the fur-tuft, though a hawk Contest the prize." 154 ADVICE TO A WIFE. 362. A lady who is pregnant ought on no account to wear tight dresses, as the child should have plenty of room. She ought to be, as enceinte signifies, in- cinda, or unbound. Let the clothes be adapted to the gradual development, both of the abdomen and the breasts. She must, whatever she may usually do, wear her stays loose. If there be bones in the stays let them be removed. Tight lacing is injurious both to the mother and to the child, and frequently causes the former to miscarry ; at another time it has pro- duced a cross-birth ; and sometimes it has so pressed in the nipples as to prevent a proper development of them, so that where a lady has gone her time, she has been unable to suckle her infant, tlie attempt often causing an abscess in tlie breast. * These are real misfortunes, and entail great misery both on the mother and on the child, — if it has not already killed him, — and ought to be a caution and a warning to every lady for the future. But the great thing is for a mother to begin from the beginning, and for lior never to allow her daughter to wear stays at all, and then those painful consequences could not possibly ensue. If stays had never been invented, how much misery, deformity, disease, and death might have been averted ! 363. The feet and the legs during pregnancy are very apt to swell and to be painful, and the veins of the legs to be largely distended. The garters ought at such times, if worn at all, to be worn loosely, as tight garters are highly injurious ; and if the veins be very much distended it will be necessary for her to wear a properly adjusted elastic silk stocking, made purposely to fit her foot and leg, and which a medi- cal man will himself procure for her. It is highly PREGXAXCY. — ABLUTION. 155 11 3cessary that a well-fitting elastic stocking be worn : otherwise it will do more harm than good. The feet and legs, in such a case, should, during the day, be frequently rested, on a leg-rest, or on a footstool, or on a sofa. ABLUTION. 364. Kliot bath in pregnancy is too relaxing. A tepid bath once a week is beneficial. Sponging the whole of the body every morning with lukewarm water may with safety and advantage be adopted, gradually reducing the temperature of the water until it be used quite cold. The skin should, with moderately coarse towels, be quickly but thoroughly dried. 365. Either the hidet or sitz-bath* ought every morning to be used. The patient should first sponge herself, and then finish up by sitting for a few sec- onds in the water ; in the winter while she can count fifty, or, in the summer, she can count a hundred. It is better not to be long in the bath ; it is a slight shock that is required, which, where the sitz-bath agrees, is immediately followed by an agreeable glow of the whole body. If she sits in the water for a long time, she becomes chilled and tired, and is very likely to catch cold. While sitting in the bath she should throw either a woollen shawl or a small blanket over her shoulders. She tcill find the greatest comfort and benefit from adopting the above recommendation. In- stead of giving it will prevent cold, and it will be one of the means of warding off a miscarriage, and of keeping her in good health. * The hidet may be procured of a cabinet-maker, the sitz-bath of a furnishing ironmonger. 156 ADVICE TO A AVIFE. oOG. A shower-bath in pregniuicy gives too great a shocks and might induce a miscarriage. I should not recommend for a lady who is pregnant, sea-b^^th- ing ; nevertheless, if she be delicate^ and if she be prone to miscarry, change of air to the coast, pro- vided it be not too far away from her home, and in- haling the sea-breezes, may brace her, and ward off the tendency. But although sea-bathing be not de- sirable, sponging the body w ith sea-w^ater may be of great service. AIR AND EXERCISE. 367. A young wife, in her first pregnancy, usually takes too long walks. This is a common cause of flooding, of viiscarriage, and of hearing-doivn, of the womh. As soon, therefore, as a lady has the slightest suspicion that she is enceinte^ she must be careful in the taking of exercise. 368. Although long w^alks are injurious, she ought not to run into an opposite extreme. Short, gentle, and frequent walks during the whole period of preg- nancy cannot be too strongly recommended. A lady who is enceinte ought to live half her time in the open air. Fresh air and exercise prevent many of the unpleasant symptoms attendant on that state ; they keep her in health ; they tend to open her bowels ; and they relieve that sensation of faintness and depression so common and distressing in early pregnancy. 369. Exercise, fresh air, and occupation, are then essentially necessary in pregnancy. If they be neg- lected, hard and tedious labors are likely to ensue. One, and an important, reason of the easy and quick labors, and rapid '' gettings about '^ of poor women, PREGXANCY. — AIR AXD EXERCISE. 157 is they are greatly due to the abnndanee of exercise and of occupation which they are daily and hourly obliged to get through. A poor woman thinks but little of a confinement^ while a rich one is full of anxiety about the result. Let the rich lady adopt the poor woman^s industrious and abstemious habits^ and labor need not then be looked forward to, as it frequently now is, either with dread or with appre- hension. 370. Stooping, lifting of heavy weights, and over- reaching ought to be carefully avoided. Avoid toil- ing up hills or stairs. When down to breakfast, down for the day if possible. In any case, as little climbing stairs or standing as possible. Eunning, horse-exercise, cycling, and dancing are likewise dangerous — they frequently induce a miscarriage. 371. Indolence is most injurious in j)regnancy. It is impossible for a pregnant lady, who is reclining all day on a sofa or an easy chair, to be strong : such a habit is most enervating to the mother, and weaken- ing to the unborn babe. It is the custom of some ladies, as soon as they become enceinte, to fancy them- selves confirmed invalids, and to lie down, in conse- quence, the greater part of every day ; now this plan, instead of refreshing them, depresses them exceed- ingly. The only time for them to lie down is, occa- sionally in the day, when they are really tired, and when they absolutely need the refreshment of rest — ** The sedentary stretch their lazy length When Custom bids, but no refreshment find For none they need." — Cowper, 372. A lady who, during the greater part of the day, lounges about on easy chairs, and who seldom 158 ADVICE TO A WIPE. walks out, has a much more lingering and painful labor than one who takes moderate and regular open air exercise, and who attends to her household duties. An active life is, then, the principal reason why the wives of the poor have such quick and easy labors, and such good recoveries ; why their babies are so rosy, healthy, and strong, notwithstanding the priva- tions and hardships and poverty of the parents — " Be not solitary, be not idle." — Burton, 373. Bear in mind, then, that a lively, active woman has an easier and quicker labor, and a finer race of children, than one who is lethargic and indo- lent. Idleness brings misery, anguish, and suffering in its train, and particularly affects pregnant ladies. Oh that these words would have due weight, then this book will not have been written in vain ! The hardest work in the world is having nothing to do ! ^^Idle people have the most labor /^ this is partic- ularly true in pregnancy ; a lady will, when labor actually sets in, find to her cost that idleness has given her most labor I ^^ Idleness is the badge of gentry, the bane of body and mind, the nurse of Naughtiness, the step-mother of Discipline, the chief author of all Mischief, one of the seven deadly sins, the cushion upon which the Devil chiefly reposes, and a great cause not only of Melancholy, but of many other diseases, for the mind is naturally active, and if it be not occupied about some honest business, it rushes into Mischief or sinks into Melancholy. ^^ — Btl7^t07l. 374. A lady sometimes looks upon pregnancy more as a disease than as a natural j)rocess ; hence she treats herself as though she were a regular invalid^ PREGI^q-AKCY. — DEAIKAGE. 159 and^ unfortunately^ she too often makes herself really one by improper and by foolish indulgences. VENTILATION— DEAINAGE. 375. Let a lady look well to the ventilation of her house ; let her take care that every chimney be un- stopped^ and during the day-time that every window in every unoccupied room be thrown open. Where there is a skylight at the top of the house^ it is w^ell to have it made to open and to shut, so that in the day-time it may, winter and summer, be always open ; and in the summer-time it may, day and night, be left unclosed. Nothing so thoroughly ventilates and purifies a house as an open skylight. 376. If a lady did but know the importance — the vital importance — of ventilation, she would see that the above directions w^ere carried out to the very letter. My firm belief is, that if more attention were paid to ventilation — to thorough ventilation — child- bed fever would be an almost unknown disease. The cooping- up system is bad ; it engenders all manner of infectious and loathsome diseases, and not only engenders them, but feeds them, and thus keeps them alive. There is nothing wonderful in all this, if we consider, but for one moment, that the exhala- tions from the lungs are poisonous ; that is to say, that the lungs give off carbonic acid gas (a deadly poison), which, if it be not allowed to escape out of the room, must over and over again be breathed. That, if the perspiration of the body (which in twenty-four hours amounts to two or three pounds !) be not permitted to escape out of the apartment it must become foetid — repugnant to the nose, sicken- ing to the stomach, and injurious to the health. Oh, IGO ADVICE TO A WIFE. how often the nose is a sentinel^ and warns its owner of approaching danger. 377. Verily the nose is a sentinel I The Al- mighty has sent bad smells for our benefit to warn us of danger. If it were not for an unpleasant smell we should be constantly running into destruction ! How often we hear of an ignorant person using dis- infectants and fumigations to deprive drains and other horrid places of their odors; as though, if the place could be robbed of its smell, it could be robbed of its danger. Strange infatuation ! No ; the fre- quent flushings of drains, the removal of nuisances, cleanliness, a good scrubbing of soap and water, sun- shine, and the air and winds of heaven, are the best disinfectants in the world. A celebrated and eccen- tric lecturer in surgery — Abernethy — in addressing his class, made the following quaint and sensible remark : — ^^Fumigations, gentlemen, are of essential importance : they make so abominable a stink, that they compel you to open the windows and admit fresh air." Truly the nose of a man is a sentinel — *' And the foetid vapors of the fen warn him to fly from danger." — Tupper. 378. It is doubtless, then, admirably appointed that we are able to detect ^^the well-defined and several stinks ; " * for the danger is not in them — to destroy the smell is not to destroy the danger. Cer- tainly not ! The right way to do away with the * Coleridge gives a very amusing description of the number of " stenches, all well defined, and several stinks," of Cologne. He says — " I counted two-and-seventy stenches, All well defined, and several stinks." II PREGXAXCY. — YE^'TILATIOX — DKAIXAGE. IGl danger is to remove the caiise^ and the effect will cease ; flushing a sewer is far more efficacious than disinfecting one ; soap and water^ and the scrub- bing-brush^ and sunshine^ and thorough ventilation^ each and all are more beneficial than Condy^s fluid or cai'bolic acid. People^ nowadays, think too much Oi disinfectants and too little of removal of causes ; they think too much of artificial, and too little of natural means. It is a sad mistake to lean so much on, and to trust so much to man^s inventions I 379. Not only is the nose a sentinel, but pain is a sentinel. "^^The sense of pain is necessary to our very existence ; we should, if it were not for pain, be constantly falling into many and great and grievous dangers ; we should, if it were not for pain, be run- ning into the fire, and be burned ; we should, if it were not for pain, swallow hot fluids, and be scalded; we should, if it were not for pain, be constantly letting things '^go the wrong way, ^^ and be suffo- cated ; we should, if it were not for pain, allow foreign substances to enter the eye, and be blinded ; we should, if it were not for pain, be lulled to a false security, and allow disease to go on unchecked and untended, until we had permitted the time to pass by when remedies were of little or no avail. Pain is a sentinel, and guards us from danger ; pain is like a true friend, who sometimes gives a little pain to save a greater pain ; pain sometimes resembles the sur- geon^s knife — it gives pain to cure pain. Sense of pain is a blessed provision of Xature, and is designed for the protection, preservation and prolongation of life! 380. What is wanted nowadays is a little less theory and a great deal more common -sense. A rat, II 1G2 ADVICE TO A WIFE. for instance, is, in theory, grossly maligned ; he is considered to be very destructive, an enemy to man, and one that ought to be destroyed — every man^s hand being against him. Now, a rat is, by common- sense, well known to be, in its proper place — that is to say, in sewers and in drains — destructive only to man^s enemies — to the organic matter which breeds fevers, cholera, diphtheria, etc. The rat eats the pabulum or food which would otherwise convert towns into hotbeds of terrible diseases. That which is a rat^s food is often a man^s poison ; hence a rat is one of the best friends that a man has, and ought, in his proper place, to be in every way protected. The rat in drains is the very best of scavengers ; in a sewer he is invaluable, in a house he is most injurious. A rat in a sewer is worth gallons of disinfectants, and will, in purifying a sewer, beat all man^s inven- tions hollow. The maligned rat, therefore, turns out, if weighed by common-sense, to be not only one of the most useful of animals, but of public bene- factors. The rat's element, then, is the sewer ; he is the king of the sewer, and should there reign su- preme, and ought not to be poisoned by horrid dis- infectants. 381. If a lady, while on an errand of mercy, should, in the morning, go into a poor person^s bedroom after he, she, or they (for oftentimes the room is crowded to su£focation) have during the night been sleeping, and where a breath of air is not allowed to enter — the chimney and every crevice having been stopped up — and where too much attention has not been paid to personal cleanliness, she will experience a faintness, an oppression, a sickness, a headache, a terrible foetid smell ; indeed she is in a poisoned cham- II PREGXAKCY. — YEXTILATIOX — DRAIXAGE. 1G3 ber ! It is an odor sni generis, which must be smelledto be remembered^ and will then never be for- gotten. ^*'The rankest compound of villainous smell that ever offended nostril I '' Pity the poor who live in such styes — not lit for pigs I For pigs^ styes are ventilated. But take warning, ye well-to-do in the world, and look well to the ventilation, or beware of the consequences. '^If,'^ says an able writer on fever in the last century, ^''any person will take the trouble to stand in the sun, and look at his own shadow on a white plastered wall, he will easily per- ceive that his whole body is a smoking dunghill^ with a vapor exhaling from every part of it. This vapor is subtle, acrid, and offensive to the smell ; if retained in the body it becomes morbid, but if re- absorbed, highly deleterious. If a number of persons, therefore, are long confined in any close place not properly ventilated, so as to inspire and swallow with their spittle the vapors of each other, they must soon feel its bad effects.^^ — Popular Science Review. 382. Contagious diseases are bred and fed in badly- ventilated houses. Ill-ventilated houses are hotbeds of disease. Contagion is subtle, quick, invisible, and inscrutable — tremendous in its effects ; it darts its poison like a rattlesnake, and instantly the body is affected, and the strong giant suddenly becomes as helpless as the feeble infant — '' Even so quickly may one catch the plague." Shakspeare, 383. Xot only should a lady look well to the ven- tilation of her house, bnt either she or her husband ought to ascertain that the drains are in good and perfect order, and that no sewer or water-closet pipe 164 ADVICE TO A WIFE. commnnicates^ in any way whatever, with the drink- ing water supply. If it, unfortunately, should do so, the supply is poisoned, breeding pestilence, and fill- ing our churchyards. Bad drains are fruitful sources of child-bed fever, gastric fever, scarlatina, diphtheria, cholera, and a host of other infections, and conta- gious, and dangerous diseases. It is an abominable practice to allow dirt to fester near human habita- tions, more especially as dirt when mixed with earth is really so valuable in fertilizing the soil. Lord Palmerston wisely said — '^dirt is only matter in the wrong place. ^^ 384. Sewer poison is so instantaneous in its effects, so subtle in its operations, so deadly in its conse- quences, so untiring in its labors — working both day and night — that it may well be said to be ^^the pesti- lence that walkcth in darkness," and '' the sickness that destroy eth in the noonday." 385. A lady ought to look well to the purity of her driiihing tenter, and to ascertain that no drain enters, or percolates, or contaminates in any way whatever the water sup2%. If it should do so, disease, such as cholera, or diarrhoea, or dysentery, or diphtheria, or scarlet fever, or gastric fever, will, one or the other, as a matter of course, ensue. If there be the slightest danger or risk of drain contamination, let the drain be taken up and be examined at once, and let the defect be carefully remedied. It is well to know that water which has been boiled and kept at boiling point for ten minutes has become sterilized and is absolutely safe to drink. It is made more palatable if, after being boiled, it is passed through a filter so that it becomes aerated. PRECtXAXCY. — DIETARY. 165 NECESSITY^ OF OCCASIONAL REST. 386. A lady who is pregnant ought to lie one or two hours every clay on the sofa for half an hour at a time. This, if there be a bearing-down of the womb, or if there be a predisposition to a miscarriage, will be particularly necessary. I should recommend this plan to be adopted throughout the whole period of the pregnancy ; in the early months to prevent a mis- carriage ; and, in the latter months, on account of the increased weight and size of the womb. 387. The modern sofas are most uncomfortable to lie upon ; they are not made for comfort, but, like many other things in this world, for show : one of the good-old fashioned roomy sofas, then, should be selected for the purpose, in order that the back may be properly and thoroughly rested. 388. There is, occasionally, during the latter months, a diflSculty in lying down — the patient feel- ing as though, every time she makes the attempt, she should be suffocated. When such is the case, she ought to rest herself upon the sofa, and be propped up with cushions, as rest at different periods of the day is necessary and beneficial. If there be any dif- ficulty in lying down at night, a bed-rest, well cov- ered with pillows, will be found a great comfort. DIETARY. 389. An abstemious diet, during the early period of pregnancy, is essential, as the habit of bod}', at that time, is usually feverish and inflammatory. I should therefore recommend abstinence from beer, porter, and spirits. Let me in this place ur^'e a lady, during her pregnancy, not to touch stimulants, such 166 ADVICE TO A WIFE. as brandy or gin; they will only inflame -the blood, and will poison and make puny the unborn babe ; they will only give false spirits^ and will depress her in an increased ratio as soon as their effects have passed away. She ought to eat meat in moderation. Eich soups and highly-seasoned stews and dishes are injurious. 390. A lady who is enceinte may depend upon it that the less stimulants she takes at these times the better it will be both for herself and for her in- fant ; the more kind will be her labor and her ^^ get- ting about ; ^' and the more vigorous and healthy will be her child. 391. It is a mistaken notion that she requires more nourishment during early pregnancy than at any other time. It has often been asserted that a lady who is pregnant ought to eat very heartily, as she has to provide for two lives. When it is taken into account that during pregnancy she ^^ ceases to be un- well/' and therefore that there is no drain on that score ; and when it is also considered how small the ovum containing the embryo is, not being larger than a hen^s egg, for the first two months or so, it will be seen how erroneous is the assertion. A wife, there- fore, in early pregnancy, does not require more than at another time. Again, during pregnancy, espe- cially in the early stage, she is more or less sick, feverish, and irritable, and a superabundance of food would only add fuel to the fire, and would increase her sickness, fever and irritability. Moreover, she frequently suffers from heartburn and from indiges- tion. Can anything be more absurd, when such is the case,^ than to overload a stomach already loaded with food which it is not able to digest ? No, let PREGXAXCY. — DIETARY. 167 Nature iu this, as in everything else, be her guide, and she will not then go far wrong I When she is further advanced in her pregnancy, — that is to say, when she has quickened, — her appetite generally im- proves, and she is much better in health than she was before ; indeed, after she has quickened, she is fre- quently in better health than she ever had been. The appetite is now increased. Xature points out that she requires more nourishment than she did at first ; for this reason, the child is now rapidly growing in size, and consequently requires more sujDport from the mother. Let the food, therefore, of a preguant woman be now increased in quantity, but let it be both light and nourishing. Occasionally, at this time, she has taken a dislike to butcher's meat ; if she has, she ought not to be forced to eat it, but should have, instead, poultry, game, fish, chicken- broth, beef -tea, new milk, farinaceous food — such as rice, sago, batter-puddings — and, if she have a crav- ing for it, good sound ripe fruit. 392. Eoasted apples, ripe pears, raspberries, straw- berries, grapes, tamarinds, figs. Muscatel raisins, stewed rhubarb, stewed or baked pears, stewed prunes, the insides of ripe gooseberries, and the juice of oranges, are, during pregnancy, particularly bene- ficial ; they both quench the thirst and tend to open the bowels. 393. The food of a joregnant woman cannot be too plain ; highly-seasoned dishes ought, therefore, to be avoided. Although the food be plain, it must be fre- quently varied. She should ring the changes upon butcher's meat, poultry, game, and fish. It is a mis- taken notion that people ought to eat the same food over and over again, one day as another. The stom- 168 ADVICE TO A WIFE. ach requires variety^ or disease^ as a matter of course^ will ensue. 394. Light puddings, such as rice, or batter, or suet pudding, or fruit jjuddings — provided the paste be plain — may be taken with advantage. Rich pastry is highly objectionable. 395. If she be plethoric, abstinence is still more necessary, or she may have a tedious labor, or may suifer severely. Tlie old-fashioned treatment was to bleed a i^regnant patient if she were of a full habit of body. A more absurd plan could not have been adopted if used as a routine treatment ! In Italy, it was, and still is to some extent, a practice to bleed pregnant women. Of course this is an abuse, but certainly there are cases of excessive pletliora where the balance between the proportion that is required for the development of the child and the health of the mother is lost by excess, taxing the liver, skin, and kidneys too much. Then relief may be found in bleeding. Bleeding, by causing more blood to be made, would only increase the mischief ; but cer- tainly it would be blood of an inferior quality, watery and poor. It might, in such a case, be truly said that — *' The wine of life is drawn." The best way to diminish the quantity of blood is to moderate the amount of food — to lessen the supplies ; but not, on any account, to leave off the eating of meat for dinner ; if she do so, she will suffer both at and after her confinement. 396. A lady who is not plethoric should, during the three or four latter months of her pregnancy, keep up her strength by good nourishing food ; but not by stimulants — the less stimulants she takes the PREGKAKCY*. — SLEEP. 169 better, altliougli there can be no objection to her drinking daily one or two glasses of wine. 39T. I have known some ladies, during the few last months of their pregnancies, abstain from meat alto- gether, believing thereby that they would insure easier confinements, and better '' gettings about.'' Now, this is altogether a mistake : they are much more likely, from the low diet, to have more tedious and harder labors, and worse ''gettings about.'' Xot only so, but if they are kept, during the last months of their pregnancies, on too low a diet, they are likely to make wretched nurses for their children, both in the quantity and in the quality of their milk. JsTo ; let a lady who is enciente adopt the best hygienic means, which I have, in these pages, endeavored to lay down, and she w^ill then be prepared both for her coming labor and for her subsequent suckling. 398. A pregnant lady then should endeavor by every means in her power to make herself healthy ; this is the best way to prepare for labor and for suckling. I am not advocating luxury, ease, and enervation — nothing of the kind, for I abhor luxu- rious living ; but, on the contrary, I am recommend- ing simplicity of living, occupation, fresh air, and exercise, and plain, wholesome, nourishing diet ; all of which may be considered as Nature's medicine — and splendid physic, too, it is ! SLEEP. 399. The bedroom of a pregnant lady ought, if practicable, to be large and airy. Particular atten- tion must be paid to the ventilation. The chimney should on no account be stopped. The door and the windows ought in the daytime to be thrown 170 ADVICE Tt) A AVIFE. wide opeii;, and the bed-clothes should be thrown back^ that the air may, before the approach of night, well ventilate them. 400. It is a mistaken practice for a pregnant woman, or for any one else, to sleep with closely drawn curtains. Pure air and a frequent change of air are quite as necessary — if not more so — during the night as during the day ; and how can it be pure, and how can it be changed, if curtains be closely drawn around the bed ? Impossible. The roof of the bedstead ought not to be covered with furniture ; it should be open to the ceiling, in order to prevent any obstruction to a free circulation of air. Luckily the old-fashioned bedstead is almost a thing of the past. 401. The bed must not be loaded with clothes, more especially with a thicTc coverlet. If the weather be cold, let an extra blanket be put on the bed, as the perspiration can permeate through a blanket, when it cannot through a tliick coverlet. 402. It is a marvel how some people, with close- drawn curtains, with four or five blankets, and with thick coverlet on bed, can sleep at all ; their skins and lungs are smothered up, and are not allowed to breathe : for the skin is as much a breathing appa- ratus as are the lungs themselves. Oh, it is a sad mistake, and fraught with serious consequences I The only use of bed curtains is to keep out, on the side of the bed where light and draughts intrude, the light and draughty currents. 403. The bedroom, at night, should be dark ; hence the importance of shutters, of Venetian blinds, or dark blinds impervious to light, or thick curtains to the windows. The chamber, too, should be as PREGXAXCY. — SLEEP. 171 far removed from noise as possible — as noise is an enemy to sleep. The room, then, should, as the poet beautifully expresses it, be " deaf to noise, ^^ ^*and blind to light.'' 404. A lady who is pregnant is sometimes restless at night — she feels oppressed and hot. The best remedies are — (1) Scant clothing on the bed. (2) The upper sash of the window, during the summer months, to be left open to the extent of two or three inches, and during the winter months to the extent of one or two inches, — provided the room be large, the bed be neither near nor under the window, and the weather be not intensely cold. If any or all of these latter circumstances are present, then (3) the window must be closed and the door be left ajar (the landing or the skylight window at the top of the house being left open all night, and the door being secured from intrusion by means of a door-chain). (4) Attention to be paid, if the bowels be costive — but not otherwise — to a gentle action of the bowels by medicine. (5) An abstemious diet, avoiding stimulants of all kinds. (6) Gentle walking exercise. (T) Sponging the body every morning — in the winter with tepid water, and in the summer with cold water. (8) Cooling fruits in the summer are in such a case very grateful and refreshing. 405. A pregnant woman sometimes experiences an inability to lie down, the attempt occasionally pro- ducing a feeling of suffocation and of faintness. She ought, under such circumstances, to lie on a bed- rest, which must, by means of pillows, be made com- fortable. 406. Pains at night, during the latter end of the time, are usually frequent, so as to make an inex- 172 ADVICE TO A WIFE. perienced lady fancy that her labor is commencing. Little need be done ; for, unless the pains be violent, there ought not to be any meddling with Nature. If they be violent, application should be made to a medical man. 407. A pregnant lady must retire early to rest. She ought to be in bed every night by ten o'clock, and should make a point of being up in good time in the morning^ that she may have a thorough ablution, a stroll in the garden, and an early breakfast ; and that she may afterwards take a short walk either in the country or in the grounds while the air is pure and invigorating. But how often, more especially when a lady is first married, is an opposite plan adopted ! The importance of bringing a healthy child into the world, if not for her own and her hus- band's sake, should induce a wife to attend to the above remarks. 408. Although some ladies, during pregnancy, are very restless, others are very sleepy, so that they can scarcely, even in the day, keep their eyes open ! Fresh air, exercise, and occupation, are the best remedies for keeping them awake, and the best rem- edies for many other complaints besides ! MEDICINE. 409. A young wife is usually averse to consulting a medical man concerning several trifliyig ailments, which are,. nevertheless, in many cases, both annoy- ing and distressing. I have therefore deemed it well to give a brief account of such slight ailments, and •to prescribe a few safe and simi)le remedies for them. I say safe and simple, for active medicines require skilful handling, and therefore ought not — unless in ii PREGXAXCY. — MEDICIXE. 173 certain emergencies — to be used excej)t by a doctor himself. I wish it, then, to be distinctly understood, that a medical man ought to be called in, in all serious attacks, and also in slight ailments, if not quickly relieved. 410. A costive state of the bowels is common in l)regnancy ; a m ild aperient is therefore occasionally necessary. The mildest must be selected, as a strong- purgative is highly improper, and even dangerous. Calomel and all other preparations of mercury are to be especially avoided, as a mercurial medicine is apt to weaken the system, and sometimes even to pro- duce a miscarriage. •111. An abstemious diet, where the bowels are costive, is more than usually desirable, for if the bowels be torpid a quantity of food will only make them more sluggish. Overloaded bowels are very much in the same predicament as an overloaded machine — they are both hampered in their action, and unable to do their work properly, and consequently become clogged. Besides, when labor comes on, a loaded state of the bowels will add much to a lady's sufferings as well as to her annoyance. 412. The following aperients may be used — castor oil, salad oil, compound rhubarb pills, honey, stewed prunes, stewed rhubarb, Muscatel raisins, figs, grapes, roasted apples, baked pears, stewed Xormandy pip- pins, coffee, brown bread and treacle, raw Demerara sugar (as a sweetener of the food), Scotch oatmeal with milk or with water, or with equal parts of milk and water. Saline aperients are also useful, such as Hunyadi, Rubinat, Condal. All these act best if taken in a tumbler half full of warm water the first thing in the morning. 174 ADVICE TO A WIFE. 413. Castor oil in pregnancy is^, if an aperient be necessary ;, a valuable one. Frequent and small are preferable to occasional and large doses. If the bowels be constipated (but certainly not otherwise), castor oil ought to be taken regularly twice a week. The best time for administering it is early in the morning. The dose is from a teaspoonful to a des- sert-spoonful. But remember that it is folly in the extreme to take castor oil merely for the sake of tak- ing it — that is to say, unless the state of the bowels require it. 414. The best ways of administering it are the following : — Let a wine-glass be well rinsed out with water, so that the sides may be well wetted ; then let the wine-glass be half filled with cold water. Let the necessary quantity of oil be now carefully poured into the center of the wine-glass, taking care that it does not touch the sides ; and if the patient will, thus prepared, drink it off at one draught, she will scarcely taste it. Another way of taking it is, swimming on warm new milk. A third, and a good method, is float- ing it on ivarm coffee : the coffee ought, in the usual way, to be previously sweetened and mixed with cream. There are two advantages in giving castor oil on coffee : (1) it is a pleasant way of giving it — the oil is scarcely tasted ; and (2) the coffee Itself, more espe- cially if it be sweetened with raiv sugar, acts as an ape- rient — less castor oil, in consequence, being required ; indeed, with many patients, the coffee, sweetened with raio sugar alone, is a sufficient aperient. A fourth and an agreeable way of administering it is on orange juice — swimming on the juice of one orange. Some ladies are in the habit of taking it on brandy and PREGXA:N^CY. — MEDICINE. 175 water ; but the spirit is apt to dissolve a portion of the oil, which afterwards rises in the throat. 415. If salad oil be chosen as an aperient — it being a gentle and safe one — the dose ought to be as much again as of castor oil ; and the patient^ during the day she takes it, should eat a fig or two, or a dozen or fifteen of stewed prunes, or of stewed French plums, as salad oil is much milder in its effects than castor oil. Salad oil is, if a patient be ill-nourished, prefer- able to castor oil, the former being not only an ape- rient but a nutrient ; salad oil is almost as fattening as, and far more agreeable than, cod-liver oil. 416. There is an agreeable way of taking salad oil, namely, in a salad. If, therefore, it be summer-time, and a pregnant lady^s bowels be costive, she should partake plentifully of a salad, with plenty of salad oil in it. If the patient be thin, and of a cold habit of body, salad oil is particularly indicated, as salad oil is not only an aperient, but a fattener and a warmer of the system. Salads, on the Continent, are always made with oil ; indeed, salad oil enters largely into French cookery. 417. Where a lady cannot take oil, one or two com- pound rhubarb pills may be taken at bedtime ; or a Seidlitz powder early in the morning, occasionally ; or a quarter of an ounce of tasteless salts — phosphate of soda — may be dissolved in lieu of table salt in a cupful of soup or of broth, or of beef tea, and be oc- casionally taken at luncheon. 418. When the motions are hard, and when the bowels are easily acted upon, two, or three, or four pills made of Castile soap will frequently answer the purpose ; and if they Avill, are far better than any ordinary aperient. The following is a good form : — 176 ADVICE TO A WIFE. Take of — Castile Soap, five scruples ; Oil of Carravvay, six drops : To make twenty-four pills. Two, or three, or four to be taken at bedtime, occasionally. 419. A teaspoonful of honey^ either eaten at break- fast^ or dissolved in a cup of tea, will frequently com- fortably and effectually open the bowels, and will supersede the necessity of taking aperient medicine. 420. A basin of thick Derbyshire or of pure Scotch oatmeal gruel, or entire wheat flour, made either with new milk or cream and water, with a little salt, makes an excellent luncheon or evening meal for a pregnant lady ; any of the above are delicious, wliolesome, nourishing, and aperient, and will often entirely super- sede the necessity of giving opening medicine. If she prefer sugar to salt, let raw sugar be substituted for the salt. The occasional substitution of coffee for 'tea at breakfast usually acts beneficially on the bowels. 421. Let me again urge the importance of a lady, during the whole period of pregnancy, being par- ticular as to the state of her bowels, as costiveness is a fruitful cause of painful, tedious, and hard labors. It is my firm conviction that if a patient who suffers from constipation, were to attend more to the regu- larity of her bowels, tedious cases of labor would rarely occur, more especially if the simple rules of health were adopted, such as : attention to diet — the patient partaking of a variety of food, and allowing the farinaceous, such as oatmeal, and the vegetable and fruit element, to preponderate ; the drinking early every morning of a glass of hot water ; the taking of exercise in the open air ; attending to her houesehold duties ; avoiding excitement, late hours, and all PREGJy'AXCY. — MEDICIXE. 1?7 fashionable amusements ; and visiting the water- closet at one particular hour every daj' — directly after breakfast being the best time for doing so. 422. Many a pregnant lady does not leave the house — she is a fixture. Can it^ then, be wondered at that costiveness so frequently prevails ? Exercise in the fresh air, and occupation, and household duties, are the best opening medicines in the world. An aperient, let it be ever so judiciously chosen, is apt, after the effect is over, to bind up. the bowels, and thus increase the evil. Xow, Xature^s medicines — exercise in the open air, occupation, and household duties — on the contrary, not only at the time open the bowels, but keep up a proper action for the future : hence their inestimable superiority. 423. An excellent remedy for the costiveness of pregnancy is an enema, either of warm water or of Castile soap and water, which the patient, by means of a self-injecting enema-apparatus; may administer to herself. The quantity of warm water to be used is from half a pint to a pint ; the proper heat is the temperature of new milk ; the time for administer- ing it is early in the morning, twice or three times a week. The advantages of enemata are, they never disorder the stomach — they do not interfere with the digestion — they do not irritate the bowels — they are given with the greatest facility by the patient her- self — and they do not cause the slightest pain. If an enema be used to open the bowels, it may be well to occasionally give one of the aperients recom- mended above (especially an Electuary of Figs, Eaisins, and Senna), in order, if there be costiveness. to en- sure a thorough clearance of the whole of the bowels. 424. If the bowels should be opened once every 12 178 ADVICE TO A WIFE. day, it would be the height of folly for a pregnant lady to take either castor oil or any other aperient. She ought then to leave her bowels undisturbed, as the less medicine she takes the better. If the bowels be daily and properly opened, aperients of any sort whatever would be highly injurious to her. The plan in this, as in all other cases, is to leave well alone^ and never to give physic for the sake of giv- ing it. 425. Muscular Paiiis of the Abdomen, — The best remedy is an abdominal belt constructed for preg- nancy, and adjusted with proper straps and buckles to accommodate the gradually increasing size of the womb. This plan often affords great comfort and relief ; indeed, such a belt is indispensably necessary. 426. Diarrhma. — Although the bowels in preg- nancy are generally costive, they are sometimes in an opposite state, and are relaxed. Now, this relaxation is frequently owing to there having been prolonged constipation, and Nature is trying to relieve herself by purging. Such being the case, a patient ought to be careful how she interferes with the relaxation. The fact is that, in all probability, there i3 something in the bowels which wants to come away, and Na- ture is trying all she can to effect the relief. Some- times, provided there is no unnecessary interference, she succeeds ; at others, it is advisable to give a mild aperient to assist her in her efforts. For this pur- pose castor oil is the best. 427. When such is the case, a gentle aperient, as castor oil, or tincture of rhubarb, or rhubarb and magnesia, ought to be chosen. If castor oil, a tea- spoonful or a dessert-spoonful, swimming on a little new milk, will generally answer the purpose. If pregka:n'Cy. — medicixe. 179 tincture of rhubarb, a table-spoonful in two of water. If rhubarb and magnesia be the medicine selected, then a few doses of the following mixture will usu- ally set all to rights : — Take of — Powdered Turkey Rhubarb, half a drachm ; Carbonate of Magnesia, one drachm ; Essence of Ginger, one drachm ; Compound Tincture of Cardamons, half an ounce; Peppermint Water, five ounces and a half ; Two table-spoonfuls of the mixture to be taken three times a day, first shaking the bottle. 428. The diet should be simple^ plain^ and nour- ishing, and should consist of beef tea, chicken broth, arrow-root, and of well-made and wpll-boiled oat- meal gruel. Butcher^s meat, for a few days, should not be eaten ; and stimulants of all kinds must be avoided. 429. If the diarrhoea be attended with pain in the bowels, a flannel bag filled with hot table-salt, and then applied to the part affected, will afford great relief. A hot- water bag, too, in a case of this kind, is a great comfort. * The patient ought, as soon as the diarrho^ has disappeared, gradually to return to her usual diet, provided it be plain, wholesome, and nourishing. She should pay particular attention to * The hot-water bag, or bottle as it is sometimes called, is composed of vulcanized indiarubber, and is made pur- posely to hold very hot water. The bag ought not to be more than half filled with water, as it will then better adapt itself to the shape of the abdomen. The water must be hot, but not boiling hot ; if it should be very hot. the bag ought to be wrapped in flannel. It is a most delight- ful stomach warmer and comforter, and should, where there is a family, be in every house. One great advantage of it is, that in a few minutes it is ready for use. 180 ADVICE TO A ^VIFE. keeping her feet warm and dry ; and^ if she be much subject to diarrhoea, she ought to wear round her bowels, and next to her skin, a broad flannel bandage or belt. A sudden chill of the abdomen is a frequent cause of diarrhoea. 430. " Fidgets.'' — A pregnant lady sometimes suf- fers severely from ^^ fidgets '' ; it generally affects her feet and legs, especially at night, so as entirely to destroy her sleep ; she cannot lie still ; she every few minutes moves, tosses, and tumbles about — first on one side, then on the other. Although ^^ fidgets ^^ is not at all dangerous, and might seem a trifling complaint, yet, if it be trifling, it is very annoying and destructive both to peace and comfort, making the sufferer arise from her bed in the morning unre- freshed for the remainder of tlie day, indeed, more tired than when the night before she sought her pillow. 431. The causes of ^^ fidgets ^^ area heated state of the blood ; an irritable condition of tlie nervous system, prevailing at that particular time ; and want of occupation. 432. The treatment of *^^ fidgets ^^ consists of : — sleeping in a well-ventilated apartment, with either window or door open — if the latter, the door secured from intrusion by means of a door-chain ; sleeping on a horsehair mattress, taking care that the bed be not overloaded with clothes ; a thorough ablution of the whole body every morning, and a good washing with tepid water of the face, neck, chest, arms, and hands every night ; shunning hot and close rooms ; taking plenty of out-door exercise ; living on a bland, nourishing, but not rich diet ; avoiding ?/?^r^/ at night, and substituting, in lieu thereof, either a cupful of PREGNANCY. — MEDICINE. 181 arrov/-root made with milk, or of well-boilecl oatmeal gruel ; eschewing stimulants of all kinds ; drinking, for breakfast and tea, black tea instead of coffee ; and taking a dose of the following drops, as prescribed below, in water : — Take of — Compound Spirits of Lavender, one drachm ; Aromatic Spmtsof Ammonia, eleven drachms : A teaspoonful of the drops to be taken ev^ery night at bed- time, and repeated in the middle of the night, if neces- sary, in a wine-glassful of water. 433. If a lady, during the night, have "^^the fidgets,^^ she should get out of bed ; take a short walk up and down the room, being w^ell protected by a dressing-gown ; empty her bladder ; turn her pillow^ so as to have the cold side next to her head ; and then lie down again ; and the chances are that she wall now fall asleep. 434. If during the day she have ^^the fidgets,^^ a ride in an open carriage ; or a stroll in the garden, or in the fields ; or a little housewifery, will do her good, as there is nothing like fresh air, exercise, and occupation to drive aw^ay ^^the fidgets.'^ It is gener- ally those '^ who have nothing to do^' who have '^'^ the fidgets ; '^ the poor woman who has to work for her daily bread does not knoAV what '' the fidgets '' mean ! Here again we see the value of occupation — of having plenty to do ! But idleness is discreditable, and deserves punishment, and it always will be punished ! 435. Hearthurn is a common and often a distress- ing symptom of pregnancy. The acid producing the heartburn is frequently much increased by an over- loaded stomach. The patient labors under the mis- taken notion that, as she has two lives to sustain, she requires more food during this than at any other 182 ADVICE TO A WIFE. time ; she consequently is induced to take more than her appetite demands^ and more than her stomach can digest; hence heartburn^ indigestion, etc., are caused, and her unborn babe, as well as herself, are thereby weakened. 436. An abstemious diet ought to be strictly ob- served. Great attention should be paid to the qtiaUty of the food. Greens, pastry, hot buttered toast, melted butter, and everything that is rich and gross, ought to be carefully avoided. 437. Either a teaspoonful of lieavy calcined mag- nesia, or half a teaspoonful of carbonate of soda — the former to be preferred if there be constipation — should occasionally be taken in a wine-glassful of warm water. If these do not relieve — the above direc- tions as to diet having been strictly attended to — the following mixture ought to be tried : — Take of — Carbonate of Ammonia, lialf a drachm ; Bicarbonate of Soda, a drachm and a half ; Water, eight ounces : To make a mixture. — Two table-spoonfuls to be taken twice or three times a day, until relief be obtained. Chalk is sometimes given in heartburn, but as it produces costiveness, it ought not in such a case to be used. 438. If costiveness accompany the heartburn, the heavy calcmed magnesia ought, as above recom- mended, to be taken in lieu of either carbonate of ' soda or of the above mixture : the dose being a tea- spoonful mixed in a wine-glassful of water. The heavy calcined magnesia is preferable to the light carbonate of magnesia — it mixes smoother and better in the water, and is therefore more j)leasant to take : PREGNANCY. — MEDICINE. 183 moreovei% it is stronger — twice as strong as the light carbonate of magnesia : it not only relieves the heart- burn^ but acts gently and pleasantly on the bowels. 439. ]Vater-irash. — A patient, in early pregnancy, oftentimes suffers from water-brash ; indeed, it some- times accompanies heartburn and morning-sickness, and when it does, is very harassing and distressing. Water-brash consists of a constant eructation of a thin watery-fluid into the mouth — sometimes in very large quantities. The fluid is generally as thin and clear as water ; occasionally it is acid ; at other times it is perfectless tasteless. Now, this water-brash fre- quently ceases after the patient has quickened ; at other times, it continues during the whole period of pregnancy, more especially if the patient be dyspep- tic. The best remedy for water-brash is Bragg^s Charcoal Biscuit — one should be eaten at any time the patient is suffering from flow of water. If the fluid of the water-brash be acid, then the mixture I have recommended for Hearthurn will be found very serviceable : a dose of the mixture should be taken three times a day, and a charcoal biscuit should be taken between times. 440. Wind in the stomach and towels is a frequent reason why a pregnant lady cannot sleep at night. The two most frequent causes of flatulence are (1) the want of walking exercise during the day, and (2) the eating a hearty meal just before going to bed at night. The remedies are, of course, in each instance, self- evident. It is folly in either case to give physic, when avoidance of the cause is the only right and proper remedy. How much physic might be dis- pensed with if people would only take Nature and common-sense for their guides ; but no, they will 184 ADVICE TO A WIFE. rather take a pill — it is less trouble I — thau walk a mile ; they will prefer a hearty evening meal to sweet and refreshing sleep ! What extraordinary tastes some persons have ! Luxury and self-indulgence are, alas ! the crying evils of the day. 441. Piles are a common attendant upon preg- nancy. They are small, soft, spongy, dark-red tumors — enlarged veins, about the size of a bean or of a cherry, or sometimes as large as a walnut — and are either within or around the fundament ; they are then, according to their situation, called either internal or external )}\\q^ — they may be either blind ov Needing. If the latter, blood may be seen to exude from them, and blood will come away every time the patient has a stool ; hence the patient ought to be as quick as possible over relieving her bowels, and should not at such times sit one moment longer than is absolutely necessary. 443. When the piles are very large, they some- times — more especially during a motion — drag down a portion of the bowel, which adds much to the suffering. If the bowel should protrude, it ought, by means of the patient's index finger, to be imme- diately and carefully returned, taking care, in order that it may not scratch the bowel, that the nail be cut close. 443. Piles are very painful and exceedingly sore, and cause great annoyance, and frequently continue, notwithstanding proper and judicious treatment, during the whole period of pregnancy. 444. A patient is predisposed to piles from the womb pressing upon the blood-vessels of the funda- ment. They are excited into action by her neglect- ing to keep her bowels gently opened, or by diarrhoea, PREG:N"ANCY. — MEDICI^s^E. 185 or from her taking too strong purgatives^ especially pills containing aloes, or colocyntli, or both. 445. If the piles be inflamed and painful, they ought, by means of a sponge, to be well fomented three times a day, and for half an hour each time with hot camomile and poppy-head ; * and, at bedtime, a hot white-bread poultice should be applied. 446. Every time, after and before, the patient has a motion, she had better well anoint the piles and the fundament with the following ointment : — Take of — Carilphor (powdered by means of a few drops of Spirits of Wine) , one drachm ; Prepared Lard, two ounces : Mix, to make an ointment. 447. If there be great irritation and intense pain, let some very hot water be put into a close stool, and let the patient sit over it. ^'^In piles attended with great irritation and pain, much relief is often obtained by sitting over the steam of hot water for fifteen qy twenty minutes, and immediately applying a warm bread-and-milk poultice. The measures should be repeated five or six times a day (Greves).^^ — Waring' s Tlierapeidics, 448. If the heat be not great, and the pain be not intense, the following ointment will be found effica- cious : — Take of — Powdered Opium, one scruple ; Camphor (powdered by means of a few drops of Spirits of Wine), half a drachm ; * Take four poppy-heads and four ounces of camomile blows, and boil them in four pints of water for half an hour, to make the fomentation, w^hich should then be strained, and made quite hot in a saucepan when required. 186 ADVICE TO A WIFE. Powdered Galls, one drachm ; Spermaceti Ointment, three drachms : Mix. — The ointment to be applied to the piles three times a day. Or the Compound Gall Ointment of the British Phar- macopoeia may be applied in the same manner. 449. If the heat and the pain be great, the follow- ing liniment will be found useful : — Take of — Brandy, ) ^ , , , Glycerine, ) ^^ ^^^^ ^'^^^ ^^ ^"^^^ • Mix. — The liniment to be frequently applied, by means of a camel's hair pencil, to the piles, first shaking the bottle. 450. The bowels ought to be kept gently and regu- larly opened, either by taking every morning one or two tearspoonfuls of compound confection of senna, or by a dose of the following electuary : — Take of — Sublimed Sulphur, half an ounce ; Powdered Ginger, half a drachm ; Cream of Tartar, half an ounce ; Confection of Senna, one ounce ; Simple Syrup, a sufficient quantity : One or two teaspoonf uls to be taken early every morn- ing. 451. An electuary, composed of chopped figs, raisins, and senna, in a case of piles, is another ad- mirable remedy for opening the bowels ; it softens the motions, and is gentle in its operation, and is, moreover, agreeable to take. A piece, the size of a nutmeg, or more, may be eaten early every, or every other, morning. 452. Magnesia and milk of sulphur is an excellent remedy for piles. PREGNANCY.— MEDICINE. 187 Take of— Carbonate of Magnesia, ) ^ , ^ , ^ , uTii roil r of each three drachms : Milk of Sulphur, ) Mix — To make nine powders. One to be taken early every, or every other, morning, mixed in half a cupful of milk. 453. Remember, in these cases, it is necessary to keep the motions in a softened state, as Jiai^d lumps of stool would give intense j)ain in passing. 454. If the confection of senna and the electuary of figs, raisins, and senna, and the other remedies, do not act sufficiently, it may be well to give, once or twice a week, a teaspoonful or a dessert-spoonful of castor oil. 455. In piles, if they be not much inflamed, and provided there be constipation, a pint of tepid water, administered early every morning as an enema, will be found serviceable. Care and gentleness ought to be observed in introducing the enema-pipe, in order not to press unduly on the surrounding piles ; and the pipe itself should be warmed, and greased with vaseline or cold cream before being introduced. 456. The patient ought to lie down frequently in the day. Sometimes she is unable to sit on an or- dinary seat ; she will then derive great comfort from sitting either on an air-cushion or on a water-cushion about half filled with water, placed on the chair. 457. In piles, the patient ought to live on a plain, nourishing, simple diet, and should avoid all stimu- lants ; any food or beverage that will infiame the blood will likewise inflame the piles. 458. Piles in pregnancy are frequently trouble- some, and sometimes resist all treatment until the patient be conflned, when they generally get well of themselves ; but still the remedies recommended 188 ADVICE TO A WIFE. above, even if they do not effect a cure, will usually afford great relief. 459. Swollen legs from enlarged veins {varicose veins). — The veins are frequently much enlarged and distended, causing the legs to be greatly swollen and very painful, preventing the patient from taking proper walking exercise. Swollen legs are owing to the pressure of the womb upon the blood-vessels above. Women who have had large families are more liable than others to varicose veins. If a lady marry late in life, or if she be very heavy in her pregnancy — carrying the child low down — she is more likely to have distention of the veins. 460. The best plan w^ill be for her to wear during tlie day an elastic stocking, which ought to be made on purpose for her, in order that it may properly fit the leg and foot. It will draw on like a common stocking. She ought to wear a silk stocking next the skin, and the elastic stocking over it, as the silk stocking can then, from time to time, be washed. The silk stocking, besides being clean, will be more comfortable next the skin than the elastic stocking. A bandage, gently wound round the leg, should be w^orn at night. It will be found a very grateful support. 461. If the varicose veins should be very painful, she had better apply to a medical man, as it may be necessary, in such a case, to have them enveloped in bandages. 462. If the feet and legs be cold as well as swollen, a doynette bandage, two inches and a half wide and eight yards long, nicely applied to each leg, from the toes to the knee, will be found a great comfort. One great advantage that domette has over calico is, that PREGXAXCY. — MEDICIXE. 189 it will keep in its place for days^ while calico Avill be loose in an hour or two. 463. Stretcliiiig of the shin of the abdomen is fre- quently, in a first pregnancy, distressing, from the soreness it causes. The best remedy is to rub the abdomen, every night and morning, w^th warm cam- phorated oil, and to wear a belt during the day and a broad flannel bandage at night, both of which should be put on moderately but comfortably tight. The belt must be secured in its situation by means of properly adjusted straps. 464. If the skin of the ahclonien, from the violent stretching, be cracTced, the patient had better dress the part affected, every night and morning, with equal parts of simple cerate and of lard — lard without salt— well mixed together, spread on lint ; which ought to be kept in its place by means of a broad bandage, similar to the one used in confinements, and which is described in a subsequent paragraph (Bandage after Confinements). 465. Pendulous Ahdomen, — A lady sometimes, from being at these times unusually large, suffers severely ; so much so, that she cannot, without experiencing great inconvenience, move about. This, where a patient is stout, and where she has a large family of children, is more likely to occur, and especially if she has neglected proper bandaging after her previous confinements. 466. She ought in such a case to procure, from a surgical instrument maker, an elastic belt, made pur- posely for a pendulous abdomen, which, without undue pressure on the abdomen, will be a support. It is a good plan to have the belt made either to lace behind or with straps and buckles, in order that it 190 ADVICE TO A WIFE. may accommodate itself to the gradually increasing size of the womb. 467. If she be delicate^ and if she have a languid circulation, she ought, besides the elastic belt, to apply a broad flannel bandage, which should go twice round the abdomen, and be put on moderately and comfortably tight. 468. The patient, before the ajojjroach of labor, ought to take particular care to have the bowels gently opened, as during that time a costive state greatly increases her sufferings, and lengthens the period of her labor. I say a fjeiitle action is all that is necessary : a violent one would do more harm than good. 469. Toothache is a frequent complaint of preg- nancy ; I wish to caution my gentle reader to avoid having a tooth extracted during the time she is enceinte ; miscarriage or premature labor has some- times followed the extraction of a tooth. It is neces- sary that this advice should be borne in mind, as the pain is sometimes so excruciating as to cause the sufferer to seek, at all hazards, speedy relief by extraction. Toothache is both worrying and weary- ing, and is, to all sufferers, most trying to the patience. 470. If the tooth be decayed, the hollow ought to be filled with cotton wool, soaked in oil of cloves, or in equal parts of oil of cloves and of chloroform, or of laudanum and of chloroform, which should be frequently renewed ; or with what I have found an excellent remedy, a little alum dissolved in chloro- form.* A bit of cotton wool, placed in the ear of *Ten grains of powdered alum to half an ounce of chloroform. PREGNANCY. — MEDICINE. 191 the affected side, will oftentimes relieve the tooth- ache arising from a decayed tooth. This simple remedy ought always to be tried before resorting to more active treatment. If the above remedies do not relieve, soak a small ball of cotton wool in chlo- roform, and insert it inside the ear, and let it remain there until the pain be relieved ; let it be from time to time renewed. I have frequently found the above plan in toothache most efficacious, and to afford relief when other means have failed. 471. Creasote (spirits of tar) is sometimes applied, but of all remedies it is the worst for the purpose. I have known it, when thus used, severely injure and decay the whole of the remaining teeth : one case in particular I remember, of a gentleman who, by the frequent use of creasote, for the relief of toothache, lost the whole of his teeth I Not only so, but creasote applied to a tooth has been known to cause death : — '^ U Imparziale relates that a man, aged 36, died in the San Maria ]!^uova Hospital at Florence, from the results of the application of creasote to a carious tooth. ^^ The creasote produced inflammation of the gums, this was followed by mortification, and in six- teen days terminated in death. 472. If the teeth be not decayed, especially if the stomach be disordered, let an aperient be taken. The state of the bowels ought always to be attended to, as toothache is frequently relieved, and, where the tooth is not decayed, cured, by a dose of opening medicine. Let the sides of the face be well fomented with hot camomile and poppy-head tea, and let a piece of crumb of bread (but not crumbed bread), be soaked for five minutes in boiling milk, and be frequently placed inside the mouth, between the cheek and gum ; 193 ADVICE TO A WIFE, and let a large hot bread or linseed-meal poultice be applied at bedtime to the outside of the face. 473. If the above does not have the desired effect, a piece of brown paper, the size of the palm of the hand, soaked in brandy, and then well peppered with black pepper, should be applied outside the cheek, over the part affected, and kept on for several hours. It ought from time to time to be removed. This simple and old-fashioned remedy will sometimes af- ford great relief. It is in these cases preferable to a mustard poultice, as it is less painful, and neither blisters nor injures the skin. 474. If tlie pepper plaster does not afford relief, a ginger plaster should be tried : — Take of — Powdered Ginger, } jp-j , J of each, one table-spoonful ; Water, a sufficient quantity : To be well mixed together, adding the water drop by drop stirring it the while) until it be the consistence of paste. Let it be appHed ouiside the cheek, and let it remain on until the pain be relieved. 475. If the tooth be not decayed, and if the pain of the face be more of a neuralgic (tic-douloureux) character, the following pills will frequently afford great relief : — Take of — Sulphate of quinine, twenty-four grains ; Powdered Extract of Liquoi-ice, six grains ; Treacle, a sufficient quantity : To make twelve pills. One to be taken three times a day. 476. The teeth in pregnancy are very apt to de- cay : I have known several patients, each of whom has lost a tooth with every child I 477. Morning-Sic'kness, — It is said to be ^"^ morn- PREGN^AKCY. — medici:n'e. 193 ing/^ as in these cases^ unless the stomach be dis- ordered, it seldom occurs during any other part of the day. Morning-sickness may be distinguished from the sickness of a disordered stomach by the former occurring only early in the morning, on the first sitting up in bed, the patient during the remain- der of the day feeling quite free from sickness, and generally being able to eat and relish her food, as though nothing ailed her. 478. Morning-sickness begins early in the morning, with a sensation of nausea, and as soon as she rises from bed she feels sick and retches ; and sometimes, but not always, vomits a little sour, watery, glairy fluid ; and occasionally, if she have eaten the night previously a hearty meal, the contents of the stomach are ejected. She then feels all right again, and is generally ready for her breakfast, which she eats with her usual relish. Many ladies have better ap- petites during pregnancy than at any other period of their lives. 479. The sickness of a disordered stomach unac- companied with pregnancy may be distinguished from morning-sickness by the former continuing during the whole day, by the appetite remaining bad after the morning has passed, by a disagreeable taste in the mouth, and by the tongue being generally furred. Moreover, in such a case there is usually much flatu- lence. The patient not only feels but looks bilious. 480. If the stomach be disordered* during preg- nancy, there will, of course, be a complication of the symptoms, and the morning-sickness may become both day and night sickness. Proper means ought then to be employed to correct the disordered stomach, and the patient will soon have only the morning-sick- 194 ADVICE TO A WIFE. iiess to contend against; which latter/ after she has quickened^ will generally leave of its own accord. 481. Morning-sickness is frequently a distressing, although not a dangerous complaint. It is only dis- tressing while it lasts ; for after the stomach is un- loaded, the appetite generally returns, and the patient usually feels, until the next morning, quite well again, when she has to go through the same process as be- fore. It occurs both in the early and in the latter months of pregnancy ; more especially during the former, up to the period of quickening, at ivhich time it usually ceases. Morning-sickness is frequently the first harbinger of pregnancy, and is looked upon by many ladies who have had children as a sure and cer- tain sign. Morning-sickness does not always occur in pregnancy ; some women, at such times, are neither sick nor sorry. 482. A good way to relieve it is by taking, before rising in the morning, a cup of strong coffee. If this should not have the desired effect, she ought to try an effervescing draught : — Take of — Bicarbonate of Potash, one drachm and a half ; Water, eight ounces : Two table-spoonfuls of this mixture to be taken with one of lemon juice every hour, whilst effervescing, until relief be obtained. 483. A glass of champagne taken the over-night I have sometimes found to be the best remedy, and, if it have the desired effect, it certainly is the most agreeable. I have known, too, cider, where other things have failed, to succeed in abating morning- sickness. 484. Sometimes she does not obtain relief from her sickness until the whole contents of the stomach have preg]S'a:s^cy. — medicixe. 195 been ejected. She had better^ when such is the case^ drink plentifully of warm water^ in order to encour- age free vomiting. Such a plan^ of course^ is only- advisable when the morning-sickness is obsiinate, and when the treatment recommended above has failed to afford relief. 485. The morning-sickness^ during the early months^ is caused by sympathy between the stomach and the womb ; and during the latter months by- pressure of the upper part of the womb against the stomach. As we cannot remove the sympathy and the pressure^ we cannot always relieve the sickness ; the patient^ therefore^ is sometimes obliged to bear with the annoyance. 486. The bowels ought to be kept gently opened, by a dose of electuary of figs, raisins, and senna, or by a Seidlitz powder taken early in the morning, or by one or two compound rhubarb pills at bed-time, or by the following mixture : — Take of — Carbonate of Magnesia, two draclims ; Sulphate of Magnesia, one ounce ; Peppermint Water, seven ounces : A wineglassf u] of this mixture to be taken early in the morning occasionally, first shaking the bottle. 487. Great attention ought in such a case to be paid to the diet ; it should be moderate in quantity, and simple in quality. Eich dishes, highly-seasoned soups, and melted butter, must be avoided. Hearty evening meals ought not on any account to be allowed. There is nothing better, if anything be taken at night, than a tea-cupful of nicely made and well- boiled oatmeal gruel, or arrow-root, or other farina- ceous food. Any of the above may be made witli water, or new milk, or with cream and water. 196 ADVICE TO A WIFE. 488. It is an old saying, and, I believe, as a rule, true one, ^^ that sick pregnancies are safe,^' more es- pecially if the sickness leaves, which it generally does, after quickening. The above remarks, of course, do not include obstinate, inveterate vomiting, occasion- ally occurring in the latter period of pregnancy, and which not only takes place in the morning, but dur- ing the whole of the day and of the night, and for weeks together, sometimes bringing a patient to the brink of the grave. Such a case, fortunately, is ex- tremely rare. Another old and generally true saying is, ^' that females who have sick pregnancies seldom miscarry.^' There is another consolation for those who suffer from morning sickness, from heartburn, and the numerous other discomforts of pregnancy, namely, they frequently have kinder labors, more lively children, and more comfortable ^^ getting about '^ than those who, at such times do not at all suffer. Compensation here, as in almost everything else in this world, is found to prevail ! 489. Means to liarden the Nipples . — A mother, es- pecially with her first child, sometimes suffers severely from sore nipples. Such suffering may fre- quently be prevented, if, for six weeks or two months before her confinement, she were to bathe her nipples every night and morning, for five minutes each time with a lotion of Eau de Cologne ; or glycerine and lavender water, or with brandy and water, equal parts of each. The better plan would be to have the lotion in a small bottle ready for use, putting a little each time into a tea-cup, so as to have it fresh. A soft piece of fine old linen rag should be used for the pur- pose of bathing. All pressure ought to be taken from the nipples ; if the stays, therefore, unduly press them PREGKA:NrCY. — MEDICIXE. 197 either let them be enlarged, or let them be entirely removed. The nipples themselves ought to be covered with soft linen rag, as the friction of the flannel vest would be apt to irritate them. Let me recommend every pregnant lady, more esioecxaTlij in a first preg- nancy, to adopt one or other of the above plans to harden the nipples ; much misery will be averted, as sore nipples are painful and distressing ; and preven- tion at all times is better than cure. 490. The Breasts are, at times, during pregnancy, 7nncJi siuollen and very painful ; and, now and then, they cause the patient great uneasiness, as she fancies that she is going to have either some dreadful tumor or a gathering of the bosom. There need, in such a case, be no apprehension. The swelling and the pain are the consequences of the pregnancy, and will in due time subside without any unpleasant result. The fact is, great changes are taking place in the breasts ; they are developing themselves, and are preparing for the important functions they will have to perform the moment the laibor is completed. 491. Treatment. — She cannot do better than rub them well, every night and morning, with equal parts of Eau de Cologne and olive oil, and wear a piece of new flannel over them ; taking care to cover the nip- ples with soft linen, as the friction of the flannel might irritate them. The liniment encourages a little milky fluid to ooze out of the nipples which will afford relief. 493. If stays be worn, the patient should wear them loose, in order to allow the breasts room to develop .themselves. The bones of the stays ought all to be removed, or serious consequences may ensue. 493. Bowel complaints, during pregnancy, are not 198 ADVICE TO A WIFE. unfreqnent. A dose either of rhubarb and mag- nesia, or of castor oil, are the best remedies, and are generally, in the way of medicine, all that is neces- sary. 494. The diet at such times ought to be simple, small in quantity, and nourishing. Farinaceous food such as rice, tapioca, sago, corn-flour, and arrow-root are particularly beneficial. Green vegetables and fruits, especially stone-fruits and uncooked fruits ought to be avoided. 495. The surface of the body — the bowels and feet particularly — ought to be kept warm. If a lady suffer habitually from relaxation of the bowels, let her, by all means, wear a vest next to the skin and a flannel bandage over the abdomen. 496. The Bladder, — The patient during pregnancy is liable to various affections of the bladder. There is sometimes a sluggishness of that organ, and she has little or no inclination to make water. There is, at another time, a great irritahiUtij of the bladder, and she is constantly wanting to pass urine ; while, in a third case, more especially towards the latter period of the time, she can scarcely hold her water at all — the slightest bodily exertion, such as walking, stoop- ing, coughing, sneezing, etc., causing it to come away involuntarily ; and even in some cases, where she is perfectly still, it dribbles away without her having any power to prevent its doing so. These symptoms are caused by pressure on the bladder by the enlarged womb, and, of course, disappear with the pregnancy. 497. A Sluggish State of the Bladder is best remedied by gentle exercise, and by the patient at- PREGXAXCY. — MEDICIXE. 199 tempting^ whether she want or not^, to make water at least every four hours. 498. Irritability of the Bladder, — The patient ought, during the day, to drink freely of the follow- ing beverage : — Take of — Gum Arabic, one ounce ; Pearl Barley, one ounce ; Water, one pint and a half : Boil for a quarter of an hour, then strain, and sweeten either with sugar-candy or with lump sugar. 499. The bowels ought to be gently opened with small doses of castor oil. The patient must abstain from stimulants, and should live on a mild, bland, nourishing diet. 500. Where the patient cannot hold her icater, there is not much to be done, as the pregnant womb, by pressing on the bladder, prevents much present relief. The comfort is, as soon as the labor is over, it will cure itself. She ought to tighten the lower part of the abdominal belt she is wearing, so as to better support the bowels, and thus relieve the pres- sure on the bladder, and to lie down frequently in the day either on a horse-hair mattress or on a couch. She should drink but a moderate quantity of liquid, and if she have a cough (for a cough greatly increases this inability to hold the water), she ought to take the following mixture : — Take of — Compound Tincture of Camphor, half an ounce : Compound Spirits of Lavender, half a drachm ; Oxymel of Squills, six drachms ; Water, six ounces and a half : Two table-spoonfuls of this mixture to be taken three times a day. 501. Fainting, — A delicate woman, when she is 200 ADVICE TO A WIFE. enceinte, is apt either to feel faint or to actually faint away. When one considers the enormous changes that take place during pregnancy^ and the great pres- sure there is upon the nerves and the blood-vessels, it is not at all surprising that she should faint. There is one consolation^ that although fainting at such times is disagreeable, it is not at all dangerous, unless the patient be really laboring under a disease of the heart. 502. Treatment, — If the patient feels faint, she ought immediately to lie down flat on her back, without a pillow under her liead ; that is to say, her head should be on a level witli lier body. The stays and any tight articles of dress — if slie have been fool- ish enough to wear either tight stays or tight clothes — ought to be loosened ; the windows should be thrown wide open ; water ought to be sprinkled on her face ; and sal-volatile — a teaspoonf ul in a wine- glassful of water — or a glass of wine, must be ad- ministered. Smelling-salts should be applied to the nostrils. The attendants — there should only be one or two present — should not crowd around her, as she ought to have plenty of room to breathe. 503. She must, in the intervals, live on a good, light, generous diet. She should keep early hours, and ought to sleep in a well-ventilated apartment. The following strengthening medicine will be found serviceable : — Take of — Sulphate of Quinine, twelve grains ; Dikited Sulphuric Acid, half a drachm ; Syrup of Orange-peel, half an ounce ; Water, seven ounces and a half : Two table-spoonfuls of the mixture to be taken three times a day. pkeg:n'akcy. — medici^^e. 201 If she be delicate^ a change either to the country, or if the railway journey be not very long, to the coast, will be desirable. 504. A nervous patient during this period is sub- ject to palpitation of the heart. This palpitation, provided it occurs only during pregnancy, is not dangerous ; it need not therefore cause alarm. It is occasioned by the pressure of the pregnant womb upon the large blood-vessels, which induces a tempo- rary derangement of the hearths action. This palpi- tation is generally worse at night, when the patient is lying down. There is, at these times, from the posi- tion, greater pressure on the blood-vessels. Moreover, when she is lying down, the midriff, in consequence of the increased size of the abdomen, is pressed up- wards, and hence the heart has not its accustomed room to work in, and palpitation is in consequence . the result. 505. The best remedies will be half a teaspoonful of compound spirits of lavender, or a teaspoonful of sal-volatile in a wine-glassful of camphor water, or a combination of lavender and of sal-volatile : — Take of — Compound Spirits of Lavender, one drachm ; Sal- Volatile, eleven drachms : Mix. — A teaspoonful of the drops to be taken occasion- ally in a wine-glassful of water. 506. These medicines ought to lie on a table by the bedside of the patient, in order that they may, if necessary, be administered at once. In these cases a stimulant is sometimes given, but it is a dangerous remedy to administer every time there is palpitation. The lavender and the sal-volatile are perfectly safe medicines, and can never do the slightest harm. 507. Mental emotion, fatigue, late hours, and close 202 ADVICE TO A WIFE. rooms ought to be guarded against. Gentle outdoor exercise, and cheerful but not excitable company, are desirable. 508. Cramps of the legs and of the thighs during the latter period, and especially at night, are apt to attend pregnancy, and are caused by the womb press- ing upon the nerves which extend to the lower ex- tremities. Treatment. — Tightly tie a handkerchief folded like a neckerchief round the limb a little above the part affected, and let it remain on for a few min- utes. Friction by means of the hand either with opodeldoc or with laudanum, taking care not to drink the lotion hy mistake, will also give relief. Cramp sometimes attacks either the bowels or the back of a pregnant woman ; when such is the case, let a bag of hot salt, or a vulcanized indiarubber hot-water bag, or a tin stomach-warmer filled with hot water, and covered with flannel, or a stone bottle containing hot water, wrapped in flannel, be applied over the part affected ; and let either a stone bottle of hot water or a hot brick, which should be encased in flannel, be placed to the soles of the feet. If the cramp of the bowels, of the back, or of the thighs be very severe, the following mixture will be service- able : — Take of — Compound Tincture of Camphor, one ounce ; Dill Water, five ounces ; A wine-glassful of this mixture to be taken at bed-time occasionally and to be repeated, if necessary, in four hours. 509. ^^ The Whites/^ during pregnancy, especially during the latter months, and particularly if the lady have had many children, are frequently troublesome, and are, in a measure, occasioned by the pressure PREGNAKCY. — MEDICIXE. 203 of the womb on the parts below causing irritation. The chief cause^ however^ of the white creamy dis- charge which usually accompanies pregnancy is the shedding of mucous membrane from the mouth and neck of the womb. This is a natural process and cannot be averted. The best way, therefore, to obviate such pressure is for the patient to lie down a great part of each day either on a bed or on a sofa. She ought to retire early to rest ; she should sleep on a horsehair mattress and in a well-ventilated apartment, and should not overload her bed with clothes. A thick, heavy quilt at these times, and indeed at all times, is particularly objectionable ; the perspiration cannot pass readily through it as . through blankets, and thus she is weakened. She ought to live on plain, wholesome, nourishing food ; and she must abstain from beer and wine and spirits. The bowels ought to be gently opened by means of a Seidlitz powder, which should occasionally be taken early in the morning. 510. The best application will be to bathe the parts with warm water, night and morning. If this should not have the desired effect, an alum lotion * should be injected into the vagina (the passage to the womb) by means of an indiarubber syringe, every night and morning ; or fifteen drops of the solution of subacetate of lead should be added to a quarter of a pint of lukewarm water, and be used in a similar manner as the alum lotion. 511. Cleanliness, in these cases, cannot be too strongly urged. Indeed, every woman, either married * Dissolve half a teaspoonful of powdered alum in a quarter of a pint of tepid water, to make the lotion. 204 ADVICE TO A WIFE. or single^ ought^ unless special circumstances forbid^ to use either the bidet or a sitz-bath. If she have not ^Hhe whites/^ or if she have them only slightly, tepid water is preferable to cold I should advise, then, every lady, both married and single, whether she have '^the whites ^^ or not, a regular sitz-bath every morning y except during her '^ monthly periods " — that is to say, I should recommend her to sit every morning in the water for a few seconds, or whilst she can count a hundred ; throwing the while either a small blanket or shawl over her shoulders, but having no other clothing on except slippers on her feet. She should, for the first few mornings, make the water lukewarm ; but the sooner she can use it cold — quite cold — the more good it will do her. If the above plan were more generally followed, women of all classes and ages would derive great benefit from its adoption, and many serious diseases would be warded off. Besides, the use of the sitz-bath, after a time, would be a great comfort and enjoy- ment. 512. Where a lady suffers severely from ^^ the whites,^^ she may go to the seaside. There is noth- ing in such cases that generally affords so much relief as the bracing effects of sea air. Sea-bathing will generally act as an invigorating tonic. The rule to follow is to have the whole body under water while bathing, and not to remain longer than ten minutes in the water. 513. When the patient has been much weakened by ^^the whites, ^^ she will derive benefit from a quinine mixture (see a previous paragraph) — a dose of which ought to be taken twice or three times a day. PREG^S^A^^CY. — MEDICIKE. 205 514. Irritation and itcliing of the external parts, — This is a most troublesome affection, and may occur at any time, but more especially during the latter period of the pregnancy ; and as it is a subject that a lady is sometimes too delicate and too sensitive to consult a medical man about, I think it well to lay down a few rules for her relief. The misery it entails, if not relieved, is almost past endurance. 515. Well, then, in the first place, let her diet be simple and nourishing; let her avoid stimulants of all kinds. In the next place, and this is a most im- portant item of treatment, let her use a tepid salt- and-water sitz-bath. The way to prepare the bath is to put a large handful of table salt into the sitz- bath, then to add cold water to the depth of three or four inches, and sufficient hot water to make the water tepid or luheioarni. The patient must sit in the bath ; her slippered feet being, of course, out of the water, and on the ground, and either a woollen shawl or a small blanket being thrown over her shoulders — which shawl or blanket ought to be the only covering she has on the while. She should remain only for a few seconds, or while she can count, in the winter, fifty, or in the summer, a hun- dred, in the bath. Patients generally derive great comfort and benefit from these salt-and-water sitz- baths. 516. If the itching, during the daytime, continue, the following lotion ought to be used : — Take of — Solution of Subacetate of Lead, one drachm ; Rectified Spirits of Wine, one drachm ; Distilled Water, one pint : To make a lotion. — The parts affected to be bathed three or four times a day with the lotion. Or the parts may 20G ADVICE TO A WIFE. be bathed two or three times a day with equal parts of vinegar and of water. Or ten poppy-heads boiled in two pints of water, cooled down, make an excellent soothing lotion applied to the parts, and also injected into the vagina. Another soothing and cooling lotion is a saturated solu- tion of boracic acid, that is, a solution containing as much boracic acid as the water will dissolve. 517. The external parts, and the passage to the womb (the vagina), in these cases, are not only irri- table and itching, but are sometimes /^o/and inflamed, and are covered either with small pimples, or loith a tvhitish exudation of the nature of aphta (thrush), somewhat similar to the thrush on the mouth of an infant ; then, the addition of gl)^cerine to the lotion is a great improvement, and usually gives much re- lief. Either of the following is a good lotion for the purpose : — Take of— Biborate of Soda, eight drachms ; Glycerine, five ounces ; Distilled Water, ten ounces : To make a lotion. — The part affected to be bathed every four hours with the lotion, first shaking the bottle. Or, Take of — Solution of Subacetate ^ of Lead. (. of each, one drachm ; Rectified Spirits of Wine, ) Glycerine, five ounces ; Rose Water, ten ounces and a half : To make a lotion. — To be used in the same manner as the preceding one. MISCARRIAGE. The untimely fniit of woman. — The Psalms. A miscarrying ivomb and dry breasts. — Hosea. 518. If a jjremature expulsion of the child occurs before the end of the seventh month, it is called PREGKA^s'CY. — MISCARRIAGE. 207 either a miscaiTiage or an cibortion ; if between the seventh month and before the f till period of nine months^ ^premature labor, 519. A premature labor ^ in the graphic language of the Bible, is called ^^an untimely birth/^ and un- timely in every sense of the word it truly is I Un- timely for mother ; untimely for doctor ; untimely for monthly nurse ; untimely for all preconcerted arrangements ; untimely for child, causing him un- timely death. A more expressive word for the pur- pose it is impossible to find. 520. There is proneness for a young wife to mis- carry, and woe betide her if she once establish the haMty for it, unfortunately, often becomes a habit. A miscarriage is a serious calamity, and should be considered in that light ; not only to the wife herself, w^hose constitution frequent miscarriages would seri- ously injure, and eventually ruin ; but it would rob the loife of one of her greatest earthly privileges, the inestimable pleasure and delight of being a mother. 521. Now, as a miscarriage may generally be pre- vented, it behoves a wife to look well into the matter, and to study the subject thoroughly for herself, in order to guard against her first miscarriage ; for the first miscarriage is the one w^hich frequently leads to a series. How necessary it is that the above impor- tant fact should be borne in mind I How much misery might be averted ; as, then, by avoiding the usual causes, means w^ould be taken to ward off such an awful calamity. I am quite convinced that in the majority of cases miscarriages may be prevented. 522. Hence the importance of a po2ndar work of this kind, to point out the dangers, to give judicious 208 ADVICE TO A WIFE. advice^ that a wife may read^ ponder over^ and ^^ in- wardly digest ; '' and that she may see the folly of the present practices that wives — young wives es- pecially — usually indulge in ; and thus that she may avoid the rocks they split on, which make a shipwreck of their most cherished hopes and treas- ures ! How^ unless a wife be taught, can she gain such information ? That she can know it intui- tively is utterly imjiossible ! She can only know it from her doctor, and from him she does not often like to ask such questions. She must, therefore, by a popular work of this kind, be enlightened, or loss of life to her unborn babe, and broken health to her- self, will, in all probability, be the penalties of her ignorance. It is utter folly to say that all such mat- ters should be left entirely to the doctor — the mis- chief is usually done before he is consulted ; besides, she herself is the right person to understand it, as she herself is the one to prevent it, and the one, if it be not prevented, to suffer. How many a broken con- stitution and an untimely end have resulted from the want of such knowledge as is contained in this book ! It is perfectly ridiculous to assert that a doctor can in a few minutes^ consultation, thoroughly inform a pregnant female of all that is necessary for her to know for the prevention of a miscarriage. 523. Let it then be thoroughly understood — first, that a miscarriage is very w^eakening — more weaken- ing than a labor ; and, secondly, that if a lady have once miscarried, she is more likely to miscarry again and again, until at length her constitution be broken, and the chances of her having a child becomes small indeed ! Woe betide such a one if she becomes the victim of such a habit ! PREGisrAXCY. — MISCARRIAGE. 209 524. Causes. — A slight cause will frequently occa- sion tlie separation of the child from the mother^ and its consequent death and expulsion ; hence the readi- ness with which a lady sometimes miscarries. The fol- lowing are the most common causes of a young wife miscarrying : — taking long walks ; riding on horse- back, or oyer rough roads in a carriage ; a long railway journey ; over-exerting herself, and sitting up late at night ; too frequent sexual intercourse. Her mind just after marriage, is oftentimes too much excited by large parties, by balls, and concerts. The following are, moreover, frequent causes of a miscarriage : — Falls ; all violent emotions of the mind, passion, fright, etc. ; fatigue ; over-reaching ; sudden shocks ; taking a wrong step either in ascending or in descend- ing stairs ; falling downstairs ; lifting heavy weights ; violent purgatives ; obstinate constipation ; debility of constitution ; consumptive habit of body ; fashion- able amusements ; dancing ; late hours ; tight lac- ing ; — indeed, anything and everything that in- juriously effects either the mind or the body. 525. I have enumerated above, that taking a long railway journey is one cause of a miscarriage. It certainly is a cause, and a frequent cause of a mis- carriage. It is dangerous until she has quickened, for a pregnant woman to take a long railway journey, as it may bring on a miscarriage. It is also attended with great risk for a lady who is enceinte, i^YO or three months before she expects her confinement, to undertake a long journey by rail, as it might induce a premature labor, which often comes on at about the seventh month. This advice, of course, holds good with tenfold force if a lady be prone to miscarry, or to bring forth a child prematurely. A lady predis- 14 210 ADVICE TO A WIFE. posed either to miscarry^ or to bring forth pre- maturely^ ought not^ duri7ig any period of her preg- nancy y to take a long railway Journey, as it might be attended with disastrous consequences. 526. The old maxim, that ^^ prevention is better than cure/^ is well exemplified in the case of a mis- carriage. Let me, then, appeal strongly to my fair reader to do all that she can, by avoiding the usual causes of a miscarriage which I have above enumer- ated, to prevent such a catastrophe. A miscarriage is no trifling matter ; it is one of the most grievous accidents that can occur to a tcife, and is truly a catastrophe. Miscarriage involves the peeling off from the walls of the womb of the young and grow- ing product of conception before its natural time, when it drops off like a ripe fruit. 527. Threatening or warning symptoms of a Mis- carriage, — A lady about to miscarry usually, for one or two days, experiences a feeling of lassitude, of de- bility, of malaise, and depression of spirits ; she feels as though she were going to be taken ^^ poorly ; " she complains of weakness and uneasiness about the loins, the hips, the thighs, and the lower part of the abdo- men. This is an important stage of the case, and one in which a judicious medical man may, almost to a certainty, be able to stave 'off a miscarriage. 528. More serious, hut still only threatening symp- toms of a Miscarriage, — If the above symptoms be allowed to proceed, unchecked and untended, she will, after a day or two, have a slight show of blood ; this show may soon increase to a flooding, which will shortly become clotted. Then, perhaps, she begins for the first time to dread a miscarriage ! There may at this time be but little pain, and the miscar- PREGNANCY. — MISCARRIAGE. ^11 riage might, with judicious treatment, be even now warded off. At all events, if the miscarriage cannot be prevented, the ill effects to her constitution may, with care, be palliated, and means used to prevent a future miscarriage. 529. Decided symptoms of a Miscarriage. — If the miscarriage be still proceeding, a new train of symp- toms develops itself : pains begin to come on, at first slight, irregular, and of a "^^ grinding'^ nature, but which soon become more severe, regular, and ^^ bearing-down.^^ Indeed, the case is now a labor in miniature ; it becomes le commencement cle la fin ; the patient is sure to miscarry, as the child is now dead, and separated from its connection with the mother. 530. There are two Stages of Miscarriage — (1) Tlie separatio7i of the ovum from the womb ; and (2) 77ie expidsion of the ovum from the womb : the f ormer,f rom the rupture of vessels, is necessarily attended with more or less of flooding ; the latter, in addition to the flooding, from the contraction of the womb, with more or less of pain. Kow, if there be separation, there must follow expulsion. Mature is doing all she can to get rid of the separated ovum, which has be- come a foreign body ; and if there be expulsion, there must, of necessity, be pain, as contraction of the womb invariably causes pain. Hence, there is, in every miscarriage, more or less of flooding and of pain ; indeed, you cannot have a miscarriage without both the one and the other. 531. A sudden freedom, in a miscarriage, from flooding and from pain, often tells of the escape of the ovum from the womb. Although the ovum may still be lodging in the vagina — the passage from the 212 ADVICE TO A WIFE. womb — from thence it will readily and speedily, of its own accord, come away ; therefore, on that head, there need be no apprehension. 532. The most usual time for a lady to miscarry is from the eighth to the twelfth week. It is not, of course, confined to this period, as during the whole time of pregnancy there is a chance of a premature expulsion of the contents of the womb. A miscar- riage iefore the fourth month is at the time attended with little danger ; although, if neglected, it may forever injure the constitution. 533. There is, then, in every miscarriage, more or less of Flooding, which is the most important symp- tom. After the fourth month it is accompanied with more risk, as the further a lady is advanced in her pregnancy, tlie greater is her danger of increased flooding ; notwithstanding, under judicious treat- ment, there is every chance of her doing well. A medical man ought to be sent for in such a case al- ways. There is much more care required in a mis- carriage than in an ordinary labor. 534. If hearing-doion, expiilsive Pains — similar to labor pains — should accompany the flooding ; if the flooding increase, and if large clots come away ; if the breasts become smaller and softer ; and if the milk having previously been a little in the bosom, suddenly dry up ; if there be coldness and heaviness, and diminution in the size of the abdomen ; if the motion of the child (the patient having quickened) cannot be felt; if there be ^"^the impression of a heavy mass rolling about the uterus [womb], or the falling of the uterine tumor from side to side in the abdomen as the patient changes her position ; '' and if there be an unpleasant discharge from the vagina. II PREGXAXCY. — MISCARRIAGE. 213 she may rest assured that the child is dead^ and that it is separated from all connection with her^ and that the miscarriage must proceed, it being only a ques- tion of time. Of course, in such a case — if she have not already done so — she ought immediately to send for a medical man. A miscarriage sometimes begins and ends in a few days — five or six ; it at other times con- tinues a fortnight, and even in some cases three weeks. 535. Treatment, — If the patient have the slightest ^^ show/' she ought immediately to confine herself either to a sofa, or she should keep in bed. A soft feather bed must be avoided ; it both enervates the body and predisposes to a miscarriage. There is nothing better for her to sleep on than a horsehair mattress. She either ought to lie flat on her back, or should lie upon her side, as it is quite absurd for her merely to rest her legs and feet, as it is the back and the abdomen, not the feet aid legs, which re- quire rest. 536. Sexual intercourse should, in such a case, be carefully avoided ; indeed, the patient ought to have a separate bed. This is most important advice, for if it be not followed, the threatening miscarriage will be almost sure to be un fait accompli. 537. Let her put herself on low diet, such as on arrow-root, tapioca, sago, gruel, chicken-broth, tea, toast-and-water, and lemonade ; and whatever she does drink, ought, during the time of the miscarriage, to be cold. Grapes at these times are cooling and refreshing. 538. The temperature of the bedroom should be kept cool ; and, if it be summer, the window ought to be thrown open ; aperient medicines must be 214 ADVICE TO A WIFE. avoided ; and if the flooding be violent^ cold water should be applied externally to the parts. 539. Let me strongly urge ujoon the patient the vast importance of preserving any and every sub- stance that may come away, in order that it be care- fully examined by the medical man. It is utterly impossible for a doctor to declare positively that a lady has really miscarried, and that all has properly come away, if he have not the opportunity of examin- ing the substances for himself. How often has a lady declared to her medical man that she has miscarried, when she has only parted with clots of blood ! Clots sometimes put on strange appearances, and require a practised and professional eye to decide at all times upon what they really are. 540. The same care is required after a 7niscarriage as after a labor ; indeed, a patient requires to be treated much in the same manner — that is to say, she ought to keep her bed, and should live upon the diet I have recommended after a confinement, avoiding for the first few days stimulants of all kinds. Many women date their ill state of health to a neglected miscarriage ; it therefore behoves a lady to guard against such a misfortune. 541. A patient prone to miscarry ought, before she become pregnant again, to use every means to brace and strengthen her system. The best plan that she can adopt will be to leave her husband for SEVERAL mo:n^ths, and go to some healthy spot ; neither to a fashionable watering-place, nor to a friend's house where much company is kept, but to some quiet country place, if to a healthy farm-house so much the better. 543. Early hours are quite indispensable. She pregna:n^cy. — miscarriage. 215 ought to lie on a horsehair mattress^ and should have but scant clothing on the bed. She must sleep in a well-ventilated apartment. Her diet should be light and nourishing. Gentle exercise ought to be taken, which should alternate with frequent rest. 543. Cold ablutions ought every morning to be used^ and the body should be afterwards dried with coarse towels. If it be winter^ let the water be made tepid, and let its temperature be gradually lowered until it be used quite cold. A shower-bath is in these cases serviceable ; it braces and invigorates the system, and is one of the best tonics she can have. 544. If she ie already pregnant it would not be admissible, as the shock of the shower-bath would be too great, and might bring on a miscarriage ; but still sA^ ought to continue the cold ablutions. 545. A lady who is prone to miscarry, as soon as she is pregnant, must lie down a great part of every day ; she must keep her mind calm and unruffled ; she must live on a plain diet ; she must avoid all stimulants ; she must have a separate sleeping apart- ment or separate bed, and she should retire early to rest. She ought as much as possible to abstain from taking opening medicine ; and if she be actually obliged to take an aperient — for the bowels must not be allowed to be constipated — she should select the mildest (such as castor oil, or lenitive electuary, or syrup of senna), and even of these she ought not to take a larger dose than is absolutely necessary, as a free action of the bowels is a frequent cause of mis- carriage. 546. Gentle walking exercise daily is desirable: long walks and horse exercise must be sedulously avoided. A trip to the coast, provided the railway 216 ADVICE TO A WIFE. journey be not very long, would be likely to prevent a miscarriage. I would not^ on any account, rec- ommend such a patient either to bathe in, or to sail on, the water^ as the shock of the former would be too great, and the motion of the vessel and the sea- sickness would be likely to bring on what we were anxious to avoid. 547. As the usual period for miscarrying ap- proaches (for it frequently comes on at one particular time), let the patient be more than usually careful ; let her lie down the greater part of the day ; let her mind be kept calm and unruffled ; let all fashionable society and every exciting amusement be eschewed ; let both the sitting and the sleeping apartments be kept cool and well ventilated ; let the bowels (if they be costive) be opened by an enema of warm water (if the external application of castor oil, as a liniment, be not sufficient) ; let the diet be simple and yet be nourishing ; let all stimulants, such as beer, wine, and spirits, be at this time avoided ; and if there be the slightest symptoms of an approaching miscarriage, such as pains in the loins, in the hips, or in the lower part of the abdomen, or if there be the slight- est show of blood, let a medical man be instantly sent for, as he may, at an early period, be able to ward off the threatened mishap. FALSE LABOR PAINS. 4 548. A lady, especially in her first pregnancy, is sometimes troubled with spurious labor pains ; these pains usually come on at night, and are frequently owing to a disordered stomach. They affect the abdomen, the back, and the loins ; and occasionally PREGNA:N'CY. — FALSE LABOR PAIXS. 217 they extend down the hips and the thighs. They attack first one place and then another ; they come on at irregular intervals ; at one time they are vio- lent, at another they are feeble. The pains, instead of being grindi7ig or iearing-doiun, are more of a colicky nature. 549. Xow^ as these false pains more frequently occur in a first pregnancy, and as they are often more violent two or three weeks before the comple- tion of the full time, and as they usually come on either at night or in the night, it behooves both the patient and the monthly nurse to be cognizant of the fact, in order that they may not make a false alarm, and summon the doctor before he be really wanted, and when he cannot be of the slightest benefit to the patient. 550. It is sometimes stated that a woman has been in labor two or three weeks before' the child was born ! Such is not the fact. The case in question is one probably of false pains ending in true pains. 551. Hoiv, then, is the patient to hnoio that tlie pains are false and not true lalor pains ? False labor pains come on three or four weeks lefore the full time; true labor pains at i\\e completion of the full time : false pains are unattended with ^' show ;^^ true pains generally commence the labor with ^^show '/' false pains are generally migratory — changing from place to place — first attacking the loins, then the hips, then the lower portions, and even other por- tions of the abdomen — first one part, then another ; true pains generally begin in the back : false pains commence as spasmodic pains ; true pains as ^'^ grind- ing '' pains : false pains come on at uncertain periods, at one time a quarter of an hour elapsing, at others. 218 ADVICE TO A WIFE. an hour or two hours between each pain — at one time the pain is sharp, at another trifling ; true pains come on with tolerable regularity, and gradually in- crease in severity, and the intervals of freedom from pain become less and less. 552. But remember — the most valuable distinguish- ing symptom is the absence of ^^show^^ in false labor pains, and the presence of ^^show'^ in true labor pains. It might be said that ^^ show '^ does not always usher in the commencement of labor. Granted ; but such cases are exceedingly rare, and may be con- sidered as the exception and not the rule. 553. Treatment, — A dose of castor oil is generally all that is necessary ; but if the pains still continue, the patient ought to be abstemious, abstaining for a day or two from beer and wine, and rubbing the ab- domen every night at bedtime either with cam- phorated oil, previously warmed, or with laudanum, taking care not to drink the latter by mistake. Hot salt, in a flannel bag, or a vulcanized indiarubberliot- water bag, applied every night at bedtime to the abdomen frequently affords great relief. If the pains be not readily relieved she ought to send for a medi- cal man, as a little appropriate medicine will soon have the desired effect. 554. The^Q false labor pains may go on either for days, or even for weeks, and at length may, at full time, terminate in real labor pains — thus causing a patient sometimes to suppose and to assert that she has been in labor for weeks, while she has, in reality, only been in real labor the usual length of time. PERIOD OF GESTATION— " THE COUNT." 555. The period of gestation is usually two hundred PREGNAXCY. — PERIOD OF GESTATION". 219 and seventy-five days — forty weeks — ten lunar or nine calendar months. bo6. It will be well for a lady^ in making her ^^count/^ to commence her ^^ reckoning ^' about three days after the last day of her being ^^ unwell.'" The reason we fix on a woman conceiving a few days after she has ^^ ceased to be unwell/" is. that she is more apt to conceive soon after menstruation than at any other time. 557. A good plan to make the ^^ reckoning "" is as follows : — Let forty weeks and a few days^ from the time specified above^ be marked on an almanac^ and a lady will seldom be far from her calculation. Sup- pose^ for instance, the last day of her '^ ceasing to be unwell "" was on January the loth^ she may expect to be confined on or about October the 25th. The most simple plan of reckoning the probable date of the birth is to count 275 days from the end of the last period. In France 270 days is held to be the usual duration of pregnancy. The Talmud fixes the max- imum period of pregnancy at 271 days^ and as ex- tending sometimes to 272 or 273 days. In cases where I have had a good opportunity of fixing dates, the births of mature children have occurred between 270 to 275 days. 558. A Pregnancy Talle, — The following Talle, showing the prohahJe commencement, duration, and completion of pregnancy, and indicating the date on or about which day the labor might occur, will, I trust, be found very useful, although it allows a little longer than 275 days. This Table allows three days over the 280 days — making §83 days ; that is to say, ^Hhe count"" of 280 days commences three days after the last day of a lady being '' unwell."" The reason 220 ADVICE TO A WIFE. I have chosen three days after the last clay of mens- truation^ is^ a lady is more likely to conceive a few days^ say three days, after the last day of her ^^ periods ^^ than at any other time. The reckoning, then, in this Table, is made to begin from the last day of ^^ her periods '' — three days being allowed over for conception — thus making 283 days from the last day of ^^ the periods ^^ until the completion of the preg- nancy, on or about which day — the 283d day — the labor is likely to occur. A PREGNANCY TABLE. 1 Last Day of " the Periods-' Jan. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Labor On or About . Oct. 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 23 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 . Nov. 1 '• 2 3 4 5 6 '7 8 9 10 Last Day of Labor " the Periods." On or About Feb. 1 . . . Nov. 11 2 . *' 12 3 . ^' 13 4 . - 14 5 . '^ 15 6 . . - 1ft 7 . ** 17 8 . '' IS 9 . '^ 19 10 . << 201 11 . ; '' 21 12 . << 2» 13 . ; *' 23 14 . *' 24 15 . '' 25 16 . *' 26 17 . . ** 27 18 . ** 28 19 . ** 29 '* 20 . *^ 30 21 . . Dec. 1 22 . ** 2 23 . *' 3 24 . *' 4 25 . '' 5 26 . '' 6 27 . '' 7 28 . ** 8 Mar. 1 . '' 9 2 . '' 10 " 3 . ** 11 PREGKAXCY. — A PEEGXAKCY TABLE. 231 Last Day of Labor Last Day of Labor '• the Periods " On or About "the Periods.' On or About Mar. 4 .. . Dec. 12 April 22 . . Jan. 30 5 . ^^ 13 23 . '^ 31 6 . '' 14 24 . . Feb. 1 7 . " 15 25 . " 2 8 . ^' 16 '' 26 . '' 3 9 . *' 17 27 . '' 4 10 . *' 18 28 . '' 5 11 . '' 19 29 . '' 6 12 . '' 20 30 . -' 7 13 . '^ 21 May 1 . '' 8 14 . '' 22 2 vf ^' 9 ^' 15 . " 23 3 . '' 10 16 . '' 24 4 . '' 11 17 . *^ 25 5 . '' 12 18 . '' 26 6 . '' 13 19 . '^ 27 7 . '' 14 20 . '' 28 8 .. . *^ 15 21 . '' 29 9 .. ^^ 16 22 . '' 30 10 .. '' 17 23 . '' 31 11 .. '' 18 24 . . Jan. 1 12 .. *' 19 '^ 25 . ^' 2 13 .. *^ 20 26 . '' 3 14 .. '' 21 27 . . '' 4 15 .. *^ 22 28 . '' 5 16 .. ** 23 29 . . '' 6 17 .. *^ 24 30 . '' 7 18 .. ** 25 31 . '' 8 19 .. " 26 April 1 . '' 9 20 . . '' 27 - 2 . ** 10 21 . . *^ 28 3 . '' 11 22 .. . Mar. 1 4 .. *' 12 23 . . '' 2 5 . '' 13 24 . . '' 3 6 . '* 14 25 .. " 4 7 .. " 15 26 .. '' 5 8 . ^' 16 27 . . ** 6 9 . '' 17 ^' 28 .. *^ 7 10 . ^^ 18 29 . . *^ 8 11 . ^* 19 30 .. '* 9 12 . '' 20 31 .. '' 10 13 . '' 21 June 1 . *' 11 14 . '' 22 2 .. *^ 12 15 . *^ 23 3 .. '' 13 16 . '^ 24 4 .. ^^ 14 17 . '' 25 5 .. '^ 15 18 . *^ 26 6 .. '' 16 19 . " 27 7 .. ^' 17 20 . . ^^28 8 .. '' 18 21 . '' 29 9 ., '' 19 322 ADVICE TO A WIFE. July Last Day of " the Periods.' June 10 . 11 . 12 . 13 . 14 . 15 . 16 . 17 . 18 . 19 . 20 . 21 . 22 . 23 . 24 . 25 . 26 . 27 . 28 . 29 . 30 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9 . 10 . 11 . 12 . 13 . 14 . 15 . 16 . 17 . 18 . 19 . 20 . 21 . 22 . 23 . 24 . 25 . 26 . 27 . 28 . Ap: Labor On or About Mar. 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 il 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 May 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Last Day of Labor " the Periods/' On or About July 29 .. . May 8 30 . - 9 31 . ** 10 Aug. 1 . ** 11 2 . ** 12 3 . '' 13 4 . *^ 14 5 . '* 15 6 . *^ 16 7 . '' 17 8 . ** 18 9 . ** 19 10 . ** 20 11 . ** 21 12 . *^ 22 13 . ** 23 14 . ** 24 15 . ** 25 16 . ** 26 17 . *' 27 18 .. *' 28 19 .. " 29 20 .. ** 30 21 .. ** 31 22 . . . June 1 23 .. '' 2 24 . . '' 3 25 .. '' 4 26 . . . " 5 27 . . ** 6 28 .. '' 7 29 .. ** 8 30 . . ** 9 31 .. " ^^ » Sept. 1 . . - 12 • 1 - 2 .. 3 .. *' 13 4 .. " 14 5 .. '' 15 j| - 16*1 6 .. 7 .. ** 17 8 .. '' 18 9 .. '' 19 10 .. '' 20 11 .. ** 21 12 .. ** 22 13 .. ** 23 14 .. *^ 24 15 .. ** 25 PREGXANCY. — A PREGXANCY TABLE. 233 Last Day of "the Periods. Sept. Oct. Nov. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 Labor On or About 26 27 28 29 30 July 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Aug. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Last Day of "the Periods.' Nov. Dec. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Labor On or About Aug. 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Sept. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Oct. 1 224 ADVICE TO A WIFE. Last Day of "the Periods.' Dec. 23 24 25 26 27 Labor 1 On or About Oct. 2 (( 3 4 5 (( 6 Last Day of " the Periods.'' Dec. 28 29 30 31 Labor On or About .. Oct. 7 *' a *^ 9 ^* 10 559. I may, in passing, just point out the great importance of a wife making, every time, a note of the last clay of her ^^ periods ; '^ the doing so would save her a great deal of inconvenience, uncertainty, and anxiety. 560. Although women may go 280 days, many reach only 275 ; our Lord Jesus Christ, as recorded in the New Testament, was carried in the womb of his mother for a space of 275 days only — ^^ counting from the Festival of the Annunciation, in the month of March, to tlie day of the blessed Nativity, which we celebrate in December, making a period of 275.^^ 561. Although it be possible for a woman to carry her babe forty-five weeks ; that is to say, five weeks past the allotted time of forty weeks ; it is also pos- sible for a lady to carry her child 07ily twenty-eight weeks, and yet to have a living infant, and an infant to live ; I myself have had such a case.* I have an- other case, similar to the one recorded by Shakspeare, where the child was born alive '^^fuU fourteen weeks before the course of time,^^ where the child was car- ried in the mother^s womb only twenty-six weeks. The child in question lived for six weeks, and then died. It might be asked why quote Shakspeare on such a subject ? I reply, — Shakspeare was a true * The little girl in question, in her eighth year, was brought to my rooms. She was, for her age, of the average size, and a well-grown, handsome, healthy child. PKEGXAXCY. — BEIXG OUT IX THE KECKOXIXG. 225 philosopher^ and a shrewd observer of Xature and of Nature's laws. Shakspeare's statement runs thus — *' He came into the world Full fourteen weeks before the course of time." BEING OUT IN THE RECKONING. 562. A lady sometimes, by becoming pregnant whilst she is suckling, is put out of her reckoning ; not being unwell at such a time, she consequently does not know how to ^"^ count. ^^ She ought, in a case of this kind, to reckon from the time that she ^^ quiclcens,'^ That is to say, she must then consider herself nearly half gone in her pregnancy, and to be within a fortnight of half her time ; or, to speak more accurately, as soon as she quickened, we have reason to believe that she has gone about one hundred and twenty-four days : she has therefore about one hundred and fifty-six more days to complete the period of her pregnancy. Suppose, for instance, that she first quickened on May the Ivth, she may expect to be confined somewhere near October the 23d. She must bear in mind, however, that she can never make so correct a ^^ count ^^ from quickening (quickening taking place at such various periods) as from the last day of her ^^periods.^^ 563. A lady is occasionally thrown out of her reck- oning by the appearance, the first month after she is enceinte, of a little ^^ show.^^ This discharge does not come from the womb, as that organ is hermetically sealed ; but from the upper part of the vagina — the passage to the womb — and from the mouth of the womb, and may be know^n from the regular menstrual fluid by its being much smaller in quantity, by its IS 226 ADVICE TO A WIFE. clotting, and by its lasting generally but a few hours. This discharge, therefore, ought not to be reck- oned in the ^^count/^ but the ^^ period ^^ before must be the guide, and the plan should be adopted as pre- viously recommended. **WILL THE BABE BE A BOY OR A GIRL?" 564. It has frequently been asked, '^ Can a medi- cal man tell, before the child is born, whether it will be a boy or a girl ? '' Dr. F. J. W. Packman, of Wim- born, answers in the affirmative. " Queen bees lay female eggs first, and male eggs afterwards. In the human female, conception in the first half of the time between menstrual periods produces female offspring, and male the latter. When a female has gone beyond the time she calcuated upon, it will generally turn out to be a boy.^^ — Braiih waiters Retrospect, It was well to say generally y as the above remarks, as I have had cases to prove, are not, invar iahly to be depended upon. I believe, notwithstanding, that there is a good deal of truth in Dr. Packman's statement. 565. ^^ There is some fair evidence that the sex of the child may be diagnosed by the rapidity of the pulse. The result of observation has shown that the pulse of the female is quicker than that of the male, the ratio being as 140 to 130 per minute. This may probably be due to the fact that male children are generally larger than female." — Dr. Meadoivs' Mid- wifery, 4th edition. I have made this quotation, as the matter of ascertaining the sex of the unborn child is sometimes important for family reasons, and to the attending doctor ; especially to the latter in a first pregnancy. If the indication — which is obtained by auscultating the abdomen, and so hearing the beats PREGi^Ai^CY. — A BOY OR A GIRL ? 227 of the child^s heart — be that the child is a boj% it is sure to be a large child ; the medical attendant can make his arrangements accordingly, and be prepared to assist Xature if required. 566. Some wiseacres of nurses profess themselves to be very clever in foretelling whether it will be a boy or girl some months before the babe is born. They base their prognostications on some such grounds as these, namely : — On the way a lady carries her child whether she carry her burden high or low ; whether she be large or small ; whether she be larger on the right side than on the left side of the abdomen, or vice versa j whether she be pale and sickly countenanced, or of a good color and healthy-looking ; whether she have been troubled much with heartburn ; whether she be having a sick pregnancy ; and during the childbirth whether she be having a back or an abdominal labor; whether the confinement is progressing quickly or tediously. Xow, I need scarcely say that all these prognostications are utter guesswork — the coinage of a distempered brain : but as the number of boys and of girls born in England are pretty equal, they are as likely to be right as wrong I If they should happen to be right, they do not forget to tell of it ; but if wrong, they allow their prognostications to die in oblivion I If a little more common-sense were, at these times, observed, patients would not be likely to be gulled by such folly, nor to be carried away by '^ old wives^ cunningly-devised fables.'^ As a sample of such fictions, the following choice morsel, from a book published in London in 1604, may be quoted : *^ Item, if it be a male, then shall the woman with child be well-colored and light in going, her belly round, bigger towards the right side than the left 328 ADVICE TO A WIFE. (for commonly the man child lyeth in the right side, the woman in the left side)^ and in the time of her bearing she shall better digest and like her meat." — The Birthe of Mankind^ otherivise 7iamed the JVoman's Boohe. 567. There are, in England^ more boys than girls born — that is to say^ for every 100 girls there are 105 boys. It is a curious fact — proving how definite the laws of Nature are — how closely the different censuses proclaim and verify this statement : — ^' For genera- tions together it had been debated whether the births of boys or girls were the more numerous, and the dis- pute, conducted on metaphysical or physiological probabilities, seemed as if it would never have an end. By the statistics of one census after another we have learned the proportions exactly, and the result is re- markable, as answering closely to the exigencies of life. The proportions of boys to girls is 105 to 100, but the greater dangers to which the male sex is ex- posed increase its share of mortality, so that as the years of any particular generation go on the numbers are first equalized, and in the end turned the other way. More men than women, in short, are required, and more boys are born than girls." — The Times. THE MONTHLY NURSE. 568. It is an important, a most important consid- eration, to choose a nurse rightly and well : the well-doing of both mother and babe often depend upon a right selection. 569. A good nurse, to be such, must have first been taught how to nurse. Unless she has had a regular training, how can she be proficient ? You may as well expect a lady, who has never learned to PREGXANCY. — THE MONTHLY ]S"URSE. 229 play the piano^ to sit clown and '^'^ discourse sweet music/^ One is quite as absurd as the other. Yet how many women have the assurance to turn nurses who are as ignorant of the duties of a nurse as the unborn babe ? It is sad that there are not in every large town more proper training establishments both for monthly and for sick nurses. The one should be perfectly distinct from the other. If they be not, infectious diseases will be carried to the lying-in pa- tient, a terrible misfortune, which will result in much suffering and misery, and even, in some cases, in fatal consequences. A nurse, for instance, who has just before attended a patient with scarlet fever, or ery- sipelas, will most probably carry to the lying-in room disease and even death. Let a child-bed patient, therefore, have nothing whatever to do with a nurse who follows the double calling of sick and of monthly nurse. 570. Miss Florence Nightingale has proved the great need there is for trained nurses, and has done more than ever had been done before to increase their eflBciency. 571. A monthly nurse ought to be of a sensible age. If she be young, she is apt to be thoughtless and giggling ; if she be old, she may be deaf and stupid, and may think too much of her trouble. She must have calmness and self-possession. She must be gentle, kind, good-tempered, and obliging, but firm withal, and she should have a cheerful counte- nance. '' Some seem by nature to have a vocation for nursing ; others not. Again, nursing has its separate branches ; some have the light step, the pleasant voice, the cheering smile, the dexterous hand, the gentle touch ; others are gifted in cookery for the 230 ADVICE TO A WIFE. sick/^* The former good qualities are essential to a monthly nurse^ and if she can combine the latter — that is to say, ^^ if she is gifted in cookery for the sick " — she will, as a monthly nurse, be invaluable. Unless a woman have the gift of nursing she will never make a nurse. '' Dr. Tliyne held that sick nurses, like poets, were born, not made/^'t 572. Some monthly nurses are in the habit of con- cocting hurtful compounds, and of giving them at all hours of the day and night to their unfortunate pa- tients, regardless of their appetites, their feelings, and wishes ; they sometimes even rouse them from their slumbers to give them trashy messes. Now, all this is foolishness in the extreme, and tells us plainly that such persons are utterly ignorant, and quite un- fitted for the duties of monthly nurses. No woman, be she in health, in illness, or in her confinement, unless she be hungry, should be compelled to eat ; the food will not strengthen, but will, on the con- trary, weaken her, and will sadly disorder both her stomach and her breast-milk. The stomach, in the night season, requires rest as much as, or more than, any other part of the body, and will not then bear the disturbance of food. Besides, sleep in the night ought to be far more nourishing and strengthening than any food whatever. A monthly nurse requires in this, as in everything else, common-sense to guide her, and with that she cannot go far wrong. She will then see the folly of uselessly disturbing her patient from her sleep to give her food — undisturbed sleep being far more important to the reparation and * Belforest. A Tale of English Country Life. t Not Proven. London ; Hurst & Blackett. PREGXAXCY. — THE MONTHLY NURSE. 231 restoration of health than aught else^ and everything else, besides. 573. She ought not to be a tattler, or a tale-bearer, or a ^^ croaker/^ or a ^^ potterer.^^ A tattler is an abomination : a clacking tongue is most wearisome and injurious to the patient. A tale-bearer is to be especially avoided : if she tell tales of her former ladies, my fair reader may depend upon it that her turn will come.* There is an old and a true saying, that a monthly nurse ought never, when she leaves her last situation, ^^to leave the door open I^^ That is to say, she ought never to babble about the secrets of the family she has nursed — they should be as in- violate to her as are the secrets intrusted to a doctor by his patient, or to a lawyer by his client. Have nothing, then, to do with a gossijJ of a nurse ; one who knows everything of everybody — more than they know of themselves : she is a giost dangerous person to have about you. Shenstone paints a capital pic- ture of a tattling, scandal-mongering, gossipping nurse — " See now ! she's bursting with a vague report, Made by the washerwoman or old nurse, Time out of mind the viUage chronicle : And with this news she gads from house to house, Racking her brains to coin some wonderful Astounding story out of nothing, and thus To sow the seeds of discord and of strife, To soil the snow-white robe of innocence. To blacken worth and virtue, and to set The neighborhood together by the ears." 574. But of all nurses to be shunned, as the plague, is the ^' croaker, ^^ one that discourses of the dismal ' He that goeth about as a tale-bearer revealeth secrets." 232 ADVICE TO A WIFE. and of the dreadful cases that have occurred in her experience^ of many of which^ in all probability, she was herself the cause. She is a very upas tree in a house. A ^' potterer '' should be banished from the lying-in room : she is a perpetual worry — a perpetual blister ! She is a nurse without method, without system, and without smartness. She potters at this, and potters at that, and worries the patient beyond measure. She dreams, and drawls, and ^^ potters. ^^ It is better to have a brusque and noisy nurse than a pottering one — the latter individual is far more irri- tating to the patient^s nerves, and is aggravating be- yond endurance. ^^ There is one kind of nurse that is not uncommon in hospitals [and in lying-in rooms], and that gives more trouble and worry than all the others together, viz., the ^ pottering^ nurse. Of all nuisances, defend us from a potterer. . . . The wo- man always has the very best intentions in the world, but is totally devoid of method and smartness. You never know when she has begun anything, and you certainly will never know when she has finished it. She never does finish it, but she sometimes leaves off. . . . She seems incapable of taking in a complete and accurate idea of anything, and even while you are speaking to her it is easy to see that her attention cannot be concentrated, and that her mind is flying about among half a dozen subjects. If she is in the least hurried, she loses what little intellect she ordi- narily possesses, moans feebly in a sotto voce mono- tone, fetches the wrong articles, does the wrong thing at the wrong time, and is always in the way.^^ * * The Rev. J. G. Wood's Duties of the Hospital Chaplain, in the Churchman'' s Family Magazine, PREGXAXCY. — THE MOXTHLY XURSE. 233 5T5. Some monthly nurses have a knack of setting the servants at loggerheads^ and of poisoning the minds of their mistresses against them. They are regular mischief-makers^ and frequently cause old and faithful domestics to leave their situations. It will be seen^ therefore^ that it is a momentous under- taking to choose a monthly nurse rightly and well. 576. The class of nurses is^ fortunately for ladies, wonderfully improved, and the race of Sairey Gamp and Betsy Prig is nearly at an end. Drunkenness among midwives and monthly nurses is now the ex- ception, and not the rule ; they were, in olden times, a sadly drunken lot — they imbibed largely of aqua- vitae (brandy) : Shakspeare, in one of his plays, no- tices it thus — Like '* Does it work upon him aqua-vitae with a midwife ? " 577. She ought to be either a married woman or a widow. A single w^oman cannot so well enter into the feelings of a lying-in patient, and has not had the necessary experience. Moreover a single woman, as a rule, is not so handy with an infant (more especially in putting him for the first time to the breast) as is a married woman. 578. She must be sober, temperate, and healthy, and free from deafness and from any defect of vision. She should have a gentle manner, but yet be neither melancholy nor nippish. She ought to have ''^the softest step and gentlest tone ; '' a heavy tread and harsh loud voice are, especially in a lying-in room, most discordant and quite out of place. Some nurses have a voice like a railway whistle, shrill and pierc- ing ; others have voices like a cart-w^heel requiring 234 ADVICE TO A WIFE. greasing, and almost set one^s teeth on edge ! She ought to be fond of children, and must neither mind her trouble nor at being disturbed at night. She should be alight sleeper. A heavy sleeper — a nurse that snores in her sleep — is very objectionable ; she often keeps the patient — more especially if she be easily disturbed — awake : and sleep is to a lying-in woman priceless — "The nurse sleeps sweetly, hired to watch the sick, Whom snoring she disturbs." — Cowper, 579. ^' Scrupulous attention to cleanliness, fresh- ness, and neatness ^^ in her own person, and towards the lady and the infant, are most important requi- sites. 580. A fat dumpling of a nurse — and some monthly nurses are as fat as butter, their occupation tends to make them so — ought not to be chosen, as she can make no proper lap for her little charge. Besides, very fat people are usually heavy sleepers, and snore in their sleep, and are difficult, when duty calls them to action, to rouse from their slumbers. Moreover, a snoring nurse, as far as the lying-in woman is con- cerned — ** Does murder sleep." — ShaJcspeare. 581. In choosing a monthly nurse, select one who has a bright sunshiny countenance ; have nothing to do with a crab-vinegar-faced individual, more especi- ally if she has a red spot on a wrong place of her face, namely, on the tip of the nose, instead of on her cheeks : such a one is, in all probability, not only of a cross-grained temper, but she is one that, most likely, drinks something stronger and more spirituous than water, and more potent and heady than — PREGXAXCY. — THE MONTHLY XURSE. 235 " The cups That cheer but not inebriate." — Cowper. 582. A fine-lady nurse that requires to be con- stantly waited upon by a servant is not the one that I would recommend. A nurse should be willing to wait upon herself^ upon her mistress^ and upon the baby, with alacrity, with cheerfulness, and without assistance, or she is not suitable for her situation. 583. As the nurse, if she does her duty, devotes her time, her talent, and her best energies to the lady and to the infant, a mistress ought to be most liberal in the payment of a monthly nurse. A good one is cheap at almost any price ; while a bad one, though she comes for nothing, is dear indeed. A cheap nurse is frequently the ruin of the patient^s and of the baby's health, and of the peace of the household. 584. The monthly nurse ought to be engaged early in the pregnancy, as a good nurse is caught up soon, and is full of engagements. This is most important advice. A lady has frequently to put up with an in- different nurse from neglecting to engage her betimes. The medical man at the eleventh hour is frequently besought to perform an impossibility, to select a good nurse, which he could readily have done if time had been given to him to make the selection. Some of my best nurses are engaged by my patients as early as two or three months after they have conceived, in order to make sure of having their favorite nurses. My patients are quite right ; a good nurse is quite of as much importance to their well-doing as a good doctor. Indeed, a bad nurse oftentimes makes a good doctor's efforts perfectly nugatory. 585. It is always desirable, whenever it be possible, that the doctor in attendance should himself select 236 ADVICE TO A WIFE. the monthly niirse^ as she will then be used to his ways, and he will know her antecedents — whether she be sober, temperate, and kind^ and understands her business, and whether she be in the habit of attend- ing and of following out his directions, for frequently a nurse is self-opinionated, and fancies that she knows far better than the medical man. Such a nurse is to be scrupulously avoided. There cannot be two masters in a lying-in room ; if there be, the unfortu- nate patient will inevitably be the sufferer. A doctor^s directions must be carried out to the very letter. It rests with the patient to select a judicious medical man, who, although he will be obeyed, will be kind and considerate to the nurse. 586. A monthly nurse ought to be in a house for a week or ten days before the commencement of the labor, in order that there may be neither bustle nor excitement, and no hurrying to and fro at the last moment to find her ; and that she may have every- thing prepared, and the linen w^ell aired for the com- ing event. 587. She must never be allowed, unless ordered by the medical man, to give either the patient or the babe a particle of medicine. A quacking monthly nurse is a dangerous person. An infant who is al- ways being drugged by a nurse is sure to be puny and ailing. 588. A monthly nurse ought to understand the manner of putting on and of tightening the bandage after a confinement : the latter she must do every night and morning, and at other times if necessary. The doctor generally does it the first time himself, viz., immediately after the labor. It requires a little knack, and if the nurse be at all awkward in the PREGlS^Ai^CY. — THE MOIS'THLY ISTURSE. 237 matter, the medical man will be only too hap23y to show her the way, for he is quite aware of the support, the comfort, and the advantage it will be to his pa- tient, and he will be glad to know that the nurse herself will be able to continue putting it on properly for some weeks until she can wear a proper abdominal belt. 589. If nurses better understood the right method of bandaging patients after their labors, there would not be so many ladies with pendulous abdo- mens and ungainly figures. It is a common remark that a lady^s figure is spoiled in consequence of her having had so many children. This would not have occurred, provided efficient bandaging had been re- sorted to after every confinement. But then, if a monthly nurse is to do these things properly, she must have been efficiently trained. Many of them have had little or no training. Hence the import- auce of choosing one who thoroughly knows and will conscientiously do her duty. 590. A monthly nurse who understands her busi- ness will always have the lying-in room tidy, cheerful, and well-ventilated. She will not allow dirty linen to accumulate in the drawers, in corners, and under the bed ; nor will she allow any chamber utensil to remain for one moment in the room after it has been used. If it be winter, she will take care that the fire in the grate never goes out, and that it is not very large, and that the room is kept as nearly as possible at one temperature — namely, at 60° Fahrenheit. She will use her authority as a nurse, and keep the family from frequently running into the room, and from exciting and disturbing her patient ; and she will make a point of taking charge of the babe, and 238 ADVICE TO A WIFE. of keeping him quiet while the mother, during the day, is having her needful sleep. 591. A good monthly nurse fully comprehends and thoroughly appreciates the importance of bathing the external parts concerned in parturition every night and morning, and sometimes even oftener, for at least two or three weeks after childbirth. And, if the medical man deem it necessary, she ought to under- stand the proper use of a vaginal syringe. If the nurse be self-opinionated, and tries to persuade her pa- tient not to have proper ablution — that such ablution will give cold — she is both ignorant and prejudiced, and quite unfitted for a monthly nurse ; and my advice is, that a lady should on no account engage such a person a second time. 592. I need not now — as in another part of this work I have entered so fully on the vital importance of ablution after childbirth — say more than again to urge my fair reader to see that the monthly nurse properly carries it out, and that if there be any ob- jections made to it by the nurse, the medical man be applied to in the matter, and that his judgment be final. Assured I am, that every doctor who under- stands his profession will agree with me, that the reg- ular ablutions of the parts after a labor is absolutely indispensable. The nurse, of course, will take care to guard the bed from being wet, and will not expose the patient unnecessarily during the process ; she will be quick over it, and she will have in readiness soft, warm, dry towels to speedily dry the parts that have been bathed. The above is most important advice, and I hope that my fair inquirer will engage a monthly nurse that will do her duty in the matter. 593. Before concluding a list of some of the duties PREGN^AXCY. — THE MONTHLY XURSE. 23^ of a monthly nurse^ there are six more items of ad- vice I wish to give both to a wife and to a monthly nurse herself, which are these : — (1) Never to allow a nurse, until she be ordered by the doctor, to give any stimulant whatever to the patient. (2) I should rec- ommend every monthly nurse to carry about with her an indiarubber vaginal syringe. The best for the purpose are those which are constructed to act either as an enema apparatus, or, by placing the vag- inal pipe over the enema pipe, as a vaginal syringe. She will thus be armed at all points, and will be ready for any emergency. It is, however, of vital importance that the apparatus should be kept scru- pulously clean. It should be thoroughly washed out and the tubes well cleansed every time after use, in a solution of one in sixty of carbolic acid. It should only be used for one person, and never be used for more. Many sad cases have occurred where an appa- ratus has been applied to several persons — infection and disease having thus been propagated. (3) I should advise a nurse never to quack either the mother or the babe. A quacking nurse is a dangerous individual. The only person that should prescribe for either mother or babe is the medical man himself. A good nurse would never dare to do so, or to anticipate a doctor's treatment. She should remember that he is the one to give orders, as he, in the lying-in room, is the commander-in-chief, and must be obeyed. (4) A monthly nurse ought to make a point of never reveal- ing the private concerns of her former patients. It would be a great breach of confidence for her to do so. (5)1 should advise a monthly nurse, if her lying- in patient's head should ache and she cannot sleep, and it should be in winter-time, to feed the bedroom 240 ADVICE TO A WIFE. fire with her hands covered with gloves^ or to have the coals put into paper bags. > The clatter of fire- irons is often an effectual method of banishing sleep altogether, and of increasing a headache. This ad- vice may appear trivial, but it is really important. I have known patients disturbed out of a beautiful sleep by the feeding of the fire, and it is therefore well to guard against such a contingency — sleep after labor being most soothing, refreshing, and strengthening to the patient. Sleep, although easily scared and put to flight, is sometimes difficult to woo and to win. (6) I should recommend every monthly nurse, while waiting upon her patient, to wear either list slippers or the rubber slippers, as creaking shoes are very ir- ritating to a i)atient. While speaking on the duties of a monthly nurse, there is one reprehensible i)rac- tice of some few of them I wish to denounce, which is this : — A nurse declaring at each pain, when it will probably be two or three hours before the labor is over, that two or three pains will be all that are needed ! Now, this is folly, it is most disheartening, and makes the patient impatient, and to believe in bitterness of spirit that ^' all men,^^ and women, too, '^ are liars. ^^ A nurse should take her cue from the doctor, and if he should happen to be a sensible man, he will tell his patient the truth, and express an opin- ion how long it will be before she is likely to be de- livered. Truth in this, as in everything else, is the safest and the best policy. 594. A lady may, perhaps, say, ^^ You want a nurse to be perfection ?" Well, I do ; a nurse ought to be as near perfection as poor human nature will allow. None but good women and true should enter the ranks of nurses ; for their responsibility is great, M PREGNAJq"CY. — CONCLUDING REMARKS. 241 and their power of doing good or evil is enormous. Hence good nurses are prizes^ and should be paid most liberally. 595. The selection of a nurse is^ for the well-being both of mother and of babe^ quite as important as is the choice of a doctor. Mother and babe are thor- oughly dependent upon her for the airing of clothes, for due but careful ablution^ and for other most im- portant services. 596. I hope, then^ I have said enough — I am quite sure that I have not said one word too much — on the care required in the selection of a monthly nurse. It is impossible, when such vital interests are at stake, to be too particular, or to overstate the importance of the subject. CONCLUDING REMAEKS ON PREGNANCY. 597. The premonitory symptoms of labor having commenced ; everything being in readiness for the coming -event — clothes, sheets, flannels, diapers, all well aired, everything in order, so that each and all may, even in the dark, at a mementos notice, be found ; the bedroom well ventilated ; the nurse being in the house ; the doctor notified that he may be wanted — all the patient has to do is to keep up her spirits, and to look forward with confidence and hope to that auspicious moment which has been long- expected, and which is now about to arrive, when she will become a mother I An event — the birth of her child, ushered as he will be into the world with a cry (oh, joyful sound I) which she will realize as the hap- piest moment of her existence. She will then be amply repaid for all her cares, all her anxiety, and all i6 242 ADVICE TO A WIFE. her anguish. ^^A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow because her hour is come ; but as soon as she is delivered of the child^ she remembereth no more the anguish^ for joy that a man is born into the world.'' — St, John. 598. A wife is now about to assume an additional and higher title than that of Wife, namely, that of Mother, PART m. LABOE. All women laboring of child, — The Litany. Time of her travail. — Genesis. The child was prisoner to the womb; and is By love and process of great nature, thence Freed and enfranchised. — Shakspeare. ON A FIRST LABOR. 599. As the first labor is^ of all subsequent labors, generally the most tedious and the most severe, it behooves a newly-married woman to "^^ hearken unto counsel/'' and thus to prepare for the coming event. 600. Strict observance of the advice contained in these pages will often make a first labor as easy and as expeditious as an after labor. 601. But observance of the counsel herein con- tained must be adopted, not only during pregnancy, but likewise during the whole period — from the very commencement — of wifehood. THE PRECURSORY SYMPTOMS OF LABOR. 602. A day or two before the labor commences the 243 244 ADVICE TO A WIFE. patient usually feels better than she has done for a long time ; she is light and comfortable ; she is smaller^ and the child is lower down ; she is more cheerful^ breathes more freely, and is more inclined to take exercise^ and to attend to her household duties. She has often an inclination to tidy her drawers, and to look up and have in readiness her own linen, and the baby^s clothes, and the other requisites for the long-expected event. She seems to have a presentiment that labor is approaching, and she has the feeling that now is the right time to get everything in readiness, as, in a short time, she will be powerless to exert herself. 603. Although the majority of patients, a day or two before the labor comes on, are more bright and cheerful, some few are more anxious, fanciful, fidg- ety, and restless. 604. A few days, sometimes a few hours, before labor commences, the child ^^ falls," as it is called; that is to say, there is a siiisidence — a di^opping — of the toomh lower down the abdomen. This is the rea- son why she feels lighter and more comfortable, and more inclined to take exercise, and why she can breathe more freely. It is at this time that the bowels frequently act, and thus make more room for the passage of the child. If they do not do so naturally, now is the time for the nurse to empty the lower bowel by enemata or by purgatives administered by the mouth. A woman should always go into labor with the bowels emptied. 605. The only inconvenience of the dropping of the worn!) is, that the womb presses more on the bladder, and sometimes causes an irritability of that organ, inducing a frequent desire to make water. The LABOR. — THE PRECURSORY SYMPTOMS. 245 wearing tlie obstetric belt^ as so particularly enjoined in previous pages, will greatly mitigate this incon- venience. 606. The subsidence — the droiyping — of the womi may then be considered one of the earliest of the precursory symijtoms of childbirth, and as the herald of the coming event. 607. She has, at this time, an increased moisture of the vagina — the passage leading to the womb — and of the external parts. She has, at length, slight pains, and then she has a ^^show," as it is called : which is the coming away of a mucous plug, w^hich dur- ing pregnancy, had hermetically sealed up the mouth of the womb. The '^ show '^ is generally tinged with a little blood. When a ^"^show^^ takes jDlace, she may rest assured that labor has actually commenced. One of the early symptoms of labor is a frequent de- sire to relieve the bladder. 608. She has now '' grinding i^ains, ^^ Qommg on at uncertain periods ; sometimes once during two hours, at other times every hour or half-hour. These '^ grinding pains ^^ ought not to be interfered with ; at this stage, therefore, it is useless to send for a doctor ; yet the monthly nurse should be in the house, to make preparations for the coming event. Although at this early period it is not necessary to send for the medical man ; nevertheless, it will be well to let him know that his services may shortly be required, in order that he may be in the way, or that he may leave word where he may quickly be found. 609. These ^''grinding pains ^^ gradually assume more regularity in their character, return at shorter intervals, and become more severe. 610. About this time, shivering, in the majority 346 ADVICE TO A WIFE. of cases, is apt to occur, so as to make the teeth chatter again. Shivering during labor is not an un- favorable symptom ; it proves, indeed, that the patient is in real earnest, and that she is making progress. 611. Although the patient shivers and trembles until, in some instances, the bed shakes under her, it is unaccompanied with real coldness of the skin ; she shivers and feels cold, but her skin in reality is not at all cold, but is hot and perspiring — perspiring at every pore ! 612. She ought not, on any account, unless it be ordered by the medical man, to take any stimulant as a remedy for the shivering. A cup of liot tea or of liot gruel will be the best remedy for the shiver- ing ; and an extra blanket or two should be thrown over her, and be well tucked around her, in order to thoroughly exclude the air from the body. The extra clothing, as soon as she is warm and perspiring, should be gradually removed, as she ought not to be kept very hot, or it will weaken her, and will thus retard her labor. 613. Nausea or sichness frequently comes on in the beginning of the labor, and may continue during the whole process. There may be not only a feeling of sickness, but actual vomiting, so that little or nothing can be kept on the stomach. 614. Now, sickness in labor is rather a favorable symptom, and is usually indicative of a kind and easy confinement. There is an old saying that ^^ sick labors are safe.^' Although they maybe safe, they are decidedly disagreeable ! 615. Sickness during labor does good, it softens and dilates the parts concerned in parturition, and LABOR. — THE PRECURSORY SYMPTOMS. 247 shows that the patient is working in downright earnest ! 616. There is^ in such a case, little or nothing to be done, as the less an irritable stomach is meddled with the better. The sickness will probably leave as soon as the labor is over. Stimulants, unless pre- scribed by the doctor, ought not to be given. 617. She must not, on any account, force down — as her female friends, or as a '' pottering ^' old nurse may advise — to ^^ grinding pains ; " if she do, it will rather retard than forward her labor. 618. During this stage she had better walk about or sit down, and not confine herself to bed ; indeed, there is no necessity for her, unless she particularly desire it, to remain in her chamber. 619. If, at the commencement of her labor, the ^^ waters should break,^' even if there be no pain, the medical man ought immediately to be sent for ; as in such a case it is necessary that he should know the exact presentation of the child — that is, the way it is coming into the world. 620. After an uncertain length of time, the pains alter in character. From being '' grinding, "" they become ^^ bearing down, ^^ and more regular and fre- quent, and the skin becomes both hot and perspiring. These may be considered the true labor-pains. The patient ought to bear in mind then, that the true labor-pains are situated in the back and loins ; they come on at regular intervals, rise gradually up to a certain pitch of intensity, and abate as gradually ; it is a dull, heavy, deep sort of pain, producing oc- casionally a low moan from the patient ; not sharp or twinging, which would elicit a very different expres- sion of suffering from her. 248 ADVICE TO A WIFE. 621. As soon as the pains assume a ^^bearing- down ^^ character, the doctor ought to be in attend- ance. If he be sent for during the early stage, when the pains are of a ^^ grinding ^^ character, and when they come on ^^few and far between/^ and at uncertain intervals, unless, as before stated, ^^the waters ^^ should have broken early, he can do no good ; for, if he attempted, in the early stage, to force on the labor, he would do irreparable mischief. 622. Cramp of the legs and thighs is a frequent, although not a constant, attendant upon childbirth. These cramps come on more especially if the patient be kept for a lengthened period in one position ; hence the importance of allowing her, during the first and second stages of labor, to move about the room. Cramps are generally worse during the third or last stage of labor, and then, if .they occur at all, they usually accompany each pain. The poor pa- tient, in such a case, has not only to bear the labor- pains but the cramp-pains ! Now, there is no danger in these cramps ; it is rather a sign that the child is making rapid progress, as he is pressing upon the nerves which supply the thighs. The cramps show that the child^s head has nearly reached the outlet, and so give an index that tlie worst part of the labor is nearly over. That is to say, the actual passage of the child^s head through the pelvis, or bony canal, between the hips, into the world. 623. The nurse ought to well rub, with her warm hand, the cramped parts ; and, if the labor be not too far advanced, it would be well for the patient to change her position, and to sit on a chair, or, if she feel inclined, to walk about the room ; there being, of course, an attendant, one on each side to support II LABOR. — THE PRECURSORY SYMPTOMS. 249 her the while. If either a pain or a cramp should come on while she is thus moving about^ let her instantly take hold of the bed-post for support. Often by quickly putting the heel of the affected leg firmly down on the floor or in the bed, so that the thigh and leg should be rigidly straight, the cramp will quickly pass off. 624. Labor — and truly it may be called ^Habor." The fiat has gone forth that in ^^ sorrow thou shalt bring forth children.'^ Young, in his Night Tlioiights, beautifully expresses the common lot of women to suffer — " Tis the common lot ; In this shape, or in that, has fate entailed The mother's throes on all of woman born, Not more the children than sure heirs of pain." Labor is a natural process, and therefore ought not unnecessarily to be interfered with, or woe betide the unfortunate patient. I firmly believe that a woman stands a much better chance of getting well over her confinement wWioict assistance than if she be hurried with assistance, 625. In a natural labor very little assistance is needed, and the doctor is only required in the room occasionally, to ascertain that things are going on rightly. Those ladies do best who are the least inter- fered with, both at the time and afterwards. Bear this in mind, and let it be legibly written on your memory. This advice, of course, only holds good in natural confinements. 626. Meddlesome midwifery cannot be too strongly reprobated. The duty of a doctor is to watch the progress of a childbirth, in order that, if there be anything wrong, he may remedy it ; but if the labor 250 ADVICE TO A WIFE. be going on well, he has no business to interfere, and he need not be much in the lying-in room, although he should be in an adjoining apartment. 637. These remarks are made to set a lady right with regard to the proper offices of an accoucheur ; as sometimes she has an idea that a medical man is able, by constantly ^Haking a pain/^ to greatly expe- dite a natural labor. Now, this is a mistaken and mischievous, although a popular, notion. The fre- quent " taking of a pain ^^ is very injurious and most unnatural, it irritates and inflames the passages, and frequently retards the delivery. The occasional, but only the occasional^ ^* taking of a pain^' is abso- lutely necessary to enable a medical man to note the state of the parts, and the progress of the labor ; but t\\Q frequent '' taking of a pain ^^ is needless and very objectionable. 628. As a rule, then, it is neither necessary nor desirable for a medical man to be much in a lying-in room. Eeally, in a natural labor, it is surprising how very little his presence is required. After he has once ascertained the nature of the case, loUicli it is absolutely necessary that he should do, and has found all going on ^^ right and straight, ^^ it is better, much better, that he retire, in the daytime, to the drawing-room, in the night season, to a bedroom. Thus Nature will have full time and full scope to take her own course without hurry and without interference, without let and without hindrance. Nature hates hurry, and resents interference. For many reasons, the above advice is particularly useful. In the first place, there is no unnecessary interference with Nature. Secondly, it allows a patient, from time to time, to empty her bladder and bowels — LABOR. — THE PRECURSORY SYMPTOMS. 251 which, by giving more room to the adjacent j^arts, greatly assists and ex2:)edites the progress of the labor. Thirdly, if the doctor is not present, he is not called upon to be frequently '' taking a pain/^ which she may request him to do, as she fancies it does her good, and relieves her sufferings : but which frequent taking of a pain, in reality, does her harm, and re- tards the progress of the labor. No ; a doctor ought not to be much in the lying-in room. Although it may be necessary that he be near at hand, within call, to render assistance towards the last, I emphati- cally declare that in an ordinary confinement — that is to say, in w^hat is called a natural labor — the only time_, as a rule, that the presence of the doctor can be useful, h just before the child is born ; although he ought to be in readiness, and should therefore be in the house some little time before the event takes place. Let the above advice be strongly impressed upon your memory. If a patient did but know the importance of non-interference in an ordinary labor, and the blessedness of patience, what benefit would accrue from such knowledge — ' ' What cannot patience do ? A great design is seldom snatch'd at once ; 'Tis patience heaves it on." — Tliomson. 629. Women are far more patient than men : it is well they are ; for men would never be able patiently to endure, as women do, the bitter pangs of child- birth. Chaucer beautifully describes patience as a wif e^s gift, as ** This flower of wifely patience." 630. Bear in mind, then, that in every well-formed woman, and in every ordinary confinement. Nature 252 ADVICE TO A WIFE. is perfectly competent to brings without the assidance of man, "^ a child into the world, and that it is only an ignorant person who would, in a natural case of labor, interfere to assist Nature ! Can anything be more absurd ? As though God in His wisdom, in performing one of His greatest wonders and processes, required the assistance of man. It might with as much truth be said that in every case of the process of healthy digestion it is necessary for a doctor to as- sist the stomach in the process of digesting the food ! No, it is high time that such fallacies were exploded, and that common sense should take the place of such folly. A natural labor then, ought never to be hur- ried or interfered with, or frightful consequences might, and in all probability would, ensue. Let- , every lying-in woman bear in mind that the more patient she is, the more kind and the more speedy will be her labor and her ^^ getting about. ^^ Let her, moreover, remember then, that labor is a natural* process — that all the ^^ grinding'^ pains she has are doing her good service, are dilating, softening, and relaxing the parts, and preparing for the final or ^^ bearing-down^^ pains : let her further bear in mind that these pains 7nust not, on any account lohateveVy he interfered ivitli by the doctor, by the nurse, or by herself. These pains are sent for a wise purpose, and they ought to be borne with patience and resig- nation, and she will in due time be rewarded for all her sufferings and anxieties by having a living child. Oh, how often have I heard an ignorant nurse desire "^ ** Through thee have I been hold en up ever since I was born : thou art he that took nie out of my mother's womb : my praise shall be always of thee." — 27ie Psalms of David, Ixxi. 6. •I LABOR. — THE PRECURSORY SYMPTOMS. 353 her patient to bear down to a *^^ grinding '^ pain^ as though it could do the slightest good ! Xo^ it only robs her of her strength, and interferes with the pro- cess and progress of the labor. Away with such folly, and let Xature assert her rights and her glori- ous prerogative ! There is much reason to suspect that the danger and the diseases often connected with child-bearing are produced by our preposterous man- agement, and our absurd contrivances and interfer- ence, in order to assist Nature in one of her most important operations ; which, like all the rest of them, is contrived with perfect knowledge and wis- dom. 631. It might be thought that I am tedious and prolix in insisting on non-interference in a natural labor, but the subject is of paramount importance, and cannot be too strongly dwelt upon, and cannot be too often brought, and that energetically, before the notice of a lying-in woman. 632. Fortunately for ladies, there is great talent in the midwifery department, which would prevent — however anxious a patient may be to get out of her trouble — any improper interference. I say {mproper interference. A case sometimes, although rarely, occurs in which it is necessary for the medical man to properly interfere and to help the delivery : then the patient must leave herself entirely in the hands of her doctor — to act as he thinks best. He may find it necessary to use promptness and decision, and thus to save her an amount of unnecessary linger- ing pain, risk, and anxiety. But these cases, fortu- nately, are exceptions — rare exceptions — and not the rule. It is, then, absolutely necessary, in some few cases, that a medical man should act promptly and 254 ADVICE TO A WIFE. decisively : delay in such emergencies would be dangerous — *' If it were done, when 'tis done, then 'twere well It were done quickly." — Shakspeare, 633. There are times, and times without number, when a medical man is called upon to do but little or nothing ; and there are others — few and far between — when it is imperatively necessary that he shonkl do a great deal. He ought, at all times, to be as gentle as a lamb, but should, in certain contingencies, be as fearless as a lion ! 634. An accoucheur's hand must be firm, and yet gentle ; his heart tender, and yet brave. Having made up his mind to the right course, he must pur- sue it without let or liindrance, without interference, witliout wavering, and without loss of time. Mo- ments in such cases are most precious ; they often de- termine whether the mother shall do well, and whether the babe shall live or die ! How many a child has died in the birth, in a hard and tedious labor, from the use of instruments having been too long delayed ! Instruments, that is to say, the for- ceps, in a proper case and judiciously applied, are most safe ; they are nothing more than thin hands — to bring away the head — when the lieadislow enough in the birth — the doctor's hands being too fJtick for the purpose. Many hours of intense suffering, and many years of unavailing regrets from the needless loss of the child, might have been saved if instru- ments had been used the moment mechanical aid was indicated — that is to say, in a case, for instance, where the child remained for some hours stationary in the birth, although the pains continued intensely strong and very forcing. Hence the importance, in mid- LABOR. — FIRST LABORS. 255 wifery, of employing a man of talent, of experience, of judgment, and of decision. No branch of the pro- fession requires more skill than that of accoucheur. 635. Should the husband he present during the labor ? Certainly not ; but as soon as the labor is over and all the soiled clothes have been put out of the way, let him instantly see his wife for a few minutes, to whisper in her ear words of affection, of gratitude, and consolation. 636. ThQ first confinement is generally twice the length of time of an after one, and usually the more children a lady has had, the quicker will be her fol- lowing labors. But this is by no means always the case, as S07ne of the after labors may be the tedious, while the early ones may have been the quich ones. 637. It ought to be borne in mind, too, that tedious labors are oftentimes natural, and that they only re- quire time and patience from all concerned to bring them to a successful issue. 638. It may be said that ^ first labor, as a rule, lasts six hours, while an after confinement probably lasts but three. This space of time, of course, does not usually include t\\e commencement of labor-pains ; but the time that a lady may be actually said to be in real travail. If we are to reckon from the commence- ment of the labor, we ought to double the above numbers — that is to say, we should make the average duration of a first labor, twelve ; of an after one, six hours. 639. When a lady marries late in life — for instance, after she has passed the age of thirty — her first labor is usually much more lingering, painful, and tedious, demanding a great stock of patience, from the pa- tient, from the doctor, and from the friends. Not- 256 ADVICE TO A WIFE. withstanding, if she be not hurried and be not much interfered with, both she and her babe will generally do remarkably well. Supposing a lady marries late in life, it is only the first confinement that is usually hard and lingering ; the after labors are as easy as though she had married when young. 640. Slow labors are not necessarily dangerous ; on the contrary, provided there has been no interfer- ence, a patient frequently has a better and more rapid recovery, after a tedious than after a quick confine- ment — proving beyond doubt that nature hates hurry and interference. It is an old saying, and I believe a true one, that a lying-in woman must have pain either before or after her labor ; and it certainly is far preferable that she should have the pain and suffer- ing before than after the delivery is over. 641. It is well for a patient to know that, as a rule, after a first confinement, after-pains are rare. This is some consolation, and is a kind of compensation for her usually suffering more with \\Qr first child. The after-pains generally increase in intensity with every additional child. This only bears out, in some measure, what I before advanced, namely, that the pain is less severe and of shorter duration before each succeeding labor ; and that the pain is greater and of longer duration after each succeeding one. The after-pains are intended by Nature to contract, to reduce the womb somewhat to its natural size, and to assist clots in coming away, and therefore ought not to be interfered with needlessly. A judicious medical man will, however, if the pains be very severe, pre- scribe medicine to moderate, not to stop them. A doctor fortunately possesses valuable remedies to alleviate the after-pains. LABOR. — FIRST STAGE OF LABOR. 257 642. Xature^ beneficent Xature, ofttimes works in secret^ doing good service by preparing for the com- ing event unknown to all around. Pain, in the very earliest stages of laior, is not a necessary attendant. Although pain and sujGfering are the usual concomi- tants of childbirth, there are, nevertheless^ numerous well-authenticated cases on record of pamless par- iurition, 643. A natural labor may be divided into three stages. Tlie first, the premonitory stage, comprises the ^^ falling ^^ or subsidence of the ivomi, and the ^^show." The second is the dilating stage, known by the pains being of a ^^ grinding ^' nature, in which the mouth of the womb gradually opens or dilates until it is suflBciently large to allow the exit of the head of the child. And the third, the completing stage, in- indicated by the pains being of a ^'^ bearing-down^^ expulsive character, and by the passage of the child into the world. 6-44. Now, in the first premonitory stage, which is much the longest of the three stages, it is neither necessary nor desirable that the patient should be confined to her room ; on the contrary, it is better for her to be moving about the house, and to be at- tending to her household duties. 645. In the second and dilating stage, it will be necessary that she should be confined to her room, but not to her bed. If the drawing-room be near at hand, she ought occasionally to walk to it, and if a pain should come on the while, lie on the sofa. In this stage it is not at all desirable that she should keep her bed, or even lie much on it. She is better up and about, and walking about the room. 646. In the first and the second stages she must 17 258 ADVICE TO A WIFE. not, on any account, strain or bear down to the pains, as many ignorant nurses advise, as, by robbing her of her strength, it would only retard the delivery. Besides, while the mouth of the womb is dilating, bearing down cannot be of the slightest earthly use — the womb is not in a fit state to expel its contents. If by bearing down she could, but which fortunately she cannot, cause the expulsion of the child, it would, at this stage, be attended with frightful consequences — no less than with the rapture of the womb ! Therefore, for the future, let not a lady be per- suaded, either by an ignorant nurse or by any officious friend, to bear down until the last or the completing stage, when a gentle bearing down will assist the pains to expel the child. 647. In the third or completing stage it is, of course, necessary that she should lie on the bed, and that she should, as above advised, bear gently down to the pains. The bearing<\o^vn pains will indicate to her when to becw down. 648. If, towards the last, she be in great pain, and if she feel inclined to do so, let her cry out, and it will relieve her. '' Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs'' (Isa. xxvi. 17). A foolish nurse will tell her that if she make a noise it will do her harm. Away with such folly, and have nothing to do with any such simpletons ! One of the wisest men that ever lived gives excellent advice in this matter — ** Give sorrow words : the grief that does not speak, Whispers the o'er-fraught heart, and bids it break.'' — Shakspeare. 649. Even in the last stage, she ought never to LABOR. — LAST STAGE OF LABOR. 259 bear down unless the pain be actually upon her ; it will, if she does, do her great harm. In bearing- down, the plan is to hold the breath, and strain down as though she were straining to have a stool. 650. By a patient adopting the rules above indi- cated, much weariness will be avoided ; cramp, from her not being kept long in one position, may be warded off; the labor, from her being amused by change of room and scene, will be expedited ; and thus the confinement be deprived of much of its monotony and tediousness. 651. The pains of labor are sometimes heavy and dull, or what an intelligent patient of mine once described as '^ groany pains ; '^ they are, occasionally, sharp, and cutting — ^^knify pains ;^^ while they are, at other times, boring and twisting — "^^corkscrewy pains. "^^ These are expressive terms, as many labor- patients will be able emphatically to indorse ! 652. Xurses sometimes divide a labor into two kinds — a '''back labor,^^ and a ^^ stomach labor." Xow, in a ^''back labor, '^ the patient will derive com- fort by having her back held by the nurse. This ought not to be done by the bare hand, but let the following plan be adopted : — Let a pillow be placed next to the back, and then the nurse should apply firm pressure, the pillow intervening between the back and the nurse^s hand or hands. If the above method be followed, the back will not be injured, which it otherwise would be by the pressure of the hard hand of the nurse. When the hare hand alone has been applied, I have known the back to continue sore and stiff for days. In a ^^ stomach labor, '^ firm pressure of the nurse^s hand over the abdomen, during each throe, is of great service ; it 260 ADVICE TO A WIFE. helps the pain^ and thus expedites the delivery. A tight broad binder pressing equally over the abdomen^ and held by the nurse from behind, greatly assists the action of the pains^ and helps to press the child downward. 653. During the latter stage of labor, the patient ought always to keep her eyelids closed, or the straining may cause an attack of inflammation of the eyes, or, at all events, may make them blood- shot. 654. Let a large room, if practicable, be selected for the labor, and let it be airy and well ventilated ; and, if it be summer, take care that the chimney be not stopped. If the weather be intensely hot, there is no objection to the window being from time to time a little opened. 655. If the bedstead have a fixed footboard, a has- sock should be placed against it, in order that the patient, during the latter part of the labor — during the bearing-down pains — may be able to plant her feet firmly against it, and thus be enabled the better to hel]3 the bearing-down of her pains. 656. It might be well to state, that the patient should at such times, wear a pair of slij^pers, in order that the feet may not be hurt by pressing against the hassock. These directions may appear trivial ; but anything and everything that will conduce, in how- ever small degree, to a patient^s comfort, or advant- age, or well-doing, is not out of place in these pages ; indeed, it is attention to little things, at such sea- sons, that often determines whether the ^' getting about ^^ shall be satisfactory or otherwise. 657. If there be, besides the bed, a straw mattress and a horsehair mattress, let the straw mattress be LABOR. — PREPARATIO]S"S. ^61 removed^ as a high bed is inconvenient^ not only to the patient, but to the doctor and to the nnrse. 658. "la the straw,'' — Women^ in ancient times, were delivered on straw : hence the origin of the term, ^^The lady in the straw/^ Also from the cus- tom of laying straw in the street or road in front of the house to deaden the sound of the traffic. PREPAEATIONS FOE LABOR. 659. Position of ivoman in labor, — The position varies according to the country. Delivery, in some countries, such as in France, is usually effected while the patient is lying on her back ; in other coun- tries, while she is standing ; in others, while she is on her knees ; in others while she is in a kind of arm- chair, made for the purpose, with a false bottom to it, and called a ^'^groaning-chair ]" and, in other in- stances, such as in England, the patient is delivered while she is on her left side, a safe method, and, both for the doctor and for the patient, by far the most delicate and convenient. In France the lying-in woman is usually delivered on a small bed specially prepared, which is called the ''lit de niisere. This is a good plan, and she is moved afterwards into her clean bed. 660. I should strongly urge a patient not to put everything off to the last. She must take care to have in readiness a good pair of scissors and a skein of whity-brown thread. And she ought to have in the house a small pot of vaseline or cold cream, and a flask of salad oil, that they may be at hand in case they should be wanted. Some doctors, at such times, prefer the vaseline ; while others prefer cold cream or the salad oil. Let everything neces- 262 ADVICE TO A WIFE. sary, both for herself and the babe, be well aired and ready for immediate use, and be placed in such order that all things may be found, without liurry or bustle, at a moment's notice. 661. Another preparation for childbirth, and a most important one, is attending to the state of the bowels. If tlieij he at all costive, the moment there is the slightest j9r^;/20?ii7or^ symptoms of labor she ought to take either a teaspoonful or a dessert-spoonful of castor oil, according to the nature of her bowels, whether she be easily moved or otherwise. If she objects to taking tlie oil, then let her have an enema of warm water — a pint — administered. She will, by adopting either of the above plans, derive the greatest comfort and advantage ; it will prevent her delicacy from being shocked by having her bowels opened, without her being able to prevent them, during the last stage of the labor ; and it will, by giving the adjacent parts more room much expedite the delivery, and lessen her sufferings. 662. The next thing to be attended to is the way in which she ought to be dressed for the occasion. I would recommend her to put on a clean night-gown ; which, in order to keep it unsoiled should be smoothly and carefully rolled up about her waist; then she ought to wear over it a short bed-gown reaching to her hips, and have on a flannel petticoat to meet it, and then she should over all put on a dressing-gown. If it be winter, the dressing-gown had better be composed of flannel or be lined with that material. 663. Tlie stays must not he icorn, as by preventing the muscles of the chest and the abdomen from help- ing the expulsion of the child, they will interfere with the progress of the labor. LABOK. — PREPARATIONS. 263 664. Putting tight stays on a woman in travail is about as sensible as putting a man in a sack to run a race I Tight stays are^ in labor^ almost as injurious as a strait-waistcoat would be, and would act much in the same way. Strait- waistcoats are going out of fashion, and it is to be hoped that tight stays will follow suit ; they are both instruments of torture, and worthy of the dark ages in which they sprang up and flourished ! Those persons who advocate tight lacing as beneficial to health are the proper people — they being lunatics — to wear strait-waistcoats, and such should be reserved for their exclusive benefit. 665. The valance of the bed, and the carpet, and the curtains at the foot of the bed, had better all be removed ; they are only in the way, and may get soiled and spoiled. 666. '' The guarding of the heel,'' — This is done in the following way : — Cover the right side of the bed, as the patient will have to lie on her left side, with a large piece, a yard and a half square, of waterproof cloth, or bed-sheeting as it is sometimes called, which is sold for the purpose ; over this place folded sheets. If a waterproof cloth cannot be procured, an oilcloth table-cover will answer the purpose. Either of the above plans will eflfectually protect the bed from in- jury. 667. The lying-in room should be kept, not hot, but comfortably warm ; if the temperature of the room be high, the patient will become irritable, feverish, and restless, and the labor will be prolonged. 66S. In order to change the air, let the door of the room every now and then be left ajar ; and if, in the early .periods of the labor, the patient should re- tire for a while to the drawing-room, let the lying-in 364 ADVICE TO A WIFE. room window be thrown wide open^ so as to thoroughly ventilate the apartment^ and to make it fresh and sweet on her return. If the weather be very warm, the upper sash of the window may for a few inches be opened. It is wonderful how refreshing to the spirits, and how strengthening to the frame, a well- ventilated room is to a woman in travail. 669. Many attendants are not only unnecessary but injurious. They excite and flurry the patient, they cause noise and confusion, and rob the air of its purity. One lady friend, beside the doctor and the monthly nurse, is all that is needed. In making the selection of a friend, care should be taken that she be the mother of a family, that she be kind-hearted and self-possessed, and of a cheerful turn of mind. All '^ chatterers,^^ '^ croakers, ^^ and '^ potterers '' ought, at these times, to be carefully exchided from the lying-in room. No conversation of a depressing character should for one moment be allowed. Nurses and friends who are in the habit of narrating the bad cases that have occurred in their experience must be avoided as the plague. If nurses have had bad cases many of them have probably been of their own mak- ing. Such nurses, therefore, ought on every account to be shunned. 670. Boisterous conversation during the progress of childbirth ought never to be permitted ; it only irritates and excites the patient. Although noisy merriment is bad, yet at such times gentle, cheerful, and agreeable chat is beneficial ; towards the con- clusion of the labor, however, perfect quietude must be enjoined, as during the latter stage, talking, be it ever so little, is usually most distasteful and annoy- ing to the patient. The only words that should then II LABOR. — PREPARATIOKS. 265 be sj)olven are a few words of comfort from the doc- tor^ announcing from time to time that the labor is progressing favorabl}'^ and that the pain and sorroAV will soon be converted into ease and joy. 671. The attendants and all around a lying-in patient must be patient, let the patient herself be ever so impatient — she has frequently cause for her impatience ; the bitter pangs of labor are oftentimes severe enough to make even an angel impatient ! Xot a note, then, of impatience must grate upon her ear ; but words of gentleness, of encouragement, and of hope, must be the remedies used by those about her to soothe her impatience. 672. The mother of the patient on these occasions is often present ; but of all persons she is the most unsuitable, as, from her maternal anxiety, she tends rather to depress than to cheer her daughter. Though the mother ought not to be in the room, it is, if practicable, desirable that she should be in the house. The patient, in the generality of cases, de- rives comfort from the knowledge of her mother being so near at hand. 673. Another preparation for labor is — to soothe her mind by telling her of the usual safety of con- finements, and by assuring her that, in the generality of instances, it is a natural process, and no disease whatever ; and that all she has to do is to keep up her spirits, to adhere strictly to the rules of her doctor, to have a little patience, and that she will do remarkably w^ell. Let her be reminded, too, of pas- sages from the Sweet Singer of Israel, which are full of hope and of comfort : — '' Heaviness may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. "" " Thou hast turned my heaviness into joy,^" and ''^girded me 266 ADVICE TO A WIFE. with gladness/' " They that sow in tears shall reap in joy/' Again : — ''I Avas in misery, and he helped me/' 674. Tell her, too, that '' sweet is pleasure after pain ; " and of the exquisite happiness and joy she will feel as soon as her labor is over, as perhaps the greatest thrill of delight a woman ever experiences in this world is when her babe isjirsf born. She, as if by magic, forgets all the sorrow and suffering she has endured. Keble, in the Christian YeaVy well observes — *^ Mysterious to all thouglit, A woman's prime of bhss, When to lier eager lips is brought Her infant's thrilling kiss." How beautifully, too, he sings of the gratitude of a woman to God for her safe delivery from the perils and pangs of childbirth — '* Only let heaven her fire impart, No richer incense breathes on earth : * A spouse with all a daughter's heart/ Fresh from the i)erilous birth, To the great Father lifts her pale glad eye. Like a reviving flower when storms are hushed on high." 675. The doctor, too, will be able to administer comfort to her when he has ^^ tried a pain," or has ^^ taken a pain," as it is called, and when he can as- sure her that it ^^is all right and straightforward " — that is to say, that the child is presenting in the most favorable position, and that everything is progress- ing satisfactorily. He will, moreover, be able to inform her of the probable ^"^ duration of her labor." There is nothing more comforting and consoling to a lying-in patient than for the medical man to be able LABOR. — EXAMI]S^ATIOXS. 267 to tell her of the probable time the labor will last, which^ after he has '- tried a paiu/^ he is iisualh^able to do ; nothing to her is more insupportable than un- certainty — '' Uncertainty ! Fell demon of our fears ! the human soul, That can support despair, supports not thee." — Mallet, ^'^Q, All needless cause of fear must be kept out of sight. A foolish^ ridiculous, twaddling nurse must not be allowed to tell her of any horrible case which she may have had, or which she may have pretended to have had. She is a prattling silly fool for her pains, and was most likely herself the cause of such bad cases, if they really existed otherwise than in her imagination. A childbed woman is timid, and full of fears ; she might say with Constance — '' For I am sick, and capable of fears." 677. Fear and sorrow usually fall upon a woman in labor, or as the Psalmist beautifully expresses it, — ^'^Fear came there upon them, and sorrow, as upon a woman in her travail." Such being the case, the attendants should endeavor to counteract the same by confidence and cheerfulness — not a jarring note of despondency should be heard — and why should there be ? Labor is, as a rule, perfectly safe and natural ; and confidence and cheerfulness are two of the grand remedies to bring it to a happy conclusion. 678. Let me in this place urge upon the patient the importance of her allowing the doctor to inquire fully into her state. She may depend upon it that this inquiry will be conducted in the most delicate manner. If there be anything wrong in the labor, it is in the early stage, and lefore the ''^waters have 268 ADVICE TO A WIFE. broken/^ that the most good can be done. If a proper examination be not allowed to the medical man when- ever he deems it right and proper — and a judicious doctor will do it as seldom as with safety he can — her life^ and perhaps that of her child, may pay the pen- alty of such false delicacy. 679. Brandy ought always to be in the house ; but let me impress upon the minds of the attendants the importance of withholding it from a lying-in woman, unless it be ordered by the doctor. Numbers have fallen victims to its being indiscriminately given. I am of oi)inion that the great caution which is now adopted in giving stimulants to women in labor is one reason, among others, of the greater safety of the confinements of the present day, compared with those of former times. 680. Brandy in the lying-in room is indispensable, in case of flooding, of exhaustion, of fainting, or any other emergency. But brandy should be considered as a medicine, as a valuable and as a powerful medi- cine, and, like all powerful medicine, should be pre- 1 1 scribed by a doctor, and by a doctor only, who will indicate the fit time and jDroper dose to be given. If this advice be not strictly followed, deplorable conse- quences may, and probably will, ensue. According to the way it is used, brandy is either a faithful friend or a bitter enemy ! 681. The best beverage for a patient during labor is a cup of warm tea, or gruel, or arrow-root. It is folly in the extreme, during the progress of labor, to force her to eat : her stomach recoils from it, as at these times there is generally a loathing of food ; and if we will, as we always ought, to take the appetite as our guide, we shall never go far wrong. II LABOR. — EXAMIXATIOXS. 269 682. A patient during labor ought frequently to empty her bladder ; she will by doing so add materi- ally to her ease and comfort^ and it will give the ad- jacent parts more rooni^ and will thus expedite the delivery. I wish to call attention to this point. Many ladies^ from false delicacy^ especially with their first child^ have suffered severely from not attending to it. One of the ill effects is inability^ after the labor is over^ to j)ass water without the assistance of the doctor. In an extreme case it would be necessary to introduce a catheter into the bladder^ and thus draw the water off. 683. I recommended^ in a previous paragraph^ that the doctor ought to have either the drawing-room or a bedroom to retire to, in order that the patient miglit^ during the progress of the labor, ie left very much to lierseJf, and that thus she might have full opfjortunities, whenever she felt the slightest incli- nation to do so, of thoroughly emptying either her bladder or bowels. Xoii% this advice is of very great importance, and if it were more followed than it is, a great diminution of misery, of annoyance, and suf- fering would be effected. I have given the subject great attention, as I have had large experience in midwifery practice ; I therefore S23eak '' like one hav- ing authority, ^^ and if my " counsel ^^ in this particu- lar be attended to, this book will not have been written in vain. 68-4. If the j)atient, twelve hours after her delivery, after having tried two or three times during that time, be unahJe to empty the bladder, the medical man must be informed of the inability, or serious con- sequences may ensue. 270 ADVICE TO A WIFE. CHLOROFORM IN LABOR. 685. Mothers and doctors are indebted to Sir James Simpson for the introduction of cliloroform, one of the greatest and most valuable discoveries ever conferred on suffering humanity.* 68G. The inhalation of chloroform, especially in cases of hard and lingering labor, is every day be- coming more general, and Avill be more extensively so when its value is better understood, and when, in well-selected cases, its comparative freedom from danger is sufficiently understood. Cliloroform is es- pecially safe in labor, because tlie heart of a i)reg- nant woman is stronger and more muscular than at other times. It is so because it has the extra work to do of pumping the blood tlirough the child's cir- culation in addition to that of the mother. G87. Chloroform, then, is a great boon in mid- wifery practice ; indeed, we may say with Dr. Kidd, that in labor cases '^ it has proved to be almost a greater boon than in the experimental and gigantic operations of the surgeon. '' It may be administered in labor with perfect safety by a medical man. I * "Dr. Simpson, on first propounding the theory of the application of chloroform to patients requiring surgical aid, was stoutly opposed by certain Calvinistic objectors, who held that to check the sensation of pain in connection with * visitations of God ' was to contravene the decrees of an All- wise Creator. "What w-as his answer? That the Creator, during the process of extracting the rib from Adam, must necessarily have adopted a somewhat corresponding artifice — ' For did not God throw Adam in a deep sleep ? ' The Pietists were satisfied, and the discoverer triumphed over ignoble and ignorant prejudice." — J. S. Laurie in A Letter to The Times, May 11, 1870. LABOR. — chlorofor:m. 271 myself give it in nearly every case of labor, and al- ways with benefit to my patient and satisfaction to myself. 688. The inhalation of chloroform, according to the will of the operator, causes either partial or complete unconsciousness, and, either for a longer or for a shorter time, freedom from pain. In other w^ords, the effects may with great benefit be continued either for a few minutes, or from time to time for several hours. Indeed, if given in proper cases, and by a judicious doctor, it may be administered for a long time with great benefit, and with perfect safety. 689. Chloroform is most applicable and useful in a labor — more esj)ecially in a first confinement — when it is lingering, when the throes are very se- vere, and when, notwithstanding the pain, the labor is making but little progress ; then chloroform is a priceless boon. When the patient is of a nervous temperament, and when she looks forward with dread and apprehension to every pain, chloroform is very beneficial. 690. It might be asked — Would you give chloro- form in every case of labor, be it ever so easy and quick ? Certainly not : it is neither advisable nor expedient in an ordinary, easy, quick confinement to administer it. The cases in which it is desirable to give chloroform are all lingering, hard, and severe ordinary labors : in such I would gladly use it. But before administering it I would, as a rule, wait for at least some time from the commencement of the true pains. 691. Oh, the delightful and magical effects of it in the cases above described ; the lying-in room, from teing in a state of gloom, despondency, and misery^ 272 ADVICE TO A WIFE. is instantly transformed^ by its means, into one of cheerfulness, hope, and happiness ! 692. When once a lying-in woman has experienced the good effects of chloroform in assuaging her agony, she importunately, at every recurrence of '' the pain/^ urges her medical man to give her more ! In all her subsequent confinements, having once tasted the good effect of chloroform, she does not dread it. I have frequently heard a lady declare that now she can have chloroform, she looks forward to the period of childbirth with confidence and hope, whether her labor sliall be hard or lingering. 693. It might be asked — Does the inhalation of chloroform retard the patient's ^^ getting about ?^^ I emphatically declare that it does not do so. Those who have had chloroform, as a general rule, have always had as good and speedy recoveries as those who have not inhaled it. 694. One important consideration in the giving of chloroform in labor is, that a patient lias seldom, if ever, ivhile under the effects of it, been knoiou to die ; which is more tlian can be said when it is adminis- tered in surgical operations, in the extraction of teeth, etc. ^^I know there is not one well attested death from chloroform in midwifery in all our journals. ''* 695. One reason why it may be so safe to give chloroform in labor is that, in the general practice of midwifery, a medical man does not deem it needful to put his patient under the full influence of it. He administers just enough to ease her pain, but not sufficient to rob her of total consciousness. In a surgical operation the surgeon generally considers it the sea- son, and upon the state of her health. She may change, after the first twenty-one days, the chamber for the drawing-room, provided it be close at hand ; if it be not, she ought, during the day, to remove — be either wheeled or carried in a chair — from one bedroom to another, as change of apartment will then be desirable. The windows, during her absence from the room, ought to be thrown wide open ; and the bed-clothes, in order that they may be well venti- lated, should be thrown back. She may at the end of four weeks begin to take her meals with the fam- ily ; but even then she ought occasionally, during the day, to lie on the sofa, to rest her back. Some ladies fancy that if they rest their legs on a sofa that is sufficient ; but it is their backs, and not their legs, that require support ; and to procure rest for their backs they must lie on their backs. EXERCISE IN THE OPEN AIR. 783. The period at which a lady ought, after her confinement, to take exercise in the ojjen air, will, of course, depend upon the season, and upon the state of the wind and weather. In the winter, not until the expiration of a month, and not even then unless the weather be fine for the season. Carriage exercise will at first be the most suitable. In the summer she may, at the end of four weeks, take an airing in a carriage, provided the weather be fine, and the wind be neither in an easterly nor in a north-easterly direc- tion. At the expiration of the fifth week, she may, provided the season and weather will allow, go out of I LABOR. — HOUSEHOLD EMPLOYMEXT. 305 doors regularly^ and gradually resume her household duties and employments. HOUSEHOLD EMPLOYMEXT. 784. Some persons haye an idea that a wife, for some months after childbirth, should be treated as an inyalid — should lead an idle life. This is an error ; for of all people in the world, a nursing mother should remember that '^ employment is Xature^s physician, and is essential to human happiness."' — Galen. The best nurses and the healthiest mothers, as a rule, are working men's wiyes, who are employed from morn- ing until night, who haye no spare time unemployed to feel neryous, or to make complaints, or to make a fuss about aches and pains ; indeed, so well does ^^XatmVs physician"" — employment — usually make them feel, that they haye really no aches or pains at all, either real or imaginary, of which to complain, but are hearty and strong, happy and contented ; indeed, the days are too short for them. Working men"s wiyes haye usually splendid breasts of milk — enough and to spare for their infants ; while ladies of for- tune, who haye nothing to do, haye not half enough, and eyen in mauy cases none at all, for their babies ! Oh, what a blessed thing is occupation ! But I am anticipating ; I will speak more at large on this sub- ject in the following Part — Part lY., Suckling — for which I craye my fair reader"s especial attention, it being one of great importance, not only to herself, but to the well-doing and well-being of her child. 20 PART IV. SUCKLING. The hour arrives, the moment wished and fear'd ; The child is born, by many a jmng endeared ! And now the mother'' sear has caught his cry — Oh ! grant the cherub to her asking eye I He comes— she clasps him ; to her bosom pressed, He drinks the balm of life, and drops to re«f.— Rogers. Tts siveet to view the siiiless baby rest. To drink its life-spring from her nursing breast ; And mark the smiling mother's mantling eyes. While hnsh'd beneath the helpless infant lies ; How fondly pure that unobtruding pray'r Breathed gently o'er the listless sleeper there. — R. Montgomery. TJie starting beverage meets the thirsty lips ; ^Tisjoy to yield it, and 'tis joy to sip.— Roscok. THE DUTIES OF A NURSING MOTHER. 785. A mother ought not, unless she intend to de- vote herself to her baby, to undertake to suckle him. She must make up her mind to forego the so-called pleasures of a fashionable life. There ought in a case of this kind to be no half-and-half measures ; she should either give up her helpless babe to the tender mercies, of a nurse, or she must devote her whole time and energy to his welfare — to the greatest treas- ure that God has given her. 306 -SUCKLII^G. — DUTIES OF A KUESING MOTHER. 307 786. If a mother be blessed \Yith health and strength^ and if she have a good breast of milk^ it is most unnatural and very cruel for her not to suckle her child — *^ Connubial fair ! whom no fond transport warms To lull your infant in maternal arms ; Who, blessed in vain with tumid bosoms, hear His tender wailings with unfeeling ear ; The soothing kiss and milky rill deny To the sweet pouting lip and glistening eye ! Ah ! what avails the cradle's damask roof, The eider bolster, and embroidered woof ! Oft hears the gilded couch unpitied plains, And many a tear the tassell'd cushion stains ! No voice so sweet attunes his cares to rest, So soft no pillow as his mother's breast ! — Thus charmed to sweet repose, when twilight hours Shed their soft influence on celestial bowers, The cherub Innocence, with smile divine, Shuts his white wings, and sleeps on beauty's shrine." Darwin, 787. A mother who is able to suckle her child, but who, nevertheless, will not do so, can have but little love for him. ; and as indifference begets indifference, there will not be much love lost between them ; such a mother is not likely to look after her children, but to leave them to the care of servants. Of such a family it may truly be said — ** There children dwell who know no parent's care ; Parents who know no children's love dwell there." Crabhe, 788. If a mother did but know the happiness that suckling her babe imparts, she would never for one moment contemplate leaving a nurse to rob her of that happiness. Lamentable, indeed, must it be, if i 308 ADVICE TO A WIFE. any unavoidable obstacles should prevent her from nursing her own child. 789. Moreover^ if a mother does not suckle her child herself, she is very likely soon to be in the fam- ily-way again. This is an important consideration, as frequent child-bearing is much more weakening to the constitution than is the suckling of children indeed, nursing, as a rule, instead of weakening, j strengthens the mother^s frame exceedingly, and as- sists her muscular development. '^ Those mothers] who nurse and cherish their own offspring are not] only more truly motherSy but they have a double re- ward in that, wliile their cliildren thrive and thus gladden their hearts, they themselves are also very materially benefited. Xo woman is so healthy as she who bears healthy children healthily. ^^ — Dr. Alfred Wiltshire, 790. If the young of animals were not suckled by their own mothers, what an immense number of them would die ! What an unnatural state of things it would be considered ! And yet it is not at all more unnatural than for a healthy woman, with a good breast of milk, not to nurse, or only partially to nurse, her own babe : — ^^ Were the suckling animal to deny her milk to her offspring, or to feed them with any^ I other sort of food ; were the feathered tribes to fail * ■ in gathering the natural food of their young, or to fail in taking it into their ow^n stomachs, to adapt it to their digestive powers ; and were the insect tribes to deposit their eggs in situations where their pro- geny could not find their natural food, or to fail in laying up with their eggs a store of Nature's food, to be in readiness when they are hatched and brought forth ; were the instincts of Nature to fail in these SUCKLIXG. — DUTIES OF A XURSIXG MOTHEK. 309 things, disease and death to the whole of these dif- ferent classes of animals would most infallibly ensue : each individual race would become extinct.'^ — Dr. Herclman. 791. A mother should remember that, if she be strong enough to become pregnant, to carry her bur- den for nine months, and at the end of that time to bear a child, she, as a rule, is strong enough to nurse a child. Suckling is a healthy process, and not a disease, and is, therefore, usually most beneficial to health : — ^^ What, then, must happen if a mother does not nurse her infant ? Disease must happen. For by so doing she violates the laws and institutions of Nature, which cannot be done with impunity ; cannot be done without throwing the constitution into disorder and disease ; into disease both general and local ; swellings, inflammations, and suppurations in the breasts ; milk-fevers and milk-sores. Besides, if a mother does not nurse her infant, her constitu- tion is either so much injured that she becomes bar- ren, or if this should not happen, she becomes preg- nant again, and the injurious effects of frequent child- bearing without nursing are not to be told. The constitution may stand it out a while ; but at last derangement of constitution and disease will come ; premature old age, and premature death. '^ — Dr, Herclman, It is very cruel and most unnatural for a mother, if she be able, not to nurse her own child ; even the brute beasts, vile and vicious though they be, suckle their offs23riug : — "'* Even the sea monsters draw out the breast ; they give suck to their young ones ; the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.'''' — Lamentations. Some old nurses recommend a mother to partly nurse 310 ADVICE TO A WIFE. and to partly feed a new-born babe. Now, this is a mistake ; there is nothing like, for the first few months — for the first four or five — bringing up the child on the mother's milk, and on the mother's milk alone. After the first four or five months, if the mother should not have enough milk, then let tlie child be weaned, and brought up solely on artificial food. Of this I have advised very fully in two of my other works — Advice to a Motlier and Counsel to a Mother y to which works, for such information, I beg to refer my fair reader. 702. Ponder well, therefore, before it be too kite, on what I have said — liealth of motlier and health of babe, human life and human happiness are at stake and depend upon a true decision. THE BREAST. 793. As soon as the patient has recovered from the fatigue of her labor — that is to say, in about four or six hours — attention ought, more especially in a first confinement, to be paid to the bosoms. 794. In Si first confinement there is, until the third day, but very little milk ; although there is usually on that day, and for two or three days afterwards, a great deal of swelling, hardness, distention, and un- easiness of the breasts ; in consequence of which, in a first confinement, both care and attention are needed. 795. Not only so, but there is frequently, at this time, a degree of feverishness ; which, in some cases, is rather severe, amounting even to what is called milk-fever. Now, milk-fever, if circumspection and pains be not taken to prevent it, may usher in a bad gathered breast. 796. If there be milk in the breasts, which may be SUCKLING. — THE BREAST. 311 readily ascertained by squeezing the nipple between the finger and the thumbs the infant should at first be applied^ not frequently, as some do^ but at con- siderable intervals, say, until the milk be properly secreted, every four hours ; when the milk flows, the child ought to be applied more frequently, but still at stated times. 797. The child ought never to be allowed to be put to the nipple until it be first satisfactorily ascer- tained that there be really milk in the bosom ; neg- lect of this advice has caused many a gathered breast, and has frequently necessitated the weaning of the child. 798. To wash away any viscid mucus from the nipple, or any stale perspiration from the bosom, let the breasts and the nipples, before applying the babe, be first sponged with a little warm water, and then be dried with a warm, dry, soft napkin ; for some in- fants are so particular, that unless the breasts are perfectly free from stale perspiration, and the nipples from dried-up milk, they will not suck. If after the above cleansing process there be any difficulty in making him take the bosom, smear a little cream on the nipple, and then immediately apply him to it. 799. If the breasts be full, hard, knotty, and pain- ful, which they generally are two or three days after a first confinement, let them be well but tenderly rubbed, every four hours^ with, the best olive oil, a little of which should, before using it, be previously warmed, by putting a little of the oil, in a tea-cup on the hob by the fire ; or with equal parts of olive oil and of Eau de Cologne, which should be well shaken up in a bottle every time before it is used ; or with what is an old-fashioned but an excellent embroca- 312 ADVICE TO A WIFE. tion for the purpose^ namely, with goose oil, or with camphorated oil. 800. If the bosoms be more than usually large and painful, in addition to assiduously using the one or the other of the above liniments, apply to the breasts, in the intervals, young cabbage leaves, which should be renewed after each rubbing. Before applying them, the ^^ veins ^^ of the leaves should, with a sharp knife, be cut smooth — level with the leaf. It will require several, as the whole of the breast ought to be covered. The cabbage leaves will be found both cooling and comforting. Then, with a soft folded silk handkerchief, each bosom should be nicely sup- ported, the handkerchief going under each breast and suspending it ; each handkerchief should then be tied at the back of the neck — thus acting as a kind of sling to each bosom. 801. The patient ought not, while the breasts are full and comfortable, to drink much fluid, as it would only encourage a larger secretion of milk. 802. When the milk is at '^ its height,^^ as it is called, she ought every morning, for a couple of mornings, to take a little cooling medicine — a Seid- litz powder — and every four hours the following effervescing mixture : Take of — Bicarbonate of Potash, one drachm and a half ; Distilled Water, eight ounces : To make a mixture. — Two tablespoon fuls to be taken with two tablespoonfuls of the Acid Mixture, every four hours, while effervescing. Take of — Citric Acid, three draclims ; Distilled Water, eight ounces : Mix. — The Acid Mixture. The best way of taking the above effervescing medi- cine is to put two tablespoonfuls of the first mixture SUCKLI>^G. — THE BREAST. 313 into a tumbler, and two table-spoonfuls of the acid mixture into a wine-glass, then to add the latter to the former, and it will bubble up like soda-water ; she should instantly drink it ofE whilst effervescing. 803. The size of the bosoms under the above man- agement will in two or three days decrease, all pain will cease, and the infant will, with ease and comfort, take the breast. 804. Second and succeeding Confinements. — If the breasts are tolerably comfortable, which in the second and in succeeding confinements they probably will be, let nothing be done to them, except, as soon as the milk comes, applying the child, at regular intervals, alternately to each of them. Many a bosom has been made uncomfortable, irritable, swollen, and even has sometimes gathered through the nurse's interference and meddling. Meddlesome midwifery is bad, and I am quite sure that meddlesome breast-tending is equally so. A nurse, in her wisdom, fancies that by rubbing, by pressing, by squeezing, by fingering, by liniment, and by drawing, that she does great good, while in reality, in the majority of cases, by such in- terference she does great harm. 805. The child will, in second and in succeeding confinements, as a rule, be the best and only doctor the bosoms require. I am quite convinced that, in a general way, nurses interfere too much, and that the bosoms in consequence suffer. It is, of course, the doctor^s and not the nurse's province, in such matters, to direct the treatment ; while it is the nurse^s duty to fully carry out the doctor's instructions. 806. There is nothing, in my opinion, that so truly tells whether a nurse be a good one or otherwise, than by the way she manages the breasts. A good nurse is 314 ADVICE TO A WIFE. judicious, and obeys the doctor^s orders to the very letter ; while , on the other hand, a iad nurse acts on her own judgment, and is always quacking, interfer- ing, and fussing with the breasts, and doing on the sly what she dare not do openly. Such conceited, meddlesome nurses are to be studiously avoided ; they often cause the breasts to gather from their meddlesome ways. 807. Let the above advice be borne in mind, and much trouble, misery, and annoyance will be averted ! Nature, in the majority of cases,* manages these things much better than any nurse possibly can do, and does not, as a rule, require helping. The breasts are sadly too much interfered with and handled by nurses, and by nurses wlio are in other respects toler- ably good ones. No ; Nature is usually best left alone : she works in secret, deftly and well, and resents interference — more especially in the cases I have just described. Nature, then, is generally best left alone. As Chaucer beautifully expresses — it *' Nature, the vicar of the Almightie Lord." MILK-FEVER OR WEED. 808. The lying-in patient is liable a few days — gen- erally on the third day after her confinement, while the milk is about being secreted — to a feverish attack, called Milk-Fever, or Weed, or Ephemeral Fever. It truly is ephemeral, as it lasts only twenty-four hours, or at most, unless some untoward mischief should intervene, forty-eight hours. It comes on like an ague fit, having its three stages — its cold stage, its hot stage, and its sweating stage. There is usually accompanying it headache ; and pains flying about the one or both the breasts, the back, and the lower part of the abdomen. SUCKLING.— STATED TIMES FOR SUCKLT:N"G. 315 809. The AVeed, on the due secretion of the milk, usually passes off", leaving no damage in its track ; yet, notwithstanding, it sometimes does leave injury behind, either in the womb or in the breast — causing in some instances, a bad gathered bosom. 810. The Weed, therefore, requires great care and attention, both from the doctor and from the nurse. To ward off such a serious disease as a gathered bosom — as a gathering of the deep-seated structure of the breast — every caution is necessary. STATED TIMES FOR SUCKLING. 811. After the new-born babe is washed, he gen- erally falls asleep, and, if not disturbed, sleeps on for several hours. It is not necessary to rouse him from his slumber to give him sustenance — certainly not ; the mother's milk is not always ready for him ; but as soon as it is, he instinctively awakes, and becomes importunate, and cries until he is able to obtain it. Xature — beneficent Nature — if w^e will but listen to her voice, will usually tell us tcJiat to do and zvJiat not to do. The teasing of a mother^s breasts by putting the babe to them before there be milk, and the stuff- ing of a new-born infant with artificial food, are evils of great magnitude, and cannot be too strongly con- demned. 812. A mother ought to suckle her babe at stated times. It is a bad habit to give him the bosom every time he cries, regardless of the cause ; for be it what it may — overfeeding, griping, ^''wind,^^ or acidity — she is apt to consider the breast a panacea for all his sufferings. ^^A mother generally suckles her baby too often, having him almost constantly at the breast. This practice is injurious both to parent and to child. For the first month he ought to be suckled about 316 ADVICE TO A WIFE. every hour and a half ; for the second month, every two hours — gradually mcreasing, as he becomes older, the distance of time between, until at length he has it about every four hours. If he were suckled at stated periods he would only look for the bosom at those times, and be satisfied. ^^ — Advice to a Mother, 813. A mother frequently allows her babe to be at the bosom a great part of every night. Now, this plan is hurtful both to her and to him ; it weakens her, and thus enfeebles him ; it robs them both of their sleep ; and generates bad habits, which it will be diffi- cult to break through ; it often gives the mother a sore nipple and the child a sore mouth ; it sometimes causes the mother to have a gathered breast, and fills the child with " wind.'' 814. It is surprising 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 determination and perseverance. A nursing mother therefore ought at once to commence by giving her child the breast at stated periods, and should rigidly adhere to the times above recommended. 815. A mother should not, directly after taking a long walk, and while her skin is in a state of violent perspiration, give her babe the bosom ; the milk, being at that time in a heated state, will disorder lier child's bowels. She ought, therefore, before she gives him the breast, to wait until the surface of her body has become moderately cool, but not cold. Let her be careful the while not to sit in draughts. CLOTHING. 816. A nursing mother ought to have her dress, more especially her stays, made loose and comfortable. 817. A gathered breast sometimes arises from the SUCKLING. — DIETARY. 317 bones of the stays pressing into the bosom ; I should^ therefore^ recommend her to have the bones removed. 818. If a lady be not in the habit of wearing a flannel waistcoat^ she ought at least to have her bosoms covered with flannel^ taking care that there be a piece of soft linen over the nipples. 819. I should advise a nursing mother to provide herself with a waterproof nursing-apron^ which may be procured either at any baby-linen establishment or at an indiarubber warehouse. DIETARY. 820. A nursing mother ought to live plainly ; her diet should be both light and nourishing. It is a mis- taken notion that at these times she requires extra good living. She ought never to be forced to eat more than her appetite demands ; if she is^ indiges- tion^ heartburn, sickness, costiveness, or a bowel com- plaint will ensue. It is folly at any time to force the appetite. If she be not hungry, compelling her to eat will do her more harm than good. A medical man in such a case ought to be consulted. 821. The best meats are mutton and beef; veal and pork may, for a change, be eaten. Salted meats are hard of digestion ; if boiled beef, therefore, be eaten, it ought to be only slightly salted. It is better, in winter, to have the boiled beef unsalted ; it is then, especially if it be the rump, deliciously tender. Salt, of course, must be eaten with the unsalted meat. Highly-seasoned dishes are injurious ; they inflame the blood, and thus they disorder the milk. 822. Some persons consider that there is no care required in the selection of the food, and that a nurs- ing mother may eat anything, be it ever so gross and unwholesome ; but if we appeal to reason and to facts 318 ADVICE TO A WIFE. we shall be borne out in saying that great care is re- quired. It is well known that cow's milk very much partakes of the properties of the food on which the animal lives. Thus, if a cow feeds on swedes, the milk and the butter will have a turnipy flavor. This, beyond a doubt, decides that the milk does partake of the qualities of the food on which she feeds. The same reasoning holds good in the human species, and proves the absurdity of a nursing mother being al- lowed to eat anything, be it ever so gross, indigestible or unwholesome. Again, a dose of purgative medicine given to her, or greens taken by her at dinner, will sometimes purge the baby as violently, or even more so, than it will the mother herself. 823. Even the milk of a healthy wet nurse acts differently, and less beneficially upon the child than the mother's oivn milk. The ages of the mother and of the wet nurse, the ages of her own and of the latter's infant, the constitutions of the one and of the other, the adaptability of a mother's milk for A^r own particular child — all tend to make a foster-mother not so desirable a nurse as the mother herself. Again, a mother cannot at all times get to the antecedents of a wet nurse ; and if she can, they will not always bear investigation. 824. With regard to the ages of the mother and of the wet nurse — for instance, as a wet nurse's milk is generally a few weeks older than the mother's own milk, the wet nurse's milk may, and frequently does produce costiveness of the bowels of her foster-child ; whilst, on the other hand, the mother's own milk, being in age just adapted to her babe's, may and gen- erally does, keep her own infant's bowels regular. The milk, according to the age of the child, alters in SUCKLING. — DIETARY. 319 property and quality to suit the age, constitution, and acquirements of her baby — adapting itself, so to speak, to his progressive development : hence the importance of a mother, if possible, suckling her own child. 825. A babe who is nursed by a mother who lives grossly is more prone to disease, particularly to skin and to inflammatory complaints, and to disease which is more difficult to subdue. On the other hand, a nursing mother, who, although she lives on nourish- ing diet, yet simply and plainly, has usually the purest, as well as the most abundant, supply of milk. 826. Do not let me be misunderstood. I am not advocating that a mother should be unnecessarily particular — by no means. Let her take a variety of food, both animal and vegetable ; let her from day to day vary her diet ; let her ring the changes on boiled and stewed, on grilled and roast meats ; on mutton, and lamb, and beef ;' on chicken, and game, and fish ; on vegetables, j)otatoes, and turnips ; on broccoli and cauliflower ; on asparagus and peas (provided they be young and well boiled), and French beans : — '^The maxim of the greatest importance in reference to the materials of human food is, mixture and variety — a maxim founded, as has been stated, upon man^s omnivorous nature. Animal and vege- table substances, soups, and solid meat, fish, flesh, and fowl, in combination or succession, ought, if due advantage is to be taken of the health-sustaining element in food, to form the dietary of every house- hold/'— (?oo^ Words. 827. But what I object to a nursing mother taking are : gross meats, such as goose and duck ; highly- salted beef ; shell-fish, such as lobster and crab ; rich 330 ADVICE TO A WIFE. dishes ; higlily-seasoned soup ; pastry, unless it be plain ; cabbages, and greens, and pickles, if found to disagree with the babe ; and with any other article of food which is rich, or gross, or indigestible, and which, from experience, she has found to disagree either with herself or with her child. It will there- fore be seen, from the above catalogue, that my restrictions as to diet are limited, and are, I hope, founded both on reason and on common-sense — which ought to be the guides and counselors of every nurs- ing mother, and of every one else besides. 828. A moderate quantity — say a tumblerful — either of fresh mild ale or of porter will generally be found the best beverage both for dinner and for sup- per. There is more nourishment in ale and porter than in wine ; therefore, for a nursing mother, eitlier ale or porter is far preferable to wine. Wine, if taken at all, ouglit to be used very sparingly, and then not at the same meal with tlie porter or ale. Where a lady is in the habit of drinking wine, it is necessary to continue it, although the quantity should not be increased, and ought never to exceed a couple of glasses — good claret being the best for the purpose. 829. A nursing mother is subject to thirst : when such is the case, she ought not to fly either to beer or to wine to quench it ; this will only add fuel to the fire. The best beverages will be toast and water, milk and water, barley-water, barley-water and new milk in equal proportions,^ or black tea, either hot or cold : cold black tea is a good quencher of thirst. 830. A lady who is nursing is at times liable to fits of depression. Let me strongly urge the importance of her abstaining from wine and from all other stimu- lants as a remedy ; they would only raise her spirits SUCKLING. — DIETAKY. 321 for a time^ and then depress them in an increased ratio. A drive in the country, or a short walk, or a cup of tea, or a chat with a friend, would be the best medicine. The diet should be good and nourish- ing ; plenty of bread and plenty of meat should be her staple food, in addition to which corn-flour, made either with fresh milk or with cream and water, is in these cases most useful and sustaining. The best time for taking it is either for luncheon or for supper. A lady subject to depression should bear in mind that she requires nourishment, not stimulants, — that much wine and spirits might cheer her for the moment, but will assuredly depress her afterwards. Depression always foUow^s over-stimulation ; wine and spirits, therefore, in such a case, if taken largely, are false and hollow friends. It is Jiecessary to bear the above facts in mind, as there are many advocates Avho strongly recommend, in a case of this kind, a large consumption both of wine and brandy. At the present moment such persons are doing an immense deal of mischief in the world ; they are, in point of fact, inducing and abetting drunkenness ; they are the authors of blighted hopes, of blasted prospects, of broken health, and of desolated homes ! How many a wife owes her love of stimulants, and her consequent degradation and destruction, to a stimu- lant having been at first prescribed for her for some trifling ailment. I will maintain that it is highly dangerous to prescribe a stimulant to any patient, unless her case urgently demand it — unless it be, in point of fact, a case of life or death. It is em- phatically playing with a deadly poison, tempting to evil, and courting disease, destruction, and death. 831. Stimulants— as brandy, rum, gin, and whisky 21 322 ADVICE TO A WIFE. — are most injurious during suckling. I may even say that they are to the parent^ and indirectly to the child, insidious poisons. 832. When an infant is laboring under an inflam- matory complaint, a nursing mother ought not to take stimulants, such as either ale or wine. In a case of this kind, toast and water for her dinner will be the best beverage ; gruel for her supper ; and black tea — not coffee, as it would be too stimulating — both for her breakfast and tea. FRESH AIR AND EXERCISE. 833. Outdoor exercise during suckling cannot be too strongly insisted u2)on ; it is the finest medicine both for babe and mother. Whenever the weather will admit, it must be taken. It is utterly impossible for a nursing mother to make good milk unless she takes an abundance of exercise, and breathes plenty of fresh air. 834. Whatever improves the lieulth of the mother, of course, at the same time benefits tlie child : there is nothing more conducive to health than an abun- dance of outdoor exercise. It often happens that a mother who is nursing seldom leaves her house ; she is a regular fixture, or like a plant that vegetates in one spot ; the consequence is both she and her babe are usually delicate and prone to sickness ; — it would, indeed, be strange if they were not. 835. A mother ought not to nurse her infant imme- diately after taking exercise, but should wait for half an hour ; nor should she take violent exercise, as it would be likely to disorder the milk. 836. Carriage exercise, if the weather be hot and sultry, is preferable to walking ; if that be not practicable, she ought to have the windows thrown SUCKLIXG. — THE TEMPER. 323 wide open^ and should walk about the hall^ the land- ings^ and the rooms^ as she would by such means avoid the intense heat of the sun. Although car- riage exercise during intensely hot weather is prefer- able to walking exercise ; yet^, notwithstanding^ walk- ing must^ during some portion of the day, be practised. There is no substitute^ as far as health is concerned, for walking. Many ailments that ladies now labor under could be walked away ; and really it would be a pleasant physic — far more agreeable and effectual than either pill or potion I THE POSITION OF A MOTHER DURING SUCKLING. 837. Good habits are as easily formed as bad ones. A mother, when in bed, ought always to suckle her child while lying down. The sitting up in bed, during such times, is a fruitful source of inflamma- tion and of gatherhig of the breasts. Of course, during the day, the sitting-up position is the best. Let me caution her not to nurse her babe in a half sitting and in a half -lying posture, as many mothers do ; it will spoil her figure, disturb her repose, and weaken her back. THE TEMPER. 838. Passion is injurious to the mother's milk and consequently to the child. Sudden joy and grief fre- quently disorders the infant's bowels, producing grip- ing, looseness, etc. ; hence, a mother who has a mild, placid, even temper generally makes an excellent nurse. It is a fortunate circumstance that she is frequently better tempered during suckling than at any other period of her life ; indeed, she usually, at such times, experiences great joy and gladness. 839. The happiest period of a woman's existence is, as a rule, when she first becomes a mother. 324 ADVICE TO A WIFE. '^The pleasure of the young mother in her babe is said to be more exquisite than any other earthly bliss/'' — Good Words, 840. It is an old, and I believe, a true saying, that the child inherits the temper of liis mother. This may be owing to the following reasons : — If the mother be good-tempered, the milk will more likely be wholesome, which will of course make the child more healthy, and consequently better tempered ; while, on the other hand, if the mother be of an irri- table, cross temper, the milk will suffer, and will thus cause a derangement of the chiUFs system ; and hence, ill-health and ill-temper will be likely to en- sue. We all know the influence that good or bad health has on the temper. An important reason, then, why a nursing mother is often better tempered than at other times is, she is in better health, her stomach is in a healthier state — ** A good digestion turneth all to health." — Wordsivorth, There is an old and true saying, that it is the stom- ach that makes the man, and if the man, the woman also — *' Your stomach makes your fabric roll, Just as the bias rules the bowl." — Prior 841. Depend upon it, that, after all that can be said on the subject, it is a good stomach that makes both man and woman strong, and conduces so much to longevity. If the stomach be strong, there is a keen appetite and a good digestion, and in conse- queace of such a happy combination, good health and long life — " Now good digestion wait on appetite, And health on both ! ''—Shakspeare. 842. Inquire of your friends who are octogenarians, THE TEMPER. 325 and you will almost invarialDly find that they have wonderfully strong stomachs^ and^ consequently, good appetites and splendid digestions I And if perchance they have severe illnesses, how surprisingly they pull through them ! A good stomach, then, is much to be coveted ; but both self-denial and con- sideration are requisite to ensure one. 843. Cheerfulness, too, is mainly owing to a good stomach. A melancholic person is usually a dyspep- tic ; while a cheerful person is generally blessed with a good digestion. It is the stomach, then, that has the principal making of a cheerful disposition ! It is a moral impossibility for a dyspeptic to be thor- oughly happy, contented, or cheerful, A good stom- ach fills the possessors heart with joy, causes the face to gleam with gladness, and thus — *' Make sunshine in a shady place." 844. Hear what Shakespeare says of the functions of the stomach. The stomach is supposed to speak. Does it not frequently speak, and in very unmis- takable language, if we will but only listen to its voice ?— " True is it, my incorporate friends, quoth he, That I receive the general food at first Which yon do live upon : and fit it is ; Because I am the storehouse and the shop Of the whole body : But if you do remember, I send it through the rivers of your blood, Even to the court, the heart, — to the seat o' the brain ; And through the cranks and offices of man, The strongest nerves, and small inferior veins. From me receive that natural competency Whereby they live : And though that all at once, You, my good friends, though all at once cannot See what I do deliver out to each ; 326 ADVICE TO A WIFK. Yet I can make my audit up, that all From me do back receive the flower of all, And leave me but the bran." OCCUPATION. 845. I strongly recommend a nursing mother to attend to her household duties. She is never so happy, or so well, as when her mind is moderately occupied with something useful. She never looks so charming as when she is attending to her house- hold duties — *' For nothing lovelier can be found In woman, than to study liousehold good." — Milton. 846. I do not mean by occupation, the frequenting of balls, of routs, or of parties. A nursing mother has no business to be at such places ; she ought to devote herself to her infant and to her household, and she will then experience the greatest happiness the world can afford. 847. One reason why the poor make so much bet- ter nursing mothers than the rich is, the former have so much occupation. The latter having no real work to do, the health becomes injured, and in consequence the functions of the breast suffer. In- deed, many a fashionable lady has no milk at all, and is therefore compelled to give up one of her greatest privileges and enjoyments. 848. A rich mother, who has no work to do, and who lives sumptuously, has frequently no milk ; while a poor mother who has to labor for her daily bread, and who has to live sparingly, has generally an abundance of milk. Luxury and disease, toil and health, generally go together hand in hand. The healthy breast of milk then frequently belongs to the poor woman, to the one whom OCCUPATION. 327 " The modest wants of every day The toil of every day supphes." 849. What would not some rich mother give for the splendid supply of milk— of healthy, nourishing, life-giving milk — of the poor woman who has to labor for her daily bread I 850. What is the reason that wealthy ladies so fre- quently have to forego nursing their children ? The want of occupation ! The poor woman who has no lack of occupation, as she has to labor for her daily food, has in consequence the riches of health, though poor in this world^s goods — *' For health is riches to the poor." — Fenton, Bear this in mind, ye wealthy and indolent ladies ! Alter your way of living, or take the consequences. Still let the poor woman have the healthy, the chubby, the rosy, the laughing children ; and you, ye rich ones, have the unhealthy, the attenuated, the sallow, the dismal little old men and women who are constantly under the doctor^s care, and who have to struggle for their very existence ! '^ Employment, which Galen calls ' Xature^s physician,^ is so essential to human happiness, that Indolence is justly con- sidered as the mother of misery/^ — Burton, 851. Occupation, then, — bustling occupation — real downright work, either in the form of outdoor exercise, or of attending to her household duties — a lady, if she desire to have a good breast of milk, must have, if, in point of fact, she wish to have healthy children. For the Almighty is no respecter of per- sons. And He has ordained that work shall be the lot of man and of woman too. It is a blessed thing to be obliged to work. If we do not work, we have 328 ADVICE TO A WIFE. all to pay a heavy penalty in the form of loss of both health and happiness. ^^For work is the grand cure of all the maladies and miseries that ever beset man- kind — honest work, which you intend getting done. ^^ — Carhjle^s Inaugural Address, - 852. A mother who is listless and idle, lounging the greater part of every day in an easy chair, or re- clining on a sofa, in a room where a breath of air is not allowed to enter, usually makes a miserable and a wretched nurse. She is hysterical, nervous, dys- peptic, emaciated, and dispirited ; she has but little milk, and that little of a bad quality ; her babe is puny, pallid, and unhealthy, and frequently drops into an untimely grave. Occupation, with fresh air and exercise, is indispensable to a mother who is suck- ling. How true it is that — '* To be employed is to be happy.*' — Gray, While the converse is equally correct, — To be idle is to be miserable. 853. No wife — more especially no nursing mother — can by any possibility, then, be strong and well un- less she have occupation. Occupation is emphatically a necessity. '' Nature has made occupation a neces- sity ; society makes it a duty ; habit may make it a pleasure. '' — Capelle, '^THE PERIODS" DURING SUCKLING. 854. If a woman have '^ her periods ^* during suck- ling, she ought to have a separate bed ; otherwise, in all probability she will conceive. She is more likely to conceive after '^ her periods " than when she has them not. This is important advice. If it be not attended to, in consequence of becoming preg- nant, she will have to wean her child before he be old AILMEXTS, ETC. 329 enough to be weaned. Besides^ her own constitu- tion^ in consequence of her having children too fast, will be injured. 855. There is a notion abroad, that a mother who has ^Mier periods ^' during suckling has sweeter, and purer, and more nourishing milk for her child. This is a mistaken idea, for really and truly such a mother's milk is less pure and sweet and nourishing. Well it might be, for the two processes of menstrua- tion and of suckling cannot go on together without weakening the system. AILMENTS, ETC. 856. TJie Nipple, — A good nipple is important both to the comfort of the mother and to the well-doing of the child. 857. One, among many, of the ill effects of stays and of corsets is the pushing in of the nipp>les ; sore nipples, and consequent suff'ering, are the result. Moreover, a mother thus circumstanced may be quite unable to suckle her infant ; and then she will be se- verely punished for her ignorance and folly ; she will be compelled to forego the pleasure of nursing her own children, and she will be obliged to delegate to others her greatest privilege ! Ladies who never wear stays have the best nipples, and the best devel- oped bosoms ; hence such mothers are more likely to make better nurses to their babes. There is no doubt that the pressure of the stays on the bosom tends both to waste away the gland of the breast, where the milk is secreted, and to cause the nipple either to dwindle or to be pushed in, and thus to sadly iuterfere with its functions. I should strongly advise every mother who has daughters old enough to profit by it, to bear this fact in mind, and thus to prevent mischief when 330 ADVICE TO A WIFE. miscliief may be prevented, by not allowing them to wear stays when young. 858. Treatment of very small and drawn-in JVijjples. — The baby ought to suck through the inter- vention of a Nipple Shield with Elastic Tube. I have known many mothers able to suckle their children with this invention, who otherwise Avould have been obliged to have weaned them. The above aid, in the generality of instances, will enable the infant to suck with ease. After this has been for a time used, the nipples will be so improved as to render the continu- ance of it unnecessary. Of course, I do not advise the use of this nipple shield until a fair trial has been given by applying the babe at 07ice to the nipple ; but if he cannot draw out the nipple, then, rather than wean him, it ought, by all means, to be tried. 859. Remember, as soon as the nipple is sufficiently drawn out, which, in all probability it will be in a few days, you should dispense with the Nipple Shield. When the infant is not at the breast, apply a small pad of cotton-wool with a hole in the center to accommo- date the nipple. The pad should be saturated with glycerine. Small, and bad, and sore nipples have thus frequently been drawn out and made good ones ; the dress will suffice to keep the pads in their places. These pads are very cooling and healing, and keep off all pressure from the clothes ; they will frequently cure sore nipples when other remedies have failed. 860. Sore Nipples, — If a lady, during the latter few months of her pregnancy, were to adopt ^^ means to harden the nipples,^' sore nipples, during the period of suckling, would not be so prevalent as they now are. 861. A sore nipple is frequently produced by the I AILMENTS, ETC. 331 injudicious custom of allowing the child to have the nipple almost constantlj' in his mouth. ^^ Stated periods for suckling/^ as recommended in a previous paragraph, ought to be strictly adopted. Another frequent cause of a sore nipple is from the babe having the thrush. It is a folly to attempt to cure the nipple, without, at the same time, curing the mouth of the infant. 862. One of the best remedies for a sore nipple is the following powder : — Take of — Borax, one drachm ; Powdered Starch, seven drachms ; Mix. — A pinch of the powder to be frequently applied to the nipple. 863. The following remedy for a sore nipple is a very good one ; it is as follows : — Take of — Finely powdered Gum- Arabic, half an ounce ; Powdered Alum, five grains : Mix well together to make a powder. — A pinch of it to be frequently applied to the sore nipple. As there is nothing injurious to the infant in the above powders, they need not be wiped off before ap- plying him to the breast. Indeed, either the one or the other of the powders, the former especially, as it contains borax, is likely to be of service both in pre- venting and in curing the sore mouth of the child. 864. If the above powders should not have the de- sired effect — efficacious though they usually are — a lotion, composed of equal parts of glycerine and of brandy, ought to be tried. It should be painted on the nipple by means of a camel^s hair brush, every time directly after the babe has been suckled. A piece of old soft cambric or lawn, about the size of the palm of the hand, snipped around to make it fit, 332 ADVICE TO A WIFE. ought then to be moistened in the glycerine and the brandy, and should, whenever the child is not at the breast, be applied to each of the sore nipples, and worn until they are cured. These applications will be found of much service and of great comfort, and will act as nipple shields — protecting and healing the nipples. A soft sponge wrung out of warm water should be gently applied to the nipples just before putting the child to the bosom. 865. Sometimes the pure glycerine, ivitlioiit the 'brandy y painted on the sore nipple, does the most good ; if, therefore, the glycerine and brandy do not succeed, the pure glycerine should be tried. There is nothing in the pure glycerine injurious to the child, it therefore need not be wiped off before ap- plying the child to the breast. 8G6. Craclced and fissured Nipples. — Sometimes the nipple is sore from having either cracks or fis- sures upon it. These cracks or fissures may attack any part of the nipple, but are very apt to form where the nipple joins the breast ; and, when very severe, an ignorant nurse, who is always fond of dealing in the marvelous, declares that the child has nearly bitten the nipple off ! 867. Now, the best remedy for a craclced and fis- stored nipple is for the infant to suck through the in- tervention of a nipple shield, until the cracks and fissures are cured ; and every time, directly after the babe has been put to the nipple, to apply brandy to the parts affected, or, as I have before recommended, the glycerine and brandy lotion, or pure glycerine. When the child is not at the breast, the pads satu- rated with glycerine already mentioned should be worn : the dress will keep them in their places. AILMEXTS^ ETC. 333 868. Another cause of a sore nipple is from the mother^ after the babe has been sucking^ putting up the nipple wet. She, therefore, ouglit ctlivays to dry the nipple, not by rubbing it, but by dabbing it with a soft cambric or lawn handkerchief, or with a piece of soft linen rag — one or other of which ought always to be at hand — every time directly after the child has done sucking, and just before applying any of the above powders or lotions to the nipple. 869. When the nipple is very sore, whenever the child is put to the bosom a mother suffers intense pain. This being the case, she had better, as before recommended, suckle him through the intervention of a shield. But she ought never to use it unless it be absolutely necessary — that is to say, if the nipple be only sliglithj sore, she should not apply it. But there aie cases where the nipple is so very sore that a mother would have to give up nursing if the nipple- shields were not used. These, and very small and drawn-in nipples, are the only cases in which such aid is admissible. 870. A glass nipple shield with elastic tube is, for sore and for cracked and for fissured nipples, one of the most useful little contrivances ever invented, and cannot be too strongly recommended. These shields have frequently enabled a mother to suckle her child, who, without such aid, would have been compelled to have weaned him. I think it well to state, that since I have used these shields, I have had but little difficulty in curing sore nipples ; indeed, this most useful little invention has, in the majority of cases, been alone sufficient to effect a cure. 871. A nursing mother is sometimes annoyed by the milk Jlotoing constantly away, making her wet 334 ADVICE TO A WIFE. and uncomfortable. All she can do under such cir- cumstances is to wear a pad of cotton-wool or soft rag, covered with a piece of flannel, over the bosom, which will absorb any overflow, and prevent the milk from chilling her, and thus she will avoid the danger of catching cold. 872. The Breast, — A mother ought, before apply- ing the infant to the bosom, to carefully ascertain if there be milk. This may readily be done by squeez- ing the nipple between the finger and the thumb. If there be no milk, she must wait until the milk be secreted, or serious consequences both to her and to the child may ensue : to the former, inflammation and gathering of the bosom, and sore nipples ; to the latter thrush, diarrhoea, and eruptions of the skin. 873. If there be a supply of milk in the breasts, and if still the child will not suck, the medical man^s attention ought to be drawn to the fact, in order that he may ascertain whether the babe be tongue' tied ; if he be, the mystery is explained, and a tri- fling, painless operation will soon make all right. 874. If the iosonis he full and uneasy, they ought, three or four times a day, to be well but gently rubbed with equal parts of oil and eau de Cologne mixed in a vial. Some nurses rub only with their fingers. Now such rubbing does harm. The proper way to apply friction is to pour a small quantity of the oil and eaii de Cologne — first shaking the bottle — into the palm of the hand, the hand being warm, and then to well rub the breasts, taking care to use the whole of the inside of the hand. After the bosoms have been well rubbed, each ought to be nicely supported with a large, soft, folded silk hand- AILMEKTS, ETC. 335 kerchief; the handkerchief must pass under each breast and over the shoulders^ and be tied at the back of the neck, thus acting as a sling. 875. If the bosoms be very uncomfortable, young cabbage-leaves, with '^ the veins ^^ of each leaf cut level to the leaf, may be aj)plied after each application of the oil and eau cle Cologne ; or a large, warm, white bread and milk and olive oil poultice may be used, but it must be renewed three or four times a day. The way to make the poultice is as follows : — A thick round of bread should be cut from a white loaf ; the crust being removed, the crumb ought to be cut into pieces about an inch square, and boiling- hot new milk poured upon it ; this should be covered over for ten minutes ; then the milk should be drained off : the olive oil — previously warmed by placing a little in a teacup on the hob — should be beaten up by means of a fork with the moistened bread until it be of the consistence of a soft poultice. It ought to be applied to the bosom as hot as it can comfortably be borne. 876. Gathered Breast, — A healthy woman with a well-developed breast and a good nipple scarcely, if ever, has a gathered bosom ; it is the delicate, the ill- developed breasted and worse-developed nippled lady that usually suffers from this painful complaint. And why ? The evil can generally be traced to girl- hood. If she be brought up luxuriously, her health and her breasts are sure to be weakened, and thus to suffer, more especially if the development of the bosoms and nipples has been arrested and interfered with by tight stays and corsets. Why, the nipple is by them drawn in, and retained on a level with the breast — countersunk — as though it were of no con 33G ADVICE TO A WIFE. sequence to her future well-being, as though it were a thing of nought. Tight lacers will have to pay penalties of which they little dream. Oh, the mon- strous folly of such proceedings ! AVhen will mothers awake from their lethargy ? It is high time that they did so ! From the mother having '^ no nipple/^ the effects of tight lacing, many a home has been made childless, the babe not being able to procure its proper, nourishment, and dying in consequence ! It is a frightful state of things ! But fashion unfortu- nately blinds the eyes and deafens the ears of its votaries ! 877. A gathered bosom, or ^^ bad breast,'* as it is sometimes called, is more likely to occur after ajirst confinement and during the first month. Great care, therefore, ought to be taken to avoid such a misfor- tune. A gathered breast is frequently owing to the carelessness of a mother in not covering her bosoms during the time she is suckling. Too much attention cannot be paid to keeping the breasts comfortahly warm. This, during the act of nursing, should be done by throwing either a shawl or a square of flannel over the neck, shoulders, and bosoms. 878. Another cause of gathered breasts arises from a mother sitting up in bed to suckle her babe. He ought to be accustomed to take the bosom while she is lying down ; if this habit be not at first instituted, it will be difficult to adopt it afterwards. Good hab- its may be taught a child from earliest babyhood. 879. A sore nipple is another fruitful cause of a gathered breast. A mother, in consequence of the suffering it produces, dreads putting the baby to it ; she therefore keeps him almost entirely to the other bosom. The result is, the breast with the sore nipple II AILMEXTS, ETC. 337 becomes distended with milk^ and being unrelieved, inflammation is set up, which may end in a gathering. 880. Another cause of a gathered breast is a mother not having a properly developed nipple — the nipple being so small that the child is not able to take hold of it. The nipple is sometimes level with the other 23art of the bosom, and in some instances sunk even below the level of the breast^ the patient having what is popularly called ^^no nipple/' that is to say, she has no properly developed nipj^le. Her nipple is not of the least use for any practical purpose whatever, but is rather a source of j)ain and annoyance. The nipple, in some cases, never develops ; it is, from in- fancy to wifehood, at a perfect standstill. With such a patient, when she becomes a mother, it is quite im- possible that she can suckle her child. The child vainly attempts to suck, and the milk, in conse- quence, becomes ^^ wedged,'^ as the old nurses call it, and inflammation, ending in gathering, is the result ; and to crown all, the child is obliged to be weaned — which is a sad misfortune I But really, in a case of this kind, the child ought never to be put to the breast at all. 881. A great number, then, of gathered breasts arise fi^om a faulty nipple. If a lady have a good nipple she usually makes a good nurse, and seldom knows the meaning of a gathered breast. But what is the usual cause of this arrest of development of the nipple — of '' no nipple '' ? The cruel custom of al- lowing girls to wear tight stays and corsets. As long as this senseless practice is permitted by mothers ^^ no nipples '^ will be of frequent, of everyday, oc- currence, and unspeakable misery, as a matter of course, will in due time be the result. Tight stays 22 338 ADVICE TO A WIFE. may truly be called instruments of torture, invented by that tyrant of tyrants — Fashion. 882. Pressure on a part always causes the part to waste away, or, in other words, induces arrest of de- velopment : hence tight lacing is really and truly the principal cause of ^^no nipple.'^ 883. It is worthy of remark, that the ^^ no nipple ^^ is generally to be found among the higher ranks, where tight stays and tight corsets are worn ; poor Avomen have usually well-formed nipples, which is one important reason w4iy poor women generally make good nurses. 884. I do not mean to say tliat j)ressure is the only cause why many of the rich have ^^ nonipple.^^ Cer- tainly not. Simple* living, occupation, and exercise have much to do in developing and in perfecting the poor woman^s nipple ; while luxurious living and in- dolence, in addition to the pressure, have much to do in deteriorating and in dwindling away the fash- ionable lady^s nipi)le. I will maintain, then, that freedom from pressure and simple living, conjoined with occupation and exercise, are the main causes of determining the matter. 885. The effect of tight lacing in girls — in so fre- quently both arresting the develo2)ment of the bosom and in causing ^^no nipple ^^ — are often so terrible in their ultimate consequences as to proclaim it to be one of the crying evils of the day, and should open the eyes of a mother to its enormity. 886. Verily the rich have to pay heavy pains and penalties for their fashion, their luxury, their indo- lence and their folly. 887. The friiitless attempt of an infant to procure milk when there is very little or none secreted, is AILMEXTS, ETC. 339 another and a frequent cause of a gathered bosom. Dr. Ballard^ in his yaluable little work, considers this to be the principal cause of a gathered breast ; and, as the subject is of immense importance, I can- not do better than quote his own words, more espe- cially as to him belongs the merit of originating and of bringing the subject prominently before his pro- fessional brethren. He says: — ^^This (mammary abscess or gathered breast) is another form of disease entirely referable to the cause under consideration [fruitless sucking] . In the case related, the forma- tion of mammary abscess [gathered breast] was only just prevented by arresting any further irritation of the breast by suckling ; and since I have kept care- ful notes of my cases, I have observed that in all in- stances of abscess there has been abundant evidence of a demand being made upon the gland for a supply of milk beyond that which it had the power of secret- ing. If the child only has been kept to the breast, then it has suffered with disordered bowels ; but in the majority of cases an additional irritation has been applied ; the commonly-received doctrine that a turgid breast is necessarily overloaded with milk, leads mothers and nurses to the use of breast-pumps, exhausted bottles, or even the application of the powerful sucking powers of the nurse herself, to re- lieve the breasts of their supposed excess ; and it is this extraordinary irritation, which in the majority of cases determines the formation of an abscess [gathering]. Sometimes these measures are adopted to remove the milk when a woman is not going to suckle, and then an abscess not unfrequently is es- tablished. I have previously alluded to the mistake into which mothers and nurses are led by the appear- 340 ADVICE TO A WIFE. ance of a swollen breast : it is not evidence that the gland can secrete freely^ and it is in this turgid state that the excessive irritation tells most severely. This hyperaemic [plethoric] condition seems to be a step towards inflammation^ and the irritation supplies that which is wanting to complete the process. If a woman will only remove her child from her breast directly the act of sucking produces pain^ she may be pretty sure to avoid abscess. So long as the milk can be obtained there .is no pain.^^ The above most valuable advice deserves great attention, and ought to be strictly followed. 888. Ho20 is a patient to knoto that she is about to have a gathered bosom? There are two forms of gathered breast ; one being of serious, and the other of trifling, importance. The first, the serious one, consists of a gathering in the deep structure of the gland of the breast itself ; the latter, of a gatliering merely of the superficial i)art of the bosom, and which should be treated, in the same manner as any other external gathering, with warm poultices. 889. In the mild or superficial kind of gathered bosom, the mother may still persevere in suckling her child, as the secreting portion of the breast is not at all implicated in the gathering ; but in the severe form she ought, on no account whatever, to be allowed to do so, but should instantly wean her child from the affected side. She might still continue to nurse from the healthy breast. 890. The important form of a gathered breast I will now describe. A severe gathered bosom is always ushered in with a shivering fit ; the more severe the gathering, the longer is the shivering fit. Let this fact be impressed deeply u23on my reader's ail:^iexts, etc. 341 mind, as it admits of no exception. This shivering is either accompanied or followed by sharj) lancinat- ing pains of the bosom. The breast now gi^eatly en- larges^ becomes hot, and is very painful. The milk in the affected bosom either lessens or entirely dis- appears. If the child be applied to the breast, which he ought not to be, it gives the mother intense pain. She is now feverish and ill ; she is hot one minute, and cold the next, feeling as though cold water were circulating with the blood in her veins ; she loses her strength and appetite, and is very thirsty ; she feels, in point of fact, downright ill. 891. A medical man must be sent for at the very onset of the shivering fit, and he will, in the general- ity of instances, be able to prevent such a painful and distressing occurrence as a gathered breast. If twelve hours be allowed to elapse after the shivering has taken place, the chances are that the gathering cannot altogether be prevented ; although even then, it may, by judicious treatment, be materially lessened and ameliorated. 892. We sometimes hear of a poor woman suffering dreadfully for months, and of her having a dozen or twenty holes in her bosom ! This is generally owing to the doctor not having been sent for im- mediately after the shivering ; I therefore can- not too strongly insist, under such circumstances, upon a mother obtainingj^ro/^^j^^^ assistance ; not only to obviate present suffering, but, at the same time, to prevent the function of the breast from being in- jured, which it inevitably, more or less, w^ill be, if the serious form of gathering be allowed to take place. 893. When once a lady has had the severe form 342 ADVICE TO A WIFE. of gathered breast, in all subsequent confinements she ought, before suckling her babe, to obtain the express permission of the doctor, or she may have a return of the gathered breast, and the concomitant pain, misery, and annoyance. The reason of the above is obvious — the function of the breast, in a severe gathering, may be irreparably injured ; so that, in all subsequent confinements, the very at- tempt to suckle again, instead of inducing secretion of milk, may set up inflammatory action, terminat- ing in gathering of the breast. 894. Although it is not always prudent to suckle a babe where, in a previous labor, there has been a severe form of gathered breast, yet I have known in- stances where, after such a gatliering in a previous confinement, ladies have been able to nurse their chil- dren with comfort to themselves and with benefit to their oflFspring. Each individual case, therefore, must be judged on its own merits by a medical man skilled in such matters. 895. When a nursing mother feels fat 7if, she ought immediately to lie down and take a little nourisliment ; a cup of tea with the yolk of an egg beaten up in it, or a cup of warm milk, or some beef-tea, any of which will answer the purpose extremely well. Brandy, or any other spirit, I would not recommend, as it would only cause, as soon as the immediate effects of the stimulant had gone off, a greater depression to ensue ; not only so, but the freqicent taking of brandy might become a habit — a necessity — which would be a ca- lamity deeply to be deplored ! 896. A mother is sometimes faint from suckling her child too often, she having him almost con- stantly at the bosom. She must, of course, expect, as AILMEKTS, ETC, 343 long as she continues this foolish practice^ to suffer from faintness. 897. A nursing mother feeling faint is often an in- dication that the child is robbing her of her strength, and tells her, in umistakable language^ that she must wean him altogether. Warnings of faintness, during suckling, then, are not to be disregarded. 898. Ajjerients, etc., during SucTcling. — Strong pur- gatives during this period are highly improper, as they are apt to give pain to the infant, as well as to injure the mother. If it be absolutely necessary to give an aperient, the mildest, such as a dose of castor oil, should be chosen. 899. If she cannot take oil, then she should apply it externaUy to the bowels as a liniment, as recom- mended in a previous paragraph. 900. An enema, either of warm water alone, or of gruel, oil, and table salt,* applied by means of an enema apparatus, is, in such a case, an excellent — indeed, the very best — method of opening the bowels, as it neither interferes with the digestion of the mother nor of the child. 901. The less opening medicine — whatever be the kind — a mother who is suckling takes, the better will it be both for herself and for her infant. Even castor oil, the least objectionable of aperients, should not be taken regularly during suckling ; if it be, the bowels will not be moved without it, and a wretched state of things will be established. Xo, if the bowels will not act, an enema is by far the best remedy ; you can never do any harm, either to the mother or to the * Two table-spoonfuls of olive oil, two table-spoonfuls of table salt and a pint of warm oatmeal gruel. 344 ADVICE TO A WIFE. babe^, by the administration of an enema. It will not induce future constipation^ or interfere with the digestion of the mother, or with the bowels, or w4th the health of the infant. 902. When a lady who is nursing is habitually cos- tive, she ought to eat brown instead of white bread. This will, in the majority of cases, enable her to do w^ithout an aperient. The brown bread may be made with flour finely ground all one way ; or by mixing one part of bran and three parts of fine wlieaten flour together, and then making it in the usual way into bread. Treacle, instead of butter, on tlie brown bread increases its efficacy as an aperient ; and raio should be substituted for lump sugar in her tea. 903. Stewed prunes, or stewed French plums, or stewed Normandy pippins, are excellent remedies to prevent constipation. The patient ought to eat, every morning, a dozen or fifteen of them. The best way to stew either prunes or French plums, is the following : — Put a j^ound either of lorunes or of French plums, and two table-spoonsf uls of raio sugar, into a brown jar ; cover them with water ; ppt them into a slow oven, and stew them for three or four hours. Both stewed rliubarb and stewed pears often act as mild and gentle aperients. Muscatel raisins, eaten at dessert, will oftentimes, without medicine, relieve the bowels. 904. A Bee-master in Tlie Times, or, as he is usually called. The Times Bee-master, has satisfactorily proved that honey — pure honey — is most welcome and beneficial to the human economy. He recom- mends it to be occasionally eaten in lieu of butter for breakfast. Butter, in some localities, and in some seasons of the year, is far from good and wholesome. AILMEN^TS, ETC. 345 One of the qualities of honey, and a very valuable one, is, it frequently acts as an aperient, and thus prevents the necessity of giving opening medicine, which is a very important consideration. 905. The Germans are in the habit of eating for breakfast and for tea a variety of fruit jams instead of butter with their bread. Now, if the bowels be costive, jam is an excellent substitute for butter ; and so is honey. The Scotch, too, scarcely ever sit down either to breakfast or to tea without there be- ing a pot of marmalade on the table. English ladies, in this matter, may well take a leaf out of the books of the Germans and of the Scotch. 906. A small basinful of gruel, made either with pure Scotch oatmeal, or with the Derbyshire oatmeal, sweetened with Iroivn sugar, every night for supper, will often supersede the necessity of giving opening medicine. 907. A tumblerful of cold water, taken early every morning, sometimes eilectually relieves the bowels ; indeed, few people know the value of cold water as an aperient — it is one of the best we possess, and, unlike drug aperients, can never by any possibility do any harm. I have for many years been a staunch advocate for the plentiful drinking of water — of pure water — more especially for children. I have long discovered that one of the most valuable properties of water is — its aperient qualities ; indeed, as far as children are concerned, water is, as a rule, the only aperient they require. I beg to call a mother^'s spe- cial attention to the fact of water being an admi- rable aperient for children ; for if my view^s in the matter be, to the very letter, carried out, much drug- ging of children may be saved — to their enduring 346 ADVICE TO A WIFE. and inestimable benefit. But the misfortune of it is, some mothers are so very fond of quacking their chil- dren^ that they are never happy but when they are physicking them. The children of such mothers are deeply to be pitied. 908. Coffee, instead of tea, ought to be substituted for breakfast, as it frequently acts as an aperient, more especially if it be sweetened with brown sugar. A glass of sherry should be taken every day duriny dinner, as, if the bowels be sluggish, it sometimes stimulates them to action. I should strongly recom- mend a patient, in such a case, to eat a great variety of food, and to let the vegetable element predominate. Much meat encourages constipation. Fruit — Mus- catel raisins especially — farinaceous food, coffee, and a variety of vegetables, each and all incite the bowels to do their duty. 909. Although a nursing mother ought, more es- pecially if she be costive, to take a variety of well- cooked vegetables, such as potatoes, asparagus, broc- coli, cauliflower, French beans, spinach, stewed celery, and turnips, she should avoid eating greens, cabbages, and pickles, as they would be likely to affect the babe, and might cause him to suffer from gripings, from pain, and ^^ looseness ^^ of the bowels. 910. The ^^ wet compress ^' is another excellent method of opening the bowels. This is a powerful remedy. It must only be used for those who happily possess a strong and robust constitution. The way of applying the wet compress is as follows : — Fold a large napkin a few thicknesses until it is about half a foot square ; then dip it in cold water and place it over the bowels, over which apply either oil-skin or gutta-percha skin, which should be, in order to ex- AILMEi^TS^ ETC. 347 elude the aii% considerably larger than the folded napkin. It should be kept in its place by means of either a bolster-case or a broad bandage ; and must be applied at bedtime, and ought to remain on for three or four hours, or until the bowels be opened. 911. Let me again — for it cannot be too urgently insisted upon— strongly advise a nursing mother to use every means in the way of diet, etc., to supersede the necessity of taking opening medicine, as the repe- tition of aperients injures, and that severely, both herself and child. Moreover, the more opening medi- cine she swallows, the more she requires ; so that if she once get into the habit of regularly taking aperi- ents, the bowels will not act without them. What a miserable existence, to be always swallowing physic ! 912. If a lady, then, during the period of suckling were to take systematic exercise in the open air ; to bustle about the house and to attend to her house- hold duties ; if she were to drink, the moment she awakes in the morning, a tumblerful of cold water, and every day during dinner a glass of sherry ; if she were to substitute hrotvn bread for ^vliite bread, and coffee for tea at breakfast, and iroivn for ivMfe sugar ; if she were to vary her food, both animal and vege- table, and to partake plentifully of sound ripe fruit ; if she w^ere to use abundance of cold water to her skin ; if she were occasionally, at bedtime, to apply a ^^wet compress ^^ to her bowels, and to visit the water-closet daily at one lioiir ; if she were — even if the bowels were not opened for four or five days — not to take an aperient of any kind whatever, and avoid quacking herself with physic ; in short, if she would adopt the above safe and simple remedies — many of them being Xature^s remedies — and which 348 ADVICE TO A WIFE. are in the reach of all, she would not suffer as she now does so much from costiveness, which is fre- quently the bane, the misery, and the curse of her existence ! But then, to get the bowels into a proper and healthy state, it would take both time and trouble; and how readily can a couple of pills be swallowed, and how quickly they act ! How soon they have to be repeated, though, until at length the bowels will not act at all unless goaded into action I The con- stant swallowing of opening pills, then, makes the bowels stubborn and sluggish, and permanently in- jures them. The bowels at length will not, without the pills, move at all, and so the pills will become a dire and sometimes even a daily necessity ! Oh, the folly and the mischief of such a system ! WEANING. 913. There is an old saying, '' That a woman should carry her child nine months, and should suckle him nine months.'^ It is well known that the first part of the old adage is correct, and experience has proved the latter to be equally so. If a babe be weaned iefore he be nine months old, he loses that muscular strength which the breast-milk alone can give ; if he be suckled after he be nine months old, he becomes pallid, flabby, weak, and delicate. ^' It is generally recognized that the healthiest children are those weaned at nine months complete. Prolonged nurs- ing hurts both child and mother ; in the child, caus- ing a tendency to brain disease, probably through disordered digestion and nutrition, in the mother, causing a strong tendency to deafness and blindness. It is a very singular fact, to which it is desirable that attention were paid, that in those districts of Scot- land — viz., the Highlands and insular — where the WEAXI^s^G. 349 mothers suckle their infants from fourteen to eight- een months, deaf-dumbness and blindness prevail to a very much larger extent among the people than in districts where nine or ten months is the usual limit of the nursing period/^ — Dr, W. Farr on the 3for- tality of Cliildren, 914. Tlie time, then, tvlien mi infant should he iveaned. — '^ This must depend upon the strength of the child, and upon the health of the parent. Speaking gen- erally, at the niyith month is the proper time. If the mother be delicate, it may be found necessary to wean the infant at six months ; or if he be weak, or labor- ing under any disease, it may be well to continue suckling him for ten months ; but after that time the breast will do him more harm than good, and will, moreover, injure the mother^s health, and may, if she be so predisposed, excite disease. ^^ — Advice to a Mother, 915. If he be suckled after he be nine months old, he is generally pale, flabby, unhealthy, and rickety ; and the mother is usually nervous, emaciated, and hysterical. A child who is suckled beyond the proper time, more especially if there be any predisposition, sometimes dies of water on the brain, or of consump- tion of the lungs, or of disease of the bowels. 916. A child nursed beyond nine months is very apt, if he should live, to be knock-kneed, and bow- legged, and weak-ankled — to be narrow-chested and chicken-breasted — to be, in point of fact, a miserable little object. All the symptoms just enumerated are those of rickets, and rickets are damaging and de- facing to '*^the human form divine.''^ Eickets is a very common complaint among children — nearly all arising from bad management — from hygienic rules 350 ADVICE TO A WIFE. not being either understood or followed. There are many degrees of rickets^ ranging from bow-legs and knock-knees to a crooked spine — to a humpback I But as I have entered so fully into the causes and the treatment of rickets in two of my other works — Advice to a Mother and Counsel to a Mother — I beg to refer my fair readers, for further information on the sub- ject, to these two volumes — more especially as those two works are especially devoted to the management, to the care, and the rearing of her children ; while this book is intended solely for a wife^s own especial •benefit — to be her guide and counselor. 917. The manner in ichich a mother should act when she tveans her child, — ^^She ought, as the word signifies, to do it gradually — that is to say, she should by degrees give him less and less of the breast, and more and more of artificial food ; at length she must only suckle him at night ; and lastly, it would be well for the mother either to send him away or to leave him at home, and for a few days to go away herself. "^^ 918. ^^ A good plan is for the nurse-maid to have a half-pint bottle of boiled* new milk in the bed, so as to give a little to the cliild in lieu of the breast. The warmth of the body will keep the milk of a jiroper temperature, and will supersede the use of lamps, of candle-frames, and other troublesome contrivances.^^ — Advice to a Mother. 919. If the mother be not able to leave home herself, or to send her child/rom home, she ought then to let him sleep in another room, with some responsible * The previous boiling of the milk will prevent the warmth of the bed turning the milk sour, which it other- wise would do. WEANIXG. 351 person — I say responsible person^ for a babe must not be left to the tender mercies of a giggling, thought- less young girl. 920. If the mother, during the daytime, cannot resist having her child in the room with her, then I should advise her to make a paste of aloes — that is to say, let her mix a little powdered aloes with a few drops of water, until it be of the consistence of paste — and let her smear a little of it on the nipple every time just before putting him to the breast ; this will be quite enough for him ; and one or two aloes-ap- plications to the nipple will make him take a disgust to the bosom ; and thus the weaning will be accom- plished. A mother need not be afraid that the aloes will injure her babe ; the minute quantity he will swallow will do no harm ; for the moment he tastes it, the aloes being extremely bitter, he will splutter it out of his mouth. 921. Another application for the nipple to effect weaning is wormwood. There are two ways of apply- ing it, either (1) by sprinkling a very small pinch of powdered wormwood on the nipple ; or (2) by bathing the nipple with a small quantity of wormwood tea just before applying the babe to it — either the one or the other of these plans will make him take a dislike to the breast, and thus the weaning will be accom- plished. Worm word is excessively bitter and dis- agreeable, and a slight quantity of it on the nipple will cause an infant to turn away from it in loathing and disgust — the wormwood, the minute quantity he will taste, will not at all injure him. Wormwood was in olden time used for the purpose of weaning — *' And she was weaned, — I never shall forget it — Of all the days of the year upon that day ; 352 ADVICE TO A WIFE. For I had then laid wormwood to my dug (nipple), Sitting in the sun under the dove-house wall, My lord and you were then at Mantua : — Nay, I do bear a brain : but, as I said, When it did taste the wormwood on the nipple Of my dug, and felt it bitter, pretty fool ! To see it tetchy, and fall out with the dug." — Skakspeare. 922. The best way of ^^ drying up the milk ^' is to a.pply to each breast soap-plaster {emplastrtivi sapo- nis), spread on soft pieces of wash-leather, the shape and size of the top of a hat, with a round hole the size of a shilling in the middle of each to admit the nipple, and with a slit from the center to the cir- cumference of each plaster to make a better fit. These plasters ought to be spread by a chemist. Emplastrum belladon^ or belladonna plaster is also useful in dispersing milk. The plasters should be perforated in the center to allow the nipple to come through. 923. When the child is once weaned, the breasts ought not to be drawn, as the drawing of them would cause them to secrete larger quantities of milk : if, therefore, the bosoms be ever so full or uncomfort- able, a mother ought to leave them alone ; she should wait patiently, and the milk will gradually diminish, and will at length disappear. 924. The drawing of the bosoms, during weaning, by means of a breast-pump, or by the mouth, or by other like contrivances, has frequently caused gathered breasts. This is a most reprehensible practice. If not drawn, the breasts scarcely, if ever, gather. 925. The above plan of '^ drying up the milk '' will generally, in five or six days, be successful ; but if, at the end of two clays, the bosoms still continue full WEAIS^IXG. 353 and uncomfortable, the plasters should be removed, and the breast ought, every four hours, to be well but tenderly rubbed with equal parts of olive oil and of ean de Cologne ; the nurse supporting the breasts during such friction with her other hand. 926. Let me impress the above important advice on a nursing mother^s mind ; it will save a great deal of after suffering and misery. 927. It may be well to state, that after the child has been weaned, the milk does not always entirely leave the breasts, not even for weeks, and, in some cases, not even for months. This is not of the slightest consequence, and does not require any treatment. 928. A mother ought, during the period of wean- ing, to live abstemiously ; and should drink as little as possible. In many cases it is necessary to work oflE the milk — to give, every morning, for two or three mornings, mild aperient medicine, such as a Seidlitz powder, or a teaspoonful of magnesia and a teaspoonf ul of Epsom salts in half a tumbler of warm water. 929. Symptoms denoting the necessity of tveaning, — A mother sometimes cannot suckle her child, the at- tempt bringing on a train of symptoms somewhat similar to the following : — singing in the ears ; dim- ness of sight ; aching of the eyeballs ; throbbing in the head ; nervousness ; hysterics ; tremblings ; faint- ings ; loss of appetite and of flesh ; fluttering and palpitation of the heart ; feelings of great exhaustion ; indigestion ; costiveness ; sinking sensations of the stomach ; pains in the left side ; great weakness and dragging pains of the loins, Avhich are usually in- creased whenever the infant is put to the bosom ; 23 354 ADVICE TO A AVIFE. pallor of the countenance ; shortness of breath ; swelling of the ankles. 930. Every mother who is suffering from suckling does not have the whole of the above long catalogue of symptoms ! But if she have three or four of the more serious of them, she must not disobey the warn- ings, but should discontinue nursing at once. Al- though the babe himself be not old or strong, he can be well brought up by hand. 931. Remember, then, that if the above warning symptoms be disregarded, dangerous consequences, both to parent and child, may and probably will be the result. It may induce disease in the mother, as consumption ; and in consequence of the infant not being able to obtain sufficient or projier nourishment, it may cause him to dwindle and pine away, and, eventually, to die. 933. If there be, during any period of suckling, a sudden and great diminution of milk in the breasts, the chances are that the mother is again enceinte ; if so the child should be weaned at once. It is most injurious both to parent and to child for a mother to continue suckling when she is pregnant. 933. Soon after nine month^s nursing ^^ the monthly periods '' generally return. This is another warning that the babe ought wunediately to be weaned. The milk will now lessen both in quantity and in nourishment, and the child in consequence will become delicate and puny, and, every day he is suckled, will be losing instead of gaining ground. I have known many children, from protracted suck- ling, become smaller at twelvemonths than they were at nine months. And well they might, as, after nine months, the mother^s milk usually does them harm I AVEAKIIS^G. 355 instead of good^ and thus causes them to dwindle away. 934. At another time, although the above train of symptoms does not occur, and notwithstanding she may be in perfect health, a mother may not be able to suckle her babe. Such a one usually has very small breasts, and but little milk in them, and if she endeavor to nurse her child, it produces a violent ach- ing of the bosom. If she disregard these warnings, and still persevere, most likely inflammation of the breast will be produced, leading in the end to a gathering. 935. An obstinate sore ni2:)2^le is sometimes a symp- tom denoting the necessity of wea/ning, — When the nipples, for some time, notwithstanding judicious treatment, persistently continue very sore, it is often an indication that a mother ought to wean her babe. Long-continued, obstinate sore nipples frequently occur in delicate women, and speak in language not to be misunderstood, that the child, as far as the mother herself is concerned, must be w^eaned. If the above advice were more frequently followed than it is, gathered breasts, much suffering, and broken health, would not so frequently prevail as they now do. 936. If a mother be predisposed to consumption ; if she have had spitting of blood ; if she be subject to violent palpitation of the heart ; if she have any hereditary disease, as gout, skin affection, cancer ; if she be laboring under great debility and extreme delicacy of constitution ; if she have any of the above complaints or symptoms, she ought not on any ac- count to sucMe her child, but it should be brought up on artificial food or delegated to a wet-nurse. 937. Great care and circumspection are required 356 ADVICE TO A WIFE. in the selection of a wet-nurse. Her antecedents should be strictly inquired into ; her own healthy and that of her babe^ must be thoroughly investigated ; the ages of her own child and that of the foster babe should be compared^ as they ought as nearly as pos- sible to be the same. But if a wet-nurse be required, I have in two of my other works — Advice to a Mother and Counsel to a Mother — entered fully into the sub- ject, on the best kind of wet-nurse, and on the right method of selecting one, so that I cannot do better than refer my reader, under the head of '' wet-nurse," to those books ; a repetition in these pages is need- less. 938. If a nursing mother should, unfortunately, catch scarlatina or small-pox, or any other infectious disease, the child must immediately be weaned, or in all probability the babe himself will catch the disease, and very likely die. The mother's milk, in such a case, is poisoned, and, therefore, highly dangerous for a child to suck. I scarcely need say, that the babe must instantly be removed altogether away from the infected house — small-pox and scarlet-fever both being intensely infectious : the younger the child — if he do take the infection — the greater will be his peril. A wet-nurse — if the infant himself be too young to wean — should, as far as she is able, supply the mother's place, or it can be brought up by hand on artificial food. 939. A mother sometimes suckles her child Avhen she is pregnant. This is highly improper, as it not only injures her own health, but may bring on a miscarriage. It is also prejudicial to her babe, and may produce a delicacy of constitution from which he may never recover ; indeed, it may truly be said. WEANIKG. 357 that an infant so circumstanced is always delicate and unhealthy, and ready, like blighted fruit, to dwindle and die away. 940. A mother when she is weaning her child should live very abstemiously ; she should avoid highly-spiced and rich dishes, and stwmlaiits of all kinds ; she should drink very little fluid ; she should, as much as possible, be out of sight and of hearing of her babe ; she should rub her breasts, three times a day, with warm camphorated oil. Once having weaned her child, she should not again put him to the bosom. If she should be so imprudent, she may not only disorder her child and bring on severe bowel complaint, but she may cause her own breasts to in- flame and her nipples to be sore. The less the breasts are meddled with the better ; except it be the rub- bing of them with the warm camphorated oil ; or, as recommended in one of my other books — Advice to a Mother — the application of soap-plaster spread on wash-leather to each breast. THE Ei^D, INDEX. Abdomen, defined, 82, note ; increased size and hardness of, a symptom of pregnancy, 148; muscular pains of , 178; pendulous, 189; stretching of skin in pregnancy, 189. Ablution, importance of, 8, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 85; after labor, 238, 295; in pregnancy, 155, 156, 171. Abortion, 207; criminal, 147, 148. Accoucheur, duties of, 250, 254, 269. After-birth, disposal of, 280; should never be brought away by nurse, 279. After-pains, 256. Air and exercise in preg- nane y, 156-158 ; during suckling, 322. Alcoholic stimulants in mod- eration, 63, 64; in excess, 50, 51, 52, 55, 125; during the "periods," 121, 125. Ale at meals, 49, 320. Aloe paste, in weaning, 351. Anaemic girls, 121. Aperients: in pregnancy, 173; before labor, 190; after labor, 291; during suck- ling, 343; frequent taking of, injurious, 24, 25, 26, 104, 293, 347. Appetite, want of, in the rich, 78; loss of in pregnancy, 150, 152. Archery, 86. Artificial respiration of child, 277. Assurance companies and healthy families, 114. Attendants in lying-in room, 265 ; hints to, 274-283. Back, weak, salt bath for, 37. "Back labor," 259. Bandaging after confinement, 236, 285. Barren wives, percentage of, in England, 6 ; diet for, 31, Barrenness, 6, 7, 31, 32, 51; causes of, 29, 56, 57, 68, 110, 122, 126, 130; prevalent in France, 56. Bath-room, covering for, 39. Bathing, exercise after, 40. Baths, beneficial effects of, 37, 38, 155, 156, 203, 204. Bay-salt, 37. Bearing-down of womb, 132; cause of, 156. "Bearing-down" pains, 212, 248, 252, 257, 258. " Beauty-sleep," 70. Bed, " the guarding of," 263. Bed clothing, 170. Bed-pan, the best kind of, 289. Bedroom for pregnant female, 169. Bedrooms, ventilation of, 27, 28, 71, 72, 159, 160. Beef-tea, how to make, 298, 299. "Being out in reckoning," 221. Belladonna plaster, useful in dispersing milk, 352. Beverages for young wife, 48 ; after labor, 301-303; for nursing mother, 320. Bicycling, dangers to avoid, 20; iniurious in pregnancy, 157. Bidet, 37; use in pregnancy, 155, 204. Billiards, 23. 359 360 INDEX. Bitter ale at dinner, 49. Bladder, irritability in preg- nancy, 149, 150, 198, 244; importance of relieving, 269; sluggishness of, 198, 199; relieving after confuie- meut, 289, 290. Bleeding piles at change of life, 139; in pregnancy, 184. *' Blue-stocking" as a wife, 96. Boas, a frequent cause- of sore-throats and quinsies, 84. Boots, frequent change of, advisable, 28; evils of pat- ent leather, 24. Bowel complaints of preg- nancy, 197, 198. Bowels before labor, 262; after labor, 290-294; wind in, 137, 183. Bowls, 86. Boy or girl ? 226-228. Bragg' s charcoal biscuit, 183. Brandy drinking, dangers of, 50-55, 62; barrenness en- couraged by, 50, 52; exces- sive, a cause of miscarriage, 52. Brandy in the lying-in room, 268. Breakfast, importance of a substantial, 42, 43; loss of appetite for, arising from pregnancy, 43. Breast, the, 126, 143; during suckling, 310-314, 334; full and uneasy, 310, 334; in second and succeeding con- finements, 313; during preg- nancy, 144, 197; treatment of swollen and painful, 197, 310; swellings and pains of, at change of life, 137. Breast, gathered, causes of, 316, 335, 336, 352 ; symp- toms, 340; two forms of, 340, 341; importance of early treatment, 341. Breast-pump, ill effects of, 352. Brown bread a remedy for costiveness, 105, 344, 347. Bugs and fleas, remedies against, 103. Calomel, dangerous in preg- nancy, 173. Carbonic acid gas, thrown off by the lungs, a deadly poi- son, 71-73. Carpets, what, recommended for bath-room or dressing- room, 39. Carriage exercise, 304, 322 ; abuse of, 21, 22. Castile soap enema, 292. Castor oil, a valuable aperient in pregnancy, 173, 174 ; given after labor, 291 ; dur- ing suckling, 343. Castor oil as a dressing for the hair, 39. Catheter, passing, after labor sometimes necessary, 290. '* Ceasing to be unwell" a first sign of pregnancy, 136, 142. Champagne-cup, dangers of, 57. *' Change of life," symptoms of, 111, 132, 135-141; bleed- ing piles at, 139; impor- tance of consulting a medi- cal man, 140; stimulants during, 141. Change of room after labor, 304. " Checks" and sterility, 60. Cheerfulness a promoter of good health, 88, 89, 90, 104; during child-birth, 264. Chilblains, causes, 19; . pre- vention, 38. Child born before arrival of medical man, what to do, 275. Childless house, cheerlessness of, 13. Chimneys, importance of open, 27, 28, 72, 169. Chloroform in labor, 270-273. INDEX. 361 Claret, 2:ood, as a beverage, 47, 63ro20. ''Cleansing'' after confine- ment, 21U-296. Climbing, mountain, 102. Clothing in i3regnancy, 153- 155; after labor, 2S-1; dur- ing suckling, 316, 317. Cocoa-nut oil for the hair, 39. Coffee as an aperient, 346. Cold air, beneficial effects on a healthy person, 29. Cold feet, remedy for, 23. Cold water ablutions, 34-38, 40, 41, 85, 215. Complexions, sallow, cause of, 25, 57. Compress, wet, use of, 346, 347. Conception, menstruation in- timately associated with, 116-120; age limit, 132. Contagious diseases, how dis- seminated, 163, 164. Cookins:, good, importance of, 92-96.^ Costiveness, causes of, 83, 173; remedies for, 26, 104, 105, 106, 107, 173, 174; danger of, during preg- nancy, 176; common after labor, 290, 291. *' Count," the, 180; method of making, 180, 186; preg- nancy table, 220-223. Country air, beneficial effect of, 86, 104. Cow' s milk, fattening proper- ties of, 47. Cramps in pregnancy, 202; during labor, 249, 250. Creosote for toothache a bad remedy, 191. Cricket, 20. D A X c I N a, danger during pregnancy, 87. Daylight, importance of, 79- 81. Debility, wrong remedies for, 60, 61. Depression of spirits from barrenness, 51 ; during suckling, 320, 321. Diarrhoea in pregnancy , rem- edies, 178-180. Dietaiy of a young wife, SO, 42-48; variety necessary, 44; of a pregnant female, 165-169; of lying-in women, 298-300; of nursing mother, 317-322, 344. Digestion, weak, 48; s:ood, 324, 325. Disinfectants, 160, 161. Domette bandages, 188. Drainage, importance of good, 160-164. Dress, suitable, for young wife, 81-84; iii child-birth, 262, 263. Drinking, a cause of barren- ness, 55-59. Drinking water, pm-ity of, 163. "Drying-up the milk," best way of, 352. Duties of a wife, 91 ; of a nurs- ing mother, 306-310. Eaely ]Marriages, risk and danger of, 112, 113. Early maturity, 118. Early rising, advantages of, 8. 65-70, 172. "Early to rest," 69. Emaciation a sign of preg- nancy, 149. Emplastrum belladonnis for dispersing milk, 352. Enceinte, signification of word, 154. Enema for costiveness, 165, 171; for lying-in patients, 2k)-294; value during suck- ling and pregnancy, 203, 343. Eruptions of the skin, at change of life, 137 ; in preg- nancy, 150, 153. Exercise, importance of, 8, 14-26, 102, 215; when men- struating, 119; for the deli- cate, 17, 18, 23; out-door, 362 IKDEX. 14, 75, 76, 304, 322, 347; morning, 23 ; walking, 14- 20, 24, 40, 77, 112; in car- riages, 304, 322; during pregnancy, 156 ; during suckling, 322; in open air after labor, 304; promotes sleep, 14. Face, how to wash, 35. Fainting in pregnancy, 189- 200. Faintness during suckling, 343. ''Falling of the womb," 294, 298 ; causes of, 18. False labor pains, 216-218. Farinaceous foods, 47, 53. Fashionable life, evil effects of, 10, 11, 12, 13, 29, 30, 33, 130, 140. Fatness of patient at change of life, 136, 138. Fecundity and barrenness, 22, 30, 32. Feeble parents have feeble children, 115. Feet, cleansing the, 37 ; swell- ing in pregnancy, 154. Feet, cold, causes and remedy for, 23, 24. ''Fidgets," the, causes and treatment, 180-181. Flannel vests next the skin, 83. Flatulence, at change of life, 137; in pregnancy, 148, 183; in hysteria, 128; remedies against, 45, 183. Fleas and bugs, remedies, 103. Flooding, violent, at change of life, 309; in pregnancy, cause of, 156; in labor, 279. Flushings of heat at change of life, 139. Foetal heart, sounds of, a sure sign of pregnancy, 151. Food, variety necessary when suckling, 319. Forceps, use in midwifery, 254. France, wine-drinking a cause of barrenness, 56. French plums, steward, 344. Friend, the choice of, during labor, 264. Fruit as an aperient, 347; useful in pregnancy, 167. Fumigations, 160. Garters, ill effects of, in pregnancy, 154. Gestation, period of, 218-226. Gin-drinking nursing mother, 53. Girl or boy ? 226-228. Goitre, cause of, 153. Golf for young girls, 20. Greens, cabbages, and pickles injurious when suckling, 346. "Grinding pains," 245, 246, 247, 248, 252, 253, 257. Hair, cleansing the, 38, 39. Healtli, care, restoration, and preservation of, 5-10, 108. Healthy children, 7, 13. Heart, palpitation of, 124, 127; in pregnancy, 201. Heartburn in pregnancy, 150, 151, 181; when attended with costiveness, 182. Hints to attendants in lying- in room, 274-283; to mother when suckling, 315. Home, pleasures of, 87, 88. Honey as an aperient, 176, 345. Horse exercise in pregnancy, caution, 26. Horse-hair mattress recom- mended, 203, 213, 260. Hot baths in pregnancy, too relaxing, 155. Hot rooms, evils of, 29. Hot water bag, in cases of diarrhoea, 179. House, a healthy, 28. Houseliold duties, attention to, 14, 90, 96 ; employment after child-birth, 305. Husband in lying-inroom,255. INDEX. Hysteria, causes and symp- toms, 125-132; large quan- tity of urine passed in, 128. Hysterical paroxysm, 127; pa- tient afraid to go to church, 128. Idleness the mother of many diseases, 9, 32, 78, 91, 92, 98; injurious in pregnancy, 156. Infant born apparently dead, what to do, 276. Inherited diseases, 7. Intemperance, evils of, 64, 65. ''In the straw," origin of term, 261. Irritation and itching of ex- ternal parts in pregnancy, 205, 206. Jam as an aperient, 345. Kamptulicox for bath or dressing-room, 39. Keating' s insect powder, 103. Labor, articles required for immediate use, 261 ; ban- daging after, 136, 237, 285; bathing of parts after de- livery, 295; beverages dur- ing and after, 268, 301-303; importance of emptying bladder, 269, 289-290; change of room, 304; chlo- roform, use of, 270-274; " cleansings," 295; clothing after, 284; costiveness usual after, 290; dietary scale after, 298; dress, suitable, 262; duration of, 255; ''guarding of the bed" in, 263; hints in absence of doctor, 274; use of instru- ments, 254; position of w^oman in and after, 261, 286; preparations for, 261, 265; quietude enjoined, 264, 265, 287, 296; rest after, 283, 296; shivering during, 246; stimulants during and after, 268, 285- 301; symptoms of, 243. Labor, natural, 249-253, 255; stages of, 257-259. Labor premature, 207. Labor, rapid, directions con- cerning, 274. Labor, slow, 256. Labor pains, 259; false, 216- 218; true, 247; difference between true and false, 217. La poudre insecticide, 103. i Late hours, evil effects of, i 11. ! Laughter good for digestion, j 90. i Lawn tennis, 20, 86. Legs, swollen, in pregnancy, 154, 188. Light, importance of, 79-81. Light wines, 59. "Likes and dislikes," in eat- ing, 152. Linoleum for bath or dress- ing-room, 39. Lock-jaw simulated in hys- teria, 128. "Longings" in pregnancy, 152. Luxury, an age of, 21, ill-ef- fects of, 29, 328. Lying-in room, 237,286; doc- tors presence when neces- sary, 250; temperature of, 237, 263, 286; visitors in, 288. Mammary abscess, 329. See Breast. Marmalade as an aperient, 344. Marriage, best age for, 113, 114; statistics of, 113; early, risks of, 113; late in life, 114. Married life, importance of first year of, 10-12. Marshmallow and camomile fomentation, 295, note. Mastication of food, 47. Meals, number of daily, 44; a hearty, injurious before go- 364 INDEX. ing to bed, 45; rules re- garding, 47, 48. Meddlesome breast-tending, 313. Medical man, duty of, 249. Medicines, a few safe and simple, for use in preg- nancy, 172-206. Menstrual fluid, characters of, 118, 119. Menstruation, 110; et seq.; absent, 120, 126; time of commencement in England, and in warm and cold climates, 116, 117, 118; con- tinuation of, 116, 117; ces- sation, 135; during suck- ling, 119, 328, 329, 354; healthy, 111; dangers of painful, 118-120; ill effects of stimulants, 121; at change of life, 141; ''regu- lar," 116, 125; profuse, 123, 125; scanty, 121, 122, 131; unhealthy neglected, a cause of barrenness, 131; importance of noting the last day of the periods, 225. Midwifery, meddlesome, 249. Milk at '' its height," 312 ; the best way of *' drying up" the, 352 ; flowing away con- stantly, 333; in breast a sign of pregnancy, 144. Milk-fever or Weed, 314, 315. Mind, influence on health, 88, 100 ; excitability in preg- nancy, 150, 152. Miscarriage, 207-216 ; care required after, 214 ; causes of, 11, 52, 59, 82 ; neglected, 125, 212 ; floodnig in, 121, 156, 209, 212 ; prevention of, 58, 207, 210 ; symptoms and stages of, 210, 211 ; treatment, 213-216 ; usual time of taking place, 213, 216. Monthly nurse, 228-241 ; choice and duties of, 228- 240 ; danger of a quacking. 230, 239, 314; qualifica- tions, 229, 230, 296. Morning dews, 68. Morning sickness during pregnancy, 143, 193, 195 ; remedies for, 193, 195. Mothers able to suckle, 307 ; who cannot suckle, 353 ; who should not suckle, 355. Mothers, prolific, 34, 117, note ; unnatural, 309, 310. Mountain air, 102. Mufflers and sore throats, 84. Nausea or sickness in labor, 246. Navel, protrusion of, a sign of pregnancy, 149. I Navel-string, tlie manner of tying and dividing, 279 ; not to be tied until the child breathes, 277 ; re- sult of imperfect tying, 281. Nervous parents have nervous children, 115. Nervous patients and stimu- lants, 61. Nipple : cracked and fissured, 332 ; areola round, a sign of pregnancy, 144, 150 ; great importance of hardening, 19(), 330 ; retraction of, 329; soreness of, 143, 331-333, 336, 355 ; an obstinate, 355; small and drawn in, 330, 338 ; washing nipple and bosom before infant is first put to the breast, 312 ; wet, 333. Nipple shields, 330, 333. "No nipple," 337. Nose, bleeding from, at change of life, 137. Nurse, the monthly, 228, 241. Nursery basin, 36. Nursing apron, 317. Nursing, instruction in, 97, 98 ; danger of prolonged, 354. Nursing mother, duties of, 306-310 ; beverages for, i:n"dex. 365 8-20 ; clothing of, 316, 317 ; dietary, 317, 318. Oatmeal as an aperient, 173, 176, 177 ; gruel as a fomen- tation, 295. Obstetric belts, 150, 245. Occupation, value to a young wife, 77, 89, 91, 99, 326. Otf spring, a woman's love of, 13, 30, 31 ; of very young and very old, 113, 114. Olive oil as an aperient, 175. Opening medicines, caution, 24, 104-107, 347, 348. Opiates, injurious effects of, 75, 76. Out-door exercise, impor- tance of, 14, 73, 304, 347. Pain, a sentinel, 161. Pains, ' 'bearing-do wai," 247, 248 ; before and during menstruation, 119, 120 ; "grinding," 245, 247, 252, 257 ; at night in i^regnancy 171. Painless parturition, 257. Palpitation of the heart, 121, 127 ; in pregnancy, 201. Paralysis simulated in hys- teria, 127. Parents, unhealthy, 7. Passion, ill effects of during suckling, 323. Patent leather not good for cold feet, 24. Pendulous abdomen, cause and treatment, 189, 190. " Periods," the. See Men- struation. Perspiration from cold feet, 23 ; free, effect of, 40. Pickles injurious during suckling, 346. Piles in pregnancy and their treatment, 184-187. Pills, opening, unnecessary, 24, 25, 104, 105, 348. Pleasures of a newly-married wife, 85-87. Plethoric pregnant females, 168. Poisoned by one's own breath, 28. Pomade, evil effects of, 39. Porter at meals, 47, 302, 320. Position after delivery, 283, 284 ; of a mother during suckling, 323 ; of patient after labor, 286. Poverty of blood, 121. Pregnancy, signs of, 142 ; ail- ments and their remedies, 172-206 ; air and exercise in, 14, 156-158 ; horse ex- ercise prejudicial, 26 ; diag- nosis from flatulence, 148 ; dietary in, 165-169 ; morn- ing sickness the first har- binger of, 192, 193 ; con- cluding remarks, 241. Pregnancy Table, 220-222. Premature births, causes of, 11. Premature labor, 206. Prolific mothers, 34, 117, note. Prunes, stewed, for costive- ness, 344. Puberty, period of, 112, 116. Punting, 20. Pulse in unborn children, a means of determining sex, 226. " QuiCKENiNO," 145, 221 ; sensation of, 145, 146 ; cause, 146, 147 ; flatulence sometimes mistaken for, 148. Quiet, necessary after confine- ment, 296, 297. Rats, useful to man, 162. " PiCckonino:," being out in the, 224, 225. Refreshment after labor, 285. "Regular," being, 116, 124, 125. Respiration, artificial, 277. Rest, in preijnancy, 165 ; after labor, 283, 296, 297. 366 IXDEX. Restlessness at night, 171. Rowing, 20. Rules for a female prone to miscarry, 209 ; for barren wife, 76 ; of health, 40, 104. Salad Oil as an aperient in pregnancy, 17-3. Saline aperients in pregnancy, 173. Saliva, increased flow in preg- nancy, 150. Sea-air, 102, 204. Sea-bathing, 40, 102 ; in preg- nancy, 150, 204 ; good for the hair, 3i). Seidlitz powders, 175, 203. Servants, training domestic, 96. Sewer poison, effects of, 164. Sexes, statistics of birth-rate, 226-229. Sexual intercourse in cases of threatened miscarriage, 213. Sherry, in moderation, 46-48, 347. Shivering during labor, 246. Shoes, frequent change of, a remedy for cold feet, 23- 24. *'Show," a sign of labor, 217, 218, 245. Shower-bath inadmissible in pregnancy, 156, 215. Sick pregnancies, 196. Sickness during labor, 246. Silk stockings for cold feet, 23. Singing beneficial during pregnancy, 87. Sitting over fire, evil effects of, 19. Sitz-bath, 36; in pregnancy, 155, 204, 205; tepid salt and water, for irritation of ex- ternal parts in pregnancy, 205. Skin, action of, in hot and cold weather, 40. Sleep for young wife, 70-76; in pregnancy, 169-172; value of, immediately after labor, 287, 288; in lying-in room, 238, 240. Sleepiness, a sign of preg- nancy, 150, 151. Sleeplessness of pregnant females, 171. Slipper bed-pan, 289, 294. Soap plaster, for drying-up milk, 352 ; for inflamed breast, 357. ''Soon well— long ill," 297. Spasms of the stomach, 127. Spurious labor pains, 216-218. Stays, mischief caused by ti2:ht, 81, 154, 197, 262, 329, 335, 336, 337, 338. Sterilized drinking water, 164. Sterility. See Barrenness. Still-born infant, 278. Stimulants, an age of, 61; abuse of, 33, 50, 53, 121, 321; in menstruation, 121; during the change of life, 140, 141; in pregnancy, 166; in labor, 268. Stockings, elastic silk, for varicose veins, 1.54, 155, 188. "Stomach labor," 259. Stomach functions, 46-48, 324, 325; spasms of, 127. Stout, fattening properties of, 47. Suckling, 306; aperients dur- ing, 343-348; ailments, 329- 343; clothing of nursing mother, 316, 317; disease resulting from neglecting, 309; when menstruating, 119, 328, 329, 354; fresh air and exercise necessary, 322; position of mother, 323; occupation, 325-328; faint- ness during, 342; remedies for costiveness, 344; influ- ence on child-bearing, .308; stimulants injurious, 322; stated times for, 315, 316, .331; the temper in, 323; when pregnant, 356. Sunshiny in rooms, 80. Supper, an easily digested, 46. Swimming, 20. I>s"DEX. Swollen legs in pregnancy, 154, 188. ^ Teat, indiariibber, and shield, 330. Teeth, importance of atten- tion to, 48; frequently de- cay in pregnancy, 192. Tepid baths in pregnancy, 155. Tetanus, simulated in hys- teria, 128. Thinness and digestion, 46; diet for, 47. Tidman's sea-salt, 37. Tight-lacing, caution against, 81 ; constipation caused by, 83; ill effects in pregnancy, 82, 154. Toil and health, 327. Tongue-tied baby, 334. Toothache in pregnancy, 151, 190; remedies for, 190-192. Tooth extraction, the danger of, in pregnancy, 190. Total abstainers, 64. Triplets, 34. " Trying a pain," 250, 266. Turkish rubber, the, 38. Turpentine, oil of, a remedy against bugs, 103. UNHEALTHY parents, 7. Urine, incontinence in preg- nancy, 198, 199; passing an immense quantity a com- mon symptom of hysteria, 128; retention after labor, 289. Uterine ailment, 31. See Womb. Vagina, irritation of, in pregnancy, 206. Vaginal syringe, use of, 239. Varicose veins in pregnancy, 188. Veal and milk broth, 300. Vegetables, well cooked, may be taken by a nursing mother, 346, Ventilation, importance of 27, 28, 70-73, 159, 169, 170; of lying-in room, 286, 287. Visitors in a lying-in room, 288. Walking exercise, advan- tages of, 14, 26, 40, 73, 74, 102; during pregnancy, 156, 215. Warm ablutions after labor, 295. Warm baths, proper use of, 34; for infants apparently still-born, 277. Water-brash in early preg- nancy, remedy, 183. Water-closet, importance of regularly visiting, 106, 347. Water as an aperient, 106, 303, 345, 347. AVater poisoned by drains, 164. *' Waters, the breaking of the," 247. Weaning, time of, 348, 349; symptoms denoting neces- sity of, 353-355; method of, 350-352. Weed or milk-fever, 314, 315. Wet compress for opening the bowels, 346, 347. Wet-nurse, selection of, 355, 356. AYet-nurse's and mother's milk, 318. "Whites," the, 122, 123, 134; in pregnancy, cause and treatment, 202-204. Wife, an active, 78; address to a young, 5, 104; a do- mestic, 108, 109; an excit- able, 51; mission of, 14, 65; a useful, 100. Wife's life, described, 101. Wind in the stomach and bowels, 127, 137, 183. Wine, abuse of, 33, 55, 63; at meals, 46, 47, 320; in ex- cess causes barrenness, 52, 53t55; cheap, 47; injures S^W/Y^ ^ly^ 368 INDEX. complexion, 56; during suckling, 320, 321 ; in mod- eration, 63. Womb disease, 31, 82, 126; 132; at change of life, 134. Womb "dropping'* of, shortly before labor, 245. Woolen stockings, a remedy for cold feet, 23. Wormwood applied to nip- ples in weaning, 351.