Class Book.

"R

^J

ia!

Gopigiitfi0

COPYRIGHT DEPOSE

By special permission of Owen Zimmerman, Photographer.

THE MOTHER AND HER FIRST-BORN.

What is so attractive as a young and beautiful mother with her babe 'A mother is a mother still, the holiest thing alive."

HYGIENE

TOCOLOGY PEDIATRICS

WOMAN

■I N-

GIRLHOOD-WIFEHOOD-MOTHERHOOD

HER RESPONSIBILITIES AND HER DUTIES AT ALL PERIODS OF LIFE

A GUIDE

IN THE MAINTENANCE OF HER OWN HEALTH AND THAT OF HER CHILDREN

—BY—

MYER SOLIS-COHEN, A.B., M.D.

Instructor in Physical Diagnosis, University of Pennsylvania; Visiting Physi- cian to the Hospital for Diseases of the Lungs, Chestnut Hill; Assistant Physician to the Philadelphia General Hospital; Physician to the Children's Dispensary of the Jewish Hospital, Philadelphia.

PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED WITH COLOR PLATES SCIENTIFIC DRAWINGS AND HALFTONE ENGRAVINGS

MANIKIN CHART

Printed in Colors, with an Index

THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO.

PHILADELPHIA CHICAGO TORONTO

LiBRARY of CONGRESS Two Copies Received

APh 21 1906

^Cocarrijrht Entry CLASS £t XXc, No. COPY B. '

ENTERED ACCORDING TO ACT OF CONGRESS IN THE YEAR 1906 BY W. E. SCULL, IN THE OFFICE OF THE LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS, AT WASHINGTON, D. C.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

PREFACE AND INTRODUCTION

I

T is remarkable in this age of higher education for women that instruction concerning so many im- portant things in a woman's life should be practically neglected, and, as a rule, left to chance. Through ignorance of Nature's hygienic laws a woman often loses not only her health, but also the beauty that is dependent upon it.

The young mother :ommits many grave er- rors when caring for her baby by too often rely- ing solely upon her in- tuition, or upon the ad- vice of ignorant friends. Many parents neglect to give their children the information and advice needed at the period of adolescence because, not possessing full knowl- edge as to the phenom- ena of such a time and not realizing the dan- gers of silence, they feel diffident and embar- rassed about referring to the s u b j e c t. All

through her life, from infancy to old age, a woman fre- quently suffers from conditions which she might have avoided had she been properly informed as to the rules of

iii

The Mother and Her Baby.

PREFACE AND INTRODUCTION

health. Yet each woman must solve the hygienic problems of clothing, food and bathing, the ventilation of the home, and the physical, mental and moral training of the children.

It is to supply the information that keeps a woman well and happy and guides her in bringing up a family strong in body, in mind and in morals, that this book has been written.

The proper person to instruct a woman in many of these matters no doubt is her family physician. But the busy practitioner seldom can take the time to discuss the details of right living and explain how disease is to be pre- vented. These things he, too, leaves to chance. In fact, the doctor is seldom consulted except to treat some one who is sick, and then must spend his whole time in getting the patient well. After she has allowed the doctor to depart, how often does the young mother or the sick girl recollect something about which she had neglected to ask advice!

Thus it happens that for directions about the details of her life, when sick and well, a woman must rely upon an accurate book which she can consult at all times. Un- fortunately, many of the books sold as health guides for women are unreliable and of a doubtful character. Pre- tending to be physiological, they are in reality prurient and suggestive, and cater to a depraved taste. In this book the endeavor is made to give all the information a woman requires for any of the emergencies that may occur during her own life and for the preservation of health and beauty.

The author has used simple language throughout, avoiding technical terms, and has endeavored to make the statements so plain and clear as to be easily understood by every one. At the same time he has written only what is in accordance with the latest scientific knowledge. More- over, in giving advice, he has avoided generalities and has made his directions pointed and definite.

iv

PREFACE AND INTRODUCTION

The first part of the book treats of health and beauty, telling how both may be preserved and obtained. The care of the skin, the complexion, the hair, the teeth and the nails, the questions of clothing and dress, food and drink, and exercise and rest, are taken up in detail. The second part describes the important periods of a woman's child- hood, maidenhood, wifehood and motherhood, giving the practical knowledge that prevents disease and promotes woman's health and happiness. The management of child- birth is then considered, with full directions as regards the preparations for the confinement, the labor itself, and the care of mother and baby after the latter is born. This is followed by "The Baby, and How to Care for It," including the bathing, clothing, feeding, exercising, training and amusing of the well baby and the management of the sick baby. Next come the diseases peculiar to women, the causes of which are pointed out, that they may be avoided. Prevention is given prominence and methods of treatment are described in cases where simple home remedies may be applied without harm and in emergencies.

Great care has been used in the selection of illustra- tions, that they be both appropriate and in sufficient num- ber to elucidate the text; they have been inserted in the form of scientific drawings, photographs and special artists' sketches. A manikin, drawn, colored and put together with great exactness, and explained with a descriptive key, ac- companies each book for the use of those who are interested in the study of anatomy.

Any unavoidable medical or other terms requiring elucidation are fully explained in a glossary.

A complete index has been added, so that anything in the book mav be found in a few seconds.

MYER SOLIS-COHEN.

41 io Parkside avenue, Philadelphia. 1905.

EXPLANATION OF MANIKIN CHART.

10. ii.

12. 13-

34.

IS- 16.

17.

18

20. 21. 22.

23-

24.

25. 26. 27.

29.

30. 31. 32.

33.

34.

35.

36.

3&

38.

39-

40.

41.

The large breast-muscle. The broad muscle of the back. The serrated muscle. Commencement of the external oblique muscle.

External ) muscles between the ribs.

Internal )

Seventh rib.

Twelfth or floating rib.

Internal oblique muscle, forming a broad thin sheet at the me- dian line.

The long thigh muscle.

Ligament formed by the lower end of the long thigh muscle.

Hip muscle.

The muscle of the buttocks.

The fat of the buttocks.

Tr,^,. I extensor muscles of the

and 19. Flexor muscles of the

thigh. Mammary gland or breast. One of the bones of the spine. Collar-bone. 1 st rib. 7th rib.

12th or floating rib. Breast-bone.

The muscles between the ribs. Hip bone. (One of the bones of

the pelvis). Upper front corner of the hip

bone. Upper back corner of the hip bone. The socket of the hip. Prominence on the bone of the

buttocks. Bone of the buttocks. (One of

the bones of the pelvis). Passageway for blood vessels and

nerves. The bone of the seat. (One of

the bones of the pelvis). The lowest bone, or lower end, of

the spine. (One of the bones

of the pelvis). Triangularis sternis muscle. Beginning of the external oblique

muscle. Diaphragm, which divides the

chest from the abdomen. (Cut

through). Upper border of the hip bone.

(One of the bones of the pel- vis). Concavity on the inner side of the

hip bone.

42. Ridge of bone forming the lower

border of the above.

43. Junction of the two pubic bones.

44. Pubic bone.

45. Upper end of the bone of the but-

tocks.

46. Part of the bone of the buttocks

on which we sit.

47. One of the bones of the spine.

48. The bone of the seat. (Cut in

half). (Same as No. 35). 49 and 50. Ligaments connecting the above with the bone of the but- tocks.

51. Upper, )

52. Middle, > lobes of the lung.

53. Lower, )

54. Bronchial tubes. (Cut across).

55. Mammary gland or breast, cut

through so as to show its struc- ture. (Same as No. 20).

56. Nipple (cut through), showing

how all the milk ducts converge there.

57. Breast bone cut in half. (Same

as No. 26).

58. One of the bones of the spine.

(Cut in half).

59. One of the bones of the spine.

(Cut in half).

60. One of the bones of the spine.

(Cut in half). (Same as No. 47).

61. The bone of the seat. (Cut in

half). (Same as Nos. 35 and 48).

62. Muscles of the spine.

63. Spine, cut open so as to show the

spinal cord and the nerves com- ing from it.

64. The muscle that surrounds and

closes the anus. (Cut through).

65. Trachea or wind-pipe. (Cut

across).

66. Portion of the pleura, or mem-

brane covering the lungs.

67. A portion of the heart.

68. Diaphragm. (Same as No. 39)

69. Large blood vessel leaving the

heart. (Cut across).

70. Lower branch of the above.

71. Duct. (Cut across).

72. Membrane covering the liver.

73. Liver. (Cut across).

74. Stomach. (Cut across).

75 and 76. Coils of the large intes- tines. (Cut across).

77. Rectum. (Cut across).

78. Pancreas.

EXPLANATION OF MANIKIN CHART.

79-	Esophagus or gullet. (Cut	102.
	across).	103.
80.	Subclavian vein. (Cut across).
81.	Pulmonary artery.	104.
82.	Pulmonary artery. (Cut across).
83.	Large vein entering the heart. (Cut across).	105.
84.	A portion of the heart (cut across so as to show one of the cham-	106.
	bers).	107.
85	and 86. Vein. (Cut across).
87.	Artery. (Cut across).	108.
88.	Uterus or womb at the end of	109.
	pregnancy.	no.
89.	Cervix or mouth of the womb at the end of pregnancy.	in.
90.	Inner wall of the womb at the end of pregnancy.	112.
91.	The child in the womb.	113-
92.	Placenta or after-birth.
93-	Vagina.	114.
94-	Labia minora.	115.
95-	Labia majora.	116.
96.	Anus.	117.
97-	Bladder.	118.
98.	Abdominal or belly cavity.	119.
99.	Clitoris.	120.
100.	Junction of the pubic bones.	121.
	(Cut across). (Same as No.
	43).	122.
IOI.	The non-pregnant uterus. (Cut across).

Ovary.

The round ligament supporting the uterus.

Fimbriated extremity of the ovi- duct or fallopian tube.

Membrane dividing the two lobes of the great brain or cerebrum.

Portion of the great brain or cere- brum.

Cerebellum or little brain. (Cut across).

Medulla.

The uppermost bone of the spine.

Spinal cord.

Esophagus or gullet. (Same as No. 79).

The most prominent bone of the spine.

Trachea or wind-pipe. (Same as No. 65).

Cerebrum or great brain.

Nasal center.

Roof of mouth or hard palate.

Soft palate.

Tongue.

Chin bone.

Larynx or speaking box.

Thyroid gland. (This sometimes becomes a goitre).

Breast bone or sternum. (Same as No. 26).

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I.

HEALTH AND BEAUTY.

PAGE

PREFACE AND INTRODUCTION 5

CHAPTER I.

THE BASIS OF BEAUTY.

Standards of Beauty: According to Voltaire; among different ages and among different peoples; with the cultivated — Modern Ideas of Beauty: Symmetry, proportion, curves, color, gradation — Human beauty not complete without expression — Youth not necessary to beauty — Health an essential — How every woman can acquire, increase or retain beauty — The perfect woman 25

CHAPTER II.

BATHING AS A MEANS OF HEALTH AND BEAUTY.

The structure of the skin — The cleansing bath — The cold, or hygienic, or hard- ening bath — How one catches cold — The action of the cold bath — How to promote the reaction — Forms of the cold bath: The cold full tub bath; The cold half-bath; The cold sponge bath; The cold shower or douche bath — The reaction after a cold bath — Several directions for cold bathing — The hardening effect of cold bathing — The Turkish bath — Sea bathing — The care of the complexion — Care of the ears — Facial massage — The use of cold cream — Powders — General hygienic measures — The pre- vention of wrinkles and their removal 3,

(ix)

x CONTENTS

CHAPTER III. THE CARE OF THE TEETH, THE NAILS AND THE HAIR.

PAGE

Perfect teeth necessary from the standpoint of health as well as beauty — How to preserve the teeth: Powder, brush, mouthwash — Cleansing and mani- curing the nails. — The structure of the hair — How to care for the hair: Brushing, combing, shampooing, massage, curling the hair — Decora- tions for the hair — Hints on hair dressing 44

CHAPTER IV. THE FIGURE— HOW TO DEVELOP A GRACEFUL CARRIAGE.

Standard of beauty in the figure — The prevention of deformities — How deformities are acquired — School a factor in producing deformities — How to detect deformities — Mechanical means to prevent deformities — How to improve the figure — The correct standing position — The position to be assumed when sitting — The proper method of walking — Exercises for developing a graceful carriage — How to utilize housework in develop- ing the figure — Exercises for developing the figure 51

CHAPTER V. CLOTHING FROM THE HYGIENIC AND ARTISTIC STANDPOINT.

'he Hygiene of undergarments — The material that best preserves heat — The best absorbent of moisture — The best material for underwear — Stockings — Outer Garments: Materials for various conditions — The influence of color — Constriction to be avoided — Shoes — Beauty in dress — The colors that may be worn by the different types 64

CHAPTER VI.

FOOD AND DRINK.

1 he hours for meals — Taking sufficient time to eat — Rest after meals — The different kinds of food and how to prepare them — Animal foods — Milk

CONTENTS xi

PAGE

and milk products — Eggs raw and cooked in various ways — Meats and how to prepare them — Fish and shell-fish — The relative digestibility of different animal foods. — Vegetable Foods: Sugars, cereals, roots and tubers, green vegetables — Fruits — The different beverages: Drinking water; coffee; tea; cocoa and chocolate; alcoholic drinks 73

CHAPTER VII. WORK, REST AND RECREATION.

Work in its relation to health — Child labor — The length of the working day — The necessity for rest — The noon hour — The ability to relax — The weekly and yearly vacation — The hygiene of sleep — Amount of sleep required — The bed and the bed-clothes — The way to lie — The bed-room — Rules for sleeping — The necessity for recreation — Mental recreation — Physical recreation: Walking, running, climbing, bicycling, horseback riding, rowing, canoeing, swimming, lawn tennis, tether tennis, golf, basket ball, bowling, fencing, punching the bag, dancing 83

PART II.

A WOMAN'S LIFE,

CHAPTER VIII. ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY.

Sex Throughout Nature : In plants ; in the lower animals ; in man . Woman 's physical characteristics — The female sexual organs: In plants; in the lower animals; in woman. Woman's reproductive organs: The womb, the fallopian tubes — The ovaries— The pelvis 93

xii CONTENTS

CHAPTER IX.

THE PERIOD OF PUBERTY : PASSING FROM CHILDHOOD TO

WOMANHOOD.

PAGE

The changes that occur at adolescence — Variations in the age of puberty due to climate, race, mode of life and heredity — Delay in the appearance of the chief sign of puberty — The mental changes at puberty — The reli- gious changes — The mother's duty — The hygiene of puberty ioo

CHAPTER X. THE MONTHLY PHENOMENA.

Ovulation — Menstruation — Time of onset and cessation — Character of the menstrual discharge — Duration of the flow — Quantity of the discharge — Other symptoms exhibited at this period — The menstrual interval — Pain during menstruation — Connection between menstruation and ovula- tion— Vicarious menstruation — The hygiene of the menstrual period. . . . 106

CHAPTER XL

PURITY.

The danger of silence — A mother's responsibility — What constitutes purity — A mother's duty to her daughter — To preserve true modesty and inno- cence— Secret vice — Hygiene as a prevention and treatment in

CHAPTER XII.

MARRIAGE AND COURTSHIP.

The views of various thinkers — The origin of marriage and the family — Mar- riage customs among different people — Courtship according to modern ideas: In continental Europe, in England, in America — Love the basis for marriage — The nature of love, according to the poet and the philoso- pher—Passion versus affection — Love as a passion is transient — Passion may be followed by a steadier sentiment — Marriages based on passion are unhappy — Province of courtship to cultivate mutual esteem and

CONTENTS xiii

PAGE

friendship — The money question should be considered before marriage — A wrong standard of requirements — Marriage for position or wealth — Sincerity during courtship — The training of a girl for wifehood — Quali- ties needed by a workingman's wife — The proper age for marrying — The danger of early marriages — A mutual understanding about details necessary before marriage 116

CHAPTER XIII. HEREDITY IN ITS RELATION TO MARRIAGE. CONSANGUINITY.

Providing for the health of the unborn — Exchange of confidences — A physi- cian should be consulted — When these precautions are disregarded — Where the hereditary taint is slight — Drunkenness an obstacle to marriage — Insanity and epilepsy a bar to marriage — Deaf-mutism in its relation to marriage — Instinctive criminality a form of degeneracy — Consumption a disease in which heredity is sometimes a factor — The marriage of syphi- litics — Consanguineous marriages 132

CHAPTER XIV.

THE BASIS OF HAPPINESS IN MARRIED LIFE.

Love is kept by art — The influence of the personal appearance — Care in the personal appearance — Dressing for the world rather than for the home — The invasion of the home by conventionalities — The husband neglected for the children — The avoidance of contention — The economic depend- ency of woman — Humiliation dwarfs a woman's character — The question of pocket money — Race suicide — Healthy home life necessary 140

CHAPTER XV.

PREGNANCY: THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHILD.

An explanation of Nature's mysteries — Reproduction: In plants; in the lower animals; in man. — Conception — The development and nourish- ment of the embryo or unborn child — The placenta and umbilical cord — Changes in the mother during pregnancy — Lightening 150

xiv CONTENTS

CHAPTER XVI. THE SYMPTOMS OF PREGNANCY.

PAGE

Determination of the existence of pregnancy — The commonest symptoms of pregnancy: The cessation of menstruation; Morning sickness; Appear- ance of the face; Changes in the breasts; Changes in the size, shape and appearance of the abdomen — Quickening: Alterations in the nervous system — Change in color of the mucous membrane — Hearing the fetal sounds — The physician's examination 156

CHAPTER XVII. THE LIFE OF A WOMAN DURING PREGNANCY.

Diet — Dress : hygienic or maternity waists and corsets ; the abdominal band- age— Exercises to strengthen the muscles and preserve the figure — Bath- ing during pregnancy — Work, exercise and rest — Maternal impressions — Keeping the mind in pleasant channels — How to render labor easy — Care of the breasts during pregnancy — Preparation of the nipples — Care of excretions and discharges : The urine ; the bowels ; leucorrhea — Marital relations during pregnancy 161

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE MENOPAUSE—" CHANGE OF LIFE."

Age at which "change of life" occurs — Method of oncoming — Symptoms of the menopause: Headache, flushes of heat, derangement of the digestive and nervous systems — A mistake to attribute all symptoms at middle- life to the menopause — The physiology of the menopause — Importance of familiarity with the normal phenomena — The recognition of danger signals — Hygiene of the menopause 167

CONTENTS xv

PART III.

CHILD-BIRTH.

CHAPTER XIX. PREPARATIONS FOR THE CONFINEMENT.

PAGE

Have the best, if possible; if not, have the best possible tinder the circum- stances— The lying-in room — Arrangement of the bed — Things needed for the confinement: Absorbent pads, ccculsive bandages or napkins, the abdominal binder, the baby's basket, the baby's clothes, etc. — Prepara- tion of the patient — Engaging the physician and nurse — The Accoucheur : Physcian vs. midwife — The nurse: Trained nurse vs. monthly nurse — Selection of a nurse ; her duties 175

CHAPTER XX. THE PHYSIOLOGY OF CHILD-BIRTH.

Causes of labor — How to calculate the day of confinement — The duration of pregnancy — Methods of calculation — Importance of knowing the date of the last menstruation — Child-birth : The first stage of labor ; the second stage ; the third stage — The Puerperium — The lochia 's amount and odor — The danger signals — Afterpains — Changes in the breasts 185

CHAPTER XXI. THE MANAGEMENT OF LABOR.

The knowledge required to make a woman helpful in the lying-in room — The Diagnosis of Labor: "Dropping", labor pains, the show — Duration of labor — Surgical cleanliness the guiding factor throughout the labor — A Talk on germs — How the birth-canal becomes infected — Puerperal infection can always be prevented — How to prevent puerperal infection — The management of the first stage of labor — Diet during the first stage —

xvi CONTENTS

PAGE

The administration of an anesthetic — The management of the second stage — Care of a premature infant — Treatment of an asphyxiated baby — Care of the mother during the third stage 196

CHAPTER XXII.

THE CARE OF THE MOTHER AFTER LABOR.

The prevention of infection — Rest and quiet — The position to be assumed in bed — Getting up — Visitors — Diet for a nursing mother — Bathing — Urination — The bowels — Care of the breast and nipples — The mammary binder — General hygienic measures — The treatment of distended breasts. 209

PART IV.

THE BABY

CHAPTER XXIII.

APPEARANCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE NORMAL INFANT.

Color and appearance of the skin— Shape and development of the head ; the fontanelles — The face at birth — The baby's hair — An infant's tongue — The baby's gums — Cutting the Teeth: The first or milk teeth; the second or permanent teeth; teething a normal process. — The shape of an infant at birth — Position assumed by the baby — The infant's size and weight at different ages — The baby's bowels — The baby's urination — The other functions of the baby 219

CONTENTS xvii

CHAPTER XXIV. THE FEEDING OF INFANTS. BREAST-FEEDING.

PAGE

Mother's milk the best food for the baby — The baby's thirst — Composition of human milk — How to modify breast milk — Conditions affecting the milk — Rules for nursing the baby — Feeding during the first few days of life; regularity in feeding; frequency of feeding; how long to nurse; how the baby should be held — Mixed feeding — The wet-nurse; choice of the wet-nurse — Weaning the child ; indications for weaning in the child ; in the mother — Methods of weaning — The time for weaning 228

CHAPTER XXV.

THE FEEDING OF INFANTS. ARTIFICIAL FEEDING.

High mortal^ due to artificial feeding — Difficulty of providing a proper substitute for human milk — Substitutes for mother's milk — Composition of cow's milk — Modified cow's milk — The percentage modification of cow's milk — Milk laboratories — Home modification of cow's milk — Care and selection of the ingredients — Preparation of the baby's food — Steriliza- tion and pasteurization — Mixtures for average infants at different ages — Frequency of feeding — Selection of bottle and nipple — Heating the food — How to give the child the bottle — Care of the bottles and nipples — Pep- tonized milk — Condensed milk — Patent and proprietary foods — The feeding of older children 241

CHAPTER XXVI.

BATHING THE BABY.

Articles required — Temperature of the water — Hour for the bath — The best place — How to wash the baby — How to hold it — Pat the baby dry, then rub — Care of the hair and scalp — Care of the gums and teeth — Cleansing after bowel movements — Powders 262

xviii CONTENTS

CHAPTER XXVII. CLOTHING FOR THE INFANT AND THE CHILD.

PAGE

Dressing the Infant — Character of the Infant's clothes — The baby's binder — The diapers — The infant's shirt, petticoat, dress, socks, nightclothes and other garments — The Baby in Short Clothes: Stockings, drawers, diaper- supporters, foot-gear, bibs, creeping aprons, outing clothes, night slip, wrapper — Children's Clothing: Underwear, outer garments, shoes, cloth- ing for out-of-doors, night attire 267

CHAPTER XXVIII.

THE BABY'S SLEEPING HOURS.

Amount of sleep required — Regularity in sleeping hours — Baby's position when sleeping — Time for sleeping — Preparing baby for bed — The awaken- ing in the morning — Ventilating the baby's sleeping room — The Baby's Bed: Bassinet, cradle, crib, clothes-basket — How to make the baby's bed — How to keep on the covers — Care of the bed — Keeping the air of the sleeping-room pure 274

CHAPTER XXIX.

EXERCISING AND AMUSING THE BABY.

Exercising the Baby: The infant's first airing — The proper method of holding a new-born infant — Taking the baby out — How to carry an older baby — The baby's first exercise — When the baby can hold its head up unsup- ported— After the child can stand and walk — Amusing the Baby: Toys for baby and child — How to make playthings at home — Games that both exercise and amuse the child 283

CHAPTER XXX.

MENTAL AND MORAL TRAINING.

The moulding of character lies in the mother's hands — The control of the bladder and bowels — How to deal with children — A child's sensitiveness — Children's questions — Kindness and gentleness — A child requires pleas-

CONTENTS xix

PAGE

tire — Politeness — Children's fears — The child a great imitator — How- children learn conduct — Practice vs. precept — Making a child truthful — Children's imagination and temper — Obedience and how to enforce it — The spoiled child — Threats and punishment — Order and neatness — Learning to talk — The use of money — Children's pets — Stories told to children — Children in the society of their elders: Before company; at the table — Education: Kindergarten, school — The training of backward and mentally deficient children 292

CHAPTER XXXI.

WHEN THE BABY GETS SICK.

How to Tell When a Baby is 111: Its cry, cough, position, movements and gestures; grinding the teeth, difficulty in suckling; appearance of the face and head, chest, abdomen and tongue — The baby's tempera ture — How to take the temperature — The pulse in sick children — The breath- ing— The baby's bowel movements — The Management of Sick Children: Selection of the sick-room; ventilation, heating — The bed ; articles needed in the sick-room; cleansing of the sick-room — The care of the patient — How the child should be dressed in bed — Feeding the sick child — Admin- istering medicine to the child — Treating the throat — Administering a rectal injection — Attention to the urine 305

CHAPTER XXXII.

THE COMMON AFFECTIONS OF INFANCY AND CHILDHOOD.

The Highly Contagious Diseases: Measles, rubella, scarlet fever, diphtheria, membranous croup, small-pox. — The management of a highly contagious disease. — Isolation: Preparation of the room; method of disinfecting the linen, hands, dishes, vessels, urine and feces; the nurse's attire; care of the food; frequent disinfection; disinfecting the mouth and nose; convalescence; disinfecting the sick-room; disinfecting the bedding and clothing; disinfecting a privy, etc — Care of the body after death — ■ Quarantine — The Management of the Mildly Contagious Diseases: Chick- en-pox, whooping-cough, typhoid fever, consumption. — The intestinal disorders of infancy 323

CONTENTS

PART V.

DISEASES PECULIAR TO WOMEN

CHAPTER XXXIII. SYMPTOMS OF WOMAN'S DISEASES AND THEIR TREATMENT.

PAGE

Symptoms of Woman's Diseases: How to observe pain; its location, charac- ter, degree, duration, frequency, modifications; danger-signals. — Tempo- rary Treatment of Pain: Headache, pain in the abdomen, backache — Discharges: White or leucorrhea, yellow, bloody; their prevention and treatment. — Pruritis or Itching: Its cause and treatment — Constipation: Correction without drugs, by habit, exercise and diet 347

CHAPTER XXXIV.

DISORDERS OF MENSTRUATION.

Irregularity — Suppression — Cessation — Pain, during, before, and after the period — Flooding — Scanty flow — The sudden arrest of the monthly sickness by exposure, etc. — Treatment — Vicarious menstruation 361

CHAPTER XXXV. MISCARRIAGE AND ITS PREVENTION.

The course of a miscarriage — The causes of a miscarriage — The Signs of a Mis- carriage : Pain, hemorrhage, the expulsion of the ovum — The danger of an abortion or miscarriage — The prevention of a miscarriage — How to avert it when threatened — Treatment of an inevitable miscarriage — Its after treat- ment 367

CONTENTS xxi

CHAPTER XXXVI. STERILITY— ITS CAUSES, PREVENTION AND CURE.

PAGS

The woman not always to blame — Causes of Sterility in Women : Abnormali- ties, displacements, lacerations, inflammation — General conditions, such as obesity, anemia, etc. — Alcoholism — Absence of affinity — Lack of mod- eration— Prevention of sterility — The cure of sterility 373

CHAPTER XXXVII. THE CAUSES OF DISEASES PECULIAR TO WOMAN.

Neglect of hygienic rules — Lack of proper exercise — Improprieties of dress — Improper food — "Want of sufficient rest — The development of the mind at the expense of the body — Evils in the modern system of education — The girl's health given little consideration — Imprudence during menstruation — Mismanagement during and after child-birth — Artificial termination of pregnancy — Unhygienic marital relations — Chronic constipation — The majority of the conditions causing women's diseases are preventable. 377

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

THE PREVENTION OF THE DISEASES PECULIAR TO WOMEN.

The prevention of diseases lies in the woman's hands — When disease has oc- curred a physician must always be consulted — The importance of keeping the general health at its highest point — Attention must be paid to the man- ner of supporting the clothes and to the mode of life generally, especially during the period of puberty — Many diseases are prevented by the observ- ance of surgical cleanliness during a labor or miscarriage and by the exer- cise of prudence and care afterward — The prompt repair of all lacerations occurring during child-birth would be the greatest factor in banishing invalidism from womankind — The question of personal purity and of marrying only one of good moral character 387

xxii CONTENTS

GLOSSARY.

PAGE

Explaining the Meaning of the Medical and Other Terms Used in the Book. 395

INDEX.

Complete Index So Arranged that Anything in the Book May be Found at

Once 415

PART I. HEALTH AND BEAUTY.

CHAPTER I.

THE BASIS OF BEAUTY.

Standards of Beauty: according to Voltaire; among different ages and among different peoples; with the cultivated. Modern ideas of Beauty: Symmetry, Proportion, Curves, Color, Gradation. Human beauty not complete with- out expression. Youth not necessary to beauty. Health an essential. How every woman can acquire, increase, or retain beauty. The perfect woman.

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever ; Its loveliness increases; it will never Pass into nothingness."

— Keats.

fjTinAN'S idea of beauty represents the best of what he L^— J sees. By observing and comparing all about him he Bgspa) finds what pleases him most; this he calls beauty. One's standard of beauty will depend largely on what one has been accustomed to. Voltaire, the great French philosopher, says : "Ask of a toad what is beauty, pure beauty, he will answer you that it is his female, with two large, round eyes projecting from her little head, a large and fat throat, a yellow belly and a brown back. Ask the devil, and he will tell you that the beautiful is a pair of horns, four claws and a tail."

Ideas of Beauty in Different Countries.— The senti- ments of mankind with regard to female beauty have varied with different ages, nations and peoples. A North American Indian's ideal of female beauty differs from that of a China-

25

26

THE BASIS OF BEAUTY

man. It is said that among the ancients a small fore- head and joined eyebrows were much admired in a woman, and that in Persia to-day large, joined eyebrows are highly esteemed. In some parts of Asia, we are told, black teeth and white hair are essential to beauty, in

the Mariana Islands it be- ing customary among the women to blacken their teeth with herbs. Park relates of the Moors of Africa that with them corpulence and beauty are nearly synonym- ous terms. The gentle sex take great pains to acquire this accumulation of fat ear- ly in life; for this purpose young girls are compelled every morning to drink a large bowl of camel's milk. Appreciation of Real Beauty. — It is only the high- ly cultivated, however, who can appreciate real beauty. Ruskin says that no import- ance whatever is to be at- tached to the opinions of races who have never re- ceived any ideas of beauty whatsoever; that ideas of beauty are only received by minds under some certain degree of cultivation. Those who have this cultivation do not vary in their views as to beauty, but all hold the same opinion. Whatever may be the difference of estimate among unpracticed or uncultivated tastes, there will be unity of taste among the experienced; therefore, the

Beauty and Health.

THE BASIS OF BEAUTY 27

result of repeated trial and experience is to arrive at prin- ciples of preference in some sort common to all, and which are part of our nature.

THE MODERN IDEA OF BEAUTY.

According to modern ideas beauty must respond to certain tests. Of these, the most important are symmetry, proportion, curvature, color and expression.

By symmetry is meant the balance obtained when two parts are placed opposite each other. In animals opposite sides are balanced. The two eyes, cheeks and ears, the two arms, and so on, are equally distant from the median line. This symmetry is less distinct in plant life; but there is still a balance maintained between boughs on opposite sides of a tree, for instance, and the leaves and sprays on each side of the boughs. Flowers, as a rule, have their petals symmetrically arranged. The majority of fruits may be divided into almost identical halves. Even in the arrange- ment of her scenery, Nature follows this plan. The beauty of a valley lies in its opposite sides, which rise to equal heights; a beautiful stream flows in a winding course, so that one turn balances another.

Proportion is the gradual tapering by which two un- equal parts are connected. The tapering of the arm, the narrowing at the waist and at the neck, are all instances of proportion. This same property is seen in the tree, which sends out shorter and smaller branches toward the top.

Curvature is another important test of beauty. All forms of acknowledged beauty, according to Ruskin, are composed exclusively of curves. What makes woman, on the whole, more beautiful than man is the predominance of curves in her outline. According to Professor Kollmann, no line on her body is short and sharply angular; they all swell, or vault themselves in a gentle curve. The neck

28 THE BASIS OF BEAUTY

and rounded shoulders are connected by gracefully curved lines, whereas a man's neck is placed more at a right angle to the more straight and angular shoulders. All the parts are well covered over with adipose tissue and connected by those gradual transitions which produce the gently rounded outlines; whereas in a man everything — muscles, sinews, blood-vessels, bones — is more conspicuous.

Color and Its Gradations.— Color is generally regarded as a less essential ingredient of beauty than form. It is said to be the kind of beauty in which the eye takes most delight. In "The Spectator" Addison gives a vivid descrip- tion of Nature's use of color in imparting beauty to the human face : "Nature has laid out all her art in beautifying the face. She has touched it with vermillion, planted in it a double row of ivory, made it the seat of smiles and blushes, enlivened it with the brightness of the eye, hung it on each side with curious organs of sense, given it airs and graces which cannot be described, and surrounded it with such a flowing shade of hair as sets its beauties in the most agree- able light."

An important element in color is gradation. Ruskin says that what curvature is to lines, gradation is to shades and colors. He states that gradation is so inseparably a quality of all natural shade and color that the eye refuses in art to understand anything in either which appears with- out it; while, on the other hand, nearly all the gradations of Nature are so subtle and between degrees of tint so slightly separated, that no human hand can in any wise equal or do anything more than suggest the idea of them. He is of the opinion that when the eye is quite uncultivated it sees that a man is a man and a face is a face, but has no idea what shadows or lights fall upon the face or features. If the eye be cultivated to some degree of artistic power, it will then see shadows distinctly, but only the more vig-

THE BASIS OF BEAUTY 29

orous of them. Let it be cultivated still further, and it will see light within light and shadow within shadow, and will continually refuse to rest in what it has already discovered, that it may pursue what is more removed and more subtle, until at last it comes to give its chief attention and display its chief power on gradations which to an untrained faculty are partly matters of indifference and partly imperceptible. Importance of Expression.- — Human beauty is not com- plete without expression. Form alone soon ceases to fasci- nate. It is expression, ever changing, that lends attraction to beauty and sustains one's interest. An index as to the mind and character, it has a great part in our estimate of a person. In the expression lies the individuality. The in- fluence of thoughts and emotions is seen in the face. Ruskin tells how the action of the intellectual powers upon the features is shown in the fine cutting and chiseling of them. The removal from them of signs of sensuality and sloth, by which they are blunted and deadened, substitutes energy and intensity for vacancy and insipidity. The want of those qualities alone has spoiled the faces of many fair women and rendered them uninteresting.

YOUTH NOT NECESSARY TO BEAUTY.

Youth, although usually associated with beauty, need not necessarily accompany it. Helen of Troy, whose beauty caused such a long and bloody war, was over forty years of age when Paris fell in love with her and carried her from her native home. Cleopatra, the famous Egyptian charmer, had passed her thirtieth year when she fascinated Marc Antony. At forty, Madame Recamier was universally regarded as the most beautiful woman in Europe. There is a difference, however, in the kind of beauty of the girl of sixteen and of the woman of thirty-five. Each age has its own type. A woman of advanced years makes herself

30 THE BASIS OF BEAUTY

ridiculous when she tries to look youthful; she should en- deavor to enhance the mature charms which are proper to her age. This will give her a more real beauty.

BEAUTY DEPENDS UPON HEALTH.

Ruskin says that if a thing is the result of the complete fulfillment of a natural law it will be beautiful; if of the violation of a natural law it will be ugly. He considers it is easily demonstrable that the pleasure afforded by every living form is in proportion to its appearance of healthy vital energy. In other words, beauty depends upon health.

When Health Goes Beauty Fades. — In disease the eye loses its lustre, the cheek its bloom; the hair becomes harsh and dry, the skin rough. Beauty soon fades when sur- rounded by unhygienic conditions. On the other hand, by constant attention to the rules of health a woman may de- velop a degree of beauty, although without such care she might not be in the least attractive.

What Makes and Mars Beauty. — However shapely the hands and nails, without proper care they can never be really beautiful. It is the attention paid to the hair that gives it the fine and soft appearance so much admired. A smooth and clear skin is an indication of health. The figure can be greatly improved by attention to position and car- riage and by the practice of proper exercises; it may become misshapen and deformed by faulty position and by neglect of ordinary hygienic rules. Color, which has been shown is an important element of beauty, is dependent altogether upon the condition of the health. The sallow, the yellow, or the pale skin are all indications of disease. Beautiful teeth are due to the owner's intelligent care oftener than to Nature's gift. Indiscretion in diet and ignorance as to the proper kind and amount of exercise necessary may be re-

THE BASIS OF BEAUTY 31

sponsible for the existence of fat in some cases and for its absence in others.

How to Preserve Beauty. — Health, without question, is the path that leads to beauty. Cosmetics, drugs, and other artificial means only lead one astray. Every woman has as her birthright a beauty which she can acquire, in- crease or keep throughout her lifetime, if only she respect and obey Nature's commands and warnings. Yet through ignorance she may lose it all. It is one of the purposes of this book to point out and explain in a simple yet scientific manner the rules of hygiene which must be observed in order to obtain and preserve health and beauty, and to show how defects due to the non-observance of these rules may be corrected.

With this object in view, chapters have been written on bathing and the care of the teeth, nails and hair. The proper positions for sitting, standing and walking are given, with exercises for developing the figure and acquiring a graceful poise. Clothing and food and drink are next con- sidered from the hygienic standpoint. This is followed by some practical suggestions on the subject of work, rest and recreation.

THE PERFECT WOMAN.

This study of female beauty has shown that it means something more than a pleasing outline; ennobling and en- dearing qualities of heart and mind are necessary to it, and health is essential. The perfect woman, who combines all these qualities, has thus been described by Wordsworth:

82 THE BASIS OF BEAUTY

She was a phantom of delight

When first she gleamed upon my sight;

A lovely apparition, sent

To be a moment's ornament.

Her eyes as stars of twilight fair;

Like twilight's, too, her dusky hair ;

But all things else about her drawn,

From the Maytime and the cheerful dawn

A dancing shape, an image gay,

To haunt, to startle and waylay.

I saw her upon nearer view,

A spirit, yet a woman, too !

Her household motions light and free,

And steps of virgin liberty ;

A countenance in which did meet

Sweet records, promises as sweet;

A creature not too bright or good,

For human nature's daily food;

For transient sorrows, simple wiles,

Praise, blame, love, kisses, tears and smiles.

And now I see with eye serene, The very pulse of the machine ; A being breathing thoughtful breath, A traveler between life and death. The reason firm, the temperate will, Endurance, foresight, strength and skill; A perfect woman, nobly planned, To warn, to comfort and command. And yet a spirit still, and bright With something of an angel light.

CHAPTER II.

BATHING AS A MEANS TO HEALTH AND

BEAUTY.

The structure of the skin. The cleansing bath. The cold or hygienic or hardening bath. How one catches cold. The action of the cold bath. How to promote the reaction. Forms of the cold bath: The cold full tub bath; the cold half-bath; the cold sponge bath; the cold shower or douche bath. The reaction after a cold bath. Directions for cold bath- ing. The hardening effect of cold bathing. The Turkish bath. Sea bath- ing. The care of the complexion. Care of the ears. Facial massage. The use of cold cream. Face powders. General hygienic measures. The pre- vention of wrinkles and their removal. Chapped hands.

"Cleanliness may be denned to be the emblem of purity of mind.,,

— Addison.

T

HE uses and purposes of the bath are many. Bathing is resorted to as a cleansing measure, as a harden- ing process which renders a person less liable to catch cold, as an exercise, as a hygienic or curative procedure, and as a means to beauty.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE SKIN.

In order to understand the action of the different kinds of baths, and the reasons for their use, one must be familiar with the structure of the skin. The skin is composed of two layers, an outer thin, horny layer called the cuticle and an inner layer which contains blood vessels, glands and nerves, and is known as the true skin. A separation of these two layers may be seen in the ordinary blister which raises the outer skin or cuticle away from the inner skin. The red, sensitive surface, which is exposed when the blister bursts, is the inner or true skin.

3 33

34

BATHING AS A MEANS TO HEALTH

The outer skin acts as a protection to the more delicate parts beneath. Like all other tissues of the body it is com- posed of cells. (See Chapter XV.) New cells are continu- ally being formed on the inner surface of this layer, while the old cells are being continually thrown off or shed in the form of dry, minute scales, appearing as a fine, white dust on the body and as dandruff on the head.

There are no nerves in this outer layer, which conse- quently has no sensibility. The epidermis contains the pig- ment which gives color to the skin. The different shades of color are due to the varying amounts of pigment present. The sun's rays stimulate the formation of pigment; the races living in the warmer countries have a darker skin than those residing in cooler climates; exposure to the sun dur- ing the summer months produces tan and freckles in a fair skin.

In the true skin are situ- ated muscle fibres which have the power of contract- ing with cold, and of relax- ing with heat. It is the former that gives to the skin the appearance of goose flesh. Running through the skin are various small nerves which receive sensations of touch, pain, heat and cold. The skin contains two kinds

of glands: oil glands and sweat glands. The former are found all over the body, being especially abundant on the face. They are situated near the roots of the hairs and se- crete an oily substance which keeps the skin soft and pliable. The sweat glands are also distributed all over the body, lying deep in the true skin. From each sweat gland a long, nar-

Section of the Skin (Magnified), Showing the Nerves.

BATHING AS A MEANS TO HEALTH

36

row tube extends up through the skin and conveys the sweat to the surface of the body.

i

I

Section of Skin Showing the Hairs and Oil Glands.

(Magnified.) 7, 8, 9, Oil glands. 11, Root of hair. 6, Sheath of hair.

Section of Skin Showing the Sweat Glands and Ducts.

(Magnified.) 12, Sweat glands. 7, 13, 14, Ducts of sweat glands.

THE CLEANSING BATH.

It has been shown how the outer skin is constantly shedding dead, dry scales, and how the oily glands are de- positing grease on the surface of the skin. Both the scales and the grease tend to collect on the skin, and with or with- out dirt to form a coating which stops up the mouths of the tubes from the sweat glands — often spoken of as the pores of the skin — thus preventing the proper functions of those glands. To remove this accumulation, which may be so fine as to be almost unnoticeable, a cleansing bath is necessary.

Warm and temperate baths are best suited to secure cleanliness. As water alone cannot dissolve the grease upon

36 BATHING AS A MEANS TO HEALTH

the skin, the use of a pure soap is required. Baths should not be taken within two hours after a meal. As heat re- laxes the blood vessels in the skin and opens the pores, a person is liable to take cold after a warm bath unless she goes immediately to bed, thus preventing exposure, or else takes a cold sponge or shower, followed by a brisk rubbing, which restores tone to the blood vessels, thus causing the skin to return to its normal condition.

THE COLD OR HYGIENIC OR HARDENING BATH.

A cold bath followed by brisk rubbing accustoms the blood vessels of the skin to variations of temperature and is therefore employed to stimulate the whole system and to harden the body against catching cold.

How One Catches Cold,— To understand the action of the hardening bath it is necessary to have some knowledge as to how one catches cold. When cold strikes the skin the blood vessels in the skin contract and send the blood to the internal organs. If the excess of blood remains in the in- ternal organs for too long a time, a condition develops which we speak of as "cold," characterized by inflammation of the nose, throat, or bronchial tubes, and recognized by a cold in the head, sore throat, or cough.

The Action of the Cold Bath.— The object of the cold bath is to train the skin to become warm again after having been acted upon by cold.

As stated before, when the cold water comes in con- tact with the skin, the blood vessels of the skin contract. Later, the time depending upon the reactive ability of the individual, these same blood vessels dilate and thus allow the circulation in the skin of a greater quantity of blood than before. This is called the reaction, which consists in the restoration to the skin of the heat that has been abstracted. It is the most important element in all cold applications.

Copyright, 1903, by William H. Rau.

THE ANGEL MOTHER.

In the coming of baby life mother life is often sacrificed. Yet mother love still hovers around the baby's couch coming from the unseen world to smooth the pillow and to protect her darling.

BATHING AS A MEANS TO HEALTH 37

The benefit of the cold bath does not come from the chill that the cold water produces, but from this reaction or glow or feeling of warmth that follows the bath.

How to Promote the Reaction. — In a person not ac- customed to cold bathing a brisk rubbing for several minutes after the bath is usually required to produce this reaction. As one becomes accustomed to the cold bath, however, the reaction occurs more and more quickly, requiring less and less rubbing, until finally it may occur as soon as the cold water strikes the body. The reaction is promoted or in- creased by the supplying of heat to the body before the bath by means of a hot tub or sponge bath or by a brisk rub, by active exercise during or after the bath, and by the adminis- tration of stimulants either before or after the bath.

Forms of the Cold Bath.— There are various forms of the cold bath, namely: the full tub bath, the half bath, the shower bath, and the sponge bath. Everybody is able to take a cold bath, but everyone cannot at once, without having been accustomed to it, take the same kind of a cold bath. Yet all, except the very old, can be trained so as to be able to take any form of the cold bath with benefit and without discomfort.

The Cold Full Bath.— The cold full bath is also known as the plunge or dip. A person merely jumps into a tub containing water at a temperature of J2° to 590 Fahrenheit and jumps right out again.

The Cold Half Bath.— In a cold half bath the person sits in a tub containing water of a temperature of from 850 to 700 Fahrenheit which reaches to the level of the navel. During the whole time of the bath, which should not last longer than one minute, the person rubs the front of her body with both hands, while someone else rubs her back with one hand and with the other dashes cold water on her shoulders.

38 BATHING AS A MEANS TO HEALTH

The Cold Sponge Bath. — In the cold sponge bath the person may stand directly on the floor or in a foot bath con- taining twelve inches of warm water. She then, with a sponge or wash cloth, freely applies water of a temperature of 650 to 500 Fahrenheit to her arms, chest, back, abdomen, legs and thighs.

The Cold Shower Bath. — In the cold shower bath the water issues from a number of perforations called a rose, situated a few feet above the person. The chief benefit of the shower bath or douche lies in the mechanical stimulation of the skin, caused by the force of the water, which pro- motes the reaction. The pressure of the water should be not less than one atmosphere, that is, fifteen pounds to the square inch. When the force is too slight there is no me- chanical irritation, but instead a chilling is produced by the evaporation of the light spray on the skin. There is, there- fore, an objection to taking the douche by means of tubing attached to an ordinary faucet unless the required pressure can be obtained. In most city houses the pressure in the second story is not over ten pounds to the square inch, and in the third story it may be only three or four pounds.

The Reaction After a Cold Bath.— After every kind of a cold bath it is essential that a complete reaction take place, in other words, that the person become red and warm. To accomplish this the body after the bath should be rubbed with a rough towel until it glows. Persons not accustomed to cold bathing will be able to warm up after a bath if, be- fore applying the cold water, they lie for about ten minutes in a tub full of water at a temperature of 950 to ioo° Fahren- heit, or sponge the body for a minute or two with water of the same temperature, or rub the body into a glow.

General Directions for Cold Bathing.-— The best time for taking a cold bath is immediately upon rising, while one is still warm from the bed. Before the cold bath is taken the

BATHING AS A MEANS TO HEALTH 39

face and head should be wet with cold water to prevent the blood rushing to the head. If a person feels chilly after the bath and does not become warm after brisk rubbing she should go to bed until she has reacted, after which she may get dressed. There is no danger of taking cold after the bath if reaction occurs, as the warm blood coursing through the dilated vessels in the skin acts as a protection to the bod)r. One can go out into the open air immediately after a cold bath that has been followed by a good reaction.

Persons not used to the cold baths may first employ water of a temperature a little higher than that given and then gradually reduce it from day to day. It is best to be- gin systematic cold bathing in the warmer months.

The Hardening Effect of Cold Bathing. — The harden- ing effect of the cold bath comes from its training the ves- sels of the skin to dilate after being contracted by cold, so that variations in the temperature and draughts, instead of chilling the body, will produce a feeling of warmth.

THE TURKISH BATH.

The Turkish bath is a form of physical exercise and is of hygienic importance in promoting the circulation, in- creasing the nourishment of the ..various tissues, and getting rid of waste matters. It is particularly beneficial to persons of sedentary life, who have no other form of exercise, to the obese, and to those of a gouty and rheumatic tendency.

Method of Giving the Turkish Bath. — After undress- ing, the person about to take a Turkish bath drinks a glass of hot or cold water and lies down upon a couch in a room of a temperature of no0 to 1300 Fahrenheit. If she does not perspire promptly she is rubbed or given a hot full bath, a hot spray bath or a hot foot bath. After perspiration has begun the subject enters a room heated to a temperature of 1500 to 2000 Fahrenheit, remaining there but a few minutes until

40 BATHING AS A MEANS TO HEALTH

she perspires very vigorously. She is then conducted to the shampooing room and placed upon a marble slab. Here she is first rubbed from head to foot with the bare hands or with Turkish mitts until all the loosened scales have been removed and then is shampooed with soap, the lather be- ing rubbed in with a clean brush or with a mass of flax, manilla, horsehair, or other fibrous material. When the whole surface feels like polished marble the subject is given a cold douche at 6o° Fahrenheit or less, after which, with a sheet wrapped around her, she lies down on a couch until dry. The effect is similar to that of other hot baths.

SEA BATHING.

An excellent exercise, as well as one of the most in- vigorating forms of the cold bath, is surf bathing. The im- pact of the waves and breakers upon the skin and the stimu- lation due to the salt in the water help to promote a reaction. Chilling is to be especially avoided, as it is a sign that the person is not reacting well; consequently as soon as a person feels cold or her teeth chatter or her lips look blue she should immediately come out of the water. As surf bathing is an exercise it should not be indulged in when one is overheated or exhausted.

The best time for the ocean bath is in the morning but the bath must not be taken until at least two hours after a meal. During her menstrual period and in the last months of pregnancy a woman must not indulge in sea bathing.

THE CURATIVE BATHS. HYDROTHERAPY.

Various forms of baths are employed as a means of treating diseased conditions. A cold tub bath is used in treating typhoid fever and fevers generally. The various sweat baths are used in many conditions, especially kidney

BATHING AS A MEANS TO HEALTH 41

trouble and rheumatism. A description of these baths is not required in a work of this character.

THE CARE OF THE COMPLEXION.

The face should be washed carefully every morning and night and at least once or twice during the day. Too much washing, however, is harmful. The toilet of the face should begin with the thorough cleansing of the hands, as pimples and other diseases of the face may be caused by rubbing into the skin the minute microbes which are ever present in the hands. The face is then washed with clean water. It is best to use only cold water as it stimulates the blood vessels and improves the circulation in the skin in the manner described when speaking of the cold bath. Moreover, the use of warm or hot water is likely to produce chapping and roughening of the face, especially in winter when it is exposed to cold. If, however, after the face has been bathed with hot water, cold water be rubbed on it, the blood vessels will recover their tone and the injurious effects mentioned will be avoided. The best time for using hot water on the face is at night be- fore retiring. If the water from the tap is hard, it may be rendered soft and more cleansing by the addition of a few drops of ammonia or a pinch of borax. The water should be applied with the hands, or with a wash cloth. The greatest care must be exercised in keeping the latter thoroughly clean. A sponge is usually objectionable, as it cannot, as a rule, be kept perfectly clean. A complexion brush may be used for the nightly scrub.

The use of soap on the face as a rule is unnecessary for a perfectly healthy skin. It may be permissible, however, but only in moderation, for persons with oily skins or those ex- posed to an atmosphere laden with dirt. The best time for the use of soap is at night before going to bed. Oftener than twice a day, night and morning, is positively harmful. After

42 BATHING AS A MEANS TO HEALTH

being washed the face should be carefully dried with a soft towel.

Care of the Ears. — The ears should only be cleansed with a damp cloth and should never be washed with soap and water. Nothing should ever be put in the ear, and no one but a skillful physician should attempt to remove the wax.

Facial Massage. — It is a good plan in the morning, or better twice a day, to thoroughly knead and pinch the face with the ringer tips. There is nothing better to stimulate the circulation of the skin and to improve the complexion. This is especially valuable when the complexion is sallow, and when there is a tendency to pimples and blotches. Rubbing the face with a silk handkerchief after the toilet has been completed gives it a pleasing polish which is not a shine. It sometimes is of advantage to rub a little alcohol or bathing whiskey on the face after the bath.

The Use of Cold Cream. — One way to cleanse the face during the day, is to simply wipe it first with warm water and then with cold water, and after this carefully dry it. In- stead of this method, however, the face may be cleansed with cold cream in the following manner: A good cream made of wax and oil of almonds and containing neither vas- eline nor animal fat, should be applied to the face and then wiped of! gently with a soft cloth. Directly after the nightly scrub a simple application of cold cream may be made, the cream being thoroughly worked in the skin for about ten minutes with the tips of the fingers or the palm of the hand and then gently wiped off with a soft towel. This anoint- ing of the face at night with cold cream or with a little lano- lin or almond oil is particularly serviceable when the skin is unnaturally dry.

Face Powders.— If the skin is very greasy or if the weather is hot a small quantity of powder made of rice, tal-

BATHING AS A MEANS TO HEALTH 43

cum, starch, bismuth, zinc oxide or magnesia may be applied to the face.

General Hygienic Measures. — Good health being nec- essary for a clear complexion, attention to diet, exercise, etc., are important aids in preserving a beautiful skin.

HOW TO PREVENT WRINKLES AND HOW TO REMOVE THEM.

There are two ways of preventing wrinkles. One is to cultivate a kindly and cheerful disposition, wrinkles fre- quently being caused by the setting of the muscles of the face in certain lines that occur when the temper is bad and the disposition sullen or melancholic. Occasionally, how- ever, what appears to be a deep wrinkle may be merely a condition due to a clogged state of the pores.

The other method of preventing wrinkles is the care of the face in the manner just described, massage being es- pecially important. In massaging to prevent or efface wrinkles, the tips of the fingers should be moved lightly up and outward with a rotary motion. Crow's-feet, or the fine wrinkles which appear around the eyes, are sometimes re- moved by pinching with the fingers of both hands. Fre- quently puckering the lips, as if about to whistle, may ban- ish the small wrinkles around the corners of the mouth.

Chapped Hands. — The most frequent cause of chapped hands is the practice in the winter time of bathing the hands in warm water without subsequently rinsing them in cold water. Women who wash and scrub are especially liable to have the skin of their hands become rough and cracked, even when the outside air is only moderately cold. For many years the author has been treating and preventing chapped hands by means of a preparation, consisting of equal parts of alcohol, glycerin and rose water. This is to be rubbed freely and thoroughly on the hands at bed time and at other convenient occasions.

CHAPTER III.

THE CARE OF THE TEETH, THE NAILS AND THE HAIR.

Perfect Teeth are necessary from the standpoint of health as well as beauty. How to preserve the teeth: Powder, brush, mouth-wash. Cleansing and manicuring the Nails. Structure of the Hair. How to care for the hair: Brushing, combing, shampooing, massage. Curling the hair. Hints on hair dressing.

"My Love doth in herself contain

All this World's Riches that may far be found ;

If Pearls, her Teeth be Pearls, both pure and round; If Ivory, her Forehead Ivory ween;

If Gold, her Locks are finest Gold on Ground; If Silver, her Fair Hands are Silver Sheen."

— Spenser.

B

EAUTY is in no part of the body so much the result of care and attention as in the teeth, the nails and the hair: Decayed teeth spoil an otherwise beau- tiful face and only too frequently are the result of neglect; shapely hands may look unsightly because the nails are not well kept; and in many instances beautiful hair results from constant care.

THE CARE OF THE TEETH.

Perfect teeth not only add to the personal appearance but they are necessary to the general health in that they permit of thorough mastication of the food.

The teeth must not be treated roughly. They must not be used, for instance, for cracking nuts.

Particles of food remaining in the teeth after eating should be removed by means of dental floss or of a soft

44

GIVING THE BABY ITS DAILY OUTING.

The mother should exercise the greatest care in giving the baby sufficient outdoor life and under the most favorable conditions. Careful directions arc given by the author, telling what every mother should know in order to secure the best results.

THE TEETH, THE NAILS AND HAIR 45

orange wood or quill toothpick, or by means of a tooth- brush and lukewarm water. At least twice during the twenty-four hours, best before going to bed and as part of the morning toilet, the teeth should be cleansed with a pure soap or a powder that will polish slightly without harming the enamel. A good tooth powder may be prepared from equal parts of powdered borax, precipitated chalk and powdered orris root.

The brush should not be too broad. It may be made of wood, badger skin or felt, but is best made of bristles. The bristles should be long, moderately stiff and elastic. They should be of uneven lengths and should not be placed too closely together. A new tooth brush should be soaked in cold water for several days before being used. After a brush has become soft or ragged from long use it should be discarded.

The teeth should be brushed up and down and across, both inside and outside. It is well to rinse the mouth with a mild antiseptic solution at bedtime or every night and morning or after each meal. An excellent mouthwash con- sists of tincture of myrrh, rose water and alcohol in equal parts, flavored with a drop of oil of almond, and containing formalin in the proportion of i drop to the ounce. Dissolv- ing a teaspoonful of spirits of camphor and a teaspoonful of tincture of myrrh in the water makes another excellent mouthwash. Inasmuch as acids injure the dentine they should not form part of the mouthwash.

At least twice a year the mouth and teeth should be examined by a competent dentist so that any commencing decay may be detected in time.

THE CARE OF THE NAILS.

The nails are kept clean by means of soap, warm water, and a nail brush and the frequent use of a wooden, ivory or

46 THE TEETH, THE NAILS AND HAIR

metallic nail cleaner. The latter should always be blunt. A penknife or other sharp instrument should not be used as it scratches the under surface of the nail, thus making a place that favors the lodgment of dirt. It is better to use an orange stick or a soft wooden toothpick for cleansing the nails. An excellent instrument is a finger-nail sheathed in a folded handkerchief or towel. Once or twice a week the skin overhanging the root of the nail should be pressed back to prevent it encroaching too far over the half moon and thus becoming torn and ragged. For this also the orange stick should be used.

Manicuring the Nails. — The nails should be manicured once a week. For this purpose a nail file, a pair of nail scis- sors, an orange stick, a chamois nail polisher and a small box of nail powder must be provided. The fingers should first be dipped in warm, soft, soapy water, to which a few drops of cologne or compound tincture of benzoin has been added. The nails will be softened in a few moments, and then should be filed into a curve so that the whole nail will, as nearly as possible, approach the shape of an almond. The skin is now gently pressed from the root of the nail with the orange stick. The nails are next carefully dried and rubbed thor- oughly with plain vaseline, after which they are polished with the chamois, care being taken not to heat the nails with the friction. The nails are once more rinsed and dried and are then rubbed with a little fine powder.

Instead of being filed the nails may be cut with a pair of scissors. Finger nails are always cut in a curved direc- tion; toe nails should always be cut straight across.

Stains are removed from the nails by a solution of one part of acetic acid to sixteen parts of rose water.

THE HAIR AND HOW TO CARE FOR IT.

The hairs lie imbedded in the scalp, each root being

THE TEETH, THE NAILS AND HAIR

47

IP

contained in a long shaft into which the mouths of the oil glands empty, as shown in the accompanying diagram.

In order to preserve the hair, the scalp must be kept perfectly clean and free from dandruff, a condition which is obtained by shampooing, massage and daily brushing. Dan- druff consists of the old dead cells of the outer skin or epi- dermis which have been thrown off by the scalp in the form of dry scales. It is most abundant when the scalp is unhealthy.

Brushing the Hair. — The hair should be brushed for several minutes every morning and night. The frequent

stimulation of the circulation of the scalp produced by this increases the growth of the hair. Brushing also removes dandruff and distributes throughout the hair the natural o i 1 which comes from the scalp. There is no necessity of brushing the hair a certain number of times, as some people seem to think. The brushing should merely be continued until a feeling of warmth, without soreness, is present in the scalp.

A stiff brush with little tufts of bristles, widely separated, should be used for adults; one somewhat softer must be employed for children and for those with very sensitive scalps. The brush, how- ever, should not be so stiff as to produce any soreness. A wire brush should never be used as it breaks the hairs and pulls them out.

The Hairs and the Oil Glands (Magnified)

6. The hair shaft.

ii. The root of the hair.

7, 8 and 9. The oil glands.

48 THE TEETH, THE NAILS AND HAIR

How to Comb the Hair.- — Thorough combing does not cause a serious loss of hair as many women fear; it removes only the loose hairs that are ready to fall and whose place will soon be taken by new and more vigorous ones. The hair, nevertheless, must be treated very gently. The comb should be grasped between the thumb and first two fingers and drawn down the length of the hair. It should never pull the hair roughly in raking out the snarls. In some cases it is better to separate the snarls with the fingers.

The comb should be coarse and have smooth teeth, with blunt ends, set widely apart and with round edges where they are joined to the back. The old fashioned fine-tooth combs should be discarded, as they not only pull out the strong hairs but their fine points often irritate the scalp.

Cleansing the Brush and Comb.— Once a week the brush and comb should be cleansed by being shaken in hot water to which a little ammonia has been added. The brush should be held parallel to the surface of the water while be- ing shaken. After they are washed it is often well to disin- fect the brush and comb by placing them for ten or fifteen minutes in a solution containing a drop or two of formalin or twenty grains of boric acid to an ounce of water. The comb should then be carefully wiped between the teeth. The bristles of the brush must be wiped so that they will dry soft. Standing the brush on its bristles, while it is drying in the sun, will prevent the water soaking into the back and ruining it.

It is well not to use a comb and brush belonging to another person.

Massage of the Scalp. — Daily massage of the scalp will improve its circulation and increase the growth of the hair, especially when the scalp is pale and thin. The finger tips should first be moved vigorously over all parts of the scalp

CARE OF THE TEETH, THE NAILS AND HAIR 49

and later, being placed firmly on the scalp, should move the scalp over the underlying skull.

Shampooing the Head. — Shampooing is necessary to cleanse the scalp and keep it free from dandruff. Although the loose hairs are removed by shampooing, those that are left are stimulated to a better growth. The frequency with which shampooing is required depends upon the rapidity with which dandruff and dirt collect, and thus varies from once a month to once a week or oftener. To shampoo the hair, tincture of green soap or any good, pure soap should be rubbed thoroughly into the scalp with the finger tips. A little warm water is then added and a good lather is made which must be rubbed vigorously into the scalp with the finger tips or with a stiff nail brush. After this the hair should be rinsed with warm water, using several waters un- til the last is perfectly clear. The danger of catching cold is averted if the scalp be then douched with cold water. The hair should be dried thoroughly with soft, warm towels, and, if possible, also with the heat of the sun or of a fire. Turkish towels should not be used as they are too rough, and tend to pull out the hairs. The hair should be shaken from time to time while drying. After the scalp is dried it should be massaged well with the finger tips until the head feels in a glow. The scalp always feels dry immediately after wash- ing, but, as a rule, it soon becomes oily again owing to the improvement in circulation and the stimulation of the oil glands. When, on the other hand, it remains dry, it may be rubbed with pure vaseline, olive oil, or almond oil, which, however, should not be rubbed through the hair.

The removal of lice and nits from the hair will be de- scribed in detail in Chapter XXXI.

Curling the Hair. — Curling the hair is not objectionable if it is not done with too much vigor. Curl papers are not likely to do much harm if they are not put on so tightly as

4

50 THE TEETH, THE NAILS AND HAIR

to pull on the roots of the hair. The incessant use of the curling iron, however, has a tendency to make the hair un- naturally dry and probably spoils the ends.

Hints on Hair Dressing. — In dressing the hair care must be taken not to make violent traction upon the roots, which has a tendency to loosen the hair and cause it to fall. The hair should be rolled loosely and not squeezed into a tight knot. "Rats" and false hair are said to injure the growth of the hair by overheating the scalp. The assertion is also made that tangling the hair, by combing it in the wrong way in order to make the pompadour stand up, is injurious and loosens the hairs, which are more apt to be broken off.

Mrs. Symes says that every woman should discover the most becoming way of wearing her hair, and then stick to it no matter what fashion may dictate. "Suitable and be- coming hairdressing," she writes, "may redeem even a very plain face, and it is deplorable to see the hair ill treated by neglect or dragged into a style which makes it unbecoming to the face it should adorn.

"A woman may have an ill-shaped mouth or crooked nose, or little eyes, and still be pretty, if her hair is becom- ingly arranged, but if all her other features are good, and she has an extremely high forehead with the hair growing upon it in an awkward line, she will never be more than a plain looking woman, unless she takes means of compromising this enemy to good looks

"Study yourself and you will be surprised how you can improve, not only the beauty of your face, but, when wear- ing evening dress, even the appearance of your neck and shoulders.

"By dressing the hair low on the nape of the neck the thin woman can take a great deal off its length if she wishes to do so."

CHAPTER IV.

THE FIGURE— HOW TO DEVELOP A GRACEFUL CARRIAGE.

Standard of Beauty in the Figure. The Prevention of Deformities. How de- formities are acquired. School a factor in producing deformities. How to detect deformities. Mechanical means to prevent deformities. How to improve the figure. The correct standing position. The position to be assumed when sitting. The proper method of walking. Exercises for developing a graceful carriage. How to utilize housework in developing the figure. Exercises for developing the figure.

"The human form divine." — Pope.

BEAUTIFUL figure is seldom the work of Nature unaided. Through want of proper exercise and consequent absence of muscular development, a perfect frame may not appear to advantage. Mus- cular weakness, due to the same cause, combined with faulty positions, may even produce noticeable deformities. A body perfectly formed loses much of its beauty if not associated with elegance of poise and grace of carriage.

On the other hand, one less endowed by Nature may possess a striking figure, owing to her physical develop- ment and general bearing, which have both been acquired. It is in the power of every woman to attain a graceful car- riage and well-developed figure and to avoid deformities. Standard of Beauty in the Figure. — To say that there is but one standard of beauty in the human form would be indeed wrong. The types are various. One, like the Venus de Milo, is tall and majestic; another delicate and diminu- tive, like the Venus de Medici.

There are certain measurements, however, which have

51

52 THE FIGURE

been accepted by artists generally as being those of the ideal female figure. The height of such a model is five feet five inches; the waist twenty-seven inches; the bust, under the arms, thirty-four inches, and over the arms forty- three inches. The circumference of the upper arm is thir- teen inches, of the wrist six inches, of the thigh twenty-five inches, of the calf of the leg fourteen and a half inches, and of the ankle eight inches. The weight of this ideally propor- tioned woman should be one hundred and thirty-eight pounds.

These dimensions are somewhat larger than those of the Venus de Medici, which is regarded by many author- ities as the type of perfect female beauty.

The height of this figure is five feet, less than that of the average American woman. The head is small and the face oval in shape, the breadth being two-thirds of the length. The waist measures thirty inches in circumference and is four inches in length, being a much larger waist than that of the fashionable woman of to-day.

Deformities May Be Avoided. — Such perfection is ne- cessarily a gift of Nature. Many irregularities, however, occur in the figure which are due to deformities that might have been prevented, and to faulty positions that were as- sumed through ignorance.

THE PREVENTION OF DEFORMITIES.

It is always much easier to prevent deformities than to remedy them after they have occurred.

How Deformities are Acquired. — Many deformities oc- cur during infancy and are directly due to the ignorance of the nurse or the mother.

Children who are improperly nourished often develop a condition known as rickets, in which all the bones are

THE PRIDE OF WOMANHOOD.

Health and beauty require that intelligent attention be given to the care of the hair, skin, teeth and nails. These are woman's pride. Directions arc given in this volume.

THE FIGURE 63

soft. When a child suffering from this disease starts to walk, its legs always become bowed.

Improper methods of holding the baby may lead to serious deformities, especially of the spine. The proper way in which an infant should be held when carried about and when nursed is described in Chapters XXIV and XXIX. The back and neck must always be supported. It is not well to hold the baby in the arms too much. The Hindoo nurse seldom or never takes the infant on her knee or in her arms. She puts it down on the floor or on a mat, where it lies quietly until it gets sufficient strength to roll about.

Improper clothing may also produce deformities, cor- sets and tight lacing being especially harmful.

Faulty position, however, is the most common cause. The proper position for standing or sitting will be described later in this chapter.

Faulty positions in bed lead to curvature of the spine, especially in persons who are weak or debilitated. One should not always sleep on the same side, but should change about. Soft beds and high pillows are especially liable to produce deformities. A hair mattress should be used, with a rather low, elastic pillow.

Spinal curvature is also frequently caused by carrying books or other weights always on the same arm. When these objects must be carried, they should be supported first on one arm, and then on the other.

School as a Factor in Producing Deformities. — A curved spine is usually acquired in school, owing to the fact that children of all sizes must sit at a uniform-sized desk.

The desks and seats in the school-room should be ad- justable, so that they can be fitted to any child. The desk should be one inch higher than the pupil's elbow and should have an inclination of about ten to fifteen degrees, its edge

64 THE FIGURE

projecting slightly over the edge of the seat. The seat should be not less than eighteen inches broad, so as to sup- port almost the whole thigh, and of such a height that the feet rest firmly on the floor when the knee is bent at a right angle. With the child sitting in an erect posture the dis- tance from the eye to the desk should be sixteen inches.

How to Detect Deformities. — The deformity should be recognized and corrected before it becomes too marked. As it usually comes on gradually and insidiously, it at first attracts little attention.

The first thing to be noticed will be a considerable de- crease of muscular power and a feeling of general depres- sion and fatigue from the slightest exercise. The child is listless and inactive and has a tendency to lounge and loll about in decided contrast to the usual activity of youth. There is a disposition to stoop and to appear awkward, care- less and ungraceful.

If the girl be examined, the muscles of the back will be found wasted and the ribs will be plainly seen. The shoul- der-blades will be prominent, and one will be a little higher than the other. The knobs of the spine will pro- ject and, instead of being in a straight line, will form a curve. In order to bring this out it will be necessary to mark the skin along the knobs of the back with ink or with a thick pencil, or to rub it until it shows a blush of red. If a plumb-line be then dropped from the top of the head along the back while the girl stands as erect as she can, the curva- ture will be plainly discerned. The deformity may be so marked that it can be easilv seen without the use of a plumb-line.

How to Prevent Deformities. — Various appliances have been used at different times to prevent deformities. Shoulder braces at one time were much used, and stays and corsets were also very popular. Even backboards were employed,

THE FIGURE 65

and certain ingenious collars to hold up the head were at- tached to braces, stays or back-boards. A century ago educa- tion chairs, stocks, inclines, horizontal planes, the windlass, stretching chairs and braces were the means of making young women grow up with straight figures. All such mechanical contrivances are very injurious and although they may hold the back straight for the time being they really tend to in- crease the deformity. The body is held erect by muscles. A muscle is developed and strengthened by use and weakened by disuse. If an arm be kept in a sling for several weeks its muscles will become thin and wasted and in time the arm will lose its power. In the same manner braces which keep the spine straight take the work from the muscles, which thereby become weakened. In consequence the girl is un- able to hold herself straight without the continued use of the brace.

The proper method to prevent deformities and to cor- rect them is with appropriate exercises to strengthen the muscles which support the part, and thus by natural means to overcome the deformity.

HOW TO IMPROVE THE FIGURE.

There are many ways of developing a good figure and a graceful carriage. First and most important, is the as- suming of a proper position while sitting, standing or walk- ing, while at rest and while at work. There are many exer- cises, with and without mechanical contrivances, for im- proving the figure and there are many sports and games which will aid in its development.

The Correct Standing Position. — Without a graceful carriage a beautiful form may appear to disadvantage. Not only is correct poise beautiful, but it is in itself of educa- tional and hygienic importance. In a slovenly manner of

56 THE FIGURE

standing the muscles of the back and abdomen do not get their proper share of work, and the person becomes readily fatigued. The most common fault with women is that in standing they project the abdomen. In an endeavor to pre- vent the shoulders becoming round they throw back the upper part of the body, at the same time pressing forward the abdominal walls. This position usually tires the back muscles and causes many of the aches and pains felt in this region.

To stand straight, a girl should place her feet almost parallel, the heels being one to six inches apart, as may be easiest, the toes turning outward a little, as is most natural and comfortable for the individual. She should let her arms hang easily by her sides. When the chest is drawn up to a high position, all the other parts of the body naturally fall into their proper relations with it. The weight of the body should be thrown forward on the ball of the foot and toes, rather than on the heel.

The ease and balance of this position may be tested by rising on the toes as far as possible, maintaining the position for a moment, and coming down gently until the heels touch the floor. When this can be done without los- ing the balance, the proper position has been assumed; but if the person has to take a step forward or backward to recover her equilibrium, the center of gravity is misplaced and the position must be resumed until, after a few at- tempts, the proper position is found and kept. In this posi- tion the shoulders, hips and ankles will be in a straight line. The correct carriage may be tested by passing the hand over the back; if the ends of the shoulder-blades can be felt, the carriage is correct.

The Position to be Assumed When Sitting. — A girl should sit on the whole seat of a chair, not just on the edge. When she is seated back in her chair, the seat should be

THE FIGURE 57

about three-fourths as deep as her thigh. Her feet should rest easily upon the floor, or on a footstool if the chair is too high. The erect position is maintained by drawing up the crown of the head.

A girl should never lounge in a chair or allow herself to flop. If she is too fatigued to sit straight she should lie down until she is rested. She should never sit in a chair resting on one foot or lean her head upon her hand or bend the head forward or stoop at the shoulders. She should always lean forward from the hips and not from the waist. Unless proper postures are maintained no amount of exer- cise can overcome the deformities that will be produced.

The Proper Method of Walking. — In walking, the cor- rect standing position must first be assumed. A girl should hold her chin up, her chest forward and her abdomen in. The shoulders will then fall into their proper position and not have to be pushed back. In walking up stairs she should hold herself erect, keeping the back, neck and head in a straight line. She should not bend forward in passing from step to step. She should never run up stairs, but should place each foot flat on the step, taking deep breaths as she slowly ascends. She may walk down stairs very grace- fully by not springing upon the steps, but by bending the knees and dropping the weight from step to step with as little motion as possible.

EXERCISES FOR DEVELOPING A GRACEFUL CARRIAGE.

The remarkably erect figures of the Turks, mentioned by travelers, have been ascribed to the wearing of a heavy turban. About two centuries ago a Frenchman named Andry, having noticed the erect attitude of milk- maids who carried small pails on their heads, applied the same principle to the improvement of the figure. He caused

58 THE FIGURE

a weight, such as a powder box, to be balanced on the fore part of the head where it would be most apt to fall, thus exercising the muscles of the back and neck. He introduced this balancing as a game in which children might be inter- ested. It was adopted in a convent for girls, a forfeit being demanded whenever the object was dropped.

Probably the best exercise to develop a good carriage is to carry around on the head a light object, such as a bean bag. This should be balanced first in the correct standing position and then as the girl walks about the house and up and down stairs.

HOW TO UTILIZE HOUSEWORK IN DEVELOPING THE FIGURE.

If housework tends to spoil the figure it is because no attention is paid to the positions assumed. Yet by ob- servance of hygienic principles housework may be often utilized in developing the figure. Many girls spend most of their time in working about the house and have little opportunity for games and sports or sometimes even for ordinary exercise. It is of extreme importance, therefore, that they utilize their work as a means of improving their figures rather than allow them to become deformed by it.

When sitting at any kind of work, such as sewing or paring apples, a woman should avoid the temptation to stoop. It is so easy to curve the back and shoulders and on getting up to sometimes forget to straighten out again. After several years of such bad habits the shoulders will be round, the head will protrude forward, the neck will be thin and the chest flat and narrow. When standing to one's work, the erect posture must be maintained. Kneading bread, with the shoulders thrown back, will develop splen- did arm muscles. For this, however, the molding-board must be at the proper height. One of the best physical

THE FIGURE 69

exercises and one that gives the shoulders splendid devel- opment is the old-fashioned scrubbing on hands and knees. One must remember, however, to keep the back straight, the chest forward and the abdomen drawn in. It is well to develop both sides equally by first using one hand and then the other. Likewise when sweeping, the broom should be changed from side to side to prevent one-sided development. The same principle must be applied when ironing. In this case it is most important to have the iron- ing-board at a comfortable height.

One should be properly dressed for housework. The best costume consists of a loose flannel blouse and short skirt made like a gymnasium suit, with the collar loose and low. Corsets and high-heeled slippers are entirely out of place.

Exercises for developing the figure.

Every woman should devote at least a few minutes dur- ing the day to exercise of some kind. Walking, running, climbing, bicycling, horse-back riding, rowing, canoeing, swimming and dancing are excellent forms of exercise. Playing at lawn tennis, tether tennis, golf, basket ball, bowling, fencing and punching the bag also greatly aid in developing the figure as well as in preserving the general health. These various forms of exercise are described in detail in Chapter VII.

Where a woman is unable to indulge in sports and games, as is so frequently the case, she can at least spare a few minutes for certain simple exercises which require no apparatus. The gain in health and in physical appear- ance will more than compensate her for all the time she spends.

Breathing Exercises. — One of the chief benefits of all exercises is the development of deep breathing that occurs

60 THE FIGURE

with them. Breathing exercises themselves are very im- portant. Proper expansion of the lungs not only develops the chest and thus improves one's health, but it helps to ward off many diseases. If the lungs are always supplied with a full amount of air they are less liable to be attacked by consumption. Those who are unable to develop deep breathing by means of sports and games can at least prac- tice breathing exercises for a few minutes each day. These exercises are especially important to those with poor chest expansion, and to persons just recovering from pneumonia or pleurisy.

In all breathing exercises the chief thing is to inhale deeply and slowly until unable to get any more air in the lungs. A woman will receive more benefit if when the chest is full she will hold the breath while she counts ten.

These breathing exercises may be combined, with va- rious movements. From a position down at the sides the arms during the inspiration may be raised slowly, with the palms up and the arms back and extended, coming together above the head just as the inspiratory act has been completed. The breath should be held for ten seconds and then let out slowly through the mouth, the arms at the same time being brought down in front until they reach their first position as the last bit of air is forced out. This should be repeated five or ten times.

The best time for the exercises is in the morning be- fore breakfast. They should be taken in a room well ven- tilated, but free from draught, in which the windows are down from the top and open from the bottom. Loose- fitting clothing or the night dress should be worn, the feet being bare or stockinged to allow the greatest movement. Before beginning the exercise the woman should evacuate her bladder, clear her nose of all mucus and drink a glass of water that is not too cold.

THE WOOING— ROMEO AND JULIET.

From earliest days poets have sung of the happy moment in a woman's life when she hears from her lover avowing his devo- tion: "When my lips meet thine thy very soid is wedded into mine.'*

THE FIGURE 61

Toe Rising. — The woman should stand with her hands on her hips, her body upright, her chin high and her toes turned out. With the heels together she should rise slowly on the balls of her feet, keeping the knees straight, and should then lower the body steadily until the heels touch the ground. She should repeat these exercises from fifteen to twenty, or even to fifty times.

Twisting Exercises.— In the same position as in the first exercise, turn the body first to one side and then to the other, rubbing the hands across the abdomen at the same time, and keeping the head in line with the body. This may be repeated from five to ten or fifty times.

Bending Forward and Backward. — Standing in the same position, bend forward as far as possible, leaning the face forward and kneading the abdomen with the hands. Then bend backward, allowing the chin to rest on the chest. This may be repeated five to ten times, or gradually in- creased to thirty times.

Bending to the Side.— Bend the body to the side in a straight line, without bending forward or backward, until the extended hand touches the knee, the other hand being brought into the opposite arm pit. Then bend to the other side, reversing the conditions. This may be repeated five to ten times.

Elevating the Shoulders. — This is a quick movement, excellent for correcting round shoulders and expanding the chest. Elevate the shoulders as high as possible without drawing in the head; then lower them as far as possible. Then draw the shoulders forward, crossing the arms at the wrist; then draw the arms up in a cross position, and as soon as they reach the level of the chin separate them and carry them forward in a circle on each side of the body.

Windmill Exercise. — Bend the body at right angles to the legs and keep in this position throughout the exercise.

62 THE FIGURE

With the right hand touch the floor in line with the right foot, bending the right knee. At the same time extend the left arm straight above the head. Then straighten the right knee and carry the right arm up above the head, at the same time bringing the left hand down so as to touch the floor in front of the left foot and bending the left knee. The body must not be raised during this exercise which may be repeated five to ten times.

The Deep Knee Bend. — With the heels raised, lower the body as far as possible by bending the knees, while hold- ing the trunk erect. Rise, straightening the knees and bring- ing them together, not allowing the heels to touch the ground until the legs are straight. This is to be repeated ten to twenty-five times.

Floor Exercises. — The following exercise strengthens the abdominal muscles and is of great value in preventing constipation and even rupture. Lie at full length upon the floor with the hands under the hips. Raise both legs slowly without bending the knees until they are at right angles with the body. Then slowly return them to the original position. Repeat this five to ten times.

Lying as before, first bring one leg slowly to the posi- tion at right angles with the body and then as it is returned to the original position bring up the other leg.

The following exercises may be performed after the abdominal muscles have been strengthened by the two given above : Lie at full length on the floor, with the hands under the hips, as before. Bend the knees and bring them up on the abdomen as far as possible. Then return them to the starting position. Repeat this movement ten times, and then again repeat it, bringing the knees up on the abdomen, one at a time, for fifteen or twenty times.

Lie full length on the floor, with the hands clasped be- hind the neck, the elbows on the floor. Bring the elbows

THE FIGURE 63

in slowly, bending the body forward until the face touches the knees. Return to the original position. This must be done without taking the feet from the floor. At first it will be necessary to have some weight on the feet, or to hook the toes under a bureau or chair. Repeat this exer- cise several times.

Forward Drop. — Kneel on the floor, placing the hands fifteen inches apart, and stretch out the body and legs. Lower the body as far as possible by bending the elbows, keeping the back stiff and the legs extended. Then push up the body until the arms are straight. Repeat this four or five times at first, increased to ten or twelve times as you become more accustomed to it.

A similar movement, though somewhat less difficult, may be performed between two upright bars or in a nar- row doorway. Stand about eighteen inches from the bars or door jams, resting the open palms against them, and by bending the elbows allow the body to drop forward through the doorway. Then push the body back to the original position by extending the arms. Repeat several times.

CHAPTER V.

CLOTHING FROM THE HYGIENIC STANDPOINT.

The Hygiene of Undergarments: The material that preserves heat best; the best absorbent of moisture; the best material for underwear. Stockings. Outer Garments: Materials for various conditions; the influence of color. Constriction to be avoided. Shoes. Beauty in Dress. The colors that may be worn by the different types. Wraps and Coats. Waterproof Clothing. Non-inflammable Clothing.

"A kind and gentle heart he had,

To comfort friends and foes; The naked every day he clad, When he put on his clothes."

— Goldsmith.

STUDY of clothing must include a consideration of the various objects for which clothing is worn. These objects are the protection of the body against cold, wet, and injury, the absorption of moisture from the skin, and the improvement of the personal appear- ance. The proper material and color of a garment depend largely upon the particular purpose for which it is worn.

Thus underwear is made of a different material from an outer garment. The color of a dress, too, is chosen, as a rule, with reference to the prevailing style or whether it is becoming to the wearer.

There are two conditions to be fulfilled by an under- garment; it must keep the body warm and it must absorb moisture.

The Material that Best Preserves the Heat. — A gar- ment keeps a person warm by not permitting the heat of the body to escape; consequently it must be what is called a poor conductor of heat. The power of preserving the heat of the

64

CLOTHING FROM HYGIENIC STANDPOINT 66

body depends chiefly upon the nature of the material, the texture of the garment, and the number of garments worn. Wool and silk are poor heat-conductors. Cotton and linen conduct heat well. As air is a very poor heat-conductor, the greater the amount of air in the meshes of a material, that is, the looser its texture, the warmer the garment will be. For the same reason when several garments are worn one over another the layers of air confined between them will act as non-conductors of heat and keep the body warm.

The Best Absorbents of Moisture. — Wool and silk ab- sorb moisture very easily ; cotton and silk very poorly. Wool and silk absorb the perspiration which then slowly evapor- ates without producing any reduction in the temperature of the skin; cotton and linen, on the other hand, allow the perspiration to pass through them to the external surface, where it rapidly evaporates, causing thereby a loss of heat and sometimes producing a chill.

The Best Material for Underwear. — The best material for underwear consequently is flannel or wool, as each is both a poor conductor of heat and a good absorbent of moisture. If of a finely combed texture they will not irri- tate the skin. Silk is as good, but more expensive. When cotton or linen is woven loosely, with large meshes, it pre- serves the body heat owing to the poor conductivity of the air contained in the meshes.

Stockings. — Stockings should be made of wool, or at least have woolen feet, in order that they may rapidly ab- sorb the moisture from the feet. They should not fit too snugly, but should be large enough to allow the feet to ex- pand when walking. They are best made in rights and lefts with straight inner edges or, better still, with a separate compartment for the great .toe. Underclothing should al- ways be removed on retiring and be allowed to air during the night.

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CLOTHING FROM HYGIENIC STANDPOINT

Clothing should not be too heavy. Light, moderately loose garments are warmer than heavy, close-fitting ones, affording more space for the non-conducting layer of air.

Materials for Various Conditions. — For use in hot weather, cotton and linen are the best materials for outer garments; for cold weather wool is the best.

The Influence of Color.— Some colors absorb and re- flect the heat of the sun's rays more than others. White ab- sorbs the heat less and reflects it most; consequently gar- ments of that color are the coolest. Yellow is the next cool- est color and then come red, green, blue and black, the last absorbing the heat most and hence being the warmest color. Starching and ironing close the air spaces in clothing, and by thus rendering it more impervious help to render it warmer. Starched garments are therefore more com- fortable in cold weather and unstarched in hot weather.

Constriction to be Avoided.— Skirts should not be sup- ported from the waist, but should be suspended from the shoulders by means of a waist or suspenders as shown in the

Waist and Suspenders for Supporting the Skirts from the Shoulders.

accompanying figures. Clothing should not interfere with the breathing, or compress any of the abdominal organs. The article of a woman's dress that has caused more sick-

CLOTHING FROM HYGIENIC STANDPOINT 67

ness and injury than any other is the corset. The ordinary corset should never be worn. The hygienic corset, or one of the corset waists now on the market, such as the equipoise or Ferris waist, is not so harmful.

Circular elastic garters inter- fere with the circulation of the blood and frequently produce vari- cose veins; consequently they should never be worn. The stock- ings should be fastened to some part of the underclothing.

Shoes. — The shoe should have a flat sole and should be nearly straight on the inner edge and curving gently on the outer side. The heels should be broad and low. When the heels are high they weaken the arch of the foot by causing a wasting of the mus- cles and ligaments. The shoe should be three-fourths of an inch longer than the foot; the latter works forward in walking and unless it is given sufficient room will develop corns and bunions. The shoe, however, should not be so loose as to allow the heel to rub. Shoes made of plain leather permit the proper ventilation of the feet. Patent leather shoes, however, are impermeable to air and do not allow sufficient evaporation of the perspiration of the feet; consequently they should not be worn con- tinuously. It would even be better not to wear them at all.

The Toilet.

68 CLOTHING FKOM HYGIENIC STANDPOINT

As rubber also will not permit air to pass through it, boots and overshoes of this material should not be worn longer than necessary.

BEAUTY IN DRESS.

When dress is regarded from the standpoint of im- proving the personal appearance, there are many things be- sides materia] and texture to be taken into consideration, the most important of which is color. There are certain types of women who appear to better advantage when ar- rayed in certain colors. On this account a gown which appears beautiful upon one woman may seem the opposite when worn by another. Every woman should understand her own type or style of beauty, and dress accordingly. There are many books which give the different colors that can be worn by women when the hair, eyes and complexion are of certain shades. These teach one to make a much closer differentiation than just according to the color of the hair. For instance, a distinction must be made between red hair with blue eyes and red hair with brown, gray, or green eyes. The following colors are suggested by Miss Oakley for the various types :

The Black-Haired Type. — Black hair is most frequently combined with black eyes and sallow complexion. The best settings for such a combination are black, relieved with transparent white, a dark, warm gray and occasionally a flame color or a dull red.-

When the black-haired type has pale skin and blue eyes the possible range of color is wide, although yellows and greens are absolutely excluded. Blue is the best color, blues of the sapphire shades, and blues of the Chinese colors. The dark reds, such as cardinal, may be worn, also very pale shell-pink, blue-grays and white, both cream and blue-white, and black, both solid and transparent.

The Girl with Red Hair. — The following colors are

CLOTHING FEOM HYGIENIC STANDPOINT 69

possibilities for the entire class of the red-haired type. White of a creamy tone, black, invisible green, rich bottle- green, rich blue-green, olive-green, gray-green, stone-gray, claret color, maroon, plum color, amethyst, brownish purple, pale yellow, gold color, pale amber, and the reds approach- ing amber. All the girls of this general type, however, must avoid blues of all shades, blue-white, pale green, scarlet, all bright reds, bright rose-pink, all violet-pinks, blue-purple, and lavender.

Some distinction must be made in regard-to the different variations of this type. Thus the woman with blue eyes and red hair should wear chiefly the greens, stone-gray and yel- low, the creamy white and the black; those with gray and green eyes may, in addition, dress in the browns and purples, while the brown-eyed variety look best in the dark reds and ambers, although they may wear any of the colors belong- ing to the general type.

The Brown-Haired Woman. — The typical example of this type, with warm, brown skin and brown eyes, may choose any of the following colors: all reds, amber, all yellows, cream-white, brown, maroon, olive-green, rose-pink in small quantities, all warm blue from dark to light, tan colors, fawn colors, tea colors, and flame colors. She must, however, avoid all cold and pale blues, light green, all cold greens, pale violets, violet-pinks, grays, purple, black, blue-white, and even the transparent blue-white and gray of white muslin.

A girl with the same color eyes and hair, but whose skin is of a thick, creamy white, may wear black, cream-white, purple, violet, amber, olive-green, light or dark reds, es- pecially dark reds, all the rich, dark red purples and maroons, some dark blue-green like peacock, russet, and rose-pink. The following colors, however, are impossible with this tpye : blue-white, all light and cold blues, grays, mauve-pinks, cold yellows, and pale greens.

70 CLOTHING FROM HYGIENIC STANDPOINT

The chestnut-haired woman with fair skin and blue eyes may employ almost any color except the mauves and mys- terious pale colors, but the chestnut-haired woman with gray eyes or green eyes, especially if her complexion be dull or sallow, must choose more carefully. She may wear olive- green, relieved with pale pink, white with contrasts of old gold and yellows, dark and light blues, purple relieved with white, lilac combined with burnt cream, and black with con- trasts of green, especially the yellow greens.

The Blonde Type. — In quite contrast to the warmer types is the cool blonde, with her thin, white transparent skin, her pale golden or flaxen hair and blue or violet eyes. This girl may wear jet-black, blue-black, cold, pale green, blue- white, cold grays, all cold blues, heliotrope-purples, cold, pale, violet-pink, cold lilacs, and lavender, but must avoid all reds, warm blues, yellow greens, olives, browns, yellows, warm violets, ambers, cream-white, fawns, tans, and russets.

Somewhat different from the type just mentioned is the golden blonde, of which there are two varieties. The golden blonde with the warm, roseate skin usually has hazel eyes, and can select her colors from turquoise-blue, rose-pink, warm greens — from dark to light, cream-white, reds, yel- lows, ambers, purple, violet, black, warm grays, fawns, brown, and flame color. Although she can wear practically everything, she does not look so well in cold blues, mauve pinks, cold greens — light or dark, blue-white, lavender, cold lilacs, and cold grays.

, For the golden blonde with gray, green, or light hazel eyes and a luminous creamy white skin quite a different choice of colors must be given. This type can wear olive- green — light and dark, black, cream-white, all soft yellow greens, stone-grays, blue-grays, gray-blue, turquoise-blue, pale peacock-blues, transparent white, mauve-pinks, ame- thyst— light and dark, heliotrope in all shades, and pale

CLOTHING FUGM HYGIENIC STANDPOINT 71

amber. She must avoid orange, brilliant yellow, scarlet, tan color, heavy blue-green, blue-white, blue-purple, cold blues, lavender, fawns, frank pinks, and all reds from dark to light.

When the Hair Turns Gray. — There is a type with greenish gray hair seen sometimes with brown skin and brown or dark gray eyes. Any of the following colors go well with such a combination: dark greens, both olive and blue greens, browns, including a light brown approaching fawn, amber, all rich yellows, yellow-pink, dark reds, the warm, rich dark blues, purple, brownish purple, and cream white. The following colors, however, cannot be worn: all cold and pale greens, all cold light blues, grays, mauve-pink, cold lilacs, blue-white, cold yellows, like sulphur color, and black.

When the gray hair is accompanied with a lighter, clear complexion, and with color in the cheeks, the browns must be entirely omitted, although black and gray may be used. The best color for a pale complexion and snow-white hair, with gray or blue eyes, is entire black. For a prematurely gray-haired woman with blue eyes and a fine, clear com- plexion either pale or ruddy, the best combinations are blue and white, and pale rose-pink and black, although purple and even green may be worn.

WRAPS, COATS AND THE LIKE.

As wool is impermeable to wind and is of a very low heat conductivity, it makes an excellent protection against the cold ; consequently it is the best material for wraps, coats, and shawls. One should not wear mufflers and fur boas around the neck as they render the skin sensitive and in- crease the liability to catch cold.

Before or immediately on entering a warm apartment all coats and wraps should be removed. In cold weather it is sometimes well, on coming in from the street, to wait a few minutes in the vestibule before entering the warm house, so

72 CLOTHING FHOM HYGIENIC STANDPOINT

as to make the change from one extreme to the other more gradual. In this way there will be less likelihood of catch- ing cold.

WATERFROOF CLOTHING.

Rubber, being impervious to air as well as to water, should consequently be worn as little as possible. Rain- coats made of cravanette or of wool that has been rendered waterproof by certain processes, are therefore much prefer- able to India rubber garments and mackintoshes. Rubber overshoes are often necessary to protect the shoes, but they should never be worn unnecessarily and should be removed as soon as the person enters the house. The same may be said of mackintoshes and gossamers.

NON-INFLAMMABLE CLOTHING.

It is said that cotton and linen clothing may be rendered fireproof by being immersed in a starch solution containing a heaping teaspoonful of powdered borax to each half pint of the solution. The fabric is said not to be injured thereby, nor is any disagreeable odor imparted to it. It may be washed and ironed just as readily after the immersion as before. The recommendation has been made that the clothing of those who are exposed to the risk of fire in their daily occupation be treated in the above manner.

A REAL MADONNA

Is one who is able to transmit to her children health and vigor in their infancy. Beauty will also be found with health. Such a mother observes carefully the laics for perfect motherhood.

CHAPTER VI.

FOOD AND DRINK.

The hours for meals. Taking sufficient time to eat. Rest after meals. The different kinds of food and how to prepare them. Animal foods. Milk and milk products. Eggs raw and cooked in various ways. Meats and how to prepare them. Fish and shell-fish. The relative digestibility of different animal foods. Vegetable foods: Sugars, cereals, roots and tubers, green vegetables, fruits. The different beverages: Drinking-water, coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate, alcoholic drinks.

"In general, mankind, since the improvement of cookery, eat about twice as much as nature requires." — Franklin.

*Tp]HE object of food is to supply new matter to the tis-

sues, which are constantly undergoing waste and to furnish the body with the materials for the manu- facture of muscular force and bodily heat. The character of the food a person shall eat depends a great deal upon the mode of life. One who takes a con- siderable amount of bodily exercise requires a different kind of diet from one who leads a sedentary life. People usually eat more than is required to make up for the waste in the tissues. Children need to provide material for growth as well as for wear and tear, and consequently must eat much more proportionately than adults. But as they get older they continue this habit of eating very generously, although the excess is no longer needed for growth. In this habit lies the cause of much of the indigestion from which so many women suffer, and of the obesity that is so common

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at middle life. In old age still less food is needed, because less force is then being exerted. The great fault with most Americans, among the rich as well as among the poor, is that they eat too hastily and partake too freely of animal food. Meat should not be eaten oftener than twice a day, once a day being quite sufficient.

The Hours for Meals. — The time of the principal meal will depend on the character of a person's work. It is customary in America to eat three substantial meals a day. People in the rural districts and many classes in the cities, including the great bulk of wage earners, eat breakfast immediately after rising, the heaviest meal or dinner at noon, and a light supper about six o'clock. Professional and business men, however, and all those who lead seden- tary lives and are not occupied in physical labor or outdoor pursuits, usually eat their heaviest meal or dinner after their work is over, between half-past six and half-past seven in the evening. This class of men usually breakfast at from half-past six to half-past eight in the morning and lunch between one and two in the afternoon. There should be definite times for meals; irregularity in eating frequently injures the digestive system.

Taking Sufficient Time to Eat. — Sufficient time should always be allowed for meals. The hasty mid-day lunch of shop girls and of professional and business men is one of the most frequent causes of indigestion. There should be an intermission of at least one hour in the middle of the day, part of which should be devoted, both before and after eating., to rest or pleasant conversation. If one has but little time for the mid-day meal it is better to take a very light lunch, or even only a plate of soup and a glass of milk with a few crackers, than to gulp down a more substantial dinner. The habit, however, of going without the mid- day meal is most pernicious.

FOOD AND DRINK 75

Rest After Meals.— No bodily exercise or severe mental effort should be indulged in directly after meals. If the blood be taken from the stomach to the muscles or brain digestion may be retarded. After a heavy meal rest is especially necessary, and may be taken while one is sipping coffee or smoking. As sleep, however, retards digestion, a person should not retire for two or three hours after a heavy meal.

THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF FOOD AND HOW TO PREPARE THEM.

Foods may be divided into animal foods and vegetable foods. The necessary constituents for a perfect food are provided in the most digestible form by a mixed diet, which contains both vegetable and animal food, the best ratio being one part of raw animal food to three parts of raw vegetable food. A person doing hard muscular work, how- ever, requires a larger amount of vegetable food than one who leads a sedentary life.

ANIMAL FOODS.

The animal foods include milk and its products, eggs, meats and fish.

Milk and Milk Products. — Milk is the cheapest, most easily digested and most perfect food we have. It is uni- versally used as an article of diet by both civilized and uncivilized peoples. As a rule milk is easily digested. Al- though spoken of as a liquid food, it is converted, as soon as it reaches the stomach, into a finely divided solid through its being curdled by the stomach juices.

One should drink milk slowly, sipping or chewing it, that is to say, mixing it thoroughly with saliva, in which case the curds that are formed are of small size. When a glass of milk is drunk down all at once it becomes con- verted into large, indigestible, cheese-like masses. If milk disagrees, it may be rendered more digestible by the addi-

76 FOOD AND DRINK

tion of lime water in the proportion of two or three tea- spoonfuls to the glass, of aerated water such as vichy or seltzer, or of ordinary water. A tolerance for it may be established by giving it at first in small doses of one or two tablespoonfuls every quarter or half hour and then gradually in larger quantities and at longer intervals.

Cream is one of the most digestible of the fatty foods. In the form of ice-cream it is wholesome and agreeable when made simply, but when it contains rich flavoring extracts or much fruit it is less easily digested.

When cream or butter are used in cooking they are best added after the food has been removed from the fire.

Butter, as a rule, is easily digested when raw, but is less so when cooked. The fatty product margarin, prepared from ox fat, is quite as digestible and wholesome as butter and, when mixed with butter, forms what is known as but- terin, which is much cheaper than butter and is not at all harmful when properly made.

Cheese is not easily digested except when grated very fine and mixed with other food.

Eggs Raw and Cooked in Various Ways. — Eggs are most digestible when soft boiled and least so when fried. A hard-boiled egg is not digested rapidly unless it is cooked until the yolk becomes mealy, and is thoroughly masticated. Next to boiled eggs in point of digestibility come raw eggs. Eggs must be cooked at a low temperature or they are rendered tough.

Meats and How to Prepare Them. — Meat is not only one of the most important of all the foods, but it forms the bulk of the diet of the average American. Raw meat is readily digested when thoroughly masticated, but not being so palatable as cooked meat, is rarely eaten by civilized people. Cooking renders meat more attractive in color, more agreeable in taste and more digestible.

FOOD AND DRINK 77

How to Stew Meat. — Meat is most digestible when properly stewed. The proper way to stew meat is to cut it up into small pieces and place it in cold water, which is then subjected to moderate heat for some time. By this process the juices and flavor will be dissolved out and be present in the fluid in which the meat has been cooked. This fluid is then eaten with the meat, thus making a savory and easily digested dish.

Boiling Meat. — When a large mass of meat is to be cooked in water, or boiled, the flavor and juices must be retained in the meat. This is accomplished by first rapidly coagulating the surface of the meat by exposing it to a high temperature, and then allowing the interior to cook slowly at a much lower temperature; consequently the water should be boiling when the meat is put into it, after which it is allowed to cool, and when it falls to a tempera- ture of about 1800 F. the whole mass should be boiled until it is thoroughly cooked.

Roasting or Broiling. — The most savory way of cook- ing meat is by roasting or broiling. Broiling or grilling over an open fire can be done only when the portion of meat is small in size; larger pieces of meat may be roasted, both in the old way of turning the meat on a spit before the grate, or in the modern fashion of placing it in an oven. The exposure to the very hot air seals the juices which help to cook the inner part. When roasted in the oven the meat should be placed for a short time in a very hot oven until the hot air rapidly coagulates the outside of the meat and thereby prevents the escape of the juices. The meat should then be kept for a considerable time at a lower tem- perature, usually by placing it in a cooler part of the oven. The largest part of the juices will be retained if the meat be frequently basted by pouring over it the fat that accumu- lates in the dish, thus sealing it more thoroughly.

78 FOOD AND DRINK

Fried Meat is Indigestible. — Fried meat is the least digestible of all, especially when cooked in the improper manner ordinarily practiced. According to this incorrect method some of the fat penetrates the meat, thus rendering it tough and indigestible, while at the same time the hot partly decomposed fat irritates the stomach. The follow- ing correct method of frying does not render the meat nearly so indigestible: A deep dish is filled with oil or melted fat, which must be boiling at a temperature of from 3500 to 3800 F., and the meat is immersed in it. The sur- face of the meat is at once completely seared and made impermeable. As soon as the meat is cooked, which occurs with great rapidity, it is removed from the oil or melted fat and permitted to drip.

Broths and Beef Juice. — The method of making broths and beef juice is given in Chapter XXV.

FISH AND SHELL-FISH.

Fish is a highly nutritious food, and for the most part is easy of digestion, the fatty kinds, however, such as sal- mon, whose flesh is of coarse fiber, being less digestible than those which are not so rich in fat.

Oysters are nutritious and wholesome, but the nourish- ment is presented in a very diluted form. They are more digestible when eaten raw than when cooked. They must always be cooked at a low temperature, so as not to be rendered too tough. Lobster and crab meat, being coarse and tough, are consequently rather indigestible.

THE RELATIVE INDIGESTIBILITY OF THE DIFFERENT ANIMAL

FOODS.

The following list, compiled from the figures of Pen- zoldt, Jessen, Richert and Beaumont, gives an idea of the relative digestibility of the different kinds of animal food; those most digestible are mentioned first:

FOOD AND DRINK 79

Milk, bouillon, pigs' feet, trout, boiled calf's brains, raw eggs, hard-boiled eggs or omelet, raw beef sausage, boiled brains, sweetbread, raw oysters, boiled carp, boiled pike, boiled sharper, raw beef chopped fine, half-cooked beef, well- cooked beef, raw mutton, cooked veal, boiled codfish, cooked pork, roasted mutton, beefsteak, cooked ham, boiled lean beef, boiled fish, young boiled chickens, roasted partridge, boiled pigeon, roasted bacon, boiled calf's foot, raw ham, boiled salmon, pickled and smoked herring, roasted pigeon, roasted fillet of beef, beef tongue, smoked bacon, roasted hare, roasted partridge, roasted goose, roasted duck.

VEGETABLE FOODS.

The various vegetable foods may be divided into sugars, cereals, roots and tubers, peas and beans, green vegetables, fruits and nuts.

Sugars. — The sugars of commerce are usually forms of cane-sugar, which is chiefly derived from the sugar-cane and the sugar-beet. Molasses and syrup are crude forms of cane-sugar; maple-sugar contains certain other sub- stances in addition to it.

The chief value of sugar lies in the fact that it gives strength to muscles and helps to produce fat.

Sugar should be taken well diluted, as it is best borne by the stomach and intestines when eaten in this way. Milk and the majority of the fruits, for instance, which are easily digested, rarely contain more than 4 per cent, to 6 per cent, of sugar. The reason that candies, jams, preserves and syrups are often indigestible is that the sugar they contain is in too concentrated a form and causes an acid to form in the stomach.

When eaten at all, candy is best taken after a meal. Taken between meals, it disturbs the digestion and spoils the appetite.

Cereals.— By cereals are meant the grains that are used

...:•:; :tif!

80 FOOD AND DRINK

for food. They are rarely eaten until they have been gran- ulated or ground into powder, forming flour. Cereals must be cooked before they can be utilized as food. All starchy foods require long cooking. The coarser meals may be boiled and eaten with sugar and milk or cream.

Flour is usually made up into bread, which is one of the most nutritious forms of food. It is an important sup- plement to meat and fish, but is not a perfect food in itself. Too hot or too fresh bread is very indigestible, as it is con- verted, by chewing, into a tough, dough-like mass. Stale bread is much more digestible, as it crumbles into finer particles. Toasting bread thoroughly until it is brown and crisp renders it more digestible, but to toast only the sur- face and leave the interior soft does not increase its digest- ibility to any degree.

Roots and Tubers.— The most valuable of the vege- tables that grow beneath the ground is the potato, new or young potatoes being more nutritious than old ones. Pota- toes should be baked or roasted in their skins to retain all their nourishing qualities, a great part of which is lost when they are boiled or stewed. They must be cooked for a long time in order to convert the raw starch into a digest- ible form. Potatoes are most digestible and mealy when baked; they are least so when stewed, boiled, fried or cooked in chunks to be swallowed in considerable masses. Carrots, parsnips and beets are not easy to digest. Turnips have little nutritive value. Tapioca and sago are nutritious, though the first takes too long a time to digest.

Peas and Beans.— These contain more protein than any other vegetable. This is the element that makes meat so nourishing. Peas and beans thus form good substitutes for meat when for any reason the latter cannot be taken. They are not quickly digested, however, being least digest- ible when simply boiled and most digestible when mashed.

FOOD AND DRINK 81

The Green Vegetables.— The green vegetables are eaten chiefly because of their agreeable flavor, and because they add variety to the diet. They have little nutritive quality. They are very laxative, however, and counteract any ten- dency to constipation.

Fruits. — The various fruits are usually eaten as a relish, as their value as a food is comparatively small. The banana is the most nutritious of the raw fruits. Cooking usually renders fruit more digestible, but cooking in water causes it to lose part of its nutritive ingredients.

THE DIFFERENT BEVERAGES.

Drinking Water. — The average person requires from four to eight glasses of water daily. Drinking water may be cooled, but it ordinarily should not be extremely cold, especially when one is overheated. The excessive use of cold drinks is responsible for many of the cases of intestinal disorders that occur in the summer. At meal times water should be taken very sparingly and only when the mouth is empty, as the tendency to wash half-masticated food into the stomach is very injurious. Large quantities of water taken with the food dilute the juices of the stomach too much and thus interfere with the digestion of the food. A small quantity of cold water, however, taken just before a meal has a tendency to increase the appetite. Sore throat is often caused by the drinking of ice water after having swallowed something hot.

Coffee. — Coffee affects different people variously. Some are made very nervous and sleepless by it. As a rule it cannot be taken by dyspeptics, especially if cream and sugar are added to it. It should not be drunk when the mouth is full, and thus wash down food which has not been thor- oughly masticated. Coffee should never be given to chil- dren.

Tea, when taken in small quantities, may do no harm,

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82 FOOD AND DRINK

but when drunk to excess may have very injurious effects. It then not only produces wakefulness, nervousness, excita- bility and even muscular trouble, but it frequently gives rise to digestive disorders as shown by flatulence, a feeling of disturbance in the region of the stomach, and constipa- tion. It often may give rise to irregularity of the heart, pain in the chest and sleeplessness. Children should never be given tea to drink.

Cocoa and Chocolate differ from tea and coffee in being nutritious as well as stimulating. They never produce nervous symptoms even when taken to excess. They may be given to children.

CHAPTER VII.

WORK, REST AND RECREATION.

Work in its relation to health. Child-labor. The length of the working day. The necessity for Rest. The noon hour. The ability to relax. The weekly and yearly vacation. The hygiene of sleep. Amount of sleep required. The bed and the bed clothes. The way to lie. Fresh air in the bedroom. Rules for sleeping and preventing insomnia The necessity for Recreation. Mental recreation. Physical recreation: Walking, running, climbing, bicy- cling, horseback riding, rowing, canoeing, swimming, lawn tennis, tether tennis, golf, basket ball, bowling, fencing, punching the bag, dancing.

"Alternate rest and labor long endure."

—Ovid.

WORK IN ITS RELATION TO HEALTH.

HE health may be affected by the character of one's occu- pation. Having to work in overcrowded, badly venti- lated rooms renders a person liable to disease. Various deformities may be produced when the work demands constrained attitudes of the body or unequal exertion of both sides. Frequently a sedentary occupation, through the conse- quent lack of exercise and fresh air, bears a causal relation to ill health. Nevertheless, the detrimental influence of any occu- pation upon health and length of life may be considerably re- duced by attention to the ventilation of the working-room, by eating in a proper manner well-prepared, digestible food, and by participation in active outdoor exercise.

Child-Labor. — One of the chief factors that tend to impair the vitality of the race is the tender age at which girls are often sent to work and the long hours which they must spend at monotonous labor. This produces a physical deterioration in the mothers which shows its influence in the offspring. It \s

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84 WORK, REST AND RECREATION

wrong for children under fourteen years of age to work in mines, factories or workshops. In childhood the various organs are constantly undergoing development. For this fresh air, healthy outdoor exercise and freedom from care are necessary. Stunting the growth of the child and depriving it of the benefits of education are two of the surest means of causing the men and the women to be undeveloped physically, mentally and morally.

The Length of the Working Day. — The length of the working day depends to a great extent upon the occupation, but as a rule it should never exceed ten hours for men and eight hours for women and youths; the greater the physical exertion or the mental strain required in an occupation, or the greater the danger to which the worker is subject, the shorter must be the working day. Working overtime ought never to be allowed.

THE NECESSITY FOR REST.

The Ability to Relax. — A woman should be able to relax at intervals. When the eyes are steadily engaged in near work they should be rested every half hour or every hour during the day by being made to look off into the distance for a moment or two. It is well to relax the mind in the same way by now and then ceasing thoughts of one's work and for a moment recalling something pleasant that has been seen, read or noticed. One tending to become nervous is advised by Dr. Walker to stop and take a few deep breaths as a way of relaxing the ten- sion. An English physician who has had wide experience in treating nervous patients suggests as a means of meeting a shock and breaking its force that a person stop for a minute and fix the attention on some trivial object, such as a hen out- side in the yard. For instance, before opening a telegram one is advised to go to a window and look intently at some object outside.

Copyright, 1904. by Burr Mcintosh.

DRESSING THE HAIR.

This is too often considered a matter of little importance , yet the laws of he alt! k and beauty require that early in life the girl be taught to care for her beautiful tresses.

WORK, REST AND RECREATION 85

The Noon Hour. — In the middle of the day a rest from work of aFleagt one hour should be taken so that time will be allowed for half an hour's freedom from work after luncheon. This time should be spent by those who have been standing all morning in reclining, and by those who have been sitting in walking in the open air. A person employed in manual labor might spend this time in reading, but one who has been using the brains should spend it in active exercise.

The Weekly and the Yearly Vacation. — At the end of each week a person should rest for at least twenty-four hours. Once a year, too, a complete rest of not less than two weeks should be taken; preferably in the summer time. The vacation restores the weakened muscles and digestive organs to their normal healthy condition after the close strain, of the winter's work.

THE HYGIENE OF SLEEP.

The value of sleep depends much more upon its soundness than upon its duration. When disturbed by dreams it is of much less value than when it is dreamless.

The Amount of Sleep Required. — The average adult re- quires eight hours of continuous sleep each day. Children require much more sleep, as stated in Chapter XXVIII. Aged persons do not need quite so much. Persons who have to rise early during the week would do well to lie in bed longer on the day of rest.

The Bed and the Bed Clothes. — One should sleep on a fairly hard but comfortable mattress with a springy yet firm surface. Feather beds and feather pillows should be disre- garded altogether. One good hair pillow is usually sufficient. The covers should be light but warm, two light blankets being warmer than one that is heavy, on account of the layer of air between them. The bed clothing should be thoroughly dried and aired every day, being preferably exposed to the sun.

The Way to Lie. — It is a bad habit to prop the head with

86 WOKK, REST AND RECREATION

many pillows, which tends to cause a strain on the muscles of the neck and produce round shoulders or other deformities, besides often being the cause of nightmare and restlessness. Not more than one pillow or bolster should be used. Some girls make a practice of sleeping without any pillow at all, on the theory that lying perfectly flat on the back is not only con- ducive to restful sleep, but keeps the shoulders straight. It is usually considered best to lie on the right side. One should lie stretched out rather than curled up.

Fresh Air in the Bedroom. — It is necessary to have plenty of fresh air in the room during both winter and summer. Cold air will not render one liable to taking cold, provided the body is well protected with the covers.

Rules for Sleeping and Preventing Insomnia. — No gar- ment should be worn at night that has been worn in the day- time. During the night all the day clothing should be well aired. When a person is tired and sleepy she should go to bed and not lie around dozing all the evening. One should not go to bed hungry, but instead may take some light, simple food before retiring.

The taking of a glass of warm milk or a cup of hot bouillon before going to bed may draw the blood from the brain to the stomach of those who persist in planning and thinking after their heads touch the pillow, thus serving to induce sleep. When the mind is excited or full of business or other worries, it may often be calmed before bed-time and turned into pleasant channels by half an hour's reading of a light novel or short story. A hot bath taken before retiring, or a hot pack, or the application of hot compresses to the spine after getting in bed, will often aid in producing sleep in a person subject to insomnia.

THE NECESSITY FOR RECREATION.

For the preservation of the health habitual recreation is absolutely essential. There are two kinds of recreation — men-

WORK, REST AND RECREATION 87

tal and physical. The kind a person needs depends altogether upon the vocation; a change is what is required. A person whose work is largely physical requires physical rest and mental exercise at the end of the day's work. One who continually uses the mind needs to relax the mind and exercise the body.

MENTAL RECREATION.

An overworked mind finds rest in pleasant conversation, in cheerful games which are not too intricate, in seeing plays and hearing operas, in reading pleasant books and in the culti- vation of fads. A hobby, such as the collection of stamps, rare prints, old coins, old china, old furniture, and the like, furnishes an agreeable diversion by taking one's mind of! the daily wor- ries. On the other hand, recreation involving some mental labor may be of advantage to a person whose work is physical and whose mind is little exercised. For such a one chess-play- ing is an interesting diversion and even Sunday-school teaching may prove beneficial. These forms of recreation, however, are injurious to one whose mind is constantly on a strain, such as a public school teacher.

PHYSICAL RECREATION.

Every one who is not employed in some laborious occupa- tion requires physical recreation. Especially is this true of those who lead sedentary lives. For an exercise to be of benefit it must give pleasure and be accompanied by freedom from cares. A walk taken simply for the pleasure of it is much more beneficial as an exercise than a walk to or from one's place of business, the first being a diversion, the second often a strain.

There are various forms of physical exercise, some of which can be participated in by all while others require special apparatus and grounds. As stated in Chapter IV, the various forms of physical exercise, including games and sports, are especially useful in developing the figure.

88 WORK, REST AND RECREATION

Walking. — The most natural form of exercise and the one most generally utilized is walking. This is a very valuable exercise when sufficient time is taken for the natural swing of the leg to bring the foot forward at the completion of each step. The girl should hold her chest high, moving her legs freely from the hips with a long swinging step and letting her arms hang easily at her sides. Rapid walking utilizes every muscle of the body, and by agitating the body at every step stimulates the functions of the abdominal organs.

Running is beneficial, but should not be pursued to the point of exhaustion or of respiratory embarrassment. The combination of alternate slow running and walking is an even better exercise than either alone.

Climbing or walking up a grade is excellent if done with frequent resting. Before attempting mountain climbing it is well to practice first on small hills. A light loose dress should be worn, consisting of a flannel waist and a short skirt. The shoes should be easy fitting with thick soles and broad low heels. They may have spikes or nails in the heels if the climbing is to be long and hard. When the health is delicate, or the heart or lungs weak, climbing should never be undertaken without the advice of a physician.

Bicycling. — If pursued at a moderate gait and for moder- ate distances, bicycling is in many respects an ideal exercise, but it is harmful when continued to the point of exhaustion.

Horseback Riding not only develops the legs and thighs, but stimulates the abdominal organs through the agitation caused by the up and down motion of the horse. When the girl rides in a side saddle she should use one with reversible pom- mels, sitting one time on the right side and another time on the left. Riding astride with a divided skirt develops the body more symmetrically and in the opinion of the author is not objectionable.

WORK, REST AND RECREATION 88

Rowing.— Nearly all the muscles of the body are brought into play by rowing, especially those of the forearm, shoulders and back. The abdominal muscles are used in the forward swing, while the back muscles are exerted in the backward pull. The bracing of the feet develops the muscles of the legs and thighs. The swing should come from the hips. The car- riage is much improved by this form of exercise if during it the body is held in the proper position. The most important point to bear in mind is to keep the back flat and not to bend the head. It is well to wear flannels while rowing.

Canoeing does not exercise so many muscles as does row- ing, but develops chiefly the muscles of the upper back, arms and wrists. The side movement or twisting of the trunk which comes in with a double-bladed paddle is beneficial in stimulating the internal organs. A girl should neither row nor paddle unless she has learned how to swim.

Swimming brings nearly all the muscles into play. It straightens round shoulders, develops the muscles of both the arms and legs, throws the chest forward, and by keeping the back on the stretch in the effort to keep the head above water, tends to develop a graceful poise.

Lawn tennis has always been popular, It is one of the few sports in which most girls can indulge. A vigorous game, necessitating running to all parts of the court, it not only de- velops all the muscles of the body, but makes the shoulder joints and the waist supple, strengthens the wrist and brings grace and agility to the motion of the arms and legs.

Tether tennis does not require a court or expensive appa- ratus ; it can-be played in the smallest yard. A girl should wear flannels or a sweater when playing this game, as she is very apt to become overheated and may become chilled after perspiring. Probably more exercise can be derived in a shorter length of time from this game than from any other.

Golf enjoys great popularity among the wealthier classes,

90 WORK, REST AND RECREATION

its greatest benefit coming from the walking and the length of time spent out in the open air.

Basket Ball is an ideal exercise, developing all the muscles equally and increasing the power of the heart and lungs. In match games, however, the physical benefits do not compensate for the nervous strain and exhaustion.

Bowling is a vigorous game and one very popular during the winter months. The twisting of the trunk that it brings is beneficial to the abdominal organs. The disadvantages of this game, however, are that the ventilation in bowling alleys is usually poor, and the exercise is usually of a one-sided char- acter.

Fencing. — For those who have the time to devote to it and the money to provide the equipment, there is hardly a better all-around exercise than fencing. Girls should learn to fence with both hands, so that their arms and legs will be developed symmetrically. Practice at fencing will bring a lighter step, grace of movement and a more agile form.

Punching the Bag. — An excellent form of indoor exer- cise is the use of the punching bag. If one of the men in the house owns such an apparatus the girls should certainly take advantage of it. By its use every muscle of the body is brought into play. The bag should hang about on a level with the shoulders. A light flannel gymnasium suit should be worn during this exercise. A pair of light gloves will also be needed.

Dancing is sometimes the only form of exercise a girl will have during the winter. It is a useful form of exercise, and probably more than any other tends to develop grace of move- ment.

PART II. A WOMAN'S LIFE.

THE TRYST BY THE SHADY WALL.

Young manhood enamored by the loveliness of beautiful womanhood feels that "But to see her was to love her,'"

CHAPTER VIII.

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY.

Sex throughout nature: In plants; in the lower animals; in man. Woman's physical characteristics. The female sexual organs: In plants; in the lower animals; in woman. Woman's reproductive organs: The womb, the vagina, the Fallopian tubes, the ovaries. The pelvis.

"Shalt show us how divine a thing A woman may be made."

— Wordsworth.

I

N the first part of this book, on "Health and Beauty," general hygienic rules have been given which apply to every one, irrespective of sex. The present sec- tion deals entirely with the phenomena which are peculiar to woman, giving those particular rules which are to guide her through a healthy and, consequently, happy adolescence, maidenhood, wifehood and motherhood. Be- fore any suggestions are made as to the precautions to be observed during each period, the physiology of that period is described, so that the suggestions may be followed in-1 telligently. In discussing physiology, a broad view of life has been taken, showing woman's true position in nature and her relation to the others of God's creatures.

SEX THROUGHOUT NATURE.

All living matter possesses the power of reproduction. This is, in fact, one of the characteristics which distinguish it from non-living matter. In all the higher forms of life, both animal and vegetable, a special portion of each or-

93

94 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY

ganism is set apart for this distinct purpose. The elements necessary to the formation of a new plant or animal are usually not all found in one individual but are divided be- tween two, which are known as male and female. These must unite to form the new organism. The offspring de- velops from one element, the female, as soon as the other element is added to it. In flowers this distinction of sex is recognized, the stamens representing the male element, the pistil the female. Willow trees show this sexual differen- tiation, some producing only those catkins or pussy-willows which consist entirely of pistils and others blossoming only into stamen-bearing catkins. In the familiar corn or maize the "tassel" is the male flower, the "silk" is the female.

FEMALE ORGANS IN PLANTS AND THE LOWER ANIMALS.

Each sex has its generative organs well developed. In the centre of every flower stands the pistil, the upper por- tion forming the style and the stigma, the deep-seated por- tion being the ovary, which contains the ovule. When the flower is fertilized by the male element — the pollen- — the ovary begins to develop and to form seeds, which, when planted, put forth leaves and stalks and finally bear flowers, just as did their parents. The pod with its peas or beans and the apple or pear with its seeds represent the ovary of the plant.

In the animal kingdom sexual organs are possessed by even the lowest members. The ovary of the fish, for in- stance, is familiar as the roe. It contains countless ova which, when deposited, are known as spawn. These ova, upon being fertilized, become the eggs, from which later the baby fish are hatched out.

In birds the ovum is fertilized while in the ovary, and is then laid in the form of an eggt to be hatched outside the mother's body. Every woman who has dressed a hen has

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY

95

seen its ovary with the unfertilized ova and the fertilized eggs.

Sexual Organs of Flowers.

A. Flower, showing the stamens around the ovary.

B. Ovary before fertilization, showing a few stamens still attached.

C. Ovary after fertilization. It is developing and forming seeds.

D. The fully developed ovary (the pod), containing seeds. It has been cut across to show the seeds.

E. A seed.

In all the lozver animals the embryo, as the unborn off- spring is called, develops and obtains its food outside of the parent's body. The chick, for example, lies within an Qgg, nourished by the white and the yolk, and protected by the shell.

In the higher animals, such as the mammals, the off- spring must obtain its nourishment from its mother while it is developing as well as after it is born. It also must be pro- tected by her body. The organ in which the embryo lies

96

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY

while being formed into a living child is called the uterus or womb.

WOMAN'S REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS.

The Uterus (also called womb, matrix, bed, nest and mother) is a hollow organ, shaped like an inverted pear. It is about two inches and a half long, one inch and a

Front View of Woman's Reproductive Organs.

U. The uterus or womb. C. The cervix or neck of the womb. V and V. The vagina. (This, normally, is a tube. In the picture a longitudinal cut has been made along the top or roof, and the sides are pulled out.) O and O'. The ovaries. T and T'. The oviducts or Fallopian tubes. P and P'. The funnel- shaped distal ends of the Fallopian tubes. (The right-hand side of the picture shows the ligament that holds the womb in place. The left of the picture shows the ligament cut away and the tube pulled out of position.)

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY 97

quarter wide and three-quarters of an inch thick. The walls are composed of thick muscles, leaving a triangular cavity only big enough to hold about half a teaspoonful of liquid. It ends below in a neck, called the cervix, traversed by a narrow canal, called the cervical canal, an inch and a half long. The upper end of this canal, where it opens into the cavity of the uterus, is called the internal os or mouth; the lower opening is the external os or mouth. The body and the neck of the womb are both lined with a mem- brane containing glands, which secrete mucus. When too much of this mucus is secreted the condition called leu- corrhea, or "the whites," results.

The neck of the womb projects into a tube, called the vagina, about four inches long. The walls of this tube normally lie in contact but are capable of being stretched to a considerable extent. The vagina also is lined with a mucous membrane containing glands that secrete mucus which acts as a lubricant. It opens externally, but in a maiden is partially covered by a thin membrane called the hymen.

The uterus is supported by means of ligaments fastened to each side and attached to the bones. It is slung between the two ligaments just as a person is supported in a ham- mock.

Along the upper border of the ligaments lie the ovi- ducts or Fallopian tubes, which open into the womb at the top on each side. They are narrow tubes, about four inches long, running outward from the corners of the womb and opening like funnels at their other extremities, where they are in contact with the ovaries, connecting them with the womb. They also are lined with mucous membrane.

The ovary is like an almond in shape and size and hangs in the fold of the ligament just below the Fallopian tube, at its distal end. It is a gland secreting ova or eggs. It prob-

7

98

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY

The Lower Abdomen in a Woman.

A side-view, with the organs cut in half, showing the shape and position of the womb and its relations to the other organs.

i. Uterus (or womb).

2. Cavity of womb.

3. Neck of womb (or cervix).

4. Cervical canal.

5. External os (or mouth) of the

cervix.

6. Vagina.

7, 19 and 20. Vulva (or external

parts).

8. The bladder.

11. The rectum, outer wall.

12. The same, cut open.

13. The anus.

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY

99

ably also secretes a substance necessary to woman's health, about which not much is known.

The Pelvis.

The uterus and its appendages, as the tubes and ovaries are called, lie in a bony basin, called the pelvis.

WOMAN'S OTHER PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS.

The average woman weighs about twenty pounds less than the average man and is five inches less in height. Her shoulders are narrower and more rounded and set further back; the collar bone is longer and less curved, giving the chest greater prominence; the pelvic bones are larger and spread out more, making the hips much broader in outline. All the other bones, however, are smaller and more deli- cately fashioned. The presence of fat under the skin gives a more rounded and smooth appearance generally.

L CF c.

CHAPTER IX.

THE PERIOD OF PUBERTY: PASSING FROM GIRLHOOD TO WOMANHOOD.

The changes that occur at adolescence. Variations in the age of puberty due to climate, race, mode of life, and heredity. Delay in the appearance of the chief sign of puberty. The Mental Changes at Puberty. The Religious Changes. The Mother's Duty. The Hygiene of Puberty.

"Standing with reluctant feet Where the brook and river meet, Womanhood and childhood fleet !"

— Longfellow.

SflN the child the sexual organs are but partially devel- «* oped and remain inactive. At about the end of the ssbsbJ fourteenth year, however, they begin to functionate, and the girl becomes capable of reproduction. The period at which this occurs is called puberty or adolescence. In addition to the changes in the generative organs, other alterations take place in girls at this period. The figure begins to assume the aspect of womanhood, the breasts become developed, the pelvis and abdomen enlarge, the voice undergoes a change, hair appears in the arm-pits and about the pubic region, and the menstrual flow, or monthly sickness, is established.

VARIATIONS IN THE AGE OF PUBERTY.

Although puberty usually occurs about the thirteenth or fourteenth year, it may appear earlier or later, its onset being influenced by climate, race, mode of life, and heredity. In tropical climates it may occur at nine or ten years of age ; in Egypt and Sierra Leone it occurs normally at ten years. In these climates it is said not to be an uncommon thing for a girl to be a mother at twelve.

100

THE GOLDEN WEDDING DAY.

" Let prudence with good nature strive, to keep the flame of love alive, Then, come old age when'er it will, your friendship shall continue still."

sasas

THB PERIOD OF PUBERTY 101

Puberty occurs late in the cooler climates and among the peoples normally inhabiting them. In Lapland, for in- stance, menstruation does not appear until the eighteenth year. The Teutonic and Anglo-Saxon races while in their European homes arrive at adolescence oftenest in the fif- teenth year. In the United States and Canada puberty usually occurs about the fourteenth or fifteenth year.

In Hungary the three races, Slavonic, Magyar and Jewish, living side by side in the same climate, reach adolescence, respectively, when sixteen, fifteen and thirteen years of age. Hindu girls of Calcutta and negresses of Jamaica, also living in the same climate, begin menstruat- ing at the eleventh and fifteenth year, respectively. Some writers state that blonds mature earlier than brunettes. Menstruation in Jews begins a year or two in advance of other races in this country. In negroes and Creoles the monthly sickness appears earlier than in white people.

The influences of city life, with its excitement of par- ties, theatres and the like, association with the other sex, and sexual temptations, tend to hasten the oncoming of puberty.

It is said that diet has an influence, that stimulat- ing foods, such as pepper, vinegar, mustard, spices and con- diments generally, tea and coffee, and an excess of animal food have a clearly appreciable influence in prematurely bringing about this condition.

Heredity may affect the time of puberty, it being a matter of common observation that in some families men- struation may begin early through several generations.

DELAY IN THE APPEARANCE OF THE CHIEF SIGN OF PUBERTY.

Although other signs of puberty may occur at the usual time, the menstrual flow may be late in making its appear- ance.

102 THE PERIOD OF PUBERTY

This is usually due to a condition of anemia or im- poverished blood, caused by want of sufficient sunlight, fresh air, exercise, good food and sleep, and by a too close appli- cation to study.

The mother is often alarmed when the menstruation is delayed, and may try various home remedies to bring it on. The non-appearance of this phenomenon need not be a matter of concern, provided the general health is otherwise good. No medicine should be given for the purpose of bringing on the monthly sickness. Let the girl have plenty of good, nourishing food, sunlight, fresh air and out-door exercise. In time everything will be all right.

If, however, the girl seems in poor health, or if she suffers much from pain, headache, nervousness and general discomfort, she should be taken to the family physician. Under treatment directed to her general condition, she will probably become a healthy, normal girl. The services of a gynecologist or specialist in women's diseases are almost never required. The fault seldom lies with the generative or- gans; it is unwise, moreover, to call attention to them. A modest young girl should never be subjected to an examina- tion, even by a female physician, unless there is ground for suspecting something serious to be the matter. The mere fact of menstruation being delayed is not sufficient cause.

THE MENTAL AND RELIGIOUS CHANGES AT PUBERTY.

As womanhood unfolds, other changes occur besides those of the body. The girl is in a state of restlessness and of nerve irritability; her mind is confused with feelings of undefined longings and desires, and of vague dissatisfaction with all about her. She often tends to become morbid, fanciful, self-conscious and supersensitive, and her feelings are easily hurt.

About this same time a change in the girl's religious

THE PSEIOD OF PUBEKTY 103

nature may be noticed. Mothers and Sunday-school teachers should fully understand this change, that they may guide the girl aright through this epoch in her spiritual being.

The Phenomena of Religious Changes. — It is at this period, between the innocence of childhood and the fixed ideas of maturity, while the girl is yet impressionable and has already capacity for spiritual insight, that those ap- parently sudden changes of character in the spiritual life, known as conversion, usually occur.

Sometimes the changes are gradual rather than sudden. The ideas of God and duty and religious observance, which during the earlier years may have been external to the child, having been embodied in precept or custom or in her own playful imagination, now, during the period of adolescence, take root in her life and have a vital significance; they be- come her own.

The majority of girls at this time go through a period of storm and stress. They have a sense of incompleteness and imperfection; often they become brooding, depressed and morbidly introspective. Many doubts arise to distress them; there is a constant friction against their surround- ings. This is the most important stage of these changes; on its outcome the future religious attitude of the girl de- pends. Ill health and want of proper guidance at such a time are responsible for many cases of religious indifference.

THE MOTHER'S DUTY.

The duty of the mother is plain. Dr. Capp says: "The daughter is fortunate whose mother makes their

intercourse a sympathetic companionship, especially at the

age of puberty, when those changes in body and mind take

place which develop the girl into a woman.

"Of the changes in her body no one can speak to her

better than a mother; but it will call for infinite tact and

104 THE PSEIOD OF PTTBEHTY

the nicest judgment to so discuss them that maiden modesty and the charm of feminine instinct be not disturbed, and that proper hygienic considerations shall be inculcated. Certainly, the child should not be left to derive knowledge upon such subjects from servants or chance friends, who are not likely to be properly informed. It is not a time calling for alarm. The whole process is physiological, a growth and development according to the laws of nature; no new thing is happening."

Sound practical advice in this connection is also given by Dr. Jane Walker:

"Mothers and guardians of girls should obtain their entire confidence with regard to their monthly functions; it will save much misery, both to body and mind.

"Here let me say that it is the duty of a mother to be open with her girl in this connection. When, from the changes that are occurring in the girl's body, her mother suspects that menstruation is about to take place, it is her duty to tell her what lies before her. What she will say will vary with the daughter's age, and also with the extent of the mother's own knowledge. If the latter has some acquaintance with physiology and natural science, she will be in a better position with regard to this question than one who has had no scientific teaching at all Probably the simplest plan is to draw the girl's attention to the various signs of approaching womanhood, and then to tell her that this is one of them. In whatever way the com- munication is made, it must not be omitted, for no one can realize the shock endured by a perfectly ignorant girl on experiencing her first monthly period. Many of the ills suffered in later life are traceable to neglect and ignorance at this time. Moreover, if the mother does not herself tell the girl, someone else will probably do so, and the com- munication may be made with coarseness, which will have

THE PERIOD OF PUBERTY 106

an injurious effect on the girl's character. A mother should at this period of her life be a girl's best friend, with whom she feels there can be no reserve. "

THE HYGIENE OF PUBERTY.

During this trying period of her life, the child should be kept free from all excitement. She should spend a great deal of her time out of doors, playing various games, with- out becoming fatigued with too much exercise. Light oc- cupations will give her something to occupy her mind and take her thoughts off herself. She should have plenty of sleep, nine hours at least, but she must not be permitted to lie in bed after waking in the morning.

During the menstrual period the daughter should re- ceive special care and attention. She needs quiet and rest and must not apply herself too closely to her studies. The hygienic management of menstruation itself is considered in detail in the following chapter.

The Mother or Physician Should be Consulted Without Hesitation.— Dr. Button emphasizes that, as the girl ap- proaches puberty and is instructed regarding what is about to occur, it must be impressed upon her that her mother and her physician are her confidential advisers, either of whom she can freely consult regarding any trouble with the menstrual function, without being considered at all im- modest; that the subject is a sacred one, which she may discuss freely with her mother or physician for the purpose of information and advice, and maintain her dignity and modesty; but that to discuss it lightly with companions, in jest, is improper, immodest and vulgar.

CHAPTER X.

THE MONTHLY PHENOMENA.

Ovulation. Menstruation. Time of onset and cessation. Character of the menstrual discharge. Duration of the flow. Quantity of the discharge. Other symptoms exhibited at this period. The menstrual interval. Pain during menstruation. Connection between menstruation and ovulation. Vicarious menstruation. The hygiene of the menstrual period.

"The common ingredients of health and long life are : Great temp'rance, open air, Easy labor, little care/'

— Sir P. Sidney.

VERY month there occur in a woman two phe- nomena, menstruation and ovulation. Neither is dependent upon the other although they usually, but not always, occur at the same time. Ovula- tion, however, may be present several years before men- struation begins.

THE PHENOMENON OF OVULATION.

The ovary has been described as a gland secreting eggs. These eggs or ova develop one at a time. At regular in- tervals the most mature Qgg or ovum swells to the size of a pea or cherry and bursts through the wall of the ovary. This occurrence is known as ovulation, and takes place once a month during the period from puberty to the menopause. This period lasts on the average from the fourteenth to the forty-fifth year, although it has begun as early as the ninth and has ended as late as the fifty-ninth year. Ovu-

106

THE MONTHLY PHENOMENA 107

lation may begin before menstruation, as has been said, and may cease before the menopause.

When the ovum is discharged from the ovary, it en- ters the funnel-shaped outer end of the Fallopian tube and travels through this tube into the uterus.

Connection Between Menstruation and Ovulation.— Although there is no direct connection between the twos menstruation and ovulation depend upon a common cause, being due to the same periodic nervous impulse. As a rule, the ovum is discharged at the height of the menstrual con- gestion, but it may leave the ovary at any time during the menstrual interval.

THE OCCURRENCE OF MENSTRUATION.

About the same time the ovum is discharged, a change takes place in the lining membrane of the womb. This becomes swollen and congested, due to an increase in the number and size of the blood-vessels.

When Conception Occurs. — If the ovum, in its journey through the tube, should be impregnated by a sperma- tozoon or male cell which has worked its way up from the vagina, it becomes attached to the wall of the uterus. In this case the swollen and congested mucous membrane con- tinues to develop and helps to form the coverings for the ovum or egg with its contained embryo or unborn child.

When Conception Does Not Occur. — If, on the other hand, the ovum is not impregnated, the new and dilated blood-vessels rupture, filling the uterus with blood. The uterus thereupon contracts and expels the blood. This monthly discharge of blood from the womb is known as menstruation.

Time of Onset and Cessation of Menstruation. — In the preceding chapter menstruation was shown to be the prin- cipal event of puberty. It begins in this country at the

108 THE MONTHLY PHENOMENA

fourteenth year but the time of its first appearance is in- fluenced by the factors already mentioned.

The menstrual flow usually ceases about the forty-fifth year, but it may stop before a woman is forty. On the other hand, it often continues beyond the forty-fifth year. The period at which it ceases is known as the menopause or "change of life." A chapter is devoted to the considera- tion of this important epoch.

Character of the Menstrual Discharge.— The menstrual discharge consists chiefly of blood, but contains mucous secretion from the glands of the uterus and vagina. It is dark in color. As a rule it should not clot. A peculiar odor is imparted to it by the secretions of the glands of the vagina.

Duration of the Flow. — The normal duration of the flow is from two days to a week. It rarely lasts less than three days. After the bloody flow has ceased it is commonly followed for a day or two by a mucous discharge or leu- corrhea.

Quantity of the Discharge. — The amount of fluid dis- charged is given by Penrose as from two to nine ounces, and by Hirst as four to six ounces. It is seldom measured accurately. Instead, it usually is estimated by the number of napkins worn in twenty-four hours and is considered excessive if the napkins must be changed more than three times a day. The flow is greatest during the first two or three days and then grows less until it ceases.

Other Symptoms Exhibited at this Period. — A woman usually experiences at this time a feeling of weight and heaviness in the generative organs, caused by their con- gestion and swelling. There is also a state of more or less nervous excitability, depending, as a rule, upon the woman's temperament. A nervous person is usually made worse at such a time. The breasts usually swell and may even

A TIRED MOTHER AND HER BABE.

After her hard day's work the weary mother is more ready for sleep than her baby whom she has just put to bed.

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secrete milk. The neck becomes enlarged through the swelling of a gland that lies just above the breast-bone. Sometimes the tonsils also become swollen; a singer may thus lose her voice at such a time. The heart usually beats quicker and more forcibly. The skin becomes redder from an increase of blood and may be flushed at times. Dark rings appear under the eyes and brown patches, known as liver spots, may show upon the skin.

The Menstrual Interval.— Twenty-eight days usually elapse from the beginning of one menstrual period to the beginning of another. The menstrual interval, however, may vary within the limits of health. The flow sometimes occurs wTith regularity every two, three or five weeks. In the first instance the flow may be normal in amount every four weeks but scant at the alternate periods.

Irregularities often occur when the general health is poor and when certain diseased conditions are present. These are discussed in a subsequent chapter.

Pain During Menstruation.— A normal menstruation is painless. When pain is suffered before, during or after the menstrual period, it is an indication that there is something wrong with the general health, or with the local condition. The subject of painful menstruation and the methods for its relief are treated in the afore-mentioned chapter.

VICARIOUS MENSTRUATION.

The name vicarious menstruation is given to the dis- charge of blood at the menstrual period from some part of the body other than the uterus. This bleeding may come from the nose, the throat, the lungs, the stomach, the bladder, or the rectum and anus. It may occur in addi- tion to the normal flow. It is a rare condition, though as a rule of no serious import, being usually found in debilitated,

110 THE MONTHLY PHENOMENA

nervous women. In some cases, however, it is indicative of defective development.

THE HYGIENE OF THE MENSTRUAL PERIOD.

It is important that a woman should, so far as possible, have rest and quiet while menstruating. Especially is this true during the earlier years, when the mental and physical disturbances of puberty occur. Rest in bed is desirable, though not essential except in the very nervous. In every case all mental and physical work should be reduced as much as possible. A woman must be careful to avoid heavy lifting, over-fatigue in walking, too long standing, riding a horse or wheel, dancing and participating in violent sports during this period. Not only must she not indulge in sea bathing, but she cannot use cold water in any way — as tub, shower or sponge bath.

All the hygienic rules given in the early chapters of this book are to be closely followed.

In regard to the mental and nervous symptoms that may occur at such a time, Dr. Walker gives the following excellent advice:

"Watch yourself carefully during these periods, and if you observe that you are unusually irritable, keep a tighter grasp on your self-control and try to appreciate the fact that you are not quite your best self.

"If the world looks dark and people appear unfriendly, remember that you are being influenced by your physical condition, and do not pass judgment until you are feeling more nearly normal. You will then generally find that the world is just as bright and your friends are just as loyal as you had believed them before."

CHAPTER XI. PURITY.

The danger of silence. A mother's responsibility. What constitutes purity. A mother's duty to her daughter. To preserve true modesty and inno- cence. The dangers of secret vice. Hygiene as a prevention and treatment.

"Love Virtue, she alone is free ; She can teach thee how to climb Higher than the sphery clime ; Or if Virtue feeble were, Heaven itself would stoop to her."

— Milton.

THE DANGER OF SILENCE.

BARENTS seldom realize that silence in regard to the matter of purity is fraught with the greatest danger to their children. They naturally feel some hesi- tancy and diffidence about broaching so delicate a subject. In their cowardice they frequently delude them- selves with the thought that possibly their child will escape learning of the evils existing in the world.

But as a mother, writing in a leading popular magazine, some years ago said:

A Mother's Responsibility.— "A knowledge of the utter corruption of human nature must in some degree reach the most sheltered woman of the present day, and it lies with every mother to accept the responsibility of seeing that it comes in the right way. If the alternative were between the knowing and not knowing of certain things on the part

in

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of young girls, a mother might feel a natural pang at the thought of disturbing the vestal purity of the girlish imag- ination; but it is usually a very different alternative from this. The choice lies too often between knowing the right things and knowing the wrong — between looking at the most solemn realities of life in an earnest, reverent spirit, or making them the subject of mysterious and giggling con- fidences, and doable entente, though mothers may fondly dream otherwise. It is quite time that we women and mothers should face this question squarely, and that we should come to a true idea of what constitutes purity.

What Constitutes Purity. — "Purity means spotlessness, not mere ignorance. It is a mental poise — that attitude toward evil which can only be taken and maintained where a knowledge of evil exists. It is not what one knows that constitutes impurity, but what one loves. * * * *

A Mother's Duty to Her Daughters. — "It is an immense advantage to a woman to have made her children her com- panions. The habit of talking with them and explaining difficulties of various kinds will open the way for such teach- ing as this, and if, in addition, she has informed herself in scientific matters, so that she can lead the way from phys- iological botany to human physiology, she will find the familiarity with scientific terms and the habit of dealing with the subject impersonally a great aid.

"When a natural and healthful curiosity is met by a frank and simple statement of facts, the greatest danger is avoided. All temptation to discussion of these matters among girls is removed. Knowledge, instead of weaken- ing and corrupting the character, really strengthens and purifies, if it be the right kind of knowledge, rightly given. There must be a pure and right way of looking into what- ever God has ordained. Let us seek until we find it, and then gently guide our daughters till they find it too, "

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These same ideas are expressed by Dr. Capp, in his little book on "The Daughter," in which he says :

TO PRESERVE TRUE MODESTY AND INNOCENCE.

"To preserve the charm of true modesty and innocence, it is safer for a girl that she be instructed concerning the requirements of personal purity, rather than be allowed to grope, amid chance experiences and to run the risks of un- friendly influences. Experience is the only teacher for all, but in many things the lessons may be taken at second hand, and the wise do well to profit by the experiences of others. Although it may be a difficult duty to perform, no careful mother will neglect to properly instruct her daughter in matters relating to the sexual nature. Thoughts upon this subject cannot be avoided, but will arise as mind and body develop, and they should be wisely and intelligently di- rected in confidential talks skillfully planned and discreetly managed by the mother.

"Sexual matters are not motives and aims in life, but they imperiously mingle with and influence all motives and aims. They are inseparable from existence, and though important, must be made subordinate, and though irre- pressible, must be held in subjection. To ignore them is as fatal to happiness and success in life as to allow them to be the objects of chief pursuit. To underrate their influence is a great mistake; it must be justly appreciated in order to maintain an effective control by the stronger forces of the intellect and the will. Let it be remembered how large a portion of human misery results from the disorderly ani- mal passion. Much of this should be withheld from the knowledge of the young, but enough, for their own safety, may be pointed out by the mother, and be accompanied by such admonitions as seem suitable in each individual case. That the duty is a delicate one and is surrounded by diffi-

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culties affords no reason for its avoidance, but rather calls for redoubled tact and a superior skill, which will not fail of their aim when instigated by the loving instinct of a true mother's heart.

"The subject is obviously not one for promiscuous dis- cussion, but nothing is gained in private by veiling it with mystifying reserves and ingenious evasions, which serve often to keep smoldering an unsatisfied curiosity that had better be laid to rest by a little necessary plain and whole- some truth. Here, as upon many other social subjects, greater safety to the individual and to the community lies in knowledge tending to wisdom rather than in ignorance, if only the mind is maintained in a proper attitude toward the facts."

THE DANGERS OF SECRET VICE.

Fearing to suggest a habit of which the child may have no previous knowledge, a parent usually fails to warn the child of the dangers of secret vice. Few real- ize how prevalent is this evil, and how many the oppor- tunities for learning of it. Schools, especially boarding schools, have long been the chief breeding places for bad habits. A servant, and especially the nurse, is frequently the instructor. A child may accidentally produce a pleas- urable sensation and voluntarily repeat it without being aware that she is doing wrong. This is especially liable to occur in the presence of irritation or of any physical defect. Children can dissemble so skillfully that they may never be suspected. Because a child looks innocent is no indication that it is so. A mother must never allow her love to blind her to possible imperfections in her child. It is an injus- tice to the child not to warn her of the pitfalls into which she may stumble. Perfect frankness regarding so frequent a cause of general ill-health, chronic invalidism, and some- times even insanity, will save a girl much physical and

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mental suffering as well as moral loss. Even though the results may not be as grave and irremedial as is often thought, they are serious and often lasting. A mother's duty is plain.

Hygiene as a Prevention and Treatment. — To prevent as well as cure improper habits or tendencies, the child's thoughts should be diverted from sexual matters and pre- vented from centering upon herself. All associations and modes of life which have such a tendency should be discoun- tenanced. A wise supervision must be exercised over books and companions. Busy occupations furnish a means of monopolizing the time and keeping both body and mind from running into morbid states. Healthful amusement and judicious exercise are important; outdoor life and interests should be encouraged. The girl should go to bed whole- somely tired, so that she may promptly fall into a sound sleep, undisturbed by dreams.

CHAPTER XII. MARRIAGE AND COURTSHIP.

The views of various thinkers. The origin of marriage and the family. Mar- riage customs among different people. Courtship according to modern ideas: in Continental Europe, in England, in America. Love the basis for marriage. The nature of love, according to the poet and the philosopher. Passion versus affection. Love as a passion is transient. Passion may be followed by a steadier sentiment. Marriages based on passion are unhappy. Province of courtship to cultivate mutual esteem and friendship. The money question should be considered before marriage. A wrong standard of requirements. Marriage for position or wealth. Sincerity during court- ship. The training of a girl for wifehood. Qualities needed by a working- man's wife. The proper age for marrying. The danger of early marriages. A mutual understanding about details necessary before marriage.

'Hail, wedded love, mysterious law, true source Of human offspring." — Milton.

I

N a book dealing with a woman's life, so important an event as marriage should not be passed over with- out some mention. Apart from its causal relation to many physical ills, married life has an influence upon a woman's nervous and mental conditions through which it may affect the health. Much of the misery and un- happiness that comes after marriage might be prevented by a calm reflection beforehand on its duties and responsi- bilities, and by a mutual interchange of ideas during the period of courtship. In the belief that a study of marriage from the historical and philosophical standpoint may make a woman better fitted for becoming the head of the house- hold and the mother of a familv, the author has collected the views of various thinkers of different countries and periods,

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of which he can say with Montaigne, "I have here made only a nosegay of culled flowers, and have brought nothing of my own but the string that ties them."

THE ORIGIN OF MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY.

The institution of marriage has its origin in a law exist- ing throughout the animal kingdom for the perpetuation of the species.

Among many of the animals the parents live together for a longer or shorter period, but among others no such conjugal tie is recognized. As a rule, however, the mother is attached to her young and provides for them until such a time as they can look after themselves.

In the human race are seen all the gradations from the promiscuity of primitive peoples to the monogamy of modern civilized communities. From the necessary rela- tions of the father, mother and child to each other arises the family. Unable to live alone, the child requires both nourish- ment and protection; the former is supplied by the mother, the latter by the father.

MARRIAGE CUSTOMS AMONG DIFFERENT PEOPLES.

Marriage customs vary considerably in different parts of the world. Letourneau has described them in detail.

Marriage by Capture. — The most primitive form is what is known as marriage by capture. This is practised among the natives of Australia and the surrounding islands and of the Philippines. The man captures a woman be- longing to another tribe and subsequently enters into a treaty with that tribe by which, after a certain ceremony, he is permitted to retain the woman as his wife. The mar- riage rites in Mongolia, and among the Esquimaux, are a form of simulated capture which takes place after the mar- riage has been arranged by the parents. The Esquimaux

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pretend to kidnap the girl. In Mongolia the woman in her bridal attire gallops off on a horse, pursued by the bride- groom and the wedding guests.

Marriage by Barter. — Another form of marriage is that by barter, traces of which may still be seen in a number of civilized countries. In Africa the girl belongs to her parents, who in a friendly way barter her for an ox or for a cow.

Among the Indians marriage is usually a commercial enterprise. The husband buys his wife, or, if a poor man, is obliged to work to gain her. He binds himself for a stated time to the girl's parents, for whom he must hunt, dig- and scoop out canoes. In some tribes a certain period of servi- tude was always customary. The husband was obliged to give a tenth part of the game that he killed to the father and mother of his wife.

In ancient Greece and Rome the girl was bought by presents or by services rendered to the father. At a later period the father gave her a dowry but still might marry her without consulting her wishes.

In Scandinavia also and in certain parts of Germany the marriage was no more than a sale of the young girl, the husband having to buy her from the father. But by de- grees instead of this method that of a dowry paid by the woman was substituted.

COURTSHIP ACCORDING TO MODERN IDEAS.

With the progress of civilization the condition of woman has improved. The woman has acquired a certain independence and in most civilized countries no longer is married without her choice being consulted. For many cen- turies the prospective husband has had to woo her and ob- tain her consent. Thus the period of courtship has arisen. Customs vary in different countries as to the manner of

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courtship and even as to the social intercourse between young unmarried persons of opposite sexes.

Courtship in Continental Europe. — On the continent of Europe the match is usually determined upon or at least sanctioned by the parents before the young folks meet. As a rule a man may not call on a girl until he first through a third person asks to marry her, and only in the event of the consent of her parents being obtained will he be permitted to see and speak to her.

The English Idea of Courtship. — In England oppor- tunities for social intercourse are less restricted so that young people may be able to study and know each other well. It is not customary, however, for a man to be seriously at- tentive to a girl for an indefinite length of time without de- claring his affection or at least making his intentions known to the father.

Social Intercourse in America. — Still greater advan- tages and liberty of choice are afforded in America. Here men and women may form close friendships and learn to know each other's thoughts and hopes without necessarily looking forward to a closer tie. Thus a more intelligent choice is made possible.

Choice of a Life Partner. — The duties of marriage, says a French philosopher, begin before marriage. They begin with a mutual choice of the man and the woman. This choice should not be made lightly without thought, but should be determined by a serious and noble conception of the duties and end of marriage.

LOVE THE BASIS FOR MARRIAGE.

All writers agree that without love no one should marry. "Never marry but for love," was William Penn's injunction, "but see that thou lovest what is lovely." Miss Mulock can understand women's renouncing love, or dying of it, or

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learning to live without it; but marrying without it, either for "spite," or for money, necessity, pity, or persuasion, is to her utterly incomprehensible. She says, "Out of duty or gratitude it might be possible to work, live, or even die for a person, but never to marry him."

THE NATURE OF LOVE.

The Poet's View. — From earliest times love has been the theme of poets including the Hebrew King Solomon, the Grecian Homer and the Roman Virgil. In "The Lay of the Last Minstrel" Scott gives the following description:

"True love's the gift which God has given To man alone beneath the heaven : It is not fantasy's hot fire,

Whose wishes soon as granted fly ; It liveth not in fierce desire,

With dead desire it doth not die ; It is the secret sympathy, The silver link, the silken tie, Which heart to heart and mind to mind In body and in soul can bind."

The Philosopher's View of Love. — Somewhat different from the poet's picture of love is the philosopher's definition. Herbert Spencer says that love is habitually spoken of as though it were a simple feeling, whereas it is the most com- pound, and therefore the most powerful, of all the feelings. To the physical elements forming the nucleus of the whole are added the feelings produced by personal beauty that con- stitute simple attachments. With these there is united the complex sentiment termed affection, which is here greatly exalted. Then there is the sentiment of admiration, respect and reverence, which in this relation becomes in a high de-

MARRIAGE AND COURTSHIP 1S1

gree active. There comes next the feeling called the love of approbation, which is gratified in a degree passing every other experience by being preferred above all the world and that by the one admired above all others. There also is added that indirect gratification which results from the pref- erence being witnessed by others. Further, the allied emo- tion of self-esteem comes into play, being agreeably excited by the proof of power at having succeeded in gaining such attachment from and sway over another. There is also the pleasure of possession, the two belonging to each other. In addition the relation allows of an extended liberty of action and of an exaltation of sympathies which doubles one's own pleasures and adds to them the pleasures of another. These all greatly exalted unite to form the mental state we call love.

PASSION VERSUS AFFECTION.

Love as a Passion is Transient. — It is universally recog- nized that love considered merely as a passion usually has but a short duration. Like all other passions it tends to be changeable, transient and accidental. It generally passes away with beauty and youth, and seldom outlives the freshness of physical charms. In the opinion of Walter L. Sheldon, the distinguished ethical culturist, that sentiment which the poet tells of, and which is sung or presented in music, or pictured in the story, is simply the portrayal of a spasm in life- — beautiful and entrancing as it may be. He believes that in three-fourths of the cases, if not in nine- tenths of them, it is all involved in a period of one, or two, or three years, perhaps only the few months before marriage and the few months after.

PASSION MAY BE FOLLOWED BY A STEADIER SENTIMENT.

Sheldon does not consider this sentiment by any means the only lofty aspect of the love-passion or of the love-union.

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In a course of lectures on the subject of marriage he said: "That spasm may be only a short phase through which the deep feelings may have to pass — or it may not be an essential part of the experience at all. Over

and over again, after the passion has subsided, it would seem as though the union were at an end. f But where it was an actual at- tachment, something more than a mad ebullition of passion, there has come little by little another and steadier sentiment which has gradually found its place and held on to the end. Again and again there has been a tragedy because the two people have not waited for this new phase of affec- tion to arise. They had thought their love was dead only because the transient excitement was over; whereas in reality the real love-sentiment may be only just getting started. Many of the happiest unions which have ever existed have probably been be- tween people who went through this experience of disappointment because of the illusions which had been fostered mistakenly in their youth. Time must be * given for a further reunion to arise on a spiritual plane, but where prose and poetry must jostle together in the daylight of stern reality.

The Second Experience of True Affection. — "In that second experience it is no longer the sentiment-standpoint

When True Affection Suc- ceeds the First Passion

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123

of two souls with a single thought or the two hearts that beat as one — a fantastic impossibility — it is an awakening to

the actualities of life, and to all its possibilities. An affec- tion may then arise which can admit of imperfections in the one for whom it exists, which can cling in spite of weakness and selfishness and caprice. And in this kind of an affec- tion where the two may be only imperfectly united, there is a possible realization of each in the other by which the life of each does become more complete in the other. And that very completion and full- ness may come in putting up with the other's imperfec- tions, by a union for better and for worse. "

Marriages Based on Pas- sion are Unhappy. — Franklin believed that headstrong mo- tives of ungoverned passion result in unhappy marriages. He wrote: "Passions are extremely transient and unsteady, and love, with no other support, will ever be short-lived and fleeting. It is a fire that is soon extinguished, and where there is no solid esteem and well-cemented friendship to blow it up, it rarely lights again, but from some accidental impulses, by no means to be depended upon, which a con- trariety of tempers, the fatalities of sickness, or the frowns of fortune, may forever prevent, as age most certainly will.

After Blind Passion Has Sub- sided and Nothing Has Taken Its Place.

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"What has been observed seems to point out that a blind, a sudden and intoxicating passion has a natural tendency, under its own direction, to occasion unhappy mar- riages, and produce scenes of grief and repentance."

Province of Courtship to Cultivate Mutual Esteem and Friendship. — "Friendship and esteem," Franklin says, "are derived from principles of reason and thought, and when once truly fixed in the mind are lasting securities of an at- tachment to our persons and fortunes ; participate with, and refine all our joys ; sympathize with, and blunt the edge of every adverse occurrence. However it may be in common life, there certainly cannot be any steady or lasting happi- ness in a married one where a mutual esteem and friend- ship of the strongest and noblest kind does not subsist. Let it therefore be the sacred business of our courtship to culti- vate one, and on no account engage ourselves in wedlock without it."

THE MONEY QUESTION SHOULD BE CONSIDERED BEFORE MARRIAGE.

"How much, or how little a fortune will content us," writes Franklin, "depends chiefly on our way of thinking. Be this as it will, it should seem very proper before all mar- riages for both parties to know truly and fairly what they have to expect on this head, and seriously to consider with themselves whether it will be sufficient so far to answer their desires, as to prevent future murmurings and anxieties, and prudently allow them to enjoy life as they intend. All deceit herein should be carefully avoided; we may otherwise impose on ourselves and ruin all our future felicity."

A WRONG STANDARD OF REQUIREMENTS.

Many men are prevented from marrying, and many marriages are made unhappy, because the woman often has

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been accustomed as a daughter to comforts and luxuries which become her standard of requirements for all time.

Only Those in Equal Circumstances Can Marry Under Such a Standard. — This wrong standard of requirements, according to Sheldon, works pathetically in making it in- evitable that only those persons accustomed to the same plane of luxuries in their homes may join in the marriage relationship. The man most adapted to a woman frequently dare not think of her, because he is in humbler circumstances and would not be able to sustain her on the plane in which she has been living. Thus the actual freedom of choice is restricted.

Marriage for Position or Wealth. — A consideration be- fore marriage of social position is almost as important as that of the money question, for the marriage of persons from different planes of society may lead both to embarrassment and unhappiness. When, however, too much attention is paid to these matters the marriage seldom results happily. Franklin says that the finer sentiments are never felt or known in that alliance where interest and fortune only are considered. Envy may be raised among the weak and silly, but pity and contempt among the wise and judicious. The slaves to dross can never be animated with a spirit of a gen- erous, an elevated and inflexible friendship. "Gold is their idol," he declares, "'tis that they wed."

SINCERITY DURING COURTSHIP.

One of the most freqent causes of unhappiness in mar- ried life is the false view of one's mind and disposition presented during courtship in order to win the affections. Franklin considers the masking of our tempers and appear- ing what we really are not to be a most dangerous folly, and an imposition highly culpable, so that he is really at a loss to judge whether the absurdity or iniquity of such a scheme

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be the greatest. "In such a case," he says, "we have raised and supported an affection by false appearances; when those are seen through, as most certainly they will be, what title have we to love or friendship ? None, and consequently no prospect of social happiness.

"Let us, my friend, on the contrary, observe a religious sincerity, appear in our native characters, undisguised and unaffected. If under those we gain esteem and friendship, our prospects of maintaining them are as secure as our own minds and dispositions may be lasting. Let us be outward- ly what we really are within, and appear in such a character as we steadfastly design to continue. Hereby we shall lay a strong foundation for our future happiness in marriage. "

THE TRAINING OF A GIRL FOR WIFEHOOD.

Housekeeping is not a simple undertaking, but a most complicated one, which cannot be successfully taken up without previous training. The mother therefore should train her daughter in the management of the household by allowing her to exercise some of the duties and responsibili- ties connected with the house.

QUALITIES NEEDED BY A WORKING-MAN'S WIFE.

In order to elicit the opinion of the working classes on matters connected with their social condition, an English- man named John Cassell offered prizes for the best essays on various subjects. Louisa Bell, a seamstress and the widow of a factory hand, in her prize essay on "Indiscreet Marriages/' says: "Working men are much too apt to choose their wives without any reference to their former domestic lives and habits. Bitterly enough sometimes they repent this precipitancy. A working-man's wife should have been well and diligently brought up by good parents. She should know how to perform every household duty, and

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be able to make or mend the clothes of the family. Her health should likewise be good. Ill-health and over-delicacy of constitution sound very interesting in some of the highly- strained fictions of which our working women are so fond; but in real, common, every-day life, strength and health in an operative's wife are beyond all sentimental notions of re- finement and beauty. . . .

Economy in Dress. — "Neatness and a due attention to dress are not only commendable, but imperative on every woman, and man also ; but dressing must not be carried be- yond the due bounds necessary to self-respect and the re- gards of others. A working woman's pride should be to possess a good stock of neatly made under-clothing; and a couple of gowns, or at most three, may then well suffice her. With economy these three gowns will last a long time. . .

"Cleanliness and simplicity should be the height of their ambition instead of the cheap finery which in a week's space becomes soiled and unfit to be worn.

"Very few of the working class of women, unless dress- makers by trade, know how to make their own attire.* Many are perfectly helpless in this respect. The sums they are compelled to pay in putting out such work would educate the children, and provide better fare for the family. It is no excuse to urge, as many do, that they pinch themselves and families in food or firing to provide fine clothes. Working people require good nourishment, and to subtract from a husband's dinner to buy a new bonnet or a new dress is no apology, but adds to the folly and selfishness of a passion which at all risks must be gratified

Training in Marketing and Cooking. — "Marketing is another art — -for art it is — in which a workman's wife is woefully deficient; and, lacking it, her weekly money will

*This was written of the English working woman. It probably is not true of the American factory girl of today.

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seldom go far, or yield satisfactory returns. She buys in- ferior meat, because she can get more for her money, forget- ting that it wastes in proportion to its inferiority. She buys the bony portions of an ox or sheep, because it is apparently cheaper, and never takes into account the dead loss of the bone, for the very slender portion of skill she possesses in cooking is insufficient to teach her how to convert even bones into nutriment. In this latter accomplishment she has neither experience nor any desire to gain it. She boils her stews, and makes them hard and indigestible. She cannot, in fact, cook even a potato fit to be eaten, and is utterly in- competent to render the cheap parts of meat nourishing and tender. Yet such knowledge goes far to render the working class man's home replete with comfort and happiness.