Madame Young's Guide to Health / Her experience and practice for nearly forty years; a true family herbal, wherein is displayed the true properties and medical virtues of all the roots, herbs, &c., indigenous to the United States, and their combination in all the diseases the human body is heir to; also, an explanation of the human body, its liability to injuries through ignorance of its structure. Dedicated exclusively to her sex.

by Amelia Young

DISEASE OF THE WOMB.

I will endeavor to explain to you the diseases of the womb and ovaries. In the first place, you can injure the womb by miscarriages; but previous to this, perhaps the ligaments of the womb were weak, and the cause of the miscarriage might be attributed to that. No female should stand on the ends of her toes and reach, as it injures the womb; all tight lacing is injurious; by costiveness, you impair the womb; lifting, beyond your strength, should be avoided. Child-bearing, or violent labor in child-birth, retention of the after-birth—all combine to weaken every muscle and ligament of the womb, and bring on prolapsus uteri, or falling of the womb. I have known the womb to be caloused, in several cases; and as to its falling, as we say, it may be felt more on the rectum and ovaries, and there will, in these cases, be more pain in the sciatica joints, or hip bone, and it may press more on the lower part of the bowels; this is generally brought on by costiveness; long waists have done their work, as well as heavy petticoats; all these combine to press down the bowels and ligaments of the womb; all fall, or bear heavily on the ureter and fallopian tube, and bring on many distressing diseases, as leucorrhœa, or whites. I will here explain the cause of this running, as many are perfectly ignorant of it; in most cases, it is the weeping of the ovaries; when it is purely white, we call it weakness—as a sore or weak eye weeps, so do the ovaries; and when it changes color, green or yellow, and has a disagreeable smell, no doubt they are diseased—either ulcers in the ovaries, or womb, and the distillation is so acrid, that it causes itching and smarting in the vagina, and the lips of it are swelled. There have been, of late, several cases in my practice, in which the female has communicated the same disease to her husband—similar to the clap. But remember, I have known such cases among the most virtuous, and where there was not the least taint of any venereal disease in the system; I do not say but that their blood might be contaminated with humors; I seldom meet with a person, but has more or less humors to combat with. And how many have been injured by mercury, which poisons the blood. Girls may be troubled with the whites, at from three months to fourteen years of age. The womb can be ulcerated as well as the ovaries, and thence comes dropsy, cancers, and various other diseases; and by this pressing down, in fact, two-thirds die of consumption, because all the parts are pulled down, from the midriff, to the liver, intestines, kidneys, womb, and ovaries—there is no action—all is in a debilitated state. Now what can be done? In the first place, put waists on your petticoats; then obtain a cleansing syrup—you will find a recipe for one in the foregoing pages; then take a piece of leather, that will cover from the breasts to the pelvis, a quarter of a yard wide above, but narrower at the bottom, making a hole in it for the navel; spread it with strengthening plaster, a recipe for which will be found in this book; drink the following as a constant beverage: take five roots of sweet fern, a tablespoonful of dry tanzy, and boil in two quarts of water; then strain, and drink a tumbler half full twice during the day.

When the top of the womb falls forward, it infringes on the back part, and top of the bladder, and every few minutes you have a desire to evacuate the water; there is a sinking feeling at the stomach, and pain, or distress, in the bladder. Sometimes the womb will protrude in, and on the pelvis, and below, into the front passage; if there is no one near that understands my mode of treatment in this case, do it yourself; I learned it from a squaw, and have replaced ten thousand or more. In the first place, wash it well with cold water, and hold wet cloths to it; then lay on your back, and put it up carefully with your hand, holding or drawing in your breath; then apply a womb plaster. Never allow a male or female practitioner to plug your womb; it only destroys it, and causes ulcers, cancers, and a multitude of other diseases, in the womb.