It is well known that instances have happened in which persons have lived for years in unfruitful matrimony, and being after divorce remarried, have both had children. This is a fact which in the present state of our knowledge we are not able satisfactorily to explain, and we will not delay the reader by offering any speculative opinion upon it.
Treatment.
The treatment of impotence and sterility must be influenced by the causes from which they spring, some of which are incurable, whilst others may be removed by appropriate remedies. Those cases which depend upon congenital deficiency of the penis, testicles, vagina, uterus, Fallopian tubes, or ovaria, belong to the former; but we have seen that some of those arising from malformation and disease of these parts are susceptible of cure. Such are phimosis, adhesion of the prepuce to the glands with diminution of the orifice of the urethra, priapism, partial paralysis, strictures in the urethra, diseases of the neighbouring parts, contracted vagina, occlusion of the mouth of this canal by adhesion of the labia, or by a dense hymen, prolapsus and procidentia uteri, polypus in utero, leucorrhœa, dysmenorrhœa: all these are more or less capable of removal either by operation or general treatment.
By persisting carefully in a proper plan, sterility may at length be frequently removed. There are many instances of women bearing children, after having been several years barren.
Various remedies have been recommended for the cure of barrenness, among which tincture of cantharides is the most prominent, but its effects being evanescent, are invariably succeeded by lassitude and debility, and therefore can be attended with no good results. The various preparations of sassafras and sarsaparilla are useless and not in the least calculated to reach the nature of the case. The specific known as the most successful in curing sterility or barrenness—and it has certainly performed wonderful cures—is the celebrated Morand’s preparation, called “Morand’s Elixir,” which appears to be specially adapted to give tone and healthiness to the generative functions, for the discovery of which, he received a handsome donation from the French government, as also frequently rewarded by the liberality of private individuals, who have realized their fond wishes by his discovery.
Its effects, it is said, are so wonderful upon the general health, and particularly upon the generative functions, that a medical writer of some note says that he has recommended its use in several instances, and, with one single exception (a case of malformation), with invariable success. He says:
“I was acquainted with a very worthy married couple whose life was, if not embittered, at least unhappy, because of their having no offspring. They were of respectable and influential standing, possessed of property, surrounded by friends and relatives, were then married nearly ten years, and desirous only of having children to make them happy. Physicians were consulted without success, because physicians mostly look upon sterility as incurable.
“About this time I visited a patient who had been married about seven years without having children, who was affected with fluor albus (whites), and was using ‘Morand’s Elixir,’ by my recommendation, to eradicate this weakening complaint from the system. This lady having been married seven years, as I before observed, without offspring, had nearly resigned herself to a conviction that she was destined to have none. In recommending ‘Morand’s Elixir,’ I had the fullest confidence that it would accomplish a thorough cure of her complaint, because I had often used it in my practice, and with invariable success, but I had neither hope nor expectation of its ability to remove what I then considered confirmed sterility, or barrenness, as I then gave no credence to the various marvellous properties it was alleged to possess, classing it merely among the impositions of the day. The lady continued its use, and I found her health evidently and perceptibly improve. The fluor albus entirely disappeared and her health was restored. Under pretence that she derived great benefit from it she still continued its use, however, and to my utter surprise, as well as the great joy of her husband, four months after she commenced its use, she became pregnant, and in due time was delivered of a fine, fat, healthy daughter, and had two more children in close succession after.[[49]]
“The lady being of the most pure and irreproachable character, it may well be supposed that it gave me the greatest confidence in recommending this truly wonderful ‘Elixir,’ in like cases. When, therefore, I was consulted by the husband of the lady first mentioned, I did not hesitate to recommend ‘Morand’s Elixir,’ and informing him of its effect in the case described. My advice was followed. In due course of time this worthy couple had their fondest wishes realized. Since which time they also have had several children. Their gratitude to me for recommending its use, was unbounded. My confidence in the virtues of ‘Morand’s Elixir,’ was confirmed, and I have heard of its success in other instances. Indeed, I am convinced, that if the case is curable, ‘Morand’s Elixir’ is infallible.”
It has attained a pre-eminent celebrity in France, Germany, on the continent of Europe generally, as well as in England, for its unexampled success in removing general debility, weakness, physical imbecility and supposed barrenness (for judging from the astonishing results of ‘Morand’s Elixir,’ it is denied that it really exists). The truly wonderful effect of the “Morand’s Elixir,” has now established the fact that most, if not all, supposed natural incurable defects, are only artificial ones, within the powers of the skill and scientific combination of the virtues and essences of the most nourishing, strengthening and invigorating fruits and plants of Italy to remove. Its action is not sudden and ephemeral, leaving the system but the more debilitated by reason of the previous unnatural excitement, but is gentle and gradual, by degrees displacing the latent causes affecting the body, strengthening and invigorating the generative functions, cheering the mind, enlivening the spirits, engendering a free, full and healthy circulation, and thus arousing the sexual feelings.