Personal hygiene and physical training for women

by Anna M. Galbraith

The Urinary Excretory Apparatus.—After the urine has been secreted by the kidneys it must be carried away from the body, so that the economy may not suffer from the resorption of the contained toxic principles. The excretory apparatus comprises the ureters, the bladder, and the urethra.

The ureters are two cylindric tubes of the diameter of a goose-quill and about 15 inches long. They make their exit from the inner border of the kidney, and pass downward and inward toward the median line, to empty into the base of the bladder by a slit-like orifice.

The bladder is the reservoir for the urine. It is a musculomembranous sac, situated in the pelvis, and in the female it is in front of the uterus and above the vagina. It normally contains one pint. It should be emptied four times a day. If it is allowed to go longer than this, it becomes overdistended, and is apt to displace the uterus backward, and the bladder-walls themselves become weakened.

The Physiology of the Female Generative Organs.—The internal and essential organs of generation are the uterus, ovaries, and the Fallopian tubes. These organs have to do with the process of ovulation, menstruation, and reproduction.

The Ovaries.—These are two small bodies of an almond shape, and lie one on either side of the uterus. The bulk of the organ consists of connective tissue, in which lie embedded the Graafian follicles, or ovisacs, in which the ova are contained.

During the child-bearing period, or from about the age of fifteen to forty-five years, the development of the Graafian follicles and the discharge of the ova are continually taking place. The liberation of the ova usually takes place at definite times, which, in general, coincide with the menstrual epochs, one or more ova being set free at each period, but this is by no means invariable.

The Uterus.—The virgin uterus is a small, hollow, muscular organ, somewhat pear shaped, whose cavity is about 1½ inches deep. The uterus is situated in the middle of the pelvic cavity, between the bladder and the lower bowel. It is held in position by broad elastic bands, which go to different sides of the pelvis; it is also in part supported by the structures below and above it; but so loosely is the uterus held that it is easily pushed about, as, for instance, by a full bladder or a packed bowel, and persistently allowing the bladder to become overful, and failure to have a daily evacuation of the bowels, are prolific sources of displacements of the womb.

Respiratory Movements of the Uterus.—When no constrictions are placed about the waist, the uterus moves freely up and down with every respiration. So distinctly, and with such regularity, do these movements occur that an operator, by watching the movements of the uterus, can tell the effect that the anesthetic is having on the patient’s breathing. These so-called respiratory movements play a very important rôle in the circulation of the uterus, and in the return of the venous blood to the heart.

Anything which interferes with these movements, as the wearing of corsets or of tight bands about the waist, prevents the free return of the venous blood. The uterus becomes congested, and through the constant abnormal weight of the organ itself, as well as by the pressing down upon it from above of the superincumbent organs, the uterus is pushed down below its normal position, the ligaments whose duty it is to hold it up become relaxed, and the unhappy woman suffers all the agonies that are attendant on the “falling of the womb.” For this reason the disorder is frequently met with in women who have never borne children as well as in those who have.

The Functions of the Uterus.—The function of the uterus is to provide a favorable place for the reception of the product of conception, where it may be protected and nourished during the period of its development. The purpose of menstruation is to keep the uterus in suitable condition for the reception of this product of conception at any time. It is now known that the menstrual flow is not the whole of menstruation, and that the changes going on in the uterus are almost as continuous as the process of digestion.