NOTE A.
VIEWS OF MEDICAL WRITERS
The American Woman’s Educational Association has for its object “the establishment of institutions having endowed departments supporting ladies of superior character and education who shall add to a collegiate course both scientific and practical training, in all relating to the distinctive duties of woman as housekeeper, wife, mother, nurse of infants and the sick, trainer of servants, and chief religious minister of the family state.” As Secretary of this Association, the author requested the views of Mrs. Dr. Gleason, of the Elmira Water-cure, on the topics that follow. This lady, as wife, mother, and highly-educated physician, during over twenty years has had patients of her own sex, probably counting by thousands, and has often, by request, lectured to graduating classes in the Ingham University, the Elmira College, and other popular institutions for women. The following are extracts from her reply:
Treatment of Pelvic Diseases.
“The pelvic organs, when diseased, all have so many symptoms in common, that it requires not only good anatomical, pathological, and physiological knowledge, but close and well-cultivated diagnostic powers to decide which organ is diseased, and how it is diseased. For example, sometimes a displacement of the uterus will cause a sense of weight, dragging, and throbbing, accompanied by pain in the back and in front of the hips. But inflammation, ulceration, and induration of this organ will produce precisely the same results; and sometimes mere nervous debility in these parts will induce these symptoms, especially when the imagination is excited in reference to the subject. It also is often the case that extreme prolapsus occurs in which there is no pain at all.
“So also disease of the urinary cyst is indicated by symptoms precisely similar to those which mark the disease of the adjacent organ. These organs lying in close proximity, and supplied with nerves from the same source, would necessarily sympathize, and show disease by similar symptoms. Just as in the toothache, many a one has been unable to point out the diseased tooth. How much more difficulty exists in a case where most women are profoundly ignorant on the subject!
“It has become a very common notion that when any local displacement of the pelvic organs occurs, a woman must cease to use her arms, cease to exercise vigorously, and keep herself on the bed much of her time. All which, in most cases, is exactly the three things which she ought not to do. And thus it is that, when from want of fresh air and exercise, and from the many pernicious practices that debilitate the female constitution, the pelvic organs indicate debility, and these nerves begin to ache. Immediately a harness is put on for local support, and the bed becomes the constant resort; and thus the muscular debility and nervous irritability are increased. And yet, all that is needed is fresh air, exercise, simple diet, and proper mental occupation.
“In this condition, perhaps, resort is had to some ignorant or inexperienced practitioner, who has some patent supporter to sell, or who has some secret and wonderful method of curing such diseases. Then commences, in many cases, a kind of local treatment most trying to the feelings, which is but seldom required, and which, in a majority of cases, results in no benefit.
“Many a one has recited to me the mental and physical suffering she has endured for months in such a course of treatment, and all to no purpose. A touching case of this kind recently occurred, in the case of a beautiful young lady who was a listener to a course of lectures on the pelvis and its diseases, given by me to the graduating class of a female seminary. At the close she came to me, and, with tearful eyes and a quivering lip, said, ‘I see now why all I have suffered, in body and mind is worse than useless. I see now that I have never had the disease for which I have been treated.’
“Woman’s trusting, confiding nature is beautiful; but oh, how much it needs to be protected by an intelligence on such subjects that will enable her properly to exercise her own judgment! And surely, in such cases, above all others, a woman should be sure that her medical adviser has had a proper education, and possesses a well-established moral character.
Effects of Imagination in Reference to these Diseases.
“Besides the evils of misunderstanding and mistreating these affections, we have a host of evils from the effects of imagination. Multitudes of women, who hear terrific accounts of the nature of these complaints, and of the treatment that is inevitable, have their imagination so excited that aches and pains that are really trifling become magnified into all the symptoms of the dreaded evil. They betake themselves to bed, become more and more nervous as they give up air, exercise, and occupation, and thus drag out a useless life, a burden to themselves and to their families. Again and again I have had such cases brought to me, where for years they could not leave their beds or walk at all, when I had nothing to do but make them understand their own organism, and convince them that they needed little else except to get up and go to work, in order to be healthy women. It is such cases that furnish a large portion of the ‘wonderful cures’ that attract patients into the hands of poorly-qualified practitioners.
“It is probable that thousands of women who are suffering from pain in the back and pelvic evils, and who either will soon be invalids or imagine themselves so, could be relieved entirely by obeying these directions:
“Wash the whole person, on rising, in cool water, and, if nervous or debilitated, by a fire; dress loosely, and let all the weight of clothing rest on the shoulders; sleep in a well-ventilated room; exercise the muscles a great deal, especially those of the arms and trunk, taking care to lie down and rest as soon as fatigue is felt; eat simple food, at regular hours; pursue useful employments, with intervals of social and healthful amusement; sleep enough, and at the proper hours; and sit often in the sun.
Peculiar Instruction needed by Young Children.
“Through information gained from my husband, from other physicians, from teachers, from medical writers, and from the reports of insane hospitals, it has become clear to my mind that there are secret and terrific causes preying extensively upon the health and nervous energy of childhood and youth of both sexes such as did not formerly exist, and such as demand new efforts to eradicate and prevent.
“Parents and teachers all over the land need to be made aware that a secret vice is becoming frequent among children of both sexes that is taught by servants and communicated by children at school. Indeed, it may result from accident or disease, with an innocent unconsciousness of the evil done, on the part of the child, while the practice may thus ignorantly be perpetuated to maturity. This practice leads to diseases of the most horrible description, to mania, and to fatuity. Death and the mad-house are the last resort of these most miserable victims.
“To protect childhood and youth from this, it is not only needful to cultivate purity of mind and personal modesty, but to teach them while quite young that any fingering of the parts referred to involves terrible penalties. No such explicit information should be given as would tempt the incautious curiosity of childhood, but the child should be impressed with a sense of guilt and awful punishment as connected with any thing of this kind, that would instantly recur to mind, if led by accident or instruction to this vice.
“In regard to those who have already become victims, to a greater or less degree, to this vice, one caution is very important. Medical writers and others who have attempted to guard the young in this direction have painted not only the danger but the wickedness of this practice in such strong colors that, when a young person first discovers the nature of a practice that has been indulged with little conception of the danger or wrong, overaction on the fears and the conscience is not unfrequently the result. Such horror and despair sometimes ensue as almost paralyze any effort on the part of medical advisers to remedy the evil.
“In all such cases, it is safest and best to assume that the sin is one of ignorance, and that the cure is almost certain, if the directions given are strictly obeyed. Unstimulating diet, a great deal of exercise in the open air, daily ablution of the whole person, control of the imagination, and occupation of the mind in useful pursuits, will usually remedy the evil, after its nature is understood.”
[A lady, after reading the above, stated that within the last year a little boy under her care, of very delicate mind and susceptible temperament, was sent to the country to a private boarding-school, under the care of a most excellent gentleman and his wife, who were eminently faithful, so far as they knew how to be. The child staid only six weeks, and returned sick, depressed, and with a burden on his mind that could not be discovered. After learning that he would not be sent back, he revealed the shocking story, and also the fact that the boys had threatened to kill him if he ever told any one.
Another lady, after reading this article, related a similar story of a large and highly respected boarding-school for boys, and gave several mournful incidents to show the effects of such evils on the health of the pupils. Parents whose young sons are at boarding-school can not be too much alarmed on this subject.]
Instructions at a more Mature Age.