The first point we would urge is, that the woman who finds herself thus afflicted should seek to have such a position that she can rest. If she is burdened with family cares, let her, if possible, diminish or escape them for a time. A rest of a month or two, not at a fashionable watering-place, nor at a first-class hotel in some noisy city, but in quiet lodgings, or with some sympathizing friend, will be of great advantage. This she should obtain without travelling too far. Prolonged motion in railway carriages is in every instance injurious. If it must be undertaken, for instance, in order to consult a qualified physician or to reach some friends, the modern appliances of comfort, such as air-cushions, foot-rests, and head-supports, should be provided. They cost but little, and to the invalid their value is great. No such journey should be undertaken at or near the time when the monthly illness might come on, as the suffering is always greater at these periods.
The pleasant associations which group themselves around a happy home are an important element in the treatment of diseases which, like these, are so intimately connected with the mind and nervous system. It will not do heedlessly to throw such advantages away. When the home is pleasant, and rest can there be had, the patient, in the majority of instances, will do well to abide there. But when this is not the case, for any reason, be it domestic infelicities, in which the husband has a share,—be it disagreeable relatives, or importunate and tedious visitors,—then the sooner such a mental weight is removed or avoided the better.
The diet is a very common subject of error. It is popularly supposed that everybody who is weak should eat a 'strengthening' diet,—meat three times a day,—eggs, ale, and beef-tea to any extent. This is a great error. Frequently such a diet has just the contrary effect from what is expected. The patient becomes dyspeptic, nervous, and more debilitated than ever. The rule is, that only that diet is strengthening which is thoroughly digested, and taken up in the system. Frequently, we may say in the majority of cases, a small amount of animal food, especially game, fowls, fish, and soups, with fresh vegetables, and ripe fruits, will be far more invigorating than heavier foods. Pastry, cakes, and confectionery should be discarded, and great regularity in the hours of meals observed. Stimulants of all kinds are, as a rule, unnecessary, and highly spiced food is to be avoided. There is an old German proverb which says, 'Pepper helps a man on his horse, and a woman to her grave.' This is much too strong; but we may avail ourselves, in this connection, of the grain of truth that it contains.
Cleanliness, in its widest sense, is an important element in the treatment. Not only should the whole surface of the body be thoroughly washed several times a week, but the whole person should be soaked by remaining in the water for an hour or more. This has an excellent effect, and is far from unpleasant. It was regarded in the days of ancient Rome as such a delightful luxury, and such a necessity, indeed, that every municipality erected public bathing establishments, with furnaces to heat the water to such a temperature that persons could remain in it for several hours without inconvenience.
The use of public baths is almost unknown in this country; but, in place of them, every modern house of even moderate pretensions has its own bath-room, so that the custom of cleanliness might appear to be hardly less general among all classes than in old Rome.
The difficulty is, that so few people appreciate that to thoroughly cleanse the skin, still more for the bath to have a medicinal effect, it must be prolonged far beyond the usual time we allow it. The European physicians, who, as a rule, attach much greater importance to this than ourselves, require their patients to remain immersed two, three, four, and occasionally even ten or twelve hours daily! This is said to have most beneficial results; but who would attempt to introduce it in this country?
Local cleanliness is of equal importance. This is obtained by means of——
INJECTIONS AND IRRIGATIONS
of simple water, or of some infusion or solution. The use of the syringe as an article of essential service in preserving the health of married women should never be overlooked. Even when they are aware of no tendency to weakness or unusual discharge, it should be employed once or twice a week; and when there is debility or disease of the parts actually present, it is often of the greatest service.
There are many varieties of female syringes now manufactured and sold, some of which are quite worthless. Much the most convenient, cleanly, and efficient is the self-injecting india-rubber syringe, which is worked by means of a ball held in the hand, and which throws a constant and powerful stream. They come neatly packed in boxes, occupying small space, and readily transported from place to place. Much depends on knowing how to apply them. The patient should be seated on the edge of a low chair or stool with a hard seat, immediately over a basin. The tube should then be introduced as far as possible without causing pain, and the liquid should be thrown up for five or ten minutes. About one or two quarts may be used of a temperature, in ordinary cases, a little lower than that of the apartment. Water actually cold is by no means to be recommended, in spite of what some physicians say to the contrary. It unquestionably occasionally leads to those very evils which the judicious use of the syringe is intended to avoid.