Fleshy or excessively fat women, and those who experience excessive
menstruation; those who are hysterical, nervous, irritable, or
excessively sensitive; those who have a very fair complexion, and are
rickety, scrofulous, or have any other taint of the general system;
those who have dropsy, or are affected with cancers; those who drink tea
and coffee freely, and eat habitually highly concentrated and
stimulating food; those who live a life of excitement, frequenting
balls, parties, and theaters late at night; those who are in the habit
of much novel reading, and perhaps, above all, those who, in connection
with their sensual and worse than brutish husbands, abuse the marital
privileges, are most apt to abortion. If husbands have any regard for
the physical welfare of either their wives or offspring, or even their
own health, let them refrain from all sexual indulgences during the
period of the wife’s pregnancy. Dr. Edward Baynard, a quaint but able
English writer, one hundred and fifty years ago, in speaking of the evil
effects of swathing and dressing infants too tightly, indulged in the
following reflections: “’Tis a great shame that greater care is not
taken in so weighty an affair, as is the birth and breeding of that
noble creature, man; and, considering this stupid and supine negligence,
I have often wondered that there are so many men as there are in the
world; for what by abortions, too often caused by the unseasonable, too
frequent, and boisterous drunken addresses of the husband to the wife,
when young with child, and her high feeding, spiced meats, soups, and
sauces, which, with strait lacings, dancings, and the like, one full
half of the men begotten are destroyed in the shell, squabbed in the
nest, murdered in embryo, and never see light; and half of the other
half are overlaid, poisoned by ill food, and killed at nurse,” etc.
Terror, fright, and excessive fatigue, also, not unfrequently cause
abortion. All unpleasant sights, and all undue mental excitements,
should be, as far as possible, avoided by those who are pregnant.
There are vile books in circulation, sold too, sometimes, by highly
respectable booksellers, in which the writers affirm that abortion can
be produced _without any harm to the constitution_. There is one
physician in this city, whose book we saw a few days since in a
bookstore in the city of Boston, in which he proposes to effect abortion
with perfect safety; but, for the package of medicine, a fee of ten
dollars must be sent, of course, in advance. It may be of service to
some who may peruse these pages, for me to inform them, that there is
always great danger in causing the expulsion of the fetus. The most
powerful medicines for this purpose are often known to fail. Gastritis,
enteritis, peritonitis, and death itself, has been caused by medication,
without causing the intended abortion. And in those cases where the
desired object is by chance brought about, sad is it to think, what for
years must be the health. Even life-long misery and suffering have often
been caused by drugging the system to produce abortion.
You have read those lines of Ovid, which Dryden gives us:
“But righteous vengeance of their crimes pursues,
And they are lost themselves who would their children lose,
The poisonous drugs, with mortal juices fill
Their veins, and undesigned themselves they kill.
Themselves upon the bier are breathless borne
With hair tied up, which was in ringlets worn.”
Women cannot be too careful of their bodily health during the period of
pregnancy. If they would avoid, among a multitude of evils, the great
misfortune of abortion, they cannot be too vigilant, and watchful, and
careful in all matters pertaining to health at this time. Any imprudence
here, such as would scarcely be noticed at other times, may lay the
foundation for much future suffering.
I am here led to remark, that _too much_ labor and exercise, as well as
idleness and habits of effeminacy generally, in this hard-working
country of ours, not unfrequently cause this evil. Lazy people do
habitually too little; industrious people often too much.
It appears that abortions are becoming more and more frequent in this
country at the present day. It is notorious that the habits of Americans
are not now as simple as they formerly were. More tea and coffee are
drank, more rich and stimulating food is used, and there is a vast deal
more idleness withal. Formerly labor was more dignified, more respected;
but labor now is degrading. It is not _fashionable_ to spin, weave,
knit, sew, wash, and to make bread, as in the good days of our
grandmothers. People are everywhere growing more indolent. “The sluggard
will not plow by reason of the cold; he shall, therefore, beg in
harvest, and have nothing.” So, also, those who will not employ the
limbs and muscles which God has given them for use, cannot have
permanent and enduring health at any price.
But it is asked, Would you pay all attention to physical culture, and
neglect the mental? I answer, no. I would have my daughters taught
music, painting, drawing, as well as science generally, but on no
account would I do this at the expense of bodily health. Nor is there
any need of this; the highest possible cultivation of the mental
manifestations can only be accomplished when the physical powers are
suitably and proportionably developed to their fullest extent. “A sound
mind in a sound body, is nature’s inevitable law.” There is yet one evil
pertaining to the subject of abortion, an increasing one too, in some
parts of our country at least, of which I should speak.
Abortion, it will thus be seen, is a serious evil. Its consequences may,
in general terms, be condensed as follows:
1. A stronger tendency to a recurrence of the evil. Those who miscarry
once are much more apt to do so again.
2. Menorrhagia, or an immoderate flow of the menses.
3. Irregularity of the monthly periods; these occurring either too often
or too seldom, and attended with much prostration of the general health.
4. Dysmenorrhea, or painful, laborious menstruation, accompanied often
with more pain and suffering than attend labor itself.
5. Hysteria, or hysterics, depression of spirits, disquietude,
dissatisfaction with life, its pursuits, pleasures, and enjoyments, and
an habitual melancholic state of mind.
6. Dyspepsia, with all its train of pains and penalties. This picture,
terrible as it may appear, is no imaginary one. Every well-informed
physician will at once recognize the truth of all that has been
affirmed. It is a bad state of the system which allows of abortion. One
abortion ordinarily is far more trying and worse upon the constitution,
than two labors at full term.
_Means of Prevention._—In speaking of the evils of abortion, the means
of preventing such an occurrence have necessarily been hinted at. There
are yet other things, however, which should be referred to on this
subject.
It will naturally suggest itself to every reflecting mind, that the
great object to be attained in regard to the prevention of abortion, is
a thorough, habitual, and permanent cultivation of the physical powers.
Invigorate the general system to its fullest extent; accomplish this,
not only for a single time, but, as it were, perpetually, by daily and
never-ceasing effort. Is not health the greatest of all earthly
blessings? How, then, in order to secure it, can we do or sacrifice too
much?
In reference to the prevention of abortion, let the following
particulars be observed:
1. _The use of cold water._ In all cases of abortion there is too great
laxity of the system; there is a want of tonicity, so to say; the fibers
are, as it were, unstrung. Cold bathing, for its tonic, constringing,
and invigorating effect, has for centuries been recommended as a most
valuable means of preventing this evil. In pregnancy, the same general
principles should be observed in fortifying and invigorating the general
health as at other times. No violence should be done to the system. A
general bath in the morning, cool or cold, according to the individual’s
strength; a hip or sitz-bath of five or ten minutes’ duration, two or
three times during the day, and an ablution with water, not too cold, on
going to rest, will ordinarily be sufficient for the daily routine of
treatment in those cases where there is tendency to abortion; such a
course is, in fact, good at all times. The wet girdle, elsewhere
explained, will often be of advantage; but to make it a tonic or
strengthening application, as it should always be under these
circumstances, great care must be taken that it does not become too
warm. This is very apt to be the case in hot weather. It must then be
changed often and rewet. If it becomes too hot, it weakens the system
instead of strengthening it, thus tending to cause the very difficulty
it is intended to prevent. “Injecting cold water into the vagina twice
or thrice a day,” says Dr. Burns, in his work on midwifery, “has often a
good effect, at the same time that we continue the shower-bath.” And
this writer also observes, “that when there is much aching pain in the
back, it is of service to apply cloths to it, dipped in cold water, or
gently to dash cold water on it, or employ a partial shower-bath, by
means of a small watering can.” Water, let it be remembered, is the
greatest of all tonics to the living system.
2. _Feather beds and overheated rooms._ These have much to do in causing
abortions. People ought never to sleep on a feather bed, unless,
possibly, very old and feeble persons, who have long been accustomed to
them. In such cases it might not always be safe to make a change in cold
weather suddenly. But for a pregnant woman to sleep on a feather bed is
one of the worst of practices. And here also I must mention that feather
pillows, as well as feather beds, do a great amount of harm. Even those
who have emancipated themselves from the evils of feather beds usually
retain the feather pillow. It is a wise old maxim, “to keep the head
cool.” The head has blood enough, more than any other part of the
system, to keep it warm. No person, not even the youngest infant, should
ever sleep on a bed or pillow made of feathers. The animal effluvia
coming from them is bad, and the too great amount of heat retained about
the surface debilitates the system in every respect.
3. _Undue mental excitements._ Let those who are pregnant avoid
theaters, balls, and parties late at night, all highly excitable public
meetings, whether literary, political, or religious, and all undue
mental and moral excitements of whatever kind. In no situation is it
more necessary for a human being to maintain a pleasant, consistent, and
equable frame of mind, and good and permanent health of body, than in
pregnancy.
4. _Sexual indulgences._ The more strictly chaste and free from sexual
indulgences, the better for the woman during pregnancy.
5. _Recurrence of abortion._ Every succeeding miscarriage is more apt to
be followed by a recurrence of the evil; the body, as it were, like the
mind, is capable of getting into bad habits. Those who have abortion
oftenest are most liable to their recurrence; and every attack is more
apt to be worse than the preceding one.
6. _General health._ Abortion always indicates a bad state of the system
generally. A person of really good health could scarcely have abortion.
Possibly fright, unpleasant occurrences, or accidents, might cause such
a result. Abortion always injures the general health. Labor at full term
is natural, and is therefore attended with less danger. Abortions are
unnatural.
7. _Vegetable diet._ This was observed by the celebrated Dr. Cheyne, of
England, to have a great influence in preventing abortion; milk,
however, which is in some sense a form of animal food, was generally
used. A total milk and seed diet, as Dr. Cheyne terms it, was a most
excellent means of preventing unfertility and abortion.
8. _Tea, coffee, and spices._ All stimulants, that is, articles which do
not go to nourish the system, such as tea, coffee, tobacco, wine,
porter, spirits, and the like, should be strictly avoided. All
stimulation of the system is followed, necessarily, by commensurate
depression. A person takes a stimulant, and feels better for the time.
In the same proportion as the stimulation will be the consequent
depression. The more a stimulant is used, the more necessity will there
be to keep up the habit; and the more the habit is followed, the weaker
does the system become. Thus in pregnancy, by the use of stimulation,
the system becomes more liable to abortion.
9. _Exercise._ More than one hundred years ago, the celebrated Dr.
Cheyne remarked, concerning abortion and its causes, as follows: “It is
a vulgar error to confine tender-breeding women to their chambers,
couches, or beds, during all the time of their pregnancy. This is one of
the readiest ways to make them miscarry. It is like the common advice of
some unskillful persons to such as have anasarcous or dropsical legs;
namely, to keep them up in chairs, on a level with their seats, which is
the ready way to throw up the humors into their bowels, and fix them
there. The only solid and certain way to prevent miscarriage, is to
pursue all those means and methods that are the likeliest to procure or
promote good health, of which air and gentle exercise are one of the
principal. All violence or excesses of every kind are to be carefully
avoided by the parturient; but fresh air, gentle exercise, walking,
being carried in a sedan or chaise on even ground, is as necessary as
food or rest, and therefore is never to be omitted, when the season will
permit, by tender breeders.”
In my next letter I shall speak in detail concerning the special
treatment that should be adopted in these cases.
LETTER XV.
DISORDERS OF PREGNANCY.
The Evils of Abortion—The great Danger of bringing it on
purposely—Cases—Illustrations of the Methods of Cure—Uterine
Hemorrhage—Cases of Cure.
In the summer of 1849, walking down the Bowery, in the city of New York,
I fell in company with a lady whom I had attended in childbirth, some
three years previously. She was of middling stature, and I should judge
twenty-five or six years of age. She said she had been for some time
desiring to speak to me concerning her health. Since the birth of her
last child she had a number of times experienced abortion, at three or
four months from the commencement of pregnancy. She could not understand
why it should be so; she was tolerably careful in diet, and bathed, to
some extent, daily. She was, perhaps, in her husband’s store too much of
the time, standing upon her feet, waiting upon customers, etc. Formerly
she was a great walker, and could endure a good deal of fatigue, but
latterly she was becoming less and less able to take long walks. She
soon became fatigued, whereas, formerly, she could go to almost any
extent in pedestrian exercise. The question was, how to avoid these
abortions and their ill consequences. I gave her advice concerning diet,
bathing, exercise, etc., and the next day wrote her husband
substantially as follows:
“DEAR SIR—Your very worthy wife inquired of me yesterday what she
should do in reference to preventing abortions, to which she is of
late growing subject. I advised her the following treatment:
“1. Perform thorough ablution on rising in the morning. Drink some
water, and walk in the open air, but not so much as to induce great
fatigue. Housework is very good, but going into the open air, an hour
or thereabout before dinner, will be better.
“2. Take the rubbing wet-sheet, and after it the sitting-bath ten
minutes. Take also some kind of exercise before and after this bath.
“3. In the afternoon practice the same thing as in the forenoon.
“4. The rubbing wet-sheet on going to rest.
“5. It is very important that due attention be paid to diet. She
should eat no meat, butter, and as little sweet as possible. Rice,
brown bread, Indian mush, hominy or samp, potatoes, good fruits, and
milk—these are the best articles for her.
“6. In addition to the above advice which I gave to your wife, there
is a very important matter to be observed. Do you not practice too
frequent cohabitation with her? This is, perhaps, of all, the most
prominent among the causes of abortion. Taking a survey of the animal
kingdom, we observe it to be a law, that animals do not cohabit during
the period of pregnancy.
“Knowing that you are a kind and good-hearted husband and desire the
best good of your wife, I take the liberty of submitting to you the
following rules, which, I am confident, you will agree with me will be
safe:
“1. Always sleep separately for six months at least, and twelve would
be better. By that time we have every reason to believe your wife will
enjoy her natural health.
“2. Suppose that after these six or twelve months, pregnancy again
occurs, sleep then again separately during the entire period, and at
the same time let your wife follow a similar course in water, diet,
exercise, etc., to that I have above recommended.
“Then will she be able to prevent those disastrous consequences of
frequent abortion.”
_Case II._—In the spring of 1845, I was called upon by a gentleman and
his lady for advice in regard to herself, she being then at about the
middle of the term of pregnancy. She was threatened, as she believed,
frequently with abortion. The year previously she had had a bad
miscarriage, which was occasioned by a fall. She was of scrofulous habit
of body, and had borne already seven or eight children, a number of whom
had died.
I directed the patient to practice general ablution two or three times
daily, with hip-baths of short duration, to exercise in the open air,
and ride frequently, according as she could bear; but to be careful
never to do too much at a time. A little overdoing would be liable to
cause the difficulty with which she was threatened. The strictest care
in diet I strongly advised her to observe.
She went on faithfully in the fulfillment of these directions, and about
the end of the month of August, in exceedingly hot weather, she gave
birth to her child. She followed the water-treatment resolutely,
according to my directions, and in ten days was able to enjoy very long
walks in the city. Twice she has been pregnant since that time; and at
the time of writing this, has gone to the eighth month without
experiencing any symptoms of abortion.
I should remark, this lady had frequently had miscarriages before the
one above referred to.
_Case III._—A very small, delicate, young woman, of this city, being
about seven months advanced in pregnancy, went to an evening party, at
which she danced. Being very fond of that exercise, she, no doubt,
overdid the matter. Indeed, dancing at all in that condition is rather a
hazardous experiment. Abortion came on, attended with a great deal of
prostration. Water-treatment was practiced in this case, and she
recovered as well as could be expected. She felt very sad at thus having
lost her child, and resolved for the future to do better. Since that she
has succeeded in bringing forth a tolerably healthy offspring.
_Case IV._—I knew, some years since, a young married lady, in the city
of Boston, who was much addicted to novel reading, and going to balls,
theaters, parties, etc., at night. She walked a long way one very hot,
sultry night in midsummer, and became overheated and fatigued. On
arriving home she commenced bleeding, which became so severe that before
a physician could be obtained she fainted many times, and apparently
came very near losing her life.
_Case V._—I recollect a case which occurred some years ago—one, indeed,
which I shall not soon forget, because of the fatigue and anxiety it
caused me. A gentleman came after me in the night time, telling me that
his wife was bleeding, and had already bled to such an extent that he
believed she would be dead before I could get to her. On arriving at the
house, I found she had fainted many times, and that she had bled
enormously, and even then there was no amendment of the symptoms. I do
not know that I ever saw a person apparently so near death from
hemorrhage as this lady, and yet recover. I had to remain with her
almost constantly for two days and nights, before she appeared to be at
all safe.
Years afterward, this lady gave me the following information respecting
the cause of that frightful abortion:
Suspecting that she had become pregnant, and much against her
inclination at the time, she resolved upon procuring an abortion.
Pregnancy, she said, at that time would interfere very much with her
comfort, arrangements, etc. She consulted a lady-clairvoyant in
reference to the matter. The clairvoyant could not even tell her whether
pregnancy existed or not; but to make safe in the matter, she ordered
some vegetable teas to be drank in large quantities, which she said
would expel the fetus, if one existed. She thus went on for some time.
Her general health became deranged by the dosing, and yet no abortion
was procured. Afterward, more powerful medicines were directed by the
clairvoyant. These she found were at length making great mischief with
her health; her stomach became very much deranged, and a regular tertian
intermittent set in, yet no abortion came on.
At length, one day her children fell down stairs. Hearing them, she ran
down two flights with the greatest precipitation, and as if she were in
no sense delicate in health. This, together with the fright she
experienced, prostrated her system very much, caused a great trembling
to come over her, which soon resulted in the miscarriage I have referred
to.
It was a long time—many months—before this patient recovered any thing
like her former health. She was low-spirited, dull, inactive, and could
take no comfort of life.
_Case VI._—Two years after this the same lady was again pregnant. One
day she did a very large washing, together with other kinds of work, and
became much exhausted. This, again, brought on miscarriage, attended
with fearful bleeding as before. A resolute course of treatment was
practiced, and thus she was again rescued from danger; but such attacks
are always worse than labor at full time.
_Case VII._—While I have been writing and arranging these letters, I
have been called to visit a lady who has been pregnant a few weeks the
second time. Her first child has been somewhat ill from teething—in
fact, a good deal sick for some days and nights, and taking care of him,
bathing, dressing, applying the bandages, etc., to him, has made her
quite weak. Two or three days ago, her husband was gone from home of an
evening, and being a very punctual man in such matters, as all _good_
husbands are, his wife expected him home early. He was, however,
hindered beyond his time. This caused her a good deal of anxiety,
although he had a friend with him. Soon after his return, bearing-down
pains came on, and some discharge. Afterward she got better, and then in
a day or two much worse. The mother-in-law gave her gin, the
old-fashioned way to help on the courses, not believing, I suppose, that
she was pregnant. But nature did better than the dosing; it would not
let her abort. About this time I was sent for, whereupon I told her to
keep pretty quiet, put on a heavy wet girdle, and change it as often as
she felt bearing-down pain—every hour or two, at farthest. The cloth
worn upon the genitals, under such circumstances, was also to be kept
wet in cold water. But first of all, she was to take a good washing by
sitting before a fire in a wash-tub, with tepid water, but not quite
warm. This gave her a good deal of relief. In the morning I found her
quite well, and free from pain and discharge.
It is far from being my wish, by any of these letters, to fill your
minds with unpleasant thoughts or ideas of horror. But it occurred to me
that you were, perhaps, many of you not aware that there are vile
persons in our great cities who make it a regular business to procure
abortions. Now I need not repeat to you, that a practice so wicked and
unnatural as this must necessarily be fraught with great danger.
I thought I would present you with the account of a case of this kind,
given us by a celebrated professor of this city, Dr. G. S. Bedford. It
is as follows:
“Mrs. M—— was the mother of two children, and had been suffering
extremely, for the last fourteen hours, from strong expulsive pains,
which, however, had not caused the slightest progress in the delivery. I
was likewise informed, that about four hours before I saw the case, Dr.
Miner, an experienced physician, had been sent for, and, after
instituting a vaginal examination, remarked to the attending physicians,
that, in all his practice, he had never met with a similar case. Dr.
Miner suggested the administration of an anodyne, and having other
professional engagements, left the house. Mrs. M—— was taken in labor
Monday, December 18th, at 7 o’clock, P. M., and on Sunday, at 7 o’clock,
P. M., I first saw her. Her pains were then almost constant, and such
had been the severity of her suffering, that her cries for relief, as
her medical attendants informed me, had attracted crowds of people about
the door. As soon as I entered her room, she exclaimed, ‘For God’s sake,
doctor, cut me open, or I shall die; I never can be delivered without
you cut me open!’ I was struck with her language, especially as I had
already been informed that she had previously borne two children.
“On assuring her that she was in a most perilous situation, and at the
same time promising that we would do all in our power to rescue her, she
voluntarily made the following confession: