The Four Epochs of Woman's Life; A Study in Hygiene — John Shaqi
The Four Epochs of Woman's Life; A Study in HygieneGalbraith, Anna M. (Anna Mary)
Science
The Four Epochs of Woman's Life; A Study in Hygiene
Galbraith, Anna M. (Anna Mary)
Women -- Health and hygiene
A healthy girl needs nothing between meals. A delicate girl will be
the better for a glass of milk in the middle of the morning and at
bed-time; or pure beef juice may be given instead.
Water.-- Water is needed to keep the kidneys properly flushed. The
amount of urine secreted during the twenty-four hours should be three
pints. Of course it will be less than this if the quantity of water is
insufficient. In addition to the urine about ten ounces of water are
lost from the surface of the lungs, and eighteen ounces from the skin,
making a total of about five pints; and this quantity of water must be
taken daily in order to maintain the equilibrium of the body. The
solid food of a mixed diet contains from fifty to sixty per cent. of
water, so that about twenty-five ounces of water are taken into the
system daily as an integral part of the food. In addition, three pints
more should be taken as plain water. The bladder acts as a reservoir
for the urine, and should be emptied at least three or four times a
day.
Constipation.-- In order to keep the digestive system in good
condition, the refuse matter which collects in the lower bowel must be
evacuated every day. And in order to secure this regular bowel
movement, regularity in the time of going to the toilet is a prime
necessity. And now is the time when the habits of a lifetime are being
formed. If a tendency to constipation exists, it can almost always be
overcome by increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables eaten, also
by eating cracked wheat, oatmeal, corn and graham bread; all of which
increase the peristaltic action of the intestines. The small amount of
water taken by girls and women is another fertile source of
constipation.
School Life.-- When it is considered that fully one-half of the girl's
waking hours are spent in school or in study preparing for school, it
becomes evident that the girl's attitude at her desk should be the
correct one. The malpositions at the desk are the most frequent cause
of lateral curvatures, round shoulders, and flat chests. And these
deformities are more common in girls than they are in boys.
The common faults of the desk and seat leading to these malpositions
are unsuitable shape of the back of the seat, too great a distance
between the seat and the desk, and the incorrect slope of the desk.
The edge of the desk should slightly project over the edge of the
chair. The top of the desk should incline downward about ten degrees
toward the student, and be low enough to allow the forearm to rest on
it without raising the shoulder. The seat should be sufficiently deep
to support almost the entire thigh, and close enough to the floor to
allow the soles of the feet to rest firmly on it. The back of the
chair should be arched so as to support the hollow of the back, and
should reach just above the lower part of the shoulder-blades, and so
make it easy and comfortable for even a weakly child to sit upright.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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