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
It is a deplorable state of affairs that women, not knowing what a
normal climacteric is, attribute all hemorrhages, no matter how
severe, to the change of life. Therefore, regarding the hemorrhage as
a necessary evil, they fail to consult a specialist until the
favorable time for eradicating the disease by means of an operation
has passed. And whatever knowledge science may bring in the future as
to the cure of cancer, at present it is a fact universally agreed upon
that early operation, while the cancer is still local, is the only
radical cure for the disease.
Pruritus Vulvae. Perhaps one of the most annoying and obstinate
symptoms of the menopause is pruritus vulvae. This is sometimes caused
by sugar in the urine; there is a congestion of the liver which
results in sugar being thrown into the system and this is eliminated
by the kidneys. It is quite possible that this is due to the altered
circulatory conditions of the menopause.
Kidney Disease.-- The last pathologic condition which we will mention
is kidney disease. Le Gendre believes that the menopause exerts a
deleterious effect on the kidneys, whether this be a congestion,
followed by a diminution in the quantity of urine, or a sort of
auto-intoxication due to the retention of a poison in the system that
has been prevented from leaving by the ordinary path.
Armstrong says that in almost all cases at the time of the menopause
the amount of urine passed is below normal, the specific gravity is
increased, and that the urine contains urates and almost always uric
acid in excess. Further, that the functions of digestion and
assimilation and the various metabolic changes are so largely under
the control of the nerve-centers that nothing seems more likely than
that so great a disturbance of that system as takes place at the
menopause should cause secondary derangements of these most important
functions. That being so, the blood becomes loaded with waste
products, and the usual symptoms follow-- gout and so forth.
It has been a grave question in the mind of the medical profession
whether the dangers that certainly do attend the menopause are natural
or acquired; that is, could these dangers be averted by any
precautions or hygienic measures on the part of women, or are these
dangers a necessary accompaniment of this period of life?
Tilt has reached the conclusion that: "The best way to avoid the
dangers of this critical time is to meet its approach with a healthy
constitution. A marked want of strength prevents the regular
succession of the vital phenomena by which all critical periods are
carried on. And as the change of life is marked by debility, when this
is grafted on constitutional weakness, loss of power will be of long
duration. All complaints remain chronic because there is not stamina
enough to carry them through their stages."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account