So that women only can become prep. Sant while the menses continue ; and they appear to be more susceptible of conception immediately before and di rectly after them, than at any other part of the month. Also, in all animals, there is a discharge somewhat analogous to it, which is them is called heat. This date is very nearly allied to it ; and is well en. derteood by boys, not one of whom, when buying a doe-rabit, will pay half the price for it, if not in heat, as if she be in heat ; he has nothing to do, but, by press ing with his thumb, to invert a portion of the vagina, and if it be red and covered thickly with blood-vessels, he knows it Indicates heat, and is what he looks for ; but if the vagina be smooth and white, every boy knows that he must keep that rabbit on bran and other expensive provisions for a month, before she will take the buck.
Menstruation may be the subject of disease from irregularity, obstruction, ex cess, or painful extrusion.
irrepskse alfensfruatien. This may re gard its time of accession or cessation. It may be irregular in its monthly return or as to the quantity of fluid lost at each period; it may arise too early in life, or continue too late. The first considera tion is where it arises too early in life ; perhaps, however, there is no such thing as menstruation beginning too early in life, except as •connected with a com plaint. It may arise from too great strength of constitution and vascular ac tion ; from increased fulness of vessels, depending on too large a quantity of ani mal food for the wear and tear of the constitution. There is a full face ; a full pulse ; a throbbing in the head ; the breasts are full, with a warm imagination. This secretion arises properly at sixteen; but here it begins at twelve or thirteen. As in this case it arises from too much blood, we should take some away ; pre scribe purges and strong exercise ; but the medicine must be chosen. Rhubarb, jalap, senna, colocynth, and aloes, are not calculated to diminish the quantity of blood ; they only increase the peristaltic motion of the intestines. Saline purga tives should be preferred, and a spare diet must be insisted upon.
The other state of the menses is where they stay too late ; this is more common than the preceding affection, and more especially in large towns. It occurs where there is too little blood, and the uterus is not in a state fit for conception. The pulse is weak, the appetite disorder ed, the countenance pale, the constitu tion below par in point of strength. We will now consider both the states just de scribed. The first will be liable to sodden inflammation of the lungs, and has that State of body which predisposes to what is called a galloping consumption. The other will generally be more or less a scrophulow habit, disposed to go intu a decline or slow consumption. Here the mode of treatment adopted in chlorosis may be superadded to that for the restor ing health by sea-bathing, if the lungs be not any way affected, and the stomach is good order, but not where there is a weak stomach or oppressed respiration.
Of dhsemerrhea, sr obstructed Mettartsa hon. Of this there are two kinds; one the acute, or accidental ; the other the chronic. The acute, or accidental, arises where there is perfect health up to the time of menstruating, and the patient takes cold at the point of discharge. or even while menstruating, and the Sow is prevented, or suddenly ceases.
Obstructed menstruation generally de pends upon the application of cold ; this will produce a fever which will stop it. if coming on, and arrest its progress, where it has already commenced. la all such cases there is pain in the head, back, and loins, pain in the limbs, with all the symptoms marking fever. If we know of this early, we may with ease give re lief. We may always take away blood, and clear the bowels; rhubarb is the best medicine ; then a saline draught, with antimonials in such quantity as to come short of vomiting, and five or six drops of laudanum, or four of five grains of ipeca cuailha every six hours. The warm bath
is productive of advantage, where appli ed soon after the complaint has begun. Where the slipper bath is not at hand, the lower part of the body may be seat ed in a volume of tepid water in a large tub, or the convenient vehicle called a hip bath ; after which the patient must be made very dry, and put into a warm bed, and use the remedies before men tioned; and the discharge will return, or, if not immediately, it will ultimately re turn, and the health remain unimpaired : but, if the menstruating period be passed over, it then becomes a chronic obstruc tion, the symptoms attending which are very destructive of female health.
Of the chronic obstruction of menstru ation there are also two kinds, which have each a distinct set of symptoms ; those of plethora, and those of weak ness ; and chronic obstruction, depending on plethora, may degenerate into that kind depending on weakness. The patient will first be taken with symptoms which only belong to plethora, and after that arise those belonging to weakness. The young are most liable to the first kind, in whom the quantity of blood is much in creased beyond what it should be, by lux urious habits, and where too little exer cise is taken for the quantity of food; and even here it will not often lead to oh. anodic's, unless the occasional cause is applied by taking cold : when this does really happen, the attack of fever may be so slight as not to be observed by the pa tient. Where we see all the signs of the system being loaded with blood, we should certainly take some away : where the pulse is hard, full, strong, and Ire. quent ; the skin dry and hot, more thirst than there should be, with pain in the head, back, and loins: where, especially, instead of an active disposition, we see a desire to be always by the fire, and the girl at the seine time liable to giddiness. Here the pulse is nearly up to 100, which being an increase of more than beats in every minute, the effects of such increased melon is, that the strength will be worn out, and the chronic obstruction from plethora be changed into the chromic obstruction from weakness; the reason is this, that the action is so strong that it may, by continuing, exhaust the powers of life ; nothing indeed exhausts the strength of the system so much as in creased action of the heart and arteries: for it is not the pulsating arteries alone that are affected, but in the same propor tion is the action of all the capillary ves sels in the body increased, so that the whole extent of increased action is pro digious. It being known that the se. tion arising from obstructed menstruation with plethora brings on weakness, it might be expected that the strength of action would be brought gradually down to the point of health ; but that never happens; it sinks below it. This sort of obstructed menstruation must be treated by evacuation, by bleeding; but the foot is not preferable, as we do not get blood enough by opening the vena saphens, unless the foot be immersed in warm wa ter ; and if this be done, we are unable to tell the quantity we take, unless we from time to time measure the water. The best way, then, is to bleed from the arm, and with bleeding to use purgative medi eines ; the patient should take much ex ercise and little sleep, and, on the inter mediate day to those on which we give the purgatives, we should give saline draughts. The effect of this will be, that she will be brought down from great and morbid action to the state of health and it is fifty to one but the menstrual dis charge returns immediately.