SEX KNQ DWLE GE
FOR WOMEN AND G IRLS
WHAT E V E R Y WOM ANAND GIRL SHOULD KNOW
BY'
WILLIAM J. ROBINSON , M .D.
of the Department ofGen ito—Urin aryDiseases an d Dermatology.Bron xHospitalEditor of the American Jou rn al of Urology an d Serology; Editor of The Criti c an d
°
de;Au thor ofTreatmen t ofSexual Impoten ce an d Other Sexual Disordersgn Men an dWomen ;Treatmen t ofGon orrhea m Men an dWomen ; Limitation of080mm"
by thePrevention of Con ception ; Sex Kn ow ledge for Girls an dWomen ; Sexua Problems ofToday; Never-Told Tales; Eu gen ics an d Marriage, etc. Fellow of theNew York Academy of Medici n e, of theAmerican Medical EditorsAssociation , American Medical Association , New York StateMedical Society. In tern ation ale Gesellschaft for Sexual
forschu ng,American Gen etic Association .AmericanAssociation for the Advan cemen t of Sci en ce.American Urological An notation , etc.. etc.
A w oman may kn ow more than is con tain edthe may n ot know
II JRWQPRAJQHD
SECOND EDITION
1917
CR ITIC AND GUIDE COMPANY12 MT. n orm s max. WEST
IQEWV YI EUK
Fox man y years the au thor has been receivin g re
qu ests to write an elemen tary sex book, presen tin g
the variou s sex problems which are of importan ce to
man an d boy, an d to woman an d girl, from his poin t
of view.
“ You are con demn in g the existin g sex
books. How wou ld you impart sex kn owledge to the
average male an d female 1 This w as the su bstan ce
of man y qu estion s. I have given my an swer in Sex
Kn owledge for Men , pu blished several mon ths
ago, an d in the presen t volume. This con tain s the
min imum of What every woman an d girl shou ld
kn ow ’ regardin g their sex . Those women— an d
men—who wan t more kn owledge on the su bject of
sex may con su lt the au thor’s
‘Woman : Her Sex an d
W. J. B .
Febru ary 1, 1917,
12 Mou n t Morris Park West,
CONTENTS
I . THE PARAIIOUNT NEED OE SEx KNOWLEDGE FOR
WOMEN AN D GIRLS
THE FEMALE SEX'
ORGANS : THEIR ANATOMY
THE PHYSIOLOGY or THE FEIIALE SEx ORGAN S
THE SEx IN STINGI‘
MEN S'IR UATION
ABNORMALITIES OE MENSTRUATION
THE HYGIENE OE MENSTRUATION
FEGUNDATION OE FERTILI"ATION
THE DISORDERS or PREGNANCY
WHEN TO ENGAGE A PHYSICIAN
THE SI"E or THE FETUS
THE Am mTH (PLACENTA)
LAcrATION OR NURSING
ABORTION AND MISGARRIAGE
PEENATAD CARE
XV III . STERILITY
THE MENOPAUSE OR CHANGE or 1m
THE HABIT OE MASTURBATION
vi CONTENTScm PAGE
THE V ENmEAL DISEASES
THE ExTENT or V ENEREAL DISEASE
GONORRHEA
V ULV OV AGIN ITIS IN LITTLE GIRLS
SYPHILIS
THE CUR AB ILITY or V ENEREAL DISEASE
V ENmEAL PROPHYLAxIs
BIRTH CONTR OL OR THE LIMITATION or
SPR ING
ADV ICE TO THE MARR IED AND THOSE ABOUT
10 BE
SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR
WOMEN AND G IR LS
CHAPTER ONE
THE PAR AMOUNT NEED OF SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR GIRLS AND WOMEN
THE first reason why sex in stru ction is even more
importan t for girls than it is for boys is becau se a
misstep in a girl has mu ch more disastrou s con se
qu en ces than it has in a boy. The disastrou s re
su lts Of a misstep in a boy are on ly physical in char
acter ; the resu lts of the same misstep in a girl m y
be physical , moral , social an d econ omic. To speak
more plain ly. If a boy, throu gh ign oran ce, rashlyin du lges in illicit sexu al relation s, the worst cou se
qu en co to him may be in fection with a ven ereal dis
ease. Bu t he is n ot con sidered immoral , he is n ot
despised, he is n ot ostracized, he does n ot lose his
social stan din g in the slightest degree, an d when he
is cu red Of his ven ereal disease he has n o dificu lty
in gettin g married. He does n ot even have to con
cea‘
l his past sexu al history from his w ife. Bu t if a
9
10 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
girl makes a misstep the con sequ en ces to her are
terrible in deed ; it may n ot on ly cost her her health
an d social stan din g, she may have to pay with her
very life. She ru n s the risk Of ven ereal in fection
the same as the boy does, bu t in addi tion she ru n s the
risk Of becomin g pregn an t, which in ou r presen t so
cial system is a catastrophe in deed. To save herself
from the disgrace Of an illegitimate child she may
have an abortion produ ced ; the abortion may have
n o bad resu lts, bu t it may, if performed bu n glin gly,leave her an in val id for life , or it may kill her ou t
right. If she is so u n fortu n ate as to be‘
u n able to
get an ybody to produ ce an abortion , she gives birth
to an il legitimate child, which she is forced in most
cases to pu t away in an in stitu tion of some sort
w here she hopes an d prays it may die soon— an d,in
gen eral, it does. If it does n ot die, she has for
the rest Of her life a Damocles sword han gin g over
her head , an d she is in con stan t terror lest her sin
be fou n d ou t. She does n ot permit herself to look for
a mate, bu t if she does get married, the specter Of
her an tematrimon ial experien ce is con stan tly before
her eyes. After years an d years Of married life, the
hu sban dmay divorce her if he fin ds ou t that she had“sin n ed ” before She kn ew him. An d u n less the
hu sban d is a broad-min ded man an d loves her tru ly
an d u n less she made a clean breast Of everythin g to
THE PAR AMOUNT NEED 11
him before marriage, her life is con tin u ou s tortu re.
Bu t even if the girl escaped pregn an cy, the mere
fin din g ou t that She had an illicit experien ce deprives
her Of social stan din g, or makes her a social ou tcast
an d en tirely destroys or greatly min imizes her
chan ces Of ever marryin g an d establishin g a home of
her ow n . She mu st remain a lon ely wan derer to the
en d Of her days.
The en ormou s difieren oe in the resu lts Of a mis
step in a boy an d a girl is clearly seen , an d for this
reason alon e, if for n o other, sex in stru ction is Of
more importan ce to the girl than it is to the boy.
Bu t there are other importan t reason s, an d on e
Of them is beau tifu lly an d tru thfu lly expressed byByron in his tw o well-kn own lin es.
Man ’s love is of man ’
s life a thin g apart,"Bis w oman ’
s whole existen ce.
Yes, love is a woman ’s whole life .
Some modern women might Objact to this. They
might say that this w as tru e of the woman Of the
past, w ho w as exclu ded from al l other aven u es of
human activity. The woman of the presen t day has
other in terests besides those of Love . Bu t I claim
that this is tru e Of on ly a small percen tage of
w omen ; an d in even thi s small min ority of women ,
12 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
social, scien tific an d artistic activities can n ot take
the place Of love ; n omatter how bu sy an d su ccessfu l
these women may be, they will tell you if you en joy
their con fiden ce that they are u n happy, if their love
life is u n satisfactory. Nothin g, n othin g can fill the
voidmade by the lack Of love. The variou s activities
may help to cover u p the void, to protect it from
stran ge eyes, they can n ot fil l it. For essen tially
w oman is made for love. Not exclu sively, bu t essen
tin lly, an d a woman who has had n o love in her life
has been a failu re. The few exception s that may be
men tion ed on ly emphasize the ru l e.
Bu t n ot on ly psychically is a woman ’s love an d
sex life more importan t than a man ’s, physically she
is also mu ch more cogn izan t Of her sex an d mu ch
more hammred by the man ifestation of her sex
n atu re than man is. TO take bu t on e fu n ction ,men stru ation . From the age 13 or 14 to the
age of forty-five or fifty it is a mon thly re
min der to woman that she is a woman , that she is a
creatu re Of sex ; an d, while to man y women this
periodical ly recu rrin g fu n ction is on ly a sou rce Of
some an n oyan ce or discomfort, to a great n umber
it is a cau se of pain , headache , sn fi erin g, or complete
disability. Man has n o su ch phen omen on to an n oy
him practically his whole life.
Bu t more importan t are the resu l ts Of love-u n ion ,
THE PAR AMOUNT NEED 13
Of sex relation s. A man after a sexu al relation is
ju st as free as he w as before. A woman ,if the rela
tion has resu lted in a pregn an cy, which is gen erally
the case , u n less special pain s are taken it shou ld n ot
so resu l t, has n in e trou blesome mon ths before her ,mon ths of discomfort if n ot of actu al sn fi erin g ; she
then has an extremely tryin g an d pain fu l ordeal, that
Of childbirth, an d then there is an other tryin g pe
riod, the period of lactation or of n u rsin g an d Of
brin gin g u p the baby. The pen al ty seems almost too
great.
An d when the woman is on the poin t of ceasin g to
men stru ate she does n ot do so smoothly an d com
fortably. She has to go through a period called the
men opau se, which may last on e or tw o years an d
which may brin g discomforts an d dan gers of its
ow n . Man does n ot have to go throu gh su ch a dis
tin ct period of demarcation separatin g his sexu al
from his n on -sexu al life . Al together it can n ot be
den ied that woman is mu ch more a slave Of her sex
n atu re than man is Of his. Y es, Natu re has han di
capped woman mu ch more heavily than she has man .
In short, both in view Of the fact that sexu al ign oran ce with its possible missteps has mu ch more
disastrou s con sequ en ces for the girl than it has for
the boy, an d in view Of the fact that the sex in stin ct
an d its physical an d psychic man ifestation s occu py
14 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
a mu ch more importan t part in woman ’s life than
they do in the life Of man , w e con sider the n ecessity
Of sex in stru ction mu ch greater in the case Of woman
than in the case Of man . I do n ot wish to be mis
u n derstood as u n derestimatin g the n eed Of sex in
stru ction for the mal e— on ly I con sider the n eed
even greater in the case Of the female.
CHAPTER Tw o
THE FEMALE SEX ORGANS : THEIR
THE organ s which primarily distin gu ish on e sex
from the other are the sex organ s. It is by the aid
Of the sex organ s that children are begotten an d
brou ght in to the world, that the race is reprodu ced
an d perpetu ated. It is for this reason that the sex
organ s are also called the Reprodu ctive Organ s.
The first thin g w e mu st do is to become familiar
with the stru ctu re an d location Of the sex organ s ;in other words, w e mu st get a fair idea of their
An atomy.
The female sex organ s, also called the reprodu c
tive or gen erative organ s, are divided in to in tern al
an d extern al. The in tern al are the most importan t
an d con sist of : the ovaries, Fallopian tu bes, u teru s
or womb, an d vagin a. The extern al sex organ s of
the female are : the vu lva, hymen , an d clitoris.
Amon g the extern al organ s are also gen erally in
clu ded the mon s Ven eris an d the breasts or mammary glan ds.
16 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
THE INTERNAL SEX ORGANS
The Ovaries. The ovaries are the essen tial organ s
Of reprodu ction . For it is they that gen erate the
eggs , or ova, or 0011163, which, after becomin g fer
tilized or femmdated by the spermatozoa of the male,
develop in to children . Withou t the ovaries Of the
female, the same as withou t the testicles of the mal e
(to which they correspon d) , n o children cou ld be
begotten , an d the en tire human race wou ld qu ickly
disappear from ou r plan et. The ovaries are two in
n umber ; they are embedded in the broad ligamen ts
which su pport the womb in the pelvis, on e on each
side Of the womb . They are Of a grayish or whitish
pin k color, an d are abou t an in ch an d a hal f lon g,three—qu arters Of an in ch wide, an d on e -third Of an
in ch thick. They weigh from on e-e ighth to on e
qu arter of an Ou n ce . Their su rface is either smooth
or rou gh an d pu ckered. Think Of a large blan ched
THE FEMALE SEx ORGANS 17
almondan d you will have a pretty fair idea of the
The Fallopian Tu bes. The Fallopian tubes (so
called from Fallopiu s, a great an atomist, who dis
covered them ; also called ovidu cts : egg con du ctors,becau se they con du ct the eggs from the ovary in to
the u teru s) are tw o very thi n tu bes, exten din g on e
from each u pper an gle Of the womb to the ovaries ;bu t at their ovarian en d they expan d in to a frin ged
an d trummt-shaped extremity. The frin ges are re
ferred to as fimbria. They are abou t five in ches lon g
an d on ly abou t on e-sixteen th Of an in ch in diameter ;the fu n ction Of the tu bes is to catch the ova as they
bu rst forth from the ovaries an d to con vey them to
the u teru s. Takin g in to con sideration the very n ar
row lxwmen , or cal iber, of the Fallopian tu bes, it is
easy to u n derstan d why even a very slight in flam
mation is apt to clog them u p, to seal their mou ths or
Open in gs, thu s ren derin g the woman sterile, or in ca
pahle Of havin g children . For, if the Fallopian
tu bes are“clogged ”
u p, the eggs, or ova, have n o
w ay Of reachin g the u teru s.
The Greek n ame for the Fallopion tu be is salpin x
(salpin x in Greek mean s tu be ) . An in flammation
Of the Fall opian tube is therefore called salpin gitis.
The Uteru s. The u teru s or womb is the organ in
w hich the fertilized ovum, or egg, grows an d devel
SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
ops in to a child. It is a hollow mu scu lar organ ,
abou t the size of a pear , with thick walls, capable
u n der the in flu en ce of pregn an cy Of great expan sion
an d growth. The broad part Of the pear is called
the body Of the u teru s ; the lower n arrow part is
cal led the n eck Of the u teru s, or cervix. The u teru s
in the adu lt girl or woman is abou t three in ches lon g,two in ches broad in its u pper part an d n early an
in ch thick. It weighs from an Ou n ce to an ou n ce
an d a half. When the u teru s is in a pregn an t con
dition , it in creases en ormou sly, both in size an d in
weight, as w e w i ll see in a fu tu re chapter. The
cavity Of the u teru s is somewhat trian gu lar in shape ;at each u pper an gle is the small open in g commu n i
catin g with the Fallopian tu be ; the u pper portion of
the u teru s is called the fu n du s ; the extern al open in gof the womb, situ ated in the cen ter of the cervix , is
called the mou th of the womb, or the 03, or exter
n al OS .
The u teru s is situ ated in the cen ter Of the pelvis,between the bladder an d the rectum. It is su pported
by certain ligamen ts, the chief”‘
Of which are the
broad ligamen ts ; bu t, on accou n t Of gen eral weak
n ess, too hard physical labor, or liftin g heavy
w eights, the ligamen ts may stretch, an d the u teru s
may sin k down low in the vagin a, an d w e then have
the con dition kn ow n as prolapse of the w omb. Or
THE FEMALE SEX ORGANS 21
The V agin a [vagin a in Latin —a sheath] . The
vagin a is the tu be or can al which serves as a pas
sage-w ay betw een the u teru s an d the ou tside Of the
body. It exten ds from the extern al gen itals or vu lva
to the n eck of the womb, embracin g the latter for
some di stan ce . It is a stron g, fibromu scu lar can al,lin ed with mu cou s membran e. It is n ot smooth in
side, bu t arran ged in folds, or ru gcc, so that when
n ecessary, as du rin g chi ldbirth, it can stretch en or
mou sly an d permit the passage of a child ’s head.
The len gth of the vagin al can al is between three an d
five in ches, bu t it is in gen eral mu ch more capaciou s
in women that have born e on e or more children than
in those who have n ot born e an y.
Near the vagin al en tran ce are situ ated tw o small
glan ds ; they are abou t the size of a pea, an d secrete
mu cu s. They are called Bartholin ’s glan ds ; occa
sion al ly they become in flamed an d give a good deal
Of trou ble .
The Hyman [hymen in Greek— a membran e] . The
extern al open in g Of the vagin a, in virgin s, that is, in
girls or women w ho have n ot had sexu al in tercou rse,is almost en tirely closed by a membran e called the
hymen . The vu lgar n ame for hymen is “ maiden
head. The hym en may be of variou s shapes, an d Of
difl eren t con sisten cy. In some girls it is a very thi n
membran e, which tears very readily ; in others it is
SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
qu ite tou gh. On the u pper margin or in the cen ter
of the hymen there is an open in g which permits an ysecretion from the vagin a an d the blood from the
u teru s to come throu gh. In rare cases there is n o
open in g in the hymen , that is, the vagin a is en tirely
closed. Su ch a hymen is cal led impcrforate (n ot
perforated) . When the girl begin s to men stru ate,the blood can n ot come ou t an d it accumu lates in the
vagin a. In su ch cases the hymen mu st be Open ed
or slit by a doctor. In some cases the hymen is con
gen itally absen t ; that is, the girl is born withou t an yhymen . While the hymen is u su al ly ru ptu red du r
in g the first in tercou rse, it, in some cases, bein g
elastic an d stretchable, persists u n torn after sexu al
in tercou rse . It will therefore be seen that ju st as
the presen ce of the hymen is n o absolu te proof of
virgin ity, so is the absen ce of the hymen n o absolu te
proof that the girl has had sexu al relation s. She
might have been born withou t an y hymen , or it
might have been ru ptu red by vagin al examin ation ,
by a vagin al dou che, by scratchi n g to relieve itchi n g,or by some acciden t.
THE EXTERNAL GENITALS
The Vu lva. The extern al gen itals of the female
are call ed the vu lva. The vu lva con sists of the labia
THE FEMALE SEX ORGANS 23
majora (mean in g the larger lips) , which are on the
ou tside an d which in the grown -u p girl are covered
w ith hair,an d the labia min ora (the smaller lips) ,
which are on the in side an d which are u su ally on ly
seen when the labia majora are taken apart.
TheMon sVen eris. The elevation above the vu lva,which du rin g pu berty becomes covered w ith hair, is
called by the fan cifu l n ame, mon s V en eris, or V en u s’
mou n tain . It is u su ally well padded with fatty tis
m e.
The Clitoris. The clitoris is a smal l body abou t an
in ch in len gth, situ ated ben eath the mon s Ven eris
an d partly or en tirely covered by the u pper borders
of the labia min ora.
The Urethra. Between the clitoris above an d the
open in g Of the vagin a below is situ ated the open in g
of the u rethra, or the u rin ary meatu s, throu gh which
the u rin e passes. Man y women are so ign oran t, or,let u s say in n ocen t, that they thin k the u rin e passes
ou t throu gh the vagin a. This is n ot so. The vagin a
has n othin g to dowith the process of u rin ation .
Again en umeratin g the female sex organ s, bu t in
the reverse order, from before backward, or from
ou t in ward, w e have : The mon s V en eris an d the
labia majora, or the extern al lips of the vu lva ; these
are the plai n ly visible parts of the female gen ital
organ s. When the labia majora are taken apart w e
24 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
see the labia min ora ; when the labia majora an d
min ora are taken apart w e can see or feel the clitoris
an d the hymen ,or the remain s of the hymen . We
then have the vagin a, a large, stretchable mu scu lo
membran ou s can al, in the u pper portion of which
the n eck of the womb, or the cervix, can be seen
(when a specu lum is u sed ) , or felt by the fin ger.
On ly the cervix, or n eck of the womb, can be seen ,
bu t the rest of the womb, the broad er portion , can
be easily felt an d examin ed by on e han d in the va
gin a an d the other han d over the abdomen . Con
tin u ou s with the u teru s are the Fallopian tubes, an d
below the trumpet-shaped en ds of the Fallopian
tu bes are the ovaries, embedded in the broad liga
men ts, on e on each side.
The Breasts. The breasts, also called mammary
glan ds,or mammze [mamma in Latin
,breast] , may
be con sidered as accessory organ s Of reprodu ction .
They are of n o importan ce in the male, in whom
they are u su ally ru dimen tary, bu t they are of great
importan ce in the female. They man u factu re milk,which is n ecessary for the proper n u trition of the
in fan t, an d they add a great deal to the beau ty an d
attractiven ess Of the woman . They are thu s a help
to the woman in gettin g a mate or a hu sban d. The
projectin g elevation of the breast, which the child
takes in hismou th when n u rsin g, is called the n ipple ;
THE FEMALE SEX ORGANS 25
the darker colored area su rrou n din g the n ipple is
called the areola.
The in tern al sex organ s are situ ated in the lower
part of the abdomin al cavity, the part that is called
the pelvis, or pelvic cavity. The mean in g of the
word pelvis in Latin is basin . The pelvis, also re
ferred to as the pelvic girdle or pelvic arch, forms
a bon y basin , an d is composed of three powerfu l
bon es : the sacrum, con sistin g of five vertebrae fu sed
together an d con stitu tin g the solid part of the spin e,or vertebral column ,
in the back, an d the two hipbon es, on e on each Side . The tw o hipbon es meet in
fron t, formin g the pu bic arch.
The hipbon es are called in Latin the ossa in n omi
n ata (n ameless bon es) an d each hipbon e is com
posed Of three bon es : the ilium, the ischium, an d the
OS pu bis. The thighs are attached to the hipbon es,an d to the hipbon es are also attached the large glu
teal mu scles, w hich form the bu ttocks, or the“seat. ”
The pelvis Of the female difiers con siderably from
the pelvis of the mal e. The female pelvis is shal
lower an d wider, less massive, the margin s Of the
bon es are more widely separated, thu s givin g greater
promin en ce to the hips ; the sacrum is"shorter an d
CHAPTER THREE
THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE FEMALE SEX
ORGANS
THE importan ce of an organ depen ds u pon its
fu n ction , u pon what it does, an d n ot SO mu ch u pon
what it is. It is importan t to kn ow the size, stru c
tu re an d location Of an organ , bu t it is still more im
portan t to kn ow its fu n ction ; in other words, for ou r
pu rpose it is more importan t tokn ow the physiologythan the an atomy of the sex organ s.
FUNCTION OF THE OV AR IES
Like the testicles in man , SO the ovaries in woman
are the essen tial sexu al organ s. They are the fu n da
men tal organ s,withou t which the other sexu al or
gan s are u seless. Also like the testicles in man,the
ovaries have tw o distin ct fu n ction s, man u factu rin g
tw o distin ct su bstan ces. On e fu n ction is to man u
factu re eggs ; this, called the OOgen etic or egg-pro
du cin g fu n ction , is its racial fu n ction ; withou t it
the race cou1d n ot perpetu ate itself. B u t the ovary
has also an in dividu al fu n ction . Besides the ova,
28
the ovary man u factu res w hat w e call an in tern al
secretion w hich is absorbed by the blood, an d w hich
is of the greatest importan ce to the w oman her
self. While the man u factu re Of ova begin s on lyat pu berty, w ith men stru ation , an d closes at the
men opau se , the man u factu re Of the in tern al secre
tion lasts throu ghou t the woman’s en tire life. This
secretion , which con sists of variou s chemical su b
stan ces, has a tremen dou s in flu en ce n ot on ly on
the developmen t of the woman ’S body, bu t also on
her feelin gs.
First of all it is n ecessary for the developmen t
Of the woman ’s special characteristics, or secon dary
sem al characters. Withou t that in tern al secretion
of the ovaries, a woman wou ld look more or less
like a man ; She wou ld n ot develop her beau tifu l
rou n ded form, her pretty lon g hair, her breasts, her
broad pelvis, her femin in e voice, etc. S econ d, the
secretion is n ecessary to the proper developmen t
of her other sexu al organ s ; if the ovaries are cu t
ou t, then the u teru s an d the vagin a an d even the
vu lva shr ivel u p. Third, it is that in tern al secretion
that excites in woman sexu al desire an d makes her
en joy relation s with the male sex. If the ovaries
are cu t away, particu larly if it is don e early in
life, the woman has n o sexu al desire an d n o on
joymou t. Fou rth, it con tribu tes to the gen eral
30 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
health, wellbein g, en ergy, an d men tal alertn ess of
the woman .
You see the importan ce of the in tern al ovarian
secretion , an d you will readily u n derstan d why,when the ovaries are removed by operation , the
woman , particu larly if she is you n g, u n dergoes su ch
marked chan ges. It is becau se w e recogn ize n ow
the great importan ce of the ovaries that w e al
ways, when operatin g ou diseased ovaries leave at
least a small piece Of ovary, if at all possible.
Number of Ova. When the female in fan t is born ,her ovaries con tai n as man y ova or eggs as they
ever will con tain . In fact, they con tain more than
they will at pu berty. For it is estimated that at
birth each ovary con tain s abou t ova ; the
majority Of these, however, disappear SO that at the
age of pu berty each ovary con tai n s on ly abou t 30,000ova. As on ly on e ovum ripen s each mon th from
the time of pu berty to the time of the men opau se
(i. e., abou t 300 to 400ova at the u tmost du rin g
a lifetime ) , an d as on ly a dozen or two ova wou ld
be n ecessary for the propagation of the race , it
seems a su perabu n dan ce of ova, an u n n ecessary
lavishn ess. Bu t n atu re is lavish where the propa
gation Of the species is con cern ed. A portion of
an ovary or of both ovaries might become di seased,an d thou san ds Of ova might become u n fit for fer
PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SEX ORGANS 31
tilization ; n atu re therefore pu ts in an extra reserve
su pply. We see a still more strikin g example Of
this extreme extravagan t lavishn ess in man ; on ly
on e spermatozoOn is n ecessary to impregn ate the
ovum, an d on ly on e spermatozoOn can pen etrate the
ovum ; n evertheless each n ormal ejacu lation of se
men con tain s betw een a qu arter an d half a million
Spermatozoa.
The Graafian Follicles. Each primitive or primor
dial ovum is imbedded in a little vesicle or fol
licle, which is gen erally kn own as Graafian follicle,an
‘
d there are as man y Graafian follicles as there
are ova. (The Graafian follicles were first de
scribed abou t 250years ago— in 1672— by a Delft
physician n amed De Graaf, hen ce the n ame. ) Un til
pu berty, that is the commen cemen t of men stru ation ,
the Graafian follicles with the OOcytes or primitive
ova are in a more or less dorman t con dition . Bu t
with the on set Of pu berty there comm en ces a period
Of in ten se activity in the ovaries. This period of
activity is repeated regu larly on ce a mon th, an d
it con stitu tes the process of ovu lation an d men
stru ation . The tw o processes are closely thou gh
n ot cau sally con n ected. Ovu lation con sists in the
mon thly matu ration an d extru sion Of a ripe ovum ;
men stru ation , which will be fu rther di scu ssed in a
separate chapter, con sists in the mon thly discharge
° 32 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
of blood, mixed with mu cu s from the in side lin in g
of the u teru s. Every twen ty-eight days, from the
time of pu berty to the time Of the men opau se, a
Graafian follicle bu rsts an d an ovum is extru ded
from the ovary. Before the follicle bu rsts,it swells
an d en larges an d reaches the su rface of the ovary ;the whole follicle is con gested with blood
, bu t at
on e poin t n ear the su rface of the ovary it is pale
an d thin , an d here the ru ptu re takes place .
FUNCTION OF THE OTHER GENITAL ORGANS
Fu n ction of the Fallopian Tu bes. The fu n ction Off
the Fallopian tu bes or ovidu cts as they are some
times called is to catch the ovum as it bu rsts throu gh
the ovary an d to con du ct it from the ovary in to the
u teru s. It is while the ovum is in the n arrow lumen
Of the tu be that the spermatozoon which has trav
elled u p from the u teru s u su ally fin ds it, an d it is
in the tu be, n ear its en tran ce to the womb, that
impregn ation u su ally takes place. After the ovum
is impregn ated or fecu n dated, it slowly moves down
to the u teru s, where it attaches itself an d remain s
an d grows for n in e mon ths , u n til it is ready to
come ou t an d start an in depen den t life .
The u teru s or womb is the hou se of the embryo
almost from the momen t of con ception to the mo
PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SEX ORGANS 33
men t Of birth. Withi n the thickwarm sheltered
walls Of the u teru s the child grows, develops, eats
an d breathes, u n til all its organ s an d fu n ction s have
reached su ch a stage of perfection that it can live
by itself an d for itself. An d this may be said to
be the sole fu n ction of the u teru s, or at least its sole
u sefu l fu n ction . For the other fu n ction of the
u teru s, men stru ation , can n ot be said to be a n eces
sary or a u sefu l fu n ction . It is a n ormal fu n ction
becau se it occu rs regu larly in every healthy woman
du rin g her child-bearin g period,bu t n ot every n or
mal fu n ction is a n ecessary or u sefu l fu n ction . Not
everythin g that is is right or u sefu l.
Fu n ction of the V agin a. The vagin a is the can al
in which sexu al in tercou rse takes place. It receives
the mal e organ (pen is) du rin g the sexu al act, an d
serves as a temporary repository for the male se
men . After the spermatozoa have reached the
u teru s, the vagin a has n o fu rther fu n ction to per
form.
THE SECONDARY SEX CHARACTERS
The sex organ s con stitu te the primary sex charac
ters. It is they that distin gu i sh primarily on e sex
from an other. B u t there are n umerou s other sex
characters or sex differen ces which while n ot so im
34 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
portan t serve to difieren tiate the sexes, at the same
time formin g poin ts Of attraction betw een on e sex
an d an other. For in stan ce, the beard an d mu stache
are a di stin ct male characteristic an d con stitu te on e
of the secon dary male sex characters. The sec
on dary sex characters are very n umerou s ; on e might
say that each on e of the billion s of cells in the body
bears the impress of the sex to which it belon gs.
First, the skeleton . The en tire female Skeleton
differs from the male skeleton ; all the bon es are
smaller an d more gracile ; the pelvis, as w e have
seen before, is shallower an d wider. Then the mu s
cles are smaller an d more rou n ded . The en tire
con tou r of the body is rou n ded rather than an gu lar
as in man . The Skin is fin er, softer, more delicate.
The hair on the head is lon ger an d Of a fin er textu re,whil e over the body the hair is also fin er an d less
abu n dan t. The voice is fin er, more pleasan t, an d Of
a higher pitch (sopran o ) . The breasts are well
developed, an d serve an importan t pu rpose, whi le
in men they are ru dimen tary. The breathin g is al so
difi eren t ; woman breathes prin cipally with the u p
per part Of the chest, man with the lower. The
brain is smaller an d its con volu tion s somewhat less
complex in woman .
Woman difi ers con siderably from man n ot on ly '
physically, as w e have seen , bu t also men tally an d
CHAPTER FOUR
THE SEX INSTINCT
THE sex in stin ct, which ru n s all throu gh n atu re
from the lowest an imal to the highest, is the in born
impu lse, cravin g or desire which on e sex has for
the other : the male for the female an d the female
for the male. This in stin ct, this desire for the oppo
site sex, which is born with u s an d which man ifests
itself at a very early age, is n ot an ythin g to be
ashamed Of. There is n othin g disgracefu l, n othin g
sin fu l in it. It is a n ormal,n atu ral, healthy in stin ct,
implan ted in u s by n atu re for variou s reason s, an d
absolu tely in dispen sable for the perpetu ation of the
race. If there were an ythin g to be ashamed of, it
w ou ld be the lack Of this sex in stin ct, for withou t it
the race w ou ld qu ickly die ou t.
Not Respon sible for Thoughts an d Feelings. It
is n ecessary to impress this poin t, becau se man y
girls an d women , whose min ds have been perverted
by a viciou s so-called moral ity, worry themselves to
illn ess, brood an d become hypochon driac becau se
they thin k they have committed a grievou s sin in
so
THE SEX INSTINCT 37
experien cin g a desire for sexu al relation s or for the
embrace of a certain man . Al together it is n eces
sary to impress u pon the growin g girl,when the
occasion presen ts itself,that a thou ght or a feelin g
can n ever be Sin fu l. An action may be, bu t a thou ght
or a feelin g can n ot. Why" Becau se w e are n ot
respon sible for ou r thou ghts an d feelin gs ; they are
n ot u n der ou r con trol. Thou gh it does n ot mean
that when they do arise w e are to give them fu ll
sway. We shou ld attempt to combat them an d drive
them away, bu t there is n othin g to be ashamed of,becau se for their origin w e are n ot respon sible.
R espon sible for Action s. Ou r action s are u n der
ou r con trol, to a certain exten t at least, an d if w e
do a bad or in ju riou s act, w e have committed a sin
an d are morally respon sible. The desire for the sex
u al act is n omore sin fu l than the desire for food is
when on e is hu n gry. Bu t the performan ce of the
act may, u n der certain circumstan ces, be as sin fu l
as the eatin g of food which the hu n gry man Obtain ed
by robbin g an other fellow-bein g, ju st as poor as
I am n ot preachin g to you . Bu t I am n ot an ex
tremi st n or a hypocrite . I am advocatin g n either
asceticism n or licen tiou sn ess. On e is as bad, or
almost as bad, as the other.
What I am tryin g to do is to in cu lcate in you r
38 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
min ds, if possible, a san e, well-balan ced view of al l
thin gs sexu al.
For I believe that wron g, perverted views Of the
physiology an d hygien e of the sex act an d of sex
morality, that is, the proper relation ship Of the
sexes, are respon sible for u n told misery, for mealcu lable su fierin g. Both sexes su fier , bu t the female
sex su fiers more. The woman alw ays pays more.
This is du e to her n atu ral disabilities (men stru a
tion , pregn an cy, lactation ) , to her age-lon g repros
sion , to the fact that She mu st be sou ght bu t n ever
seek, an d to her econ omic depen den ce.
For the above reason s,sex in stru ction is a mat
ter Of dou ble importan ce to woman — this fact has
been emphas ized in the first chapter. Bu t woman ’s
disabilities impose u pon u s an other du ty : becau se
she carries the heaviest bu rden , becau se she always
pays more dearly than the man , it becomes in cum
ben t u pon man to treat her with special con sidera
tion , with gen u in e kin dn ess an d chivalry.
CHAPTER FIvl
PUBERTY
PUBERTY is the most won derfu l, the most sign ifi
can t period in a girl’s life. Importan t as it is in
a boy ’s life an d developmen t, it is still more so in
a girl ’s. At this period there are Often laid the
fou n dation s which either make or mar the girl’s
The mean in g of the word pu berty is matu rity. It
is the period at which the girl an d the boy reach
sexu al matu rity ; in other words, the period at which
the sex glan ds Of the boy begin to gen erate sperma
tozoa, an d the sex glan ds Of the girl begin to ma
tu re an d expel eggs or ova ; with the girl pu berty
is marked by an addition al phen omen on , which has
n o an alogu e in the boy, n am ely,men stru ation .
Physical Chan ges. The word pu berty is derived
from the word pu ber, which in Latin mean s ma
tu re, ripe. Bu t the word pu ber is itself derived
from the word pu bes, which in Latin mean s fin e hair
or down . For at this period Of matu rity all mam
mals (that is an imals which have breasts an d n u rse
their you n g) begin to develop a grow th of hair. You39
40 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
kn ow that ou r en tire body, with the exception of
the palms of the han ds an d the soles of the feet,is covered with in n umerable hair follicles, an d from
ou r birth ou r en tire body, with the exception n amed,is covered with fin e hair. The hair may be too deli
cate to be seen , bu t it is there, an d w ith a magn i
fyi n g glass you can see it withou t an y trou ble. Bu t
at pu berty the hair in creases in thickn ess an d in
qu an tity, an d becomes abu n dan t in places where it
w as hardly n oticeable before— the u pper lip an d
face in boys, an d the armpits an d lower part of
the abdomen in both boys an d girls.
An d so the first apparen t physical Sign of pu
berty in a girl is the gradu al appearan ce of hair
in the armpits, on the mon s V en eris an d the labia
majora. Bu t all the gen ital organ s are u n dergoin g
rapid developmen t ; the vu lva, the vagin a, the u teru s
an d the ovaries become larger, an d the ovaries
which u p to that time were elaboratin g an in tern al
secretion on ly, n ow also begin to man u factu re ova ;in other words, the mon thly process of ovu lation is
begu n . Syn chron ou sly with the process of ovu la
tion , there commen ces the mon thly fu n ction of men
stru ation . The breasts also in crease in size, assume
the characteristic con tou r, develop their glan du lar
su bstan ce, an d become capable of secretin g milk for
the u se Of an y possible Ofisprin g. Du rin g this period
PUBERTY 41
of developmen t they are Often very sen sitive to the
tou ch or feel pai n fu l withou t bein g tou ched.
Bu t n ot on ly the gen ital organ s u n dergo grow th
an d developmen t— the en tire body participates in
the process. The growth in height is the most rapid
at this period ; the greatest growth takes place in
the limbs— legs an d arms. The pelvis becomes
broader, an d the chest or thorax also becomes
broader an d larger. The mu scles become larger
an d rou n der an d fin ally give the girl the beau tifu l
woman ly form.
Psychic Chan ges. Bu t the chan ges are n ot on lyphysical ; the chan ges that take place in the girl
’s
psychic sphere du rin g the pu bertal years are also
highly importan t. That is the period of the de
velopmen t Of the emotion s ; she is overflowin g with
emotion ; she becomes sen sitive ; in her relation s with
boys an d men she becomes self-con sciou s. Distin ct
sexu al desire fortu n ately does n ot make its appear
an ce in the girl at this period, as it does in the boy,bu t she becomes filled with vagu e u n defin ed an d
u n defin able lon gin gs. It is the period of “ cru shes ”
when the girl is apt to bestow her overflowin g emo
tion on a girl frien d. There is n othin g reprehen si
ble in these cru shes— they act as a safety valve
an d on ly in rare cases are they apt to lead to ab
n ormal developmen t. This is also the period of
42 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
day-dreamin g an d of roman cin g ; the girl likes to
read love-stories an d n ovels in which She iden tifies
herself with the heroin e. An d it makes qu ite some
differen ce as to what the girl reads du rin g thi s
period, for literatu re has a stron g in flu en ce on the
you n g in the most plastic period of their lives ; an d
it'
is importan t that Older person s see to it that those
in their care spen d their time on books of n oble
ideals an d high artistic valu e.
Girls of a highly sen sitive or so-cal led “n ervou s
temperamen t, especially if there is‘n ervou sn ess
in the family, mu st be particu larly looked after.
For it is du rin g the years of pu berty an d ado
lescen ce that an y n eu rotic traits are apt to develop
an d become emphasized. It is also the period when
bad sexu al habits (mastu rbation ) are apt to de
velop, an d the carefu l mother will devote special
atten tion to her girls in their years of pu berty, an d
gu ard them as mu ch as possible again st physical
an d emotion al Shocks.
The age of pu berty in girls is by man y writers
con sidered as syn on ymou s or syn chron ou s with the
on set Of men stru ation , which in this cou n try in the
majority of cases occu rs between the ages of thi r
teen an d fou rteen . The year Of gradu al develop
men t before the on set Of men stru ation is by some
referred to as the pro-pu bertal year ; an d the first
CHAPTER SIX
MENSTRUATION
THE first fu n ction with which the gi rl will be con
fron ted, which will impress u pon her that She is a
creatu re of sex,that She is decidedly differen t from
the boy, is men stru ation . An d thi s fu n ction w e will
n ow proceed to stu dy.
What ismen stru ation "Men stru ation is amon thly
discharge of blood. The word is derived from the
Latin word men sis, which mean s a mon th ; an d men
stru ation is al so frequ en tly Spoken Of as the men
ses. It is also called the catamen ia or catamen ial
flow (Greek, kata— by, men — amon th) Other terms
are : the periods, cou rses, mon thlies, tu rn s, mon thly
chan ges, mon thly sickn ess, Sickn ess, flowers, to be
u nwell, to be regu lar.“ Not to see an ythin g is a
common term for havin g missed the men ses. Thi s
flow of blood recu rs in most cases with remarkable
regu larity on ce a mon th ; n ot a calen dar mon th, bu t
on ce a lu n ar mon th, i . e ., on ce every tw en ty-eight
days. An d as there are thirteen lu n ar mon ths a
year, a woman men stru ates n ot twelve bu t thirteen
times a year.
MENSTRUATION 45
Where does the men stru al blood come from" The
men stru al blood comes from the in side of the womb.
Every mon th, for a few days prior to men stru a
tion , the in side lin in g of the w omb (what w e call
the mu cou s membran e or en dometrium) becomes
con gested an d its bloodvessels become disten ded
with blood. If the woman has sexu al in tercou rse
an d pregn an cy happen s to take place , then this
extra blood is u sed to n ou rish an d develop the n ew
child ; bu t if n o pregn an cy takes place, that extra
blood exu des from the bloodvessels (some Of the
bloodvessels ru ptu re ) an d is discharged from the
u teru s in to the vagin a, an d from there to the ou t
side , where it is cau ght on cotton , san itary n ap
kin s or some other pad .
At w hat age does men stru ation begi n" The u su al
age at which men stru ation begin s in this cou n try is
thirteen or fou rteen ; in some it may occu r as early
as twelve, in others as late as fifteen , sixteen or
even seven teen . For men stru ation to begin earlier
than twelve or later than seven teen is in this cou n
try a rare exception . Bu t in cold n orthern climates
the age of eighteen is n ot rare, an d in the hot sou th
ern climates men stru ation Often starts at the ages
Of ten or eleven . Chan ge of climate or of cou n try
will Often have an in flu en ce on the men ses. In the
early years of his medical practice, the au thor had
46 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
man y Fin n ish girls as patien ts. It w as a very
common occu rren ce for them to stop men stru atin g
for the first few mon ths or even for the first year
of their residen ce in this cou n try.
At w hat age does men stru ation cease" The age
at which men stru ation ceases is called the men o
pau se or climacteric. It u su ally takes place at the
age of forty-eight or fifty. In some cases it does
n ot take place u n til the age of fifty-tw o, in others
it takes place as early as forty-five or forty-fou r.
In gen eral, it may be said that the woman ’s men
stru atin g period,’ du rin g which She is able to have
children , lasts abou t thirty-five years. An d if n o
restrain t be taken , an d if n o precau tion s be taken
again st con ception , a woman cou ld have twen ty or
thirty children du rin g her childbearin g period.
How many days does a w oman men stru ate" The
u su al n umber of days is from three to five ; in some
case s men stru ation lasts on ly tw o days, in others
as lon g as seven . As a ru le,the greatest amou n t
of blood passed isO
du rin g the first tw o days.
The amou n t of blood . It is hard to estimate the
exact amou n t of blood passed by a woman du rin g
her men ses, bu t it reaches abou t an ou n ce an d a
half to three ou n ces. In some women the amou n t
may reach as mu ch as fou r or five ou n ces an d in
exception al cases as mu ch as eight ou n ces. Where
MENSTRUATION 47
it exceeds this m ou n t, it is an abn ormal con dition ,requ irin g treatmen t. The u su al statemen t that a
n ormally men stru atin g woman shou ld n ot have to
u se more than three n apkin s du rin g the
fou r hou rs is correct.
CHAPTER SEV EN
ABNORMAL ITIES OF MENSTRUATION
IN man y girls an d women men stru ation is a per
fectly n ormal, physiological process. They su fier
n o discomfort whatever from it. They su ffer n o
pain s, n o headache, n o irritability, they have n o ad
mon i tion of its on set, u n til they feel the blood oozin g
or tricklin g ou t. Bu t, u n fortu n ately, this is tru e
on ly Of a small percen tage. The majority of womenhave some u n pleasan t symptoms. Some have a
headache for a day or two, some complain of a drag
gin g down sen sation , some are irritable, feel de
pressed or qu arrelsome ; some have n o appetite, n o
ambition , n o desire for work or compan y, while
some girls have su ch severe pain s an d cramps that
they are obliged to go to bed for a day or tw o an d
cal l in medical aid .
When the men stru ation is very profu se, resem
blin g more a hemorrhage than n ormal men stru ation ,it is called men orrhagia ; if the hemorrhage from
the u teru s occu rs ou t Of the regu lar men stru al
periods, it is called metrorrhagia. When the men
ses are skipped, or when they are so scan ty that48
ABNORMALITIES OF MENSTRUATION 49
you can hardly n otice an y blood, w e u se the term
am en orrhea. In a few rare cases the men stru ation
in stead of comin g n ormally from the u teru s, comes
from some other part Of the body, for in stan ce, the
n ose. Some women have a hemorrhage from the
n ose every mon th. In some a bloody discharge maycome from the breasts. To su ch a su bstitu te men
stru ation w e apply the term vicariou s men stru ation .
Su ch cases, however, are rare, an d are mere cu ri
osities.
Dysmen orrhea. I men tion ed before that in some
girls an d women the men ses are accompan i ed by
pain s an d cramps. Thi s affliction , which is the lot
of million s of women , an d from which men are
en tirely free, is called dysmen orrhea. Dysmen or
rhea mean s pain fu l an d diflicu l t men stru ation . A
slight pain or at least a feelin g of di scomfort is
presen t in most cases Of men stru ation . Bu t in man y
cases the pain is so severe, so excru ciatin g, that the
su fl erer , girl or woman , is in capacitated for an y
w ork, an d mu st go to bed for a day or tw o. In
some cases the pain is so severe as to n ecessitate
the u se of morphin e, an d as it is a very bad thin g
to have to give morphin e every three or fou r weeks,every en deavor shou ld be made to fin d ou t the cau se
of the trou ble an d to remove it. It is a mistake,however, to think that all or even most cases of
50 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
dysmen orrhea are du e to some local trou ble , that
is, to an in flammation of the ovaries, or a displace
men t of the w on fb. Man y cases of dysmen orrhea
are of n ervou s origin ; the cau se resides in the cen
tral n ervou s system, an d n ot in the gen ital organ s
themselves. It is, therefore, n ot advisable to u n
dertake an y local treatmen t, u n less a competen t
physician has mad e a thorou gh examin ation an d
has decided that local treatmen t is advisable.
52 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
n oticed at some distan ce an d to which some men
an d women are very su sceptible . There are some
women who n ever take a vagin al dou che . Some con
sider it a u seless an d u n n ecessary luxu ry ; while
some orthodox pu ritan ical women con sider it an u n
godly procedu re (forgettin g that clean lin ess is n ext
to godlin ess) fit on ly for women of gay an d qu es
tion able character. If these orthodox women kn ew
what w as good for them— an d for their heal th
they wou ld take a dou che at least du rin g men stru a
tion , if at n o other time.
Clean lin ess. When the girl reaches the age of
twelve or thirteen the mother Shou ld explain to her
the phen omen on of men stru ation an d the likelihood
of its makin g its appearan ce in a Short time. Of
cou rse she shou ld be told that there is n othin g
shamefu l in it, that when it makes its appearan ce
she shou l d at on ce tell her mother, w howill in stru ct
her what to do. She shou ld be shown the u se of
san itary n apkin s. Rags,u n less recen tly washed an d
kept wrapped u p an d protected from du st, shou ld
n ot be u sed. Un clean rags may lead to in fection .
I have n o dou bt that man y cases of leu corrhea date
back their origin to u n washed rags. Every morn
in g an d every even in g the girl Shou ld wash the
extern al gen ital s with warm water, or plain soap
an d water. Married women shou ld also take a
THE HYGIENE OF MENSTRUATION 53
dou che on ce a day— the dou che may con sist of tw o
qu arts Of water in which has been dissolved a tea
spoon fu l Of common table sal t, or a tablespoon fu l
of borax or boric acid. Su ch thin gs like al um,
potassium perman gan ate, carbolic acid, lactic acid,or tin ctu re of iodin e shou ld on ly be u sed when there
is leu corrhea presen t an d gen erally on ly u n der a
physician ’s direction s. Bathin g is permissible, bu t
it is safe to u se on ly a lukewarm bath. Cold tub
baths, cold shower baths, as well as ocean an d river
bathin g are best avoided du rin g the period ; at least
du rin g the first tw o days. I do n ot give this as an
absolu te ru le ; I kn ow women w ho bathe an d swim in
the ocean du rin g their men stru al periods withou t
an y in ju ry to themselves, bu t they are exception al ly
robu st women ; advice in books is for the average
person , an d it is always best to be on the safe side .
R est. Rest is ju st as importan t du rin g men stru a
tion as clean lin ess, if n ot more so. Some women
as men tion ed before feel du rin g their men ses ju st
as well as they do at other times, an d do n ot n eed
an y special hygien e. Bu t these are in the min ority.
Most girls an d women do feel somewhat below par
du rin g that period, an d it is very importan t that
they take it easy, particu larly du rin g the first tw o
days. It is an ou trage that man y delicate, weak
girls an d women mu st stay on their feet all day or
54 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
w ork '
on a machin e when they shou ld be at home
in bed or lyin g down on a cou ch.
The w omb is con gested du rin g the period, is
larger an d heavier than n ormal , an d it Is then that
there is often laid the fou n dation for some fu tu re
u terin e disease, the well-kn own“ womb trou ble,
”
or “ female disease .
” It is n ot n ecessary that work
be given u p altogether, bu t there certain ly shou ld
be less of it an d there shou ld be as mu ch rest as
possible . For delicate an d sen sitive girls it is al
w ays best to stay away from school du rin g the first
an d secon d days. Speakin g again of the average
an d n ot the exception , it is best that dan cin g, bicycle
ridin g, horseback ridin g, rowin g, an d other athl etic
exercises be given u p al together du rin g the men
ses. Au tomobile ridin g an d railroad an d carriage
travellin g prove in ju riou s in some in stan ces, greatlyin creasin g the flow of blood. Bu t these are the ex
ception s at the other extreme.
FECUNDATION OR FERTILI"ATION
Fecu n dation or fertilization is the process of u n ion
of the female germ cell with the male germ cell ;speakin g of an imals, it is the process of u n ion of
the egg or ovum of the female with the sperma
tozoOn Of the mal e. When a su ccessfu l u n ion of
these tw o cells takes place a n ew bein g is started.
The process of fertilization or f ecu n dation is also
kn own as impregn ation an d con ception . We say, to
fertilize (chiefly, however, when speakin g Of plan ts)or to fecu n date an ovum,
or to impregn ate a fe
male Or woman , an d to con ceive a child. We say
the woman has become impregn ated or has con
ceived.
The P rocess. The process of fecu n dation is
briefly as follows. An ovu m becomesmatu re, breaks
throu gh its Graafian follicle in the ovary an d is set
free . It is cau ght by the fimbriated or trumpet
Shaped extremity Of the Fallopian tu be an d, moved
by the w ave-like motion of the cilia Of the lin in g of
the tu be, it begin s its travel towards the u teru s. If
56 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
n o sexu al in tercou rse has taken place n othin g happen s. The ovum dries u p, or
“ dies,”
an d either
remain s somewhere in the tu be or womb or is re
moved from the latter with the men stru ation , or
mu cou s di scharge . Bu t if in tercou rse has taken
place, thou san ds an d thou san ds of the mal e germ
cells or spermatozoa en ter the u teru s throu gh its
open in g or extern al os, an d begin to travel u pward
in search of the ovum. The spermatozoa are capa
ble of in depen den t motion , an d they travel prettyfast. It is claimed that they can travel an in ch
in seven min u tes, which is pretty fast when you
take in to con sideration that a spermatozoiin is on ly
of an in ch lon g. Man y of the spermatozoa,weaker than the others, perish on the w ay, an d
on ly a few con tin u e the jou rn ey u p throu gh the
u teru s to the tu be. When n ear the little ovum,
which remain s passive, their movemen ts become
more an d more rapid, they seem to be attracted to
it as if by a magn et, an d fin ally on e spermatozoiin
—ju st on e—the on e that happen s to be the stron gest
or the n earest, makes a mad ru sh at it with its head,perforates it, an d is completely swal lowed u p by
it. As soon as the spermatozoiin has been absorbed
by the ovum, the open in g throu gh which it got in
becomes tightly sealed u p—a coagu lation takes place
n ear it— so that n o other spermatozoa can en ter
FECUNDATION OR FERTILI"ATION 57
the ovum. For if two or more spermatozoa got
in to the same ovum a mon strosity wou ld be apt to
be the resu lt.
What becomes Of all the
other spermatozoa" They
perish. On ly on e is n eed
ed. B u t in the ovum that
has been impregn ated, an d
which is n ow called an em
bryo, a feverish activity
commen ces. First of al l it
looks for a fixed place of Srmm rozoon Pm m e
abode . If the ovum hap
pen ed to be in the u teru s when the spermatozoon
met an d en tered it, it remain s there. It becomes
attached to some spot in the lin in g of the womb an d
there it grows an d develops,u n til at the en d of n in e
mon ths it has reached its fu l l growth, an d the womb
open s an d it comes ou t in to the ou tside world. If
the ovum is in the Fallopian tu be when the sper
matozoOn meets it, as is u su al ly the case, it travels
down to the u teru s, an d fixes itself there.
Extra-Uterin e Pregn an cy. The tu be is a bad place
for the ovum to grow an d develop, becau se the tu be
can n ot stretch to su ch an exten t as the u teru s can ,
n or can it fu rn ish the embryo su ch good n ou rish
SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
men t as the u teru s can . Occasion ally, how ever, it
the tube an d develops there ; w e then have a case
of w hat w e call extra u terin e (ou tside-of-the-u teru s)or tubal pregn an cy. Extra-u terin e pregn an cy is
also called ectopic pregn an cy, or ectopic gestation .
Un less diagn osed early an d operated u pon , the
w oman may be in great dan ger, for after a few
w eeks or mon ths the tube gen erally r uptures.
From them omen t the spermatozoOn has en tered
the ovum, a process of division or segmen tation
commen ces. The ovum, w hich con sists of on e cell,
divides in to tw o, the tw o in to fou r, the fou r in to
eight, the eight in to sixteen , these in to thir ty-tw o,these in to Sixy-fou r, 128, 256, 512, u n til theycan n o lon ger be cou n ted . This mu lberry mass of
cells arran ges itself in to tw o layers, with a cavity
in betw een . An d from these layers of cells there
develop gradu ally all organ s an d tissu es, u n til a
fu lly formed an d perfect child is the resu lt. If
tw o ova are impregn ated at the same time by tw o
spermatozoa, the resu lt is tw in s.
SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
gives you September 3oth ; add seven days an d you
get October 6th, the probable date of delivery. The
presen ce Of a short mon th like Febru ary may be
disregarded,as the calcu lation is n ot absolu tely,
bu t on ly approximately correct.
The period at which the child ’s movemen ts begin
to be felt by the mother is termed Qu icken in g. It
u su ally occu rs at the middle of the pregn an cy, be
tween the l 6th an d 18th week.
Pregn an cy is a n ormal physiological process ; bu t
every active physiologi cal process is apt to be ao
compan ied by distu rban ces, an d there is certain ly
n o process in the an imal body in which greater ao
tivity, greater chan ges, go on than du rin g the
process of pregn an cy. Ju st see what occu rs in n in e
mOn ths. The u teru s, at first the size Of a small pear,reaches a size larger than that Of the head Of a bigman ; it does n ot merely stretch, as some thin k
, bu t
it actu ally grows en ormou sly in Size, the mu scu lar
walls of a pregn an t u teru s bein g man y times thicker
than those Of a n on -pregn an t on e . They have to
be or they wou ld n ot have the stren gth to expel the
child, when the proper time comes. It is to be born e
in min d that the child does n ot Slip ou t by itself ;it is the powerfu l mu scu lar con traction s of the
u teru s that pu sh it ou t. If the u teru s shou ld refu se
to work,if its walls were too thin or too weak
, the
PREGNAN CY 61
child cou ld n ot come ou t, bu t wou ld have to be taken
ou t with forceps. Still greater chan ges than in the
u teru s take place in the child itself. At the mo
men t Of con ception it is the size of the head of a pin ;at the momen t Of birth it weighs from seven to ten
pou n ds ; at the momen t Of con ception it is a min u te,u n difi eren tiated mass Of protoplasm, ju st a sin gle
fertilized cell ; at the momen t Of birth it con sists
of mi llion s an d mi llion s Of cells, which have become
difl’eren tiated in to n umerou s harmon iou sly workin g
organ s, an d differen t tissu es, su ch as brain an d
n erve tissu e,mu scu lar tissu e, con n ective tissu e,
bon e, cartilage, etc , etc. A tru ly won derfu l pro
cess. An d in the mean time this child,which is bio
logically a parasite (thou gh it is n ot a n ice n ame
to call it by) draws its su sten an ce from the mother’s
blood, an d the mother has to provide n ou rishmen t
for tw o. An d, besides providin g n ou rishmen t, her
excretin g organ s, her kidn eys, mu st work for two,becau se her system has also to get rid Of the child
’s
excretion s. NO won der that the pregn an t woman ,particu larly u n der an artificial u n healthy mode of
livin g, is su bject to man y trou bles an d distu rban ces.
CHAPTER ELEV EN
THE DISORDERS OF PREGNANCY
WE saw that in some women men stru ation ru n s
a perfectly smooth cou rse, free from an y disagree
able symptoms. The same is tru e of pregn an cy. It
is remarkable how smooth an d easy the en tire cou rse
is w ith some women . Man y women kn ow that they
are pregn an t on ly becau se Of the n on -appearan ce
of the mon thly periods ; an d even in the later mon ths
they feel n o discomfort, atten din g to al l their work
an d pleasu res as u su al ; an d even childbirth is a
triflin g matter with them. Un fortu n ately the n um
ber of su ch women is n ot very large, an d, becau se
Of ou r con fin ed, u n n atu ral, often exhau stin g w ay
of livin g, is becomin g smaller an d smaller. There
is n o qu estion that the civilized, refin ed woman has
a harder ordeal in pregn an cy an d childbirth than
has her primitive Sister. We con fiden tly hope that
this w ill n ot be so in the fu tu re ; w e expect the time
to come when tru e hygien e will be an in tegral part
Of the edu cation an d the life of every girl , an d then
pregn an cy an d partu rition may become even easier
processes than they are in the primitive races. Bu tas
THE DISORDERS OF PREGNANCY 63
the time is n ot yet ; an d in the mean time ou r you n gw omen have a good deal to go throu gh.
Morn ing Sickn ess. On e Of the common est aisor
ders of pregn an cy is the SO-called'
morn i n g sickn ess.
Thi s con sists in a feelin g Of n au sea an d vomitin g,w hich comes on soon after gettin g u p. The morn in gsickn ess makes its first appearan ce in the third,fou rth or fifth week Of pregn an cy an d lasts u su ally
u n til the en d of the third or fou rth mon th . In some
women , however, the morn in g sickn ess comes on in
a few days after impregn ation has taken place, an d
those women diagn ose their con dition u nmistakablyby the feelin g of slight n au sea which they experi
en ce on gettin g u p. Medicin es are as a ru le of little
u se in treatin g morn in g Sickn ess. The “ disease ”
can ‘be relieved bu t n ot cu red. The patien t shou ld
stay in bed later than u su al, shou ld have her break
fast in bed, an d then n ot get u p for abou t half an
hou r afterward. If the patien t is an emic, a good
iron preparation may prove u sefu l.
sometimes becomes so severe an d u n con trollable that
it has been given the n ame pern iciou s. The pa
tien t is u n able to retain an y kin d Of food, n ot even
liqu ids, vomi ts almost in cessan tly, an d may become
very mu ch ru n dow n an d exhau sted. The vomited
matter may con tain blood. For this con dition a
64 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
competen t physician mu st be con su lted, for in some
cases the patien t ’s life may be in dan ger an d an
abortion has to be performed.
Capriciou s Appetite. A capriciou s appetite is verycomm on in pregn an cy. The capriciou sn ess may ex
press itself in fou r differen t direction s : 1 ) The pa
tien t may lose her appetite, almost altogether, par
takin g on ly of very little food, an d that with ef
fort. This con dition Of loss of appetite is cal led
an orexia. (2) The patien t may develop an en or
mou s appetite—what w e call bu limia—eatin g sev
eral times as mu ch as she does ordin arily. (3)She may develop an aversion towards certain ar
ticles Of food. Thu s man y women develop an aver
sion towards meat, the mere sight Of or talk abou t
meat cau sin g in them a sen sation Of n au sea. (4)She may Show a cravin g for the most pecu l iar ar
ticles Of food an d for articles which are n ot food at
all . The cravin g for sou r pickles or sou r cabbage
is we ll-kn own ; bu t some women w ill eat chalk, san d,an d even more pecu liar thin gs (for the chalk there
may be a reason : the system n eeds an extra amou n t
of lime an d chalk is carbon ate of lime ) .
Con stipation . Con stipation is very commonamon g women in the n on -pregn an t con dition ; bu tin the pregn an t it is mu ch more common an d mu ch
more aggravated. Con stipation mu st be gu arded
THE DISORDERS OF PREGNANCY 65
again st, bu t the measu res mu st be of a mild n atu re.
If w e can relieve the con stipation by dietary meas
u res alon e, so mu ch the better. The dietary meas
u res shou ld con sist in eatin g plen ty Of fru it— pru n es,apples, figs, dates, etc., an d coarse bread an d bran .
Con stipatin g articles, su ch as cheese or cofiee,
Shou ld be elimi n ated. Where dietary measu res
alon e are in su fficien t, the patien t shou ld take an
en ema— a rectal in jection — twice or three times a
week. The en ema shou ld con sist Of abou t 8 ou n ces
(half a pin t) of cold or lu kewarm water con tai n in g
a pin ch of salt, an d shou ld be retain ed abou t ten
min u tes. In stead of water, We may advise an oc
casion al en ema Of tw o to fou r drams of glycerin .
Or in stead of a glycerin en ema, a glycerin su pposi
tory may be u sed. If in tern al laxatives are to be
u sed, on ly the mildest an d n on -gripin g prepara
tion s Shou ld be employed. The best are : a good
min eral oil— on e or tw o tablespoon fu ls on goin g to
bed , or flu id extract Of cascara sagrada, on e-half
to on e teaspoon fu l on goin g to bed . It is very im
portan t, whatever w e u se,n ot to u se the same thin g
for a lon g time. If the sam e dru g or measu re isu sed withou t an y chan ge, the bowels get u sed to it
an d cease to respon d an d w e have to u se larger an d
larger doses. In fightin g con stipation w e mu st
therefore con stan tly chan ge ou r weapon s : on e n ight
SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN .
w e u se min eral oil, the n ext n ight cascara sagrada,
the third n ight an en ema, the fou rth n ight a gly
cerin in jection or su ppository, the fifth n ight per
haps n othin g at all , the sixth n ight a blu e mass pill,the seven th morn in g a Seidlitz powder, then a rest
for a day or tw o, then a repetition Of the same meas
u res. Bu t always remember : first try to get alon g
w ithou t an y dru gs at al l. Man y cases can get re
lieved of their con stipation by a proper chan ge in
diet alon e. An d where this is impossible, then u se
mild laxatives an d u se them in terchan geably.
Toothache is n ot u n common in pregn an cy, an d a
pregn an t woman shou ld have her teeth pu t in first
class con dition .
Difl cu lty in Urin ation . Pregn an t women often
sn fi er with frequ en cy an d u rgen cy Of u rin ation .
Some have to u rin ate, while they are on their feet,
every few min u tes. This is du e to the fact that
du rin g the first tw o or three mon ths Of pregn an cy
the u teru s is n ot on ly en larged bu t is also an te
verted, that is tu rn ed forw ard an d presses dow n
u pon the bladder. When the woman is lyin g dow n
the pressu re on the bladder is relieved, an d she
does n ot have to u rin ate frequ en tly. This pres
su re lasts on ly the first tw o Or three mon ths, be
cau se after that the growin g womb lifts itself ou t
of the pelvis, risin g in to the abdomin al cavity ; it
68 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
piles (the hemorrhoids) are to be well clean sed w ith
hot water,an d this Oin tmen t is to be well smeared
over ; a little is pu shed in to the rectum,an d a piece of
cotton is pu t over the an u s. This protects the clothes
from soilin g an d keeps the medicin e in place for
a lon ger time . In stead of Oin tmen t a cocoa bu tter
su ppository may be u sed. A su ppository of the fol
lowin g composition is good : powdered n u tgalls, 3
grai n s ; Oil of cade, 3 drops ; resorcin , 1 grain ; bis
mu th su bn i trate, 5 grain s ; cocoa bu tter, 20grain s.
On e su ch su ppository to be in serted three times a
day. The Oin tmen t an d the su ppository given above,if u sed in con ju n ction with the proper regu lation of
the bowels, will n ot on ly relieve bu t will cu re most
cases Of hemorrhoids cau sed by pregn an cy.
Itchin g of the V u lva. Pru ritu s V u lva . Itchin g
of the extern al gen itals du rin g pregn an cy is n ot u n
common . This may be du e to the fact that the vu lva
is gen erally con gested an d swollen du rin g pregn an cy
or it may be cau sed by an in creased leu corrhea]
discharge. The itchin g is sometimes very severe,an d if the patien t scratches with her n ails an d pro
du ces bleedin g, she may cau se an in fection Of the
parts. The patien t shou ld be cau tion ed again st
scratchin g ; she shou ld try Simple measu res to re
lieve the itchin g. A small towel or gau ze compress
wru n g ou t of boilin g water an d applied to the vu lva
THE DISORDERS OF PREGNANCY 69
several times a day, followed by a free application of
stearate of zin c powder is Often efi cien t. If it is
not, the followin g salve may be tried : carbolic acid,10grain s ; men thol, 5 grain s ; resorcin , 15 grain s ;zin c oxide, 1 dram ; an d w hite vaselin e, on e ou n ce.
In very severe cases the vu lva shou l d be pain ted
w ith a solu tion of silver n itrate, 25grain s to 1 ou n ce
of distilled water.
Varicose V ein s. In most women du rin g pregn an cythe vein s in the legs become somewhat e n larged.
This is du e to the pressu re of the womb, which in
terferes with the circu lation . If the vein s become
very promin en t, swollen an d tortu ou s, they are
called varicose. This con dition shou ld be pre
ven ted, becau se it Often an d to some degree always
persists perman en tly even after the pregn an cy is
over. The best precau tion ary measu re is for the
woman to wear a well -fittin g abdomin al belt or ma
tern ity corset, which su pports the womb an d does
n ot permit it to sink too low in to the pelvis. If
varicose vein s have been permitted to develop, the
woman shou ld wear well-fittin g rubber stockin gs, or
at least have the legs ban daged with woven elastic
ban dages. The ban dage mu st be applied by a com
peten t person , u n iformly an d n ot too tightly. Con
stipation has al so a bad cfiect in makin g varicose
vein s worse ; the bow els shou ld therefore also be
70 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
looked after. In some severe cases all measu res are
of little valu e u n less the patien t at the same tim e
stays in bed or on a cou ch for a few days, with the
legs elevated.
Swellin g of the feet shou ld be at on ce atten ded
to. It may be a triflin g matter du e on ly to pressu re
of the womb ; then again it may be du e to some
kidn ey trou ble . The physician w ill determin e the
tru e cau se an d prescribe the appropriate treatmen t.
Liver Spots. Chloasma. In some cases irregu lar
brown ish patches or splotches develop on the skin
arou n d the breasts, on the sides, or on the face.
These patches are kn own popu larly as liver spots or
in medical lan gu age as chloasma . Nothin g can be
don e for them,bu t they gen erally di sappear after
the pregn an cy is over. A few patches here an d
there may remain perman en tly.
WHEN TO ENGAGE A PHYSICIAN
THE disorders an d di stu rban ces described above
ar e, with the exception Of pern iciou s vomitin g, Of a
min or n atu re. They are an n oyin g, may cau se con
siderable discomfort an d sn fierin g, bu t they do n ot
en dan ger the life of the woman or Of the child. Cc
casion ally, however, fortu n ately n ot very Often , the
kidn eys become affected,‘
an d for this con di tion
treatmen t by a physician is absolu tely n ecessary.
In fact, the correct an d safe thin g for a woman to
do is to con su lt a physician as soon as she kn ow s
She is pregn an t, an d have him take care Of her du r
in g the en tire pregn an cy. Some women en gage a
physician du rin g the eighth or n in th mon th an d
this is decidedly wron g, becau se it may then be too
late to correct certain trou bles which if taken at
the ou tset cou ld have been easily cu red ; while man y
trou bles in the han ds of a competen t physician can
be preven ted altogether. I mu st therefore reiterate :
every woman shou ld en gage a physician from the
begin n in g of her pregn an cy, or at least du rin g the71
72 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
third or fou rth an d certain ly n ot later than the fifth
mon th. He will examin e the u rin e every mon th an d
make su re that the kidn eys are in
order, he will make su re that the
chi ld is in a n ormal position , an d
w ill preven t a host Of other ills.
This is n ot a special treatise on
the man agemen t of pregn an cy, an d
therefore mi n u te details are ou t of
place. Besides, to the detai ls the
physician will atten d. Bu t some hin ts
pom-n on o, m regardin g diet an d gen eral hygien ecm
fi ogm will prove u sefu l .
If everythin g is satisfactory,if
there is n o severe vomitin g, kidn ey trou ble, etc , the
u su al mixed diet may con tin u e . The on ly chan ges I
wou ld make are the followin g : Drin k plen ty of hot
water du rin g en tire cou rse of pregn an cy : a glass or
tw o in the morn in g, two or thr ee glasses in the after
n oon , the sam e at n ight. From six to tw elve glasses
may be con sumed. Also plen ty of milk, bu ttermilk
an d fermen ted mi lk . Plen tyof fru it an d vegetables.
Meat on ly on ce a day. For the ten den cy to con sti
pation , whole wheat bread, rye bread, bread baked
of bran or bran with cream .
As to exercise, either extreme mu st be avoided.
Some w omen thin k that as soon as they become
WHEN TO ENGAGE A PHYSICIAN 73
pregn an t, they mu st n ot move a mu scle ; they are to
be pu t in a glass case, an d kept there to the day of
delivery. Other women , on the other han d, Of the
u ltramodern type, in du lge in stren u ou s exercise an d
go ou t on lon g fatigu in g walks u p to the last day.
Either extreme is in ju riou s. The right w ay is
moderate exercise, an d short, n on -fatigu in g walks.
Bathin g may be kept u p to the day of delivery.
Bu t warm baths, particu larly du rin g the last tw o
or three mon ths, are preferable to cold baths.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE SI"E OF THE FETUS
MEN an d women are always In terested to kn ow
how large the fetu s is an d how far it is developed
du rin g the variou smon ths of pregn an cy. Absolu telyexact measu remen ts can n ot be given , bu t the fol
lowin g approximate measu remen ts are correct
At the en d of the fi rst mon th (lu n ar ) it is abou t
the size of a hazeln u t. Weighs abou t 15 grain s.
At the en d of the secon d mon th it is the size of a
small hen ’s egg. The in tern al organ s are partially
formed, it begin s to assume a human shape, bu t the
sex can n ot yet be differen tiated. Up to the fifth or
sixth week it does n ot difi er mu ch in appearan ce
from the embryos of other an imals.
At the en d of the third mon th it is the size of a
large goose egg ; it is abou t tw o to three an d a half
in ches lon g. Weighs abou t on e ou n ce.
At the en d of‘
the fou rth mon th the fetu s is be
tween six an d seven in ches lon g an d weighs abou t
five ou n ces.
At the en d of the fifth mon th the fetu s is between74
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE AFTERBIRTH (PLACENTA ) AND CORD
WHATEV ER part of the womb the ovum attaches
itself to is stimu lated to in ten se activity in growth.
Numerou s bloodvessels begin to grow an d that part
Of the lin in g membran e with its n umerou s blood
vessels con stitu te the placen ta, or as it is common ly
called afterbirth, becau se it comes ou t after the birth
of the chi ld. From the placen ta there is also re
flected a membran e over the ovum, so as to give it
addition al protection . That membran e forms a
complete bag over the fetu s ; this bag becomes fil led
with liqu id, so that the fetu s floats freely in a bag
Of waters ; this bag bu rsts on ly du rin g childbirth.
The fetu s is n ot attached close to the placen ta, bu t
is, so to say, su spen ded from it by a cord,which
is called the u mbilical cord . When the child is born ,
the umbilical cord is cu t, an d the scar or depres
sion in the abdomen where the umbilical cord w as
attached con stitu tes the n avel or umbilicu s (in slan g
lan gu age—bu tton or belly bu tton ) . The umbilical
cord con sists Of two arteries an d on e vein embedded76
THE AFTERBIRTH AND CORD 77
in a ge latin like su bstan ce an d en veloped by a mem
bran e, an d it is throu gh the umbilical cord that the
blood from the placen ta is brou ght to an d carried
from the fetu s. The blood of the fetu s an d the blood
of the mother do n ot mix ; the bloodvessels are sep
arated by thi n walls, an d it is throu gh these thin .
walls that the fetal blood receives the in gredien ts
it n eeds from the mother ’s blood. In other words,it receives its n ou rishmen t from the mother by
absorption or osmosis. The blood from the pla
cen ta also fu rn ishes the fetal blood with oxygen , so
that the fetu s breathes by the aid of the placen ta,an d n ot throu gh its ow n lu n gs.
It is well to remember that there is absolu tely
n o n ervou s con n ection between mother an d child.
There are n o n erves whatever in the umbilical cord,so that the n ervou s systems of the fetu s an d Of the
mother are en tirely di stin ct an d separate. An d this
w ill explain why certain n ervou s impression s an d
Shocks received by the mother are n ot readily tran s
m itted to the child. It is on ly throu gh chan ges in
the mother ’s blood that the fetu s can be in flu en ced.
As w ill be seen in a later chapter w e are Skeptical
abou t “ matern al impression s.
”
CHAPTER FIE-TEEN
LACTATION OR NUR SING
EV ERY mother shou ld n u rse her child— if she can .
There is n o perfect su bstitu te for mother ’s mi lk.
There is on ly on e excu se for a mother n ot n u rsin g
that is when she has n omilk, or when the qu alityof the milk is so poor that the child does n ot thrive
on it, or w hen the mother is ru n dow n , is threat
en ed with or is su fferin g with tu bercu losis, etc. In
su ch cases the n u rsin g wou ld prove in ju riou s to
both mother an d child.
When the mother can n ot n u rse the child, it shou ld
be brou ght u p artificially on modified cow ’s milk.
Formu las for modified milk have been worked ou t
for everymon th Of the child’s life, an d if the formu
las are carefu lly foll owed, an d the bottle an d n ip
ples are properly sterilized,the chi ld shou ld have
n o trou ble, bu t shou ld thrive an d grow like on good
mother ’s milk . If the chi ld is sickly or delicate an d
does n ot thrive on modified cow ’s mi lk or on other
artificial foods, then a w et n u rse may become n ec
essary. Bu t before en gagin g a w et n u rse great care
shou ld be taken to make su re that she is healthy,78
LACTATION OR NURSING 79
that the age of her chi ld is approximately the same
as the age of the child which She is abou t to n u rse,an d particu larly that She is free from an y syphil itic
tain t. On e, tw o or more Wasserman n tests shou ld
be made to settle the qu estion defin itely.
Mothers Shou ld bear in mi n d that su cklin g the
child is good n ot on ly for the child,bu t for the
mother as well. Lactation helps the in volu tion of
the u teru s : the u teru s of a n u rsin g mother retu rn smore qu ickly an d more perfectly to its n ormal an te
pregn an t con dition than the u teru s of the mother
w ho can n ot or will n ot n u rse her child.
That the mother w ho n u rses her child shou ld
partake of su flicien t n ou rishmen t goes withou t sayin g. Bu t the advice Often given to n u rsin g mothers
to partake Of beer, al e or win e is a bad on e . It is
a qu estion if a mother partakin g of con siderable
qu an tities of alcoholic beverages may n ot tran smit
the taste for alcohol to her children . No, alcoholics
shou ld be left alon e, bu t milk, eggs, meat, fru i t
an d vegetables shou ld be partaken of in abu n dan ce.
Preparing the Nipples. For the in fan t to be able
to n u rse properly the n ipples of the breast mu st
be in good con dition . If the n ipples are su n ken ,
depressed, it is tortu re for the child to n u rse. It
u ses u p a lot of en ergy u selessly, becomes exhau sted,an d gets very little milk ; while if the n ipples be
80 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
ten der or cracked the process of n u rsin g is a tor
tu re for the mother.
It is therefore n ecessary to atten d to the n ipples
in du e time— to begin at the fifth or Sixth mon th is
n ot too early. If the n ipples are su flicien tly promi
n en t,little n eed be don e for them except to wash
them with a little boric acid solu tion (on e teaspoon
fu l of boric acid to a glass Of water) occasion ally,an d n ow an d then to ru b in a little petrolatum, plain
or borated. Bu t if the n ipples are su n ken so that
they are below the su rface of the breast, or if theyare on ly slightly above the su rface of the breast,they mu st be treated. Gen tle traction mu st be made
on them with the fin gers three or fou r times a day.
There are on ly a few cases where persisten t man ipu
lation will n ot develop the n ipple an d make it stan d
ou t promin en tly.
If the n ipple is ten der it shou ld be washed two or
three times a day with a mixtu re of alcohol an d
water ; on e part of al cohol to three parts of water
is su flicien t. In washin g the n ipple with this dilu ted
alcohol it shou ld be dried an d a little petrolatum
or vaselin e ru bbed in . Thi s don e tw o or three times
a day du rin g the last mon th or tw o of the pregn an cyw ill gen erally produ ce a good healthy n ipple.
The Treatmen t of Cracked Nipples. If the care of
the n ipple has been n eglected, an d it develops cracks
LACTATION OR NURSING 81
or fissu res so that the n u rsin g of the chi ld cau ses
the mother severe pai n , the n u rsin g Shou ld be don e
throu gh a n ipple Shield, an d in the mean time be
tween the n u rsin gs the n ipple shou ld be ru bbed with
the followin g preparation , which is excellen t an d
which I can fu lly recommen d : thymol iodide,dram ; Olive oil, ou n ce . This shou ld be applied
every hou r to the n ipple an d covered with a little
cotton ; before each n u rsin g, however, it mu st be
well washed Off with warm water or warm boric acid
solu tion . When the n ipples are cracked, the in
fau t ’s lips shou ld al so before n u rsin g be carefu lly
wiped ou t with boric acid solu tion . For the baby ’s
mou th con tain s bacteria which whi le harmless in
themselves may if they get in to the cracks of the
n ipple set u p an in flammation Of the breast or “ mas
titis ” an d cau se an abscess. If the cracks are ex
cru ciatin gly pai n fu l, as they sometimes are, it is
n ecessary to give the on e breast a rest for twen ty
fou r hou rs an d have the child n u rse at the other
u n til the cracks have partially healed.
When It Is Necessary toDry Up the Breasts. In
case of the death Of the child,or if the mother for
some other reason fin ds herself u n able to n u rse.
su ch as in cases w here there is absolu tely n o n ipple,in stead of the promin en ce of the n ipple there bein ga deep depression , it becomes n ecessary to stop the
82 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
secretion of the milk, or as it is said in common
parlan ce,“to dry u p the breasts.
” In former days,
n ot so very lon g ago, an d the practice is still com
mon en ou gh to call atten tion to it an d to con demn
it, the breasts u sed to be tightly ban daged, or theyu sed to be pumped every few hou rs. The first
cau ses u n n ecessary pain an d trou ble, w hile the sec
on d procedu re, the pumpin g, does exactly the re
verse to w hat it is in ten ded to do. In stead of dryin g u p the breasts it keeps u p the secretion . The
best thin g to do in a case like that is to leave the
breasts alon e, n ot to pump them,bu t ju st gen tly
su pport them w ith a ban dage an d then in three or
fou r days the secretion Of the milk will gradu al ly
disappear. There is some discomfort the first
tw en ty-fou r or forty-eight hou rs, bu t if left alon e
the discomfort is less than if the breasts are man ipu
lated, ban daged or pumped.
Men struation or Pregn an cyWhile Nu rsin g. Man y
w omen do n ot men stru ate an d do n ot become preg
n an t while they are n u rsin g. Some women will n ot
con ceive, n o matter how lon g they may n u rse the
child— a year or tw o or lon ger. An d some women
take advan tage of this fact, an d in order to avoid
an other child they will keep u p the n u rsin g as lon g
as possible . In Egypt an d other Orien tal cou n tries
where ou r mean s for the preven tion Of con ception
CHAPTER SIxTEEN
ABORTION AND MISCARR IAGE
THE word abortion , u sed somewhat loosely, sign ifies the prematu re expu lsion of the fetu s ; the ex
pu lsion of the fetu s from the womb before it is via
ble, i. e ., before it is capable of livin g in depen den tly.
Used in a stricter sen se, the word abortion is ap
plied to the expu lsion Of the fetu s u p to the en d Of
the l 6th week ; to the expu lsion of the fetu s be
tween the l 6th an d the 28th week the term mis
carriage is applied ; an d when the expu lsion of the
fetu s takes place after the 28th week, bu t before
fu l l term, w e u se the term prematu re labor. The
laity does n ot like the term abortion, as it is u n der
the impression that the term always sign ifies crimi
n al abortion ; it therefore prefers to u se the term
miscarriage regardl ess of the time at
which the expu l sion of the fetu s takes place.
When an abortion (or miscarriage ) takes place
by itself, withou t an y ou tside aid, w e call it spon
tan eou s abortion . When it is brou ght on by arti
ficial mean s, whether by the woman herself or by
somebody e lse, w e call it in du ced abortion . When84
AB ORTION AND MISCARRIAGE 85
an abortion is in du ced for the pu rpose of savin g'
the woman ’s life, w e call it therapeu tic abortion ;
this is con sidered perfectly legal an d proper. Bu t
where an abortion is in du ced merely to save an n u
married mother ’s repu tation , or becau se the married
mother is too poor or too weak to have an y more
children , or is relu ctan t to have an y (or an y more )for an y other reason , it is called crimin al or illegal
abortion , an d, if discovered, su bjects the mother an d
the person w ho produ ced the abortion to severe
pu n ishmen t.
When the fetu s for some reason dies in its
mother ’s womb, it is gen erally expelled withi n a
few hou rs or days. Sometimes this is n ot the case,
an d the dead fetu s is retai n ed for several weeks,or mon ths or even years ; to su ch a phen omen on w e
apply the term missed abortion . Some women su f
fer from what mIght be cal led the abortion habit ;they can hardly ever carry a child to fu ll term
, bu t
lose it in the same mon th or even in the same week
of gestation du rin g each pregn an cy ; w e call this ha
bitu al abortion . An d this habitu al abortion may
be in depen den t of disease, su ch, for in stan ce, as
syphil is. The terms threaten ed, immin en t an d ih
evitable abortion requ ire n o fu rther explan ation .
The Cau ses of Abortion . Ou tside of the abortion
habit, which may be du e partly to heredity or be
86 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
cau sed by a diseased con dition of the lin in g mem
bran e of the u teru s, the prin cipal cau se of abortion
an d mi scarriage is syphilis. An d when a w oman has
had tw o or three or fou r or more miscarriages in
su ccession w e gen erally assume the cau se to be
syphilis, an d in most cases the assumption w ill be
correct.
CHAPTER SEV ENTEEN
PRENATAL CAR E
BY pren atal care w e u n derstan d the care taken
du rin g pregn an cy before the child is born . Used in
a wider sen se the term in clu des the care which both
paren ts Shou ld take of themselves even before the
child is con ceived.
Of cou rse the father an d the mother shou ld be in
the best possible physical an d men tal con dition du r
in g the time of con ception an d even before con cep
tion , an d the mother Shou ld take the very best care
of herself— she Shou ld be in good health an d as calm
a spirit as possible du rin g the en tire period of ges
tation . For the gen eral health an d con dition of the
mother does in flu en ce the child.
I have seen somu ch misery cau sed by wron g pre
n atal care teachin g an d by the fooli sh, exaggerated
ideas on the su bject, that I con sider it my du ty to
say somethin g in order to cou n teract those erro
n eou s n otion s. I con sider it my special mission to
destroy error,mysticism an d su perstition . An d the
pren atal care teachin g as imparted by some u n for
tu n ately partakes of all three of the above .
871
88 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
Of cou rse, I repeat, the mother Shou ld try to be
in the best possible con dition while she is carryin g
the child. Nevertheless, it is foolish to imagin e if
the mother is n ot qu ite well, or is worried abou t
somethi n g, or has a fit of an ger, that it is in var iably
goin g to be reflected on the child. The child, as w e
kn ow, has n o n ervou s con n ection whatever with the
mother,an d it is on ly very violen t or prolon ged
shocks that are apt to have an in ju riou s in flu en ce .
I kn ow of chi ldren that were carried by their
mothers in an ger an d in an gu i sh from the day of
con ception to the day of delivery. An d still they
were born perfectly n ormal. I kn ow of a chi ld whose
mother w as su fferin g the most hellish tortu res of
jeal ou sy du rin g the en tire period of pregn an cy, an d
still the child w as born perfectly healthy, perfectly
n ormal,an d is n ow a splen did specimen of man hood.
I kn ow children w hose mothers wen t throu gh severe
attacks of pn eumon ia, typhoid fever, etc , an d still
they were born perfectly healthy an d perfectly n or
mal . I kn ow children whose mothers were u sin g
every mean s to abort them,took all kin ds of in ter
n al medicin es u n til they were deathly Sick, an d still
they were born perfectly healthy an d n ormal . I
kn ow children whose mothers tried to abort them
by mechan ical mean s,who wen t to abortion ists w ho
made on e or more attempts to in du ce the abortion
PRENATAL CARE 89
I kn ow even cases where the mothers bled as a resu lt
of su ch attempts— an d n evertheless,the children
were born perfectly healthy,developed n ormally
physically an d men tally.
Of cou rse these are n ot thin gs that I wou ld advise
w omen to do or to u n dergo. I wou ld n ot advise
pregn an t women toworry, to be sick, to take poison
ou s medicin es or to make attempts at abortion , bu t
I merely brin g u p these poin ts to emphasize to my
readers n ot to take the n ecessity of pren atal care in
too absolu te a sen se, an d n ot to worry themselves
u n n ecessarily if the con dition s du rin g their preg
n an cy are n ot all that cou ld be desired. The child
is n ot n ecessarily goin g to be affected. The con di
tion Of the germ-plasms, i . e .
,the con di tion of the
ovum an d the spermatozoa at the time Of con cep
tion is more importan t than al l su bsequ en t care du r
in g gestation .
As there are foolish people who possess a pecu
liar kn ack Of misin terpretin g an d misu n derstan din g
everythin g, I wish to emphasize that hygien e du rin g
pregn an cy shou ld n ot be n eglected. Everythin g pos
sible shou ld be don e to pu t the mother in the best
possible physical an d men tal con dition . All I wan t
to say is that it is bad to be in san e on the su bject,that it is bad to take thin gs in an absolu te sen se, an d
that it is bad to exaggerate.
CHAPTER E IGHTEEN
STERILITY
STERILITY or barren n ess is a con dition of in abilityto have children . In former years the opin ion pre
vailed gen erally, when ever a cou ple w as childless,that the fau lt w as exclu sively the woman ’
s. It
w asn’t even thou ght that the man cou ld be to blame.
We n ow kn ow that in at least fifty per cen t. Of cases
of sterility, or childless marriages, the fau lt is n ot
the woman ’s bu t the man ’
s. It is therefore very n u
w ise in con di tion s Of sterility to su bject the w ife to
treatmen t withou t first examin in g the hu sban d.
Nevertheless,thi s is still Often the case, particu larly
amon g the lower classes or amon g the ign oran t.
There are cases where the woman goes from on e
doctor to an other for years an d is su bjected to all
kin ds Of treatmen t,when a simple examin ation Of
the hu sban d wou ld show that the fau lt lies with him.
Some women have on e child an d are u n able after
wards to give birth to an y more. Su ch a con dition
is called on e-child-sterili ty. It is gen eral ly du e to
an inflammation Of the Fallopian tu bes which closes90
92 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
to the spermatozoa. An other cau se is a severe ben d
in g or tu rn in g Of the u teru s either forw ards or
backw ards. The Open in g Of the n eck Of the womb,the os, may also be closed, or practically so
,f rom
u lceration , from stron g application s, etc. In some
cases sterility may be du e to severe con stitu tion al
disease, when the person is very mu ch ru n down an d
so an emic that men struation stops. Un fortu n atelythis is n ot always the case, for women even in the
last stages Of con sumption may, an d Often do, be
come pregn an t. Syphil is u n fortu n ately does n ot
cau se sterility ; it on ly cau ses miscarriages u n til
con trolled by treatmen t.
The treatmen t Of sterility can be su ccessfu lly car
ried ou t on ly by a competen t physician , particu larly
by on e w ho is devotin g himself special ly to this kin d
Of w ork. Bu t I wan t on ce more to immess u pon
every woman w ho is sterile, an d w ho w an ts to have
a child, n ot to have herself treated or even examin ed
u n til her hu sban d has been su bjcoted to an examin a
CHAPTER NIN ETEEN
THE MENOPAUSE OR CHANGE OF LIFE
IN the chapter on men stru ation I referred brieflyto the men opau se. I will con sider it here somewhat
more in detail.
The men opau se , also called the climacteric, an d
in common lan gu age “chan ge of life,
” is the period
at which woman ceases to men stru ate . The average
age at which this occu rs is abou t forty-eight. Bu t
whil e some w omen con tin u e to men stru ate u p to
the age Of fifty, fifty-two, an d even fifty-five, others
cease to men stru ate at the age Of forty-five or even
forty-tw o. Between forty-fou r an d fifty-tw o are the
n ormal limits. An ythin g before or beyon d that is
exception al.
Ju st as the begin n in g of men stru ation may set in
w ithou t an y trou ble Of an y kin d, an d ju st as some
w omen have n ot the slightest u n pleasan t symptoms
du rin g the en tire period of their men stru al life, so
the men opau se occu rs in some women withou t an ytrou ble, physical or psychic The periods between
the men ses become perhaps a little lon ger, or a little98
94 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
irregu lar, the men stru al flow becomes more an d
more scan ty, then on e or several periods may be
skipped altogether, an d the men opau se is pem
u en tly established. Man y women,however
, the ma
jority probably, su fl er con siderably du rin g the tran
sition al year or years of the men opau se. Symptoms
are both of a physical an d Of a psychic character,bu t the psychic symptoms predomin ate. There maybe headache, capriciou s appetite, or complete loss of
appetite, con siderable loss of flesh, or on the con
trary very su dden an d rapid pu ttin g on of fat, great
irritability, in somn ia, profu se perspiration ; hot
flashes throu ghou t the body, an d particu larly in the
face, which make the face “ blu shin g ” an d con
gested, are particu larly frequ en t. Then the woman’s
character may be completely chan ged. From gen tle
qu arrelsome. Jealou sy withou t an y grou n ds for it
may be on e of the disagreeable symptoms, makin g
both the wife an d the hu sban d very u n happy. In
some exception al cases a gen u in e n eu rosis or psy
chosis may develop.
Cau se of Sufferi ng Dmi ng Men opau se. It is my
con viction , an d I have had this con viction for man y
years, that man y, if n ot most,of the distressin g
symptoms of the men opau se are du e, n ot to the
men opau se itself, bu t to the wron g ideas abou t this
THE MENOPAUSE 95
period that have prevail ed for so man y cen tu ries.
We kn ow the in flu en ce of the min d over the body,an d the pern iciou s cfiect which wron g ideas mayexercise over ou r feelin gs. The gen erally prevalen t
opin ion amon g women , an d men for that matter,an d n ot on ly Of the laity bu t u n fortu n ately of the
medical profession as well , is that the men opau se
is the en d of w oman ’s sexu al life. Every woman is
laborin g u n der the erron eou s impression that with
the establishmen t of the men opau se,w ith the ces
sation of the men ses, she ceases to be a woman , an d
as she does n ot become a man , she becomes some
thin g Of a n eu ter bein g , n either woman n or man .
An d she has the idea that after the men opau se she
can have n o fu rther attraction for her hu sban d or
for other men . Natu ral ly su ch an idea has a very
depressin g efiect on an y human bein g. An y human
bein g fights to the last to retain all its human fu n c
tion s, especially the fu n ction which is con sidered as
importan t as is the sexu al fu n ction .
R eprodu ctive Fu n ction an d Sexu al Fu n ction Not
Syn on ymou s. Of cou rse with the perman en t cessa
tion of the men ses the woman ’s reprodu ctive fu n c
tion is at an en d. Bu t the reprodu ctive fu n ction is
n ot syn onymou s with the sexu al fu n ction , I mu st
in sist again an d again , an d n atu ral ly u n til this erro
n eou s idea is dispelled mu ch u n n ecessarymisery w ill
96 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
be the lot of ou r w omen . If women in gen eral will
learn that w ith the establishmen t of the men opau se
they do n ot cease to be women , if they w ill learn
that the sexu al desire in women lasts lon g beyon d
the cessation of the men opau se, man y women bein g
as passion ate at six ty as at thirty, if they w ill learn
that their attractiven ess or n on -attractiven ess to
the mal e sex does n ot depen d u pon the men opau se,bu t u pon their gen eral con di tion , if they will learn
that man y women at fifty an d sixty are mu ch more
attractive than some women at half that age, they
w i ll not take the on set of the men opau se so tragi
cally an d they will thereby avoid the greater part
Of their men tal an d emotion al sufl erin g.
The actu al atrophy of the ovaries, u teru s, exter
n al gen ital s an d the breasts can , of cou rse, n ot be
preven ted,bu t that atrophy is a slow an d gradu al
process, an d is n ot in itself the cau se of the variou s
distressin g symptoms that w e have en umerated.
The treatmen t of the men opau se, if the symptoms
are at al l disagreeable, or distressin g, shou ld be in
the han ds Of a competen t physician . A little whole
some advice may be more efficien t than gallon s of
medicin e an d bu shels of pil ls. In gen eral the w oman
shou ld try to lead as calm an d peacefu l a life as pos
sible. Warm baths daily are ben eficial, con stipation
shou ld be gu arded agai n st, hot vagin al dou ches are
THE MENOPAUSE 97
often eflicien t again st the disagreeable flu shes, an d
last, bu t n ot least, the hu sban d shou ld du rin g this
critical period be dou bly kin d an d dou bly con sider
ate Of his w ife . It is du rin g the years between forty
five an d fifty-five that the wife is most in n eed of
her hu sban d ’s sympathy an d su pport.
CHAPTER Tw ENTY
THE HABIT OF MASTURBATION
MASTURBATION or self-abu se is a term applied to
a bad habit which con sists in han dlin g an d ru bbin g
the gen itals. It is a bad habit becau se it is apt to
in ju re the health an d fu ture developmen t of the
girl. The more frequ en tly it is practiced, the more
in ju riou s it is. It is more in ju riou s than when prac
ticed by boys, becau se the efiects are u su ally more
perman en t. Girls who in du lge in the habit of mas
tu rbation to excess n ot on ly weaken themselves, be
come an emic an d get a din gy, pimply complexion,
bu t they lose their desire for n ormal sexu al rela
tion s when they grow u p, an d are u n able to derive
an y pleasu re from the sexu al act when they get
married. In fact, man y girls who mastu rbated ex
cessively get a stron g aversion to the n ormal sexu al
act, an d their married life is an u n happy on e. Their
hu sban ds Often have to ask for a divorce. Fortu
n ately, the habit is mu ch less widespread amon g
girls than it is amon g boys. Whil e abou t n in ety
per cen t. of all boys— n in e ou t Of every ten—mas
tu rbate more or less, on ly abou t ten or at most98
100 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
somethin g terrible, that it has disgraced them an d
itself ; an d they try to persu ade it that, u n less it
stops immediately, the most direfu l con sequ en ces
are awaitin g it. The resu lts of thi s mode of pro
cedu re are disastrou s—mu ch more SO than is the
mastu rbation itself.
Often the scoldin g an d the exposu re of the child
are don e in the presen ce of others. This implan ts
in the poor girl a su llen resen tmen t that on ly makes
it more diflicu lt for it to break the habit. When
the child is brou ght to the physician , you can see
by its behavior, by its down cast looks, by its su‘
lki
n ess, by its attempt to refrain from tears, an d other
sign s, that it regards the physician in exactly the
same light as a you thfu l crimin al regards the ju dge
before whom he has been brou ght for trial.
It is time, high time, that this silly an d in ju riou s
attitu de toward a practice, which is very common ,be radically chan ged. It is time that paren ts an d
physician s learn that the in ju riou sn ess Of the habit
has been greatly, grossly exaggerated. It is time'
that they kn ow that the vast majority of boy‘s an d
girls get over the habit withou t bein g mu ch , or
an y, the worse for it. The kn owledge Of this‘
fact
w ill n ot on ly save them an d the children mu ch n eed
less an gu ish an d sn fierin g, bu t w ill make it mu ch
THE HABIT OF MASTURBATION 101
easier to deal with the latter, make it mu ch easier
to get them divorced from the habit.
If w e look at the matter in a sen sible, common
sen se w ay, an d do n ot tell the child cau ght in the
practice that it has don e somethin g disgracefu lly
viciou s an d crimin al, bu t speak to it kin dly an d tell
it that it is doin g somethin g that may in ju re it
greatly, that may in terfere with its fu tu re men tal
an d physical health an d developmen t, then w eshall
have far greater su ccess in ou r en deavors to break
the boy or the girl of the habit of mastu rbation . As
I have said in an other place“ In my opin ion , stigmatizin g even the most mod
crate in du lgen ce in mastu rbation as a vice has a
deleteriou s effect u pon the people who so in du lge
an d makes it harder for them to break of the habit.
Every thinkin g physician an d sexologist can tell you
that pictu rin g the mastu rbatory habit in too lu rid
colors an d stigmatizin g it with too stron g epithets
has, as a ru le, the con trary efiect to the on e ex
pected . The victims Of the habit con sider them
selves degraded, irretrievably lost. They lose their
self-respect, an d it is, on accou n t of that, harder for
them to break themselves of the habit. ”
I am n ot tryin g to min imize the dan ger of mas
tu rbation , for, if in du lged in from an early age
an d to great excess, the resu lts may be disastrou s.
102 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
Bu t, even if I were to min imize the evil con se
qu en ces, that wou ld be less of a sin.
than to exag
gerate them the w ay it has been don e for so man y
years, by so man y people in the profession an d ou t
of it. The evil resu lts of exaggeratin g the in flu
en ce of mastu rbation have been so great in the past
that, if n ow the pen du lum were to swin g to the
other extreme, I am su re it wou ld n ot be a bad thin gat all .
To deal w ith the su bject of the treatmen t Of mas
tu rbation belon gs to a medical treatise. Bu t, a few
remarks on how to preven t children from acqu ir
in g the habit of mastu rbation will n ot be ou t of
place.
Preven tion of the Habit of Mastu rbation The
keyn ote of preven tin g the habit is, carefu lly to watch
the child from its earliest in fan cy. We kn ow that
n ot in frequ en tly stu pid or viciou s n u rsemaids, w et
n u rses, an d even govern esses ign oran tly or deliber
ately in du ce the habit in children u n der their charge .
This, Of cou rse, mu st be preven ted . Even children
of the age of n in e, ten , eleven years shou ld n ot be
left alon e, bu t always be u n der su pervision . TOO
close frien dship between boys or girls, particu larly
of difieren t ages, shou ld be looked u pon w ith su spi
cion .
104 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
are as developed as are others Of thirteen ) , w e mu st
tell them that it is bad an d in ju riou s to han dle on e ’s
gen ital s, an d w e mu st warn them to Shu n an y com
pan ion s who wish to in itiate them in to an y man ipu
lation s Of these parts or who show an in clin ation to
talk abou t the sexu al organ s an d sex matters.
Hot baths are very in ju riou s for you n g chi ldren
in their in flu en ce in this direction . There is n o qu es
tIon that a hot bath has a very decided stimu latin g
cfi ect u pon the sexu al desire of adu lts as well as of
chi ldren , both mal e an d femal e ; in fact, I have had
several patien ts Of either sex tell me that their first
mastu rbatory act w as committed while they were in
a hot bath. Of cou rse, the sen sation havin g been
pleasu rable, they kept on repeatin g the experien ce
Every factor liable to give rise to the habit shou ld
be removed. Thu s, for in stan ce, e czema abou t the
gen itals, stron gly acid u rin e, seatworms, an d the
like, Shou ld be treated u n til cu red. That an ythin g
havin g a ten den cy prematu rely to awaken the sexu al
in stin ct shou ld be rigorou sly avoided, goes w ithou t
Men tal or PsychicMastu rbation . Some girls an d
women will abstain from han dlin g themselves w ith
their han ds (man u al mastu rbation ) , bu t will prac
tice what w e call men tal mastu rbation . That is, they
w il l con cen trate their mi n ds on the opposi te sex,
THE HABIT OF MASTURBATION 105
w ill pictu re to themselves variou s lasciviou s scen es,u n til they feel satisfied. This method is ex
treme ly in ju riou s an d exhau stin g an d is very likely
to lead to n eu rasthen ia an d a n ervou s breakdown .
You shou ld break you rself of it, by all mean s, if you
can . For it is even more in ju riou s than the regu lar
habit.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
LEUCORRHEA— THE WHITES
LEUCORRHEA mean s literal ly a whi te ru n n in g,an d is applied by the laity to an y whitish discharge
comin g from the vagin a. This is wron g, becau se
some whi te discharges may be Of little importan ce ;others may be of a seriou s character, an d n ot be
leu corrhea at al l .
Leu corrhea is on e Of the bon es Of the modern girl
an d woman . It is very frequ en t. Probably at least
twen ty-five per cen t. (some say fif tyr or seven tyifive
per cen t. ) of all women su ff er with it in a greater or
lesser degree . In some cases it is on ly an an n oy
an ce, n ecessitatin g the frequ en t chan gin g Of n ap
kin s, bu t in others it cau ses a great deal of weakn ess,backache, erosion s, itchin g an d bu rn in g. It is veryresistan t to treatmen t
,particu larly in girls. The
reason it is so resistan t to treatmen t is becau se the
discharge, while comin g from the vag in a, does n ot
u su ally origin ate in the vagin a ; it origin ates in the
n eck Of the womb, an d the hu n dreds an d hu n dreds
of in jection s that w omen take for their leu corrhea
on ly reach the vagi n a ; they can n ot pen etrate in to106
108 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
a resu l tan t leu corrhea. A gen eral ru n down con di
tion , worry, overwork, too hard stu dy, lack of fresh
air , an d a gen eral scrofu lou s con di tion also favor the
developmen t of catarrh of the womb an d leu corrhea.
It will therefore be seen that the treatmen t Of leu
corrhea to be su ccessfu l mu st be gen eral an d local .
Gen eral Treatmen t. The gen eral treatmen t con
sists in gen eral hygien ic measu res an d in common
sen se. The patien t shou ld n ot be on her feet more
than she can help, an d she shou ld n ot walk u n til ex
hau sted or fatigu ed. It is better to take several
shortwalks than on e lon g on e. The corset She wears,if she wears an y at all, shou ld be of the modern
kin d : n ot on e that presses the womb an d the other
abdomin al organ s down , bu t on e that su pports the
abdomin al walls, an d rather raises the abdomin al
organ s u p. The lacin g or bu tton in g mu st be from
below u p, an d n ot from above down . That it shou ld
n ot in an y w ay in terfere with the freedom Of respi
ration goes withou t sayin g. Con stipation , if an y, to
be treated, mu st be treated in telligen tly, by mild
measu res (see Con stipation , in the chapter on Preg
n an cy) , an d care mu st be taken that the bowelsmove
at regu lar hou rs. Where the leu corrhea is du e to or
is aggravated by an emia an d gen eral weakn ess, a
good iron preparation , su ch as on e Blau d ’s five
grain pill three times a day, or a ton ic of iron , qu i
LEUCORRHEA— THE WHITES 109
n in e an d strychn in e, will do good. A daily cold bath
or cold spon ge, followed by a brisk dry ru b n g with
a rou gh towel, is also u sefu l.
Local Treatmen t. Local measu res con sist of pain t
in g or swabbin g the vagin a an d cervix with variou s
solu tion s, of tampon s, su ppositories an d dou ches.
Local application to the vagin a an d u teru s can be
don e satisfactorily by the physician or n u rse on ly.
The in sertion of a su ppository or dou chin g can be
easily don e by the patien t herself.
While it is always best an d safest to con su lt a
physician , an d, while self-medication is gen erally in
advi sable, there are occasion s when a physician is
n ot availab le ; in some small places a woman may,
for variou s reason s, have a stron g objection to gyn e
oological examin ation an d treatmen t ; an d some
w omen may be too poor to pay the doctor. In su ch
circumstan ces self-treatmen t is ju stified an d there
can be n o Objection to it if the remedies are harm
less an d are su r e to do some good ; that is, to im
prove the con dition where they do n ot efiect a com
plete cu re .
On e of the simplest thin gs is an alum tampon .
You take a piece of absorben t cotton , abou t the size
of a fist, spread it ou t, pu t abou t a tablespoon fu l Of
powdered alum on it, fold it u p, tie a strin g arou n d
the cen ter, in sert it in the vagin a as far as it w ill go,
110 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
an d leave it in for twen ty-fou r hou rs. Then pu ll it
gen tly by the strin g an d syrin ge you rself with a
qu art or tw o qu arts Of warm water. Su ch a tampon
may be in serted every other day or every third day,an d I have kn own man y cases where this Simple
treatmen t alon e produ ced a cu re. In some cases,
however, dou cheswork better an d the tw obest thin gs
for dou chin g are : tin ctu re Of iodin e an d lactic acid .
Bu y, say, fou r ou n ces Of tin ctu re of iodin e, an d u se
two teaspoon fu ls in tw o qu arts of hot water in a
dou che bag . This in jection shou ld be u sed twice a
day, morn in g an d n ight. Of the lactic acid you bu y,say, a pin t, an d u se two tablespoon fu ls to two qu arts
Of water. The lactic acid has the advan tage over the
tin ctu re of iodin e that it is colorless, whi le the iodin e
is dark an d stain s whatever it comes in con tact with.
Sometimes I order the u se of the tin ctu r e of iodin e
an d the lactic acid al tern ately : for on e dou che the
tin ctu re Of iodin e, for the n ext the lactic acid,an d
so on . When the con dition improves, it is su fficien t
to u se on e teaspoon fu l of the tin ctu re Of iodin e an d
on e tablespoon fu l Of the lactic acid to two qu arts
Of water. These in jection s are qu ite efficien t an d
have the advan tage of bein g perfectly harml ess.
On e poin t abou t the in jection s : they shou ld be taken
n ot in the stan din g or squ attin g position ( in which
position the flu id comes right ou t) , bu t while lyin g
THE V ENEREAL DISEASES
THE word ven ereal ” mean s pertain in g to sexu al
in tercou rse : ven ereal excess— excess in sexu al in
tercou rse ; ven ereal disease— a disease acqu ired from
sexu al in tercou rse with an in fected person . The
word is derived from V en u s (gen itive—ven eris) ,the Roman goddess Of sprin g, flowers an d Love.
There are three ven ereal diseases : gon orrhea,syphi lis an d chan croid. Of these, gon orrhea is the
most widespread, syphi lis the most seriou s. Chan
croid is of comparatively little importan ce .
While by far the greatest amou n t Of ven ereal dis
eases—probably n in ety per cen t. of the total— is
con tracted from illicit in tercou rse, it is well to
bear in min d that some of it is con tracted in n ocen tly,either from a kiss
,or from u sin g a spon ge or a towel
which has been u sed by an in fected person , etc.
While the gon orrheal germ is gen erally tran smitted
directly, the syphilitic poison may be tran smitted
throu gh variou s objects. Syphilis con tracted n ot
du rin g in tercou rse, bu t in an in n ocen t man n er, from
Illicit—illegal, n on -
permissible, ou tside of marriage.
112
THE V ENEREAL DISEASES 113
a kiss, a. towel, a toothbru sh, a razor, etc , is called
syphilis of the in n ocen t, or syphilis in son tium. In
former years doctors wou ld n ot very rarely con tract
syphilis from exam in i n g syphilitic women with their
bare fin gers. Now Sin ce gloves have come in to u se
for examin in g pu rposes, the n umber of in fection s
has con siderably dim in ished. An d n o dou bt that as
the people become more familiar with the dan ger
of ven ereal in fection from n on -ven ereal sou rces,the
n umber Of in n ocen t in fection s will greatly dimin ish.
The dan gerou s roller towel an d the n o less dan ger
ou s common drin kin g cu p are bein g gradu ally elimi
n ated as factors of n on -ven ereal in fection ; an d w e
may con fiden tly expect that in a decade or two the
amou n t of ven ereal disease from ven ereal in fection
will be greatly lessen ed in all civilized cou n tries.
The gen eral in crease in clean lin ess in al l strata of
society an d the u n iversal u se Of an tiseptics after
su spiciou s sexu al relation s will con stitu te the chief
factors in this dimin u tion of ven ereal disease.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
THE EXTENT OF V ENEREAL DISEASE
Former Silen ce. On ly a very few years ago re
spectable women , by which I mean all women ou tside
Of the women called ‘ fallen ,
’ did n ot kn ow Of the
existen ce of ven ereal disease. It w as con sidered a
prohibited, disgracefu l su bject, n ot to be men tion ed
or even hin ted at in con versation , in books or maga
zin es, in lectu res, or on the stage. When I say that
they did n ot kn ow of the existen ce of su ch a thin g as
ven ereal disease, that the very words gon orrhea an d
syphi lis were u n kn own to them,I u se these expres
sion s n ot as figu res Of speech, bu t in their literal
mean in g. All aven u es of acqu irin g su ch kn owledge
bein g closed to them— lay people don
’t u su ally n ow
an d they su rely didn ’t then pu rchase an d read
strictly medical works—where cou ld they Obtain
the in formation " The resu lt w as that when a
woman w as so u n fortu n ate as to con tract a ven ereal
di sease from her hu sban d,she did n ot u n derstan d
its character an d did n ot su spect its sou rce . Which
w as a rather good thin g— for the hu sban d. Family
peace w as more secu re.
116 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
man y reformers,” he permitted his zeal to run
aw ay with him occasion ally,an d he made statemen ts
which cau sed an d are still cau sin g the ju diciou s to
grieve. The statemen t, for in stan ce, that there is
more ven ereal disease amon g in n ocen t, virtu ou s
w ives than am on g prostitu tes is on e to cau se the real
hon est in vestigator to weep (over the human ten
den ey to exaggeration ) , or tobu rst ou t in u proariou s
lau ghter. The ridicu lou sn ess Of this statemen t be
comes especially eviden t when w e recollect that the
same gen tleman made the statemen t that every pros
titu te, w ithou t exception , w as diseased at on e time or
an other. If ven ereal disease exists amon g prosti
tu tes to the exten t of 100per cen t., then how can it
exist to a greater exten t amon g in n ocen t, virtu ou s
w ives" An d to still fu rther emphasize the absu rdity
of the above statemen t, I will tell you that the ex
ten t Of ven ereal disease am on g married women is
believed by carefu l n on -sen sation al ven ereologists
n ot to exceed five per cen t "
Y es, the Silen ce Of former years has given place
to the lu rid exaggeration of the presen t day. While
on the whole the former w as worse than the latter,the latter is bad en ou gh, becau se itmakesman y girls
u nhappy, sowin g in them the seeds Of su spicion an d
cyn icism, ten ds to make them an tagon istic to the en
tire male sex , an d in ocu lates them with a sen seless
EXTENT OF VENEREAL DISEASE 117
fear of marriage. A stu dy made by Miriam C .
Gou ld, of the departmen t of psychology an d philos
Ophy in the U n iversity of P ittsbu rg (Social Hy
gien e, April, corroborates ou r remarks in a
strikin g man n er.
She has had con fiden tial chats with 50you n g girls,with whom she has had some acqu ain tan ce ; of these
50,25 were college stu den ts an d 25 were n ot. She
asked them a n umber of qu estion s, the pu rpose of
which w as tofin d ou t what psychologic efi ect, if an y,their kn owledge of prostitu tion an d of ven ereal di s
ease has had on them. She states in her con clu sion s
that “the histories reveal a large percen tage of
harmfu l resu lts, su ch as con dition s borderin g u pon
n eu rasthen ia, melan cholia, pessimism an d sex cu
tagon ism (italics min e ) , directly traceable to this
kn owledge . Eleven of the girls in terviewed devel
oped a pron ou n ced repu lsion for men , althou gh prior
to their ‘kn owledge ’ they had en joyed men ’s com
pan y. They n ow avoid association w ith them, an d
six have declared that they have totally lost faith
in the moral clean n ess Of men . Eight have already
refu sed to marry, or in ten d to do so, becau se of their
belief that the risk of in fection w as too great. If it
were n ot for the existen ce of these diseases, they saythey wou ld be glad to marry. A ll of these say their
decision has ren dered them more or less u n happy.
”
118 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
In the lau dable desire to keep ou r you n g women
pu re an d to protect them from in fection , in the en
deavor to make them deman d on e moral stan dard
for both sexes, ou r exaggeratin g reformers are con
demn in g them to lifelon g celibacy, which in the case
of women Often mean s lifelon g n eu rasthen ia an d
hypochon dria.
The Tru th of the Matter . Here is the Tru th abou t
ven ereal disease— the tru th as I kn ow it, withou t
con cealmen t on the on e han d an d withou t exaggera
tion on the other. Exact figu res are, of cou rse, n u
obtain able an ywhere ; bu t resu lts Obtain ed from u n
biased in vestigation s Of differen t classes of society,from hospital reports, from qu estion n aires amon g
stu den ts, etc , tell u s that probably abou t twen ty
per cen t. of the adu lt male popu lation are the victims
Of gon orrhea at on e time or an other ; that probably
eight or ten per cen t. are n ot en tirely cu red when
they en ter matrimon y ; an d fou r or five per cen t.
(some wou ld say tw o per cen t. ) of wives become in
fected with gon orrhea. This, I say, is terrible
en ou gh, an d makes the greatest care an d cau tion im
perative ; for , if you shou ld be on e Of the victims Of
the two or five per cen t , it wou ld be little con sola
tion to you that the other n i n ety-eight or n in ety-five
per cen t. of wives have escaped.
Of cou rse the percen tage of ven ereal disease
120 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
percen tage difiers con siderable from the 75, 50or 25
per cen t. given u s by some sex lectu rers, bu t w hich
is terrible en ou gh as it is, withou t an y exaggera
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
GONORRHEA
THE su bject of gon orrhea an d syphi lis is treated
pretty fu lly, from a layman ’s poin t of view, in the
au thor ’s Sea: K n ow ledge for Men . I do n ot in ten d
to devote mu ch space to a discu ssion of the detail s
of these tw o diseases here, becau se the su bject is
n ot of su ch direct in terest to women . Respectable
girls an d women do n ot in du lge in illicit relation s
the same as respectable men an d boys do, an d their
dan ger of con tractin g a ven ereal disease is in sign ifi
can t as compared with men ’s liability. I wil l, there
fore, tou ch u pon on ly a few poin ts, particu larly in
sofar as the diseases difier in their cou rse from the
cou rse pu rsu ed in men .
Gon orrhea is an in flammation cau sed by a germ
called the gon ococcu s, discovered by Dr. A . Neisser,of Breslau , German y, in 1879. An y mu cou s mem
bran e may be the seat of gon orrhea, bu t it attacks
by preferen ce the mu cou s membran e of the gen ital
organ s, an d of on e other organ — the eye. Its prin
cipal symptoms are : in flammation , pain , bu rn in g121
122 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
an d discharge . In men , it attacks the u rethra ; in
women it attacks the cervix— the n eck of the womb
the u rethra, an d the vu lva. The vagin a is seldom
attacked in adu lt women , becau se the mu cou s mem
bran e of the adu lt vagin a is rather tou gh an d does
n ot off er a good soil for the developmen t of the
gon ococcu s germ. The discharge that a woman has
when she has gon orrhea comes prin cipally or ex
clu sively from the n eck of the
womb. In little girls, however,in whom the lin in g of the va
gin a is ten der,gon orrhea of
the vagin a an d the vu lva is
common . (See chapter V u l
vovagin itis in Little Girls. )Gon on n n m n Gm s. Gon orrhea is a local disease .
While in some cases, after the disease has lasted for
some time, a certain poison is gen erated by the
germs which circu lates in the blood, an d while the
germs may occasion ally wan der in to distan t organ s,
still in 98 per cen t. of all cases gon orrhea is a local
disease, an d if taken in time is cu red withou t leav
in g an y traces on the gen eral organ ism .
Gon orrhea Not Hereditary. Then , gon orrhea. is
n ot a hereditary disease . Nobody ever in herits gon
orrhea. A chi ld may be born with a gon orrheal in
flammation of the eyes (ophthalmi a n eon atorumh
124 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
pain fu l disease in woman , an d thi s is a bad thin g,
becau se she thu s n eglects treatmen t an d loses valu
able time, permittin g the disease to develop. Even
when the u rethra is affected in women , it does n ot
give as severe symptoms as in flammation of the u re
thra in men . If the woman does have pain s she
often pays n o atten tion to them, becau se woman is
u sed to pain s ; as w e have seen before, fifty per cen t.
of all women su ffer more or less with dysmen orrhea.
Man y of them have a leu corrhea] discharge of
greater or lesser degree,an d therefore if there is
an in crease in the pain s, or an in crease in the di s
charge, little atten tion is paid to the matter. In
fact, a woman may have a chron ic gon orrhea for
mon ths or years withou t bein g aware that there is
an ythin g the matter with her . It is importan t to
teach women to seek medical aid as soon as they
n otice an y in crease in the amou n t of the discharge,or chan ge in color, particu larly if it becomes green
ish , or if the odor becomes offen sive, or if there is
chafin g, bu rn in g, or irritation arou n d the gen itals,an d particu larly if there is an in crease in the fre
qu en oy or u rgen cy of u rin ation , or if there is a bum
in g, scaldin g, or cu ttin g sen sation du rin g the act of
u rin ation . Also when ever the sexu al act becomes
pain fu l. If women con su lted a physician as soon
as they n oticed an y of the symptoms referred to
GONORRHEA 125
above, they wou ld save mon ths an d years of sn fier
in g an d expen se, becau se the disease wou ld often
be taken in han d whi le still limited to the cervix, an d
n ot, as is n ow often the case, after the in flammation
has exten ded in to the u teru s an d Fal lopian tu bes.
Self-treatmen t. I do n ot believe in self-treatmen t
becau se it is gen erally u n satisfactory an d may often
even become dan gerou s, an d I decidedly advise every
woman w ho su spects that she has con tracted gon or
rhea to apply at on ce to a competen t physician . Bu t
it happen s n ot in frequ en tly that a woman is so situ
ated that she can n ot con su lt a physician . An d in
the mean time there is dan ger of the gon orrhea
spreadin g fu rther an d fu rther. In su ch cases it is
advisable for the woman to u se an in jection u n til
su ch time when she can con su lt a physician . The
in jection I am goin g to advise may in itself produ ce
a cu re ; an d, if it does n ot produ ce a complete cu re,it at an y rate improves the con dition , preven ts the
exten sion of the disease, makes su bsequ en t treat
men t easier, an d besides is perfectly harmless. The
best in jection for self u se in gon orrhea is tin ctu re of
iodin e ; the proportion is two teaspoon fu ls to a qu art
or two qu arts of water. If the case is very bad, su ch
an in jection may be taken twice a day. If the case is
n ot very bad, on ce a day i s su fficien t. After u sin g
the tin ctu re of iodin e for five days to a week, it is
126 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
good to chan ge ofi to lactic acid. B u y a pin t or so
of lactic acid in a dru g store, an d u se on e tablespoon
fu l to a qu art of water. It is preferable to have the
water hot, abou t 100dog , bu t where this is in con
ven ien t it may be u sed lu kewarm. The lactic acid
in jection is u sed for three days, then the iodin e in
jection is resumed, then again the lactic acid, an d
so on . I kn ow of man y cases that were cu red by this
treatmen t alon e. An d I might men tion that these
in jection s are gen erally also very eflicien t in leu cor
rhea, as stated in the chapter on Leu corrhea.
128 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
is the prin cipal symptom in little girls thu s afllicted
the discharge . This discharge may be very pro
fu se, coverin g the vu lva, vagin a, an d cervix .
In severe cases, there is also an in fection of the
u rethra, an d the child may complain of bu rn in g at
u rin ation , itchin g an d pain arou n d the vu lva an d
an u s, an d slight pain in the abdomen . There maybe a moderate rise in temperatu re
,u p to 101 deg. F.,
an d in some in stan ces the attack is su flicien tly acu te
to give rise to a chi ll an d fever. A mi ld in flamma
tion of the join ts may set in within the first weeks
of the in fection , al thou gh as a u su al thin g it comes
later on .
Evil Sequ elae of V u lvovagin itis. While, as
stated, vu lvovagin itis is a comparatively mild in fec
tion as far as its symptoms are con cern ed, it n ever
theless has a very bad efi ect on the child who is n u
fortu n ate en ou gh to become a victim of the disease .
First of all , it is an extremely lon g drawn,persisten t
disease . It u su ally takes mon ths, an d these mon ths
may ru n in to years, before a complete cu re is ef
fected . Secon d,relapses are qu ite common . Third,
the treatmen t is a disagreeable on e for the child, an d
is occasion ally pai n fu l. Fou rth, it has a disastrou s
effect on the child ’s morale ; most paren ts, thou gh
they may love the chi ld most affection ately, look
somewhat askan ce at it ; an d con tin u ou s vagin al
V ULV OV AGINITIS IN LITTLE GIRLS 129
treatmen t somehow or other has a humiliatin g cfiect
on the child, which begin s to con sider itself as an
ou tcast, as somethin g apart from other children .
Fifth, the child ’s edu cation is very frequ en tly seri
ou sly an d perman en tly in terfered with, becau se it
mu st often be taken ou t of school, whether pu blic or
private, an d private tu torin g is of cou rse feasible
on ly for the few . Sixth, an d this is a poin t n ot su f
ficien tly appreciated by the profession an d the laity,bu t it isan importan t poin t, n evertheless : vu lvovagin itis in children has u n fortu n ately a disastrou s ef
fect in hasten in g the sexu al matu rity of the child.
Whether thi s is du e to the con gestion of the organ s
produ ced by the in flammation , or to the specu lum
examin ation s, pain tin gs, dou ches, application s, tam
pon s, su ppositories, etc.,the fact remain s that girls
who su ff er from vu lvovagin itis in childhood become
sexu ally matu re con siderably earlier than n ormal
girls of the same class, stratum an d climate, an d
their deman d for sexu al satisfaction is mu ch more
in sisten t. Seven th, a mild vu lvovagin itis may be
the cau se of perman en t sterility.
It will therefore be seen that vu lvovagin itis is a
calamity, an d everythin g possible shou ld be don e to
gu ard female children from con tractin g it. All chil
dren shou ld alw ays sleep al on e. Un der n o circum
stan ces shou ld a child sleep with an ybody else, be it
130 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
a sister, amother, a frien d, a govern ess, or a servan t
girl. People shou ld be very carefu l in sen din g their
children to spen d a n ight or two with some frien ds.
The frien ds may be all right, bu t still a frien d of
the frien ds or a relative of the frien ds may n ot be.
I have kn own several cases where the origin of the
vu lvovagin itis cou ld be traced to little girls spen d
in g a week at the hou se of some frien ds where a
boarder or relative w as in fected with gon orrhea.
That children shou ld be kept away from associatin g
or playin g with adu lts or other children who are
kn ow n to have gon orrheal in fection goes withou t
sayin g. The child ’s gen itals shou ld be frequ en tly
in spected by the mother, an d scru pu lou s clean lin ess
by frequ en t bathin g, spon gin g with warm solu tion s
an d powderin g, shou ld be main tain ed. The toilet
seats in school shou ld receive special atten tion .
The wooden seat is a men ace becau se it often har
bors gon orrheal pu s from either the female or mal e
gen itals, while the on ly proper seat is on e of the
so-called U -shaped style, that is, on e in which the
fron t is en tirely open , like the letter U.
132 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
develops a sore (at the spot where the germs got in ) .
This sore is called chan cre or primary lesion . B u t
when this sore makes its appearan ce the spirocheta
an d the poison which they elaborate are already cir
cu latin g in the blood, all over the system. The dis
ease is already systemic, or con stitu tion al, an d the
chan cre is the local expression of a con stitu tion al
disease. Cu ttin g ou t the chan cre will n ot cu re the
disease, becau se, as stated, the germs are already in
the system. The time between the con traction of the
disease (the in fectiou s in tercou rse ) an d the appear
an ce of the chan cre is called the In cu bation P eriod .
The time between the appearan ce of the chan cre an d
the appearan ce of the rash on the body (the rash
looks like a measles rash an d is call ed roseola, which
mean s a rose-colored rash) is called the P rimaryS tage. It lasts abou t six weeks. With the appear
an ce of the rash comm en ces the S econ dary S tage.
This stage is characterized by all sorts of eru ption s,mild an d severe, by whi te little patches (cal led mu
cou s patches) in the throat, mou th, ton sils, vag in a,by fallin g ou t of the hair, etc. The len gth of thi s
secon dary stage depen ds a good deal u pon the sort
of treatmen t the patien t gets. Improperly treated,or n ot treated at all, it may last tw o or three years
or more. Properly treated, it may be cu t short at
on ce, in a few days, so that the patien t may n ever
SYPHILIS 133
again in his or her life get an eru ption . The thi rd
or Tertiary S tage is characterized by u lceration s in
variou s parts of the body an d by sw elli n gs or tu
mors. The n ame of a syphi litic swellin g or tumor is
gumma (plu ral , gummata) . The tertiary stage is
the most terrible stage an d it u sed to be the terror
of syphilitic patien ts. Bu t at the presen t time, u n
der ou r modern methods of treatmen t, patien ts, if
properly treated, n ever have a tertiary stage. We
have seen man y patien ts who con sidered syphilis a
triflin g disease, becau se all they kn ew of their dis
ease w as the chan cre an d the first eru ption , i . e ., the
roseola, an d perhaps a slight fallin g ou t of the hair.
They then pu t themselves u n der en ergetic treatmen t,the activity of the disease w as checked, an d they
n ever had an other symptom afterwards,thou gh a
Wasserman n test showed that the disease w as n ot
en tirely eradicated. It w as merely held in check
which is the secon d best thin g.
As stated before, syphilis is the most hereditary
of all diseases. Fortu n ately, if the disease is still
very active in the paren ts, particu larly in the
mother, the child is gen eral ly aborted. Some syphi
liticmothers will have half a dozen or more miscar
riages in su ccession . When the disease has become
atten u ated, either by treatmen t or by itself
man y diseases lose their viru len ce in time—the child
134 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
may be carried to term. It then may be born dead,or it may be born stron gly syphilitic, an d die in a
few days or weeks, or it may be born w ithou t an ysign s of syphili s an d be apparen tly healthy an d then
develop the disease at the age of ten , twelve, fou r
teen , or later, or it may be born healthy an d remain
healthy. Bu t n o w oman who had syphilis, or whose
hu sban d had syphilis, shou ld dare to con ceive or to
give birth to a child u n less she has been given per
mission by a competen t physician . I mean ju st what
I say. It is n ot a person al matter. A woman has
a right to marry a syphi litic hu sban d if she wan ts
to an d ru n the risk of con tractin g syphilis. Her
body is her ow n , an d if she does it with her eyes open
it is her afiair. Bu t a woman has n o right to brin g
in to the world syphili tic or syphilitically tain ted chil
dren . Here society has a right to in terfere.
Syphilis ru n s a mil der cou rse in women than it
does in men . Bu t this milder cou rse is n ot an u n
mixed blessin g ; it may be con sidered a misfortu n e,becau se , the same as gon orrhea in women , syphilis
is often presen t for mon ths an d years u n til it has
made su ch in roads that it is bu t little amen able to
treatmen t. In man y women the disease ru n s su ch
a mild cou rse, as far as defin ite symptoms are con
cern ed, that they are,
su re they n ever had an ythin g
the matter with them, an d they are perfectly sin cere
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEV EN
THE CURAB ILITY OF V ENEREAL DISEASE
Ju sr as the u su al statemen ts in regard to the ex
ten t of ven ereal disease have been fou n d u n tru e or
greatly exaggerated, so do the statemen ts regardin g
the cu rability or rather in cu rability of ven ereal dis
ease n eed carefu l revision . The pictu re u su ally
pai n ted of the hopelessn ess of gon orrhea an d syphi
lis is too sombre, too black, an d , con trary to the as
sertion s made by laym en an d laywomen an d physi
cian s who do n ot specialize in the treatmen t of
ven ereal disease, I wish to make the statemen t that
every case of gon orrhea in man , withou t an y excep
tion , if properly treated, can be perfectly cu red, as
far as practical pu rposes are con cern ed . I add the
last phrase becau se the cu re may n ot be perfect in
the scien tific sen se of the word ; that is, the man may
n ot be brou ght back in to the con dition in which he
w as before he got the disease. Bu t, for all practical
pu rposes, as far as he himself is con cern ed, as far
as his wife is con cern ed, an d as far as the fu tu re
children are con cern ed, every case may be cu red,w ithou t an y dou bt. An d I say this, basin g myself
136
CURABILITY OF V ENEREAL DISEASE 137
u pon a varied profession al experien ce exten din g
over n early a qu arter of a cen tu ry.
As togon orrhea in women , that depen ds to a great
exten t u pon the viru len ce of the disease an d the
promptn ess with which treatmen t is in stitu ted. If
the gon orrhea is limited on ly to the cervix , the vu lva
an d the u rethra, then prompt treatmen t w ill u su ally
brin g abou t a cu re in a comparatively short time.
Bu t if the gon orrheal in flammation has exten ded to
the body of the u teru s, or still worse, to the tu bes,then the treatmen t may become a very tediou s on e ,an d some casesmay n ot be cu rable withou t an opera
tion .
With syphi lis the matter is difl'
eren t. Sin ce the
in trodu ction by Ehrlich of the variou s arsen ic prep
aration s, w e have mu ch better su ccess in the treat
men t of syphilis, an d w e can positively ren der every
case n on -in fectiou s to the partn er. Bu t, as to gu ar
an teein g a positive cu re, that is, gu aran teein g that
the patien t will n ever have an ou tbreak or relapse
of his disease in the fu tu re , an d that the children
will be perfectly free from an y tain t, this w e can do
n omore n ow than w e cou ld before the modern treat
men t of syphilis w as in trodu ced. The decision ,therefore, as to whether w e may or may n ot permit
a on ce syphi liticpatien t tomarry w ill depen d a great
deal u pon whether or n o the hu sban d or the wife or
138 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
both desire to have children . If this is the case, w e
mu st often withhold ou r permi ssion ; bu t if the man
an d woman agree to get married an d to get al on g
withou t children , w e will gran t permission to the
marriage in the vast majority of cases. The su bject
of ven ereal disease an d marriage w ill be fu rther
discu ssed in separate chapters.
V en ereal disease, I have to repeat, is terrible
en ou gh in itself, withou t an y exaggeration , withou t
pictu rin g it in too black colors. An d it is n ecessarythat people shou ld n ot have too black an idea of it.
It is n ecessary that they kn ow that there are thou
san ds an d ten s of thou san ds of patien ts who su fiered
with gon orrhea or syphi lis an d w ho were perfectlycu red, who married, an d whose wives remain ed perfectly w ell, an d who gave birth to perfectly healthy,u n tain ted children .
140 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
In stead of the dou che an an tiseptic jelly in a col
lapsible tin tu be with a lon g n ozzle may be u sed.
Bu t besides the ven ereal sou rces of in fection the
w oman mu st gu ard again st the n on -ven ereal sou rces.
Do n ot ever, if you can avoid it, u se a pu blic toilet.
If you are forced to u se it, protect you rself by pu t
tin g some paper over the seat.
Do n ot u se a pu blic drin kin g cu p. If you have to
u se on e, keep you r lips away from the rim . On e
can learn to drin k withou t tou chin g the rim of the
glass or cu p with the lips.
Do n ot u n der an y circumstan ces u se a pu blic
towel. The roller towel is a men ace to health an d
shou ld be forbidden in every part of the cou n try.
If you have to sleep in a hotel or in a stran ge bed,make su re that the lin en is clean an d fresh. Never
sleep on bed lin en which has been u sed by 9. atm
ger .
Never u se a pu blic bru sh or comb.
Be su re that you r den tist is a carefu l, u p-to-date
man , an d sterilizes his in strumen ts carefu lly. Man y
a case of syphi lis has been tran smitted by a den tist ’s
in strumen t. A syphilitic who goes to a den tist to
be treated gen erally con ceals his di sease, an d if the
den tist is n ot in the habit of sterilizin g his in stru
men ts after each patien t, disaster may resu lt.
Be su re that you r man icu rist is n ot syphi litic, or
V ENEREAL PROPHYLAXIS 141
at least that her han ds are healthy, clean an d free
from an y eru ption .
An d,last bu t n ot least, do n ot in du lge in promis
cu cu s kissin g. Thi s is a particu larly importan t in
ju n ction for you n g girls. This is a real peril an d
there are thou san ds of cases of syphilis that are
kn own to have been con tracted directly from kissin g.
People su fferin g with syphi lis often have little white
sores (mu cou s patches) on their lips, ton gu e an d
in side of cheeks. These sores are very in fectiou s,an d by kissin g the disease is readily tran smitted.
Kissin g games have been respon sible in more than
on e case for the spread of syphilis to man y person s.
I have n ow u n der treatmen t a girl of n in eteen who
con tracted syphili s on her summer vacation from
havin g kissed a man on ce. Avoid promiscu ou s kiss
in g" It is a bad practice for more than on e reason .
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
BIR TH CONTROL OR THE LIMITATION OF
OFFSPRING
No girl,an d n oman for that matter
,shou ld en ter
the bon ds of matrimon y withou t learn in g the latest
mean s of preven tin g con ception,of regu latin g the
n umber of offsprin g. With people who con sider an yattempt at regu latin g the n umber of children a sin ,
w e have n othin g to argu e,thou gh w e believe that
there are very few people except amon g the lowest
dregs of society who do n ot u se some measu res of
regu lation . Otherw ise w e wou ld see most families
with ten to twen ty children in stead of tw o or three .
Nor do I in ten d to devote this chapter to a detailed
presen tation of the argumen ts in favor of the ra
tion al regu lation of ofisprin g. It w ou ld have to be
merely a repetition of the argumen ts that I have pre
sen ted elsewhere.
“ Bu t a few poin ts may well be
tou ched u pon here.
In spite of the fact that the su bject of birth con
trol is mu ch better kn ow n n ow than it w as w hen
w e first started to propagate it, still it can n ot be
men tion ed too often , for the misapprehen sion s conThe Limitation of Ofl sprin g by the Preven tion of Con ception .
IQ
144 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
both,may be cu rtly dismissed. It is n ot tru e of
an y of the modern con traceptives. Bu t even if it
were tru e, the amou n t of in ju ry that can be don e by
con traceptives wou ld be like a drop of water in com
parison with the in ju ries resu ltin g from excessive
pregn an cies an d childbirths. Some of the con tra
ceptive measu res requ ire some trou ble to u se,some
are u n esthetic, bu t these are trifles an d con stitu te a
small price to pay for the privilege of bein g able
to regu late the n umber of on e ’s ofisprin g accordin g
to on e ’s in telligen t desires.
The common est argumen t n ow made again st con
traceptives is that they are n ot absolu tely safe, that
is, absolu tely to be relied u pon , that they will n ot
preven t in absolu tely every case. This is tru e ; bu t
there are three an swers which ren der thi s objection
in valid. First,man y of the cases of failu re are to
be ascribed n ot to the con traceptives themselves, bu t
to their improper,careless an d u n in telligen t u se .
The best methods in the world will fai l if u sed im
properly. Secon d, if the measu res are eflicien t in
98 or 99 per cen t. an d fail in on e or tw o per cen t.,
then they are a blessin g. Some women wou ld be the
happiest women in the world if they cou ld ren der
98 per cen t. of their con ju gal relation s u n fru itfu l .
Third, the imperfection s of ou r con traceptive meas
u res are du e to the secrecy w i th which the en tire
BIRTH CONTROL 145
su bject mu st n ecessarily be su rrou n ded. If the su b
ject of birth con trol cou ld be fu lly discu ssed in med
ical books there is n o dou bt that in a short time w e
w ou ld have measu res that wou ld be absolu tely cer
tain an d wou ld leave n othin g to be desired. Bu t
even su ch as they are, the measu res are better than
n on e,an d as said in the begin n in g of this chapter,
it is the du ty of every you n g w oman to acqu ire as
on e of the items of her sex edu cation the kn owledge
of how to avoid too frequ en t pregn an cies. In fact,I con sider this the most importan t item in a woman ’
s
sex edu cation , an d if she has learn ed n othin g else
she shou ld learn thi s. For this in formation is
absolu tely n ecessary to her fu tu re health an d happi
n ess.
In my tw en ty years work for the cau se of ration al
birth con trol I have come in con tact w ith thou san ds
an d thou san ds of cases which demon strate in the
most con vin cin g man n er possible the tragic resu lts
of forced or u n desired motherhood,an d of the fear
of forced or u n desired motherhood.
Some of the cases w ere in my ow n practice , some
were related to me by brother physician s, some were
described tome by the victims livin g in all parts of
146 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
this vast cou n try. Were I to collect an d report all
the cases that came tomy n otice du rin g those tw en ty
years,they wou ld withou t exaggeration make a
volume the size of the latest edition of the Stan dard
Diction ary, prin ted in the same smal l type. Some
of them are positively heartbreakin g. They make
you sick at the stu pidi ty of the human race, at the
stu pidity an d bru tali ty of the lawgivers. Bu t I do
n ot w ish to appeal to you r emotion s. I do n ot wish
to take extreme an d u n iqu e cases. I w ill therefore
briefly relate a few everyday cases,which will dem
on strate to you the ben eficen ce of con traceptive
kn owledge an d the tragedy an d misery cau sed by
the lack of su ch kn owledge.
Case 1 . This class of case is so common that I al
most feel like apologizin g for referrin g to it. She,
whom I will call by the forbearin g n ame of Mrs.
Smi th,had been married a little over n in e years,
an d had given birth to five children . She w as an ex
cellen t mother, n u rsed them herself, took good care
of them,an d all the five were livin g an d healthy.
B u t in carin g for them an d for the hou sehold all
alon e, for they cou ld n ot afford a servan t or a n u rse
girl, all her vitality had been sapped, all her orig
in ally su perb en ergy had dwin dled down to n othin g ;her n erves were worn to a frazzle an d she became
bu t a shadow of her former self. An d the fear of
148 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
come terribly in su lted when a poor woman who can
on ly pay ten or fifteen dollars asks to be relieved of
the fru it of her womb, will u su ally di scover that thewoman who can afford to pay on e hu n dred dollars
is badly in n eed of a cu rettemen t. Oh, n o. He does
n ot perform an abortion . He merely cu rets the
u teru s.
Bu t to come back to Mrs. Smith. She w en t away
from the in dign an t adaman t doctor. Bu t she w as
determin ed n ot to give birth to an other child. She
con fided her trou ble to a n eighbor, w ho sen t her to
a midwife . The midwife w as n either very expert
n or very clean . Mrs. Smith had to go to her tw o
or three times. After bleedin g for abou t ten days
she developed blood poison in g, from which she died
a few days later, at the early age of twen ty-n in e ,leavin g a discon solate father, who in time to come
w ill probably fin d con solation with an other woman ,an d five motherless children , who will n ever fin d con
solation . On e may fin d a su bstitu te for a w ife, there
is n o su bstitu te for a mother.
An d su ch tragedi es are of daily occu rren ce. May
the Lord have mercy on the sou ls of those who are
respon sible for them.
Before I proceed fu rther I wish to say that it is
the terrible prevalen ce of the abortion evil, with its
con comitan t evils of in fection , ill health, chron ic in
BIRTH CONTROL 149
validism an d death, that more than an y other sin gle
factor u rges u s in ou r birth con trol propagan da.
An d those w ho wan t to forbid the dissemin ation ofan y in formation abou t the preven tion of con ception
are playin g directly in to the han ds of the profes
sion al abortion i sts. They cou ld n ot act an y more
zealou sly if they were in leagu e with the latter an d
were paid by them. An d havin g men tion ed the su b
ject of abortion , I wish to u tter a n ote of warn in g.
In ou r birth con trol propagan da,w e mu st be very
carefu l to keep the qu estion of the preven tion of
con ception an d of abortion separate an d apart. The
stu pid law pu ts the tw o in the same paragraph, some
ign oran t laymen an d equ ally ign oran t physician s
treat the tw o as if they were the same thin g, bu t w e,in ou r speeches an d ou r writin gs, mu st keep the tw o
separate, w e mu st show the people the essen tial dif
feren ce between preven tion an d abortion,between
refrain in g from creatin g life an d destroyin g life al
ready created ; w e mu st show the viciou sn ess of met
in g ou t the sam e pu n ishmen t for tw o thin gs which
are fu n damen tally difieren t, difi eren t n ot on ly in de
gree bu t in kin d— an d it is on ly by thu s keepin g the
tw o thi n gs apart, by showin g that w e stan d for on e
thin g— preven tion — an d n ot for the other— abortion ,that w e can ever gain the gen eral sympathy of the
pu blic an d the cc-operation of the legislators. I do
150 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
n ot say that there are n ot man y cases in w hich the
in du ction of abortion is n ot on ly ju stifiable,bu t im
perative ; bu t that is a difieren t qu estion, an d the
two issu esmu st n ot be con fu sed. An d w e w ou ld an d
shou ld resen t an y attempt on the part of either
en emy or fri en d to so con fu se them.
Case 2. Mr. A . an d Miss B . are in love w ith each
other. B u t they can n ot get married, for his salary
is too smal l . They might risk gettin g married, if
the specter of an in defin i te n umber of children did
n ot stretch ou t its restrain in g han d. She comesfrom a good family, she w as brou ght u p, if n ot in the
lap of lu xu ry, in the lap of comfort an d cozin ess,an d it is the ambition of every good Am erican to
fu rn ish his wife at least as good a home as her
father gave her. Her father, by the w ay, died pre
matu rely from overw ork in tryin g to give all pos
sible comforts an d advan tage s to a bevy of six n u
married an d marriageable dau ghters.
As I said, the fear of chil dren kept them back.
Each year the hope revived that in an other year
their u n ion in matrimon y wou ld be con summated.
Bu t the years passed. Mr. A.
’s hai r became thin an d
grayish, Miss B began to look haggard an d pin ched—an d still the marriage cou ld n ot take place. Miss
B w as very religiou s an d very proper, an d w ou ld
n ot do an ythin g that w as improper. A w as n ot
152 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
periodic fits of in san i ty. Every year or tw o he wou ld
be taken to the lu n atic asylum for a few weeks or
mon ths, an d then discharged. An d every time on
his di scharge he wou ld celebrate hi s liberty by im
pregn atin g his wife . She hated an d loathed him ,
bu t cou ld n ot protect herself again st his “em
braces.
” An d she had to see herself givin g birth to
on e abn ormal child after an other. She begged her
doctor to give her some mean s of preven tion , bu t
that boob claimed ign oran ce, an d the il legality of
the thin g. The woman fin ally committed su icide,bu t n ot before she had given birth to six abn ormal
children , who will probably grow u p dru n kards,crimin als or in san e.
An d becau se w e object to su ch kin d of breedin g,w e are accu sed of bein g en emies of the human race,of advocatin g race su icide, of violatin g the laws of
God an d man . Oh, for a mighty Sampson to strike
the imbeciles with the jaw of an ass, for a men tal
Hercu les to loosen the fon tan elles of their petrified
sku lls an d pu t some sen se in to them"
Case 4. This observation con cern s a cou ple both
of whom had a very bad heredity. The blood of each
w as badly tain ted . The doctor who had treated the
hu sban d cau tion ed them an d told them that they had
n o right to have children . B u t here the tables were
tu rn ed. The doctor wan ted to give them the mean s
BIRTH CONTROL 153
for preven tion , bu t the hu sban d an d wife, piou s
R oman Catholics, wou ld n ot go again st their reli
gion an d God (as if God wan ted a world fu ll of im
beciles) , an d refu sed to employ an y precau tion s.
They have had fou r children so far . On e of them
seems fai rly n ormal, except that he is silly, in which
respect he is merely like his paren ts ; tw o are deaf
an d blin d in on e eye ; the fou rth is a cretin, prac
tically an idiot.
This case brin gs u s face to face with an other
phase of the problem. What shou ld w e do when the
paren ts, stu pid an d ign oran t, refu se to stop breed
in g worthless material" E u gen io agi tation , edu ca
tion , will brin g abou t su ch a stron g pu blic Opin ion
that n on e bu t idiots, w ho will be vasectomized or
segregated, w ill dare to brin g in to the world children
that are physically an d men tally han dicapped.
Case 5. This cou ple had been married eight years,an d had five children . An d the wife said she cou ld
n ot stan d it an y more . An other child— n o, she pre
ferred death. They practiced coitu s in terru ptu s for
a whi le, with mu tu al di sgu st, bu t when the wife w as
cau ght again,she said : “ No more"” An d she
wou ld n ot let her hu sban d come n ear her . He cou ld
do what he pleased— she did n ot care. Af ter a few
mon ths he began to go elsewhere— con tracted syph
ilis, had to give u p his position , the home w as broken
154 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
u p, the wife wen t ou t to work, the children are sen t
tered— in short, a home, which w e are told is the
fou n dation of ou r society, is broken u p, an d there is
misery an d wretchedn ess all arou n d— an d all for
the lack of a little timely in formation .
Case 6 . Mr. A an d Miss B,tw en ty-eight an d
twen ty-five years old respectively, have kn own on e
an other for several years, an d in spite of their oc
cu pation , which is su pposed to make people blas"
an d cyn ical— he bein g a reporter an d she a special
story writer— are qu ite in love with each other.
B u t their occu pation an d in come '
are su ch that they
can n ot possibly afford to have an d to brin g u p an y
chi ldren . They wou ld love to get married, bu t the
specter of a chi ld—or rather of children— frighten s
them ; an d they remain sin gle,to the great physical
an d men tal in ju ry of both. Acciden tally they learn
of appropriate mean s of regu latin g con ception , get
married an d live happily— ever after, that is, u n til
they fin d themselves in a position to have children
an d to brin g them u p properly.
In what w ay w as society in ju red by this you n g
cou ple acqu i rin g con traceptive in formation "
Case 7. Mr. C an d Miss D are in love with each
other. Un fortu n ately there is a stron g hereditarytain t of in san ity on both sides. They are too high
min ded to thin k of givin g birth to chil dren . They
156 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
cide to separate, an d a tragedy is in sight. For
tu n ately they learn that con ception can be preven ted,an d they con tin u e to live together with ben efit to
themselves an d harm to n on e.
In what w ay has society been in ju red by those
people acqu irin g con traceptive in formation "
Case 9 . Mr . an d Mrs. F have been married six
years,an d in these six
_years they have been blessed
with fou r children . When he married he w as get
tin g tw en ty-tw o dollars a week,an d that is exactly
what he is gettin g n ow . In the mean tim e the cost of
livin g has gon e u p tw en ty-five per cen t., an d there
are fou r extra mou ths to feed an d fou r extra bodies
to clothe. What difieren ce thi s has made in that
little hou sehold can better be imagin ed than stated.
The little“
mother has aged sixteen years in those
six years, an d there is n ot a trace left of her gir lish
n ess an d you thfu ln ess. She loves her chi ldren , an d
does n ot wan t to get rid of them. She wou ld n ot
take a mi llion dollars for on e of them,bu t she wou ld
n ot give five cen ts for an other. Bu t this is ju st what
terrifies them ; the possibility of an other. An d that
possibility makes her irritable,makes her repel her
hu sban d ’s slightest advan ces, makes her move hi s
bed to an other room. She even tells him to satisfy
his sexu al desires elsew hereb an d at the same time
she is in fear an d tremblin g that he might follow
BIRTH CONTROL 157
her advice . In short, a n ice you n g home is abou t
to be disru pted. Fortu n ately he reads somewhere
an article on the su bject of volu n tary limitation of
ofisprin g, he begin s to in vestigate ; hi s physician
pleads ign oran ce, bu t he is persisten t, the physician
in vestigates an d obtain s the desired in formation ,
which he shares with the patien t. Harmon y is re
stored an d a happy home is re-established.
Who w as in ju red by the cou ple obtain in g this in
formation " An d if n obody w as in ju red, an d every
body con cern ed w as ben efited, then why shou ld the
impartin g of su ch in formation be con sidered a fel
on y, pu n ishable like the most atrociou s of crimes"
Case 10. Mr. an d Mrs. G have been married fif
teen years. They were the paren ts of seven chil
dren, a large en ou gh n umber for an y fam ily. Those
seven children were born du rin g the first eleven
years of their married life. Du rin g the past five
years, afraid of havin g an y more, they first ah
stain ed an d then adopted a method which every
modern sexologist kn ows is in ju riou s to the n ervou s
system of both the man an d the woman . The man
became a wreck ; first n eu rasthen ic, then impoten t,
cran ky an d grou chy, u n able to get alon g in the of
fice , con stan tly squ abblin g with hi s w ife, who be
came ju st as bad a wreck. Their econ omic con dition
plu s too man y small children preven ted the paren ts
158 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
separation . They remain ed livin g together, bu t
they lived like a cat an d a dog tied in a bag. Each
silen tly prayed to be rid of the other. Bu t a con
versation overheard at a Tu rkish baths establish
men t pu t him on the right trail , an d on e year later
w e fin d the cou ple recon ciled,both in good health an d
livin g a peacefu l an d fairly harmon iou s life . An d
those who have ben efited most by the chan ge are the
chi ldren . In what w ay w as society in ju red" An d
still if the doctor w ho gave Mr. G the in formation
shou ld have been cau ght an d con victed, he wou ld
have been sen t to prison for a year or tw o or five .
Wou ld he have deserved it" Here w e have several
plai n , simple, u n varn ished an d u n embellished cases
which are typical of million s of similar cases an d
w hich prove con clu sively that the law again st im
partin g in formation abou t preven tin g con ception is
bru tal , viciou s, an tisocial. Shou ld n ot su ch a law be
repealed, wiped ofi the statu te books"
Of cou rse, it shou ld.
160 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
low in g pages I w ill en deavor, as stated before,to
poin t ou t some of the rocks an d shoals on which the
matrimon ial bark is so often shattered, an d to ofi er
the w ives some su ggestion s which w ill help them to
retain their hu sban ds afiection s an d perhaps even
also their fidelity.
While the advice is in ten ded primarily for w ives,there w ill be fou n d here an d there a salu tary piece
of advice for hu sban ds. Some of the advice is ap
plicable to both partn ers, an d as to those su gges
tion s which con cern the hu sban d on ly— it will be a
good thin g for the wives to call their hu sban ds ’
atten tion to them.
The first few weeks or the first few mon ths are
the most importan t in the life of a married cou ple .
The stability of the marri age , the fu ture happin ess,often depen d u pon the thin gs which are don e or left
u n don e du r in g the in itial weeks of married life . A
certain u n derstan di n g mu st be reached from the
very begin n in g. If you r hu sban d does certain
thin gs w hich displease you an d which you kn ow
shou ld n ot be don e, it is best to say so at the very
start. It is eas ier to preven t the establishmen t of
a habit than to break a habit after it has been
Retain You r In dividu ality. The first piece of ad
vice I have to give you is : R etain you r in dividu al
ADV ICE To THE MARRIED 161
ity. It is a trite bu t perfectly tru e observation that
altogether tooman y men w ho du rin g cou rtship were
chivalry person ified assume a dictatorial ton e as
soon as the kn ot has been tied. They thin k that the
wife has actu ally ceased to exist as a separate human
bein g, that she has been absorbed, an d with the loss
of her n am e she has lost all right to have her ow n
opin ion s,her ow n tastes, an d, of cou rse, her ow n
frien ds. Frien ds w ho are obn oxiou s to on e of the
marital partn ers on e mu st give u p sometimes ; bu t
do n ot permit you r en tire person ality tobe obscu red.
Explain to you r hu sban d that you are still an in de
pen den t livin g human bein g. I do n ot say, you
shou ld at on ce start a fight. Nothin g is more offen
sive to me than the militan t, pu gn aciou s woman ,w ho wears a chip on the shou lder an d is con tin u ally
ready to in sist on her “ rights.
” Bu t with gen tle
n ess an d firmn ess mu ch can be accomplished. An d
you wan t to remember that man y hu sban ds act the
w ay they do, n ot becau se they are viciou s, bu t be
cau se they are stu pid or childish. Sometimes it is
mere thou ghtlessn ess. They have been brou ght u pw ron gly, an d some of them sin cerely imagin e that
by repressin g the wife ’s person ality, by blottin g it
ou t, they are actin g in her in terest. It is for her
ow n good.
” A seriou s talk with a hu sban d will
sometimes,have a w on derfu l effect. It may some
162 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
times chan ge en tirely the cu rren t of his thou ghts.
Of cou rse if the hu sban d is a cad,a con ceited fool,
or a bru te, you can do n othin g with him ; bu t fortu
n ataly n ot all hu sban ds belon g to those categories.
Wife ’s Behavior Tow ard Sexual R elation s. I am
n ow comin g to a delicate su bject. Bu t, delicate
thou gh it is, it mu st be deal t w ith u n flin chin gly,
becau se it is probably respon sible for more male
infidelity than al l other cau ses combin ed. I speak
of the relation of the wife to her marital du ties,in
other words, to sexu al relation s. Too man y women
regard the sexu al act as a n u isan ce, as an ordeal,as somethin g disagreeable to get throu gh with as
qu ickly as possible ; they regard the hu sban d’s de
man ds in this lin e as an imposition , as u n fair or
even as bru tal ; an d their behavior prelimin ary to
an d du rin g the act is su ch as to cool the ardor of
an y refin ed an d sen sitive man . The reason s for this
behavior on the part of man y wives are man ifold ;
this is n ot the place to con sider them in detail. I
will allu de to them briefly. On e great cau se is con
gen ital frigidity. The woman is cold, frigid, has n o
desire for sex relation s an d experien ces n o pleasu re ,
n o sen sation from them. Su ch women are n ot to
blame ; they are to be pitied. B u t even they can
behave so as n ot to repel their hu sban ds.
164 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
remedy is simple : give her fu ll in stru ction in the
u se of con traceptive measu res. Other cau ses are :
excessive mastu rbation,vagin ismu s, local malfor
mation , in flammation , etc. Bu t whatever the cau ses
of the wife ’s “ bad behavior ” may be, they are all
amen able to treatmen t. Some n eed medical treat
men t, some psychic treatmen t, an d some n othin g bu t
ju st a common -sen se, heart-to-heart talk.
An d I wou ld emphasize : Do n ot repel you r hu s
ban ds when they ask for sexu al favors— at least do
n ot repel them too often . Hou seholds in which re
ln ticu a are had rather frequ en tly an d in which the
w ives len d their fu l l an d eager participation are
happier hou seholds than those in which the sexu al
act is in du lged in rarely, an d with grumblin g an d
side -remarks on the part of the wife .
Bu t of cou rse you shou ld n ot go to the other ex
treme either. You shou ld n ot make too frequ en t
deman ds u pon you r hu sban d. With a man the act
mean s a good deal more than it does with a woman ;it en tail s a great deal more of physical an d men tal
exhau stion , an d a wife who is u n reason able in this
respect is sowin g the seeds of discord an d u n happi
n ess. She is sacrificin g the fu tu re to the presen t.
The hu sban d is apt to become afflicted w i th satietyor impoten ce—an d the wife may have to lead a life
of con tin en ce for mu ch lon ger than she wou ld have
ADV ICE TO THE MARRIED 165
had to if she had been moderate. In n o departmen t
of life is moderation so importan t as in sex life .
Nou -u se,in su fficien t u se an d excessive u se are all
bad . A mu tu al ly joyfu l, eager an d moderately fre
qu en t participation in the sex u al act will con tribu te
most to a happy an d lon g life .
Dain ty Un derw ear. This may be con sidered too
delicate or too triflin g a su bject to discu ss in an
importan t sex book. Bu t n othi n g is too delicate or
too triflin g that con cern s human happin ess, an d you
will believe me if I tell you that n ice u n derw ear or
dai n ty lin gerie plays a very importan t role in mari
tal life. An d every married woman shou ld have as
fin e an d as dai n ty u n derwear as she can possibly
afiord . A fin e or elaborate n ightgown may be more
importan t than an expen sive skirt or hat. Un fortu
n ately too man y women ign ore this fact. Extern ally
they will be well dressed, while their petticoats,drawers an d u n dershi rts wil l be of the common est
qu ality an d of qu estion able freshn ess an d immacu
laten ess. An d if an ythin g in a woman ’s toilet shou ld
be immacu lately fresh an d clean it is, I emphasize,her u n derwear.
Do Not Ofl'
en d Against Esthetics. Some women
thin k that becau se they are married to their hu s
ban ds they ow e the latter n o esthetic con sideration .
Things that they w ou ld be horrified to let a stran ger
166 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
see they do before their hu sban d ’s eyes w ithou t
hesitation . For in stan ce, n ot to beat abou t the bu sh,thou gh the su bject is n ot a pleasan t on e
,they w ill
u rin ate in their hu sban ds ’ presen ce, or they w i ll let
him see their soiled men stru al n apkin s,etc. Some
hu sban ds may n ot min d it ; bu t some men are very
sen sitive—men on the whole are more esthetic than
women— an d an in difieren ce towards the wife mayhave its origin in some vu lgar or u n esthetic pro
cedu re on the wife ’s part. The sexu al act, as men
tion ed before, is a very delicate mechan ism,an d it
is very easy to disarran ge it. The act of mictu rition
before the man is kn own in man y in stan ces to have
in stan tly abolished the man ’s sexu al desire which
w as presen t before. An d a man told me that be
cau se he n oticed in a closet a lot of rags soiled w ith
men stru al blood he w as u n able to en joy relation s
with hi s wife for several mon ths. Y ou may thin k
that these are all small thin gs, bu t life is made u p
of little thin gs, an d man y a married life w en t smash
on accou n t of disregardin g the little thin gs.
Bad Odor from the Mon th . I kn ow of n o otherphysical ai lmen t which is so dan gerou s, so fatal to
the pregn an cy of the love relation as is a stron g,ofien sive odor from the mou th. As a n oxiou s gas
blights a delicate plan t, so w ill a stron g bad odor
blight the delicate plan t of love. Y es, a stron g mal
168 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
well the followin g powder. It is simple, cheap an d
eflicien t :
on e dramBoric acid on e ou n ceDried alum two ou n ces
fou r ou n ces
A li ttle of the powder shou ld be shaken in to the
stockin gs every morn in g, an d the stockin gs shou ld
be chan ged very frequ en tly,on ce or twice a day.
Thi s powder is also eflicien t again st perspiration
an d bad odor from the armpits.
I am n ot givin g an y treatmen t for bad odor from
the mou th, for thi s con dition may be du e to a great
variety of cau ses. The cau se may reside in the
n ose ; it may reside in the mou th, decayin g teeth,throat, ton sils. It may be du e to a bad stomach, to
some disease of the lu n gs, etc. Sometimes it is du e
to overeatin g. What wou ld be of valu e in on e con
dition might be u seless in an other. The right thin g,therefore, is to go to a competen t physician
,have
him fin d the cau se of you r trou ble an d ou tlin e the
proper treatmen t.
Leu corrhea. Some men fin d themselves en tirely
u n able to have sexu al relation s with a woman whom
they kn ow is su fferin g with leu corrhea. The mere
ADVICE TO THE MARRIED 169
kn owledge of the fact takes away their ability to
perform the act. It ren ders them impoten t. It dis
gu sts them, an d disgu st is fatal to sexu al power.
On ly to-day I saw in my office a woman w ho au x
iou sly begged for advice an d treatmen t. She had
been married five years. She has always had leu
corrhea, from her fifteen th year as far as she re
members. Otherwise she did n ot su ffer . For the
first three years or so her married life has been a
happy on e. Then in an u n fortu n ate momen t she
told her hu sban d abou t her profu se leu corrhea, an d
in stan tly she n oticed a chan ge in him . He cou ld n ot
fu l ly hide the expression on hi s face. An d sin ce
then he ceased to have in tercou rse with her . He
made a few attempts, bu t they tu rn ed ou t u n satis
factory to both, an d she n oticed that he w as forcin g
himself, doin g it again st his will. She took some
paten t medicin es an d wen t to on e doctor, bu t with
ou t an y resu lts. Now,u n l ess she cou ld be cu red,
she feared her hu sban d wou ld deman d a separation
or a divorce . If you have leu corrhea treat it. An d
remember you n eed n ot in i tiate you r hu sban d in all
you r u n esthetic ailm en ts.
Flirting . Do n ot flirt. Men are apt to m isu n der
stan d you , an d you are apt to get the repu tation of
a loose woman withou t in an y w ay havin g deserved
it. I do n ot say that you shou ld always wear a for
170 SEX KNOWLEDGE FOR WOMEN
biddin g expression , an d shou ld scowl at people w ho
dare to smile at you or otherw ise pay homage to
you r femin in e charms. Bu t there is a difl eren ce
betw een a frien dly expression an d flirtin g. How
ever, when you r hu sban d begin s to n eglect you , then
a mild flirtation may be ju stifiable. It will alw ays
do you r h u sban d good to kn ow that there are other
mal es in the world besides him, an d that some of
these males fin d in terest in the female whom he con
siders his perman en t an d exclu sive property.
Sloven ly Husban ds. Don’t let you r hu sban d be
come a slob. That is ju st what I mean . It is n o
u se min cin g words. Some hu sban ds n ever acqu ire
the habit—or if they have acqu ired it they qu ickly
lose it—of regardin g their wives as ladies. She
is n ot a lady, she is on ly my w ife,” is a w ell
kn ow n joke,bu t some men take it n ot as a jest.
Some men thin k that before their w ives they can be
as sloven ly an d u n clean as they please. Give you r
hu sban d to u n derstan d that cl ean lin ess an d fresh
n ess is n ot a“sex-limited ” attribu te, an d ju st as a
hu sban d wan ts his wife to be clean an d dain ty an d
w ell -groomed, so a w ife may en joy the sam e qu ali
ties in her hu sban d. Some women are very fastidi
ou s, an d while they may say n othin g to their hu s
ban ds for fear of irritatin g them, they may thin k a
good deal.