Part 19 (1/2)
Fresh powdered ergot of rye, Fifty grains; Barbadoes aloes, Twelve grains; Essential oil of juniper, Twelve drops.
Make into twelve pills with syrup or mucilage, was.h.i.+ng down each pill with a cupful of pennyroyal tea.
CESSATION OF THE MENSES-CHANGE OF LIFE.
By the phrase, ”change of life,” or, the critical period, we understand the final cessation, or stoppage, of the menses. It usually takes place between the ages of forty and fifty, although in some cases it may occur as early as thirty, and in others not until sixty.
However, we can expect the change about the forty-fifth year.
The symptoms will vary according to the const.i.tution of the woman. In some the change occurs by the discharge gradually diminis.h.i.+ng in quant.i.ty; in others, by the intervals between the periods being lengthened. A woman may pa.s.s this period without having any more unpleasant symptoms than an occasional rush of blood to the head, or a headache. Others, however, may have very severe symptoms arise, which will require the care of an intelligent physician. These disagreeable sensations should receive a careful consideration and not be hushed up with the reply that these complaints arise from the ”change of life”
and will vanish whenever that change takes place. The foundation of serious trouble may be laid which will make the remainder of her existence a burden and cut short a life which might have been conducted to a good old age. While this change is in progress, in probably the majority of cases there is more or less disturbance of the health. It is sometimes quite impossible to say exactly what is the trouble with the patient, except that she is out of health. The following are some of the symptoms which may arise: Headache, dizziness, biliousness, sour stomach, indigestion, diarrha, piles, costiveness, itching of the private parts, cramp and colic of the bowels, palpitation of the heart, swelling of the limbs and abdomen, pains in the back and loins, paleness and general weakness.
TREATMENT.
Eat and drink moderately; sleep in airy, well-ventilated rooms; exercise daily in the open air, either by walking or riding; avoid violent emotions; shun exposure to wet, stormy weather, wet feet, etc.
Keep the bowels regulated with the following:
Mercurial pill, one grain; ipecac powder, one-half grain; compound rhubarb pill, three grains. Mix for a pill to be taken every night.
Or, one ounce of hicra picra, or powdered aloes with castella, mixed in a pint of gin, which should stand for four or five days, after which a tablespoonful in a gla.s.s of water may be taken every morning or second morning, as the case may be.
If the patient is large and fleshy, of full habit, the following is recommended:
Sulphate of magnesia, one and one-half ounces; compound infusion of roses, five ounces; cinnamon water, one ounce. Mix, Dose: Two tablespoonfuls once a day.
If there are nervous symptoms prominent, give valerianate of zinc, eight grains; tincture of valerian, two drams; orange flower water, three and a half ounces; syrup of red poppies, two drams. Mix. Dose: A tablespoonful every six hours.
FALLING OF THE WOMB
_(Prolapsus uteri)._
Falling of the womb is simply a sinking down of the organ, and may be so slight as not to be noticed or so great that the organ will protrude between the legs through the external opening. It is not a disease of the womb itself, but of some of its supports.
So long as the v.a.g.i.n.a retains its natural size and the ligaments are but two and a half inches long the organ will not be displaced.
Whatever tends to relax and weaken the system may cause the complaint.
The muscles of the abdomen which support the intestines being weakened from any cause will allow the intestines to press down upon the womb and its ligaments, and, in consequence of this constant pressure, they give way. Another cause is too early exercise after childbearing.
Flooding and leucorrha, or whites, if allowed to continue for a long time, will produce it; in delicate females, continued running up and down stairs, also tight lacing, dancing, leaping, and running, particularly during the period of menstruation, when the womb is increased in weight by the blood contained in it. The use of medicines to loosen the bowels, which is very common among many, is still another cause of the disorder.
Most females who are troubled with falling of the womb think that it is necessary to a cure that they should wear some kind of a support to the abdomen. These supporters, however, do a vast amount of harm, for by being worn tightly around the abdomen they increase the pressure on the bowels, thus forcing down, more and more, the womb and its appendages. All that is necessary is to raise up the womb to its natural position, and use an instrument that will keep it in place.
This instrument is called a pessary. This pessary is a ring or hollow cup-shaped globe, made of gold, silver, ivory, wood or gutta-percha, and is placed in the v.a.g.i.n.a or birthplace, thus supporting the womb.
The cold hip bath should be used once a day, at the same time injecting cold water into the v.a.g.i.n.a with a syringe. Lie down as much as possible, and avoid becoming fatigued. Apply cold bandages to the abdomen on going to bed.
If the womb has descended to the external orifice it is often necessary to restore it to its natural position by pressing it upward and backward by a finger or two pressed into the v.a.g.i.n.a. If the process be accompanied with pain, the v.a.g.i.n.a should be well washed by injections of thick flax seed or slippery elm bark tea for a day or two before the astringent washes are used.
Avoid tight corsets and heavy skirts, suspend the under-garments from the shoulders and not from the waist, as is usually done. Use plain vegetable diet, and avoid tea, coffee, spirituous drinks, and all sensual indulgences. Allow the clothes to be loose. These things must be attended to closely. The diet should be plain and nouris.h.i.+ng, but not stimulating.
Use an injection of an infusion of white oak bark, geranium, or a solution of alum, in the proportion of one ounce to the pint of water.