CONTENTS.

PUBLISHERS' NOTICE.

EDITOR'S PREFACE.

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Introductory.15-22

Knowledge is safety—The peculiarities of sex—Examples of individuals belonging to both sexes and to neither sex—The sphere of woman

Part I. THE MAIDEN.

Puberty22-52

What it means—Age when it arrives—Causes that hasten it—Causes that delay it—Brunettes mature early—The signs of puberty—Its dangers—Spinal disease—Green sickness—Hysterics—Secret bad habits—Hygiene of puberty—Diet—Exercise—Clothing— Precautions during the monthly changes—Between the monthly changes—What to do when the changes are delayed—When they are painful—The age of nubility.

Love52-89

Its power in life—What it is—It is necessary and it is eternal—Of second marriages and of divorce—Courtship—Love at first sight—How to choose a husband—Shall cousins marry?—Marriage between different races and different nations—The proper age of a husband—His temperament—His moral and mental character—Words of warning—Signs of character on the body—The engagement—Concerning long engagements—The right time of year to marry—The right time in the month to marry—The wedding tour.

Part II. THE WIFE.

Hints To Young Wives90-132

The wedding night—Should husband and wife sleep together or apart?—The most healthful bed—The dignity and propriety of the sexual instinct—The proper indulgence and the restraint of sexual desire—Marital relations, when they should be suspended—When they are painful—Barrenness, its causes and its cures—Advice to wives who desire children—The limitation of offspring—When it is proper—Justifiable means—Injurious means—The crime of abortion—The nature of conception—Signs of conception—How to retain the affections of a husband.

Inheritance132-166

The varieties of inheritance—The legacy of beauty—The complexion—What physical qualities each parent bestows—The inheritance of fertility and longevity—Even deformities sometimes transmitted—How to have beautiful children—Talent and genius may be transmitted—The physical traits of fathers in daughters, and of mothers in sons—Examples—Influence of education on inherited qualities—Transmission of disease—Of mutilations—How to avoid inherited ill tendencies—The excess of women—How to have boys or girls at will—Twins and triplets.

Pregnancy167-218

Veneration of the pregnant woman—Signs of pregnancy—Quickening—Mental changes—Miscarriage, its causes, symptoms, and prevention—Mother's marks—What makes them?—How to avoid them—Education of the child in the womb—Are double pregnancies possible?—Instances of double children—Can a child cry in the womb?—Is it a son or a daughter?—Are there twins present?—The duration of pregnancy—How to calculate when the confinement will come—Care of health during pregnancy—The food, clothing, exercise, bathing, ventilation, and sleep—Effect on health of body and mind—Relations of husband and wife during pregnancy.

The Confinement219-242

Preparations for childbirth—The signs of approaching labor—The symptoms of actual labor—Attention is required during labor—To the mother—To the child—To have labor without pain—The risks of childbed—Weight and length of new-born children—The duration of labor—Stillborn children—Imprudence after childbirth—To preserve the form after childbirth.

Part III. THE MOTHER.

Nursing243-270

The duties and privileges of a mother—Hindrances to nursing, and when it is improper—Rules for nursing—Influence of diet on the mother's milk—Influence of pregnancy on the milk—The mother's mind and her infant—Striking examples—Position of the mother while nursing—Qualities of a good nursing mother—Excess and deficiency of the milk—Wet-nursing by virgins, aged women, and men—Rules for care of health while nursing—Relations of husband and wife at this time—Over-nursing and the signs of it—Directions for mothers who cannot nurse their own children—How to select a wet-nurse.

Part IV. THE CHILD.

The Care of Infancy271-324

The causes of infant mortality—Bringing up by hand—Weaning, when and how to do it—Teething—Vaccination and re-vaccination—The food of infants and children—Concerning sleep in early life—The clothing of children, its pattern, amount, and quality—Bathing, ventilation, and exercise in early childhood—On learning to walk—The advantages of games and plays—On training the sight and hearing.

The Management of Some Diseases of Childhood325-350

How to recognize and treat croup—Head colds—Fits—Nose-bleed—Worms— Bed-wetting—Looseness of the bowels—Indigestion—Hints on home government—Is the race physically weaker?

Part V. HEALTH IN MARRIAGE.

Diseases Incident To Pregnancy352-360

Morning sickness—Pain in the abdomen—Varicose veins—Piles—Diarrhœa— Constipation—Cough—Wakefulness.

Diseases Incident To Childbed and Nursing361-385

Puerperal mania—White-flowing—Milk-leg—Inward weakness—Various causes of weakness—Tight lacing one of them—Their treatment—Gathered breasts—Cracked nipples.

Part VI. THE SINGLE LIFE.

Advantages and Drawbacks of386-388

Part VII. THE CHANGE OF LIFE.

Diseases and Hygiene of389-404

What it is—Age when it comes—Signs and symptoms—Effects on the character—Those who suffer most—Diseases and discomforts attending—Precautions and remedies.

Notes405-412

Index413-426

Testimonials