Male And Female Skeletons

The next case is drawn from different social surroundings. Earlyassociations and natural aptitude inclined Miss B---- to the stage;and the need of bread and butter sent her upon it as a child, at whatage I do not know. At fifteen she was an actress, determined to do herbest, and ambitious of success. She strenuously taxed muscle and brain at all times in her calling. She worked in a man's sustainedway, ignoring all demands for special development, and essaying firstto dis-establish, and then to bridle, the catamenia. At twenty she waseminent. The excitement and effort of acting periodically produced thesame result with her that a recitation did under similar conditionswith Miss A----. If she had been a physiologist, she would have knownhow this course of action would end. As she was an actress, and not aphysiologist, she persisted in the slow suicide of frequenthemorrhages, and encouraged them by her method of professionaleducation, and later by her method of practising her profession. Shetried to ward off disease, and repair the loss of force, by consultingvarious doctors, taking drugs, and resorting to all sorts ofexpedients; but the hemorrhages continued, and were repeated atirregular and abnormally frequent intervals. A careful localexamination disclosed no local disturbance. There was neitherulceration, hypertrophy, or congestion of the os or cervix uteri; nodisplacement of any moment, of ovarian tenderness. In spite of all herdifficulties, however, she worked on courageously and steadily in aman's way and with a woman's will. After a long and discouragingexperience of doctors, work, and weaknesses, when rather over thirtyyears old, she came to Boston to consult the writer, who learned atthat time the details just recited. She was then pale and weak. Amurmur in the veins, which a French savant, by way of dedication tothe Devil, christened _bruit de diable_, a baptismal name that sciencehas retained, was audible over her jugulars, and a similar murmur overher heart. Palpitation and labored respiration accompanied and impededeffort. She complained most of her head, which felt "queer," would notgo to sleep as formerly, and often gave her turns, in which there wasa mingling of dizziness, semi-consciousness, and fear. Her educationand work, or rather method of work, had wrought out for her anemia andepileptiform attacks. She got two or three physiological lectures,was ordered to take iron, and other nourishing food, allow time forsleep, and, above all, to arrange her professional work in harmonywith the rhythmical or periodical action of woman's constitution. Shemade the effort to do this, and, in six months, reported herself inbetter health--though far from well--than she had been for six years before.
This case scarcely requires analysis in order to see how it bears onthe question of a girl's education and woman's work. A gifted andhealthy girl, obliged to get her education and earn her bread at thesame time, labored upon the two tasks zealously, perhaps over-much,and did this at the epoch when the female organization is busy withthe development of its reproductive apparatus. Nor is this all. She labored continuously, yielding nothing to Nature's periodical demand for force. She worked her engine up to highest pressure, just as muchat flood-tide as at other times. Naturally there was not nervous powerenough developed in the uterine and associated ganglia to restrainthe laboring orifices of the circulation, to close the gates; and theflood of blood gushed through. With the frequent repetition of theflooding, came inevitably the evils she suffered from,--Nature'spenalties. She now reports herself better; but whether convalescencewill continue will depend upon her method of work for the future.
Let us take the next illustration from a walk in life different fromeither of the foregoing. Miss C---- was a bookkeeper in a mercantilehouse. The length of time she remained in the employ of the house, andits character, are a sufficient guaranty that she did her work well.Like the other clerks, she was at her post, _standing_, duringbusiness hours, from Monday morning till Saturday night. The femalepelvis being wider than that of the male, the weight of the body, inthe upright posture, tends to press the upper extremities of thethighs out laterally in females more than in males. Hence the formercan stand less long with comfort than the latter. Miss C----, however,believed in doing her work in a man's way, infected by the notuncommon notion that womanliness means manliness. Moreover, she wouldnot, or could not, make any more allowance for the periodicity of herorganization than for the shape of her skeleton. When about twentyyears of age, perhaps a year or so older, she applied to me for advicein consequence of neuralgia, back-ache, menorrhagia, leucorrhoea, andgeneral debility. She was anemic, and looked pale, care-worn, andanxious. There was no evidence of any local organic affection of thepelvic organs. "Get a woman's periodical remission from labor, ifintermission is impossible, and do your work in a woman's way, notcopying a man's fashion, and you will need very little apothecary'sstuff," was the advice she received. "I _must_ go on as I am doing,"was her answer. She tried iron, sitz-baths, and the like: of coursethey were of no avail. Latterly I have lost sight of her, and, fromher appearance at her last visit to me, presume she has gone to aworld where back-ache and male and female skeletons are unknown.