When about twenty
years of age, perhaps a year or so older, she applied to me for advice
in consequence of neuralgia, back-ache, menorrhagia, leucorrhoea, and
general debility. She was anemic, and looked pale, care-worn, and
anxious. There was no evidence of any local organic affection of the
pelvic organs. "Get a woman's periodical remission from labor, if
intermission is impossible, and do your work in a woman's way, not
copying a man's fashion, and you will need very little apothecary's
stuff," 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 course
they were of no avail. Latterly I have lost sight of her, and, from
her appearance at her last visit to me, presume she has gone to a
world where back-ache and male and female skeletons are unknown.
Illustrations of this sort might be multiplied but these three are
sufficient to show how an abnormal method of study and work may and
does open the flood-gates of the system, and, by letting blood out,
lets all sorts of evil in. Let us now look at another phase; for
menorrhagia and its consequences are not the only punishments that
girls receive for being educated and worked just like boys.
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