medical means. If she have reached her sixteenth year, and her form has acquired the shape to indicate that puberty has arrived, she should be subjected to some healthier regimen. She should be taken from school, sent to the country, given exercise in the open air; her diet should be simple, but nutritious; her feet bathed in warm water every night. A journey on the sea, a sojourn on the mountains, has often induced that crisis without any other aid.
When the girl, already developed, suffers periodically from headache, backache, flashes of heat, nose-bleed, palpitation of the heart, nervousness, and pain in her breasts, while the menses do not make their appearance, a skillful physician should be consulted.
The common causes of irregularity in the menses are taking cold, wet feet, too much mental application, sedentary life, want of exercise, abuse of coffee, stimulants, or narcotics, violent exercise, checked perspiration, laziness, late hours, want of attention to the daily evacuations, excitement, anger, passion, grief, worry, immorality, disappointments, home-sickness, mental shocks, frights. Diseases of the womb are insidious in their nature, because uncared for. Should all irregularities be attended to in the beginning, they would not run into that chronic state in which physicians almost always find them. Thousands of our weak, nervous, helpless women, would revel in the enjoyment of perfect health, in the discharge of their solemn duties as wives and as mothers, if they had given timely attention to little irregularities.
The hygiene of a girl at this critical period should be guarded, both morally and physically. Her mind should be free from cares or sorrows; free from the shackles of society; not laden with engrossing studies; prevented from reading amorous literature, or too much of romance and
