MIDWIFERY. 
writes, that the women lose twenty ounces 
of hlood by this evacuation. Artificial 
warnitli promotes the menstrual flux as 
powerfully as that of the sun. 
The discharge, as we have already ob- 
served, commences with puberty, which va- 
ries exceedingly from climate. In Persia 
the females are fit for all the purposes of wo- 
men at ten years old. In Lapland not till 
twenty. In our country about sixteen; 
and this period is characterized by certain 
attendant circumstances : the age of pu- 
berty is evinced by ,hair growing on the 
pube^ and in the axill® ; the breasts are 
formed and made perfect ; there is also a 
change in the ovaria. 
'I he discharge when it earliest appears is 
not at first red, generally it is without colour. 
The succeeding periods are very regular, be- 
ing every month, unless the woman lives in 
a state of nature, and falls with child, when, 
upon a pretty accurate calculation, she 
will menstruate about once in twenty 
months, if she suckle. Mensfriiation having 
begun will go on regularly unless interrupted 
by disease, or pregnancy, for a great num- 
ber of years, generally till between the for- 
tieth and fiftieth year ; and the time of its 
cessation is generally regulated by the age 
at which it commenced. The final cessa- 
tion of the menses may be known to be 
advancing by certain irregularities in the ap- 
pearance : instead of the discharge lasting 
three, it will continue for ten days; nothing 
will then be seen for two mohths; next it 
may come once a fortnight, and then pro- 
fusely. Menstruation appears to be a dis. 
charge intended to preserve the uterus in a 
state fitted for conception, for a girl cannot 
conceive till after the menses have appear- 
ed ; nor does any woman conceive after 
they have ceased to flow. 
So that woman only can become preg- 
nant while the menses continue ; and they 
appear to be more susceptible of conception 
immediately before and directly after them, 
than at any other part of the month. Also, 
in all animals there is a discharge' somew'hat 
analogous to it, which in them is called 
heat. This state is very nearly allied to it ; 
and is well understood by boys, not one of 
whom when buying a doe rabbit will pay 
half the price for it, if not in heat, as if she 
be in heat : he has nothing to do, but by 
pressing with his thumb to invert a portion 
of the vagina, and if it be red and covered 
thickly with blood vessels, he knows it in- 
dicates heat, and is what he looks for ; but 
if the vagina be smooth and white, every boy 
knows that he must keep that rabbit on 
bran and other expensive provisions for 
a month, before she will take the buck. 
Menstruation may be the subject of 
disease from irregularity, obstruction, ex- 
cess, or painful extrusion. 
Trregidar Menstruation. This may regard 
its time of accession, or cessation. It may 
be irregular in its monthly return ; or as to 
the quantity of fluid lost at each period ; it 
may arise too early in life, or continue too 
late. The first consideration is, where it 
arises too early in life ; perhaps, however, 
there is no such thing as menstruation be- 
ginning too early in life, except as connect- 
ed with a complaint. It may arise from too 
great strength of constitution and vascular 
action ; from increased fullness of vessels, 
depending on too large a quantity of animal 
food,for the wearandtearof tiie constitution. 
Tlicre is a full face ; a full pulse ; throbbing 
in the head ; the breasts are full, with a 
warm imagination, 'lliis secretion arises 
properly at sixteen ; but here it begins at 
twelve or thirteen. As in this case it arises 
from too much blood, we should take some 
away ; prescribe purges and strong exer- 
cise ; but the medicine must be chosen. 
Rhubarb, jalap, senna, colocynth, and aloes, 
are not calculated to diminish the quantity 
of blood ; they only increase the peristaltic 
motion of the intestines. Saline purgatives 
should bo preferred, and a spare diet must 
be insisted upon. 
The other slate of, the menses is, where 
they stay too late ; this is more common 
than the preceding aft'ection, and moi e es- 
pecially in large towns. It occurs where 
there is too little blood, and the uterus is 
not in a state fit for conception. The pulse 
is weak, the appetite disordered, the counte- 
nance pale, till; constitution below par in 
point of strength. We w'ill now consider 
both the states just described. The first 
will be liable to sudden inflammation of the 
lungs, and has that state of body which 
predisposes to what is called a galloping 
consumption. The other will generally be 
more or less a scrophulous habit, disposed 
to go into a decline, or slow consumption. 
Here the moile of treatment adopted in 
chlorosis may be snperadded to that for the 
restoring health by .sea-bathing, if the lungs 
be not any w'ay affected, and the stomach 
in good order, but not where there is a 
weak stomach or oppressed respiration. 
Of A menorrhoea or obstructed Menstruation. 
Ofthis there are two kinds; one theactite, or 
accidental; the other the chronii. Theacute, 
