The ladies' physical directory, Or, a treatise of all the weaknesses, indispositions, and diseases peculiar to the female sex, from eleven years of age to fifty or upwards. By which women and maids of the meanest capacity may perfectly understand the symptoms, nature, and true cause of their own illnesses, and readily know how to manage themselves under all infirmities.

Date:
1736
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The ladies' physical directory, Or, a treatise of all the weaknesses, indispositions, and diseases peculiar to the female sex, from eleven years of age to fifty or upwards. By which women and maids of the meanest capacity may perfectly understand the symptoms, nature, and true cause of their own illnesses, and readily know how to manage themselves under all infirmities. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    [ * ] A .—~.-':rr THE Ladies Phyfical Directory. The INTRODUCTION. IN treating of the Natural Weaknefles and Diftempers peculiarly incident to the Female Sex, I fhall begin with thofe occafioned by the Irregularity of the Menjlrual Flux or Monthly Courfes ; in order to which I think it firft neceflary to give fome Account of them in their natural State, and from their firfh Appearance in young Women. They commonly begin to flow in Maids when they are about fifteen or fixteen Years of Age ; in fome fooner, in o- thers later ; there having been Examples of fome, who have .had them before Fourteen ; and of others who have not had the leaft Appearance of them till after One or Two and twen¬ ty : And it is obfervable, that when Women grow in Years, they leave thofe fooneft in whom they fooneft apppeared. Bu t generally about the Age of Fifteen or Sixteen Virgins begin to grow ripe, and if in Health to think of Love; the Blood alfo increafes in Quantity, and at certain Periods is fo rarefied for fome Days, as not to be contained within its u~ fual Bounds, whence diftending every where its Veflels, it at length opens itfelf a Paflage through thofe which by their na¬ tural Structure and Pofition give it the lead Refiftance, which are the Blood Veflels that terminate in the Womb, and from thence iflues out; and fo continues to flow for fome Days, till the Quantity of Blood being fufficiently diminifhed, and its Rarefaction ceafing, the Mouths of the Blood-Veflels are fuffer’d to clofe again, - and the Flux ceafes, till the next dated Period, that the Blood is again increafed in fuch a Quanti¬ ty, and its Rarefaction fo renewed, as to occafion it to flow again in the Manner I have defcribed : And this natural Pur¬ gation, or Flux of Blood, is called the Monthly Terms or Courfes, B The