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, iirt .

THE

TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

COUNSELS

ON THE NATURE ANDHTQIEHE

OF THB

MASCULINE FUNCTIONS.

GEORGE E. NAPHETS, A.M., M.D^

Yhaelt Comprndiuh or Mbdioal Soibmoi; Xaraom o» "Tm

PuTSMUL Lin or Womah," " Moniu THHuraDfioB.-

" Lnrau rROM KinuM%" no.

^ JTOsM oiiinu hao nlu an •dolMocDtalte."— Tni

MNLABOED AND REVISED.

THE MUSSON BOOK CO., LIMITED

Publishers

TORONTO

KCgSI
N } -L

198245

Printed in Canada by
The Huuter-Rose Co., Limited

PUBLISHERS' ANNOUNCEMENT.

An untold amount of misery and crime springs from
an ignorance of the nature and proper hy;,'i»;iiic care of
the sexual function in man. Hitherto there has been
no relia' iC work in the language on this subject, written
in a popular style, and with j)roper motives. This lont,'-
felt want is supplied in the most complete manner by this
volume. Its author is well known as an experienced re-
j^ular physician and able writer, and his work has been
indorsed by some of the most distinguished [(hysiciaiks,
divines, and educators in the land.

The topics which it treats are those about which every
inan wants information, as will be seen by the following
brief

SYNOPSIS OF THE BOOK.

The first part treats of the peculiar function of the male,
describes the period of 'puberty when this fuuetiou boj^ius,
and gives the rules ot health ao this tim.3. The author
then passes on to virility, or the period when this fiinction
is most viujoroua ; describing its signs, the causes that
hasten, and those which delay the loss of it, the effects
which certain diseases, occupations, and exercises have upon
it ; the food and the drinivs whick strengthen it, and those
which weaken it. The instructions " How it oin he pro-
longed," are especially vahiable to middle-aged and eldoily
men. The sexual passion Is analyzed, and two full chap-
ters iriven on the drugs which slinialate and those which
moderate desne.

The secontl ]>art is on the single or celibate life, ami con-
tains matter which every parent, clergyman, iiud educator

PUBLISHEllS' ANNOUNCEMENT.

fihoulil bo conversant with. After spoaking of the advan-
t>ifi;o« and disadvantages of unmarried life from a modiod
jx tint of view, the author proceeds to discuss four important
(jiiestions, chiefly concerning young and unmarried men.
These are the solitary vice (self-abuse), spermatorrhcea
secret diseases, and the social evil (prostitution).

In reference to the first of these, the consequences, the
prevention, and the cure of the destructive habit of self-
abuse are detailed fully, and in plain language.

SjHMinatorrhcea is treated of under the headings " What
biing.s it about ?" " How to prevent it," and " How to cure
it.

The two most frequent secret diseases are described
biiefly and clearly ; their effects on a man and on his
children explained ; means of prevention and treatment
are mentioned, and the very important question answered,
" How soon ought a man to marry who has been diseased ?"

The chapter on proatitution is written with especial
reference to the United States ; the number of fallen wo-
men in the different cities and the classes into which they
are divided, are described. The questions where they
come from, how they live, and what becomes of them, are
answered, and the various plans for their reform are dis-
cussed.

The third part of the book is on the Married Life.
Every man, either married or contemplating maniage, will
find here information which he would not be without for
very many times the price of the book. The part opens
with advice in reference to the age best for marriage, the
choice of a wife, the dangers (physical) of long engagements,
etc. A section is given to the consummation of marriage,
and the obstacles to it both on the part of the female and
the male. The latter the author divides into four:
First, Lethaigy of the organs ; second, Debility; third,
Impotence ; and fourth, Sterility. He explains the nature
and causes of each of these conditions, an I adds the special
treatment which they require.

PUBLISUEllS ANNOUNCEMENT.

iii

The next chapter is on the Tnarital rdationa. TliO
dangers of excess are pointed out, and the rules of modera-
tion laid down.

The nature of conception is then explained, and an ex-
tremely interesting chapter given on the avoidance and
limitation of offspring. Not less interesting^ to niarriod
people are his full and explicit dir«.'ctions how to Imie
male or female chiltlren at will. The rules given are
strictly scientific, and are also applicable to doun'stic ani-
mals, stock horses, etc., and will therefore doul)ly 'ntorest
most people.

In the chapter on inheritance the atitl\or tA.»lls what
parents can do t-o avoid having disease'l, dcl'ornuMl, and
weak-minded children, aud tx) have those which are hand-
some, healthy, and intelligent

The tiubject of nervous disorders originating in the
male generative system is one of intense interest, and is
treated in a practical manner.

fhe chapter entitled "medical views on popular medical
yjini ruction" shows the awakening interest in the profession
DA thg importance of this theme, and the danger to tho

I^aliUc of leaving it in the hands of ignorant and unscioipu-
v*yA writers.

The article on the relation of the sexes i/n. early life is
one that siiould be read by every parent and teacher.

The discussion on tlve relation oj sex to disease will be
foun<l of interest.

A general summary of the morsil relation of the sexes,
swj set forth in the Bible and by theological writers, closes
t'ne work.

The book will be found thoroughly practical. It is in-
tended for self-help, and cuutaius & number of valual.tle
receipu.

ial

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

GEORGE HENEY NAPHEYS, M.D.

Were man's life measured by his deeds, as the poet sug-
gests, how brief would be the long j'ears of many an octo-
genarian, and how extended the short span which has been
allotted to not a few of the world's famous heroes I

This oft-repeated thought strikes us forcibly in con-
sidering the biography of the subject of this sketch.
Closing his life at an ago when most professional men are
but beginning theirs, he had already studied broadly, had
traveled widely over two continents, had gained credit and
fame by the sword and the pen, and had amassed a fund
of erudition and experience which the more lethargic lives
of most men fail to approach after twice his length of
days. It is eminently appropriate that a record of his
busy career should be attached to the works on which his
celebrity is chiefly based, and in which he most con-
spicuously disjilays that command of language and happy
facility of imparting instruction for which he was so re-
markable.

Geohge Henry Napheys (pronounced Na'feez, the a
as in fate) was born in the city of Philadelphia, March 5th,
1842. His parents died while he was still at a tender age,
and he was placed with some relatives who resided in the
city. From early years he was characterized by quick
porceptions and a retentive memory. In the Philadelphia
High School, fiom which hp received the academic degree
of Master of Aits, he was considered the best scholar in hit*

BIOURAPUICAL SKETCH.

class, a marked distinction in view of the large numT)era
which attend that ia^ititution. Besides at-quiring the
UBual studies of the High School he gave consid.;»*able
time to phonography, in which he became so skilled that
he could report any ordinary speaker with entire accuracy.
This subsequently proved a great advantage to him in his
medical career.

After his graduation he repaired to Hartford, Conn.,
where he was offered and accepted the position of private
secretary to a gentleman of prominence m the literary and
religious world.

Thus he was engaged when the civil war broke out
With his natural warmth of feeling apd strong emotions,
he entered the fray among the first, and went out as Lieu-
tenant, and subsecjuently as Captain, Company F, 10th.
Connecticut State Volunteers. The regiment was enlisted
for nine mouths, and was disj)atched to Louisiana, General
Banks then commanding the Department. It participated
in engagements near Baton Rouge and on the Red River,
Tn whicli Captain Napheys always acquitted himself with
bravery and credit.

At the time the regiment was disbanded, an early pre-
ference for medical subjects led him to devote a year to
the preliminary studies of that profession, but not waiting
the full period required for a degree, he was appointed
assistant medical officer on the U.S. steamer Mingo, of the
South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. On her he passed
a number of months, cruising off the coast of the Carolinas
and Georgia, and ascended the St. John river.

These active duties prevented him from receiving his
degree of Doctor of Medicine until after the close of the
war, when in 1866, his diploma was conferred upon him
by the Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia, one of
the most renowned institutions of our country.

After graduation, he opened an office in Philadelphia,
and connected himself with the clinics which are held at
the College for the purpose of supplying medicine and

BICKJIUrniCAL SKUTCH.

medical advice to the poor gratuitously, as well as for
{f'wiuff students an o[)i)ortunity of witnessing various forma
of disease. The practical experience he gained in this
manner was considerable, and his natural ability soon re-
commended him to the authorities of the institution, who
appointed him Chief of Medical Clinic of the College, a
position he held for several years.

One of the advuntages of this nost was that it brought
him into constant communion with many eminent medical
men, and rendered him practically acquainted with their
treatment of disease. His skill ia phonography enabled
him to take abundant notes of their lectures, and this led
to his early connection with the periodical literature of the
profession. Most of the reports he drew up were published
in the Medical and Surgical Repoiier, a weekly jouri -il,
devoted to medical science, published in Philadelphia, i'he
series of reports commenced in April, 18GG, and continued,
with slight intciiij^^uions, until June, 1870. They av-,
characterizf^'l by a cicar and correct style, and a manifestly
thorough giasp of the numerous topics treated.

The success which these ephemeral writings obtained
turned his thoughts in the direction of authorship. His
tastes and associations led him to employ his powers iu two
/(iiections : first, in preparing for the general public a series
«»f works which would acquaint them with anatomy, physi-
ology, hygiene, sanitary science, nursing, and the manage-
ment of disease, to the extent tiiat intelligent general
•oaders can and ought to know aoout these subjects; and
•econdly, in writing for professional men several treatises
on the means of alleviating and curing diseases.

In the prosecution of the first mentioned of these plans
•xe was early impressed with the utter absence of any trea-
Kfle on the hygiene of the sexual life in either sex, written
in the proper spirit by & scientific man. The field bad been
lett to quacks or woi-se, who, to serve their own base ends,
scattered inflammatory and often indecent pamphlets over
the land ; or else, had one or more of the points been

Xll

BlOORAPJnCAL SKETCH.

handled by reputable writers, it was in such a vague and
imperfect manner that the reader gained little btnofit from
the perusal. While all agreed that a sound treatise on
these topics was most desirable, it had been openly averred
that it could not be written in a proper style for the
general public.

Strong in the conviction that pure motive, literary taot,
and the requisite scientific knowledge qualified him to un-
dertake this difficult task, Dr. Napheys prepared, in the
early months of 1869, his work ou " The Physical Life of
Woman." Proceeding with caution, he first submitte< 1 the
MSS. to some professional friends, and profited by their
suggestions. After this work was in type, and before pub-
lication, he sent complete copies to a nuioher of gentlemen
eminent as medical teachers, clergymen, educators, and
literateurs. Their replies left him in no doubt but that
he had succeeded even beyond his anticipations. Almost
unanimously the opinions were complimentary in the
highest degree, and evidently written after a close exami-
nation of the book. As many of these have been printed
to accompany the work, in the last and previous editions,
it is needless to do more in this connection than to say
they were penned by such judges as Dr. W. A. Hammond,
late Surgeon-General U. S. Army ; Dr. Harvey L. Byrd
Professor in the Medical Department Washington Univer-
sity, Md.; Dr. Edwin M. Snow, Health Officer of the City
of Providence, R. I.; Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, Rev,
Horace Bushnell, D.D. ; Rev, George A. Crooke, D.D..
D.C.L., and others.

On its appearance, the work was received with enthusi-
asm by both the medical press and the public. While a
few journals and individuals were inclined to condemn it
and censure the author, the intelligent and the pure-
minded, on all sides, recognized in him the only writer whc
had yet appealed able to treat these delicate subjects with
the dignity of science and the straightforwardness neces-
sary for popular instruction.

BIuailAPllICAL SKETCH.

XllI

Satisfied that he had chosen the projicr exercise for liis
talents, he composed and placed in the hands of his pub-
lisher the following year, his not less extraordinary work,
" The Transmission of Life," a treatise addressed to the
male, as his previous one had been to the female sex. It
was dedicated to the late Kev. John Todd, so well known
for his interest in young men, and his" Student's Manual,"
and other works addressed to them. He accepted the de-
dication and addressed the author a letter, in which occurs
the following high compliment to his work: "I am sur-
} rised at the extent and accuracy of your reading ; the
ju<liciousness of your positions and results ; the clear, une-
quivocal, yet delicate and appi'opriate language used ; and
the amount of valuable information conveyed." Similar
expressions poured in fi-om many other distinguished
critics, as, for instance. Dr. Noah Porter, President of
Yale College; the Rev. Henry Clay Trumbull, the Rev.
Abner Jackson, President of Trinity College, Hartford,
etc.

In the same year (1870) he brought out the first edition
of his " I^.Iodern Therapeutics," a technical work, addressed
to physicians. This was enlarged in successive editions,
until in its present form, as continued by other hands in its
latest etlitions, it comprises two parts of GOO pages each.
Although the author claimed little other originality in this
work tlian the selection and arrangement of known facts,
yet in these respects he displayed the strongly practical «and
original turn of his mind. As a student of the art of Thera-
peutics in large hosjutals, clinics, and dispensaries, he had
convinced himself that it is not by experiments on lower
animals, nor yet on the human body in health, that the
physician can attain the glorious power of alleviating pain
and curing deseaso ; it is only through the daily combat
with sickness, by the bedside and in the consulting room.
(Hiemistry and physiology, he believed, could teach but
little in this branch ; observation and experience every-
thing. Hence, in his work on Therapeutics he announced

XIV

BIOGRAPUICAL SKETCH.

bimself as " aiming at a systematic analysis of all current
and approved means of combating disease," selecting his
formulse and therapeutical diiections from the most emi-
nent living physicians of all nations.

This work was most favourably received by medical men ;
and, edited and revised by competent hands, continues to
be regarded as one of the most valuable works in American
medical literature. The unanimous ojnnion of the leading
medical journals, as well as of its numerous purchasers,
have testified to its real and great worth to the practitioner
of medicine

Having thus established a wide popular and profes-
sional reputation, one which would have guaranteed him
a lucrative practice, it would have tempted another, no
doubt, to make the most of this opportunity, so rarely
granted a young physician. Not so was it with Dr. Na-
pheys. No sooner had the three works mentioned been com-
pleted than he sailed fo Europe, in order to familiarize him-
self with the famed schools of learning of the Old World
and its rich stores of material for culture. The summer was
that of the Franco-German war ; and spending most of it
in Paris, he was witness of several of the most exciting
scenes which attended the dethronement of the Emperor.
These he would describe afterwards with vivdiness and
power of language rarely excelled.

The excitement of the period did not, however, withdraw
his attention from the studies he had in view. These were
partially indicated in a series of letters he contributed to
various periodicals during his absence. While these letters
were principally of a scientific character, it is noteworthy
how the relations of medicine to the welfare of man always
occupied his attention. Thus we find, in one sent from
England, June, 1870, a description of the Liverpool Medi-
cal Missionary Society, a charity which combines religious
instruttit^n with medical advice; and again, he couiments
on the popular instruction in hygiene which was supplied
at that period to the English workingmeu by a committee

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.

nl competent physicians, organized for that purpose. It
was the author's purpose to collect and expand these letters
into a volume, but the project was not carried out.

The siege of Paris, which city he left in one of the last
trains before the blockade commenced, and the prolonga-
tion of the war. induced him to return home. In the
United States he found offers from several publishers
awaiting him, which would more than occupy him for a
full year. There wsus a new edition of his " Therapeutics "
demanded, and a revision of both " The Physical Life
of Woman " and " 1'he Transmission of Life. ' A New
England firm urgently pressed him to superintend the
production of several hygienic works, and secured him as
literary adviser to their house. He assumed the editor-
sliip of the " Half- Yearly Compendium of Medical Science,"
and also of a " Physician's Annual," besides undertaking
a number of articles for the periodical press, both scientific
and popular.

To this active literary life he devoted the year 1871 ;
but at its close felt more strongly than ever that he must
give himself several years of studious quiet, in order to
accomplish his best. Ivefusing, therefore, any further en-
gagements, he sailed for Europe again, late in 1871, and
did not return this time until the spring of 1875. In this
period, of more then three years, he visited almost all the
principal cities in Europe, and enjoyed the friendship of
many eminent men at London, St. Petersburg, Vienna and
Paris. Reading, visiting hospitals, and attending clinics,
he .accumulated a mass of material which he designed to
work up into future literary enterprises.

With these collected stores he returned to the United
States early in 1875, and set to work wi.h his wonted
energy. A now and much enlarged edition of the " Thera-
peutics" was sent to press ; a "Hand-book of Poi)ular Medi-
cine," designed to give, in simple Ituiguage, the domestic
treatment of disease, the rules for nursing the sick, selected
receipts for diet and medicinal purposes, and the outlines of

JtVl

BIOGRi/LPHICAL SKETCH.

atiatony and physioloj^, was put in the hands of a pub-
lisher; a Synopsis of Pharmacy and Materia Medica, a work
of enormous labour, was well under way; and other literary
projects were actively planned ; when, suddenly, the sum-
mons came which, in an instant, with the shears of fate,
slit the strand of this activity. The rest of the story may
be told in the words of the biographer appointed by tlie
Medical Society of the County of Philadelphia to prepare
a memoir of his life : —

" While earnestly labouring to prepare for the press his
literary collections, he suffered a severe blow by the sudden
death of a person to whom he was deeply attached. Over-
work and this emotional shock produced a result likely
enough to occur in one of his ardent temperament. One
afternoon, while engaged in writing, he fell, unconscious,
from his chair, and for several days lay in a very critical
condition. On recovering his powers, it was evident his
brain had suffered a serious lesion. The old energy and
love of labour had completely gone ; even the capacity for
work seemed absent. Marked melancholy followed, cha-
racterized before long by avoidance of friends and the loss
of a desire '^f life. This occurred with increasing force until
it led to his death, on July 1, 1876, tliiough some toxic
agent, the nature of which was not ascertained.

" Thus early, and thus sadly, terminated a career of un-
usual brilliancy and promise.

" It is probable that much that he has written will be
read with pleasure and instruction by future generations ;
and the memory of his genial disposition, his entertaining
conversation, and earnest sense of professional honour, will
long be cherished by those of his contemporaries who en-
joyed his tViendshij)." — Tranpadions of the Medical
Society of the SUite of Pennsylvania rol. xi, p. 720.

Various tributes were paid to his /nemory by the so-
cieties with which he was connected, and by the scientific
journals to which he had been a contributor. One of those
after narrating some of the circumstances attending his
decease, spoke as follows : —

BIOORAPHICAL SKETCH.

XVU

)n8 ;

'-^
nW

ical

so-
bific
[esc

his

* Thus did our unfortunate associate close his short but
brilliant career. The emotions, the tender sentiments he
Las described with such a magical pen, he felt himself with
an unmatched keenness. They mastered his whole frame
with an intensity su' ^r.^g^ng all romance. His descriptions
of the passions, descriptions which have been the wonder
of thousands, such is their fire and temper, were not rheto-
rical studies, but the ebullition of a soul sensitive to their
lightest breath, and not shunning their wildest tempests.

" The genius which dictated the lines he has left us is
not to be judged by the conventionalities which suit the
cold temperaments of ordinary men ; there is a strong
vein of egotism in most devotion ; but here was one who
felt, ' all is lost when love is lost.' "

This extract well sets forth the extraordinary depth of
his sentiments, and the fervour of his feelings. It may be
added that these mental traits were not generally ascribed
to nim by casual or ordinary associates. He was, in man-
ners and bearing, evidently not one who sought friendships
or displayed to the general gaze the current of his thoughts.
Consequently, of intimates he had but few, and was con-
sidered by those whose intercourse with him was super-
ficial, to be much more of an intellectual than an
emotional type of character.

This impression was doubtless increased by the strongly
practical turn of his mind, which is conspicuous in all his
worka He was the reverse of a dreamer and had little
patience with theorists. In his professional study he al-
ways aimed at bringing into the strongest light the utilita-
rian aspect of medicine, its ameliorating power on
humanity, its real efficacy in preserving or restoring health
and limiting human misery. On this his theory of thera-
peutics was based, and, inspired by the same opinions, he
was one of the most earnest advocates of the day of popu-
larizing medical science in all its branches among the
masses. In this effort he was at times severely criticised by
that class of physicians — and they are by no means extinct

xvm

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCS.

—who think that medicine should be wrapt in mystery, and
that the people should be kept in ignorance of themselves,
and of their own physical frailties, to the utmost possible
extent. With these learned obscurantists Dr. Napheys had
no patience, and naturally found but slight favour. For-
tunately, they were in the decided minority, and, we are
happy to add, even that minority is daily decreasing.

Of the various learned societies to which he was at-
tached may be mentioned the Philadelphia County
Medical Society, the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia,
and the Gynecological Society of Boston. His election as
corresponding member to the latter body (which is ar
association of scientific men who make an especial stud^
of the hygiene and diseases of women) took place shortly
after the first publication of the Physical Lifi of Woman,
and was meant as a direct tiibute of respect to him as the
author of that work, thus obtaining for it the testimony
of the highest body in that specialty then existing in our
land.

The general plan on which Dr. Napheys prepared his
sanitary writings was one eminently calculated to reconcile
those who were most opposed to instructing the general
public in such branches. While he confidently believed
that vastly more harm than good is done by a prudish con-
cealment of the physiology of sex and its relations to health,
he also clearly recogized that such instruction should be
imparted at the proper age and under certain limitations ;
while the general facts common to the species cannot be
taught too generally, or made too familiar. Hence, he
projected three books, one to be placed in the bands of
young women, a second for youths, and a third for a general
household book of reading and a reference on medicine
and hygiene. These three he completed in " The Physical
Life of Woman," " The Transmission of Life," and the
•' Hand-book of Popular Medicine."

This plan, he believed, met all the objections to popular
medical instruction, at least all well-grounded objections,

BIOGRAPniCAL SKETCH.

XIX

[eral

Icine

ucal

the

while at the same tima it did away with any necessity for
concealing truths important to be known, for fear they
should come to the knowledge of those for whom they were
not designed, and on whose minds they might have a dis-
turbing tendency.

There can be no doubt but that both the plan and its
execution were successful. The many letters he received,
filled with thanks from private parties who had gained
inestimable knowledge from these works, made rich com-
pensation for the occasional severe strictures he received
from those wedded to ancient ways, and who often con-
demned without even reading his works.

The intelligent reading public, on whom, after all, the
writer must depend for a verdict on his works, were unani-
mous in his favour. They bought tliem in quantities, and
the writer of his life in the Transactions of the Pennsyl-
vania State Medical Society^ above quoted, who wrote in
1877, estimates that liy that time over a quarter of a
million copies had been printed and sold. Translations
were made into the German, and several editions pirated
and printed in Canada and England. In fact, the works
roay now be considered to rank as classics in the language,
and many years must go by before another such series can
be --yritten, on topics of this nature, with equal delicacy of
touch and accuracy of knowledge.

iular
Ions,

CONTENTS.

Prrfao» .

l^IKODUCTORY

rAO R8

7
17—18

Pabt I.-THE NATURAL HISTORY OP
MANHOOD.

The Physicai, Traits of the Malb
Man's specific function. . ' * *

19—22

36—61

TUBERTY . .

VlRIUTY ....

Signs of established virility-Hy^ene of virilitv-The
decay of vxnl.ty--Cau8e8 that h'^en the loss of ^viriUt;
-Diseases which shorten virility-Effects of occuoa-
tions and exercises-How to retain virility in aR^The
an'i r\'^"u-'u''^*'.*' -ttengthen viriHty-Tl^food
iTte S n ^ ''''\'" virility-Drugs which stimn-
late desire —Drugs which moderate desire-Our na-
tural tendency to premature loss of virility-liektron
of the aexual to the other functions ^^iatwn

Part II. -THE CELIBATE LIFE.

Thb Advantaobs of Celibacy
Proper reasons for celibacy • • . .

Thb Disadvantages of Cbubacy .

The Soutaey Vice
Ita consequences— Its prevention -Its cure. '

. 62—67

. 67-70
. 71—82

xxu

CONTENTS.

SrKKMATOHKn(EA

What briiigit it about— How to i>rovent it — llow to
cure it.

FAaBS

83—91

Seorkt Dihkases . . , 92 — 105

Their cflucts and frequency — Their nature and history
— The course and the conacquencea of secret diseaaos
— *' Syphilophobia " — The sin ot the father visited oa
the children — How soon can a man, once diseased,
marry ? — How to prevent these diseases — Persona]
meanH of prevention.

Thr Sociai. Evil lOG— 124

Prostitution in the United States — Its effects on wo-
man — its consequences to the man — The causes that
maintain it — Is it a necessary evil ? — How can it be
•topped ? — Shall it be regulated by law 1

Paut III.— the married LIFE.

The Preliminaiuks op Makhiaoe .... 125 — 136

The meaning of marriage — I'ljysical fitness and nntit-
uesB for marriage — The choice of a wife — Marrying
cousins — Lt)ng engagements — The male flirt — The
paramount duty of hdelity.

Tjik Consummation of Makkiagb . . . . 137—1(3)
its signification — Ignorance concerning marriage — The
marriage relation — The tests of virginity — Obstacles
to the consummation of marriage — On the part of the
female — On the part of the male ; 1. Lethargy — 2.
Debility — 3. Impotence — 4. Sterility — Special treat-
ment of loss of power.

Husbands and Wives 162-173

The hygiene of the chamber — Of marital relations — The
-What is excess?

dangers of excess-

Thb Husband as a Fatuee ..... 174
The nature of conception — The avoidance and limita-
tion of offspring — Criminal abortion— On the produc-
tion of the Hexes at will.

XiiQ

CONTENTS.

ZXlll

IWHBRITAiroi 190—217

What fathers bequeath children— The physical qualities
we inhent— How to avoid having diseased and de-
formed ohadren— The laws of inheritance and disease
—Hygienic treatment of hereditary diseases— The
mental qualities we inherit— Is our moral nature in-
heritable ?— Does the education of the parents affect
the capacity and morality of the child t— Why nhil-
dren do not more closely resemble parents— Th«^ in-
fluence of race.

Pabt IV. -nervous disorders originating in the

MALE GENERATIVE SYSTEM.

D18BA8B8 OF THB NBRV0C3 System . . 218-238

Their frequency— One of the causes of partial 'paral'ysia ;
01 hip disease; of chronic bronchitis; of epilopsy ;
of wasting ; of nervous prostration ; of disorders of
sight and hearing; of indigestion- The prospects of
cure m nervous affections- The means of cure.

Thb Phtsioal Type of Manhood ....
Mbdioal Vibws on Popular Mbdioal Instruotioh
Thb Relation of thb Skxbs in Early Youth ,
Thb Relation of Sex to Diseasb . , , ,
Thb Moral Relations of tub Sexual Lifb .
Conclusion • • . , ,
J^rasDix

238—240

241—253

254—265

266—277

278—296

29ft— 297

£98—310

- « ^*l

•I
i

•it

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

INTRODUCTORY.

It is tin\e that scifnon, reirnincing a reticence which
lf»rii^ expcriciico lias piovi'il pcniicioiis, should (3X|)laiti and
a|>i)ly to the puhlic ;;ood the hygienic laws which pertain
to tliat instinct wliich, beyond all others, controls the
(K'stinies of men for « f J or for evil ; we mean the
instinct of procivation, i .e taculty of the trdw^Tnission of
life. The ])hysioiogical importance of thin function alone
would justify this. The unborn generations to all time
are in great part moulded by ourselves, and receive from
us, their progenitors, the imprints which ctmsign them to
happiness or misery, health or disease. Add to this con-
sideration the fact that the purest joys of life, those which
centre around tlie family circle, and also the most flagrant
stains on our civilization, those which parade our streets
in shameless attire, and those which poison tlie purity of
vouth with vicious narrative, alike spring from the same
imjiulse; and there is reason enough to convince the
most incredulous that this is no subject to be timorously
shunned. Even yet, the half is hardly told. More vital,
more immediately concerning each man, are the conse-
quences to the individual of the intelligent observation or
the ignorant violation of the laws of tlii!= instinct.

No one whose avocation does not lead him within the
most secrete chambers of the human heart can conceive
one tithe of the anguish which arisfjs from a want of
knowledge on this subject. For with this want of know-
ledge is associated want of power to resist the evil and
to cleav© V) the good.

INTRODUCTORY.

Regarding it in its multiplied and intimate relatione, to
the life of man here and hereafter, we do not hesitate to
Hay that no branch of .sanitary science surj)asses this in im-
portance, and we may also add no branch has been so
umch neglected and sc much misundei'stood.

The matter is of course difficult to ti-eat ; it has rarely
been ventured upon except by those who batten on the
wretchedness of their fellow-men, and therefore we well
know there may be a ])]\;judico against one who under-
takes the task of discussing it with candour. Oidy after
considerable hesitation have wo concluded to encounter
this prejudice, trusting that the manner in which we shall
accomplish our labour, the value of the counsels we have
to communicate, and the solid information we liope to
convey, will not leave any doubt either as to our motives,
or as to the propriety of our course.

We could adduce abundance of t\stiniony from the
writings of those most interested in the amelioration of
the race, and its progress in moral and social tlirections,
to show the necessity long felt of a wi»rk of this nature.
But we believe no person of intelligence can harbour a
doubt upi»n this pi)int, and it only remains t(,. 's to sub-
mit to them the present ti'eurise, and ask lor it an unpre-
judiced exuminatlon.

lationr, to

'sitate to

lis in iui-

been so

IS rarely
1 on the
we well
o uiider-
iily after
ri counter
we si mil
we have
hope to
motives,

rom the
ation of
recti ons,
nature,
irbour a
i to sul)-
a unpre-

PART I.

THE NATURAL IlfSTOCT OF MAMOOD.

THE PHYSICAL TRAITS OF THE MALE.

h.SS:;f;^ Vtz^y^:^^^!^^'^o hap.

3o:::ni.aces with the very b"'^^^^^^^^ l>ut

female created He thorn " savs tf ^ ^ ^^- ^'hr " ^^^'^ ^^d
PHtienfc investi..ator with m^^^^^^^^

; iscover any ot! er calse ofTo' tl Z'l.« ""'"^^"^ *"""'^ ''
the Creator upon the in^'iv uai i; , ^^^ '^^P'"^'^^ fi^^d by
^•oa Tliere is nothin. in el v ' '""^'"^"^^ "^ ^^"cep-
gerni which decides wfetW it I ,]?''''" ^'^ ^'^^ ^^"'^'^n

As it is the earliest so 'ex L: fi ™^'' ^' ^^"^^'«-
all elements in the in.'liv duti jfrV^ ""f P«^^^^ ^^
ft oontrol. and mod.ae. all o £; trl^f 'n""'^ '' ^S^
imat,ane that boys ar.d criHs are «t .n .» Does any one
'tbke ? Error; no matte? howf ^n i "^ ""^ Physically
tion.sare numerous and maHcTdF^ '""^'T'' ^^e distine-
iB true Physicians hlrSuif'r.' ''^M*^^'^' ^^"«
^l hundreds of new-born infant. ?\"'^ '^^^ "^^^^^^r-
the following, curious aXte e ^iL ?/ ^ established

at bntli weigh on an avera "e oneto.fntf '' ^^'^ '^'^'^^'^^
their stature is four-tenthf of fn^; 7 """'^ "'^" ^^'^ales,
i.s a lew beats in the minute ^"1""' ^^"^^"' '""''^ l^^'^^

^^^^'ZF^:::;^:t::t^^, ""'^^^^ ^'« -^- His

tiesh is tinner anTh L bone T.r.S'-1" ''",? ^^^"^ ' ^^^
coMu. more curved so that he cSurl 1'' ^"^'-'^""^ ^^«-
a club better than she can hit V ^ '^^"''^ "^ «^ing

can , his hips are narrow. whilS

THE TRANSMISSION OP LIFE.

H
iii

hers are broad, and thus he can run faster and more grace-
fully ; he grows more rapidly, and he seeks the rude ex-
ercises which she shuns. All these traits presage his des-
tiny to wage the rougher battles of life, and fit him to
meet the buffets of untoward fortune with courage and
endurance.

yome figures may here be found of interest. Tlie
French statistician Quetelet, who has devoted more atten-
tion to this subject than any other writer, gives the aver-
age weight of an adult male at one hundred and thirty-
seven pounds, and the average height at five feet four
inches. In England, the gentleman who has charge of
the University Gymnasium at Oxford reports, that of the
first one hundred young men whose names were on his
book, the average height was a trifle over five feet nine
inches, and the average weight one hundred and thirty-
three pounds.

With these foreign measurements we can compare
those of the students of Harvard University and Amherst
College, New England. Dr. Gould, who examined a large
number of the former, reports their average height at
five feet eight inches, and their weight at one hundred
and thirty-nine pounds. From the statistics of all the
members of Amherst College, from 1861 to 1869, Dr.
Allen found the average weight to be one hundred and
thirty-nine pounds, and the average height about five
feet eight inches. So that Americans appear to be be-
tween the English and French in height, but heavier than
either in proportion to their stature. The aventge height
of American women is but five feet four inches, and their
weight about ten pounds less in proportion.

A strange contradiction meets us here — a problem
which science has not yet solved. It would naturally be
supposed that with this more vigorous frame, and stur-
dier form, the vitality of the male would be greater than
the fomale, his average life lon^i^r, his greatest age great-
er. It is not so. This law ot population holds good in

■^S

MORTALITY OF MALES.

every country of which we have any statistica: About
five per cent, more male than female children are bom,
but at five years of age more girls are alive than boys.
Again, at every period of life, the " expectation of life,"
as insurance agents call it, that is, the average term yet
to live, is greater in women than men. And, finally, of
very old persons, the large majority are women. So true
is this that the last census of France shows that hS
the age of ninety years there were three women to two
men, and at the age of one hundred the number of wo-
men was more than sixteen times the number of men.

1'he characteristics of infancy, such as the delicate skin,
the fragile bones, the rounded outhne, the abundance oi
fatty tissue, are preserved in the female more generally
tht\n the male sex. It is far more accurate to say the
cliiid ia mother to the woman than father to the man.

MANS Sf t-JCIFIC FUNCTION.

All those deop-sejited difference;?, the whole great fact
of sexuality with its infinite bearings on the social, th«
])liysical, and the moral life of man, look to the accom-
])li^hnlellt of one purpose, to the performaiice of one func-
tion. That pur})ose, that function, is the reproduction oj
the specks, the transmission of life. Around this cen-
tral, mysterious power are grouped all other faculties and
aspirations. It is tlio strongest ot all instincts, the most
uncontrollable of all passions, the most imperious of all
demands. Nature everywhere points to it as the most
sacred object of the individual's ])hysical existence. The
b(!tiinist can tell of plants rooted in such exposed and
barren soils that no riouiishment is atiorded for leaves or
fronds ; but the Hower and the seeds mature ; the zoologist
has strange stories to relate ot the males of lower forms
of animal life, who, when they have once completed the
act of reproduf tifjn, straightway witlier and die, as if this
alone was the j)urpose of their creation.

TliE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

The instinct of solf-preservation itself in unnumbererl
instances lias disappeared before the tyrannical demands
of sexual love. Theie is an impulse in organic beiiifrs
which they feel to be of p^reater moment than all else,
weighed against which life itself is a leather in the balnnee,
tlie scope of which is not bounded by tlie confines of the in-
dividual, but stretches into eternity and to the limits of
all things. This im])ulse is the per| etuation of their
kind — once more the transmission of lifk It is some-
thing apart from all else in nature. Contem[)ljiting it
with the inspired eye of genius, Bichat, the proi'oundest
of modern j)hysiologists, speaks of it as a phenomenon
which science must study by itself, unconnected with the
other functions of the individual. Regarding it with the
practical observation of a man of the world, an eminent
New York surgeon writes: "The strongest motive of
human action, the most powerful mains|)iing within us
all, is the sexual desire, with the doniestic relations which
rest upon it, It is stronger in its intluence, controls more
men, causes the commission of more criines and more good
deeds, than any other impulse," How vitally important
is it, therefore, how intimately does it concern the woal
of our nation, to understand its nature and its laws, its
government, its dangers, its regulation ! In what (iii\ c-
tion can we with greater proi^rietv extend the domain cJ
hygiene I

■m

PUBl{RTY.

lOltiUlt

woal

!, Ma

iiec-

am cJ

WHAT IT IS.

At a certain period in the life of the youth he under-
poes a clianoe by which he a<'qnires powers, which qualify
liira to take part in the perpetuation of his kind. This
change is tlie period of pubkimy. It is distinguished by
a number of physical alterations, the most significant of
v\'hich is the secretion of a fecundating fluid.

Yet we must not be understood to say that tliis is a
prompt or sudilen change. On the '•■mtrary, it is slow,
extending over many years, attended by a completion of
growth and a n})ening of all the physical powers. Only
when all these various processes are matured does the
male reach the period of virility, that period which is the
proper time for him to fulfil the duties which nature has
imposed on those features peculiar to his sex. We can-
not too earnestly impress on all the truth of this fact.
Through ignorance of it, or neglect of it, untold misery is
constantly brouglit upon the young, and the race itself
shows the sad results of an infraction of this rule. Let
js therefore define more minutely these two phases of
life.

When the boy passes to the condition of youth he
leaves behind him the characteristics of childhood. The
ikin becomes coai>.er and less delicate, the muscles firmer
and more distinctly marked, the viice loses its childish
treble, the vocal apparatus enlarges and emits a harsher
sound, the bones harden, the " wisdom teeth " appear,
various parts of the body become covered with a soft
down which gradually becomes rougher and thicker, and
those organs peculiar to his sex enlarge.

Not less remarkable are the mental changes. Unwoi»

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

ted desires and sensations, half understood and confusing;,
awake in the mind impulses to which he has been a
stranger, vague longings after he knows not what, sudden
accesses of shamefacedness in circumstances where he had
ever been at ease, a restlessness, and a wilfulness, in-
dicate to the observing eye the revolution which is going
on within. Perilous moment for the boy ! Dangers of
which he has no knowledge, which he could not under-
stand were they explained to him, yet which will imperil
all his future life and all his other faculties, are around
him.

The proper age at which puberty should come varies
from twelve to eighteen years, as it is influenced by many
surrounding conditions. One of the most important of
these is climate. Travellers have frequently observed
that in tropical countries both the sexes arrive at matur-
ity earlier in life than in temperate or cold countries.
This explains the early marriages which are customary in
those localities, and which do not appear to exert the in-
jurious influence on the otispring which is almost con-
stantly observed in temperate climates from premature
union. In Abyssinia and the shores of the Red Sea, which
are the hottest parts of the globe, it is no unusual sight to
see boys of fiftoen and sixteen who are already fathers.
And what is even more singular, this precocity does not ap-
pear to react upon the constitution, but according to the
observations of an English surgeon during tl^e Abyssinian
campaign, the mtusculine functions are retained with ex-
ceptional vigor to very advanced years.

Jn Lapland, Northern Russia, and Siberia, the J'oung
men reach the age of eighteen and nineteen years botbre
their sluggish constitutions undergo the changes incident
to puberty, and even then it is rare that their passions are
violent or long retained.

our own country, the usual and healthy age of
■i-rcy is from lourluen to fifteen years, varying a year
, ;>.• moi'e or less as influenced by circumstances which

WHAT HASTENS PUBERTY.

ni-

asre of

ye shall proceed to mention. One of these is hereditai'y
tendency. This is constantly observed as hastening or re-
lardini,' by a year or two the development of both sexes.
It is to some extent connected with race, as it is found
that negroes are more precocious than whites, and boys
oi" southern parentage than those of northern. This is
readily seen to be traceable to the influence of climate
just referred to.

The temperament is also a controlling influence. Light-
haired, stout, phlegmatic boys are longer in attaining the
age of puberty, than those of nervous and nervo-bilious
teiiij)eraments.

(kcapatlon and habits have also much to do in the
lanttor. As a general rule, the more vigoi-ous, the more
addicted to athletic exerci.se, the more accustomed to out-
door life, and to active pursuits, the slower will be this
change in approaching. This statement may be unex-
pected to many; they may think that vigorous health is
precisely what nature would wish to assist her to com-
plete this profound and mysterious transformation in the
c institution. To all such we have to tell of a law sanc-
tioned by the researches of all physiologists, proven by the
daily . experience of the physician, and which we shall
liave occasion hereafter to refer to frequently, for it con-
tains the solution of many a vexed physical and social
problem. This law teaches that there is a constant and
a direct antagonism between the highest porlection of the
individual and the exercise ot the masculine function; or,
to quote the words of one of the most eminent writers on
physiology, Dr. Carpenter, " The Development of the
Individual and the Reproduction of the Species stand in
an inverse ratio to each other."

The constitution, by which we mean the mass of mor-
bid or healthy tendencies irdierited from parents, con-
sequently has very consideral>le weight in determining
the time at which the change will take place. In accord-
ance with the physiological law just quoted, it is very

H''

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE,

generally found that boys with weak, nervous, debilitated
constitutions are apt to be precocious : and tlioso i^ifted
by their parents with sturdy limba and a powerful frame
remain boys much longer.

THE HYGIENE OF PUBERTY.

Let it be distinctly understood, therefore, that it is alto-
gether advisable, and the only consistent hygienic course,
to defer as long as possible the development of the sex-
ual instinct. It will surely come soon enough, and the
danger only is that it will come too soon.

There are, indeed, instances of precocity, a{)parently
without entailing debility or disea,se, which are not read-
ily explained. Several cases are on record in medical
works, where children at the age of three and four years
manifested a complete development of sexual power.
But apart from the liability to error which rests over
these observations, such exceptional instances must be
classed with what medical writers term idiosyncrasies,
and no inferences for general guidance can be drawn
from them.

Apart from moral reasons which urge the retardation
of the sexual change, there are sanitary arguments of the
weightiest character which tend in the same direction.
Foremost of these is the danger of solitary vice, and of
illicit pleasures, with their so frequent and terrible penal-
ties. The less, indeed, that the boy and the youth think
about, or in any way have their attention directed to the
sexual distinctions, the better. Does it follow from this
that it is the duty of parents and teachers sedulously and
wholly to refain from warning them, or giving instruc-
tions of a private nature ? This important question has
been frequently discussed, and there are now, as there
always have been, men of influence who answer it in the af-
firmative. But it is also worth remarking that without an
exception those medical authors who have given most

IGNORANCE NO BENEFIT.

constant and cnriiest attention to the diseases and disor-
(leis vvliich arise from the prevailing; ignorance in such mat-
tors, are earnest and emphatic in their recommendations
to ethicators and to parents to give sound advice to bo3's,
and to urge upon them the observance of certain precau-
tions, wliich tend to remove premature excitements.

It Ls one of tlie most important duties of those who
have cliargo of youths to see tliat neither by ignorance
nor urged by oppoitunity or intellectual stimulants, they
foiestall nature's own good time. Mostinexcusaltleis the
false modesty which, on the ground of fear lest indecor-
ous thoughts should be awakened, serves as the plea for
wholly neglecting this vital department of sanitary super-
vision. Not untrequently some physical ailment, some
local irritation leads to an afflux of blood to the paits,
which piompts the boy to thoughts and deeds far
moie blameworthy than any to which he could be led by
grave and serious admonition.

We will briefly rehearse what sanitary regulations
should be instituted in schools and in private families to
jirevent unnatural precocity, and to avoid the necessity
of repetition hereafter, we add that these same regulations
alteied more or less to suit circumstances, are of the ut-
most value after puberty is established, to escape un.
necessary sexual excitement, and to aid in the treatment
of diseases which arise, or are associated with irritability
of this function. We shall on a later page refer to them
in these connections.

The most [>otent of all means to this end is muscnlat
(hivelopment Systematic, dailv, regulated exercise, push-
ed to the verge of fatigue, and vaiied so as to keep up
the interest of the pupil, cannot be too much insistea
upon. This alone is worth all other precautions, and is
almost indispensable. Now tliat most large schools have
gymnasiums attached, and eK])eciall\ as light gyninastica
have been so widely introduc<:(l, ami can hv -'Ut in practice
it such small expense, there is no excuse for ne^jlectin^

THE TKANSMISSION OP LIFE.

this precept. Parents will do well to decline sending their
boys to any institution which has no provisions for
physical culture.

Cleanlinem is next to be mentioned. It were an ex-
cellent arrani^ement lor every boy to be induced to take
a sponge-bath, or, what is better, a shower-bath, every
morning, in cool or cold water. They should be told that
a sense of heat or irritation about their parts may aiise
from a want of thorough cleansing. One of the most
distinguished authorities on these subjects, Mr. William
Acton, of London, says : " My own opinion is that a
long prepuce in children is a much more frequent cause
of evil habits than parents or medical men have any id^'a
of. But I have never heard of any steps ever having
been taken by those having the care of youth to indui.-o
boys to adopt proper habits of cleaidiness in this respect.
Probably no nurse, parent, or schoolmaster, would at first
relish the proposal that a boy of twelve should be told
to draw back his foreskin and cleanse the part thoroughly.
In my own experience of children I have found this
practice so beneficial that I never hesitate to recommend
it in anv cases where there is the least sijxn of irritation
from this cause."

" Une of the common causes of premature excitement,
even as early as iu fancy," says Mr. W. F.Teevan, a writer
in a recent number of the Brith^k MedicalJournal {Mny,
1870), "is a tight foreskin. It is the cause of much evil,
and it ought always to be remedied." This can generally
be accomj)lished by giving a boy proper directions, but,
if not, there should be no hesitation in recommending a
surgical operation. The rite of circumcision is in this re-
spect extremely salutary, and some physicians have
recommended its genei-al adoption, no longer on religious
but on hygienic grounds. At any rate the above advice
from so eminent a quarter is deseiving the highest respect,
and may, with proi)er caution, be canied out where the
observant guardian considers it applicable.

THE nvaiENE OF SCUOOLa

iig a

the

AvoiMnnce of irritation from any cause is always
essential. It may arise from ill-fittiiii^ drawera or pants,
or t'loin an unc()mf()rtal)le seat, or from constipation of
the bowels, or from an unhealthy condition of the urine or
bladder, fiom piles, and much more frequently from
worms, especially those familiarly known as seat-worms.
Soft cushions should be dispensed with ; cane-bottomed
chairs and benches are for many reasons preferable.
Certain varieties of skin diseases of a chronic character
are attended by such a degree of heat and itchinoj that
the child is led involuntarily to scratch and rub the af-
fi;cted part. Whenever they attack the inside of the
thighs or lower part of the abdomen, they should receive
j>rompt and ellicient treatment.

The doruntonj regulations should invai-iably be of a
character to jiromote modesty. Never should two or
three boys be allowed to sleep in the same bed, and it
were more piudent to assign each a separate chamlier.
They should be encouraged by precept and example to
avoid needless exposure of the person and indecorous
gestui-es. The beds should be tolerably liard, matresses
of hair or with springs being greatly prefcral»le to those
of feathers, cotton, or sponge. These latter are heating,
and, therefore, ol)jectionable. The bed clotlnng should
be light, thick comfortables being avoided, and the
chambers should be cool and well ventilated. Every
l)oy should be reipiired before retiring to empty the
bladder, as the presence of nnich Huid in that organ acts
as a source of irritation on the surrounding parts. When
a boy wets his bed during sleep, it may be taken as evi-
dence that he either neglects this duty, or else that there
is some local irritation present which requires medical
attention. Sleei^ing on the back should be warned
against, as this is one of the known causes of nocturnal
excitement and emissions.

Fortunately, the prevalence of Jlog(jinfj as a punish-
ment is by no means what it once waa We say

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

fortunately, for throu<^'h ignorance of physiological laws
this method of diwcipline was cr.Icuiated to Htimulate
precisely what it was intended to check. It is well known
that switching across tl o seat is one of the most i)ower-
ful excitants of the reilex nerves of the part, and is re-
sorted to by dep»'n.ved and worn-out debauchees for that
very purpose. Uow unwise, how reprehensible, therefore!,
to employ it on the persons of boys, in whom such a
stiiimlant is most dani^erous. Readers of French litera-
ture may remember an instructive example in the Con-
fenKions of Jean Jaccpies Rousseau, where that dt»praved
smkI eccentric, though gifted man, acknowledges to have
raHier enjoyed than otherwise the floggings ho received
when at school.

Kqually imyiortant as these physical regulations is it
ill it the boy shouM V)e assiduously trained to look with
(lis^nist and abhorrence on whatever is indecent in word
action. Let him be taught a sense of shame, that

iiioiiesty is manly and honourable, and that immodesty is
1 a-<(' and dishonoui-ible. Ivstabli^h in a school a hiirh and
piiie tone of feeling in regard to such matters. It can be
aecomplishtid by a skilful master more easily than one
nnght suppose. Let some of the older and abler pupils
have explained to them its necessity, and the risks and
evils of an opposite course, and they can readily be en-
listed on the side of purity and health.

Nor should it be overh^oked that the mental food pre-
sented to the boy may serve to evoke dangerous medita-
tions. Many passages in the classics, man v of the fables
of mythology, much of the poetry, and tiio prose of
modern and especially French writers, contain insinuations
and erotic pictures, seductive and hazarJou'. to the eager
and impressible mind of boyhood. We have little
respect for the man or woman who " sees obscenity in
pure white marble," or who can discern only vulgarity in
the myths of antiquity, or the warm delineations of the
poets ; but what is meat for the strong man may be
poison to the child.

THE NATURE OP PASSION,

WHAT 13 PASSION ?

All those precautions are (o wliat end? To avoid
eycitiii;^ tho pulsion of sex. It is well to hold this clearly
in view ; and it is also well to understaiid distinctly what
♦'•is jjassion is. Through a want of this understanding, the
most extravau^ant vagaries, the most dreadful asceticism,
and tho wildest deiiauchery, have alike claimed sanction
ftom the holiest of leligions.

Is this passion a tire from heaven, or a suhtle flame
from hell ? Is this "furious task-master," as Cicero calls
it, to be reganled as an ever-|>resent witness to our fallen
iiattir*^ as one of the imperfections inevitably rooted in
our bodies by the disobedience of our hrst parents ? We
eannot to such a degree accuse the benevolence of the
C'reator; we cannot so violate tho analogy of organic
lil'i! ; we caimot so do in justice to our own conscious-
ness.

The noblest and the most unselfish emotions take their
rise in this passion of sex ; the most [)erfect natures are
niuuMed by its sweet influence; the most elevating ties
wliich bind humanity to holy effort are formed by it.
i rue, it is like the genii which obeyed the magic ring in
onental tale; so long as the owner of the jewel did not
violate its law, that long theijenii were his willing; slaves,
and bi'ought him wealth and gii^ry ; but when he became
untrue to himself, then they rose upon him, and hurried
him away defenceless to the gloomy cavern, and the un-
(|U('nchable fiauics. The wise man, therefore, will recognize
in th(3 emotions of youth a power of good, and a divinely
iiii[)li)nted instinct, which will, if properly trained, form
a more synnuetrical and perfected being than could
[)()SHibly be in its absence ; and he will have impressed upon
liim the responsibility wliich devolves on those who have
to control and guide this instijut.

It is not at the period of |>uberty that passion com-
mences. In fact, it is hard to say, how early it may not

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

be present ; and this point we wish to impress the more
emphatically, because parents and teachers, in spite of
their own boj^ish experiences, if they would but recall
them, are too liable to persuade themselves that at the age
of five or ten years no particular precautions are necessary.
But the physician knows that even in infants it is not
very rare to witness excitement of the organs, which must
depend on the action of those nerves which control
paseion. Self-abuse not uncommonly prevails at the ages
we have mentioned, and proves the early development of
the instinct. In su';ii cases it is a purely nervous
phenomenon, not associated with the discharge of the
secretion, which does not yet exist, nor necessarily with
libidinous thoughta. But these, too, come very soon, as
any one must confess who is a close observer of boys ;
and at whatever age the habit exists, it is equally reprehen-
sible.

The danger that threatens is not to be obviated by a
complete repression or an annihilation of this part of our
nature as something evil in itself, but by recognizing it
as a natural, prominent, and even noble faculty, which
does but need intelligent education and direction to be-
come a source of elevated enjoyment and moral improve-
ment.

Should the false modesty, the ignorance, or the neglect
of those who have charge of youth at the critical period
when the instinct first makes itself felt, leave it to wander
astray, it is with the certainty of ensuing mental anguish,
physical injury, and moral debasement. To what a
hideous depth these aberrations of passion may descend
we dare n< *- disclose ; for, as the apostle says, " it is a
shame evjn ,o speak of such things."

Suflicient to say, that eveiy unnatural lust recorded in
the mordant satires of Juvenal, the cynical epigrams of
Martial, or the licentious stories of Petronius, is practised,
not in rare or excei)tional cases, but deliberately and
habitually in the great cities of our country. Did we

EFFECTS OF CASTllATION.

chnoi^e to draw the veil from those aliominable scenes
with which our professional life has broui^ht us into con-
tact, we could tell of the vice which called vengeance from
heaven on Sodom practised notoriously ; we could speak
of restaurants fr(3<|uented by men in women's attire, yield-
ing themselves to indescribable lewdness ; we could point
out liierature so incDnceivabiy devilish as to advocate
and extol this utter depravity. But it is enough for us
to hint at tliese abysses of ini(iuity. We cannot bring
ourselves to do more ; and we can only hope that the
liery cautery of public denunciation will soon destroy
tliis most maliunant of ulcers.

THE MAN UNSEXED.

ed in
ns of
tised,
and
d we

To illustrate what has just been said, we can draw
usefid lessons from the condition of those who, through a
h(!ndish ingenuity or some surgical necessity, have been
deprived of those parts which are the font of passion ; we
mean eunuchs. In ancient times, and to this day in
Oriental nations, these unfortunates are frequently found ;
they are usually slaves who have suffered mutilation at a
tender age, and are employed to superintend the harems
of the wealthy.

When they are operated upon before the age of puberty,
the changes we have mentioned incident to that period
do not take place. The voice retains its childish treble,
the limbs their soft and rounded outlines, the neck
accpiires a feminine fulness, and the beard does not appear.

On account of this retention of the voice, the muiila-
tion was not infrequent in Europe during the middle ages,
and indeed in Italy quite down to the close of the last
century. The so-called castrutos were cmployetl to sing
in the concerts, and especially in the churches, in whose
choii-s women were not allowed. There is a bull on record
of Pope Clement XIV., especially directed against the

wmm^

THB TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

practice, and pronouncing the ban of the Church on those
who encouraged it. This testifies to its wide distribution.

A number of instances are reported where persons had
deliberately, either out of fanaticism or labouring under
some form of mental delusion, destroyed their own virility.
Ecclesiastical historians assert that the di-tinouinhed
father of the church, Origen, was one example of this.
He was led to do so by a too literal application of those
enigmatic words reported in the nineteenth chapter of
Matthew : " There be eunuchs which have made tliem-
selves eunuchs for the kingdom of Heaven's sake."

In most of these instances, and probably in all where
the mutilation has been suffered when young, a decided
effect on the mental and inoral character is observed.
Eunuchs are proverbial for their cruel, crafty, unsym-
pathizing dispositions ; the mental powers are feeble ;and
the physical strength is inferior. They hick both courage
and endurance, and supply their place with cunning and
mercilessness. They prove, indeed, tliat in their want
of that power which connects them with posterity, they
have lost something necessary to the development of the
best parts of their nature. This should teach us that it
is a wise provision which stimulates our duty to the
future by the reward of present pleasure.

By this operation the power of sexual intercourse is
not altogether lost, but there is entire sterility. The
body is much more inclined to become fat, and for this
reason the mutilation is practised on fowls to obtain
" capons," and other animals used as food.

VIRILITY.

SIGNS OF ESTABLISHED VIRILITY

We have intimated that puberty and virility are by no
moans synonymous terms. The former is a season of change
and preparation. The constitution is summoning all its
powers to prepare the individual properly to protect and
provide for liis own wants, and to transmit life to future
generations. When the growth is completed, when the
beard is grown, and the bones hardened, when the vague
and fleeting fancies of youth have been transformed into
a well-defined yearning for home and cliildren and a help-
meet, then the season of virility has commenced. Then,
and not before, is it right for the male to exercise those
functions peculiarly his own ; and then, only when this
is accomplished as a subordinate act, comformed to moral
and social law, and accessory to pure mental emotions.
At the outset of his career let him learn l>y heart and
fre(iuently repeat these words of a celebrated physician,
wlio spoke from a wide study of man in all his relations :
" In proportion as the human being makes the temporary
gratification of the mere sexual appetite his chief object,
and overlooks the happiness arising from spiritual com-
nuinion, which is not only purer but more permanent,
and of which a renewal may be anticipated in another
world — does he degrade himself to a level with the brutes
tliat perish."

lint the distinctive sign of completed manhood is in the
character of the secretion, which now couuuences.

It is not our intention to write upon physiology and
anatomy. This would be foreign to a work which pro-
poses to confine itself to the reahn of hygiene. And we
do not luuk with favour on those books wliich, by tlieir

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

half-disclosures and unsavoury hints, awaken a useless
curiosity whic;h they do not intend to satisfy. But it
seems necessary to speak here with distinctness of one
physiological point, because it is intimately connecteii
with the health of the male, and without some clear com-
prehension of it, much that we shall have to speak of in
the nature of warnings and cautions would be unintelli-
gible. We trust that an honest purpose, and scientific
accuracy will guide us correctly.

The secretion peculiar to the male, known as the seud
or sperm, depends for its life- transmitting power on the
presence of certain minute vibratory bodies, about one-
fortieth of a line in length, called spermatozoa. These are
exceedingly numerous and active when the secretion is
healthy. A single one of them — and there are many
hundreds in a diop — is sufficient to bring about concep-
tion in the female. The}'^ not only have a rapid vibratory
motion, but singular vitality. The secreted tiuid has been
frozen and koptata temperature of zero for four days, yet
when it was thawed these animalcules, as they are suppos-
ed to be, were as active as ever. They are not, however, al-
ways present, and when present may be of variable activ-
ity. In young men, just past puberty.and in aged men, they
are often scarce and languid in motion. Occasionally
they are entiiely absent in otherwise hale men, and this
is one of the causes of sterility in the male. Their pres-
ence or abst nee can only be detected by the microscope.

The organs in which this secretion is elaborated from
the blood are the testicles. Previous to birth, these small
rounded, firm bodies are in the abdomen, and only descend
a short time before the child is born. Tliey are composed
of a vast number of minute tubes united together by con-
nective tissue. The total length of the tubes is estimated
at forty -eight bundled feet, or nearl}-^ one mile ! Neverthe-
less, so small are they, that their full capacity is not more
than six cubic centimetres.

• ^^^H •

PHYSIOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS.

The left testicle, though usually suspended lower than
the right, is somewhat smaller, the ditt'eivnce in weight
being about ten grains. The secretion is most active about
twenty-five years of age, and decreases after this period
as age advances. It is, however, not constant, depending
very much on physical and moral causes. In some men
it is periodical or intermittent, and they are therefore en-
tirely impotent at times, without at all impairing their
vigour at other times.

The testicles are subject to special diseases, which may
seriously imi)air their action. Mumps sometimes changes
from the face to them, causing painful swelling, and fre-
quently a similar attack occurs in venereal disaases. In-
flammation may arise from an injury, and also from violent
and unfjratified sexual excitement. All these affections
may lead to loss of power and sterility, and it does not
answer, therefore, to neglect them. Diseases which are
not connected with the genital organs do not seem to pro-
duce any after-influence on the .secretion in the adult in
middle life ; but in aged persons, on the other hand, this
is a frequent occurrence.

A secretion is formed before puberty, but it is always
without these vibratory bodi»(s. Only after that period
is itformeil healthily and regularly by the proper glands.
This is usually to such an extent that more or less of it
passes from the person once in a while during sleep.
Thousands of young men ignorantly attribute this per-
fectly natural evacuation to some weakness of the func-
tion. They are in error. Within ceitain limits, as we
shall fully explain hereafter this is a natural, healthy, and
necessary eflbrt of the system (piite as nmch so as an
evacuation from the bowels or the bladder. It is to our
present purpose to say that moderate flows of this nature
are a proof of virility, when the secretion thus emitted is
of proper character. Observers ha\'e noted that that pro-
duced soon after puberty is feeble, and generally fi-uit-
less, or if capable of fecundating, the child thus produced
is weakly, and apt to be exposed to disease.

r^.

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

At the period of virility the desires sliould not only
change in })urpose, but they shouKl be less easily excited,
move con)pletcly under the dominion of reason, more
readily subjugated than before. It is a gross atul danger-
ous error to suppose that ai'dent desires are a sign of
vigorous liealth. This is a delusion which should be de-
stroyed. Those men who have the finest physiques, the
most athletic frames, and are in thorough " condition,"
experience least acutely the spur of desire. The ancients
frequently refer to the continence of the athletse, and the
gynmasts of our cities are always temperate in indulgence.
On the other hatd, it is a > ^^rly constant symptom of cer-
tain dangerous disea >b.i !l>u;. ihe passions are usually easily
excited. Tlie tirst stage of pulmonary consumption ig fre-
quently thus charac crizr>d, win'e it is notorious that lep-
rosy, certain obstinate ski.i diisi-ases, and slow poisoning,
esT)ecially that by diseased rye-tlour, morbidly intluenee
the desires to an extent most damaofinsf to the constitu-

tion.

HYCilENE OF VIIlILIXy.

Those who are already in the enjoyment of good health
will need but few instructions to retain their strength at
this period of life. They must, however, bear in mind
the approach of advancing years, and the facility to disease
which ever accompanies declining age. Therefore they
nmst avoid all excesses, restrict the indulgence of desire
within moderate bounas, and if unmaiied, live lives not
oidy coutment but chuste, avoiding not merely vices
which are condenmed both by statute and religion, Imt
also all impure thoughts and conversations. For tue
latter, we shall have occasion to show fully hereafter, are
enervating to the body as well as demoralizing to the
mind. The functions of sex are so intimately allied to
the mental condition that tlie one sympathizes invariably
with the other, and what degrades one, with little short
of absolute certainty impairs the other.

THE PERIOD OF VIRILITY.

fn of

., the
»

Then the man at middle life should be aware that to cn-
Biire either a respected or a happy old age, he must at
least make up his mind to renounce forever the exercise of
his sexual powers, and with this in view, he should, as
years progress, steadily wean himself more and more from
the control of desire, and fix his thou^i^hts on those
philanthropic and unselfish projects which add heauty to
age, and are the crown to gray hairs. What more nause
ous and repulsive object than a libidinou: and worn-out
old man, heating his diseased imagination with dreams
and images which his chilled and impotent body can no
longer carrv into effect ?

But as in the interest of the general health, and also of
mental vigour, it is important virile pow.'rs be retained to
the latest period of which they are capable, as tue whole
body shares in their strength and sym[)athizes in their
debility, it is the duty of all to observe such precepts as
will defer the loss of virility to the most distant days.

In general, in this country, we may assign the period of
virility to commence at twenty-five years of age and to
draw to a close at forty -five, thus extending over a score
of years. During this period the physical and intellectual
activity of most men is at its height. They are capable
of their best, and whether in business or in scholarship,
usually accomplish the most for which they are spoken
of and remembered. The children born to them during
this time are more vigorous, and are endowed with more
active powers, than those begotten either before or after
these limits. From fifteen to twenty-five the organs
yield immature and imperfect secretion, later than forty-
five the passions grow rarer and briefer, and the individual
suffers more acutely from every attempt to increase the
species.

There are, however, some striking examples on r^ord
showing how a good constitution supported by yi^^vr
care, can escape the action of this law for many years.

FW"

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

The Latin historian SaHust, relates of Masini.s.sa, king
of NumiJia, that he married at tlio ai^e of four-score and
five years, and had a vigorous infant born to him aftei
that time.

Still more remarkable is the instance of a Frenchman
named De Longueville, who lived to tlio age of 1 10 years.
He married his last wife wlien in his ninety-ninth year,
and she bore him a son when he was in liis hundred and
first year.

The famous Thomas Parr, of Sliropshire, Enghmd, who
lived to the almost unexampled age of one hundred and
fifty-two years, married liis second wife when about one
hundred and twenty ye.irs of age. She lived with him
twelve years, and although she bore no children, she as-
serted that during that time he never betrayed any signs
of infirmity or age.

But certainly the most astonishing example of j)ro-
longed virility was Ijaravicino de Copellis, a nobleman of
Tyrol, who died, aged 104, in 1770. fie married in his
eighty-fourth year a young and healthy woman, by whom
he had eight cliildren! So that, it is evident that mere
Age does not destioy virility, but that it endures wiih
the other bodily powers.

Thus it becomes a matter of no little interest, since we
see such vigour is possilile, to investigate the means by
which it may be obtaiue<l. With this in view, we shah
proceed to some incpiiries Cijucerning

THE DECAY OF VIRILITY.

The age of forty-five years, wliich w^e have just stated as
the average term at which sexual decadence commences,
is very far from a fixed rule. Perhaps in no one cyclical
change in life do individuals dificr moi-c than in this. In
our great cities, where inherited del'ility is added to a
luxurious and dissipated life, it is no unusual thintj to find
men of forty in wtiom the procreative faculty is about

WORDS TO THE OLD.

pro-
lan of
ill bin
wliom
more
wilh

hhall

Ivtcil aa
liences,
xlieal
IS. lt»
il to a
|to t'mil
about

extinct. While, on the contrary, as we have just seen,
instances are not wanting where men had married and
had children, undoubtedly their own, at the advanced agea
of fourscore, ninety, and even one hundred years.

" It is usually at the age of fifty or sixty," says tlie emi-
nent French physician, Dr. Parise, in his treatise on old
Rge — putting the change of life in thn male at a somewhat
later date than seems to us to hold good in this country —
" that the goiieiative functions become weakened. It is
at this period that a man begins to mark that power de-
crease, an<l is ap! to do so with a feeling almost akin to
indignation. The first step towai'ds feebleness announces
to him, lieyoiid all doubt, that he is not the man he was.
He may husband his strength, and retard the effect up to
a certain point by judicious living, but not avoid it al-
together. The law of decrepitude is hard to bear, but it
is still a law. Tlie activity of the organs diminishes
their functions abate, they languish, and at length cease
entirely. The blood Hows thither in smaller quantities.
The sensibility becon)es blimted, the pai'ts wrinkle and
whither, the power of erection disappears, and the secre-
tion loses its consistence and force."

Generally, and always in the healthy state, step by step
with these physical changes, the passions likewise lose
their force, and change in nature. Love, which in early
youth was im|)etuous and sensual, which in middle life
was powei'ful, but controlled and centered in the family,
shduld at the decline of life be freed from animal pro])on-
sities, assume a purely moral character, and be directed to-
ward the younger generations, the children and grand-
children, or, when these are not, should find its jjroper
sphere of activity in philanthroiuc endeavour, and patriotic
attachment.

Like the ancient |)hilosopher, the old should be able to
recall the memory of departed pleasure without a sigh of
vain regret, and tiiey should adapt themselves with de-
termined mind to the altered condition of their physical

THE TUANhMISSlON OF LIFE.

life. Let them bear in mind tlie reply of Cicero, who,
when asked in old a<^e if he ever iiidiil<f<'d in the pleasures
of love, replied, " Heaven forhid ! I have forsworn it as I
would a sava^^e and fni-ious taskmaster." If this prospect
seems a cheerless one to the fiery youth or the vinurous
adult, let him rememher that desire subsides with power,
and that it is still within his reach by the observance of
wise precautions and a pro[)er rule of life, to extend the
period of virility considerably beyond the limit we have
set to it. How this is to be done we shall presently
reveal.

Whenever old af^e is tormented l)y passions which
either cannot be gratified, orgratiHed ordyat the expense
of health, one of two causes is at work. Either there is
some local irritation from a diseased condition of the blad-
der or adjacent parts of the nervous system, or else it is
a sting which ])revious libidinous excesses either iu
thought or act have left behintl. For,

" The gods are ju»t, and of our pleasant vicea.
Make iustruiuents to Hcuurge UH."

In the latter case the piiest, rather than the physician,
i3 their proper attendant. He will tell them, as Othello
told Desdemona, that they require

"A sequester from li1>erty, f&iting, and prayer.
Much caHtigation, exerciHe devout."

But if, on the other hand — and this is much more fre-
quently the case — these passions are excited by local or
general iiritation, then the physician and the surgeon
must be consulted. Some writers call the period of de-
cadence " the change of life in man," and aver that it is
attended with almost as many diseases and dangers aa
the corresponding epoch in the physical life of woman.

At this period he is most exposed to those maladies
which have their seat in the bladder and connected por-
t ions of the body. Gravel and stone, difficulty in reliev-

WORDS TO TllK VOUNQ.

ing the organ, atfoctionsofthe kidney, and swelling of the
glandviliir stiMictures, make tli<Mr appearance. So, too, it
is about thi.s epoch tluitgout, el.roiiic rlieuniati.sm, plethora
vertigo, Jind ajioj)lexy are most freipient. It may, indeed,
hedoiihtedif the.se various .sigiisof a|tproachii)gdeerepitude
are any more closely conneeted with the change which
takes place in the sexual organs, than are grayness and
baldness, the dimness ot sight, the (piavering and bi'oken
voice and uncertainty of muscular movement, which are
associated wiiii them. Ijut cettain it is that the associa-
tion is a most intimate one, and we are perfectly justified
in saying that virility is the test of the general
physical powers, and that if it is preserved in a healthy
and vigorous condition, these signs of advancing age can
be long postponed.

This IS ihe chief, and there are many other reasons why
a man should .so live, and so order his labours, his nourish-
ment, and his pleasures, as to retain to the furthest
natinal liiuit the exorcise of his specific powers. So in-
timately are these allied to the well-being of the whole
ecomony, that unless he is guarded anJ wise in their man-
agement, he will undermine his general health, and render
vain ail otlier precautions he may take. Therefore it is,
that we deem it emineuily jiroper to lay dowu definite
directions how to retain virility.

i-£ceon

por-
jliev-

CAUSES THAT IIASTEX THE LOSS OF VIRILITY.

lie who would secure a green old age must commence
his cares when young. Not many men can fritter away
a decade or two of years in dissij)ation and excess, and ever
Ii0|»e to make up for their loses by rigid surveillance in
liter years. " The sins of youth are expiated in age," is
a proverb which daily examples illustrate. In proportion
as pubei-ty is precocious, will decadcHice be premature ;
the excesses of middle life di"aw heavily on the fortune of
later years. " The mill of the gods grind slow, but it

mmmm

THE TUANHMISSION OP LIFE.

grinds exceedingly fine," and though nature may be a tardy
cteditor, she is found at hist to be an inexorable one. In
the strange lines of the eccentric Irish poet, Clarence
Mangan, we may say to our young readers : —

"Guard your fire in youth, O Frieiida,
For inauhtiod'H in but iihoM[)hornH,
Aiid BUiiill luck or ^'race attendw,
Gay boaters down the Jiosphonis."

We enjoin, therefore, strict, absolute, unswerving chas-
tity to the young and the celibate; a judicious marriage
at virility, and an avoidance of excess or immoderation
after marriage. As years increasy, the solicitations of
love should bo more and more rarely indulged in ; .and
they should at last bo wholly avoided when they leave a
sensation of prostration, or mental dulness or disturbance.
If at any time during middle life or later, absence, or the
death of a wife, should enforce a temporary suspoiision of
the masculine powers, the greatest caution should be
exorcised on resu tiling their use on retiun or a second
marriage. One of the best authorities, Mr. Acton, of
London, says on this subject, " Experience has taught mo
how vastly ditf(Mont is the situation of the class of mode-
rate men, who, having married early, and regularly in-
dulged their passions at longer and longer intervals,
seldi»m coine inidor the medical man's notice, from that
of widowers of some years' standing, or men who have,
through the demand of public or oth(^r duties, been
separated from their wives during prolonged periods.
When the latter class, after leading lives of chastity, sud-
denly resume sexual intercourse, they are apt to sutler
greatly from generative disorders. Tlie sudden call on
the nervous system after years of rest, gives a shock to
any constitution, and esi)ecially to those who are already
somewhat feeble." These ill consequences result, not from
the meie fact of tho resumption of marital privileges, but
because there is often too great violence done to the con-
stitution by an unrestrained indulgence. In all such in-

EFFECTS OF SKIN DTSKAaES.

Htance«, the pleasures of the marriage bed should be
teuiperato and guarded.

DISEASKS WHICH fiHOUTEN VIRILITY.

Apart from those di -orders, such as acute inflammations,
cancer, and sloughing ulcers, which actually destroy the
organs, there are a number which excite a morbid activity,
preempting to excess or repeated nocturnal (lows, resulting
in prt^mature decadence. In general terms any disease
which uimaturally stimulates the carnal desires has this
elll'ct. Some of them we shall mention.

One of the most frequent is piles. These often produce
a Venning and itching in the vicinity, the blood accunui-
lates in the veins of that region of the boily, and acts as
a mechanical irritant. For the same reason, any skin
•'isease in that locality leads to friction and heat, which
< very apt to evoke lustful thoughts and acts. So
liiar even to the more ignorant classes is this, that
Goethe ma'ces use of it in the first part of Faust in a
conversation between two apprentices : One says : —

" Nach Piiirgdorf koinmt herauf. Gewiss dort findet ihr
Die BchoiiHteu Muikhen und das betstu Bier."

To v/hich his friend replies : —

" Du liberlnstiger Gessel,
Juckt; died zurn diitten Mai das Fellf*

Undoubtedly one reason of the proverljial sensuality of
the lower classes in warm climates is their want of clean-
liness, which leads to various contagious diseases, and also,
to the presence of vermin.

Acidity of the urine, causing a burning sensation as it
passes, gravel or stone in the bladder, and organic changes
in structure are all likewise liable to impel to dangerous
excess.

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

Diseases of portions of the system quite remote may
have similar effects. Several instances are on record
where violent debauches ending in debility and death
have been discovered to have been prompted by a change
in the structure of the brain. Physiologists are well ac-
quainted with the curious fact that if the posterior por-
tion of the brain be injured or diseased, a distressing
excitement of venereal passions is sometimes brought
about, entirely beyond the control of the patient, and
leading him to acts quite contrary to the habits and the
principles of his previous life. This strange sympathy
should lead us to be cautious in pronouncing judgment
on those who after a long course of virtue suddenly give
way to temptation. For the secret of their action may
be, and undoubtedly often is, some unrecognized alfec-
tion of the brain. ( Jceasionally our daily papers seize upon
some scandalous story in wldch a minister of the Gospel
is represented to have forfeited a character maintained
in purity for many years. Uncharitable comments, not
unfrequently aimed at C'lnistianity itself, are often ap-
pended to the narrative. Yet who can tell in how many
instanct-s such falls are owing to an overworked brain
finally giving way, and leading to actions for which the
man cannot be held responsible ? Physicians to the in-
sane well know that precisely those who in their sane
moments are most pure in life and thought, are in accesses
of frenzy, liable to break out in obscene language. Thus
Shakspeare, tliat great master of the human heart, whose
protraitures of insanity are marvellously correct, makes
the chaste Ophelia, when her reason is dethroned, sing
libidinous songs and re|)ent indecent allusions.

Consumption in its lirst stage when it is hardly
suspected, and leprosy, as well as scrofulous affections of
several kinds, and disease of the spinal cord, we have al-
ready mentioned as provoking an unnatural, and, under
the circunistances, peculiarly injurious inclination to in-
dulgence.

OCCUPATION AND HEALTH.

In all instances of this nature, the patient — for such
he really should consider himself" — should have no hesita-
tion in making his case known to an intelligent medical
liiend. He may perhaps, by a few simple and timely
remedies, relieve himself of inopportune emotions, and
insure for himself years of strength, where a contrary
course will hasten him to his grave.

\ardly

|)US of
le al-
mdor
to in-

EFFECTS OF OCCUPATIONS AND EXERCISES.

Very little attention has been paid by previous writers
tt) the effects which the various occupations exert on the
maintenance of virility. The impf)rtance of tliis considera-
tion we have just instanced in reference to brain diseases.
When mental exertion is so a: :luous or so long-continued
as to lead to some variety of insanity, it is not unfrequent-
ly the case that an unnatural sexual excitement ac-
compaiuos it. Many instances which are supposed to
have been induced by solitary vice, in fact have led
to and not been caused by this degrading habit.

Many years si)ice, Profes.sor Laileiiiand, a distinguished
[)hy.sician of Mont})ellier, remarked that persons accustom-
ed to long-continued exercise on horseback, forfeit their
jiowers early, and are apt to be attlicted with a weakness
of the organs, passing sometimes into actual spermator-
rh(ea.

Those avocations which produce a flow of blood to the
lower regions of the body, as by continued walking, or by
sitting in cushioned chairs, are also weakening.

So also are those which expose a person for many hours
daily to an air im]jregnated wiiii the odour of tabacco, or
the evaporation of spirituous liiiuors.

Confining occupations are iuiuiical to profound virility.
A change of climate once every eight or ten years by
[»iissing a winter in a southern laatude, is of great benefit
to the general health as well as the specific power's. It
should be taken whenever possible.

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

HOW TO RETAIN VIRILITY IN AGE.

From wliat has been said, the reader will now he pre-
pared to understand the essential difi'erenco wldch exists
between a nervous function, like that concerned in tlie re-
production of life, and muscular power. This antagonism
in their nature exists : by frequent exercise the muscular
system increases in strength, and decreases in irritability ;
but the nerve force, by repeated calls upon it, increases
in irritability, but decreases in strength. The more fre-
quently sensation is evoked in a nerve, the greater is its
sensitiveness and its debility. This physiological law, first
distinctly enunciated by a celebrated French anatomist,
is constantly overlooked. From it we learn that in order
to preserve in the greatest vigour and most perfect health
any nervous function, our aim should be to excite and
stimulate it as Utile as possible. Nowhere does tliis law
find a more striking illustration than in those functions
which pertain to sex. And the secret, therefore, of pre-
serving their activity to advanced years, resolves itself
into avoiding all stimulants and excitants. By this wo
do not mean either to recommend asceticism, or uniform
continence, but to observe temperance and discretion, to
limit one's self in the use of those articles of food or drink
which by stimulation ultimately debilitate, and to govern
one's life by sound laws of health and morals. It is in
this sense we shall proceed to speak of a sedative, yet
fortifying, nourishment, as

THE FOOD AND DRINKS WHICH STRENGTHEN VIRILITY.

The influence of animal as opposed to vegetable food
upon life and health has often been discussed. All readers
are aware that certain theorists maintain that man as
a species is a herbivorous or a frugivorous animal, and
that he will never attain his natural term of life and ex-
emption from disease until he renounces all flesh-pots

ANIMAL OR VEEGTABLE FOOD.

whatsoever. With this extreme idea we have nothincif in
eomiiKm. But we are nevertheless of the opinion that
altogether too much meat is consumed by the inhabitants
of the United States. In no other country are three
meals of meat a day served up, as is frequently the case
with us. We believe that except under circumstances
where there is arduous muscular exertion, once a day is
often enough to consume much animal food.

From ancient times it has been well known that a wholly
or chiefly vegetaVjle diet favours the subjugation o* the
passions, and hence it was recommended to persons of
violent desires, and enjoined on celibate orders of priest-
hood. Particularly those vegetables which contain a
large percentage of vegetable fibre and of water, as cab-
biige, turnips, beets, melons, and carrots, and those which
contain acids and some soporific principle, as sorrel, sour
fruits, lettuce, chiccory, endive, and other salads, are
reported to have especial virtues in this direction.

A too exclusive use of any such diet would, however, be
apt to bring about physical debilit}^ and for that reason it
Kliould not be recommended. A moderate quantity of
fresh meat should be used daily, and when a choice is
gixen, it should be taken broiled or roasted, as thus
prepared it is more readily digested, and preserves the
whole system in better health.

Fresh fish, shell-fish, such as oysters, and eggs, have a
popular reputation in this respect, which they have ob-
tained simply because they are highly nutritive and
readily digestible. It is indeed possible that the first-
meationed has some peculiar tonic intiuence, owing to a
snuiU portion of phosphorus which it usually contains,
that chemical element having a powerful efi'ect in main-
taining nervous force. Islanders and sea-coast tribes,
8ul)sisting principally on fish, much of it eaten raw,
arc often reported in books of travel to be unusually
salacious.

Those who oppose an animal diet, for a similar reason

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

object to the use of condiments to any great extent
Here they are right. We eat altogether too much highly
seasoned food. Our peppers and curries are too stimulat-
ing for our good, and we would be in the enjoyment of
better health if we were exceedingly sparing in their em-
ployment Like other excitants, taken in quantity, they
confer an ephemeral and deceitful enercry, certain to be
followed sooner or later by a reaction and a corresponding
deficiency of power. In Spanish America, where the use
of red pepper is carried to an astonishing extent, its in-
jurious effects are often witnessed by the physician. In
moderate quantities, however, it cannob be objected to,
but rather approved.

In the matter of beverages, the one to be most recommend-
ed is chocolate. This is, or should be, made from the fruit
of the cacao tiee, and is closely similar to cacao and
broma. A most excellent and nourishing preparation is
that known as racahout, a mixture of cacao and starch,
flavoured with vanilla. Both the cacao and vanilla have
long enjoyed a reputation as fortifying the sexual system.
Tea in limited quantities is not to be condemned, but
coffee except in great moderation, should not be indulged
in, for reasons we shall presently state.

Passing now to '

THE FOOD AND DRINKS WHICH WEAKEN VIRILITY.

We sum up in one sentence all the highly-seasoned arti-
cles, and too exclusively animal diet, which we spoke of
in the last section. The system should neither be en-
feebled by insufficient or innutritious food, nor should it
be stimulated by artificial means. No other excitants
than the natural impulses must be summoned, under
penalty of a premature decadence of force. It is obvious,
therefore, that any kind of aliment, which causes dyspeptic
troubles, or brings on constipation or diarrhoea, or irritates
the stomach or bowel should be avoided.

EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL.

In this category we distinctly include most alcoholic
beverages. Even the ancients recognized the debilitating
effects of intoxicating compounds on the reproductive
functions. " Venus drowned in Bacchus" was one of
their proverbial expressions ; and who is not familiar
with the philosophical (lisrpjisition on drinking and
lechery, which the porter in Macbeth reads to Macduff: — •

" Lechery, sir, drinking provokes and unprovokes ; it
provokes the desire but it takes away the performance ;
it makes him and it mars him ; it sets him on, and it
takes him off; it persuades him, and it disheartens him ; "
etc. [Macbeth, Act II. Scene III.)

When in Rabelais' romance, Panurge applies to the
learned doctor Rondibilis for some means to conquer his
passions, the Hrst resource which the erudite counseller
suggests is wine, par le vin. " Because," he goes on to
explain, " through intemperance in wine the constitution
is chilled, the nervous force is weakened, the male secre-
tion is dissipated, the senses are dulled, the movements
are irregular, all of which interfere with the powers of
reproduction." Though these are perhaps not authorities
acknowledged by the faculty, they are the reports of
slirevvd observers, and are borne out by daily experience.
Drunkards and tipplers suffer early loss of virility, and
this is another aigument — if any other is needed — in
favour of the temperance movement.

To the arguments of Rondibilis — which are just as
SDund now as when Rabelais, himself a famous physirian,
wrote them three hundred years ago — we may add that
modern experiments have proven that distilled spirits
very frequently cause a slight intlamtnation of the stomach
and that malt liquors, being prepared in part from an
infusion of hops, contain a certain proportion of the
principle " lupulin" ccmtained in that phmt, which has a
specitic enervating effect on the masculine functions.

Coffee in moderation has rather a tonic than an ener-
vating effect ; but in excess, it is distinctly proven by

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE,

repeated instances that it quite prostrates the sexual
faculties. Professor Lalleniand relates an instance of a
young man of thirty, who was appointed professor in a
college. In order to qualify himself for his post he studi-
ed with great diligence, supporting his powers on eight or
ton cu])s of coffee daily. After a few weeks he was
seiised with an irritable condition ot the bladder, and not
long afterwards with entire impotencd. Lallemand, to
whom he applied, at once stopped tlie coffee, to which ho
attributed the whole trouble, and under appropriate treat-
ment the patient recovered. Dr. Albert Miiller in a recently
published work mentions that in his own experience he
hiis witnessed several most striking instances of a similar
character, and lays down the following rule as the rcstilt
of his studies on this point : "Through a moderate use
of coffee, virility can be strengthened ; but through a
long and excessive use of it, virility may become diminish-
ed, and indeed wholly destroyed." This we can accept as a
correct statement of the most recent views of physiologists.
Dr. McDoiigall, of London, says that several of his patients
afflicted with spermatorrluiea and generative debility, dis-
covered that tea and cotlee always proved hurtful to
them.

It may surprise some to have us class tobacco among
the foods; but we do it in accordance with the prevailing
opinions of scientific men that it acts as a supplemental
or accessory food, hindering destruction, though not
assisting in reparation.

Its eii'ects on the system have been much mooted ever
since it came into general use in civilized countries, and
tliey are not yet very clearly made out. But we do know
that on the whole and in most eases they are injurious,
leading surely sooner or later to chronic nervous and diges-
tive tlisorders. Physicians who have had the opportunity of
watcliing operatives in tobacco factories, have reported
that the males frequently suffer from sexual debility,
and Lallemand, whom we have already quoted, relates

EFFECT OF DRUGS.

imong

leiital
not

ever

l^s, and
know

liirious,
di<j;es-
lity of

[ported
jbility,

Irelates

examples where serious disorders and loss of functional
vigour were consequent on its too free use. We might
naturally expect this to be the case, for the herb is a
powerful narcotic, and no narcotic can be indulged for a
length of time without depressing the system. The
medical attendants of public schools have observed that
in youth the use of tabacco predis])oses to frequent noc-
turnal emissions, produced doubtless rather by relaxation
than excitement, and there is no question but that the
same effect is apparent, though in a less degree, in the
adult. Sound hygiene, therefore, banishes tobacco from
the pleasures permitted those who would retain theii'
virility, or confines them to an indulgence even short of
moderation. *•

DRUGS WHICH STIMULATE DESIRE.

There are certain substances which act locally on the
membranes and organs associated in the performance of
the masculine function, leading to iriitation of the nerves
of the part, to an unnatural excitement, and consequently
to premature exhaustion. Sometimes these are employed
for some disorder through ignorance, and sometimes they
are sought by those who would give a fictitious appear-
ance of (strength to their animal powers, and seek by
artificial iiritants to restore to the nerves a seiisitiveness
which they no longer possess. This is a most dangerous
and reprehensible habit, and one which from ancient
times has been condemned by physicians and lawgivers.
Yet it is astonishing that even at this day we see love-
powders and philters advertised in the newspapers. In
nine out of ten cases these are wholly inert, and in the
tenth case they are dangerous, certain to lead to some
painful, and ])erchance fatal malady. Instances of rapid
death from their poisonous action are abundant. Phos-
j)liorus and cantharides, of which the}' usually consist, are
both perilous drugs to tamper with, and dispensed by

'fW-

."I

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

ignorant hands are certain to result disastrously. The
death of the Latin poet Lucretius, whi",h has been made
the subject of a masterly poem by Tennyson ; of Lucullus,
the famous Roman epicure, and of many otliers, are cur-
rently attributed to this cause. By the Roman laws the
manufacture and sale of these dangerous medicaments
were prohibited under pain of death, but in spite of
stringent enactments, their use was uninterrupted. In
this country, the majority of dealers, aware of the serious
results which may follow the administration of any active
drug, content themselves with dispensing perfectly inno-
cuous powders. One of these informed us that he sold two
barrels of pulverized caraway seed under the name of
love-powders. This fact illustrates the incredible demand
for such philters even in an enlightened, and, on the
whole, moral nation.

The 'pastilles dii strati and other preparations brought
to us from Paris, that " lupanar of Europe," as it has been
severely and truly called, under whatever high-sounding
and attractive names they maj' be sold, are equally ob-
jectionable. We have before us the trade-receipts for a
number of these preparations, and in every instance
where they are anything more than merely highly
spiced confectionery, they contain ingredients wliich can-
not be used without incurring liability to serious and
perhaps mental diseases. We emphatically warn
against their use, as we do against every unnatural exci-
tant of the genital functions.

The prolonged use of astringents and purgaiives, to
which many persons accustom themselves on account of
some disorder of the stomach, or to remedy some skin
affection, is quite apt to incite local irritation, and induce
weakness of sexual life. These agents, indeed, are placed
by Dr. Albert MUller in the first rank of those capable of
producing debilitating nocturnal losses. Their employ-
ment, therefore, especially in schools, and in nervous
tempei amenta, which quickly respond to impressions.

DANCJEU OF JJCUOT.

Rhoulcl be very limited, or left altogether to the medical
attendant.

In some portions of Europe where rye bread is the
staple food of tlie lower classes, no care is taken to sort
out the grains of "spurred rye," or ergot, a substance
which has a specific effect on the reproductive organs of
both sexes. The consequence of this is seen very plainly
in the population. Dr. Deslandes, in speaking of the
natives of the valley of the Girondo, says : " They present
a striking example how violent passions can be associated
with weakened frames. Their food is scanty and lacking
in nourishing properties, largely composed of rye meal
from which the diseased grains have not been separated ;
their faces ate disfigured, pinched, and pale, and their
leanness almost shocking. They present an appearance
of complete physical degradation, and yet their passions
are precocious, and they yield to them with a real frenzy."
These wretched peoi)le are also cursed with frequent ab-
ortions, the women with womb <lisease, and both sexes
with a variety of mortification of tiie extremities, which
is known from its cause " ergotic gangrene." Tiieir ex-
ample proves how essential it is to health and even to
morals to have what in many districts is a common
article of diet piepared with care, and with a knowledge
of sanitary laws.

The freedom with which in some families fly blisters
and spirits of turpentine are used in domestic medicine is
one of the objections to the habit of attempting to doctor
one's self and otiiers without a sufKciont acquaintance
with drujjs. Both these substanc(>s have asnecihcaction
on the organs of sex and the blailder and kiiJneys. The
tiist mentioned, cantharides, has a popular reputation as
an excitant of the passions, a so-called aphrodisiac. It
is not so in any true sense, as the excitement it causes is
not associated with feelings of pleasure, and moreover, its
use Ls certain to bo followed l)y pain and inllammation, and
there are not a few examples where speedy death in
great agony has supervened.

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFft

DRUGS WHICH MODERATE DESIRE.

Babelais* hero, Panurge, in the passaf:je from the celebrat-
ed romance, insists on Rondibilis su'^ijestinfj some olher
means of controllinf^ his carnal desires than the use (»f
wine. This the oliliging doctor willingly does, rehearsing
a long list of spcifics, such as the (igniis caslun, the " cold
seeds," and " hii)popotamus skin," as of sovereign virtue
in subduing passion. Unlbrtunatcly an experience of a
few generations has not supported in tliis instance the eru-
dite doctor's words. There are, indeed, many cases where it
is highly desirable to have at our command some such
medicaments, which in a sense are aids and allies to the
moral nat;:*-?, if not strengthening good resolutions at
any rate weakening evil iuipulses, which is next best.

We are glad, therefore, tljat when the articles recom-
mended by the older physicians fell into disfavour, modern
observation discovered others with unquestionable powers
in this direction. One or two of the ancient remedi(-'s
have also stoo<l their ground. Among the most prominent
is cmri'phor. This was familar to the practitioners of the
middle ages, and in a famous work on hygiene wriiteu
about the time of the first crusade by the professors of
the school of Salernum, in Italy, and known as the
Regimtn Saiiitatis, The Laws of Health, there occurs the
following line : —

" Cainphora per iiares, castrat odore mares."
'* The smell of cami>h<>r makes eunuchs of men."

The most recent authority on this use of camphor is
Dr. Albert Miiller, -whose work was pultlished in 18G9.
He sums up the evidence by concluding that very small
doses, half a grain to a grain, in most instances diminishes
the sensibility of the oigans of sex, but ordy for a short
time, and not invariably. In some cases, which cannot be
distinguished beforehand, even such small amounts pro-
duce irritability of the bladder, and therefore should not

CAMPHOR AND HOPS.

he usod. On the whole, it is not a safe drug for any but
a physician to administer.

The active principle of hops, called lupulin, and the
pollen of that plant, have a more decided effect than
camphor, and are far safer. Beer-drinkers — that is, if
they drink beer made by the addition of a strong infusion
of hops to the malt, as is the case with good English
bitter beer — soon experience a sluggishness of feeling,
which often passes into indifference.

Saltpetre, or nitrate of potash, enjoys a similar reputa-
tion but acts injuriously on the general health when
taken in quantities, and for this reason should be em-
ployed with hesitation, if at all, and under advice.

There are several other drugs with the same properties,
but as they can only be used with discretion by those
who have made a study of their effects u[)on the economy, it
would neither be advantageous nor prudent to exten<l
the list much further. We shall moreover recur to the
topic when we come to treat the means for controlling
certain diseased conditions of the function, and shall
leave this subject by stating that in our own practice we
have witnessed decided and satisfactory results from the
administration of bromide of potassium. The peculiar
and sometimes alarming effects of this drug on the mental
powers, although they are only temporary, yet act as a
tlrawback to its popularization. It is still a question
whether permanent weakening of the memory may not
be a sequel of its excessive or too long continued use.
Like all substances purely medicinal in nature, we advise
none to experiment with it, but to take it under the ad-
vice of a physician.

OUR NATURAL TENDENCY TO PREMATURE LOSS OF VIRILITY.

We quoted, a few pages back, the words of a French
writer on old age, who placed the commencement of the
period of decadence in man " between fifty and sixty."

■i#i

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

The gifted Flourens, in hi8 work on human longevity,
considers tliat this is far too early, did man only husband
the resources of a naturally good constitution. English
writers also do not speak of viril weakness in healthy
men under fifty.

If it is true, and it would seem from the number of
opinions expressed Ly medical authors whom we have
consulted, that the age of conmiencing di.cay in Europe is
from " fifty to sixty," then in this country wo must, as a
nation, be suffering from some dcguricration in this respect.
For it is certain that of a number of elderly men whom
we have consulted on this point, the majority confessed
to having felt a decided decrease both in desire and
sexual vigour as early as forty-five. We venturf; the pre-
diction that three out of four ol' our elderly readers will
agree that this coincides w ith tlxnr own experience.

Now it is a serious question in national hygiene why
this is so ? The statistics of all our oldest settled States
show that fewer children are born in marriages between
native Americans, than in foreign-born or mixed couples.
It looks as if one solution of this startling fact is to be
found in the diminished activity of the male. We our-
selves have no doubt of it.

The naturalist Buffbn, in the last century, maintained
that a careful comparison of the animals of the Old and
New Worlds had convinced him that those in the latter
are, on the whole, smaller, feebler, and shorter lived than
those in the former. President Jefi'erson took some jiains,
and we believe successfully, in refuting this opinion ; but
there is really little doubt but that American born males
are, as a class, liable to premature decay of the genera
tive functions.

Nor are the causes of this early decrepitude hard to
find. They are, as it were, at the ends of our fingers.
And we feel in duty bound to speak of tliem boldly.

One of the most obvious and most undeniable is the ex-
cessive iLSt oj tobacco. This acts not only on the individual,

USE OF TOBACCO AND ALCOHOL.

lies

lers.

but on his sons. " In no instance," says Dr. Pidduck, a
London sur;^eon of extensive observation, " is the sin of
tlie father more distinctly visiteti on the chilthen than in
tohacco-usin^f. It i)ro(hices in the olfsprinu; an enervated
and unsound constitution, defornuties, and often early
death." Dr. H. J. McUou;ujall says : •' Many inveterate
smokers anmn'j: my j)r()f<'ssional friends havu mentioned
to me the diminution of their venereal desires, ius one of
the eifeets of tol^acco."

Another is tlie nhni^e of alcoholic hevi'rwjet^. Not only
do these, as we have shown, shorttMi virility, but they
tiansmit this same tendency to the male desc(!nd}ints.
Even when no intemperance can be charged, yet tlie
]>eculiarly American habit of taking strong liquors on an
empty stomach is most destructive to nervous force, and
most certain to prevent healthy children.

The hurried meals and consequent dyspejwia, the use
of coliee several times a day, the excessive mental strain in
Aujerican business life, the increased pressure and re-
doubled anxieties which tlie desperate com[)etition of our
great marts invariably brings with it, .md imposes
especially on those who have families to provide for, all
bring about premature old age, and create a tendency to
ea)"ly del^ility of all the nervous functions, and with them
that of r(!production, which is infallibly handed down to
the sons along with the money, houses, and land which a
life of labour may have accumulated

V\'ith these facts staring them in the face, it is for our
native population to decide whether they will forego
somewhat this desperate struggle for wealth and this self-
indulgence, and thereby have to liefjueath their children
tl ,' hichnomoney can purchase, and tlian which no cost-
lier legacy can be left a young man — a sound constitu-
tion.

\ex-
lal.

fW'i

r-'n'Tr

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

KELATION OF THE SEXUAL TO THE OTHER FUNCTIONS.

II' :i!|

In all thai: we have said before, we aimed to keep con-
tantly in view and lo impress upon the reader the intim-
ate association which exists between the specific func-
tions of sex and the rest of the economy.

How close this is in the female sex is now generally
acknowledged, at least by physicians. But even they are
apt to overlook the nearness of the generic power in man
to all his other faculties. There is no one function which,
if disturbed, leads se rapidly and certainly to general ill-
feeling. The mind is sure to brood over it, and depress-
ing melancholy, unfitness for action, and hypochondria
will result.

Dyspeptic and nervous diseases without number,
general debility, and many forms of insanity are more or
less directly developed from some disorder of the repro-
ductive power. Many an obscure complaint, which has
led the sufferer from doctor to doctor, and cost him
quantities of time, trouble, and money, without any bene-
fit, takes its origin in some mismanagement here, of which,
perhaps, in his ignorance or thoughtlessness, he is quite
unconcerned.

Among many physicians, an unnecessary fear prevails
lest they should offend by suggesting such a cause of
disease, or a dread lest they should be thought undulv in-
quisitive, or a doubt fostered by some few promineui; and
prejudiced writers, as to whether bad effects really do
come froui an abuse of the sexual powers.

We can but repeat that every medical man who has
given close study to the subj- ct is perfectly convinced
that there is a vast body of anguish, m' atal and bodily,
from thi? source.

[Adtkors and Works refkred to.— To avoid the miisance of constant
rfferencea, we append here a list of thu princijal autlioiities quoteo. : On
the distinctions of sex, Waldtyt>r, Eierstock and £i, p. 152 j Fonssagrives,
VEducation Vhysiqw dea Jcuiies FMes, Ch»i/. I. (Quetelet's Btatistics)

AnraORS AND W0KK3 REFEKKED TO. flj

Wiener AJedicinische irocAmsrArfft Tan lira ^ *^"^ of sexual passion) ;
Virility : Journal d^lZtZtfhy^ol^^ut'^Yl fp^T S*"^^- ""?
experiments on Bperm) • HufelanH !<^T^' o i • < , V Mantegazza's

Hmtneet Physiolo,jie du Mar/ta^rnD^ 445 ^ J /*'""?*?' ^^V^^'
tlisiiique ; Becquerel Trait/ ,Pnl^Lf^' ■ f' 1 ' l. ^ (formulaire aphro-

Vie,ie Ourganlua, Liv. Ill cfi XXX ^S"p''l^'*'t™/ ^'^^«'*»^ ^^

III

fw^

PART II.

THE CELIBATE LIFE.

With the male rests the choice whether or not he shall
seek to contract a union with the other sex for the purpose
of perpetuating the species. This is a wise, and, indeed,
a necessary provision of nature ; for the man not only is
more rapidly exhausted by the exercise of his peculiar
functions, but on him rests the res})onsibilitiy of providing
for the family he engenders. He should form no such
union lightly, or before he has maturely weighed the
arguments for and a<>aiust it. It is our purpose to assist
him here by inrorming him of the advantages and the
disadvantages of both conditions. And first, of —

THE ADVANTAGES OF CEBIBACY.

Were this world all, and life limited by the existence
of the body, the physiologist could recognize no duty more
imperative than that to the species, and no demand more
important than that to perpetuate its existence. But be-
yond this frail l.ouse of flesh is a life everlasting, and the
preparations to tit ourselves worthily to enjoy it rank
beyond any others. Therefore it is that the Master
whose example io set before us for constant imitation,
while ever referring to marriage as a holy and an honour-
able rite, himself remained unmarried. And the most gifted
of the apostles, when questioned closely on this point by
the Corinthian converts, wrote to them this advice : —

" As to the question which you have asked me in your
letter, this is my answer; It is good for man to remain

WHY NOT TO MARRY.

lOre

.ore

be-

the

,nk

iter

on,

lur-

ted

unmarried. • * * In spenking thus, I do not mean to
command marriage, but only to permit it. For I would
that all men were as I am, * ♦ * To the unmarried I
say tliat it would be good for them to remain in the state
in which I also am." (1 Corinthians, Oonybeare and
Howson's translation.)

It is undeniable from this passage that St. Paul believed
that a more devoted life — though not necessarily a purer
one — could be led by a celibate. There ia no doubt of it.
The calls of family aii'airs, the necessity of providing for
wife and children, the time expended in the family circle,
are all so many distractions which the celibate escapes.
Not ft few of the men who have distinguisheti^ them-
selves in science ami art preferred for this reason to
renounce marriage. Sir Isaac Newton, Kant, the meta-
physician, Alexander von H umholt, the gre«.test of modern
physicists, the statesman Pitt, the sculptor Gibson, the
philologist Jacob Grimm, and many others whose names
are as familiar as thc^e, owe their celebrity in a measure
to the devotion a single life allowed them to apply to
their favourite pursuits.

Hence it is that the Roman Catholic Church exacts
celibacy of her priests, holding that thereby not only do
they learn self-control, but that they can be more free to
give themselves exclusivoly to the welfare of those under
their spiritual charge. Lord Bacon urges the same view,
saying: "Certainly the best works and of the greatest
merit for the public have proceeded i "om unmarried or
childless men."

Such lofty motives as these, however, have little weight
with most men, so we hasten to pnjceed to one that has,
that is — economy. It is cheaper to live unmarried. The
spiritual Michelet in his work on woman queries, or rather
tlatly denies, this. But let him pass for an eccentric
Fienchnian. An American ligures too closely to be per-
suaded that it costs less to keep t\\ o than one. Whether
the economy is not misplaced is an inquiry about wbich
we shall have something ti» say hereafter.

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

Certain it is that this motive of economy is the chief
one for most men- deferring or renouncing marriage. It
is particularly observable in large cities, where competi-
tion in business and expensive establishments go hand in
hand. As celibacy for this cause is rarely continence,
history shows it associated with a low grade of morals.
Marriage had almost disa])peared from ancient Rome
before its fall, and to this fact a modern historical writer
attributes its overthrow, so few native citizens being
left to fight its battles. Paris and New York city both
exhibit in their population a larger proportion of un-
married men than otlier cities in their respective countries,
and also a more depraved state of society.

In ancient Sparta, and in some other states, laws have
been enacted prohibiting celibacy, and several of the
United States increase the taxes on single men after a
certain age. It is |)resumed that if they escape so many
burdens to which their married associates are condemneil,
they should at least pay more to supi)ort the institutions
which protect all.

Love of liberty is often urged as a large item in the
credit account of the celibate condition. A man can
travel ; he can stay at home or go out ; he can smuke
wh^n he pleases and live where he pleases ; he asks no
one's permission., and is obliged to consult no one's con-
venience but his own. If not monarch of all he surveys,
he is at least autocrat in his own house, and lord of his
own chamber. The yoke of matrimony, vhtculum
matrimonii, as the Roman law aptly called it, does not
gall his neck.

All this is true ; but is he any the better, even any the
happier for it ? Does liberty in this plea not mean
licence ? But these are queries he must settle for himself.
We cheerfully grant tliat his points are well taken as
questions of fact. It is an old saying that he 'vho takes a
wife makes a sacritice, and he who begets children gives
hostages to Fortune. For all this, however, nature provides
i^couipenses.

REASONS FOR BACHELORHOOD.

PROPER REASONS FOR CELIBACY.

We believe no morlern civilized state has revived the
ancient law prohibiting bjich(;]orhood. It has been left,
and wisely, to the discrotion of tlie individual himself.
For there are very good reasons ^^■hy some men should
avoid the nuptial tie. As a law, both moral and physical,
tlie first indeed which man ever received, and which his
inner promptings still enforce with singular veliemence,
oe-'cite et mult IplicaiH 'nil, "increase and multiply," is
universally binding. But exceptional cases arise in which
it mny well be relaxed. We have referred to some such
on tlie higlie^t of aU authorities, the words of Scripture.

'J'hen, too, there is sometimes a duty to support parents,
and younger brothers and sisters, which justly excuses a
man froiu contracting any new responsibilities. Some
few men are so constituted that they never experience
any real deep a (lection for the other sex. Such do wisely
to refrain altogether. An instance was the philosopher
Emanuel Kant ; he even went so far as to disUko female
society, and avoided it altogether. The essayist Mon-
taigne, though married, avers that he never felt any wish
to assume those bonds.

A far moro serious question is that which arises in
connection with hereditary diseases, or those constitu-
tional complaints contracted during life, which taint the
blood, and are transmissible to olfspring. These inquiries
we shall defer to a later pago, ]>remising that under some
circumstances, not only do they permit, but mos forcibly
enjoin at least temporary celil)acy.

IMiysical incajiaeity h.is always been allowed to Ijc a
just cause for alistaining, anil, indeed, in all the States of
our Union we believe the divorce laws sanction an im-
mediate divorce when such incapacity is establisheil, iind
is pnjven to have been in existence at the time of mar-
riage.

Disappointed atlection, whether in consequence of the

n»

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFR.

proverbial inconstancy of woman, or by some casualty
of nature, has ever been extolled by persona of sentiment
and poetical minds as a praiseworthy argument for
renouncing all future alliances. Thus the modem poet of
the passions sings in Lockiey Hall : —

** Am I mad that I ■honid cherish that which beam bnt hitter fruit ?
I will pluck it from my bosum thouKh my heart be at its root.
Never, though my mortal •uuiuierH to such length of years shall come,
As the many wintered crow that leads the clan^^ing rookery home."

And, from a different motive, in the sweet ballad of
Edward Gray : —

" Love may come and love may go,

And fly like a bird from tree to tre« |
Bnt I will love no more, no more.

Till Ellen Adair come back to me^
Bitterly wept I over the stone :

Bitterly weeping I turned away ;
There lies the botly of Ellen Adair i

And there the heart of Edward Gray ! **

It is a touching constancy which thus cherishes the
reminiscence of departed attachment, thus maintains the
image of one love inviolate in the heart. The history of
many men of deep sentiment who have never married is
probably this. Washington Irving is said to have ever been
faithful to the memory of a lady to whom he was engaged
when young, and who was suddenly snatched from his
side by death.

The devotion to some high purpose, whether it be con-
nected with the love of neighbour, the love of God, or the
pursuit of science, is the highest reason for renouncing
the pleasures and escaping the annoyances of family life.
Examples of this kind compel our admiration, and usually
the self-inflicted deprivation ennobles the cliaracter, as
cheerful renunciation is ever sure to do. A devoted and
eminent clergyman, remarkable for the geniality of his
disposition, once replied to a friend of ours, who bantered
him on his celibacy, that he was already married, that

ON CHASTE CELIBACY.

his bride was the Church. He who can thus feel all his
yearnings satisfied by the duties of his eallinij^ does well to
abide content therewith. But let no one entertain for a
moment the inexcusable doctrine that there is any other
code of morals for genius, or for unusual ability, than
that laid down in tlie Bible. There have not been
wanting specious writers, who, on this plea, justify, or at
least palliate, the immoralities of such men as Goethe,
Byron, and F lusseau. When celibacy means anything
but chastity, no matter in whom, or what the reason, it is
assumed then it is a violation of physical and moral law,
than which not one is more blameworthy or fraught with
heavier penalties.

■II

!»i

DISADVANTAQES OF CELIBACY

Let us at this point draw a distinction, and a wide one.
Under the tci-m celibates we include all males past the
age of puberty who are not married ; but it by no means
follows that this celibacy means continence, and still less
chastity. The man is continent who commits neither
fornication, nor adultery, nor secret vice ; but for all that,
his mind may be " foul as hell within," and he may
nourish his fancy on vile imaginings. Such a one is
not chaste. Only he, pure in thought and in life, who
withstands and overcomes the promptings of his carnal
nature, deserves this noble epithet ; he it is who dwells
in the condition of chaste celibacy ; and we say it at
once, physically speaking, he alone escapes the disadvan-
tages of celibacy, and he escapes them completely. We em-
phatically condemn, as a most pernicious doctrine, one
calculated to work untold evil, and to foster the worst
forms of vice, the theory that any injury whatever rises
from a chaste celihacy. The organs are not weakened,
nor their power lo.st, nor is there a tendency to sperma-
torrhoea, nor to congestions, nor to any one of those ilia
which certain vicious writers, and certain superficial and

i
1

fffl

09 TEE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

careless phyaicians have attributed to this state. No
condition of life is more thoroughly consistent with
perfect mental and physical vigour than absolute chastity,
'r'hose only suffer any ill results from celibacy who are
impure in thought or act, and for them, it is true, nature
has devised bitter tortures, and iiillicts them with pitiless
severity.

Looking first at general results, ^e put the question :
Who live longer, the married or the celibate ? The
answer is the same, seek it in the statistics of whnt
country you will. In France, in England, in Scotland, in
the United States, there are, in proportion to their respec-
tive numi>er, more ihsLii twice as many married men st 11
living at the age of seventy, as single (more exactly 2G.9
married to 11.7 unmarried, Bec([uerel). This is alarming
odds against the bachelors. Well might the registrar
of Scotland say that it almost means, " Marry or die."

To what are we to atti jute this difference ?

The causes are not hard to assign. The nuirried man
leads a more regular life, his indulgences are more tern })b-
rate, rarely excessive, his meals are better served, his
wife nur.'^es him when he is ill, and surrounds him with a
thousand tender solicitudes and precautions when he is
well. His mind is employed on his avocation, or on
pleasant thoughts and cares for his home circle. He has
no unsatislied yearnings, and he is not allowed vacant
hours to sit in moody brooding over his iuture or his
present ills. The sight and conversation of his children
renew his own youth, and the relaxation he finds in
joining their joyous sports instills into his frame some-
thing of the spirit and vigour of the boy.

How difierent the life of the celibate 1 Engrossed in
elaborate and selfish cares for his health, he destroys the
precautions of months by the excess of anight. Given to
secret sins, he is exposed to destructive diseases : or else,
not satisfying his propensities legitimately, nor yet con-
trolling til em, he plunges into reckless dissipation and

DANGER OF rMPURriY.

licence. Which class furnishes the most insane ? The
celibates. In which is death from delirium tremens
more frequent ? In the celibates. Who more frequently
are suicides ? Again the celibates. These are all statistical
truths, and they tell their own story.

Looking at these parallel streams in which flow the
lives of men, we may ajjply to them the words of Alfred
de Musset'a pretty poem : —

•* n est deux routes dans la vie t
L'uiie paisible et fleurie,
' QuideHceml Ha pente cb^rie

Suns 86 plaiiidie et .sauu aoupirer.
L'autre, coimue un torreut nana di^oia,
Daus une tSternelle fatijrue,
Sous les pieds de Tenfiiiit prodigue,
Boule la pieire d'lxiun."

Whenever through an excitable temperament, a lack
of self-government, or long habit, a man feels it impossible
for hiui to live a virtuous life, he exposes himself, if he
still shuns marriage, to serious mental and physical dis-
ease. Worse than this, he doubly condemns himself in
the eyes of the moralist, for he drags others from the
path of virtue to share and to minister to his own de-
basement. " The annals of eternity alone," forcibly
remarks the Rev. John Todd, in his Hints Addressed to
the Young Men of the United States, " can tell the amount
of the guilt of the sin of impurity." And, as a physician,
we may add those annals alone can reveal the destrueiion
of health and life, the misuse of talents, and the wide-
spread physical evils which follow in the same train. We
shall proceed to show in detail what these are; but we
cannot too often repeat that they are not the consequences
of celibacy in itself, but of unchaste celibac3^ Tlie puro
in heart, like Bunyan's pilgrim, passes these roaiing
lions and these ravenous fires unscathed, and the volup-
tuary alone falls their victim.

It will be seen that these disadvantages attend chiefly
upon those bachelors who lead immoral lives. We need

" i:

ITT

■niE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

not conceal from ourselves tliat the vast majority of them
do so. We are perfectly cognizant of the fact that the
vices of single men support tlie most fragrant evils of
modern society. Hejicu the sociologist finds very strong
reasons to urge the policy of all men marrying, and also
of marrying as soon as thoy attain the age of virility
Regarding the question as a national one, it were to be
hoped that such a regulation could be put in practice.

[Authors and WonKs kkkkhret) to on Cblibact.— Ed. Keich, Gesrhirhte
ties rhelichen Lrheiig, \>\t. f)<J9, 510; ('af<per, Med. StatiKlik, IM. II.; Bec-
qiierel, TraiU d'lfwiiine prhie, p. 572 ; W. Acton, On the Jie/rroductive
Organs, p. 7'A, et al,; li'jujrtA of the Hajixtrdr- General ; JSev. Julm Tudu,
Hinta to the Youny Mta oj the United Stalet.]

ho
of

Iso

rhte
iec-

xiu,

THE SOLITARY VICE.

We have just spoken of the peculiar dangers to whir'h
the unmarried condition is exposed. Our purimso now is
to take these up in detail, and suggest what we can to-
ward their prevention and cure

The first we shall speak of is one which is much raon;
frequent before the age of virility, and even before
])uberty than later in life ; we mean self -abuse. It is the
tlanger to which, of the various abuses of the masculine
function, boys are peculiarly liable. But it is not confined
to them. We had a patient at one time under our charge
in a public institution, who, although sixty years of aoje,
was a slave to this detestable practice ; and instances of
men over thirty who carry it on in spite of warning, are
not very rare.

There is hardly any part of our subject which is more
difficult to treat than this, and yet there is none which
demands more urgently plain speaking, and emphatic
language. There have been, unfortunately, many wretch-
ed books put forth upon this topic filled with overdrawn
pictures of its result, and written merely for the purpose
of drawing the unwary into the nets of unscrupulous
charlatanii. There is also a wide diversity of opinion
among skilful physicians themselves as to its consequences.
Some treat the whole matter lightly, saying that a large
proportion of boys and young men abuse themselves thus
without serious or lasting injury, and hold, therefore, that
any special warning is uncalled for. On the other hand,
the large majority of practitioners are convinced that not
only occasionally, but frequently, the results are disas-
trous in the extreme. " I could speak," says that excel-
lent authority, Mr. Acton, " of the many wrecks of high
intellectual attainments,, and the foul blot which has

; ;*1

Ix 3

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

been made on the vir<:jin pac^e of youth, of sliocks from
which the youth's systoiu will never, in my opinion, be
able to rally, of maUulics enj^i'iidered which no after
course of trcatiuont can altogetiier cure, as the conse-
quences of this habit."

" I would not exaggerate this matter," says Dr. Horatio
R. Sturer, of l^oston, " or imply that those who have oc-
casionally gone astray are necessarily ir.curnhly diseased,
or their souls irretrievaMj' lost. iJut 1 do consider that
the ellect upon the constitution is detrimental in tlio ex-
tienie." Elsewhere he says: "Enl't'ehling lo the body,
enfeebling to the n)ind, the incarnation of selfishness,
hardly the person exists who does not know fioni experi-
ence or from observation, its hlighting etlects."

In like manner the late Pro lessor John Ware, of Massa-
chusetts, says in a little work iii(en<led for poj-ular
iristruction : "The deluteiious, the sometimes appalling
conseciuences of this vice ujion the healtli, tlie constitution,
the mind itself, are some of the conunon matters of
medical observation. 1'he victims of it should know
what these conse(picnces are ; for to be acquainted with
the tremendous evils it entails niiiy assist tin ni in tlie
work of resistan(.'e." " Nothing is more certain," writes
Dr. Maudsley, "than that eontinui-d self-abuse will pro-
duce an enervation of nervous eh'incnt, which, if the
exhausting vice be coniinued, passes into degeneration
and actual destruction thereof."

" 1 myself," says the Kev. John Todd in his Student's
Manual, "have seen many young nun drop into prema-
ture graves from this cunse alone." The veneralile Dr.
liufelund, in his Art of I^rolo)i[iivg Life, says: " 1 con-
sider this one of the most certain means which shorten
and deiange life," aad his words are (quoted with aj^proval
by Professor Lallemand, of 1' ranee, and Era.smus Wilson,
of Enorland. And we mi^;ht continue the list of our
quotations almost indetinitely, and ail of them would be
found to speak in the same train.

A SAD bUBJECT.

1 be

These are the recent and wrll-consi'deied views of the
aVdest men in the |iroUs,-ion of intMliciue. Tlicy are Ixniie
out by a number of facts in our personal knowleduo.
And sanctioned and fortitied in this manner, we believe it
a duty to speak with no unceitairj sound, and wo
beheve that our intentions cannot be miscouistrued in so
iloing.

That there are pliysiciniis vvho treat h*,ditly this censur-
able indidgenee is notliinj^ Kuv}»rising. We could reatlily
(luoto equally hi^h authority who see no great dangers iu
the use of alcoluil, of opium, and of illicit amours. Theie
are many, say tiioy, who yield to all these temptations,
and yet do not obviously sutler, and ultimately reform.
Is the counsellor wise who thert lore pooh-poohs their
l)erils ? Certainly n(jt ; and for our part, we shall not,
cani.ot, folic AV their example.

ITS CONSEQUENCES.

And yet it is no part of our purpose to give in this
])lace the long lists of symptoms, nor to describe the
clianges in face, expression, and form wliich such self- ex-
citation brings about. We have observed that studying and
gloating over the appalling catalogue has led in many in-
stances to profound melancholy, and very rarely to re-
form ; and it has also led to suspicion of innocent persons.
The special syn>ptums are for the medical man to under-
stand, and would only mislead the un[ professional reatler.
Suflicient to say that the earliest consequences are a
langour, a disinclinati(j)i to physical and mental exertion,
which are soon followed by an actual incapacity for such
exertion — physical debility united with mental weakness.
Epileptic and apoplectic attacks may also occur.

An otlensive and cbaiactcristic seliishness develops in
the character ; the thoughts and aspiiations seem incap-
able of noble iliglits and philanthropic instincts. The
iujaginatiun runs riot in images of debauchery, and tho

fill

THE TllANSMISSION OF LIFE.

conversation and reading choose by preference ij^oble
and vulgar channels. The whole moral nature is debased
to a more than l>ruial dt'gradation. Woman has no real
charms for the miserable beinj' who no ioniser controls
his', passions. In the stern woids of the Rev. John Todd :
" In this life a heavier curse can hardly hang upon a
young man than that of possessing a polluted imagina-
tion. The leprosy fills the whole soul. Time only
increases it, and even the power of the gospel am. seldom
do more than restrain without subduing it."

But the most feaiful eli'ects are not upon the body but
the mind. We are no alarmists. W^e do not wish to con-
jure up unfounded terrors. Bat our duty wouM not be
done, and we would violate our conscience and our pro-
fessional knowledge, did we attempt to veil or to ])alliate
th'^ hideous 1" atures of this v'ce. We distinctly warn
that it leads to insmiit'/, not rarely, hni frequently.

There is no higher authority on mental diseases than
Dr. Ileniy Maudsley cf England; and these are his
words: " The habit of self-abuse notably gives rise to a
peculiar and disagreeable form of insanity, characterized
by intense self-feeling ami conceit, eytren)e perversion of
feeling, and corresponding derangement of thou^^ht in the
earlier stages; and later by failure of intelligence, noc-
turnal liallucinations, and suicidal and homicidal propen-
sities." So pvomitKJut and im[)ortant does this learned
alienist esteem this variety of insanity that he has dt;-
voted a long article to its descrii)tion in the Journal of
Meiifdl ^Science (July, ]8(1S). Not only is it insidious
and frequent; it is incurable, or nearly so. "Once the
habit is formed," lie says, " and the mind has positively
suffered fi'om it, there would be almost as much hope of
the Ethiopian changing his skin or the leopard his spots,
as of the victim abandoning the vice. The sooner ho
sinks t.) Iiis dcgi'aded rest, the better ibr himself and the
better tor the world, which is well rid of him,"

CI
I!-

Of
( >VIS

[he

olv

A CAUSE OF INtJANiTY.

We have taken the pains to examine with care the
latest reports of a lar<fe number of insane asyhuns in the
United States, to ascertain precisely how many of their
inmates have been driven thereby this vice. The average
we have found to be nearly nine 'per cent, of all tlie males
in whom the causes were avssif^ned ; and in one prominent
institution in Ohio, fourteen per cent.

With these fearful figures before us, with these ominoua
words of distinguished physicians, with the full know-
ledge that it is iJirowjh ignorance that this vice is com-
menced and spread, who dares to say that teachers and
parents should hold their peace, and sutler the youth of
this land to rush unwarned into the jaws of death ?

Wo may he met by the objection that it is quite un-
common. Fathera love to lay the flattering unction to
their souls that their boy is above such a mean habit ;
|)rincip.ils express their pride that their pu[)ils at least
are free fr<ini this contamination.

Is it connnon in the public and private schools of tho
United States ? This inquiry has occupied our serious
attention, and as the surest plan of obtaining a correct
repl}', wo have asked the opinion of vaii-ius ]>hysicians
who have had the professional care of schools. Their
general sentiment is that while there are very few insti-
tutions for Iwys in which the vice is tlagrant, or at all
universal, they are fewer in which it is unknown.
Generally a considerable per cent, perhaps one-iil'th or
one -sixth of the whole nunil>cr, are given to it to an ex-
tent which is injui'ing their 1 todies or minds. Tlie
medical attendants say that in most cases they have
reason to believe that judicinusly and early informing the
boys of tlu! <langers of the haljit succeeds in either check-
ing it altogether, or so curbing it that the bad results are
not dire(;tlv obvious.

In estimating its frequency we must remember that
some boys and young men |•e-i.-^t their feeling during their
waking hours, but unconsiously violate themselves dar-

fyr

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

ing their sleep. Such cases are peculiarly difficult to
treat, as the sufferer may be ignorant of his habit, and
often some obscure general prostiation is explicable in
this way.

ITS PllEVENTION.

What we have to say on this subject we address to
jiannts and educators. For on them (levolv(;s tlicserous
. esponsibility of ])reventh)[/ tJie J'ovniat'ion of this luiliit,
which, when once tiimly fastened on its victims, is as tlif-
ficult to break as confirmed intemperance or opium eating.
It is in childiiood, and in early ijoyhood, that in ninety-
nine cases in a hundred it is connnenced.

We say in childhood, for, as we have said, the sexual
passion is not absent even from the immature child. It
commences almost with life itt-elf, and so early must also
the watchfulness of tlie r ,^rent begin. " There are," says
Dr. Alaudsley, " frequent manifestations of the instinct of
propagation in early life, both in animals and childien,
witliout there being any consciousness of the aim or de-
sign of the blind impulse. Whoever avers otherwise
nuist have paid very little attention to the gambols of
young animals, and must be strangely or hypocritically
oblivious to the events of his own early life." It is not at
all unfrequent to find patients who date the connnence-
ment of their vicious imhdgence fiom five, six, and seven
years of age. Dr. Albeit .Muller gives the history of one
who abused himself from his third year to the age of
puberty, when he was destroyed by the fatal consequences
of his action.

But it is more fre(iuent abfut the age of puberty, when
the pa.'!sions become stronger, and local irritations of
various kinds lead the thoughts atid suggest the act. In
childhood, degraded couq)anions and vicious domestics
instruct in bad practices; at puberty the natural passions
often prompt, without the necil of bad exanq^les. Jn both
cases an utter iy nova nee of danger is pve::oat, and this is

jS^Si

EARLY SEX-PAS IONS.

the first point that the parent and teacher must make up
their minds to face.

They must determine, as they expect to answer for the
responsibilities they have assumed, not to blind them-
selves with the idea that their young charges are too
irmocent and too pure for such thoughts ; they must not
deceive themselves in the belief that sound advice here is
eitlier dangerous or needless : they must give such ad-
vice earnestly, solenmly, clearly. " I have noticed^" says
Mr. Acton, "that all patients who liave confessed to me
that they have practised this vice, lamented that they
were not, when children, made aware of its consequences,
and I h.ivt '>een pressed over and over a<^Min to urge on
parents, guardians, schoolmasters, and others interested in
the education of youth, the necessity of giving their
charge some warning, some intimation of their danger.
To ;i;!- •! s and guardians I otter my earnest advice that
they -hidd by hearty sympathy and frank explanation,
aid their charge in maintaining a pure life."

Dr. H. R. Storer remarks to the same etFect : "Children
must be taught purity. There is no doubt that in many
of them an improper tone of thought is established even
before the period of pubei ly. For a boy to reach his teens
without learning from his associates something of these
matters is simply impossible."

We urge, therefore, parents and teachers not to permit
a natural, and under other circumstances ver}' proj>er deli-
cacy, to restrain them from their bounden duty to warn
their cliarges of these dangers. If wisely done, there imo
risk whatever of exciting impure thoughts ; and if there
is any risk, it is infiuitely less than that of leaving
children in ignorance.

In the first part of this work we have given at length
the hygienic precautic^ns necissary to avoid and diminish
sexual precocity. These should .scrupulously be enforced,
and will be found of great value. To none of them do
we attribute greater importance than continued, systema-

1:'

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

tic, gymnastic exercises. Use of the ranscles to the
point of futi^fue eveiy day sliould be an unalterable regu-
lation in schools. Not only is the general hmiltli proniotdl,
and the form [)eifect(;d, but the nervous force's are thus
centred on ])roviding increased nutrition foi-the muscular
structure, and withdrawn from the jiarts essential to pro-
pagation. Next to this is the study of mathematics.
This requires such mental applicati<)n and fixity of
thought, that the passions remain almost Wiiolly at rest.

The regimen should be plain, and the imagination al-
lowed to remain in abeyance. Sensational love stories,
and even such wai'miy coloured pictures as are presented
in the Arabian nights, and the amorous poets had better
be tal.iooed.

The growing custom of allowing very young people of
both sexes to associate at parties, halls, dances, and simi-
lar amusements cannot be approved on the score of health.
It is nearly certain to favour precocity.

Whether the education of tiie two sexes in the same
institution would have the same eil'ect we do not know.
Those who advocate tins system assert that it is extremely
favourable to the maintenance of a sii;ipie and natural
relation between the sexes, and consequently to the re-
pression of the vice we are discussing. The experiment
is being tried on a large scale in our country, so we may
expect detinite knowledge ere long. Certain it is that
one of the peculiarities of the young man who addicts
himself to s(;cret vice is a desire to avoid persons of his
own age of the opposite sex. His self-respect is impaired,
and though others do not know it, he f(;els conscious of
it hims(!lf, a)id shows it in mixed society. It might,
therefore, act as a restraint on his self-degradation to
have him freipiently in the company of femaU^ scholars,
just as association witli puie and refined women is one of
the best safeguai-ds which can be thrown around the
adult young man.

■?!'

f!i

WORDS OF ADVICE.

ITS CURE.

Many a victim with flfifrtrinnr bo<ly and enfeebled will
is ready to cry out : Who shall deliver lae from the
body of this death ? Let them know for their consolation
that very many men, now hale and happy, have met and
conquered tlie temi)tcr ; that so long as the mind itself is
not actually weakened, there is good hope for them ; that
the habit, once stopped short of this point, the system re-
covers from its prostration with surprising rapidity; and
that we come provided with many aids to strengthen
their wavering purpose.

First, and most essential, is the advice that they must
resolutely strive for parity of mind. All exciting litera-
ture, all indecent conversations, all lascivious exhil»itious
must be totally renounced. Next, all .stimulating food and
drink, and especially coffee and alcoholic I leverages, nmst
be dropped. The mind nnd body must both be constantly
and arduously employed, the diet plain and limited, the
sleep never prolonged, the bed hard, the room well
ventilated, the covering light, and the habits as much
broken irito as practicable. Generally the temptation
comes at some particidar hour, or under some especial and
well-known circumstances. At such times extra precau-
tions must be taken to occupy the thoughts with serious
subjects, and to destroy the old associations and oi)portu-
nities. The instructions we have given in the earlier
pages of this book for subduing the passions should be
read and followed scrupulously.

There are also medical means which can be employed
in some cases with good succt^ss, such as the administia-
tion of substances which destroy desire, and local ap-
plications, and even surgical operations which render
the action physically impossible, but these means we do
not propose to I'ntcr into, as they can oidy be properly
applied by the educated physician, and do not form part
of a work on liygieue.

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

As there vany be some individuals, however, who can-
not overcoijie the sliame they liave to reveal tlieir weak-
ness, and otliors who have no one witliin reach whom they
can consult, wesliall insert a lew toinuilas which have the
advantage of elDi-acv, and are not dangerous.

When it is believed that the habit is carried on during
Kleep, a tables])oonful of the i'ollowing portion should be

taken on retiring ; —

BroniiJe of potash,
Kimple syrup,
Water,

one drachm ;
one ounce ;
one ounce.

This is intended to produce sounder sleep, and also to
diminish desire. The same eliects are product ■<] by tiie
extractive principle of hops, which may be taken in the

following form :•

Elixir of lupulin,
Camphor water,

half an nntice;

one ounce and a half.

One tablespoonful may be tak(m at bed-time.

In most cases considerable deMlity is present, and they
will be benefited by taking after each meal a teaspoonful
of the following simple tonic : —

Tincture of chloride of iron,
Siilpliate of quinine,
Syrup of yiiii^er.
Water,

two drachms ^
one nciiple ;
a h;ilf ouuce ;
two uuncen.

The question whether marria'^-^ should be advised as a
cure f(>r masturbation is one vvliioli we are often asked.
V\'e are in most cases ini-lined to reply no. In the ilrst
place, the condition of matrimony is \ijo noble, too holy,
to be debased by recommending it for any such purpose.
Can the wife wooed and won wiih auv such ignoble ob-
j(^et in view ever h >pe to be loved as a woman and a
wile should be loved ? It is a base and ilagraiit outnige
on society for the physician to give such recommendationu

iBBa^^

MARUIAQE NOT RECOMMENDED.

;ii^e

Woiilrl he yield his own daughter to any man who
soii_;iit lier for such a pui-pose? How thou dare he
Counsel it ?

Again, we believe that when the habit is not deejily
rooted, an earnest endeavour, backed by rigid observance
of the rules we have laid down, will enable a youth to
conquer himself and his unnatural desires. But if it is
deeply rooted ? We quote for our reply the words of Dr.
Henry Maudsley, who gives no uncertain counsel: " Cer-
tainly marriage need noi be reeouimended to the confirmed
masturbator in the hope or expectation of curing him of
his vice. He will most likely continue it afterwards, and
tlie circumstances in which he is placed will aggravate
the misery and the mischief of it. For natural inttu'course
he has little power or no desire, and finds no pleasure in
it; the indulgence of a depraved appetite has destroyed
the natural appetite. Besides, if he be not entirely im-
potent, what an outlook for any child begotten of such a
degenerate stock ! Has a being so degraded any right to
cuise a child with the inheritance of such a wretched de-
scent ? Far better that the vice and its coasequences
should die with him."

These are hard words, and we are glad to believe that
they are harder than need be. We have certainly known
some few instances where after abuse for many years
and to an excessive degree, men have married, had
healthy children, and haAe been weaned from their un-
natural appetite.

We wish most clearly to be understood that even after
great excesses of this nature, a young man may recover
perfect health, and that where the habit has been but
moderately fostered, in nearly every case, by simply
ceasing from it, and ceasing thinking about it, he will do
80. Therefore there is no cause for despair or melan-
choly.

It is hardly credible, and yet it is true, that there are
medical men of respectability who;lo not hesitate to adv ise

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

illicit intercourse as a remedy for masturbation. In othe»
words, they destroy two souls and bodies under pretence
of saving one ! No man with Christian principle, or even
with a due respect for the statutes of the commonwealth,
can approve for a moment such a course as this.

Careful regulation of life according to sound hygienic
rules, aided perhaps with appropriate medication which
the physician can suggest, will generally effect good re-
bults.

When everything else fails we have no hesitation in re-
commending surgical treatment. This is of various kinds,
from repeated blistering to that ancient operation which
Latin writers tell us was pratttised upon the singers of the
Roman stage, called infibulation. This is of such a
character as to render the act impossible or nearly so.
Castration, which some have suggested, need never be re-
sorted to. By one means or another we can say that
that there are exceedingly few cases, except the actually
insane, who cannot be broken of their habit, and consider-
ably or wholly relieved of its after effects.

A serious obstacle in the way of such reform is the un-
willingness of sufferers to ask advice for fear of disclosing
their weakness. They are ashamed to tell the truth about
themselves, and, when they do apply to a physician, con-
ceal the real cause of their debility, and deny it when it
is asked. To such we may say that if they cannot have
implicit faith in the honour as well as the skill of a
medical adviser, they had better not consult him, for on
their frankness his success will often depend.

[Adthorb and Wobks refekued to on THI9 SUBJECT : Acton, On the
Reproductive Organs, p. 82 ; Dr. Horatio 11. Storer, Is it I f l)r, John
Ware, Hints to Young Men on the Relations of the Sexes ; Tissot Hur
rOnanistite ; Rev. John Torld, The Student's Manual ; Henry Maudsley,
Pkysiolofip and Pathology of the Afind, and Journal of Mental Science, July,
1808 ; Miiller, Ueber UmoiUkilrliche Samensverluste, pp. 23-;i4 ; Esquirol,
Les Maladies Mentakt ; Eepurta of the Insane Ai^ylum of the U. S. for
1868, 1869, «to.]

SPERMATORRlKEi.

the

^ohn
Sur

uly,

irol,

for

If the functions which cormect us with our species are
a source of pleasure when properly govcriie<l, so tiiey are
also the causes of acutest aj^ony when disordered, or even
when we only imagine they are so. " It is a weakness ot"
our sex," justly remarks a well-known American surgeon,
" to be over-sensitive upon everything which pertains to
the generative function. A man will be more alarmed
by a trilling ailment there, than it told that he Ikis
tubercles in his lungs."

Fully aware of this, and relying on the general ignor-
ance on this subject, tlie most unblushing misrepresenta-
tions have been published by unsci-upulous men for the
sake of extorting money from territicd dupes. Nowhere
do we see the lamentable effects of popular ignorance
more sadly displayed than in the groundless alarms whicii
so many young men sulfur lest they are attlicted with the
disease n<»w very widely known even among unprofes-
sional readers as spermatorrhoia. It is our object to do
away with these fancied terrors, while at the same time
we shall not hesitate to point out where real danger may
be.

The long word itself means an involuntary loss of the
secretion peculiar to the male. It may occur only in sleeji,
or else at stool, or when the passions are n^"ch exciti.'d, or
when the parts are aecidently irritated. An-1 at the out
set we must correct an extremidy prevalent error. We
have often been consulted bv youii'r men who were badlv
frightened because they had once, or twic', or three times
a week, or more raiely, involimtaiy losses duiing their
sleep, usually associated with vivid, passionate dreams.
They feared they were the subject of some terrible dis-
order ; they behevea they were losing their viiility, and

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFK.

were fast becoming molMncholy and dfLilitatt'il. '\'\u'\x
appetites were poor, tlieir rest di.sturbfd, their Uiindn
wandering.

Now all these symptoms wore purely the results of a
distempered fancy. There is no dawjer in such dischargos
when moderate. Tliey are not a sign of weakness but of
strength. Iht-y are natural to every healthy young n)an,
and randy lead to any bad results. They do not consti-
tute tl.o disease spermatorrhfta, and there is no necessity)
fur a moment's anxiety about tiiem.

Spermatonhcea itself is a verij rare disease, although it
is undoubtedly a very seiious one when it does o;cur.
The patient cannot recognizee it f)r himself, and it is
therefore useless and fuolir^h for him to worry his mind
aliout it. If he feels his health running down, and fears
tills may be the cause, let him frankly state his case to
some pliysician in wIkjiu ht; has conlidence, and not worry
his own mind al)Out it. It is no <liso;race, and nothinLrtc
l>e ashamed of, as it arises ne trly as often in [)erfectly
continent as in unchaste men.

The loss of the secretion then take,s place more fi'e-
quently tlian we have mentioned, without ilreams, and on
vei"y ulight provocation. It is associated with all tlie
symptoms of an enervated nervous system, extending to a
loss of meuior}', of mental power, and even of epilejisy
and insanity. The countenance is pale and sallow ; the
features drawn ; the eyes dull ; the 8j)irits depressed. Exer-
cise of the functi<;ns is impracticable, or nearly so. Pro-
found melanchol}', altered sexual feeling — often an aver-
sion to society of eitlier sex — and impotence, may also
present themselves. Uut here, as before, we shall avoid
any long and terrifying r-atalogue of symptoms. When a
man feels one-half ol the disturbances of system that
sj)ermatorrhoea brings, he should, as we have said, have
medical ailvice, and the physician already is acquaint- <i
with the characLei-s ot the disease.

■^tl

NEKDLESS FlllUHTS.

'lO

t'T-

J at

We Haiti a patient cannot decide whether he has thia
complaint. Every one of its syin])tonis may be produced
by other arttctions, and that physical si^ which is so
particularly terrifying to patients, and which when they
see, they conclude at once that all is over with them, the
discharge of a white glairy fluid, is most deceptive and un-
certain. JMany comparatively innocent causes may give
rise to just such discharges. Altered conditions of the kid-
neys and bladder, local intlamruatittns, and specific diseases
may do so. Nothing but a careful examination under the
microscojie can decide whether or not such a discharge is
the seminal secretion. And if it does exhibit those peculiar
appearances — the spermato/oids — wliich distinguish this
fluid, they may arise from accidental and innocent causes
Finally, if it is shown beyond a doubt that it is a clear
case of spei-matorrli(ea, unless there are severe general
symptoms of depression, there is still nothing at which to
be frightened. J\len have lived on for years in perfect
health with daily losses of the kind. Professor Niemeyer,
relates that he knew personally a conductor on a railroad,
who, for at least ten years, lost a considerable quantiy
with every stool, without any observable bad effect on his
general health, lie was married, and his wife had several
healthy children. 'J'he British surgeon, Mr. VV. F. Tee-
van, expresses his opinion that a habitual escape of semen
when straining at stool " occurs to most men during some
period of their lives without producing l)ad results."
This illustrates how grossly those swindlers impose upon
the public, who would make the ignorant believe tlia.t any
loss of the kind is attended with disastrous ellects. Our
advice is, Do not fret about yourself, and keep your
thoughts and actions pure, and you will not sutler,

13ut while we say all this, and say it most emphatically,
our duty would be but half done did we not warn in
ecjually clear language against the evils which lead to
the real di>^ease. Though it is rare, it is, when {)rest'itt,
most doistrucLive to happinesB and to health, and, what is

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23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.V 14580

(716) 872-4503

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■f>

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

more to our purpose, it is always preventable. We shall
speak, thereiore, of

WHAT fiRINQS IT ABOUT ?

UndoiiMcclly in most instances this is self-abuse. It is
Hiiotlier of the bitter penalties which nature has attached
tc) this unnatural crime. What is more, these cases are
the most hopeless, simply because the victims cannot
hit>ak the fatal chains which bind them. The tongues of
men or angels, the solem warnini^ of the gospel itself, are
unuvailing. The only choice that is left is death not very
lemote, or a surgical operation which absolutely prevents
them handling tlib parts. This last resort has succeeded
when everything else has failed. But such is the state
of mind of most victims that they cannot nerve them-
selves to submitting t^^ it,

A second cause is excess in indulgence. This may be
in the marital relation, but far more frequently it occurs
in the unmarried who are m(^re apt to indemnify them-
selves for long self-government by renouncing all restraint
when opportunity otters. Not a few wretched old bache-
lors wreck then»selves in this manner. This class, too, are
particularly exposed to another cause which leads to the
same result — secret diseases. The after-consequences of
these when neglected or ill-treated, often enough produce
a weakening of the part, and a loss of power to retain
the secretion. So, too, the indulgence in impure imagin-
ings, and allowing the passions to become frequently ex-
cited, surely bring about a similar debility with a like
tendency.

All these are causes which imjily a degraded mind and
disgraceful habits. But it must be understood that this
disorder may arise where no blame whatever attaches to
tlie individual The change in the urine which takes place
when the substance termed oxalic acid is secreted in large
quantities renders the fluid imtating, and may lead to
spermatorrhoea. So unquestionably may stone in the

PREVENnVE RULE8.

)0, are

,0 the

es of

0(1 lice

etain

agiu-

ex-

and

this

es to

lace

arge

d to

the

bladder, ulcers and worms in the lower bowel,and sonu» local
inflammations arising from colds. Prolonged diarrhoea,
neglect of cleanliuess, certain skin diseases, the inordinate
use of coffee, alcohol, or tobacco, excessive mental applica-
tion to the neglect of exercise, and a hereditary predis-
[losition, may, or any of them, lead to the same result,
without the individual being the least in fault The
judicious physician always bears this in mind, and we
mention it, so that no unfounded fear, lest he should be
suspected or convicted of debasing practices, may restrain
the young man who fears he is suffering from this much-
dnaded complaint from candidly layhig bare his anxieties
te his medical counsellor.

And if it be these habits which are the source of his
suffering, he should have no hesitation in making a frank
stjitement, for the physician's oflice is as inviolable as the
confessional, and he knows too well that ignorance is at
the source of this habit, to condemn or despise one who
is or has been under its fell sway.

HOW TO PREVENT IT.

The suggestions we have to offer here are rendered al-
most unnecessaiy by what we have said of its causes.
Many of them — all of them, indeed, except the hereditary
predisposition — are within the power of the individual to
avoid, if he only knows enough to begin in time. The in-
structions we have previously given in detail about the
g(!neral hygiene of the passions will apply to those who
are threatened by weakness in consequence of excesses,
either social or solitary. \V hen the water or adjacent ir-
ritations are to blame, these can promptly be remedied by
any intelligent physician : and when the habits of food or
drink are injurious they must be amended.

Even when there is a natural weakness whichleada to
over fre(juent losses, very much can l)e accomplished by
cold bathing, regulai* exercise, an uiLstimulating diet, and

jyv

THE TBANSMI8SI0N OF UFE.

rigid purity. It is safe to say that this is one of those
diseases which never occurs in a person who submits his
life to thorough hygienic regulations ; and it is, therefore,
a disease which we hope soon to see almost unknown to
the young men of our day.

HOW TO CURE IT.

Although this is the physician's business and not the
});itieiit's, and although it is no part of our plan to instruct
or to advise the sick to heal themselves, there are some
remarks we have to make under this head, which, if borne
in mind and observed, will very materially assist the
doctor, and aid those who cannot obtain the services of
one. There is hardly any complaint in which treatment
will be less satisfactory, unless the patient co-operates with
his adviser. He must renounce injurious and irregular
habits, shun evil companions, keep watch and ward over
his emotions, avoid as he would the pest all prurient liter-
ature, and live a chaste life. If he will not or cannot do
this, he is lost.

Hardly less important is it that he should strive by oc-
cupation, innocent recreations, study and refined society
to divert his thoui(hts from his symptoms. Nine-tenths
of the misery which spermaton hcea brings arises directly
or indirectly from mental sources. If it cannot be
thrown off it can be dodged, and no effort or expense
sliould be spared to seek genial and proper diversions.
Nearly all such patients have a poicJuint for reading semi-
medical books, ami take a gloomy satisfaction in perusing
over and over again the long trains of appalling symptoms
wliich some writers have gathered together as indicative
of seminal losses. If such reading strengthened the will
to resist temj)tation, or acte'd as a salutary warning, we
should not say a word against it. But this is cons[»i-
cuously not the case. It only serves to malce them still
more hypochondriacal and unnerved. Let it be altogether
eschewed.

CURATIVE MEANS.

Of the m'ithods of cure, one has acquired an unfortunate
publicity through its ignorant and often injurious employ-
ment — this is by cauterization. Many sutferers have had
their pains greatly and uselessly increased by its injudi-
cious application, many more have submitted to it when
they had no disease at all, and were only hypochondriacal,
and tormented by imaginary evils. It is rarely that it
need be employed, and should never be thought of for a
moment when in the hands of an advertising or itinerant
charlatan.

Our most emphatic warning — and we cannot lay too
much stress upon it — is to shun irregular empirics and
those who advertise themselves as " specialists " in this
department. Most scandalous cases of exortion, mal -prac-
tice, and blackmail come up before tlie police courts of
our city nearly every year, and show most plainly how
these insatiable leeches cajole and frighten their victims
to the last degree, and for all their money furnish no sort
of relief. Let the sufferer appeal to some regular physi-
cian of good repute, and preferably, one whom he person-
ally knows, rather than run any such risks.

When the seminal losses occur during sleep, they c n
{^'t'lierally be checked by taking the following prescript! a
alter each meal, care being had not to allow it to tou »i
the teet'i, which it is apt to injure : —

Muriated tincture of iron.
Water.

twenty drops j
one tablesitounfol.

A cold bath should be taken just before retiring, the
water being poured along the spine from a height, for
three to ten minutes. The bladder sliould be thoroughly
emptied, and a position on the back avoided, as this pos-
ture allows the urine to accumulate and press upon that
portion of the bladder which is most sensitive. It is some-
times necessary, when one cannot break himself from
assuming such a position during sleep, to wear a plate
with a projecting piece, fastoued on the back with a

THE TRANSMISSION OF LTFR.

liMl

U.flKllf I ■ I

strap or belt, or what is oqually good, to tie a towel
around the body with a hard knot in it just over the spine.

Several means have been devised to prevent erections
during sleep, and instrument makers vend for this purpose
*' spermatorrhoeal rings," which have on their inner sur-
face sharp points. Tliese are worn at ni^ht, and the pain
caused by the points wakes the person as soon as the
erection commences.

Such contrivances rarely answer the purpose on account
of their inconvenience, and the difficulty of procuring
them when wanted. A better and cheaper plan has lately
been suggested by Dr. Wood, in the Canada Medical
Journal. He reports having used successfully in two
cases of this kind, one a very desperate and intractable
one, in which all other measures had failod, the following
simple method: " I took a strip of isiiiL^^lass adhesive plas-
ter, two inches long by halt' an iiich wide, moistened it,
and applied it along the back of th • raembc r. It worked
like a charm, and the younji; man lias not been troubled
since, when the plaster is on. Mo is now entirely re-
covered and at work at his tiade,"

This method will also prove of service in those obstiuate
cases where selt-pollution is carried on during sit ep, atid
at no other time. Mr. Acton relates the case of a young
man who could break himself "f this only by tying his
hands to a cord passed around his neck ; and Prof. S. M.
Bemi.ss, of the University of Louisiana, mentions in the
New Orleam Journal of Medicine one of his patients, a
boy of eighteen, who had brought on epilepsy by noctur-
nal masturbation, to prevent which they had tied his hands
and feet nightly to the bed posts.

The French surgeon, M. Doisneau.has recently published
a description of an instrument he uses for this purj:»ose,
which interrupts the circulation to the genitel organs, and
t lus renders erection impossible. lie has used it with
signal 8uce!08s in several cases. It consists of a strap pas-
sing between the thighs, to which are fa.st/eQed two

'^ f' .,:

HINTS FOR TREATMENT,

tightly-stuffed balls, which compress the arteries leading
to the member, and cut off the supply of blood.

Tins bandage is applied over the shirt upon retirinff for
the night, and by means of straps we can obtain a com-
pression sutticient to render an erection very rare, if indeed
It ever takes place the circulation being so interrupted that
the parts remain benumbed, and as though paralyzed by

f Ai" ;iOR8 AND Works Rbfkrkkd to in this Skction • r>r v., tj_

Sp.nauto,rha.a, AM. a.d Surf,. RepoSer, Z^^'lnd jVnT^o'f'pr^
Niemeyer, Uxt Hook of Practical Medicine vol ii.1 ^n^^ j n' ^^^.
Treatise on Spermatorrhota ; Dr MarrT W^£,n / .i "'/".f Practical
.S.mi,iafe,. clmp. iii. v. vi • Dr AiLt S

Naff Ytarly Cowpendium of the. Medical *'(-iwL Un Vxr? . £ ' • l^^^ '
*>«<«« of Snryery ; St. Louh Med<. ifArrhiJ^Ur ^^^^ } 1 ' *i"chHen,
eal Journal :yr. T,e.an, BhZ: ufl^lZU^^'a^ "AiyU?t ^>t
Umia Medical Archives, man, y«*r. ''"*'^'^ MedtuU, 18C9 ; wid Ow A.

H 1

I \

SECRET DISEASES.

THEIR EFFECTS AND FIlE(jUEMCT.

A masked pestilence, a subtle infection ia stealing upon
i!io health of the nation, poisoning its blood and shoiten-
ing its life, spreading from husband to wife, from parent to
offspring, from nurse to infant, working slowly but with
a fatal and an inexorable certainty. This pestilence is
the specific contagion of diseases which arise from impure
intercourse.

Were this its only source, and did it stay its ravages
with the guilty parties, we might say it is a just penalty,
and calls for little sympathy. But this is not so. By
the inscrutable law of God, which decrees that the sins of
tlie father shall be visited on the children, even unto the
third and fourth generation, these diseases work attainder
of blood, become hereditary, and blight the offspring.
They pass from the guilty to the innocent by lawful inter-
course, by vaccination, by circumcision, by nursing, by
utensils, even by a kisa Hundreds of examples are re-
corded in medical literature, where the infection has spread
by just such means. Not a single physician of experience
who has not witnessed wife and children poisoned by the
husband's infidelity.

Here again we fear that we shall be called alarmists,
and severely criticized for exciting unnecessary appre-
hension. We care not. This is no imaginary evil we
combat, nor is it any paltry or insignificant one. We do
but repeat, and with moderated emphasis, what others
have already said. We have before us a work which is
anything but sensational, and which was written by men
who stand second to none in our land for professional and
personal character, It is the Fifth Annual Beport of the

SECRET DISEASES.

Board of State Charities of Massachusetts (1868). The
Board are speaking (p. Ivi.) of *' that hideous disease which
must have come from the most venomous fang of the ser-
pent which bit the heel of mankind/' and they go on to
say:

" Woe to the bodily tabernacle in which it once enters ;
for it is one of those evil spirits which not even prayer
and fasting can cast out. With slow, painless, insidious,
resistless march, it penetrates into the very marrow of the
bones, and poisons the fountain of life beyond purific»\-
tion. All may look fair without and feel fair within, but
the taint is there, and it affects the offspring. The effects
of this disorder in corrupting the human stock, and pre-
disposing offspring to disease, are more deadly than is
usually believed. They are hardly exceeded by the effects
of alcohol. Nature readily, ' forgives unto the sons of
men other sins and blasphemies wherewith soever they
may blaspheme,' but this one, like ' him that blasphemeth
against the Holy Spirit, hath never forgiveness, but is in
danger of eternal damnation, for he hath an unclean
spirit.'"

And this is said, be it remembered, in a public docu-
ment, for general distribution. Can we then be blamed
if we remove without compunction the veil which hides
the hideous features of this malady ? Would we not de-
serve extremest censure in a work of this nature if we
hesitated so to do ?

We would gladly add, to counterbalance what we have
to say on this point, that such maladies are rare. But
who would believe it ? Is it not notorious that there is no
hamlet so remote, no fiontier settlement so isolated, that
it is free of tlie scourge ? In the great cities it is fearfully
prevalent. Including both sexes and all grades of society,
we do not doubt that more tiian tu'eiiti/-Jive jwr cent, of
their whole population is more or less tainted with it, and
the greater number inriocenilij. Nor is it at all confined to
the indigent and the degraded. Its hold is just as firm,

TUB TRANSMIciSION OF UFK.

though concealed and held in chock, in the fashionable
clubs and stately inansiotis of the opulent, as in the alleys
and back slums of the dregs of our population. No nian,
no woman, we care not what his position or his life may
be, is secure from its loathsome totich.

11 ow prcat, therefore, is the error of those who speak
of it as a penalty which is confined to low vice only ?
And how short-sighted the policy which bids us to

" Rkin and film the ulceroan place,
Whilen rank corruptinn, miiiiut; all witliia,
lufecta uiiHoen."

This social problem interests the public. They must
appreciate} the dani^er, thrif imist unite and act, thejf must
lake up arms in soleinM (Niiiicst, ai\il ilt'*ii nuMC to eurb and
limit, and if in any way possiMe, utterly stamp i»ut this
spreading; evil. What infonua*ion seems to ua of use for
tliis purpose, w<; shall {H'oOi'cd to give.

TnirU NATL'RK AND in:-.T()UY.

The conta.;i()U8 diseases which are propagated by the
sexual relations are two in numlnsr, and are technically
known as gonorrlura iind sypliilis. They both commence
by some local manifestation, and may not proceed fur-
ther ; but about as often they rapidly extend to the
whole system, and produce ettects upon it which are as
permanent in character as those by vaccination or other
specific virus.

By far the most insidious and descructive is syphilis.
This is supposed by some writers to have been unknown
in Europe until about the period of the discovery of
America. And not a few historians maintain that it was
conveyed from the natives of the West Indies to the in-
habitants of the Oil Woil I by the sailors of Columbus.
Certainly about tliat time it bi-oke out with unparalk-led
virulence in the camps, courts, and brothels of Spain, Italy,

HISTORY OF SYPHILIS.

lilis.
iwn
of
'as
in-
;>ns.
•led

France, and Enp^land. No country was willinsf to fatlier
it, so the Enj^lish called it the " French disease ; " the
French, " le mal de Naples;" the Italians, "la mallattia
iella Spa;^na."

There is good reason, however, to believe that neither
Columbus, the Indiana, nor any one of those nations was
solely to blame in the matter. Probably it had lurked
unreco^'nized and under comparatively innocent forms
throuji;h all races and ajjes. At the epoch referred to, the
niassin<if ot j^reat armies by Francis I. and Charles V., and
the increased commerce, acting tOLjeiher with some change
in the human constitution itself, led to a violent outbreak
in its most virulent form. Some have imagined that the
ancient leprosy, so often referred to in the Old Testament,
was one of its foruis ; and others, that it was derived from
the glanders in the horse, transplanted into the human
economy. But these theoretical views are of little public
interest, and it is enough to remember that, about the
year 1500, a very malignant type of the disease arose
and spread with fearful rapidity, and that since that
time it has been rightly deemed one of the scourges of
the human race.

The other form of secret disease, gonorrhoea, was well
known to the ancient Romans and to the lawgivers of the
middle ages, and old Kngiish statutes of the fourteenth
century concerning brothels distinctly refer to it as " the
perilous intirmitie of burnynge." It, too, appears to havt
increased in frequency and severity about the same time
as syphilis, and is to-day certainly much more severe than
it was, even in the dissolute commonwealth of imperial
Koine. So far have a riper civilization, a more advanced
medical science, and a purer morality failed to curb these
insidious complaints, that they are now ])robably more
widely distributed than ever before, and little, if at all,
abated in violence. The only point which we have actu-
ally gained — and this certainly is much — is to treat them
with greater success than hitherto.

1 I

:l I

THE TlUNSMlbSION OF LIFE.

THE COUBSE AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF SECRET DISEASES.

We believe that if the public generally, and eaj)ecially
young men, were better aware of the dangers thoy incur
from illicit indulgence, there would be a detenuintMl efiort
at reform both in municiual and personal life. We can-
not think that Sfine, inte^lligent men, to say nothing of
morality, would, for the gratification of an epliLnierjil
desire, risk the well-being of their whole lives and the
health of their ofispiing. It must be ignorance of danger
which blinds them. The fools rush in where the wiae
men fear to tread.

Our intention, therefore, is not to rehearse a harassini;
and disgusting train of symptoms of no value except to
the medical man, but to state in plain terms the gcneial
course and tlie frequent conse(|ueiices of these diseases.

We have already said both commence by local mani-
festations of some kind, which, after a time, are followtd
by a general contamination of the system. This is the
case with both, but in difterent degrees. The after-effetts
of gonorrluwi are much the less st vere, and are contiDfd
wholly to the individual. It does not leave any heredi-
tary taint. But it may bring about life-long sullering.
The passage from the bladder becomes inflamed and con-
tracted ; that organ itself is very a|)t to partake of the
inilammation, and become irritable and sensitive ; sper-
n»atorrli(i!a and impotence with all their miseries may
follow, and the whole eccmomy may partake of the infec-
tion. An eruption on the skin and an obstinate form of
rheumatism, both wholly intractable to ordinary remedies,
ar(i more common than even many physicians imagine.
Not unlVequontly those troublesome chronic rheumatic
complaints which annoy men in middle and advanced
life are the late castigations which Nature is inflicting for
early transi^Mvssions.

Those lesults, thoui;h serious enough, are too personal
to den. and public action. But not so with those which

EFFKirni ^ THE INDIVIDUAL.

lal

flow from syiihilis. They are so wMe reaching that everj
pliilaiiihrnjtiHt must feel it his (hiiy.when once made aware
of them, to urj^nntly insist on some general measures — if
RUt h can \)e devised — which will ahate them, and protect
the innocent thousands on whom they are visited.

We shall first Hj)eak of the eftects of sjrphilis on the
individual. They are dividod into three cla.sse3 ; first the
local attack, which commences as a small ulcer on the
part touched by the virus. Next in order of time are the
Be<!ondary symptoms ; they may sIjow themselves in three
or four weeks, and may lurk unnoticed for that many
months ; the poison attaciks the skin and soft parts oi I o
body, producing rashes, ulcerations, swelling of the glandn,
soj-e throat, disorders of the stomach, livjr, and other in-
ternal or^'ans; the hair lo sens an«l falls out, thr piritd
are depressed, and the brain may be attacked, 'eading t)
imbecility, ep''r;" 7, or insanity. At this stage, shailov
ulcers are apt to form on the tongue and just inside the
lijis. lint discharge from thum is a poison, and can con-
vey the disease, and so can a drop of blood from the in-
fected person. Let one in this condition kiss another, or
drink from a cup, or use a p^pe or a spoon, and pass it to
another, the danger is great that the disease will thus be
transmitted. An instance is recently reported in a French
medical journal, of a glass-blower who was suffering from
such tdcerations. As is usual, in all respects he appeared
in good health, and was received into a manufactory. In
these establishments the workmen are accustomed to pass
the tube through which the glass is blown, rapidly from
mouth to mouth. He had been there only a few weeks
v.hen the physician to the factory was applied to for " sore
nouths," and found, to his horror, that this single disea.sed
A\:\t\ bad infected, in the process of blowing bottles, niru
others. Let such an example be a salutary warning to
neatness and caution, as well as an illustration how often
innocent persons can become the victims of this loath-

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

some complaint. Let it also be an admonition to charity,
and against hasty condemnation of the sufferers.

The third step in the progress of the disease is when
the hones are attacked. They often enlarge, become
painful, and may ultimately ulcei-ate. Especially between
the knee and the ankle, and on the head is this the case.
l>y this time tiie whole body is poisoned, and an eradio-
able taint is infused in the system. The constitution,
though still apparently stiong, is liable to give way at
any moment. There is no longer the same power to re-
pair injuries which there once was. The bones are brittle,
and slow to heal. We knew of a young man of promise
who was in this condition. One day, in merely attempt-
ing to pull his boot, lie nnsipped his thigh-bone, weakened
as it was by the disease. For nearly two years he lay on
his bed, and was only released by dratli. Let any one
who wishes to see a picture of what a human being is
who is brought to this wretched condition by his vices or
his misfortune, yieruse the sketch entitled "A Man about
Town " in Mr. Wai len's remarkable book, " The Diary of
a London Physi«;ian." If after reading that masterly de-
lineation he still feels willing to incur the risk of such a
loathsome fate, then to him other words of warning are
vain and needless.

"SYPniLOl'IlOBIA."

While we do not wish to mitigate by one line the dark
coloui-s of this picture, we still have a word of consolation
which we shall interpolate here. By no means every case
of disease luns on to this dire form ; constitutions differ
exceedingly, and on some the elfects of the poison are
brief and passing. A liidoous phantom haunts soiue men
lest they should have this disease lurking in their system
They watch with terror every swelling and eruj)tion on
themselves and their children. None but the observant
physician can appreciate what horrois prey upon them

lli'

GROIFNDLESS ERRORS.

We know the son of a distinguished professor, a yonri<T
man who lapsed from virt le but once and confiacted a
mild form of the disease, wlio bccanii} a hojH'less lunatic;
from this constant dread. This is what is calle<l " syi)hilo-
phobia," and is by no means infrequent cause of insanity,
suicide and reckless livini'. The charlatan finds in such

a man a ready victim for his extortionate demands. As
a rule tliese suflerers avoiil telling their family physician,
and prefer to consult some distant and unknown adviser.
Hence they ofien fail into the hands of bad men, who
play upon their tears, swindle them out of their money,
do them no good whatever, and when all else fails to satisfy
rapacious <lemands, levy blackmail, under th eat of dis-
closing their condition. This course of r; s ality is so
common that we warn all our rea lers aL;ainst trusting
their health, fortune, and reputations with any man, no
matter wliat his claims, of whom they liave no better
guarantee of his honour and skill than Ids own word
therefor, and some dozi'us of fraudulent certificates from
unknown ]iartie.s. In nine cases out of ten all such fears
are jxroundlcss and unfounded.

irk

lion

ase

Her

are

lien

[em

tut

lem

THE SIN OF THE FATHER VISITED ON THE CrULDUEN

If there is any field where the philanthropist and re-
former is most urgently demanded, it is to limit the infant
UKjrtality which prevails to such an alarming extent in
Otn- great cities. In New York, I'oston, and Pliihulelphia
over one-fourth, in Cincinnati nearly one-third (-iO per
cent.) of all the children born alive perish witliin the first
year ot life ! What a })ortentous fact is this 1 What arc
the causes of this frightful mortality ?

We will mention one. A physici.in of wide experienci;
has calculated, ater careful enquiry, thaf Iburth on the
list of causes is Itereditari/ sypjiills. J Jut even this state-
ment does not at «,ll convey an adefpuite idea of the effi'it
of this disease on limiting and corrupting populaLiuu. Of

iil

I' ll

100

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

the infants which are still-born, the number is very ^eat,
and of these the most frequent cause ot death, according
to that cautious writer, Dr. Berkely Hill, is syphilis.

But even if the child survives its first year, the danger
is not past. It may be the picture of health till five or
six years of age, or to the period of puberty, or even to
adult Jige, and then first reveal the long-concealed poison
which has lurked in the system ever since its being began.
That poison shows itself under a hundred protean forms.
It may be in eruptions on the skin and foul ulcerations,
or in obstinate " colds in the head," in swelling of the
bones, in a peculiar alfection of the eyes leading to blind-
ness, in brittle and loose teeth, in the protean symptons
of scrofula, in idiocy, stunted growth, and in insanity.

Sucli ar the legacies which parents who, through vice
or mistortnno, have heencursod with this disease have to
hand down to their offspring. " The fathers have eaten
sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge."

Face to fac<> with these fact«i, it becomes of the highi^st
general intt'i-st to learn what the laws of such transnds-
sion are, so far as they have been discovered by caret ul ob-
servation.

They are curious. It is possible for a man in whoso
constitutinn the taint of disease exists, but is latent, to
have peil'rctly sound oHsjiring. But if he has any symp-
toms of the disease in any stage, it is probable, nay, almost
certain, that his children will show the effects ot it, al-
though their mother remains healthy.

Much more generally the mother takes the disease
either from the father, or from the unborn child in whose
body lurks the paternal taint. But unless she does so
before the seventh month ot her pregnancy, she will escape.

When both uM'ther and father display unequivocal signs
of the disease, the case of the child is desperate. There
is liardly any hope of its being born sound.

When such a eliild is born, it is a dangerous source of
infection for all around it. The nurse who applies it wO

\\\

LAWS OF TRANSMISSION.

101

her breast, the friend who kisses it, the attendants who
handle it, are in imminent danger of becoming in turn
victims of the loathsome <lisease.

The only person who can nurse or even touch it with-
out dangei is the mother who bore it. It is in this form
of infantile syphilis that the disease is most easily com-
municated. In the strong, and yet not too strong lan-
guage of Dr. Colles, a well-known English surgeon : " The
readiness with which syphilis in infants can be communi-
cated by contact cannot be exceeded by any other disease
with which I am acquainted. I look upon it as equidbf
infect loua vjiik the itch itself.' And Dr. Barton adds : "A
common mode by which the syphilitic infant spreads tlio
disease is by being kissed by the girl that carries it, or by
others. "

If this is so — and there is no doubt of it — ^is it not
time that the public received some warning about it ? Are
we to shut our mouths and see these perils to public health
hourly increasing, and say nothing, do nothing ?

Let such a child by careful attention and sound hj'giene
survive to adult life, and become in turn the father or
mother of a family, even then unrelenting nature may
not be satisfied. There are undoubted cases on record
where the disease was handed down, in spite of every
c^re and strict virtue, to the third generation, and per-
haps to the fourth.

It appears in multiplied forms of disease. *' We are
compelled to conclude," says Dr. Barton, summing up in
his recent work the many observations on the transmis-
sion of sypliilis, " that a vary confdd "ruble proportion of
those chronic diseases of the eyes, skin, glands and boncjs,
to which the epithet scrofulous hjis been applied, are
really the results of inherited syphilis."

And all this misery, all these curses long drawn out,
these consequences so dire to innocent generations, the
penalty of one moment of illicit pleasure, the venguaiic*
of a violated law which knows justice but no moroy I

f'i

102

THE TRAXSMISSION OF LIFE.

With these deplorable pussibilitiea in view, it beconics
a serious question

HOW SOON CAN A MAN, ONCE DISEASED, MAUUY ?

A French specialist of eminence does not hesitate to re-
ply: Never. We cannot ai^ree with him. In a large number
of persons the disease is transient, mild, curable. In others
it may be severe and obstinate, but finally yields entirely
to judicious treatment. Only in a small minority is it
utterly ineradic.ible. That it is so, however, in this min-
ority, and that it is extreinely ditlicult to say positively,
who does not belong to it, is un([Uustionabla We doubt
if any man having once had decided infection can posi-
tively say tliat he has entirely recovered from it.

We know a respectable physician who, when commenc-
ing practice, contracted syphilis on the finger in attending
the confinement of a diseased woman. It became consti-
tutional, but by active treatment he apj^arently com-
pletely cured it. IJe mariicd, and has four to all appear-
ance healthy ehihlren. Fourteen years after all symptons
had disappeared, on an occasion when his general health
was lowered by loss of rest and anxiety, the disease broke
out anew. There is not a doubt but that durinsr the
whole of that period it had been lurking in his blood.

English writeis who liave given the question we are
consi<ieiing a gi-eat deal of attention on account of its
vast social importance, and the frequency with whicli it
is asked, have settled on the followin;j,- rule, which we be-
lieve may be accepted as of general validity, and may be
acted on with very little hesitation: The shortest period
between the latest epoch of the contraction of disease and
marriage nnist be three years; and at least one full year
must elapse between tlie disappearance of the last symp
torn of tlie complaint and the marriage.

We reeonimriid also to all win > apply to us for advice
OK O.Wii diliietili subject, to tt.st, their eoiistitutiona thor-

MEANS OF PREVENTION.

103

oughly, and see if they have any seedn of the malady in
their systems. This can be done by bathing daily for a
month in warm natural sulphur waters ; for example, the
hot springs of Arkansas, those on the St, John River in
Florida, or those so well known to the fashionable public
in Virginia. These have the property of producing a
pt.'culiar eruption on the skin if syphilis is present ; and
if this does not appear, we may be very certairi that there
is no virus in the system.

are

its

!i it

bc-

' be

iod

land

rear

Imp

Ivice
hor-

HOW TO PREVENT THILSE DISEASES.

What we have said of the extent, the virulence, and
the calamitous results on the individual, his otlspring, and
the nation, of these diseases, must evoke in every mind
the earnest desire to see some regulations devised and
carried out which will limit, and, if pissible, annihilate
this destructive scourge. The nature of syj>hilis leads us
to hope for this consummation. It is strictly couta<jiou9
in nature, transmitted, that is, by contact only. The
problem, therefore, resolves itself simply how to avoid
contact.

Unquestionably the chief, though by no means the only
source of contagion, is in prostitution, a subject therefore
which we shall shortly proceed to consider at length.

It is important, however, for all men to be aware of the
fact, that gonorrhoea not at all unfrequently arises from
other cause beside contagion. Ignorance of this has within
our knowledge led to cruel accusations, utter disruption
of families, and untold misery. Dr. Ricord mentions the
case of a young man who even committed suicide, because
he was seized with this disease on his wedding trip, and
ignorantly concluded that hi.s bride was unchaste. When
relations are had with a woman whosuflers from an acrid
discharge, or at the time of her monthly illness, or when
the indulgence is excessive, or the excitement over-intense
it ia by no means unusual for the male to have ua the

! I

!t1i|

rff-T

104

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

result an inflaiuaiation and discliar^'o, which are quite the
same as this disease, even beirijj^ coniiiMmicalile.

A very recent writer, Prof. A. W. Stiiin, of Now York,
says in an ad(h'ess read Kel>riiary, 1870, before the New
York Medical Journal Association : " It cannot be too often
mentioned that p)norrh(ua is not always the result of
illicit or impure intei-eourse. It is of the i^reatest import-
ance that we should fully ai)pr('ciate tlii^ fact, foi' the
most disastrous constipiciices liavi^ resulted fioni i^or-
ance of it." All writers are agreed tliat the Cwnditiuns
we have mentioned in the female may give rise to it.

Such causes, tlierefui-o, slii^dd Ite s<.'rupuiously avoided;
and also we should be not over-a])t to c^ndenm the pc rson,
male or female, who thus nnist bear the suspiciou of uu-
chastity.

PERSONAL MEANS OF PRI<:VENTION.

Foreiij^n writers have spoken much of the means for
the personal prevention of disease* of tliis character.
Very minute directions are idven, and coitain cheuiic;d
preservatives rec(»mniend»'d, by the a[)]tli(iition of which
immediately aftei- exj)o.sun;, the virus which conveys the
disease is neutralized, and deprived of its poisonous pro-
perties. Certain mechanical a]»pliances have been brouijfht
beloie the professional }>ublic l>y Ameiican surgeons for
the same purpose, and their u.se ha.s tiecn defended by the
welbknown surgeo)i, Dr. iiumstead, of New York, on the
ground tliat "the passions alwavs will contrcd, as they
always have controlled, the moral .•^enso of the gi'eater
part of man and woinaid-iind, and as the ell'ects of vice
ai'e by no means conliiied to the guilty, theii- prevention
is no unworthy subjt^et of considei'ation." While conci d-
iug the force of this expression (^f so eminent a teacher,
we still fear that siu;]i inrorniation, if given publicly and
promiscuously, nnght tend to remove one of the barriers
which now keep men in the path of rectitude. We there-
tore believe such instiuctious should be kept for individual

the

AUTHORITIES.

105

instances, and reserveil for thoae cases in married life,
whore, on the one hand, an abstinence on the part of the
husband might lead to bitter feeling, or destruction of
domestic ties from suspicion and jealousy; and on the
other, should he not abstain, he might involve her in hia
own misfoi , une.

They avc- alao justifiable when a wife has a discharge
of the character we have mentioned, which is liable to
produce a disease apparently sped tic in character, in her
husband. Some men are extremly sensitive to any ex-
posure of this kind while others suffer it with impunity.

Instances may also occur, and, to our knowledge, do occur
where men engaged to be married, and the day fixed, con-
tract, shortly before their wedding, one of these diseases.
A thousand social reasons coMibinc to prevent them obtain-
ing a delay ; they are often not aware of the full extent
of the danger to which they will expose their bride and
their children ; they are not very conscientious; such mar-
riages are often for policy or convenience, and they marry.
If they could save their wives' health, they would. They
generally can, and it is the least that can be asked of
them to do so.

Yet, as we have said, with these contingencies in our
mind, we have not felt it would be right to detail the
means recommended, lost wo should in some degree shear
of its proper t«3rrors illicit intercourse.

•eater
vice
I lion
K'l d-

iclior,

and

•riers

.hore-

idual

[ AUTHOHS AND W0RK8 REFEUBRD TO OS TIIE3B TOPICS.— Dr. Wm, A. Ham
mond, On Venereal Diseases ; Wm. Actou, On PruHtitution ; Dtirke*, On
Gonovrhaa and Si/phUU ; Dr. Berkeley Mill, On Venereal JH.teasen ; Barton,
Nature ami 2'raitiiient of SiiphUis ; CoUes, On Si/phi/ia ; OuUerier, Atlas of
Venereal IH^exise^ ; Dr. .1. F. r.umstcjul, (>« Venerc'il Diseases ; Ijancereftux,
Trnitt <le la Suphilis ; Dr. I'. Diday, Noun'lli-s Ductrinesmtr la Si/phHis, aiul
InfatUiUSiji'hiliS ; llkonl, Ijettrea »ur /a Si//>hiliti ; The IVeMminHcr Rerino
for July, iMiit, January ami April, 1870 ; 8t"iii, iu Nao York Meitcal .lour-
nal ; and :iunier<>us inonosjraplis, rt-purts, discus-iioiia, and articles in the re-
cent medical periixlicalet. J

liid

THE SOCIAL EVIL;

We have now pointed out with tlispassionate yet earnest
words th(; doplorahle consecpienoos of misgoverned si;x-
ual instinct on the individual, on his family, on his child-
run, and through those on society and the race at large.
There remains for us to turn a still darker page, and to
reveal an abyss of misery, iniquity, and disease, from
which the philanthropist too often turns away with a
shudder. This abyss is iiroslitutlon, the great social evil
of our day, invading all grades of society, contaminating
with leprous touch tlie fairest of our land, destroying the
pure joys of the domestic hearth, the well-spring of dis-
gusting maladies, the inexhaustible source of all manner
of evil

Too often the clergyman and the statesman prefer to
shut their eyes und shun the unpleasant topic This is Tioi
our purpose. Such a course can command no admiration
and etl'ect no good re uilt, Rather will we risk the charge
of over-plainness of sj)eech tlian hesitate to exhibit the na-
ture, the extent, and tl»e consequences of this infecting
ulcer in the body politic of our land. Our statements
are based on careful studies of original documents, and
tlie opinions of thcjse pliysicians and pliihmthropists who
have devoted most time to com! in ting this pest. We shall
aim to exhibit it as it actually exists in our midst, choos-
ing the most trustworthy and the most recent sonnies of
infornuvtion, and premising that all our statements are
taken directly from oi iginal authorities.

PBOSTITIJTION IN THE UNITED STATES.

There is no branch ot social science that offers greater
dilHcultiea to the investigator than that which cuneerua

ii^.X

POLICE RE(JISTRATION.

107

mil

are

itself with the munbor, the life, the fate, and the condi-
tion of fallen woirien. It havS ever been so. Thousands
of years ai^o Kin.,' Solomon the wise .s;iid —

" Lest thou shouMst ponder the path of her life, lier
ways are movable, that thou canst not know them."
(Proverbs v., G.)

'J'he great Tnajorlty of tliora entirely elude the searches
of the polic(;, and coiun a! their cullmLj under some out-
ward garl> of lujiiost occupation. iJefore wo proceed,
therofoi'e, to tstiinate the numbers in our large cities, we
iiiu.^t explain the dill'ci'ent classes in which they are di-
vided.

The [lolice reports of our great cities divide them into
"public prostitutes," "waiter-girls," ami " kept women,"
or '* private mistresses." The tirst mentioned alone can,
f)r oltvious reasons, be known as such to the police. They
are those who ])ly their avocation with such publicity as
to become f.innliar to the agents of the law. Many of
the mistresses dress as well, drive as elegant equipages,
and behave in public as decorously as any ladies. The
" waiter-girls " can oidy lie classed as to character accord-
ing to tlie good or bad reputation of the refreshment
houses where they arc employed. There are certain
saloons — Captain Kei\nedy, Siij) rintendent of the New
York Metropolitan I'olii e, says tliirty-tliree in that city
and Brooklvn — in which tlie chief business is licentious-
ness. They were a few years ago very abundant in St.
Louis, and the wretched women in them were known
locall}^ as " beer jerkers ; " but the excessively injurious
elfects of sue i estalilislimt>nts became so notorious that
they were all shut U[). Only the lowest class of depraved
women are found in such dens.

The haunts of tliose one degree above those girls are
known to the [)olice as "houses of prostitution;" and
ranking above tln^se again in the obscnvauco of de-
corum are the " houses of assignation." In the former,
the inmates either go forth at uighi to seek their victims,

'^1

■i li

108

THE TUANSMISSION OF LirK.

and are known as " boarders ;" or they remain within,
and await chance comers, and are tlien called " parlour
hoarders." The mistress of the house furnishes room and
board to her inmates, and sometimes clothin-x, for which
articles she takes care to keep them in debt to her.
lii([Uor of the vilest manufacture is always kept on hand
at extrava;^;int prices, and the ijirls are forced by threats
and promises to urn^e its sale, (jiambliiiir is not uncommon,
and " panel thieving " is carried on with great adroitness
iji very many of thtm.

All the inmates of these infamous houses bear assumed
names, and it is a matter of constant observation hovv
" movable " they are, as our translation of the Proverbs
has it. They go from house to house, and from city to
city, driven by an aimless restlessness. They are of all
nationalities, Americans and Germans predominating, the
Celtic race, that is, the Scotch, Welsh, and Irish, being
in the minority, in proportion to the general population.

What is surprising, in Philadelphia, New York, and
probably other northern cities, there are houses fitted up
with considerable expense in which all the inmates are
mixed, negro and white blood, quadroons and octoroons.
They are patronized exclusively by white men.

The houses of Jissignation, according to the police re-
ports of New York, are yearly on the increase, while the
houses of prostitution are decreasing. In the former, the
proprietors pret'jnd to keep no boarders, but to have a
ninnber of female ac([uaintances, who, to eke out a scanty
income or for motives of pleasure merely, sell their
bodies. This story in ninety-nine cases in a hundred is
notoriously false, and the women in such hou-;es are as
often common street-walkers as anything else.

With these explanations in mind, we shall proceed to
estimate the magnitude of this great evil in some of our
cities, and thus show the imperative importance, in a
hygienic as well as a purely moral view, of taking some
measures to curb it. According to the police reports of

NUMBER OF PROSTITUTES.

109

to
our
Q a
ome

1869 there are in New York auJ Brooklyn 496 houses of
prostitution iind 107 houses of assignation. The whole
number of women certainly known to the police as public
prostitutes is 2,107 ; but various competent authorities
estimate the actual number of those who subsist in great
part or entirely on the wages of sin, at the enormous
nninber of thirty fhonsand.

This calculation, allowing for difference !ti extent and
character of population, a<(r(H!S closely with that made by
the Midnight Mission of Philadelj)hia in the same year.
The orticers of this charity are of opinion that there are
not less than tivdve tlioiMsand in that city.

In Cincinnati a municipal law orders a register to be
kept at police headquarters, on which the name and ad-
dress of every woU-ascertaincd public prostitute are in-
8cri\)ed. In IS(]9 tlie number so re<ristered was 485 ;
which, if the same pro])()rtion of public to private prosti-
tution prevails as in New York, gives the total nnmber
of fallen womt'ii seven thousand.

But Chicago has iho un(;nvi;il)le notoriety of being the
city in the Uniti-d States wlu^ro this degi'aded class is
most numerous. Pr<jf. Kdmond Andrews, M. D., of that
city, estimated that in 18()7 there was one public prosti-
tute to 2.')0 inhal.itants, or more than twieo as many in
proportion to the pupuhition as in New York city or
Philadelphia, and more ilian in any of the corrupt ca[)i-
tals of t!ie Old Woild, Paris not excepted!

It is unnecessary to Ciirry this dreadful enumeration
any furtlier. We have said enough to display beyond
question the appalling extent of this sin, and an elaborate
discussion were out of place here.

We shall next proceed to describe

ITS EFFC^S ON WOMAN.

Dr. Sanger, a physician of New York, who has had
favourable opportunities for investigation in that city,

IBM

i ;

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

!,•

asserts that the wliolo jMJpulation of puMic women ch an ','es
once in fonr years; in other wortls, that evrry year one-
fouith of" them (lisapjiears, ami are rei'l.iccd i)y fresli ac-
ccNsioiis to tlie fated ciowd. \Vl)at h( emiK.'.s of this fourth
which in some way vanishes from tlie knowIedLjo of the
police ? Dr. San<:jcr does not hesitate to say that most of
them die. Om- study <»f the subject leads us to douht
this. The majority either move to other cities, an* im-
prisoned, become ])rivate mistresses or wivcn, or escape Lo
a life of honest labour.

Jt may astonish some to hear us say that they becomo
wives. But this is not very unusual. So'.uetiiMes they
marry imich above their oriL;iiial station in life. We
positively know that out of one claws which graduated at
a leading Eastern eolle-jje not many years since with less
than a hundred mcmbeis, </o'e« have married women whom
they knew to be prostitutes. Scions of some of the most
respected families in New York, Philadelphia and Boston
have committed the same folly. The results of Buch alli-
ances are of course <lisastrous without exce[>tion.

Though this disposition of the majority we believe to
bo true, yet a large minority do die. If one considers for
a moment the irreguharities, excesses, and exposures to
which tliey are sul ejected he cannot doubt this. Many of
them are constantly diseased with venereal maladies;
they often drink to intoxication ; they are exposed to in-
clement weather with insullicient clothing ; they are fre-
quently injured in brutal brothel tii^hts; tlkeyare neglect-
ed when sick. Their chance of life must necessarily bo
greatly lessened.

But this, though serious enough, is by no means the
worst eflfect. It is the almost hopeless moral death of
the prostitute which is the darkest result of her mode of
life. The woman who once loses her virtue can never re-
cover her self respect ; but she, who for money has pros-
tituted her body as a trade, seems to lose hold of all moral
principle, and even natural aliection. She conserta by

THE FATE OF TIIK FALLEN.

noce-sity and ])n'fL'ron<'0 with tliicvcs, rrjitnldcrs, and tlie
viK'st cliiSHc's of men. Slio liiicly iiiiiUr.s tliu ell(jrt to riil
horsolf" from the jaws of di'uth even when assistance is
oU'ei'ed. The ancient licathen wrote over the dooi^s of
hrotht.'Is: Hie Imh'itdt vu!i({>tns, litre j)k'as\n'e dweUeth ;
hut the cliristian kriows that a far triu'r inscription were
that which Dante says is written over tlie »;ate3 ol hoU :

" Leave every hope, ye who filter here."

It is this utter demoralization which invests with such
ditlicnlty every attempt to redeem these creatures. And
we nnist look it scpiarely in the face in ail our .schemes
for reform.

The most striki: ' ihihition of their unnatural dehasc-
nient is the almosi entire lack of maternal feelintj in
these women. Their avocation by its constant excitement
prevents conception as a rule, and this is a boneticent law
of nature. For the wretched oll's[)iin<_,f of such motln-rs
could hope for nothing but misery. When liorn, the in-
fants are usually sent to a foundiin-/ hospital, or t<j a
" baby farming " establishment, or killed outrii^ht. The
latter does but anticipate a fate almcwt certain at the
hospital. The infant mortality on Ward's Island, New
York, is over DO per cent. Very nearly all die. And the
result is the same in Boston, Philadel|)hia, London, and
Paris. The causes in most instances are hereditary syphilis
and neglect.

ITS CONSKQUENCES TO TllK MAN.

' I

m
'I'

the
of
|e of

re-

iros-

)ral

In speaking of the effects of tho social evil on women,
we have been repeating conuiiou-places which every
reader knew or suspected. But there remains an exhibit
of its consequences to be made, which is often lost sight
of, or imperfectly a[>prehended ; we mean its ellect on the
men who support it.

> il

iJf.

I>l

112

THE TRANvSMISSION OF I.IFK.

'ii'i

i ;'

i:l

t I

t !■

i^'J'.

This is, if anything, even more deplorable than on the
won\an. The words of the wi.se king are every whit as
true now as they ever were, and we would that miiii.ster.s
of the gospel had the nerve to choose them oftener as a
text :

" The lips of a strange woman drop as a honey-comb,
and her mouth is smoother than oil ;

" But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-
edged sword ;

" Her feet go down to death, her steps take hold on
hell;

" Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the
door of her house ;

"Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy
years unto the cruel ;

" Lest strangers be filled with thy wealtli, and thy la-
bours be in the house of a stranger ;

" And thou mourn at the last when thy flesh and thy
body are consumed." (Proverbs v.)

" Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither : and as for
him that wanteth understanding, she .sf 'h to him :

" Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is
pleasant ;

" But he knoweth not that the dead are there ; and that
her guests are in the depths of hell." (Proverbs, ix.)

And who are the guests ? The gjimbler, the thief, the
policy dealer, the rutlian ; and with these the college stu-
dent, the bank clerk, the member of the fashionable club ;
aye, and also the father of the family, the husband of a
pure wife, the head of the firm, the member of church ;
all these, every night in all our great cities. Can any
of these think to esrupe the contamination ? Vain chim-
era. It is as certain as death. If nothing else remai as,
tJie moral stain is indelible. As the poet Barns uigst
truly says : —

" It hardens a' within,
And (letritius tb«) ftnilinj^"

— 1 1

WHO MAINTAIN THIS EVIL.

113

Bat often there are physical consequences more im-
mediately troublesome than this. The prevalence of con-
tagious c'l^vJRse among these women is shocking. It is
safe to say that one in three or four is suffering under
some comiaunicablo form of them. " And how fearfully,"
exclaims the Rev. Dr. Muhlenberg in his sermon on the
Midnight Mission, " is the wrath of God seen in these
physical cimsequencos ! The most loathsome sight which
the diseased human body, in man or woman, exhibits, the
most horridly disgusting, are the living corpses in which
victims of lust are putrefying to their graves." We have
already said enough on this point, and we pass to another.

Besides being niorally degrading, and physically dan-
gerous, illicit indulgence is pecuniarily ruinous. These
women accustom themselves and their dupes to reckless
expenditure, and of course they sink together into poverty.
Nor let tl e shrewd and cautious business n)an think him-
self safe. It is notorious that a large class of these women
are kept by their paramouis exclusively for the purpose
of levying black inail. The middle-aged, respectable
married man is allured by some decoy, his name is learned
from his clothing or by the panel thief from his pocket
book, he is tracked to his home or place of business, his
history and family connections are hunted up, and with
these facts at his command the unscrupulous pair have
their victini in a net which he dares not break, and they
bleed liim to their heart's content. No one not intimately
acquainted with the vices of our great cities can have any
idea of how many men of the " highest respectability "
are daily sutfering the torments of the damned from the
threats and extortions of such villains.

Let this public ex|iOsition be a warning to those who
are tempted by the woman in the attire of a harlot and
subtle of heart who says : —

" Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning;
let us solace ourselves with loves.

;

' ii

114

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIF&

** For the good man is not at home, he is gone a long
journey.

'• He hath taken a bag of money with him and will
come home at the day api)ointed.'*

If he yielda he will soon discover that the snares are
spread as they ever were for those void of understanding.

THE CAUSES THAT MAINTAIN IT.

The social problem we are considering must be studied
in its origin in order to prepare any method for its solu-
tion. We ask, therefore, what is it leads so many women,
usually almost necessarily young, healthy, and handsome
—for they must be all these to ply that trade — to open
or secret sin ? Rev. Dr. Muhlenberg, in his sermon already
quoted, answers thus : " Some with no excuse, others, if
not with excuse, yet with palliations either in their bring-
ing up apart from Christian intluences, and amid constant
exposure to temptation ; or, from their having been the
victims of seduction ; or from the extremities of destitu-
tion ; or, allow me to add, in a fondness for finery, copy-
ing their sisters in higher life, who, by their example of
vam show in dress, have more to answer for in this mat-
ter than they 8usi)ect."

It is popularly supposed among men that in the greater
number of cases it is the strong passions, the insatiable
lusts of these women, which lead them to take up this
mode of life. Such an opinion displays entire ignorance
of woman's nature and facts. It is, probably, the rarest
of all the causes which lead to public immoral life. It is
true that many of these women claim and pretend to ex-
hibit great erotic passion.but this is nearly always fictitious,
adopted as an attraction, merely a " trick of the trade. "
The excessive frequency with which they indulge blunts
their sensibility and precludes the possibility of much
real feeling.

Probably the most common and fatal temptation to

t.a. i

THE TEMPTATlONa

115

>lo

young women is simply money. They can gain more,
and can, consequently, dress finer, live more idly, and
fare better for a while by this than by any other means
at their command.

Then there are a very great number who are brought
up to the business. The Board of Health of the Citizens'
Association of New York estimate there are at least thirty
thousand children between the ages of five and twelve in
that city who are subject to no parental control, receive
no instruction either religious or secular, and are con-
stantly exposed to the corrupting influences of a hotbed of
vice. Ten years later they becou^e a vast army of pros-
titutes and thieves. So long as this is the case, it were
indeed vain to expect the cessation of the evil.

Seduction and violence are constant, but not the most
important sources of supply. Country girls and female im-
migrants are not unfrequently "allured to boarding-houses
where scoundrels, with lying promises, or with lures of
money, with the baits of vanity with the stupefying cup,
or with violence, rifle them of their all, and leave them,
lost strangers in a strange land, for other harpies to de-
vour." (Rev. Dr. Muhlenberg.) It is notorious to those
familiar with the vices of our cities, that there are so-
called "em])loyment oflices," or "intelligence oftices," which
are, in reality, snares for the unwary, and that the pro-
prietor (male or female) is in connection with a house of
ill-fame, and sends to such places those whom he thinks
will be entrapped.

Opulent satyrs, cloyed with ordinary mean?} of vice,
and bent on provoking exhausted senses with novelty,
offer large bids for youth and virtuo; stimulated by then),
a class of evil old women make it tlioir business to be on
the watch for giddy and vain girls, and set before them
every temptation to forsake the path of chastity.

From these various sources the numbers of the lost are
constantly maintained in our great cities, and coudtantly
increase.

i 11

■A •!'

fTT

116

THE TRANSMISSION OT LIFE.

IS IT A NECESSABT EVIL T

Divines, philosophers, and physicians have united in

the expression of the opinion that prostitution is a neces-
sary evil, not only in the sense that it is unavoidable by
any known regulation, but that it is necessary to the in-
terest, even to the morality, of society at large. St. Augus-
tine, the eminent father of the Latin church, in his book
IJe Ordine, says : " Suppress prostitution, and you will
plunge society into libertinage " — (aufer meretr'icea, turha-
veria omnia libidinibus). The severe Cato recommended
that young men should visit the brothels when their
passions were ardent, so that they might not be templed
to invade the sanctit" of marriage.

" I regard prostitution, ' says Mr. Acton, "as an inevit-
able attendant upon civilized, and especially closely packed
j>opulation. When all is said and done, it is, and I believe
ever will be, ineradicable." And to like effect the Rev. Dr.
Muhlenberg, of New York : " Th-^ ' social evil' is ever in
proportion to the wealth and luxury of a community."

Such opinions are discouraging, and are not to be ac-
cepted as the solution of the problem. There is absolutely
no moral evil which is msepartt?>/?/ connected with human
society. Herbert Spencer, in his " Social Statics," points
out with lucid and logical language the perfectihility of the
liuman species. And it is a libel on man, " made in the
image of God," to say that there is any crime, especially so
flagitious and enormous a crime a° this, from which it is
impossible for him to refrain. Granted that our efforts to
escape it have hitherto been abortive ; yet there is no
cause for despair ; we simply have not set about it right.

The doctrine of St. Augustine above quoted seems to us
monstrous and contrary to known facts. In what countries
are the obligations of marriage most sacredly respected ?
Is it in those where brothels are most abundant ? We trow
not. Are the large cities, where such dens are located,
u.'ore conspicuous for marital chastity than the rural

LJttiki.

PIJLNS OF CURE.

117

districta where none exists t Ttie proposition is an
absurdity.

In examining this whole subject with an impartial
desire to ascertain the exact truth, we have failed to find
a single redeeming feature in the vice of prostitution, with-
out it be that there are women wretched enough, friendless
enough, desperate enough, to be forced to this mode of
life to escape starvation. And this is indeed sorry praise
to give it. It only gives them a chance to sell their birth-
right to heaven for a mess of the devil's pottage.

The opportunity of illicit intercourse never protects
marriage. Chastity, not allowed sensuality, is the safe-
guard of the household. The more a young man sees of
abandoned women, the less is his faith in woman in gen-
eral, and the more reckless bec^' ' 3S his libertinism.

HOW CAN IT BE STOPPED.

»fthe
the
lly BO
it is
Irts to
lis no
ri'jrht.
to us
IntrieH
Icte.l 1
trow
i^atert,
rural

The theories which have been propounded for the abat-
ing of this formidable and hydra-headed evil have been
numerous and diverse. We shall confine ourselves to the
examination of a few which have been brought forward
within the past few years.

The boldest is that advocated by a " Christian Philoso-
pher," in a work published in 1869, called " Monogamy
and Polygamy Compared." This anonymous writer main-
tains that Christian precept and example both advocate
a plurality of wives; that such a system has really no seri-
ously objectionable features, and that by absorbing all the
female population into the married state it effectually kills
prostitution by depriving it of any materiaL This theory
we do not deem worthy of sober attack.

Valuable for its practicability is the plan of repression
suggested by Dr. George J. Ziegler, of Philadelphia, in
•several medical periodicals in 1867. He urges that the
act of sexual connection be ipso facto the solemnization
of marriage, and that when any such single act can be

h'\

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118

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

proven against an unmarried man by an umarried woman,
the latter be at once invested with the legal privileges of
a wife. By vesting this power in the woman, no man
would risk himself in the company of a dissolute, schem-
ing girl,wlio might force him to a marriage, and ruin him
for life. 1'here are many strong points in Dr. Ziegler's
article, to which we refer our readers for full particulars
(see list of authors at the close of this section). The stroiig-
estobjection to it would bo that it would considerably in-
crease the teniptations to destroy family purity, married
women being the only ones who could be approached with-
out danger of being forced into a misalliance.

Last year (1869) Dr. Charles Drysdale, of Londt)n, a
sociologist of eminence, brought forward a proposition in-
tended to intiict the death-blow on prostitution ; it con-
sists, to give his own words, in a general deturmination
to have "early marriages, and very few children (imleetl,
none at all, perhaps, as in France, for some years), and
greater facility for divorce, as obtains at [ucsent in In-
diana, and some other States of the United 8tatcs."

We question very much whether those three recommen-
dations would not have the very contrary effect from that
desired. We have made considerable inquiry of ])rivate
individuals from the States of our Union to whi».'h Dr.
Drysdale refers, and all our informants seem convinced
that the facile divorces have in nowise heljied the morals
of the community. We have already shown that pi-ecisoly
in Chicago, where divorces are notoriously easy to procure,
the number of prostitutes in proportion to the population
is greater than in Paris itself. How premature marriages,
and the absence of the endearing ties which children knit
between father and mother could increase purity of
thought and chastity of life, we confess ourstdves quite
unable to perceive.

The fourth method suggested is based upon the un-
doubted fact that it is money — which may stand for bread
u J butter, or for fine clothes, or for intellectual gratitica-

PLANS or CURE.

119

vate
I Dr.

)rala

;isv

)ClltC,

lation

ages,

knit

y .of

Iquito

un-
read
dtica-

tion, or for any of tlie numberless pleasant th^nj^ it can
furnish (among which a quiet conscience and a sound body
are not included) — money, that in the majority of cases is
the real tempter. Give women, say the reformers of this
school, the same opportunities to earn their living, to
satisfy their tastes, to make money, aa men have, and the
number will be few, who will be obliged, or who will care,
to make it by destroying their reputations, their peace of
mind, and their bodily health.

Finally, there are those who believe in throwing all
theories aside, and going to work at once in collecting
these lost sheep of the Master into mission houses and
halls, in setting forth to them the tem{)oral and eternal
dangers of their lawless life, in providing those who will
accept with remunerative labour, and situations adequate
to their capacities, and in trying upon them the effects of
sound religious instruction. Such are the Midnight Mis-
sions which have been established by zealous and pious
Christians in most of our cities ; such the Magdalen asy-
lums supported by the Protestant denomination ; and such
the *' Houses of the Good Shephei^d," organized for the
same purpose by practical Catholics.

These admirable institutions all accomplish a good
M'ork, although in comparison with tlie magnitude of the
harvest, the labourers are indeed few. We have attempted
to form some idea of their actual efhcacy by examining
such reports as we have been able to obtain. From these
it appears that the Midnight Missions rescue from a life
of sin nearly three-fourths of tliose who enter the Homes ;
and we are informed by a lesponsible Catliolic authority
that the proportion of the saved in the Houses of the
Good She] )herd are between two-thirds and three-fourths.
But satisi'actory as this is, it is discouraging to see how
few can be induced to enter these doors of escape when
they are opened. The Mithiiglit Mission Home in Amity
Street, New York, in its report for the year 1868, shows
only one hundred and twenty two receptions ; though it

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120

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

I 'I'

is true that these excellent charities, like so many others,
are sadly cramped for want of means.

SHALL IT BE REGULATED BY LAW t

In mere despair at discovering any means of entire re-
pression, and very properly ur willing to shut the eyes and
refuse to see this hideous and advancing tide of immora-
lity and disease, many governments have chosen the
policy of recognizing its existence, and subjecting it to
such regulations as have been thought best devised to
limit its growth, and diminish its destructive conse-
quences.

There has been recently published several very elabor-
ate discussions concerning the success of these plans of
legislation as they are carried out in Europe. In general
terms, they aim to have the name and residence of each
prostitute registered, to have the houses licensed, and their
inmates subjected at certain intervals to medical exami-
nation. Those found diseased are at once sent to a vene-
real hospital, where they are detained until cured. In
Paris, the registered prostitutes are furnished with a
ticket, giving name and residence, and this they are obliged
to carry always with them, and show when called upon*
They are not allowed to accost men on the streets, nor to
employ in public places any of the wiles of harlotry. The
houses (maisons ae tolSrance), are strictly watched by the
police, and the charges are fixed, and posted up in a con-
Bpicuous place. These onerous enactments have failed on
account of their stringer. cy. The girls are subjected to so
much surveillance that they seek in every way to escape
from public into private walks of crime. Consequently,
while in the last ten years, the number of registered
women in Paris has been steadily decreasing, the number
of private prostitutes, called griseUes, lorettea, femmes
tntretenues, etc, have vastly and alarmingly increased.

The contagious diseases act, which against violent oppo-

LEGAL REGULATIONS,

121

situ n has been introduced into England during the last
few years, and which has been highly praised by some,
and as severely condemned by others, is still under pro-
bation. It provides that any woman, against whom an
inf 01 mant has deposed that he has reason to believe her a
public prostitute, may be summoned by the superintendent
of police, and be forced to submit to medical inspection,
and to be placed under surveillance. If found disease* 1,
she is ordered to a hosjntal, where she is obliged to remain
until vhe medical officer pronounces her well. It has been
justly urged against this act and the other acts associated
with it, that tney encroach too much on the freedom of
the individual.

In the United States we have been very shy of approach-
ing this delicate and difficult topic. Our legislators in)i-
tate the ostrich, which, when it wishes to escape its enemies,
is currently reported to hide its head in the sand, think-
ing tht»t if it cannot see them they cannot see it. The
results of this policy are that in Chicago, New York, Phi-
ladelpUa, and all our largest cities, gross vice stalks our
streets with unblushing tread, the strange woman lays her
snare for innocence and youth at every street corner, dis-
ease is more common and more deadly than in any regu-
lated European state, and the proportion of prostitutes
rivals that of any other civilized nation in the world.

It is quite time, therefore, that we lay aside this most
mischievous and dangerous modesty, or pretended blind-
ness, and set about some decisive measures if not to purge
away, at least to limit, control, and render as powerless as
possible this infecting ulcer. Two things we can do ; we
can prevent the open tempting on our public streets, the
fearful facility of vice which now prevails ; and we can
limit the spread of contagious disease. For the former, we
require police regulations, firmly carried out, forbidding
the accosting of men on the streets, indecent behaviour in
public, and immodest dress. For the latter we must have
periodical medical inspection of prostitutes, and wards or

'i
I

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[...f

r...

122

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

hospitals to which those found diseased can be sent until
they are recovered.

Here are two distinct, practical, thoroughly practicable
aims for legislation, and every one who has the goou of his
species at heart, and is not utterly cankered by obsolete
prejudice, cannot but grant their urgent importance iu.4id
great value.

It has been supposed by the French surgeon, Auzias'
Turenne and his disciples, that, so far as syphilis is con-
cerned, this could be successfully checked by the process
known as " syphilization."

This method is based on the theory that after the syphi-
litic poison has been artificially introduced into the sys-
tem by repeated puncturing, the individual will thei oafter
be protected against it, just as he is protected against
smallpox by the practice of vaccination.

A number of experiments have been carried out in
France, Italy and Sweden, with this view. Necessarily it
is chiefly limited to public prostitutes, as no other class of
the community would submit to such an ordeal. It was
hoped that by its universal adoption public women would
be made incapable of contracting, and hence incapable of
transmitting this variety of venereal poison.

The results, though still somewhat uncertain, have not
equalled these anticipations. While unquestionably the
process does, to some extent, and for some time, materi-
ally lessen the liability to contract the disease, it does so
unequally in difierent individuals, and the protective influ-
ence dies out after, at most, a few years.

Even if successful it would be difficult of application,
and its effects on public morals are open to question.
Therefore, we may dismiss it as a means of repression too
visionary to merit serious consideration.

But, after all, it is not by police regulations, nor sanitary
rules, nor legislative enactments, nor even, we fear, by
gathering the fallen from the highways and byways of our
crowded cities to bear the gospel, that we shall ever pat

WHAT CAN BE DONE.

123

an end to tho social evil. We have been castinjj about for
a tliou.saiid devices by which we could tlirust virtue down
the tliroiits of otliei's, while ourselves continue our cakes
and ale in peace. We have ever been ready to point the
tiiiifer of shame at the erring sister; we have ever been
eaf^er to rush forward and cast the first stcme, but have we
ever pomlered for a moment on the words: "He that ia
williuut siiL among you ? "

Ah! here we touch the heart of the matter. Would you
learn the only j)Ossible method of reforming sinful women ?
Three words contain tho secret: Jieform the men. In
them, in their illicit lusts, in their misgoverned passions,
in their selfish desires, in their godless disregard of duty,
in their ignorance of the wages of sin, in their want of
nobleness to resist temptation, in their false notions of
health, is the source of all this sin. Teach them the phy-
siological truth that chaste continence is man's best state,
morally, physically, mentally ; correct the seductive error
which talks of indulgence as " natural," venial, excusable ;
show them that man is only manful wlien he sees the right
and does it; train them to regard self -government as the
noblest achievement of all ; educate tliom fearlessly in tho
nature and regulation of tliosc functions which pertain to
the relations of the sexes; do this, and we shall soon see
that we have gained a vantage ground over against which
tlie powers of evil cannot stand.

Every great social reform must begin with the male
sex; their:3 it is to take the step in advance, and they
must do it with self-knowledge,with intelligence, and with
no false sentiment. Here, es])ecially, they must act. The
sin is wholly of their own making. All the misery, all the
lost souls, all the blighting consequences present and to
come, of prostitution, are chargeable solely and whcjlly to
tlio uncontrolled sexual instinct of the male. VVhat duty,
then, is more imperative to tlie clergyman, the educator,
the statesman, the enlightened philanthropist anywhere,
than to study this instinct, to learn how to giiide it iu

ff-

124

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

youth and a^e, and how to direct it in its natural and
healthy channels 7

(Adthobh and Works on Pkostitution BRK-KUitRo to.— Dr. flftiisror, Iflit-
toryof Pro»titution; Dr. J. Jeann«l, ZV la Prmtitulon au dix-neuviime. .nirU;
Acton, Progtitution in iU Moral, Horial, and Santtary Ani'tcli; PHrent-lUiclnV
telet, De la Fro$tiUUion A Pom ; Dr. Va\. AndrewH, Letteri on Prottitulion,
('hicaKo Medical Exaiuiuer, October, 1807; Uev. L)r. W. A. Muhlenberg,
Woman and Her Aecu$eri^ a Sernion for the Midnijfht Miwiion, 18lii» ; Dr.
Zii'gler, Medical and Surgical Reporter, 18»»7; Dr. (MiarleH Drysdale, Medical
Pnta and (Hrcular, May, 1869; Weatininnter Review, PruHitmtion and How
to Cure It. January anrl April, 1870 ; the Annual Reports of the Superin-
t«iident of Police, the Boards of Health and the Midnight Misaioiw oi New
York, Philadelphia, Chivago, CiadiuiaU •to., for LM>7-iiai

PART III.

TIIK MAURI KD LIFE.

THE PRELIMINARIES OF MARRIAGE.

A man first becomes a man and a woman a woman in
marriaj^o. Only when united by tliat mysterious rite
does each find nature satistiud, ami all the faculties and
fuDctions meetly exercised. By sucli union tiiose jiowera
which are diiected without the individual, those strong
sentiments which are the revoise of the seltish and intro-
verted portions of our constitution, are called into action,
'i'he husband and the father no longer labours for himself
alone, no longer even piincipally for himself. There are
others who, he feels, have claims upon his time, his
thoughts, his possessions, mores imperative even than him-
self. He first provides fur tliese, and for their sakes wil-
lingly and olten undergoes deprivations and self-denials.
To the philosopher who occupies iiis mind with the study
of the motives of men, their self-abnegation must apf>ear
at once one of the most singular and most beautiful traits
in our nature. That we may justly appreciate the rite
which we are about to describe, we shall first speak of

<■

III

:'!'

THE MEANING OF MAUUIAGE.

The composite character of the nature of our species
does not allow us to answer this in one sentence. We
are formed of organic, terrestrial bodies, and of subtle
spirits. To the former portion of our nature, marriagis is
the condition best adapted to the perpetuation of the

'rr

i! i '

1:!

IV. :

1?6

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

species : it is a union of two persons of opposite sexes
which calls into play the peculiar functions of each, thus
furnishing the necessary factors for the production of
a third individual of the same species. The physiologist
sees this and nothing more. He may even dare to say
that there is nothing more.

In this he egrcgiously errs. Were this all, it would
have little booted the lesrislators of all time, and the
divine voice itself, to have enacted stringent and numer-
ous regulations having reference to the married state.
Such a union extends its influence throughout the whole
fabric of social avid political lite, and strikes its roots deep
into the moral nature of the race. If we are asked for a
specific detinition, we have found none better than that
given some yeai-s since by the Count of Portalis in the
French legislative body. It runs as ibllows: "Marriage
is the union of a man witb, a woman, who associate them-
selves in Older to perpetuate the species, to aid each other
by mutual u,ssi-.tance, to sui)port together the chances of
life, anil to endure the same fate." In this clear and
[tractical statement we perceive precisely what every one
who pro|)o.ses to form this relation should feel himself or
herself thoroughly prepared to assume.

It is only in the most abject members of the human
race that we find the marriage tie almost obliterated, and
in none, we believe, is it wholly null. There are, indeed
tribes in East India where the practice of polyandiy, or of
one woman having several husbands, is usual, but even
among these, promiscuous intercourse is prohibited. The
rudest savages respect and enforce fidelity ; they believe
that adultery is a crime, and hold the family circle to be
sacred

In p .portion as morality and civilization advance, so
do the sanctity of nuirriage and the appreciation of the
beauty of marital cliastity. The Roman Catholic and
Greek churches consider the rite one of the holy sacra-
••^f^nts of the church, and the apostles and the early fathers

J.i

DIGNITY OF MARiCIAGE.

12^

^ m

of the church unanimously refer to the married condition
as honoural)le, pure, and praiseworthy ; while no denun-
ciations were too scathinf; for those lewd men and women
who seek to degrade it by violi:*ting its ordinances. Just
in proportion as such elevated sentiments as these are
abroad in a comnmnlty, just in proportion as love is pure,
marriage honoured, and the bed undefiled, will all tha
other Christian and patriotic virtues be admired and
practised. And no more ominous sign of decay and deep
corruption in a nation can be seen, than when there is a
wide-spread aversion to marriage, an oft-repeated sneer at
the happiness it brings, a current doubt as to the fidelity
of those who are united in its bonds.

We believe and hope that perhaps excepting one or two
of our largest and most profligate cities such a state of
thouyht does not exist in our land. Most young persons
of both sexes look forward to marriage as a desirable con-
dition, and when they have entered it, they accept cheer-
fully its burdens, observe honourably its injunctions, and
are far happier than if they had remained single. Few
matters give more anxiety than the fear that for some
reason this favoured condition may never be reached,
that some disability exists which disqualities one from its
acceptance. This is not unfrequently a fruitful source of
disquietude to young men, and therefore we deem it well
to discuss here the

PHYSICAL FITNESS AND UNFITNESS FOR MARRIAQE.

The physiological and also the legal understanding of
marriage is tliat it is a nmonforthe purpose of of spring.
Therefore both the lawyer and the pliysician must con-
demn any maninge in whieli this purpose is not at all,
or only inipoifectly carried out. In other words, virility
is a necessary preliminary to marriage. Not merely
should the age of j)uberty be passed, but the whole body
should be so developed, and the special functions ho

128

THB TBAlfSMISSION OF LIFK.

'? I

i
i

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.1

. i

i 1
1

; i .
'1

matured, that intercourse may not prove injurious to the
male, nor his unripe secretion be unequal to the forma-
tion of a healthy child.

Impotence, we shall speak of hereafter, but here we in-
sist on virility. Marriage works sure and irreparable
injuries on the constitution of boys or very young men.
Their lives are shortened, their health enfeebled, their
mental powers frequently impaired. Then their children
are usually puny and sickly, apt to have hereditary weak-
ness, and not to attain advanced years.

The most advisable age to marry has been much dis-
cussed by writers in all ages. We shall not repeat their
conflicting opinions, many of them purely theoretical, but
say at once that in this country in the majority of cases,
the full stature and complete development of physical
powers are not attained before the age of twenty-live
years, and that from that to thirty-five is the decade in
which a man may the most suitably seek a wife.

Physicians are not unfrequently appealed to on the
question whether a person of feeble constitution will be
benefited or injured by marriage. Many families have
hereditary taints, and not a few young men through mis-
fortune or tempt ai ion have incurred maladies which they
fear may be aguravated by the novel relations under
which they will be placed, or possibly transmitted in some
form to their ofilspring.

So far as such inquiries relate to those diseases which
ordinarily arise from impure intercourse we have already
replied to them iu the previous portion of this work. In
cases of a consumptive, a scrofulous, or an insane ten-
dency, it is probable that a pretlisposition to such weak-
ness will be passed down, ami quite certain that they
will, sliould a like tendency exist in the wife.

But it is not likely that any of these diseases will be ag-
gravated or hastened by marriage ; on the contrary, very
many facts could readily be adduced to show that in both
sexes, providing that the other partner has not the same

.Ak

DANGER OF DELAY.

129

tendency, such constitutional disorders are decidedly miti-
gated and often altogether avoided by a union. The

exercise of the generative functions in

marriaije

has a

powerful derivative effect, and not rarely alters for the
better a feeble constitution. Epilepsy, nervous depres-
sion, and even occasional insanity have been known to be
greatly relieved or removed by a judicious union.

When, however, such debility arises from a progressive
and natural decay of the body — in other words, when it
is the consequence of advancing age — the very worst
results may be apprehended from such a step. There are
matrimonial engagements occasionally contracted by
elderly men which are eminently satisfactory both physi-
cally and mentally. But in such instance the man must
be healthy and vigorous, or else, like King David, he must
content himself with the proximity alone of her who is
his partner in life, otherwise he will soon fall a victim to
some serious disease. Dr. Reich, in his learned work on
the Degeneration of the Human Race, finds an active
cause of the increasing number of diseases and weakened
muscles of our generation in the growing tendency now-
a-days to postpone marriage until time and perhaps in-
dulgence have diminished the forces, and exposed the
system to succumb readily to any unusual drain upon its
resources. Therefore, after the age of thirty-five, a man
in poor health, or with an obvious tendency to disease,
should be extremely cautious how ho contracts a lien of
this nature.

Malformations of various kinds, whether by nature or
accident, not unfrequently occasion poignant distress of
mind lest they constitute an insuperable barrier to matri-
mony. Generally, such juixiety is unfounded. A dimi-
nished or an excessive growth of tlie parts rarely is carried
to such an extent as to constitute a barrier to intercourse.
The absence of one or even both of the testicles may arise
from the fact that they have never descended from the
iiiterior of the abdomen, where they are always located
H

1 ,'1

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130

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFK.

before birth. This retention of their original position
doea not necessariJy iuterlere with their functions, how-
ever. Sometimes the prepuce is long, thick, and adherent
to such a degree that it seriously interferes with the exer-
cise of the function. In such cases it should be submitted
to the examination of a surgeon, as an operation may be
roquired. A more rare condition is when the oritice of
exit is not at the extremity, but on the side or close to the
I ody. This usually does not prevent connection, but does
produce sterility. It, too, can often be removed by a
skilful surgeon.

The size of the organ sometimes excites fear lest matri-
mony could not be completed. But there is no perma-
nent proportion between size and vigor. Generally an
unusual size is accompanied with debility, and it is not
infre(piently observed, indeed it may be said to be the
rule, that persons of vigorous powers liave small but well-
shaped parts. Those who have studied the models of
classical antiquity will have noticed that the most perfect
representations of manly strength present these parts even
imusually small. The negro race have the imrts larger than
the white, but they do not proportionately increase in
size on erection. A small and shrivelled condition in
either race is a sign of impotence.

THE CHOICE OF A WIFE.

Although the boy Cupid is notoriously blind, and shoots
his arrows wildly, yet it is not amiss for the prudent man
to take such an important stop as marriage with his eyes
open. A vast amount of domestic infelicity, and a vast
amount of social vice, which is the consequence of this
infelicity, would be saved were people a little more dis-
creet and sensible in their selection of those with whom
they propose to join irretrievably their lives and fortunes.
So far as mental and moral qtialities are concerned, we
Bhall have little to say, others, and they better qualified

)t3

[an

LSt

pis

lis-

WHOM TO MARRY.

131

than ourselves, havinf^ given abundant advice on these
topics, but in what relates to the physical, we have some
hints to offer, which, if observed, will go far to insure a
fortunate alliance.

The young man who goes forth in search of a wife
should not overlook health, nor undervalue beauty in the
woman he seL'ks. Wiihout the former, he will lose half
the pleasure which otlierwise would be his lot ; with the
latter, the attractions which bind him true to his own
hearth will bo redoubled. A sickly, nervous, peevish, in-
efficient wife — (nialities which are naturally associated —
is not a help-meet, but a dead weii^ht to a man; a homely,
or even an indiUerent-looking wt/manruns arisk of being
slatternly, of disgusting her Imsbandj and of alienating
him. The powers and the chai'ius of personal beauty
Jescrve to be an])reciated and applauded far more than is
the w^ont, and whciu it is remembered that real beauty
means also sound health, we cannot hesitate to answer the
young man wlm a;ks us deprecatingly, " Would you have
me marry for b.au'y ?" with a round affirmation : " You
pi't'l ably cannot do better."

The relative (u/es of the two should be thought of. No
young woman should marry before she is twenty, and it
is n >t wise for a man to select a wife who is his elder.
Such unions usu:dly result in estrangement. A seniority
ot between five and ten years on the pait of the husband
is most highly to be reconnnendod.

A writer whom we havealixady quoted, says: I think
there should always be an interval of about ten years be-
tween a man of mature age and his wife. Women age
nnich more rapidly than men, and as the peculiar func-
ti(jns of matrimony should cease hi both parties about the
same time, such interval as this is evidently desirable."
But we are of opinion that a difference of less than ten
years is more suitable. As ab.ive remarked, from five to
ten years may be taken as the limit.

It is also well to be aware of the fact that when the

i;'j>

132

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

husband is the elder, the children are more likely to have
a majority in the male sex. Why this is, we shall have
occasion to explain subsequently. Then, too, man retains
his powers and passions Ioniser than woman, and his fide-
lity is more assured when she is fr*^sh and blooming, than
when she has already become old v/hile he r^itains his
vigour. These are low motives, it may be said, but they
are such as we know inliuence our sex powerfully, and
we must therefore enlist them on the good side.

MARRYING COUSINS.

The question whetiier intermarriage of near relatives
can be approved i on' hich within tlie last few ycfira
has excited lively discussion among pliysiL-ians. The
most skilful are found on o})posite sides, and the argu-
ments adduced auai' ' it m very strong. While
granting this, we must express our own views candidly
that they only seem strong, and that if closely scrutinized
they are found to be based on erroneous statistics, and
compiled by persons who are prejudiced already in favour
of their own views.

In a similar work to the present, addressed, however, to
the other sex, we made use of the following language,
which exposed us to severe criticism from several eminent
statisticians and medical writers : " The fear of marrying
a cousin, even a tirst cousin, is entirely groundless, pro-
vided there is no decided hereditary taint in the family.
And when such a hereditary taint doe", exist, the danger
is not greater than in marrying into any other family
where it is also found. But as few families are wholly
without some lurking predis])osition to disease, it is not
well, as a rule, to run the risk of developing this by too
repeated unions."

Decided as this language is, our further investigations
since we made use of it do not lead us to weaken its force.
On the contrary, we find ourselves supported in it byone

MARRIAGE OP COUSINS.

133

of the most cautious and di'pondable authorities in the
medical \vf)rld, the Lancet of London. In the editorial
columns of a late number of that journal the following
statement is made as the result of the most recent and ex-
tended researches on that point : —

"The marriage of cousins, providing Tioth are healthy,
lias no tendency to produce disease in the otf'si>ring If,
however, the cousins inherit the disease or the proclivity
to it of their common ancestor, their childi-en will have a
strong tendency to that disease, wliich miglit l>e fostered
or suppressed by circumstances. Tiieie can be no ques-
tion that cousins descended from an iiisane or highly con-
sumptive grand-parent should not intermarry ; but we
zannot see any reason for supposing that either insanity
3r consumption would result from tlie intermarriage of
healthy cousins."

In conclusion, while for a man to mairy a near relative
when they bi)th btdong to a consumptive, a scrofulous, or
a weak-minded race, is eminently rei>rehensible, it is not
contrary to ascertained laws for him to unite himself to
his cousin when the fandly is thoroughly healthy,

LONG EN GAG E:\IE NTS.

" Plighted troth " is a poetical and romantic subject, but
there is such a thing as caiiying a prolonged lidility under
the terms of an " engagement " t<) a dangerous excess. We
do not now refer tt) the moral jjerils, the incieas(;d tempta-
tions whicli arise fi'om the more intimate familiarity r,nd
over-coidldence of loveis — tliough tliesc are real and ob-
jectionable — but to the direct injury they bring on a
young man. It is impos^ilile for liim to indulge in tliese
caresses and fondlings witliout violently exciting his pas-
sions, and they in turn react on the secretory functions.
The consequence is that not unfrequently repeated noc-
tui'nal emissions, sperniatitirlKca, and loss or imjiainucnt
Oi power result. At the very moment when he should be

A\ \\

nrw

134

THE TH.nNSMISSTON OF LIFE.

in full poRse'sion of his strength, he tintls that hope ' •>
loner deferred balks itself. Tiiis caution is esrH-eially
needed \>y (hose who at an earlier period of their life have
injured theui.selves by solitary vice or sexual excess.

Tlicre are strong physical as well as moral reasons why
we would urge the lover, however unwelcome such ad-
vice, ami however certain to be disregarded, to hold his
love<l <jne at arms' length, and to deny himself these little
fondlings and toyings which he can secui'e. Innocent
though they are, and pare as the ati'ectiou is, they still
cheat nature with unruifllled promises, and bring with
them retiiliution. The advice of that distinguished sur-
geon, Mv. William Acton, on this point, is forcible. Pie
says :" All medical ex]>erieiice proves that for anyone,
especially a young man, to enter into a long engagement
without any immediate hope of fulfilling it, is physically
an almost unmitigated evil. I have reason to know that
this condition of constant excitement has often caused not
only dangerously frequent and long-continued nocturnal
emissions, but most painful aliections of the i>estes. These
results sometimes follow the progrv^ss of an ordinary two
or three months* courtship to an alarming extent. The
danger and distress may be much more serious when the
marriage is postponed for years." Instances of the same
kind have come under our own exj^erionce, and convince
us tliat even such strong language as that we liave just
quoted, does not state the possible injury too decidedly.

THE MALE FLIRT.

The evils we have just mentioned find their origin in
Wiigratlfu'd sexual excitement. This is always sure to be
attended, if frecjuently repeated and long-continued, by
injurious consecpieneos. Whether it be from an engage-
ment, from disappointed affection, fiom too great fami-
liarity with the other sex, or from entertaining lascivious
thou>^hts, any such excitement leads to weakening of

A CAUSE OF TROUBLE.

135

power, and sometimes to actual disease. Degeneration
or chronic inflammation of the glan*!, 8permatorrha3a,
sinissions, and impotence, are all possible from neglect of
hygienic rules in this regard.

Here, therefore, ia a reason — one of many — why we
should discountenance the disposition among young men
to become the heroes of half a dozen engagements and love
passages. In so doing they violate social laws, triHe with
the best affections of our nature, give others endless
anguish, and also run the chance of hurting themselves
for life.

The society of refined and pure women is one of the
strongest safeguards which a young man can have, and he
does well when he seeks it ; but it should alwa^'s be mo-
tives of simple friendship and kindly interest which impel
him to cultivate it. When he considers that the time has
come that his means and circumstaiiLes allow of marriage,
he should then look intelligently for her with whom ho
would care to pass the remainder of his life in perfect loy-
alty. He should be impelled by no wanton impulse, nor
dissipate his time in worshipping at every j)assing shrine,
but in sincerity and singleness of heart seek an early alli-
ance with her to whom he is ready to swear to be ever
true.

For every man does well to reflect, before he assumes
the vow, on

4 k

''Ills

THE PARAMOUNT DUTY OF FIDELITY,

ige-

imi-

)as

which every husband owes his wife, quite as much as
every wife owes her husband. The lax morality of society
excuses in the one what it unequivocally condemns in the
other, but the Christian and the physiologist agree in
allowing no excuse for either.

Nothing is more certain to undermine domestic felicity,
and sap the foundation of marital hai»piness, than mari-
tal infldelity. The risks of disease which a married man

I i

' I ■ i .

136

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

nins in impure intercom so are far more serious, because
tliey involve not only hirniscir, but his wife and his child-
ren, lie should know that there is nothing which a
woinan will not forLnve sooner than such a breach of con-
(idence. Ho is exposed to the plots, and is ])retty certain
sooner or later to iall into the snares, of those atrocious
])arties who subsist on l>lack-niail. And should he escape
these cornplicntions, he still must lose self-respect, and
carry about with him the burden of a guilty conscience
and a broken vow, Tf we have ur^^ed on the celibate "^he
preL>ervation of chastity, we still more emphatically call
uj;>on the married man for the observation of fidelity.

I i

I'!

[A0TH<>RS HEFEHHEn TO IN THIS 8KCTI0K.— Edwartl Reich, Oesrkriehte,
Nature, und Gesundthritslfhre des ehiHc/ien lA>ien»; Napheys, Tlie i'hyxicai
Life of Woman ; Act( ii, On the Bcprodurtive Onjans ; lli ieh, Ueher die Jii^
taitrtunfi de» memchlic/uH Ut«< IdtckU ; A. D«b«y, Myyihu du Mai-iat/t.]

I use
liltl-
h a
:on-
tain
ioua
:apQ
and
nee
the
call

iehte,
e AV

TDK CONSUMMATION OF MRRIAGE.

ITS SIGNIFICATION.

In both law and medicine the prime object of marriage
regarded from a social point of view, is the continuation
of the species. Hence, until the preliminary ste})s to thia
end are taken, the marriage is said not to be consummated.
The pi'ccise meaning of tlie expression is thus laitl down
by Bouvier in his Law Dictionary : " The first time that
the husband and wife cohabit together after the ceremony
of marriage has bei>n pcrfornKul, is called the consunmia-
tion of marriage." A marriage, however, is complete
without this in the eye of the law, as it is a maxim taken
from the Roman civil statutes that consent, not cohabita-
tion, is the binding element in the ceremony ; consensus,
tLon co)wuh'ttus,facit nuptids.

A sage morality throughout most civilized lands pro-
hibits any anticipation of the act until the civil ofhcer or
the priest has i)erf'ormed the rite. The experience of the
world proves the wisdom of this, for any relaxation of the
laws of proi>iiety in this respect are fraught, not only
with injury to society, but with loss of self-respect to the
individual. Those couples who, under any plea whatever,
be it of the nearness of the day or the imagined veniality
of the liberty, aUow themselves to transgress this rule,
very surely lay up for themselves a want of confidence in
each other, and a source of mutual recjimination in the
future.

True as this is shown to be by constant experience, yet
there have been and still are commimities in which the
custom was current of allowing and even encouraging
such improper intimacies. In the early Middle Ages it
was common in all grades of society, and is mentioned as

Hf"^

13S

THE TIUNSMISSIOX OF LIFE.

Ica'HnjT to fllssMlute haHts arul consequently condonined
in tlie laws of King Ciiarleniagne, known as the Capitu-
lar! us.

The Emperor Frederick III. of Austria, after he was
alHanoed to Leonora, Princess of Portugal by diplomatic
envoys, refused to compk^te the marringe unless he was
permitted to first ascertain whether she would prove a
satisfactory wife. And that tlio same rights were occa-
sionally insisted upon hy the other sex is shown by the
example of the Lady Herzland von Rappoltstein, who, in
1378, dielined to carry out her agreement to wed Count
John IV. of Habsburg, on the giotmd that, after oppor-
tunities given, he had proved himself to be inca|)able.

There are still remote districts in Germany where the
peasantry retain the institution known as " trial nights,"
'pi'ohe-iidcJite, and "come nights," kow.m-ndchte, on which
a girl's lover will visit her, and each may be convinced
of the physical fitness of the other for marriage. A
century ago a similar custom prevailed in parts of New
England and in the Geiman settlements in Pennsylvania,
as has been lat(;ly shown by Dr. Henry A. Stiles, of Brook-
lyn, in his work on Bandlliij, by which term it was
known. Washington Irving, in his Knickerbocker History
of New York, several times refers to it also.

Now, we bi>lieve, happily no trace of the habit exists
in our land. Only in a sitiLiularly simple and unsophisti-
cated state of society could it be perpetuated without
leading to flagitious immorality, and we may regard it
as one of the beneficent lesultsof the extensive diflfusion
of knowledge, that the merit and tlie advantages to both
sexes of absolute continence before marriage are at present
universally recognized in this country.

lONOKANCE CONCERNING MARRIAGE.

While this precocious knowledge was at one time not
condenmcd as it deserved to be, and as it now is, proper

KINUULAU lUNOhA^tX

13!)

information on iho subject is still sinc^ularly lackin;^. Aa
Mr. Acton correctly remarks: "It is but sckloni, ami then
iiicidoiita'ily, that tlicso niattoi's are treated of in books.
Nevertheless igni)rance, or false ideas respecting thein,
li.is caused much evil, and piucli domesLic misery. It is
generally nssuined that instinct teaches adults ho' - these
functions should be exercised. I'lit from several cases
that have come under my notice, I should say that many
would be entirely ignorant but for previously incontinent
habits, or from such notions as ihey J'ick up Irom
wiitching animals." He gives as an instance one of his
patients, a member of the Society of Friends, who had
been married tor some years, aiul who, out of mere ignor-
ance had never constnnmated the ceremony.

Parallel examples come to the knowledge of mostpliysi-
cians who have long been members of the profession. It
it no very extraordinaiy experience to be called to a case
of confini'tnent, and to discover that the woman i- strictly
speakin^, still a virgin. The celebrated accouchcnr. Profes-
sor Meigs, of Philadelphia, used to relate in his lectures sev-
eral instances of the kind from his own practice. And so
recently as last year (18G!)), we lintl a communication V)y
Dr. H. L. Ilorton, of Poughkeepsie, New Y<n-k, in the
Medical and Surgical llepoder, describing a similar case
in which he was attending physician. The husband, when
questioned, stated that his wife had always found the act
painful, and exi)rcssed his disappointiuetit, while in fact,
although she was at term and was shortly delivered of a
healthy cliiM, an examination showed she never had
actually yielded.

The same journal, in a later number, contains an ar-
ticle by Dr. Quimby, of Jersey City, where after several
years of marriage, under like circumstances, a coldness
and ultimate separation arose. Indeed, nearly always,
domestic disap[)oiutment is the consequence of this ignor-
ance.

We had one instance brought to our notice where

\i\

140

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

throiigh ignorance and timidity, rioarly a year had elapsed
after the persons had nnuried, and yet it had not been
consummated. The Inisband knew somethinir was
wrong, and it lead to a 8ei)aration which came near being
final.

As when nature ia balked in this manner, there must
bo a hindrance to normal domestic relations, it is proper
tliat parents should see that young persons of both sexes
who are about to enter matrimony have a proper under-
standing of its duties.

THE MAIIHTAOE RELATION.

Usually mairiage in this country is consummated within
a day or two of the ceremony. In Greece, the excellent
rule prevails that at least three days shall be allowed to
elapse between the rite and the act, and it were well if
this rule were general. In most cases the bride is ner-
vous, timid, exhausted by the labour of preparation and the
excitement of the occasion, indeed, in the worst possible
frame of body and mind to bear the great and violent
change which the marital relation brings with it.

The consequence is that in repeated instances the
thoughtlessness and precipitancy of the young husband
lay the foundation for numerous diseases of the womb and
nervous system, and for the gratiiication of a night ho
forfeits the comfort of years. Let him at the time when
the slow-paced hours have at last brouglit to him the
treasures he has so long been coveting, administer
with a frujral hand and with a wise foretliouu'ht. Let
him be considerate, temperate and self-controlled. Ho
will never regret it, if he defer for days the exercise of
those privileges which the law now gives him, but which
are more than disappointing if seized on in an arbitrary,
coarse, or brutal manner.

There is no more infallible sign of a low and vulgar
man than to hear one boast or even to mention, the oc-

i»'

I '

■MH

AN ERROll CORUECTED.

141

curroncea which transpire on the nuptial eve. Who Joes
Hi), set him down as a fellow ilovoi.l of all the finer feelings
of his own sex, and incapable of appreciating those of the
otlier. While the newly m;irried man should act so that
his tender solicitude and kind consideration could only
I'cllect credit on himself were they known, he sliouldhide
tiieiu all umler a veil of reticence more impenetrable
than that which ancient legend says concealed the mys-
terious goddess of Sais.

The husband should be aware that while as a rule the
first conjugal ap[iroaches are painful to the new wife, and
therefore that she only submits and cannot enjoy them,
this pain should not be excessively severe, nor should it
last for any groat length of time — not more than one or
two weeks. Should the case be otherwise, then something
is wrong, and if rest does not restore the parts, a physician
should be consulted. It is especially necessary that great
moderation be observed at first, an admonition, which we
the more urgently give, because we know it is needed, be-
cause those specialists who devote their time to diseases
of women are constantly meeting patients who date their
months and years of misery from the epoch of marriage.

li.

THE TESTS OF VIKQINITY.

There is a wiile-spread, an erroneous, and a most mis-
chievous notion accepted among those not ac(iuaiat<;d
with anatomy, that unless marriage is a bloody rite, it is
indicative of previous unchastity on the part of the bride.
We have hail instances l)iMught to our knc^wledge by cor-
respondents wliere the most poignant agony, and the
most cruelly unjust suspicions were the consequence of
this unlouuiled belief. It seems to have become general
from the perusal of those portions of Deuteronomy which
lay down the Mosaic ritual of marriage, in which this test
of virginity was considoved liu.il.

But there is every diilerencc between the ancient Jew-

142

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

ish maidens, brought up to an active life, married very
young, and of a peculiar temperament, and our young
women educated with lax muscles, and delicate frames, to
habits of indolence and debility. The consummation of
marriage with a virgin is by no means necessarily attended
with a tlow of blood ; and the absence of this sign is not
the slightest |»resumption against her former chastity. In
stout blondes it is even the exception rather than the rule*,
and in all young women who have suffered from leucor-
rhcea, the parts are relaxed, and flowing does not occur.

So, too, the presence or absence of the hymen is no test,
Fi'equently it is absent fiom birth, and in others it is of
exceeding tenuit}^ or only partially rej'resented. There
is, in fact, no sign wliatcver which allows even an expert
positively to say that a woman has or has not suffered the
approaches of one of the opposite sex.

They are all([nite as deee[)tive as that still practised in
Albania, known as " the sieve test." A skin is stretched
tightly across the top of a sieve, and the bride is requested
to stand upon it. If the sldn yield-, she is a virgin. Av»
it is very sure to do so, the Albanian biidegrooms are
perfectly convinced of the chastity of their wives.

The true and only test which any man should look for is
modesty in demeanour before marriage, absence both of as-
svmied ignorance and a disagreeal»le familiarity, and a piwe
and religious frame of mind. \Vhere these are present,
he need not doubt that he has a faitliful and a chaste
wife.

OBSTACLES TO TUE CONSUMMATION OF MARRIAGE.

We have now to consider the cases where for some in-
capacity on the one side or the other, it is not possible to
consurniuate marriage. \Vhen an inoa;>acity of this kind
is absolute or incurable, says Bouvior in the Law JJiction-
ary, and when it existed at the time of the ceieuiony (>f
marriage, both the ecclesiastical law and the s[)ecial

'W<

OBSTACLES TO MAUUrAQE.

143

In-

Ito

\n-
\oi
ial

statutes of several of the American States, declare the
marriage void and of no effect, ab initio. But the suit
must be brought by the injured party, and he or she
naturally incapable cannot allege that fact in order to ob-
tain a divorce.

An inca[)acity for marriage may exist in either sex, and
it may be in either temporary or permanent. We shall tirst
examine it

ON THE PART OF THE FEMALE.

The most common cause of a temj)orary character is an

excessive sensitiveness of" the part. This may be so great
that the severest pain is caused by tlie introduction of a
narrow sound, and the conjugal approaches are wholly
unbearable. Inflammation of the passage to the bladder, of
some of the glands, and various local injuries are also ab-
solute but temporary barriers. Any of these are possible,
and no man with a spark of feeling in his composition will
urge his young wife to gratify his desires at the expense
of actual agony to herself.

Conditions of this kind require long and careful medical
treatment, and though it is disagreeable to have recourse
to this, the sooner it is done the better for both parties.

A permanent obstacle is occasionally interposed by a
hymen of unusual rigidity. It is rare, indeed, that this
membrane resists, but occasionally it foils the efforts of
the husband, and leads to a belief on his part that his
wife is incapable of matrimony. A suit for divorce was
brought in a Pennsylvania court some years since on this
alleged ground. An examination by experts, however,
revealed the fact that no actual incapacity existed, but
merely a removiilde one, fiom this cans-,'.

A complete or partial absence of the vagina forms an
absolute and generally incurable obstacle to conjugal duty
on the part of the woman. Such a condition may arise
from an injury received earlier in life, and which has al-

144

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

lowed the sides to contract and j^)"ow toi^utlier ; or she
may have been so from bh'th. Sur;^eon.s have devised
various operations for the relief of this lualfoi'nuition, but
they are usually dan^^erous and of uncertain results. No
Nvouian should seek a matrimonial connection when thus
afflicted, and when it is not discovered until after mar-
riai^'e, the proper course is either a separation or a volun-
tary renunciation of niaiital privileges.

ON THE PART OF THH MALE.

These are far more numerous than in the female, and
foriij iin imiiortant branch of our sulijeet. Probably no
one topic in sanitary and physiological science gives rise
to more distressing and generally more causeless fears
than the anxiety lest one may not be able to fulfil the du-
ties of married life. A phiIo>ophic;d medical writer says :
" In losing the connnaiid of this function at an age when
it should be vigorous, man loses his self-respect, because
he feels himself fallen in impoitance in relation to his
species. Therefore the loss of virile power, real or sup-
posed, produces an efl'eet more overj)0\vciing than that of
honours, fortune, friends, or relatives ; even the loss of
liberty is as nothing compared to this ijitcriial and con-
tinual torture. Those who suffer from injustice or mis-
fortune can accuse their enemies, society, chance, etc., and
invent or retain the consciousness of not having deserved
tlieir lot ; they have, moreover, the consolation of being
abl'} to complain, ami the certainty of sympathy. But
the impotent man can make a contident of no one. His
misery is of a sort which cannot even inspire pity, and
his greatest anxiety is to allow no one to penetrate his
dismal se'cret."

We are well convinced that there are many to whom
these words a])ply, and also that there are many who
Buffer these pangs needlessly, or who at least are anxious
without cause. We shall therefore proceed to speak in

..?

J I

CAUSES OF LETHAUGT,

145

detail of the conditions of the male which render hhn
averse to the procreative act, incapable of completing it,
unable to attempt it, or barren in its results, under the
lieadin(js, lethargy, debility, impotence, and aterility.

But
His

atid

3 his

I. LETHARGY.

There are some individuals who are rarely or never
troubled by the promptings of nature to perpetuate lil'o,
and yet are by no means incapable of doing so. They
are indeed few in number, and are usually slow in mind
and of an extremely lymphatic and lethargic tempera-
ment. They experience very little desire and no aversion
toward the opposite sex. In a less degree, this trait is a
national one. The poorly fed peasants of the north of
Europe are remarkable for the little store they set by the
indulgence of passion. Such a condition need cause no
anxiety, and calls for no treatment.

A want of desire docs, however, often occur under cir-
cumstances which give rise to great mental trouble, lest it
be permanent. It may have many causes , some mental,
others physical. Prolonged and rigid continence, ex-
cesses either with the other sex or in solitary vice, a poor
and insufficient diet or the abuse of liquors and the plea-
sures of the table, loss of sleep, severe study, constant
thought, mental disturbances, as sorrow, anxiety or feai,
the abuse of tobacco, drugs, etc., all may lead to the ex-
tinction of the sexual feelin&s. So, too, may certain
diseases of the organs, especially those brought about by
impure intercourse, and by organic changes, the results of
age, and also, in some persons, a natural intermission in
the secretion of the procreative fluid, and occasionally a
dislike of the person to whom one is united. Athletic
exercises, severe and long-continued, have always been
known to bring about a temporary lethargy of tlie repro-
ductiva system, and poisons who grow ob^se nearly m-

1'^'

146

THE TllANSMlSSION OF LIFE.

variably find their passions diminish until they almost
wholly disappear.

Of these various causes, lethargy arising from muscular
or mental exertion, from continence, from emotion, and
from high living, need give no anxiety, as when the
causes are removed, the natural instincts will quite surely
re-assert themselves. " Men who gain their bread by the
sweat of their brow," says a n.""lical writer, "or by the
exhausting labour of their brains, should know full well
that they cannot hope to be always in a tit state to per-
form the sexual act. During certain periods when occu-
pied with other matters tlie thoughts can dwell but little
on such subjects, and no disposition exists to indulge any-
thing but the favourite or absorbing pursuit, mental or
physical, as the case may be. After a lapse of time dif-
ferent in various individuals, sucli thoughts arise again,
and the man who yesterday was so indifferent to sexual
feelings, as practically to be temporarily impotent, now
becomes ardent."

When such absence of feeling springs from self-abuse,
from excessive alcoholic driuks, sexual indulgence, Llie
employment of drugs, or tlie use ot toltacco, it is more
serious and more lasting. Then there is not only a tem-
porary cessation in the secretion, but the action of the
mternal organs has been alteied to a degree which may
prove permanent. Some may think in classing tobacco
under this head, we are going beyond what facts warrant.
But our own observation, as stated on a previous page,
leads us to indorse the views of Mr. William Acton, who
uses the following language : " I am quite certain that ex-
cessive smokers, if very young, never acquire, and if older,
rapidly lose any keen desire." The treatment in all such
cases can only be successful when the sufferer is willing,
and able, to renounce detinitely and completely the habits
which have brought about his condition. Of course, the
hygienic advice we liave to ofier to all our readers is,
never to allow themselves to be led into excess, and if

t iM. i

CUllIOUS SUPERSTITION.

147

they have ah-eady been guilty of such folly, the sooner
they renounce it the happier and healthier they will be.

When lethargy arises from age or local disease it must
be met by a judiciously regulated medical treatment
which we cannot detail here.

IL DEBILITY.

It is not uncommon to find desire present, and yet the
consuniiuation of marriage to be impossible from a want
of power, altliough the individual is by no means impo-
tent. This condition is called "false impotence," and
often causes great alaiin, though generally unnecessarily.
In persons of nervous temperaments, though otherwise
perfectly healthy, the force of imagination, the novelty,
the excitement, and the trepidation attendant upon the
ceremony of marriage completely overpower them, and
they are terrified to find it impossible to perform the
duties of their new relation. Sometimes this state of the
system lasts for days, weeks, and months. Recollecting
perhaps some early sins, the young husband believes him-
self hopelessly impotent, and may in despair commit some
violent act forever to be regretted.

In the superstitions of the middle ages this temporary
incapacity was deemed to be the work of some sorcerer
or witch. In France the spell was known under the
name of nouement d'aiguillette, and many a poor wretch
has expiated this imaginary and impossible crime with
severe tortures and life itself. The French perhaps, as a
nation with a prevailing nervous temj^erament, may have
been subject to such an affection more than others. Mon-
taigne in one of his essays speaks of it as something very
common, and with the enlightened spirit which character-
ized him, derided the superstitions with which it was
associated by the vulgar. He says in his essay on the
force of imagination: "I am not satisfied, and make a
very great question whether those married locks and im-

14S

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

pediment"!), with which this age of ours is so fettered that
there is hardly anything else talked of, are not merely
the impressions of apprehension and fear." This rational
explanation was not received generally then, because the
trouble was imputed to witchcraft ; nor now, because it is
attributed to permanent incapacity. But in all nations
and ages the nervous system is and has been liable to
Buch sudden prostrations.

Herodotus, the Greek historian, relates that Amasis,
King of Egypt, having married a Greek virgin famous
for her beauty, by name Laodicea, found himself de-
prived of all power to complete the marriage. Under
the impression that she had used some enchantment, ho
ordered her to be beheaded. But Laodicea begged time
and opportunity to erect a statue to Venus, bel'ore the
completion of which she assured Amasis his faculties
would be restored hira. The king granted her request,
and she thus saved her life.

Such instances not unfrequently come to the notice of
the physician, and if he is a judicious one, he refrains
from calling into requisition any of those powerful drugs
which act as stimulants to the functions, but rather
writes for some carminative, and assures the patient of
its efficacy. His promises are rarely falsified, for the mind
once convinced that the corrective has been found, the
nervous debility departs.

The case is different and more serious in that form of
debility attended by premature loss of the secretion or a
defective erectile power. To be sure, this too may arise
from the novelty of the act, want of power of the will,
undue excitement, apprehension, fear, or disgust, and in
these instances its treatment is obvious. But it is also
one of the commonest consequences of excess, of venereal
diseases, especially gonorrhoea, of solitary vice, and of all
those causes which we have previously enumerated as ex-
ertmg a debilitating influence c)n the masculine function.
Concerning its prevention and treatment we refer to

RARITY OF IMPOTENCE.

149

what we have already said in the second part of this
work. Usually this form of debility is associated with
considerjiblft irritability, that is, persons so atHlcted are on
the one hand very readily excited by the presence of the
other sex, or other causes, and yet are weak, and unable
satisfactorily to complete the conjugal duty.

All such persons snould sedulously avoid every kind of
artificial excitement, make free use of cold water as douche
and hip-bath, and often they require special and surgical
treatment, or the employment of electricity or galvanism.
Sometimes this irritability arises from an accumulation
of matter under the foreskin, or from the too great tight-
ness of this part. Debility may result from wearing
trusses for ruptures, as these meohanical appliances inter-
fere with the circulation, and hence impair the secretion
of the fluid. Should this impairment extend to the de-
gree of threatening entire loss of power, the question
would arise whether the hernia should not be cured by
what is known in surgery as the " radical operation."

A diet exclusively or largely vegetable is supposed by
many to weaken the powers, especially of such vegetables
as are chiefly made up of fibre and water, as cabbage,
turnips, beets, etc. So, too, any diet which is not nourish-
ing interferes with the functional vigour. The monks of
La Trappe are obliged by the rules of their order to abjure
meat altogether, and to subsist upon a loaf of black bread
and water each day. They are famous for the rigidity
of their vows, and the success with which they mahitaiu
them.

III. IMPOTENCE.

Actual impotence during the period of manhood is a
very rare complaint, and nature very unwillingly and only
after the absolute neglect of sanitary laws gives up the
power of reproduction. Whatever mercenary quacks may
write for base, interested motives, and however they may
magnify the ill-results of abuse, it is very uncommon to

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

find complete and permanent inability to consummate the
marriage rite.

Professor Lallemand gives the following definition of
this condition : " True impotence consists of want of
power, not once, but habitually; not only with prosti-
tutes, but with those whom we most love ; not under un-
favourable circumstances, but during long periods of time,
say five, fifteen, or twenty years." It is well that it is
rare, for as Prof. Niemeyer remarks : " Nut only sensual
women, but all, without exception, feel deeply hurt, and
are repelled by the husband whom they may previously
have loved dearly, when, after entering the married state,
they find that he is impotent. The more inexi)erieneed
and innocent they were at the time of marriage, the longer
it often is before they find that something is lacking
in their husband ; but, once knowing this, they infallibly
have a feeling of contempt and aversion for him." It is
the knowledge that they are becoming contemptible and
disgusting to their wives, that brings so many young
husbands, fearing they are impotent, to the physician.
And as Professor Niemej'^er goes on to say, unhappy mar-
riages, barrenness, divorces, and perchance an occasional
suicide, may be prevented by the experienced physician
who can give correct information, comfort, and consola-
tion when consulted on this suljeet.

Therefore we are careful to repeat that actual, perma-
nent impotence is very rare in early and middle life, that
nature is long-sutt'ering in this respect and slow to bring
in her revenges for even very gross violations of her laws.
In by far the most numerous instances, supposed cases of
impotence and actual cases of inability to consummate
marriage depend for their cause either on Ictliargy or de-
bility of the function, and are temporary, or at any rate
curable.

When a single man fears that ho may be unable to ful-
fil the duties of marriage, he should not marry until this
fear is removed, as the very existence of siicli a suspicion

hi : ^
If': I

CONSOLATIONS.

151

will stroTiiiifly tend to hr'mrt about the woaknesg which he
is so anxious al)()ut. Rather let hlin state his condition
fully to some iiitellii,'cut pyhsiciiin, and always preferably
to one whom he kncnvs and in whose skill and discretion
he has confidenco, and never to the specialists whoso ad-
vertisements he roads in newsfjajiers, and whose only aim
is to foster his terrors to the extent of frightening him
out of large sums of money without doing him a penny-
worth of good. And under no circumstances should he
adopt the scandalous and disgusting advice which immoral
associates may give him, to experiment with lewd women
in order to test his powers. Such an action must meet
with unequivocal condemnation from every point of view.

Should there be good medical reasons to believe that he
is actually impotent, he must not think of marriage. Such
an act would be a fraud upon nature, and the law both of
church and state declares such a union null and void.
Yet even with this imperfection, he need not give way to
despair, or to drink. There is plenty to live for besides
the pleasures of domestic life. Thousands of men delib-
erately renounce these. Tliere are careers of usefulness
and of pleasantness in abumlance in which he can pass
his days and hardly miss those joys which are denied
him. Certainly it would be far more deplorable to lose
sight or hearing than this faculty so rarely and some-
times never called into play. There is good cheer, there-
fore, even for such unfortunates.

That the causes of such loss may be guarded against, in
BO far as they are preventable, as every man is bound to
do, we shall briefly reca[)itulate them.

First, old nge. As we have explained in the first part
of this work, the period of virility in man, like that of
child-bearing in woman, is naturally limited to but a frac-
tion of the whole term of life. The physiological change
which takes place in the secretion in advanced years de-
prives it (if the power of transmitting life, and at last the
vigour of the function is lost. The spermatozoa, which Id

152

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

■4

manhood are hodios forniod, ns we liavo said, of a conical
head and a lon<:f, vihratini,' extremity, lose the latter por-
tion of their body, and beconio mere rounded cells, with*
out the power of independent nioti(jn. With the im-
potence of decrepitude, however, we have little to do, an<l
aa to its ])revention — cure, theie is none — we refer to
what we have already Siiid in the earlier portion of this
book, in rej^ard to prolonging virility.

The second cause is venercdl discnftcfi. M. Li(5£rf'oi,s,
who has most closely examim-d the effects of these
disenses on virility of any recent writer, considers that
they lead, more fie(|uently than any other class of mala-
dies, to permanent, incurable impotence. They may do so
eitlier by an actual destruction of the part, or V)y excitiiitj
inflammation in the secretory apparatus, or by attacking
the adjacent structuics.

Malformations are ;inothor cause. These may be na-
tural, dating from birth, or accidental, from injury, or
from some necessary surgical ojieration, or from design, as
in the case of eunuchs. They are so various that we can-
not give any special directions for such cases. When the
secreting glands are absent fom birth, there may or may
not be iuipotenco, but generally it is present. Cases aio
on record, however, where men in this condition have
married and had lar^e families of children. 8tuck-raisers,
however, look with well-grounded sus{)icion on the males
of the lower animnls which present this malformation.

The influence of self -abuse in producing impotence has
been much overrated for selfish purposes by writers who
Ciired nothing how much mental suffering they caused, .so
that they only bled their victims' purse. This habit
causes perversion of feeling, and debility, but does nut
alfect the character of the becretion, except when carried
to great excess.

"The diminished power of the onanist is usuany first
increased to teiu)'oiary impotence by reading popular
medical treatises on the results of his vice," ways ProfeSijor

AN ERUOa CORriECTtD.

lo3

Niemeyer, and it is the manifest truth of this r'^mark tliat
leiuls us to believo that some better information than tliat
now generally current on this topic will do ^'oo<l, and save
many from months of needless ani^uish. Tliis is true also
of spermatorrhoea. It leads to debility, but exceedingly
rari'ly to permanent incapacity.

M. Lidgeoia, in the paper from which wo have already
quoted, says this complaint, " as a general rule, docs not
modify the secretion." All that is rei^uired in the tem-
pi )rary condition of incapacity which arises from this
cause is to cease from the evil, to commence a course of
tonic medicines, and to place the body under the best hy
gienic conditions. Given these, and the most alarming
symptoms will disap[)ear, with a rapidity as gratifying to
the mind as it is beneficial to the body. Of course wo do
not deny that in some very few ciisca the insidious cor-
ruption of the system has progressed to such an ext'iit
that recovery is hopeless; but they are so uncommon tiiat
few physicians meet with them.

Every one knows that repeated excesses in indulgence
enfeeble the powers, and result at length in actually anni-
hilating them. Dissipated single men, professional liber-
tines, and married men who are immoderate, usually pay
the penalty of oft-recurring violation of natural laws, by
a complete loss of virility long before the average period.
We can but admonish such, that they indulge at their
own peril, and that years of ceaseless care cannot repair
tho damages which months of intemperance have brought
about.

We have already referred to the fact that ohcsity di-
minishes the generative faculties. It may altogether ex-
tinguish them. Trainers of domestic animals are well
aware that there is an antagonism between the fat pi(j-
(lucing and the reproductive powers. Capons are more
readily fattened than cocks, steers than bulls. So it is in
tlie human race. Both men and women, as a rule, com-
mence to grow stout the time their repioductive powers
flag ; and eunuchs always increase in tlesh.

! ■ '1

l'^:

154

THE TBANSMISSION OF LIFE.

Dr. Dancel, in his treatise on obesity, says this condi-
tion of body may lead to imi)oteiice, either mechanically,
by causing such an unwieldy growth that the conjugal re-
lation is rendered impossible, or by diminishing desire and
power.

As far back as classical antiquity, this fact was familiar
to physicians. Hippocrates, tlie father of medicine, cites
a number of instances where a too robust habit had
brought about virtual or actual impotence. Fat children
sometimes never manifest in after years any desire for
the opposite sex, and there are examples of young men
of thirty who wore completely devoid of feeling from the
same cause.

The remedy for such a condition is to observe a regi-
men which will reduce the flesh without impairing the
strength. This can be accomplished with ease and cer-
tainty by a judicial application of what is now fami-
liarly known as the "Banting system." The details of
this can be readily ascertained from Mr. Banting's pam-
phlet, or from other sources.

" I have never failed to observe," says T)r. Dancel, in
this connection, " that a man, not yet old, who is delivered
by a judicious diet of even twelve or fifteen pounds weight,
is astonished at the advantageous change which has taken
place in his virile powers since he has commenced to grow
thinner."

So that we can add a judicious regulation of the weight
of the body to the precepts we gave on an *. irlier page,
" how to prolong virility."

Th .re are some special causes of impotency not generally
known, aud therefore not guarded against. The habitual
use of opium or hasheesh, induces a general prostration of
the nervous system, and a debility of the powers of gene-
ration, which in the slaves to those pernicious habits
passes into complete impotency. General mal-nutrition
of the body {sine Cerere fHget Venua, is an ancient clas-
sical expression), lead poisoning, diabetes, and some

; m

STERILITT IN MAN.

168

diseases of the spinal cord, also may bring about this con*
dition.

Arsenical poisoning has the same effect, and it is worth
while to remember that poisoning from both lead and
arsenic are more common than people generally, on
account of the very extensive use made of the salts of
those metals in the arts. We have known and read of
repeated instances of lead poisoning from drinking water
brought in lead pipes, aud of arsenical poisoning from thj
colouring matter in green wall paper, and such familiar
sources. Nearly all the hair-tonioi and ha'r-colour resto'
rers sold so extensively contain sugar of lead, and may
produce the results of that poison by their outward
application.

IV. STERILIir.

In the legal treatises we have consulted in order to
acertain the view which that profession takes of various
questions concerned in virility, it appears that no distinc-
tion is made between impotence and sterility. Bouvier
in his Law Dictionary expressly calls attention to this
inaccuracy. The researches of physicians have recently
placed it in a strong light. It is perfectly possible for a
man to consummate marriage, when it is utterly impossi-
ble for him ever to have children. His power of trans-
mitting life is gone forever.

The condition of sterility in man may arise either from
a condition of the s3cretion which deprives it of its fecun-
dating powers, or it may spring from a malformation
which prevents it reaching the point where fecundation
takes place. The former condition is most common in old
age, and as a sequence of venereal disease, or from a change
in the structure or functions of the glands. The latter
has its origin in a stricture, or in an injury, or in that
condition technically known as hyi)ospadias, or in
debility.

We wish distinctly to add that neither self -abuse nor

• r-

) I

156

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

spermatorrhcea, nor excess in natural indulgence leads to
sterility. In all these conditions, the secretion ia, barring
exceptional ca^:es, perfectly capable of transmitting life;
though we may presume certainly not such vigorous life
as in healthy and moral individuals.

Dr. Marion Sims, of Paris, has recently given much
attention to sterility in man, and his researches have
thrown much light on the subject. As, however, they
will particularly interest the profession, we shall not
spare space for them here, but proceed to the discussion
of the practical question : Ought a man who believes him-
self sterile to marry ? He is able, we will say, to consum-
mate his union, but can have no expectation of offspring.

This inquiry is not rarely put. Old men who contem-
plate matrimony must take it as their own. Men with
certain deformities have also to discuss it. They cannot
explain their condition to the women they love ; hardly
can they disclose it to the most sympathizing and discreet
medical friend.

Our suggestions to them may relievo them from the
necessity of either. The only question really at issue is,
whether they should deprive a woman of the sweet satis-
faction of having little ones of her own to love and
cherish. Therefore if she be of such mature years as to
have passed the epoch when she can hope for such joys,
certainly there is no objection to the match. But if
young, with all the motherly yearnings and capacities
unsatisf'ed, it will be a cruel and a dangerous thing to
condemii\ her to a childless life.

It is possible, however, even where there is sterility in
the male, providing the secretion is not absolutely devoid
of life-producing properties, for the husband to have
children. This, one of the latest and most brilliant dis-
coveries in this branch of medical science, has been suc-
cessfully carried out by Dr. Girault, of Paris, whose essay
"on the artificial production of the human species" was
published in 186D. It would lead us into details of

\':i

EFFECrrS OP EliECTRICITT.

157

altogetlior too technical a character to do more than men-
tion the fact.

Those professional readers who would look into the
subject further will find the references at the end of this
section. Suffice it to say, that with such resources at
hand, no man need hesitate about matrimony on account
of sterility, unless that condition arises from a permanent
and absolute degeneration of his functions.

So far as the propriety of employing such means are
concerned, we cannot doubt that under many circum-
stances they are perfectly justifiable. They do not in any
way violate nature, or go contrary to her plans, but assist
her in carrying them out. Frequently it is of the utmost
importance to the happiness of a married couple that they
should have a child. When it is found that the sterility
in either partner is owing to one of the causes which the
plan of Dr. Girault can alone couiiteract — and it may be
either the fault of wife or husband — there can be no good
reason urged against carrying it out.

Where sterility depends upon a deficient secretion of
the seminal fluid, tlie patient may have a fair chance of
improvement, always provided no organic disease is pre-
sent. A regulated diet,^ tonics, and a change of climate
will do much ; but it is the judicious application of elec-
tricity from which most is to be hoped.

" It appears not unreasonable to expect,'* says Dr. Julius
Althaus in his recent work on Electro-therapeutics, " that
the secretion of semen may be restored when lost, or
improved when deficient, by he use of galvanism. A
deficient secretion of milk in the breast of a female, of
cerumen in the ears, of nasal mucus, and of saliva, may
be stimulated by the application of electricity. The same
effect may naturally be looked for by acting with the
continuous current upon the secretory glands of the
semen."

The value of this medicinal agent in debility and failure
of the generative powers has long been recognized by

. ?KJ !

^ ii

' h

158

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

US'! i

' ifl't*

professional men. As long ago as the close of the last
century it was even extravagantly vaunted as a restorer
of virility.

It acts as a powerful stimulant, and when combined
with proper general treatment holds out a promise of im-
provement and often of cure, in most cases whore no
structural change has taken place. But it is a useless
and even a dangerous remedy in ignorant hands.

Excessive passion in either sex leads to sterility. Some-
times this passes to a condition of true monomania, tech-
nically known as erotomania. In such cases it is usually
connected with some serious disease of the brain or spinal
cord, and may well give grounds for uneasiness.

When in men, it is known under the names of priapism
and satyriasis. The unfortunate subjects of these dis-
tressing complaints are constantly goaded by passion ;
their thoughts dwell most of the time on lascivious
images ; sleeping or waking tliey are besieged by passion ;
and yielding to their desires so far from assuaging only
incites them more, until the constitution breaks down
under the unnatural strain. Male Messalinas, they are
fatigati, sed non satiati.

The secretion under such circumstances is non-fecun-
dating, as • rale, lAowing the condition to be one of dis-
ease. And further proof to the same effect is the fact
that it may arise in persons who have lived continent
lives.

Whenever such is the case, it is the part of prudence to
abstain as far as possible from any indulgence whatever,
to take a regular course of treatment, to have a thorough
examination, and in all respects to regsird one's self in the
light of a sick man. Those who ignorantly and rashly
imagine that such excessive sensations are a mark of
vastly increased vigor, and felicitate themselves on the
change, will have bitterly to rue their error in after
years,

kiii.:

SPECIAL DIRECTIONS.

SPECIAL TREATMENT OF LOSS OT POWEB.

159

•I

What has been said about the causes of loss of power
will to a considerable extent indicate the care necessary
to prevent it, and to improve it.

But besides these there is a specific course of treatment
which, if persistently and intelligently carried out, is pro-
ductive of good results.

Except in those cases where there is an organic change
in the parts, or where it is the result of advanced age,
there is every hope that the power can be restored. The
weakness is a nervous weakness ; it depends upon a want
of strength in the nervous system ; and by having this
clearly in mind we may accomplish much.

It is well known that marriage often has an excellent
influence on the slighter affections of this nature. Aa
Prof. Lallemand says, " the regular and legitimate employ-
ment of the functions will alone give ail the energy of
which they are susceptible, and to this general law the
function of reproduction forms no exception."

Yet it is necessary to make the distinction here that
whenever it is not nervous debility, but local irritation or
inflammation which has brought on loss of power, no re-
commendation could be inoi(> injudieions than this of
marriage. The excitement will most certainly severely
aggravate the trouble.

Another consideration is, that while it is permissible to
marry in most cases of debility or temporary impotence,
such a course cannot be recommended out of considera-
tion for the young wife and future oflspring.

Who has a right to ask a hiippy and charming young girl
to forsake home and friends in order to rescue a lascivious
young man from the penalties of his own turpitudes ?
Who, being a father, would tolerate such a proposition a
moment if it concerned his own daughter ?

Then the act of procreation is physically the most ex-
alted one of life. Its demands ou the nervous force are

hi'

■i

fi 1

160

TiJE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

greater, and it requires tho expendituio of more of the
vital power. When this is the evident plan of nature,
what offspring can we reasonably expect fi-om flagging
and exhausted functions ?

While, therefore, marriage as a hygienic measure is
desirable, it shoulu be preceded or accompanied by treat-
ment of a more direct kind, specially directed to restore
the nervous force. This can be successfully done by vari-
ous agents.

One of the best is electricity, of which we have already
spoken. It does not suit where there is irritation or in-
flammation, but for debility, pure and simple, there is
hardly any more satisfactory therapeutic means. After
the patient has once been taught by a skilful practitioner
the particular method of application which suits his in-
dividual case, he can apply it himself. Good batteries can
now readily be obtained at a reasonable price.

Next in value is phosphorus. This agent, so dangerous
if carelessly or ignorantly employed, is of the greatest
service when wisely used. It is precisely the element
which the nervous system expends, and therefore that
which it requires to invigorate it. When there is a feel-
ing of exhaustion after the act, or incomplete preparation
for it, or when debility unattended with inflammation is
present in any of its forms, we find it of the highest
value.

It may be administered in various preparations, but
there is only one which it would be suitable or safe for
the non-medical reader to attempt. As we have remarked
on a previous page, death has in various instances re-
sulted from its injudicious employment. The one we
shall mention is " phosphoric acid lemonade." The foi-
mula is

Dilute phosphoric acid.
Syrup of ginger,
Water,

fifteen drops:
a tablespooniul {
a tumblerful.

This makes an agreeable beverage, and may be taken

USE OF DRXTGa

three times a day, bat not oftener; nor should the
amuuut of the dilute acid bu iiicieased.

The other powerful excitants of the nervous system
which are prescribed in such cases are all so dangerous if
mcautiDusly used that we shall not mention them. They
form part of the physician's reserves, and can only be
taken when the patient can be closely watched to prevent
any injurious effects.

[Authors and Works QnoTED on thb Above Topioa.— Bouvier, Die-
twnary • Legal Terms ; sub voce, Marriage and Impotence ; Eeich Natur-
geschtchte des Ehelihcn Lebens, pp. 92, 9.") ; Acton, On th€ Reproductive Or-
gang, p. 109 ; Dr. Horton, Medical and Surgical Reporter, Aug. 1869 and
leb., 1870 ; On Virginity, Tardieu, Lts Attentats aux Maurs; Marriac/e
Mites of all Nations, New Yorlc, 1869, chap. III. ; Professor Lallemand, On
Spermatorrhcea ; Dr. S. Durkee, On Gonorrhoea and Syphilis; Alfred
Maury Zrfi Ma<iie et VAstrologie au Moyen Age; On the nouements (Taiuuil-
lettes; Montaigne, R.isais, lAv. I., chap. xx. ; Herodotus. Bk. II. . M
Li6geois, Half-yearly Compendium of Medical Science, Part IV. Sect. II. •
Dr. Dancel, TraiU de I'obdxitS, chap. iv. ; Dr. Marion Sima, On Sterility m
Man, in the N. Y. .Ued. Jour., 18(i9 ; Dr. (Jirault, Etw/e sur la Giniratitm
artijicielle dans leiip&ce humaine, Paris, 18)0, and Medical and Surgical Re-
porter, June, 1870; Dr. Julius \lthavu, T^-mtise ou Medital MUctricitii
pp. G20 02^ aeowid edition, 1870.]

Ill

Mil

HUSBANDS AND WIVES,

^^in

Ws shall now suppose that the young couple have passed
through the trials and dangers of the " honej'-nioon," as it
is familiarly called, and have settled down to the staid
conduct of life as " old married people." In this condition
they will find themselves surrounded by circumstances
very different from their former experiences as single per-
sons, and it behooves them to give careful attention to the
precepts of hygiene now, lest })eculiar temptations L\d
novel trials lead them to the commission of acts for which
they will be bitterly but fruitlessly sorry in after years.
Therefore we commence our instructions with some re-
marks or

THE HYGIENE OF THE CHAMBEa

This Should be a large, well-ventilated room, with a
southern or western exposure, which can receive the
direct sunlight for several hours of the day. At least
twelve hundred cubic feet of air ought to be allowed each
occupant, so if two sleep in the room, and the ceiling be
twelve feet high, about fifteen feet square is a desirable
size. If one or more children sleep in the same room the
dimensions should be proportionately increased, or extra
pains should be taken to secure a lapid change in the air
of the room. No doubt much of the mortaHty which
characterizes the courts and alleys of our great cities is
due to the narrow and crowded rooms in which the ten-
ants sleep; and no matter how many other causes of dis-
ease are removed, so long as this remains, we cannot
expect to see a proper and normal degree of health estab-
lisiied.

In this country it is customary for married persons to
•leep in the same bed. In Europe, in the higher cb-sses,

SEPARATE ROOMS.

163

they nearly always occupy separate rooms. Louis Philippe,
the " citizen kini^" of France, who thought it policy to as-
similate himself in mode of life to the middle classes,
chose to make his fam'ly an exception to this rule, and,
during his reign, visitors to the Tuilerics were duly
pointed out the great double bed in which the king and
queen slept. Probably under most circumstances it is well
to adopt the American habit, as such nearness of body
leads to a nearness of spirit, and mutual trust and love
are fostered by the fact of contiguity.

Only when disease, or some avocation which leads to
disturbed slumbers, is to be taken into account, do we
recommend the op])osite plan. Some physicians suppose
that consumption is contagious, and of course many
chronic skin diseases notoriously are so ; and if present, it
is too severe a demand for the suflerer to make that a
healthy person should needlessly be exposed to the danger
of illness.

Pliysicians, who are called up nearly every night, can
hardly with propriety insist that their wives shall partake
of this annoyance inseparable from their avocation. But
we forget. We need not extend to them advice on the
subject of sanitary rules, as with these they are supposed
to be aheady familiar.

Cleanliness of person is a point about which married
people of both sexes cannot be over-scrupulous. When in
health, we urgently recommend them to use a bath every
morning or every evening. An unpleasant odor almost
always attends those who neglect this direction, and cer-
tainly few small things can sooner or more inevitably
lead to aversion than a bad smell. Persons whose feet, or
whose perspiration is generally foul, can obtain relief from
this by seeking medical advice. When it is their own
fault, as for instance from chewing tobacco, or from fre-
quent indulgence in spirits, they will s*^and sadly in their
own light unless they renounce these indulgences. The
man who likes his quid better than hia wife is not much
of a man.

1)34

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

Frequent changes of underclothing are desirable on this
ftccount as well as for general hygienic reasons, and any
painn bestowed on keeping the attire neatly arranged and
well cared for will not be lost. Women have more deli-
cate sensibilities than men ; they are more readily pleased
or repulsed by little things, and the husband who is an-
xious to maintain pleasant relations in his home circle
will do well not to neglect the cares of the toilet.

We pass from these considerations of general hygiene
to those which more particularly have to do with the state
of marriage ; and first

OF MARITAL RELATIONS.

At the outset of this important subject, we stop to cor-
rect a gross, but widely received popular error. Every
woman, every physician, nearly every married man will
support us in what we are going to say, and will thank ua
for saying it.

It is in reference to passion in woman. A vulgar opin-
ion prevails that they are creatures of like passions with
ourselves ; that they experience desires as ardent, and often
as ungovernable, as those which lead to so much evil in
our sex. Vicious writers, brutal and ignorant men, and
some shameless women combine to favor and extend this
opinion.

Nothing is more utterly untrue. Only in very rare in-
stances do women experience one tithe of the sexual reel-
ing which is familiar to most men. Many of them are
entirely frigid, and not even in marriage do they ever
perceive any real desire. We have in numbers of instan-
ces been so informed by husbands, who regretted it, and
were surprised at it.

Loose women, knowing that their business is increased
if they feign the pleasure to be reciprocal, often give oc-
casion for the opinion we are combating, in the minds of
young and inexperienced men. As Mr. Acton well re-

PASSIONS IN WOMEN.

165

marks : *' There are many females who never feel any
sexual excitement whatever; others afjain, to a limited
tloj^ree, are C4\pable of experiencing it. The best motliers,
wives, and miinagers of households know little or nothing
of the sexual pleasure. Love of home, children, and do-
mestic duties are the only passions they feel. As a rule,
the modest woman submits to her husband, but only to
please him ; and, but for the desire of maternity, would
far rather be relieved from his attentions."

This is doubly true of woman during the periods when
they are with child, and when they are nursing. The
whole force of the economy at these times is taken up
with providing sustenance for the new being, and there is
no nervous power left to be wasted in barren pleasures.
In those exceptionable cases where this does not hold
good, every excitement is visited upon the child, and it
has to sutler in health and growth for the unnatural ap-
petite of the mother.

The above considerations, which all married men will
do well to ponder, should lead them to a very temperate
enforcement of their conjugal rights. They should be al-
ways considerate, and not so yield themselves to their pas-
sions as to saciifice their love to the woman they have
married. Let us here quote the words of Dr. Horatio R.
Stover, of Boston, on these rights : " Restrained within due
bounds as to frequency, they serve to give a charm to life,
and to impart fresh courage for enduring its vicissitudes ;
but to gain these, one single rule must be observed. It is
this : That the husband compel his wife to do nothing that
she herself does not freely assent to. A forced union is
even worse than solitary vice. No true conjugal enjoy-
ment can exist unless it is nmtual. The true rule is to
take only what is freely given."

In a si.nilar strain speaks the distinguished old English
divine, Jeremy Taylor, in his excellent " Rules and Exercise
of Holy Living : " " Married people must be sure to ol)-
serve the order of nature and the ends of God. Ue is an

16«

THE TRANSMISSION OF LTFB.

ill husband that use.s his wife as a man tniats a liai lot,
havin<^ no other end but pleasuro. The pleasuie should
always bo joined to one or another of these amlH — with a
desire of children, or to avoid fornication, or to li^'iiten
and case the cares and sailnesses of household aHairs, or to
endear each other; but never with a imrpose, either in
act or desire, to separate the scinsuality from tlie>o cnda
which liallow it. Alarried ptojile nnist never loi'ce them-
selves into high and violent lusts with arts and misl»e-
coming devices, but be restrained and temperate in the
use of their lawful pleasures."

We cannot improve tipon this admirable advice, so
Bound, and so fitly cxpi-osscd, by one of the wisest and
purest of men; nor, though other authorities are numer-
ous enough to our hand, do we consider they are called
for.

It 13 impossible, necessarily, to lay down any specific
rules for the government of others in this particular; btit
we may state generally that no husband should force his
wife to submit to him against her will, nor should he
even ungently persuade her ; and for himself, whenever
he feels immediately after the act, or during the next day,
any depression, or debility, or disturbance of the health,
it is a certain sign that ho is overtasking himself. Tak-
ing men (m an average, we counsel them for their own
sake, when in middle life an<l usual health, not to indulge
more than once or twice a week, and in (»ld age and feeble
health (no matter if they do experience desire), by no
means so often, or not at all.

There are certain pei-iod;? when a complete cessation
should bo observed. One of these is during the monthly
sickness of the woman, and for a day or two after that
epoch. It is well known that among our American In-
dians at such times the squaws leave the loilge, and re-
main entirely segregated from the household ; and among
the Israelites the Mosaic law pronounces a woman un-
clean for a rmmber of days after her periodical illness haa
ceased.

^•^T

CONJUOAL RELATIONS.

167

The ori<]fin of these customs, no doubt, was that observa-
tion proved tliat iiitorcourso at such periods leads to dis-
ease in the male ; and modern science, after havinj^, as
usual, denied for some time tlio aneient opinion, has at
last proven its correftness. "It cannot be too often men-
tioned," says I)r. Alexander Stiiin, of New York, in a
paper read before the Medical Journal Association of that
city, February, liS70, " that venereal disease is not always
the result of impure intercourse, hut may arise from con-
tact with a female duriiiLj the existence of a discbarL;e
which is not .s{)ecific, as, for instance, durinj^ menstru-
ation." All oth(!r writers of note coinciile with this view,
and therefore the caution is necessary absolutely to ab-
stain at such times.

During pref,'nancy and nursing, conjugal relations
should be as few as possible. Some writers eontlemn them
altogether, but this we consider an extravagance. They
do no harm, providing that they neither on tiie one liand
unduly excite the woman, nor on the other are repulsive
to her.

In the former case they injure the growth of the foetus
before birth and sometimes provoke a miscarriage, and
after birth are (piite sure to deteriorate the quality of
the milk to the serious damage, perhaps, of the infant. If
repulsive, they lead to domestic imliii])piness, loss of
mutual respect, and sometimes to violent nervous excite-
ment on the part of the wife.

After a natural confinement, at least two full months
should be allowed to elapse before the i-esumption of the
marital relations, and if the labour has been an unusually
severe or a complicated one, it is prudent to extend this
interregnum yet anotlier month.

During and after the change of life it is also import-
ant to observe an uiuvonted moderation. During that
period any uiiaecusr<>med excitement of this character may
be followed by Hooding, and other serious symptoms, while
after the crisis has been passed, the sexual appetite itself
should wholly or almost wholly disappear.

1G8

TUE TKAJSSMISSION OF LIFE.

In what we have said it may be complained that w<(
harp too constantly on one string — that we are forever
repeating and urging moderation, temperance, restraint,
self-denial — that if marriage is going to be one r»onstant
torment of Tantalus, with the beaker of pleasure ever
filled and ever presented to the thirsty lips only to be
whisked away again the next moment, Jeaving the ardent
longings cruelly deceived, then that the charm of the con-
dition is gone, and it is better and easier to deny one's
self entirely than to irritate by half-iudulgence.

Or it may be thrown up to as that all this counsel is
useless because men will not be moderate in lust, and will
not practice self-restraint in order to spare feelings which
they cannot understand, and a delicar which they cannot
apjireciate, in a person over whom the law gives them, in
this respect, an absolute power. Very well, we are pre-
pared to enforce our advice with arguments drawn from
another source.

We must counsel moderation not only as a moral and
amiable trait, and as a bounden duty which man owes
woman, but more than that, as an imperatve obliga-
tion which every man owes himself. That he may know
precisely what may befall hiiu from a disregard of the pro-
cepts of temperance, we shall mentiijn a few of

THE DANGERS OF EXCESS.

The unmarried man, who purchases at a high price, and
rarely, the pleasures of illicit love, is generally suj)posed to
be the only sulterer from excess in the venei'eal act. Far
from it. He h by no means alone. More commonly than
is currently believed, the married man has to settle an
account lor innnoderate induliience.

To quote the words of a physician of wide experience
" Too fre(|uent emission of the life-giving fluid, too fi'e-
quent sexual excitement of the aervous system, is most
destructive. Whether it occurs in married or unmarried
people ha*i little or nothing to do with the result.

antl
to
Fai-

luiu
an

U'e
tVo-
lost
Plied

TWOFOLD NATURE OF EXCESS.

169

" The married man who thinks that, because he is a
married man, he can commit no excess, no matter how
often the sexual act is re[jeated, will suffer as certainly
and as seriously as the debauchee who acts on the same
principle in his indulgences, perhaps more certainly from
his very ignorance, and from his not taking those precau-
tions and following those rules which a career of vice is
apt to teach a man. Till he is told, the idea never enters
his head that he has been guilty of great and almost cri-
minal excess, nor is this to be wondered at, as such a cause
of disease is seldom hinted at by the medical man he
consults."

The nature of excess may be twofold ; either it is a
long-continued indulgence beyond the average [)o\vor of
the man to withstand, and which slowly but siuoly un-
dermines his health, strength, and life; or it is brief and
violent.

It is too often supposed that if only for a night, or a
few nights, or a week or two, a man gives the reins to
his passion and overtaxes his functions, a few days' rest
will restore him. It does seem to, but often only seems.
The ultimate consequences of libidinous excess, even when
that excess is of very limited duration, are becoming more
and more api)arcnt to physicians.

Dr. Thomas Laycock, Professor of the Practice of Medi-
cine in the University of Edinburgh, in an article pub-
lished quite recently on this subject, states it as the result
of his clinical experience, that "a great excess for a few
days only, acting like a 'shock,' may manifest its conse-
quences in the nervous system at a long distance subse-
quent ])eriod. A sudden, short, yet great excess may be
more dangerous than more moderate, aU)eit exces>ive in-
• lulgenco, extending over a long period. In certain consti-
tuticms, although only indulged in legitimately and for a
short period, as after marriage, such excess may act like
a shock or concussion of the spinal cord, or like a blow on
the; lu'ad, and may give rise to serious chionic diseases, as
epilepsy, insanity, and paralysis."

170

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

-! I

Tlie ordinary results of an annse of the conjugal privi-
lege are, in the man, very mucli the same as those brought
on by self-abuse. Locally there is ovor-excitation, irrita-
bility, and possibly inllammation. The digestion becomes
impaired, dyspepsia sets in, the strength is diminished,
the heart has spells of palpitation, the spirits are depres-
sed, spermatorrhoea may arise, the generic powers lose
their vigour, there is unusual sensitiveness to heat and
cold, sleep is not refreshing, and a jaded, languid indiffer-
ence takes the place of energy and ambition.

One of the most striking and characteristic effects is
indicated in the throat and by the voice. There is a very
close sympathy, and one notr»>adily explained between the
voice and the procreative function.

We have aln-ady mentioned the change from tenor to
bass which takes place at pubrrty, and never occurs in
eunuchs. Excessive mdulgcncL- often first shows itself by
an impairment of vocal ])0\ver, and a sense of dryness and
hoarseness ir the throat. Sijlf-ahuse and nocturnal losses
produce tlie same effects in men otherv/ise continent.
Often a chronic hronchitis or a loss of volume and strength
in the voice is due to some disorder or overstraining of
the masculine function, and the proper remedies must be
directed in accordance with this fact.

Avast amount of ill-health arises from this unsuspected
cause, and it is one of the benefits which we hope will
accrue from a more public discussion of this topic than has
yet been atteiiiptod, that there will be a gorK-ral ai)j>recia-
tion of the truth that a r.an for his own sake should exert
self-denial in mavi vige.

Still more should he do so for his wife's sake. Very many
women lose their health, and some, no doubt, their life,
through the constant solicitations of their husbands. One of
the ablest physicians of our country who has made the dis-
eases peculiar to women his s[)ecia) study, Dr. Storcr, says:
"Among these diseases is a very large class occasione*! (»r
aggravated by excessive sexual iudulgeuue." Of course wo

THE MAXINTUM OF POWER.

171

do but refer to this fact liere, as we have elsewhere treated
of women's peculiar functions and the disorders to which
they are liable, but we wish all men to know that often
they may injure their wives' health irretrievably by a self-
indulgent course, and with this run the risk of ruining
their own domestic happiness.

A foi)lish notion sometimes prevails that it is necessary
to heaitli to have frecpient intercourse. We have already
said that there is no condition of life more thoroughly in
accordance with perfect vigour than chaste celibacy. Next
to this comes moderation in married life. It is nevor re-
riuired for sanitar}'^ reasons to abuse the privileges which
law and usage grant. Any such abuse is pietty sure to
hriT» ; about debility and disease.

They may be long coming, and the connection may often
be obscure, but it is undeniable. The ancient Greek phy-
sicians were acquainted with the peculiar form of para-
i> iis now technically called " locomotor ataxy," anu attri-
i utcd it to excess in venery. Modern observers have
indorsed their opinion, and liave traced beyond doubt the
relation of cause and etl'cct in a number iu instances.

The question may now be put,

Wn.\T IS EXCESS ?

As a matter of figures it is difficult to answer, but there
is no difHculty whatever in stating explicily the laws of
liN'nene in the case.

The pow(;r of the ir.aspuline function in different men
varies groatly. E.Ktraordinnry accounts are given by some
wi'iters, and individuals are very apt to exaggerate their
c.ipacities.

It is well known that Au'^nistus, surnamed the Strong,
last King of Polaml, had throe hundred and fifty-four
childrtn, on which Carlyle justly remarks, in the History
of Frederick tJie Great, that Augustus cortaiidy attained
tlie maxiuKim in baotardy of any mortal on authentic re-
v»ord.

S^iP'

172

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

One of the Latin historians records of the Emperor Pro-
cUis that in the war with the Sarmatcs he violated one
hundred virgins in fifteen days. Such exhil)itions of brutal
lust are discreditable to the race, and nearly always disas-
trous to the individual

In point of fact it is impossible for even the most vigor-
ous man to repeat the sexual act more than five or six
times within twelve hours. Should it be attempt<ed more
frequently no spermatic fluid passes, but merely a glairy
mucus, often tinged with blood, or even pure blood. Plea-
sure there is none, and danger there is much.

Attempts have been made by legislators and divines to
fix definitely a limit to the conjugal approaches which
should be binding on all. The physician knows the impos-
sibility of such a regulation. What one man can support
with impunity will ruin the health of another. Each one
umst be a law to himself.

We have known men who for years hardly omitted a
single night to approach their wives, and yet seemed none
the worse. These are exceptions. If we are asked to give
some general average which may serve as a guide, we
should say that for a man past the first flush of youth,
whose mind or body is engaged in regular labour as severe
as that of ordinary business, once a week is as often as he
can prudently expend his force in sensual pleasure ; and
often he will find it of advantage even to restrict himself
more than this, as we have previously stated.

Generally speaking, the hygienic rule is, that after the
act the body should feel well and strong, the sleep should
be sound, and the mind clear. Whenever this is not the
case, w^hen the limbs feel languid, the ap])etite feeble or
capricious, the intellect dull, and the faculties sluggish,
then there is excess, and the act should be indulged in
more rarely.

Those who observe strictly this rule will need no other,
and will incur no danger from immoderate indulgence.

AUTHORS AND WORKS REFERRED TO.

173

[AnTHong and Works beferred TO.-Becquerel, Traiti d'HygUnc, Acton.
unProstUuUon ; Dr. Storer. Is it It p. 117 ; Jeremy TayL, Mules of
HoHLrvmg, p. 50 ; Dr. Stem, Neio York Medical Jouhial, June, 1870 •
Di. Napheys, Physical Life of Woman, p. 78 ; Dr. Lavcock Duhlik
Quarterly Journal of Medical Science (May, 18G9), On the Danaers of Libi-
dmousExcev ."Acton, On the Rcpro<hi,ctive Orpans, (p. 212), (•« Cltravman'»

^^ , Mnller, Ueber Unwdikmhche SamemverlusU (pp. 50-02), on Vtnenal

THE HUSBAND AS A FATHER.

The differences of the sexes, the emotion.s which depend
upon these differences, and the institution of maniar;o are
primarily and directly existent fur the purp(xse of tians-
mitting life, or, to put it more ])lainly, for having children.
Every married couple must distinctly and constantly im-
press this truth upon their minds, and be governed by it
in their life. Whatever relations they bear to each other,
whatever duties they may owe to society and them-
selves, all of them are subordinate to the paiainount
obligation of having and raising a family. We care not
what excuse may be imagined in order to escape tiiis duty,
it is inadmissible. Nothing short of positive incapacity
can exculpate either party.

It is not only their duty to have, not merely a child or
two, but a family of children ; but also, to do all in their
power that their offspring have all the natural advantages
which it is possible to give them. It may not be generally
known that this matter touches some of the most intimate
and earliest relations of the married couple. 13ut, now-a-
days, physicians at least are fully satisfied that the season
and manner of conception, the condition of father and
mother at the time, and several attending circumstances,
exercise a most important iniluence on the newly-formed
being. In order that tins topic, which we believe to be
one of the highest interest to all, may be properly under-
stood, we are obliged to depart from the rule we have
generally laid down for ourselves — not to tiespass on the
domam of tlie physiologist — and give a brief explanation,
so far as that is possible with the present possessions of
science, of that most mysterious and wonderful pheno-
XDeaion, conception.

THK HUMAN KGQ.

176

THE NATURE OF CONCEPTION.

The old writers had a proverb : " Every living being
originates in an egg." Without allowing this maxim the
latitude it claims, it is perfectly true so far as the human
race is concerned. Every one of us commenced our exis-
tence in an egg. The human egg, however, has no shell,
and is not, as with fowls and many lower animals, de-
posited outside the body. The female matures one or
several at each of lier monthly periods, and they piuss from
the sac which has hitlierto contained them on their way
to the outer world. They are so minute that they are
hardly visible to the naked eye, and so delicate in
structure that they readily perish. They remain a longer
or a shorter time in their passage from the spot where
they are formed to their destination, sometimes roquiiing
but a day or two, at others probably a week or two.

During this passage, should they come in contact with
the secretion of the male, the vibratory bodies which we
have described as spermatozoa surround the egg, penetrate
into it perhaps, and fecundate it. At this moment con-
ception has taken place, and a new member oi' the species
has commenced its individual life.

Now the interest of this process to us in the present
connection rests on the indisputable fact that the qualities
of the male eleraent are very largely influenced by the
condition, mental .'tt^ physical, of the father at the time;
and that these qualities materially change for better or
worse, as the case may be, the development of the egg,
and the growth, faculties, character, and destinies of the
newly-formed individual.

One of the best proven and most disastrous examples
of this is seen in children wlio have been conceived at
the time the father was partially intoxicated. There is
no doubt whatever that under such circumstances the
child is pretty sure either to be idiotic, or to liave epileptic
fits, or to be of a feeble mind and irritable and nervous

178

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

system. What a curse docs the unblessed cup here entail
upon the family ! How horrible the rellection, in after
years, that the idiot boy or the tortured girl owes its
wretchedness to the intemperate indulgence of the father !

The children of men who have exhausted themselves
by excesses, or solitary vice, or insufficient food, or severe
bodily and mental strain, are not what they would have
been if these deteriorating elements had been removed.
Very intellectual men rarely have large families, and
though to some extent talent is an inheritance, the child-
ren of such are apt to be either quite below or quite above
mediocrity.

The ott'spring of men who marry late in life usually
manifest some signs of the decreptitude which marked
their senile father. They are not long-lived, and are rarely
healthy. Their teeth and hair fall early, and they are
perhaps never conspicuous for sturdy muscles and power
of endurance.

Not dissimilar are those which are conceived at a time
when the father is recovering from or is threatened with
a severe illness. It is characteristic of the period of con-
valescence from some affections, that the passions are quite
ardent. A sound hygiene forbids their gratification. For
not only may this result in a relapse, or a lingering de-
bility, but it may bring into the world a child condemned
to an early death, or a lingering and painful life.

The seasons of the year exercise a very manifest action
on the secretion of the male element. In domestic and
wild animals this is familiar to every one. To a less ex-
tent it is observable in the human race. Tennyson refers
to it in " Locksley Hall :"—

" In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love."

Mr. Acton, possibly acting on the hint of the poet, has
taken the trouble to collect the statistics on this point, as
found in the registration reports of Great Britain. He
reaches the curious result that there are about seven per

FACTS CONCERNING CONCEPTION.

177

b, as
Ho

per

oi'ntura more conceptions in that country during the
.spring months than during any other quarter of the year.
And Dr. Edwaj-d Smith, of London, has pursued the sub-
ject further, and ascertained that the mortahty of infant?
conceived in the spring time is decidedly less than that ol
those whose existence has commenced at any other period
of tlie year. It would thus seem that a well-detined law
indicates that the male, as a rule, is more capable of per-
jietuating his species when the icy winter loses his hold
of the laud, and the warm breath of the south wind evokes,
as if by magic, sweet violets and gay daffodils troin the
dark and cold earth.

An even temper, peace of mind, and calm desires are
usually supposed, and with every probability, to conspire
favourably for the destinies ot the olfspiing. Jeremy
Taylor, in the work we recently quoted, says : ** Those
mixtures are most innocent which are most simple, most
natural, most orderly, and most safe."

It is both disgraceful and dangerous for a man to use
his wife as a libertine does a prostitute. How can he ex-
pect her to retain her respect for him, who shows none
for her ? How can he suppose that she will remain pure,
if he practices corrupt arts, and artiticial excitants ?

" Husbands should know," says the Seigneur de Bran-
tome in one of his curious books, " that when they abuse
tlieir wives by lascivious actions and discourses, they in-
jure themselves, and violate the purpose of marriage;
and if their wives fail in fidelity in consequence of such
corruptions, husbands have no right to demand redress,
for they have brought this punishment on themselves."

Too frequently, we fear, young !>> n regard this sacred
union as merely a safe and easy miiai.3 of indulging their
appetites. If they carry out 8uc;li an idea, they may
discover too late the magnitude of their folly.

It is a vicious and a vulgar error which pretends that
the unnatural ardoui-, the anxiety, and the sweetness of
the stolen fruit, which are associated with illicit love

178

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

tend to produce a more felicitously constituted being.
Illegitimate children are notorious for their mortality.
The deaths among them during the liist year are far
greater in proportion than among the progeny of the mar-
ried, as has been demonstrated l»y the wiit ers of the Report
of the Board of State Charities of Massachusetts (1868).
Some celebrated bastards there have been, it is true, but
they are the exceptions, and generally they have a taint of
viciousness or of monomania running in their blood which
spoils their lives. Shaksjieare, who had studied so closely
all that pertains to man and his superstitions, makes
Edmund in King Lear say : —

" Why brand tliey us with base ?
Who, in the hnty stealth of nature, take
^lore CDUipositicin and tierce (|Uality,
Than doth, within a dull, Btale, tiied bed.
Go to the creating' a whole trihe of fops,
Got between sleep and wake '!"

And proves hy the atrocious villiany of the youth, and
his utter want of natural affection, how false was the
sentiment he expresses in these lines.

True, that a certain amount of passion is eminently
desirable, and in all likelihood does beneficially affect the
offspring ; but here again, the judicious man will always
remain master of himself.

THE AVOIDANCE AND LIMITATION OF OFFSPRING.

He chooses the part of wisdom, which cannot be im-
pugned, who attentively studies the laws of nature and
obediently submits his life to her dictates. We have de-
fined the only natural object of marriage to be to have
and to rear a family of children. The question : How
many children is it our duty to have ? is one often asked
by the married. The father feels his abilities to educate
and provide for them limited ; the mothei-, who travails
in sorrow, and on whom the immediate care of them de-

ASTONISHING FERTILITY.

179

velvet, looks often with more dread than pleasure to
anutlier addition to her tlock. Her health may be giving
awMy and her spirits t!a^!L,fing.

If hei-e, as elsewhere, we seek by observation to derive
Noine reply to this inquity fioin nature, we find that she
has made cert;iin provisions for the definite limitation of
olls[)ring ; and unmistakulily wains us of the danger of
too rapid child-bearing, not only by deVnlitating the
iiiotlier, but by yielding imperfect, feeble, and deformed
children.

This limit she sets may indeed be a distant one. The
fecundity of some women is matter of astonishment.
Italian history says that the noble lady Dianora Fresco-
Imldi was the mother of (ifty-two children. Brand, in his
History of Newcastle, mentions as a well-attested fact,
that a weaver in Scotland had, by one wife, sixty-two
children, all of whom lived to be baptized ; and in Aber-
convvay church may still be seen a monument to the
memory of Nicholas Hooker, who was himself a forty-
iiist child, and the father of twenty -seven children by one
wife.

Such examples are, we need not add, so rare that they
belong to the curiosities of medical literature. We rarely
meet a woman now-a-days who is the mother of more
than ten living children. Even in such a family, the
3'oungest ones will usually be found puny, or rickety, or
idiotic, or deformed. Dr. Mathews Duncan, a careful ob-
stetric statistician, considers that that number, therefore,
is too great.

The safejijuard which nature has thrown out against
over-production is by constituting certain periods of
woman's life seasons of sterility. Befoie the age of nu-
bility, during pregnancy, and after the change of life, they
are always barren. During nursing most women are so,
but not all. Some even continue their monthly change
at this time. There is no absolute cei'tainty that a wo-
man will not conceive then, though the probability is
a^xainst it.

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180

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

A Bo-called agenetlc or sterile period exists between
each monthly change, during the continuance of which
it is not possible for the female to conceive. This branch
of our subject haa attracted much attention of late years,
from its practical character, but the conclusions reached
have so far not been as satisfactory as we could wish.
The present views of the most expert physiologists are
thus summed up by Dr. Dalton, of New York, in the last
edition of his treatise on Human Physiology: •* Inter-
course is more liable to be followed by pregnancy when
it occurs about fhe menstrual epoch than at other tinuis.
This fact was loiig since established as a matter of prac-
tical observation by practical obstetricians. The exact
length of time, however, preceding and following the
menses during which impregnation is still ])ossil)le haa
been ascertained. The spermatic fluid, on the one hand,
retains its vitality for an unknown period after coition,
and the Qgg for an unknown period after its discharge.
The precise extent of the limit of these occuirences is still
uncertain, and is probably more or less variable in ditfer-
eut individuals."

Thot;!, therefore who would take advantage of this
natural law can do no better than confining themselves to
a few days intervening about midway between the
monthly epochs.

We are most decidedly of opinion that it is proper and
right under Bome circumstances for married people to
avail themselves of these provisions of our economy, and
in this opinion we are supported by a large number of
divines, philosophers; and physicians. For example, when
the wife is distinctly sullering from over-much child-bear-
ing ; when the children are coming so rapidly that they
interfere with each other's nutrition ; when a destructive
hereditary disease has broken out after marriage ; and
when the wife cannot bear children without serious dan-
ger to her life.

Those who coincide with us here may urge the objec-

rillif!

PERIODS OF STERIL'TT.

181

tion, nnd it is a partially valid one, that the ol (sorvation
of these natural periods of sterility does not aii.swer the
end in view ; that they are uncertain and inadequate.
They are so to some def,Tee, but we believe them to be
nuu;h more reliable than they are generally supposed.

The next rcfuj^e is to renounce entirely the conjugal
privilege. This is a [)erfectly allowable and proper course,
if it bo with mutual consent. St. Johii Chrysostom, the
eminent father of the Greek Church, called Chrysostonios
or the Golden Mouth for his eloquence, expressly states
that the early Ciiristians did not consider it amiss. The
objection now-a-days urged against it is that it is too
severe a prescription, and consequently valueless. This
ought not to be. A man who loves his wife should, in
Older to save that wife overwork, and miser}', and danger
of death, and wretchedly constituted chihlren, be able and
willing to undergo as much self-denial aseveiy one of his
continent bachelor accjuaintances does, not out of high
devotion, but for motives of economy, or inditlerence, or
love of liberty. The man who cannot do this, or does not
caie to do it, does not certainly deserve a very high
position.

But while nil this is granted, the question is still con-
stantly put: Is this all ? Is there no means by which we
can limit our families without either injuring the health,
or undergoing a self-martyrdom which not one man in a
thousand will submit to ?

There are dozens and scores of means, if one mij^ht be-
lieve the indecent advertisements which are inserted by
unscupulous knaves in country newspapers. We warn
against them as fraudulent and deceptive. Most of the
artificial means projjosed for this |nir[»ose, and we have
reasons to believe extensively vcndcfl, can nono of them
bo used constantly without lither failing to accomplish
their purpose, or sowing the seeds of diseas(\ Many of
them are in the highest degree injurious and reproheuail.'l*^
and are certain to destroy health.

^ —

182

TUB TRANS^JISSION OF MFR.

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The habit of uncompUtt'd inteicouiso wliich nwiny
adopt must be disapproved on the same ^ouikIs. It does
violence to nature, and is liable to bring about prematura
loss of virility, and serious injury to the nervous system.

It is a doubtful question whether any of the appliances
of art recommended for this purpose, even if they are in-
nocent in regard to health, are morally to be approvctl.
Whether under some rare and exceptionable oircuuistancos
as when women conceive during nursing, or are incapable
of bearing children with safety to life, such means aie
permissible or not, must be left for the medical attendant
to determine, and he alone must bear the responsibility
of afhrming or refusing to affirm the practice. But in
the majority of marriages, where the avoidance of child-
ren is sought merely to save expense or trouble, or to
give gieater room for freedom and selfish pleasure, the
resort to such means must be unequivocally condemned.

We may be criticized, a» indeed, we have been, for re-
ferring to this delicate and difficult subject at all. But,
ns the Rev. John Todd pointedly remarks in an article on
this very topic : " If there be indelicacy, it is in the facts,
not in calling attention to them." " It has become the
fashion," says that distinguished clergyman, " for parents
to be leading round a solitary, lonely child, or possibly
two, it being well understood, talked about, and boasted
of, that they are to have no more. The means to prevent
it are well imderstood instrumentalities shamelessly sold
and bought, and it is a glory that they are to have no
more children." This is sadly true, esi)ecially in the cities
and large towns of this country.

Its results are even more conspicuous in Fjance. Dr.
Bergeret, a prominent physician in one of the [uovincial
towns of that country, diaws a striking picture of the
demoralization it has brought abcut. He shows how the
bonds of public morality have been loosened, tlie sacred
institution of marriage converted into le<.'al prostitution,
woman sunk in respect, man yielding to unnatural de-

A NATIONAL QUESTION.

183

bauches, losing his better impulses to plunge into aen-
Buality, diseases and debility gaining ground, the number
of births constantly deineasing, and the nation itself in-
curring the danger of falling a prey to its rivals through
a want of effective soldiers. The picture is a gloomy
one, and is probably but little overdrawn.

If it is true that the native American population is
actually dying out, and that year by year the births from
couples born in this country are less in proportion than
those from couples one or both of whom are of European
birth, as many have asserted, then we must seek the ex-
planation of this startling fact either in a premature de-
cay of virility, or a naturally diminished virility in mid-
dle life in the husbands, or to an increased tendency to
sterility in the wives, or else, and this has been the, per-
haps, hasty conclusion of most writers, we must suppose
there is a deliberate and wide-spread agreement between
those who are in the bonds of matrimony, that American
women shall be childless or the next thing to it.

Sometimes this is secured by the prevention of concep-
tion. This, when it is accomplished by any other means
than the observation of the natural periods of sterility
oonjouied with abstinence, is not to be sanctioned as a
rule.

But when resort is had, as it frequently is, to the prac-
tice of

CRIMINAL ABORTION,

then no language is too severe for its condemnation.

We need not here rehearse what others have said upon
this topic, and what we ourselves have spoken concerning
it with no uncertain sound. But there is one element in
this crime which we wish here to bring prominently for-
ward. It is the responsibility which the husband has in
its commission.

It is uheless to deny or to conceal the fact that in very
many instances the husband's dislike of a large family.

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184

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

eombined with his unwillingness to practice self-denial
in regard to his appetites, is the motive which, beyond all
others, induces the wife to visit the fashionable Aborter,
and lo destroy the fruit of her womb and imperil her own
life and health. This cowardice and brutality on his part
cannot anywhere find an excuse. As Dr. Horatio R.
Storer observes in his la It 11 —

"In a very large proportion of cases, thisshockinf^ and
atrocious act is advised and abetted, if not compelled by
the husband.

" For the woman, enfeebled perhaps by too excessive
child-bearing, for which her husband is generally wholly
responsible, for few of our wives do not become, sooner or
later, virtually apathetic; for the woman, timid, easily
alarmed, prone to mental depression or other disturbance,
and dreading the yet safe and preferable labour that
awaits her, there is a certain measure of excuse. For her
husband, none."

This flagrant abuse is not confined to immoral circles
of society, nor to the corrupt atmosphere of our great
commercial centres, but extends into remote country ham-
lets, and throughout all grades of social life. We call
upon our readers by example ami precept to do their
utmost to stem its devastating tide, and at least in their
own families, and among their friends, to mete its due
reprobation.

Its worst eflTects are not seen in marriage, though no
physician is ignorant how many women in the com-
munity sufi'er from the vile " French pills " and " female
regulators " hawked about, as well as from rude instru-
ments in awkward and unfeeling hands. But it is in the
impunity which the vicious believe they enjoy, the tempta-
tion to indulge in lustful and illegitinmte luiv^oiu, the
weakening of virtue, that its most serious consequences
ere manifest.

The laws in several of our States on this subject are
Mvera. In New York it is a penitentiary ofience to per-

SEXES AT WILL.

185

lorm, or to obtain, or to aid in obtaining an abortion. But
yet, such is the boldness of vice, that in the New York
city papera scores of advertisements of professional abor«
tionists may any day be seen 1

I *

ON THE PRODUCTION OP THE SEXES AT WILL.

It is often a matter of the utmost interest in families
to have a child of a particular sex. There is always a
liHappointment in having a number of children, all either
boys or girls. The father, as a rule, takes greater inter-
est in his daughters, the mother in her sons. The ideal
family is composed of some of each sex.

Now we believe that we are not asserting prematurely
a scientific discovery, when we confidently say that the
law which governs the production of the sexes has been
ascertained ; and that, with a due allowance for certain
elements of uncertainty, and they few in number, persons
can have either a daughter or a son, as they prefer.

What is more, this law is not confined to the human
race, but extends throu^'hout all those species of animals
technically known as oviparous, or which reproduce by
means of an egg, wheiher this egg is deposited without
the body or matured within it. And as stock-raisers,
bird fanciers, bee merchants, and all engaged in the breed-
ing of the various kinds of domestic animals, of teu would
give a great deal to have it in their power to breed either
sex at will, we shall give such details of the extent and
workings of this law as to put it in their power, in the
large majority of cases, to obtain either males or females,
as they })refer.

The discoverer of this law was a French veterinary
surgeon, Prof. Thury, of the Academy of Geneva. He
studied with particular care the sex of the offspring with
reference to the date of conception. Of course, in mares,
bitches, cows, and the other domesticated animals, this
could be ascertained without any duubt. Ue found that

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186

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFI.

when the male was'given at the first signs of heat In the
female, the result was a female ; but when the male was
eiven at the end of the heat, the result was male oAsprin^'.
With hens, the eggs first laid after the tread gave females,
thosa laid subsequently, males. The eggs first laid by the
queen bee yielded females, those laid later, males.

A certified report to the Agricultural Society of Canton
de Vaud, Switzerland, made in 1867, reports tlie result
of a careful testing of Professor Thury's law In the follow-
ing words : —

" On twenty-two successive occasions 1 desired to have
heifers. My cows were of the Schurtz breed, and my
bull a pure Durham. I succeeded in these eases. Hav-
ing bought me a pure Durham cow, it was very important
to me to have a new bull, to supercede the one I had
bought at great expense, without leaving to chance the
production of a male. Accordingly 1 followed the advice
of Trof. Thury, and the success has proven once more th«
correctness of his law. I have obtained from my Durham
bull six more bulls for field-work ; and having chosen cows
of the same colour and height, I obtained perfect matches
of oxen.

" In short, I have made in all twenty-nine experiments
after the new method, and in every one I succeeded in
the production of what I was looking for — male or female.
I had not one single failure. All the experiments have
been made by m3'aelf without any other person's inter-
vention ; consequently I do declare the law discovered by
Professor Thury to be real and accurate."

Much other evidence from recent writings on the rear-
ing of domestic animals could be adduced to justify the
opinion of this reporter. On a number of stock farms in
France, England, and this country, experiments have
been conducted which show that tnere is much that we
can depend upon in Professor Thury's law. Certain
exceptions and apparent contradictions have also been
noted, and some objections on theoretical grounds have

SOME CURIOITS FACTS.

187

been urjrod. For instance, Dr. Waldeyer, of Breslau, in
lii;} recent able work on the " Ovary and Ovum," opposes
Tlmry's hypothesis on the ground that the ovum, for some
time after fecundation, is, in a certain sense, a herma-
phrodite ; in other words.the elements which go toward the
formation of the sexual organs are alike in all. But as
neither Waldeyer nor any one else has been able to say
what mysterious something it is that finally decides the
development of these elements into the peculiar organs of
tlie one or the other sex, his objection falls to the ground.
It is quite likely to be something in the ovum itself, de-
pendent upon the length of time it has left the ovisac, as
Thury asserts.

Sotno curious facts may be explained by this theory,
We referred on an earlier page to the statistical observa-
tion that more male than female children are bom. This
would seem to be because the time when the ovum can pro-
duce a female is limited to a few days of its earlier inde-
pendent existence ; while all the rest of its life it can lead to
a male. If we take a large number of observations, it will
be seen that when the husband is from fifteen to twenty
years older than his wife, most of the children will be boys.
This again is because the conjugal rights are more rarely
exercised by men of advanced years, and the limited time
just referred to, when the ovum can become a female, is
skipped more frequently.

Observations in the human subject on this point are of
course vastly more uncertain and liable to error than in
the lower animals. Nevertheless, a sufficient number
have been recorded to remove any reasonable doubt that
it holds good with man, as it does with the inferior ani-
mals.

Ph3'sicians constantly observe that if labour comes a
few days before " full term," or just at term, the child is
more likely to be a female ; but if labour is delayed be-
yond term, which is the same as saying if the conception
took place quite a number of days after the cessation of
uieustruation, then it is more likely to be a boy.

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188

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

Several physicians, interested in satisfying themselves
on this important topic, have noted the occurrences in
their own families, and published the results in medical
journals. So far as these have come to our notice, they
are uniformly in support of Thury's law.

There remains an uncertainty as to the precise time at
which the human ovum loses its power of producing the
female sex in the foetus. For reasons very readily under-
stood, the study of this subject is surrounded with dilH-
culties. Moreover, it may well be tliat a difference in
this respect exists in ova and in individuals.

There is also a liability to error from a want of exact
knowledge on our part as to how long the male element
remains active after it is removed from the body and be-
fore it comes into contact with the ovum of the female.
Should this indeterminate period extend over several daya,
as it is highly probable that it does, it will readily be
understood that an error in the application of the rule
miifht result.

A third possibility of error arises from some uncertainty
as to whether the act of menstruation in the human female
is strictly analogous to and coincident with the process of
ovulation. \Vhile there is no question that the external
sign, and th(3 general congestion arise from the maturation
of an ovum, it is not yet known whether this ovum is dis-
charged from the sac in which it has been ripening, at
the commencement, during the course, at the termination,
or immediately subsequent to the presence of the monthly
symptoms. Authorities differ on this, and it is most
probable their disagreement is to be explained by sup-
posing that there is no tixed time for the discharge of the
ovum. Consequently we are at a loss to estimate exactly
the age of the ovum at any given period after menstrua-
tion.

We have been careful to note all these elements ot error
in adopting Thury's law, because we believe his discovery
to be one of vast importance, and well established in the

PERIODS OF OONCEPTION.

189

inferior species ; and in its application to the human race,
it were to to be rej^retted if a tew disappointments, which
may readily be explained, should lead to its rejection.
As a general rule, we consider ourselves perfectly safe in
saying that the earlier conception takes place after the
menstrual tiow has ceased, the greater is the probability
that the offspring will be female ; and the further removed
from that period (always omitting four or five days an-
terior to the following monthly illness), the more likely
is it that the child will bo a male.

Before leaving this subject we will glance at one ob-
stacle which has stood in the way of its reception. Some
have imagined that the theory of M. Thury is overthrown
by the fact that twin children are sometimes of different
sex. But this is an argument founded on our ignorance.
We do not know at all positively that the conception of
both these beings took place at the same time. It is not
merely possible, but for various reasons highly probable,
that days intervened between the commencement of life
in the one and in the other. So this fact, too, fails to
militate against the general law.

sup-

of the

sxactly

nstrua-

icovery
in the

lAcTHORS AND WoHiH BBPKRRED TO IN THIS sKonoN.— Marshall, (Hit-
lines of Physiology : Dalton, Human Physiolony ; Dr. S^sftiin, On tht Cauau
of Lliooy, N.Y. Medical Journal, 1870 ; Dr. Eilward Sniiih, Cydioal Ckangu
in Health and Disease ; Actoa, Disorders of the Btproductive Organs, p. 105 ;
Hufeland, Art of Prolonging Life: De Brantdme, Vies des Dames OaUtntfs,
Diacours I., p. 35 ; Kaciboiski, UAgt Critique eha la Femme, p. 484 ; Phila-
deJphia Medical and Surgical Reporter, Tol. xlx., p. 805; Kev. John Todti,
TheClondteitha Dark Lining ; Har^wtt, Les Fraudes dans V AccompiissenutU
de PAete Qinirateur; Dr. Ho(iKe, Criminal Abortion, 1809 ; Storer^ Vrimiuai
Alm-liun ; Wal«l«y«r, Eirstock und Ei, ^ 102, cUh]

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WHAT FATHERS BEQUEATH CHILDREN.

"The child is father to the man," it is said. We are
not concerned with this adage, but with tho seemingly
self-evident axiom that " the man is fatlier to the chili 1,'
in a deeper sense than in being his immediate ancestor.
The father has not merely transmitted life to his ollHi)ring,
but he has fixed upon him, to a certain extent, his men-
tal and physical peculiarities, and even his moral nature.
The child does not, of course, always exactly resemble its
father. Indeed, the fathei's iidluence is less potent than the
mother's ; but it is a constant ever-present force in the
(child's being which often writers witli " pen of adamant
on tablet of brass." Let us then study, brielly though
it may be, the laws and limitations of that heritage
which, in the language of a distinguished [«hysiologi.st,
" has, in reality, more power over our constitution and
character than all the influence from without, whether
moral or physical."

We will tirst consider

THE PHYSICAL QUALITIES WE INHERIT,

particularly from our fathers. It is not difllcult to prove
that physical qualities are transmitted. We need not
give instances of resemblances in form and feature be-
tween father and child, for they are matters of daily ob-
servation to every one. It is interesting to know that
the male influence is noticeable even in plants, for through
the pollen of flowers the tints and varieties may be modi-
fied at will.
TIm influence of the father i« most marked in the ex-

TUB FATUKUS LEQACT.

191

torior and extremitioa of the chiM, while the iniernAt
organs emanate from the mother. The father is most apt
to determine tlio muscular orj^anizjition, the mother the
nervous system and temperament. This law is not an
absoUite one. The mulo and hinny afford illustrations of
its operations in the animal kingdom. The mule hray»
while the hinny ne'ujhs. The mule derives it."* muscular
structure from its sire, the ass, and, therefore, has his
voice, for the voice is determined by the muscular organ-
i/ation of the part. The hinny, on the contrary, which
has the muscular system of its sire, the horse, like him,
neighs.

The influence of the father varies also with the acx of
the child. The tendency seems to he for him tf^ transmit
to his daughters the coiiiormation of the head .ad upper
portions oi:' the body. His sons are more pione to d. "ive
the form ol those parts from the mother. Hence it lidp-
peus, as we shall have occasion to remark presently in
speaking of mental (jualities which are inherited, *,];at
(laughters partake more fre([uently than sons do of the
intellectual |)eculiarities of the father.

Fathers not merely give the muscular organization to
their offspring, but also the force and agility acijuired by
training. Thus, in ancient times, the (dhletes were found
in families. In the case of animals celei»rated racers are
known as valuable breeders. Eclipse is said to have been
the sire of 334« winners, who secured for th<ur owners the
amount of $800,000. King iierod, a descendant of Flying
Childers, begot 41)7 winners. Unknown horses, which
have unexpectedly won great races, have always been
proved, upon examination, descendants, through many
generations, of first-rate ancestors.

Stature is often hereditary. The giant Chang, who was,
until recently, on exliibitioii in London, is eight feet six
inches in height. Ills father was nine feet high. The
tall guards of Frederick William of Prussia were for fifty
years (quartered at Potsdam. That place '\& now remark-

192

THE TIUNSMISSION OF LIFE.

i I

able for the nuTnerous gigantic figures met in its streeta
They are the offspring of the guards and tL3 women of
the city.

Peculiarities of the sense of taste are in many cases the
effects of inheritance. In this manner Montaigne accounted
for his inveterate dislike for physic and physicians. One
of his ancestors wlien dangerously ill and assured that if
he did not suffer himself to be treated, he would die, re-
plied, " Je suis doncques mort." Montaigne asserts that
his dislike for nu^dieines was directly tracealde to this
ancestor. Louis XIV. was excessively fond of the pleasures
of the table. All his children were markedly voracious
and gluttonous.

Longevity is a family trait. Sobriety, and a regard for
the principles of hj'gioie, will not necessarily insure long
life. These may maintain a condition of health and vigour,
but length of life is largely determined by inheritance.
liOngevity is a talent. It may be improved like any other
talent, or it may be wasted, but no amount of cultivation
will create it. In spite of intemperance and exposure, a
man who has this talent for long life may become a cen-
tenarian. A saddler, aged 113, whose grandfather died at
112, and his father at 113, was asked by Louis XIV. what
he had done to attain to such length of days, he replied :
" Sire, since I was fifty, I have acted upon two principles :
I have shut my heart and opened my wine cellar." Again,
Goloiubrewski, a Pole, notwithstanding the hardships of
eighty years of service 83 a common soldier, the fatigues
of thirty-five campaigns u jder Napoleon, the sufferings of
the terrible Russian campaign, the effects of five wounds,
and the recklessness of a soldier's life,8urvived,and in 1846
wya still living at the age of 102. But, it is to be observed,
his father attained the age of 121, and his grandfather
130. A well-known literary character, M. Quersonnifires,
was living in 1842, in the full possession of all his powers.
He said : " My family descends from Methuselah ; we
mu«t be killed to die ; my maternal grandfather was killed

ii\ i

THE FATIIFRS LEGACY.

193

1846
Tved,
father
litres,
)wers.
we

:illed

by accident at 125 years of a!::fo, and I," ho added, smiling,
" invite you to my burial in the next C'ntury." The expe-
rience of life insurance and annuity companies iia.s made
BO apparent the inlluence of heritage over longevity, that
facts bearing upon this point in the family history have
much weight in the calculations of the actuary.

Deformities are often transmitted from father to son
through many generations. Edward Lambert, called tlie
Porcupine man, is an illustration. He was first exhibited
before the Royal Society, England, in the year 1731, at
the age of fourteen. The whole surface of his body was
Covered with a peculiar horny or bristly growth, " looking
and rustling like the bristles orquillsof a hedgehog Hhorn
off within an inch of the skin. When, twenty-six years
after, he was again presented at the lloyal Society, he was
still covered by the same bristles. In t)»e mean time he
had had sumllpox, followed by a temporary loss of his
scaly covering, which was soon, however, renewed. He had
been married, and had had six children, each of whom, at
nine weeks of age,like himself, began to assume this rugged
eoat. Subsequently, it is on record that three grandsons
of the original porcupine man, Edward Lambert, were
shown in Germany with the cutaneous incrustation above
described.

In this connection an interesting question arises: Are
tJte results of accidents inheritable f As a rule, they are
not. Authentic instances are not wanting, which might
readily be cited, showing that this rule has its excei)tions.
But the natural tendency is fortunately against the pro-
pagation of a physical injury. Thus, although the sins of
the fatl era are visited upon their children, their misfor-
tunes are not.

For what purpose have we brought forward the above
facts in regard to inheritance ? Merely because of their
relation to the important question of prevention. It is
this alone which concerns the father who reads these pages,
iuHuenced by one of the noblest of all human motives,

p'P«WTjr,,pjj^

fWV

194

THE IKANSMISSION OF LIFE.

the desire to benefit his offspring. Such a one wishes
above all to know

HOW TO AVOID HAVING DISEASED AND DEFORMED CHILDREN

I I

f !

The father's care over the health of his cliild shoiil 1
begin bulore its birth, nay, before its conception. Proper
attention Uien may avert taints of the system which, once
implanted, no medical skill can eradicate. The truth of
this statement is recognized by breeders of animals. Mr.
Youatt, one of the best authorities upon the breeding of
horses, observes, " The tirst axiom we would lay down is
this, like will produce like ; the progeny will inlierit the
qualities or the mingled qualities of the parents. We would
lefer to the subject of diseases, and state our perfect con-
viction that there is scarcely one by which either of the
parents is aflected that the foal will not inherit, or, at
least, the predisposition to it ; even the consequences oj
ill-uswie or hard work will descend to the progeny. We
have had proof upon pi'oof that blindness, roaring, thick
wind, broken wind, curbs, spavins, ring-bones and founder
have been bequeathed both by the sire and the dam
to the ofispring. It should likewise be recollected that,
although these blemishes may not ajipear in the im-
mediate progeny, they frequently will in the next gener
ation. Hence the necessity of some knowledge of the
parentage both of the sire and dam."

The influence of one parent upon the other in counter-
acting or intensifying the degree and the ceitainty with
which the ])hysical qualities of one or both are transmitted
must be borne in mind. If the same defects be possessed
by each parent, they will be quite certain to api)ear in the
children. If only one parent be affected, simie or all of the
children may escape the inheritance. Take, in iilustia-
tion, that most common of all diseases, consumption. If
husband and wife both have this aff'eetion, all of the ofl-
iprings will be quite certain to be consumptive or scroful-

W -

USEFUL RULES.

19.^

ill

ous. If one of the parents be healthy, it is possible that
only some of the children will be scrofulous, and everi tiiat
none of them will inherit the disease. It is most fortunate
that the tendency of a disease to propagate itself by inhe-
litance is often overpowered by the stronger tendency of
a vigorous constitution to impress itself upon the offspring.
If it were possible to apply this principle to its fullest
extent in every individual case, by never making a feeble
constitution excepting with one of that healthful vigour
best calculated to counteract its transmission, the heritage
of disease would, doubtless, hoon be unknown. While
it is impossible to lay down any absolute rule of conduct,
atid useless to hope that any such rule would be generally
followed, even if enunciated, it behooves every man to
know, be he strong or weak, that, for the reason just men-
tioned, he may marry a woman who will bear him healthy
children, Mdiereas his children by another woman may be
(loomed. The responsibility and risk are his own. We
can only indicate them.

We have also words of cheer to utter in regard to the
descent of discised conditions from generation to genera-
tion. It is a stern fact that " Our fathers have sinned,
and are not ; and we have borne their iniquitiea" But
disease is not eternal. The oM's[)ring of sinning fathers
are not without all hope. The counteracting influence of
one parent over the other with transmission of life, of
which we have just spoken, does nmdi to maintain health-
ful vitality and beauty in spite of the degrading ten-
dencies whicli may be present. In addition, however,
there is a force resident in our nature by wliinh the dis-
eased orffiinizution tends to return to health. This beniffu
healmg force, this vix mnhcatrix,

** Which hath an operation more divine
Than breath or pea can give expression to,"

is ever influencing the effects of inheritance. Were it
not for this beneiicent law the human race would rapidly

w ■[

196

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

! I

degenerate. The results of its operation can be seen in
the faces of the children of squalor and vice who thn ng
the narrow streets and wretched houses of our crowdcti
cities. If, happily, time had not purified the debasf^d
organization and restored health, we should look in vain
there for that comeliness of features, grace of figure, and
strength of limb which are now frequently to be observed.
As has been truly said, " the effects of disease may be for a
third or fourth generation, but the laws of health are for
a thousand."

The law of inheritance is a certain but not an invari-
able one. Its force must not be over-estimated. For if
it were always true that the child of a father tainted
with insanity or consumption is born with these afi'ections,
then moral law would imperatively forbid marriage. It
is known that the ofi'spring of a father who has too many
or too few fingers sometimes escapes the transnussion,
when both yarents have riot been sirnilarly affected. As
the child inherits from the mother as well as the father,
many or all the members of the family of a tainted father
may be born with only a slight taint of the system or
none at all.

We shall now point out a few of those diseases which
are especially liable to be transmitted from parent to
child, with the view of indicating special means of pre-
venting, before and after birth, the effects of inheritance.

The most cruel of all the maladies which afflict us,
dulmonary consumption, is the one which is most con-
stantly seen in its hereditary form. Dr. Theophilus
Thompson, an English physician of very large hospital
experience, states in his " Clinical Lectures on Pulmonary
Consumption," that " you will learn, amongst a thousand
patients questioned on the subject, above one-fourth will
mention having lost a parent by it."

Again, M. Hdrard and M. V. Cornil, two of the latest
and most prominent of the French authorities on this
subject, mention as the result of their investigations, both

HEREDITARY DISEASEa

197

in hospital and private practice, that out of one hundred
canes carefully questioned, they find the disease heredi-
tary in thirty-L'inht instances. American statistics tell
the same story of the large proportion of consumptives
born with trie taint.

The mother more frequently transmits this disease to
the child than the father. Her daughters are also more
apt to be aflectcd by it, through her, than are her sons.
Indeed, in regard to all diseases, the morbid constitution
of the mother tends to impress itself upon her daughters
rather than her sons, while that of the father has a reverse
hereditary tendency. With reference to the inheritance
of mental qualities and peculiarities, the opposite inclina-
tion seems to prevail, as we have seen, mothers most in-
tluencing their sons, fathers tlieir daughters.

That terrible and invincible foe to human life, cancer,
is a markedly hereditary affliction. Where the taint
exists, medical art has few resources either to prevent its
transmission or to antagonize its eticcts.

Gout, asfh.Dui and disease of the heart are also trans-
missible. They are not, of course, exclusively the result
of inheritance. They are often developed during the
lifetiijie of individuals whose family record is a clear one.
But once having made tlieir appearance in a family, they
have a greater or less proness to recur.

Of all the aflections wliich are transmitted by inheri-
tance, the various disorders oftlte nervous system are the
most common. Hysteria, epilepsy, paralysis, and insanity
descend from the unhappy parents to the more unha{)py
otlspring. Pliysicians who have devoted themselves to
the study of that many-sided malady, insanity, are, of late,
disposed to lay more stress than formerly upon the intlu-
enco of inheritance in its causation. They allege that a
vast number of the cases commonly attributed to physical
or moral shocks ai*e really instances of the breaking out
of an inherited tendency, which has lurked unheeded in
the system until aroused by some unusual excitement.

r»r ■

[fj f^ jF ffl"

198

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

Accor(linf^ to the best autlioritios, from one-third to one-
half of all attiicks of in.sauity owe their oi i<,dn to heredi-
tary causes.

It is a noteworthy peculiarity of nervous ailments, that
they are not always tiansmitteil in the same form. Tlie
child of a person subj ct to e[)il('psy, for example, is as
liable to be paralyzed or insane as it is to be epileptic.
This chan<Te in the character of the nervous alleetion, in
passing from the one generation to the other, is constantly
met with.

Insanity furnishes another illustration of the greater
disease-transmitting power of tlie mother. It is trans-
mitted about one-third times oftener by her than by the
father. Again, also, we have an ilhistration of the greater
iidhience of the mother over the diseases of her daugh-
ters; for when the mother is insane, it does not nffectthe
sons any more than insanity in the father would, but o ;
the other hand, the danger of the daughters is doub'j
what it would be if the fatiior, instead of the mother, were
the affected parent.

Tlie hereditary diseases of which v^e have been speak-
ing do not always show themselves immediately after
birth. It is more usual, in fact, for them to lie hid-
den until the ])eriod of adolescence or maturity is at-
tained. ScrofuK)us complaints, liowever, manifest tlu>m-
selves in the otispring earlier. The time at which a dis-
ease will first make its appearance is freriueutly as much
a matter of inheritance as its other characteristics. This
is, above all, true of nervous disorders. For instance, that
form of insanity winch is developed oidy after a ceriain
age is often inherited. A case is related of a noble family
in Europe, all the male descenilants of vvhieh became in-
sane at lorty years of age. Up to that epoeh in tlieir lives
they all exhibited great military talent, and were entirely
trustworthy in every respect. At last there remained but
ont3 son, a distinguished otKeer, like his father. The
critical age arrived, and he ai.->u lost his reason.

Ill ' '

PRACTICAL RULEa

l.)U

The immunity occa:«onally seen to the invasion of dis-
ease is capable of inheritance. Some individuals can
never acquire, no matter how exposed, certain diseases,
such, for example, as smallpox or intermittent fever. The
happy security may be transmitted.

ak-
"aftcr
liM-
is at-
them-
a dis-
mnoh
This
',e, til at
ct'itaiii
'aiuily
,iue in-
;ir lives
sntiiely
lied but
The

THE LAWS OF INHERITANCE AND DISEASE.

Undoubtedly, judicious marriages would eradicate all
hereditary afibctions. Legislation upon this subject
is, of course, impracticable. Yet its importance demands
for it the closest attention from the philanthropist
and the moralist. The moral and social responsibility
incurred, by marrying into a family of which one or more
members have suffered from constitutional disease, is
great, and should not be lightly assumed. Some general
rules for the guidance of those contemplating such a union
may prove useful to a few at least of our readers. Dr. J.
M. Winn, an English physician, who has elaborately
studied the nature and treatment of hereditary disease,
has drawn up an estimate of the amount of risk incurred
under various circumstances, as follows : —

" 1. If there is a constitutional taint in either father
or mother, on both sides of the contracting parties, the
risk is so great, as to amount almost to a certainty that
their offspring would inherit some form of disease.

" 2. If the constitutional disease is only on one side,
either directly or collaterally through uncles or aunts, and
the contracting parties are both in good bodily health, the
risk is diminished one-half, and healthy otfspring may be
the issue of the marriage.

" 3. If there have been no signs of constitutional dis-
ease for a whole generation, wo can scarcely consider tha
risk materially lessened, as it so fie(|uentlyrei»ppears after
being in abeyance for a whole generation.

" 4. If two whole generation-, iiavo eseap(;d any symp-
toms of hereditiiry disease, we may fairly hope that th«

200

THE IKANHMISSION OF LIFE.

' I -

!iii ii,

darif^cr lias passed, and that the morbific force has expend-
ed itself."

HraiENIC TREATMENT OF HEllEDITARY DISEASES.

As the precautionary rules which medical science has
to ofler are in many cases unknown, and in more numer-
ous instances unheeded, injudicious marriages are con-
stantly being formed. Chil<h'en are therefore daily born
into tlie world, with dispositions more or less marked
towards hereditary afleetion. Much may even yet be
done to stay the mischief commenced. Efforts to main-
tain the health of such infants cannot be instituted too
early. By intelligent care, continued through life, the
apjiearam^e of tlie disease may be suppressed, and in some
cases tlio predisposition eradicated.

The first attention should be directed to the nourish-
ment of such an infant. It should not bo brought up by
hand. If it cannot be suckled by the mother, it must bo
placed at the breast of a healthy nurse. The child should
be warmly clad, and carried daily in the open air, unless
the weather b ^ inclement. The use of the bath and other
requisites to infantine health must not be lost sight of.
This constant watchfulness over the well-being of the
child should not be remitted during the whole period of
youth. Great care ought also to be taken not to over-
excite the brain by encouraging precocious exhibitions of
talent. Active play in the open air with romping com-
panions, will do more for the future of the child than any
knowledge it can at an early age ac(iuire with books.
Much haiin is done by competitive examinations about
the period of puberty. This is especially the case in those
inheriting a dispo?;ition to epilepsy or consumption.
Tliese dii-eases are at this ago most lial>le to appear, and
the intense application and undue anxiety which atteml
such examinations may develop them. Those disposed to
hereditary afiiiction* should extend their care of them-

WHAT IS ATAVISM.

201

penci-

ls.

ce has

■e con-
y born
narked
yet be
) main-
ted too
ife, the
in some

Qourish-
it up by
must bo
d should
r, unless
nd other
sight of.
y of the
)eriod of
to over-
jitions of
ln<T com-
[than any
Ih books.
|ns about
in those
lumption.
pear, and
;h attend
.sposeil to
of them-

selves even to the choice of their avocation. Such pur-
suits as are sedentary and exposed to the debilitating in-
fluence of impure in-door air are to be avoided. So also
are those which require at times exhaustive mental or
bodily exertion. Regular exercise in the open air, by
walking or riding, is of the utmost moment every day.
Where there is a tendency to consumption, epilepsy, or
insanity, it is particularly valuable, and can do more than
is generally supposed to avert themu

Dr. Winn speaks in strong terms of the value of cod-
liver oil as a preventive remedy in inherited dispositions
to disease. It is to be taken in small quantities (a tea-
spoonful three times a day is ordinarily sufficient). It
must be continued for such a long period of time as to
become a customary portion of daily food.

We might dwell much longer upon the nature, preven-
tion, and treatment of hereditary disease, as we have not
exhausted the subject But have we not said enougli to
impress upon the reader the prominence which it ouglit
to occupy in the hygiene of the marriage relation ?

As a rule, diseases are transmitted directly from the
parents to the children, thence to the grand-children, and
so on uninterruptedly from generation to generation. In
some cases the transmission takes place from tiie grand-
parents to the grand-children, one generation escaping
altogether. This resemblance of a child to its grand-
parents or grcat-grand-parents, rather than its own lather
or mother, is known under the scientific name of fJavLsni.

It is owing to this influence that diseases and defor-
mity, as well as strength and beauty, pass by one genera-
tion to appear in another. A child resembles in form or
feature its grand-father, or it inherits tlie epile[)tic tits or
the consumption for which its grand-father is reinoinbered,
the father being entirely healthy. A remarkable instance,
which, however, is not solitary, of the influence of atavism
is related by the celebrated anthropologist. Dr. Pritcliard.
A black woman, the wife of a black man, had a white

iii. w.'

^!] -r

202

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

cliild In great fear of her husband because of this, to
Ikt, unaccountable occurrence, slie tried to conceal the
child from him. When lie saw it and noticed her trepi-
dation, he saiil : " You are afraid of me because my cliild
is white, but I love it the better for that, for my own
father was a white man, though my grand-lather and
grand-mother were both as black as you and myself; and
although we came from a place where no white people
were ever seen, yet there was alw.ays a white child in
every family that was related to us."

Another manner in which disease may ap[)ear in the
children through parental influence has been well pointed
out by Dr. Elam. "The parents may be free from
disease, yet produce unhealthy children, owing probably
to some unfitness in the union ; these affections stamp
themselves as hereditary, by affecting all, or nearly all,
the members of the family. Sir Henry Holland mentions
a family consisting of three sons and one daughter, all of
whom had a ])aralytic attack before the age of forty-five,
though neither of the parents had sufiered from anything
similar; and another of a family where four children
died in infancy from affections of the brain, without any
of the relations having been so affected. I am acquainted
with a large family, all of whom suffered when young
from enlarged tonsils, and almost all of whom are short-
sinrhted in the extreme, though neither father nor mother
have experienced either inconvenience. At the Deaf and
Dumb School in Manchester there were, in 1837, forty-
eight children taken from seventeen families, of which
the whole immber of children was one hundred and six ;
amongst these, only one parent was known to have been
similarly aHected."

The likeness of a child to its grand- parents rather than
to its immediate parents is, altiiougli a noteworthy fact,
one which does not excite mueh comment from us. l!ut
when, as is sometimes the case, the cliild partakes of the
characteristics of a very i-emote ancestor or of the traita

EXTFUOUDINAKY KXAMPLES.

203

is, to
I the
,repi-
child
own
• and
; and
)eoplo
Id in

n the
Dinted
from
)l)al)ly
stamp
'ly all,
ntions
, all of
,y-five,
ything
ildren
lit any
ainted
young
short-
mother
iaf and
, forty-
which
nd six ;
been

ier than

ly fact,

,. but

of the

e traita

of Home far removed representative of a collateral line,
descended from a common progenitor, then a feeling of
ast<^nishmeut arises. Such examples are, however, only
illustrntions of tlie law of atavism just mentioned.

The physical characteristics of the age C)f the parent at
the time of conception are transmitted. Maturity repro-
duces itself. The stag, when bom of mature parents,
grows faster and stronger than when ^ orn of young par-
ents. Old age is inherited. Breederj of animals are well
aware of tlie inferior character uf the progeny of old
parents. The children of parents far advanced in years
are peculiarly prone to senile aflections, and from birth
bear the marks of senility. Dr. Prosj)er Lucas, a French
author, who wrote a work of l,oG2 pages on the subject
of inheritance, gives among others the following illustra-
tions of the above remarks.

" The wife of one of the coachmen of Charles X. be-
came, to the surprise of himself, her husband, and her
children, who were thirty or forty years old, enceinte at
sixty-five years of age. Her pregnancy followed the
\isiial course, but the child presented all the marks of the
senility of the parents.

" Marguerite Cribsowna, who died in 1703, aged one
hundred and eight years, was married for the third time
wliL'n aged ninety-four, to a man aged one hundred and
live From this union were born three children, who were
living at the death of their mother; but they had grey
liair and no teeth ; they lived only upon bread and veget-
aljles. They were sufficiently tall for their age but had
the stoop, the withered complexion, and all the other signs
of decrepitude."

While speaking of the physical effects of inheritance,
we cannot forbear to notice a form of l)odily weakness
impressed upon certain social classes by transmission. Mr.
Whitehead, a writer upon " Hereditary Diseases," says:

" The offspring of parents both ])0ssessing great intel-
lectual capacities, are liable to inherit such capacities in

204

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

Ill I

Btill greater proportion ; htit along with this refinement,
HO to 8peal<, of the cerebral faculties, is usually conjoined
a degree of physical delicacy, or of disproportionate de-
velopment, which constantly endanL;ers oi-j^^anic integrity;
aJid the peril is further increased if education be urged,
in early life, beyond a certain limit. 1'he mind which
seenuid capable of compndu'nding intuitively the most
abstract problem, is soon shaken and uabalanccd, merging
at length into insanity.

THE MENTAL QUALITIES WE INHERIT,

We have hitherto been concerned merely with the
transmission of physical qualities by inheritance. Are
mental peculiarities, is taU-nt, is genius itself, ever in-
herited ? We answer that there is undoubtedly a marked
tendency to the transmission ot" not merely original but
of acquired intellectual traits, the eliects of education.
No man of talent was ever born of an idiot. Mental im-
becility is handed down from generation to generation.
Haller, the physiologist, mentions two Indies of high liirtli,
but nearly imbecile, who were married for their wealth.
At the time he wrote, a century afterward, the same low
grade of intellectual development was conspicuous in the
fourth and fifth generations.

That talent is often the offspring of talent is shown by
the two Herschels, the two Coleridges, the two Sheridans,
the two Colemans, tlio two Montesquieus, the two Pitts,
the two Foxes, the two Scalageis, the two Vossiuses, the
Mirabeaus, the three Adams, the Komble family, the
families of John Scliastian ])ach and /Eschylus, etc., etc.
Ijut it may be said, the fact that talent is not the offspring
of talent is shown by Shakspeare's childi'en, and Milton's
daughters; by the feeble son of the great Oliver Cromwell ;
by the only son of Addison, an itliot ; by the unworthy
Paralus and Xanthij^pus who sprtmg fi'om Pericles the
orator tliat " carried the weapons of Zeus upon his tongue;"

OKNIUS IS I NFUUITFUL,

205

low
in tlio

by the idiotic Milc-iusand tlie stu|)id Stophanus, the only
rt'pro.sentrtive of the woi^dity intellect of ThucydideH ; l»y
the ali.sence of iidieritor.s of Henry IV, and Peter the
Great, and by other instanees which will readily occur to
the reader. The exjilanation of such facts is to be found
ill tlie superior transniittinLj power of one parent over an-
other. It has been charly proved as a liiw of horitai^'o
that the father does tran.Muit liis mental powers to his
children. The exceptionM, .such as wo liave (pjoted, do
not invalidate this law. They oidy brin^ into pronjinence
the great niodil"yiii<^ influence of the mother. The per-
sistency of the male power is apparent in the fact tliat a
lino of male parents may impre.ss their peculiaiities uj)()ri
their male is>' , notwithstanding the opposing inliueiico
of many motli. -j. Francis Ualton, an English writer, who
has given much attention to this subject, has accumulated
an overwhelming array of facts in proof of the here<litary
character of talent. In this connection Dr. Elam calls at-
tention to " a circumstance worthy of note concerning the
scale of intellectual development, viz., that the extremes
are 8<ilitury, i. e., do not transmit their characteristic.
The lowest grade of intellect, the perfect idot, is unfruit-
ful ; the highest genius is unfruitful, as regards its
j)sychical character : true genius does not descend to pos-
terity ; there may be talent and ability in the ancestry
and in the descendants, directed to the same pursuits even ;
but from the time that the development culminates in true
genius, it begins to wane. 1 am ac(juainted with a family
descended in the third generation from a true musical
genius. Of the numerous b)'anches, scarcely one is defi-
cient in some amount of musical taste and abilit}', but
none have a shadow of the genius of the grandfather."

Unsoundness of mind is murkedly under the domain
of inheritance. Dr. Henry Maudsley, now probably the
best authority upon this subject, sUites that the most care-
ful researches fix the proportion of cases of insanity, in
which positive hereditary taint is detectable, at not lower

-f^

jfiii

RiH'

206

THB TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

': 'll- !

than one-fourth, if not so high as one-half. lie thinks
the proportion will be found to be greater as investiga-
tion in this direction becomes more searching and exact.

In order that a predisposition to insanity be inherited
it is not necessary that the parents or ancestors be insane.
Nervous diseases are not always transmitted in their
identity to the offspring. Physical peculiarities are, as
we have mentioned ; so also are organic diseases. Con-
sumption is transmitted to the child as consumption, not
in the shape of a predisposition to cancer. But many of
the affections of the nervous system, such as insanity, epi-
lepsy, St. Vitus' dance, hysteria, neuralgia, and catalepsy,
change their character in the descendant. Thus, the
child of an epileptic may be insane, and the child of an
hysterical woman have the like misfortune. We wish here,
however, to draw a distinition which is of hygienic
moment to bear in mind. The inheritor of the predisposi-
tion to insanity may not become insane. He inherits
merely the temperament. One of several fates may over-
take him. Insanity may immediately result in consequence
of the inherited taint. It may be j '=if.poned indefinitely
by intelligent care of mind and buay. It may be de-
veloped by injudicious training, by excessive mental ap-
plication in early youth, by anxiety, by cruel treatment;
or it may be awakened by the great changes which occur
in the system at the period of puberty ; or, in women, at
the time of child-bearing, or the change of life.

Intoxication is, all authorities agree, a great cause of
mental degeneracy in the unfortunate otispring. This
heritage of drunkenness is one of the most startling prob-
lems connected with intemperanco. For, as has been truly
said, " not only does it affect the health, morals, and intel-
ligence of the offspring of its votaries, but they also inherit
the fatal tendency, and feel a cravivg for the very bever-
ages which have acted as poisons on f/ielr sy.stem from
the commencement of their beivg ! " It is known that
drunkenness may be hereditary in a family for centuries.

All

THE drunkard's LEGACY.

207

thinks
estiga-
exact,
lerited
insane.
1 their
are, aa
Con-
Dn, not
lany of
ty, epi-
,alep.sy,
us, the
I of an
sh here,
ygienic
disposi-
inherits
ly over-
equence
jtinitely
y be dc-
ital ap-

iinent ;

1 occur
men, at

ause of
This

g prob-
en truly
id intel-

inlierit
Ij hever-

111 f I 01)1

vvn that
inturies.

In spite of the influence of example and careful training,
the children of drunkards become precocious inebriates.
They .My, " We can't help it ; the love wo inherit is too
strong for us." One such bound himself to abstinence for
months ; then he could withliold no longer, avowing that
the craving was actual torture, and he could not help
hirmelf. M. Morel, who has investigated this subject
more profoundly than any living writer, says : " 1 have
never seen the 'patient cured of hia propensity whose
tendencies to drink were derived from the hereditary pre-
disposition given to him by his parents."* The whole
nature of the descendant of the drunkard is depraved
under the influence of this fearful inheritance. The annals
of vice teem with illustrations of the indecision and defec-
tive moral sense of those victims to the alcoholic abuse
of their fathers ; while the records of medicine are equally
full of cases showing the constitutional feebleness and the
nervous disorders produced in successive generations by
the same influence. Dr. Hutcheson, in remarking upon
the ineradicable nature of an inherited tendency to drink,
says that "no sooner is the patient liberated than he
manifests all the symptoms of tlie disease. Paradoxical
though the statment may be, such individuals are sane
only when confined in an asylum." Additional testimony
to the same effect is given by W. Collins, who testified
before a parliamentaiy commission, in England, as the re-
sult of his large experience, and as a " well-established
physical fact," that this form of the drunken appetite
" never becomes completely extinct, but adheres to a man

• The same experienced writer says elsewhere : " I coTiBtantly find the sad
victims of the alcoholic intoxication of their parents in their favourite resorts
(milieux de pr6diUction), the asylums fcr the insane, prisonH, and houses of
correction, I as constantly ohserve amongst them deviations from tlie nor«
mal type of humanity, manifesting thenjselves, not only by arrests of de-
velopment and anomalies of constitution, liut also by those vicious disixisi-
tions of the intellectual order which seem to be deeply rooted in the orijani-
cation of those unfortunates, and which are the unmistnkuble iudiuea of
their double fecundation in resi)ect of both physical aiui moral eviU"

J03

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

through life." All the writers upon this subject of inhe-
ritance, with a singular unanimity upon this point, no
matter how they may differ upon other topics, agree in
imputing to intoxication, in eiuher parent, a potent agency
in inducing alcoholic mania, and moral and physical de-
gradation in the children. These results are more marked
among the poor, who are de))rived of the hygienic advan-
tages which fall to the lot of the rich, and who are also
surrounded, ordinarily, by fewer social and moral re-
straints. None, however, escape the disastrous intluence,
ixi some of its many protean forms, upon mind and body.

IS OUR MORAL NATURE INHERITABLE?

This question brings us face to face with the considera.-
tion of the Iiereditarij character of crime.

Michel de Montaigne was a profound observer of man,
as well as a genial essayist. One of his papers is entitled
" Of the Resemblance of Children to their Fathers." In
it he expressco his wonder at the mysterious nature of
that heritage which transmits to us not merely the br>dily
form, but even the thoughts and inclinations of our
fathers. A much older writer than he, Aristotle, also al-
ludes to the transmission of moral qualities by inheritance.
He tells of a man who excuses himself for beating his
father by saying that, " my father beat his father, and my
son will beat me, Jor it is in our famnibj." History is
rich in illustiations of moral heritage. Alexander VI. and
his children, the Borgiiis, will ever live upon its pages be-
cause of their atrocities. The crimes of the Farnese
family are too infamous for mention. The same taint of
wickedness runs through the cruel nature of the Medici
and the Vicontes, the latter of whom are accredited with
the invention of the " forty days torture." Sextus \l,
and his children were notorious for their crimes, and to
the Cond^ family have been attributed in addition to
their courage and brilliant intellect, " odious vices of cha-
racter, malignity, avarice, tyranny, and insolence."

THB LEGACY OF CRIME.

209

Modem society furnishes us with an example and a
proof of the hereditary nature of crime which touches us
more nearly. There exists a distinctive criminal class in
all our cities. This dangerous class is marked by certain
physical and mental peculiarities, These so distinguish
them that they can be readily pointed out in any promis-
cuous assembly. Even in Shakspearo's time this was
possible. In Macbeth, one of the murderers, iu defending
his fellows, says : —

" We are men, my liege."

To which the king replie*^ :—

** Ay, in the catalogue ye go for men ;

As hounds, and grayhouuds, mongrt^ls, spaniels, curt,
Shoughs, water •ru,!:,'8, and demi-wolveH, ure claimed
All by the name of dogs ; the valued tile
DUtinguishes the Hwift, the alow, the subtle,
The housekeeper, the hunter, every one
According to tlie gift which bounteous nature
Hath in him clos'd ; whereby he doea receive
Particular addition, from the bill
'Ihat writes ihum all alike ; and so of men."

Those who are b< rn and live in crime are all marked by
the same traits of physical degeneration, as well as m(3ntal
and moral depravity. The truth in great measure, of the
assertion of Lemnius, that the " very affections follow the
seed, and the malice and bad conditions of children are
wholly to be imputed to their parents," is also shown by
the family histories of the criminal class. It would be
easy to fortify this statement by quotations from prison
reports for which, however, we have not space.

There are some who, while thoy do not pretend to deny
tlie inheritance of physical infirmities and diseases, still
maintain tliat all men are born alike, intellectually and
morally, and that it is cntii'oly due to circumstances and
e'lncation that they diner from ciich other. A" woll
could thoy uphold the docUiues that all men are boru

\'i'

■f^"

amifmmm

\\ >

210

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

Jfil'. ■ I

with equal tenacity of life, and vigour of constitution.
Such thinkers hesitate to admit the heritage of immorality
because they fear that the admission would remove the
check of individual responsibility. They forget that it ia
merely the tendencies which are inherited, not the acts
themselves. As Dr. Elam well observes, " man's freedom
is not obliterated, but he is destined to a life of more or
less strife and temptation, according as his inherited dis-
positions are active and vicious, or the contrary. Every
sane man knows that, despite of allurements or temptation,
he can do or leave undone any given act ; he is therefore
free, but his freedom is more or less invaded, in accordance
with the laws under consideration." How true then is it
that •* it is the greatest part of our felicity to be well born ;
and it were happy for human kind if only such parents
as are sound of body and mind should marry."

We have given instances of the inheritance of gluttony
and intemperance, and of families remarkable for their
crimes of violence. Theft^ among other crimes, is heredi-
tary. Dr. Steinase says, from personal observation, he
has known it to be hereditary for three generations. A
man named P acquired in his native village the sob-
riquet of *' The thief!' His son, although in prosperous
business, and beyond want, was remarkable for his pro-
pensity to steal small things. His son, the grandson of
" The thief I* when only three years of age, would clandes-
tinely take more food than he could eat ; afterward he
began to take small sums of money and soon larger
amounts. Before he was fourteen years of age he had
become an expert pickpocket and was confined in the
House of Correction. Pride is passed down from father
to son ; the Stuart and Guise family afford illustrious ex-
amples. Of the latter it has been said that " all the line
of the Guises were rash, factious, insolently proud, and of
most seducing politeness of manner." Cowardice, jealousy,
anger, envy, and libertinage are all met with as familj
traits. The paasion of avarice is no exception to thi»

EDUCATION AFFECTS CHILDREN.

211

tutioTU
orality
ve the
at it is
le acta
reedom
lore or
ed di8-
Every
station,
lerefore
ardance
len is it
11 born ;
parents

;luttony
[)T their
1 heredi-
tion, ho
Ions. A
the sob-
►sperous
his pro-
idson of
elandes-
vard he
I larger
he had
in the
father
ious ex-
the line
, and of
ealousy,
familj
to thi)

others as is shown by the family of Charles IV., that
cinperor of Germany of whom it has been wittily recorded
that ho " venclait en detail Vempire qu'il avait achete en
gros." There is also such a thing as an hereditary passion
for gambling. A lady, so strongly addicted to gambling
that she passed all her nights at play, died of consumption,
leaving a son and daughter, both of whom inherited from
her alike her vice and her disease.

These facts, in regard to the inheritable nature of our
mental and moral qualities which we have been consider-
ing, suggest to every thoughtful mind the inquiry

DOES THE EDUCATFON OF THE PARENTS AFFECT THE CAPA-
CITY AND MORALITY OF THE CHILD ?

We have elsewhere asked,* " Can virtuous habits be
transmitted ? Can we secure virtues in our children by
possessing them ourselves ? " And we have replied, that
" we are scarcely more than passive transmitters of a
nature we have received." Nevertheless, although this
is true of the original nature, there are certain qualities
capable of being superimposed upon that nature. We
cannot by any course of virtue beget a child free from
evil tendencies, but we can give him much to combat
them through the virtuous qualities of civilization. The
animal nature of man cannot be modified. It is invari-
ably transmitted. It is always the same in the barbarian
and the enlightened man. liut moral and mental quali-
ties can be added, which, although they can never crush
out nor wholly obscure the animal nature, can improve
upon it. Unless this were so, unless intellectual and moral
culture did so influence not only the individual but the
offspring, and thus through future generations the race,
then the educator would have to say with Macbeth : —

" Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown,
And put a barren tcfpire in my gripe."

• The Physical Life of Woman, p. 12L

ffr • ' f^

212

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

ill

i \

Dr. Moore, a liigh authority, remarks : " Our education
may be sai<l to begin with our forefathers. The child of
the morally instructed is most ca[)able of instruction, and
intellectual excellence is generally the result of ages of
mental cultivation. From Mr. Kay Shuttleworth's exam-
ination of juvenile delinquents, at Parkhurst, it appears
that the majority were deficient in physical organization,
and this, no doubt, was traceable to the parent stock."
Again, M. Giran says that " acquired capacities are trans-
n)itted by generation, and this transmission is more cer-
tain and perfect in proportion as the cultivation has ex-
tended over more generations, and as that of one parent
is less opposed by that of the other. Children receive
from their parents, with the impress of their habits, all
the shades of capacity, aptitude and taste which have
been the fruit of such habits." The eminent physiologist,
Burdach, also accords to the parent the power of trans-
mitting to his offspring his intellectual development.

Iidieritance of the acquired habits of life, the results of
intellectual and moral training, or of daily vice, is more
certain than the transmission of physical peculiarities. A
course of vicious indulgence in the parent will corrupt the
morals of the child. A life of virtue on the part of the
parent will bear fruit in the stronger will and the increased
power of conscience of his offspring. He, therefore, whose
avocation it is to cultivate correct [)rinciples and habits of
thought in his fellow-men liolds no " barren sceptre."
Ills influence, above that of all others, is felt upon his
I'ace through many generations.

Befoie dismissing this subject of moral heritage, which
we would like to pursue at much greater length if our
space would permit, we wish to say a few mure words in
regard to its bearing upon the responsibility and account-
ability of every man for his own acts. No man has a
right to urge inherited impulses in justification of his evil
deeds. To do so would be to place himself on a level
with the brut^^v. Animals are swayed entirely by thei>

15: ■ ',

MORAL HERITAGE.

213

u cation
:hil(l of
on, and
atjcs of
3 exam-
appears
lization,

stock."
e trans-
ore cer-
has ex-
} parent

receive
ibits, all
ch have
biologist,
)f trans-
ent.
esults of

is more
rities. A
-rupt the
[•t of the
ncreased
■e, whose
habits of
sceptre."
upon his

[re, which
h if our
words in
account-
nn has a
f his evil
n a level
by thei^

instincts. Man is conscious of a higher, a moral law, the
dictates of which he has it in his power to obey. In the
language of the most recent writer upon this topic, " Every
man is responsible for his voluntary acts, whatever the
constitutional tendency. In the face of the facts before
us, I see no rep.soa to doubt or deny that one person is
bom with impulses and tendencies to particular forms of
virtue or vice stronger than those of others, who, on the
other hand, may be more prone to other forms of good or
evil than the first. The passions and appetites are doubt
less much keener and more diHicult of control in those
who inherit them from a line of ancestry who have never
checked them, but in whom vice has been accounted a
glory and a virtue. It is much cfisier for some who in-
herit a placid, even temperament, with no strong emotions,
to be outwardly virtuous and orderly, than for those just-
mentioned, but all have it in their power. Habitual sel-
fishness, disregard of the rights or feelings of others, im-
morality, may reduce man nearly to the level of the brute ;
the vicious act may seem to be due to irresistible impulse,
but the perpetator is not the less culpable for that. He
who wilfully intoxicates himself that he may commit a
murder is still a murderer, and one of the deepest dye of
crime. Life to all is a warfare, to some it is much more
severe than to others ; but all may fight the good fight,
and all may attain the reward ; none are born with a con-
stitution incapable of virtue, though many have such a
one as may well make life one long struggle against the
power of temptations so severe that it is well for man
that he is not alone in the mortal conflict."

WHY CHILDREN DO NOT MORE CLOSE' ^

PARENTS.

RESEMBLE

If there exists in nature, and that there does is abun-
dantly proved, a law by which the oftspring so strongly
tend, as we have just been endeavoring to show, to inherit

r?f

n 'f^

jHa4*^fc*i«i^<nirniwi >

^d^MBUOW

214

THE TRANSMISSION or LIFE.

I i

II*

the physical, mental, and moral naturos of their parent,
how does it happen that there are so many exceptions to
be noted ? In other words, what are the causes of non-
inheritance ?

We have already mentioned a number, to which we
need now only allude. One of these is atavism, i. e.,
resemblance to remote instead of immediate ancestors.
This agency we have sufficiently explained. Another is
the neutralizing effect of the qualities of one parent over
the other in their mutual transmission to the child. In
this manner, a third being may be produced, unlike either
parent. A third cause is the overpowering inriuence of
hostile circumstances and unfavourable conditions of life.
As is very aptly remarked by Mr. Darwin, in considering
animals and plants under domestication, " no one would
expect that our improved pigs, if forced during several
generations to travel about and root in the ground for
their own subsistence, would transmit, as truly as they
now do, their tendency to fatten, and their short muzzles
and legs. Dray horses assuredly would not long trans-
mit their great size and massive limbs, if compelled to
live in a cold, damp, mountainous region ; we have, indeed,
evidence of such deterioration in the horses which have
run wild in the Falkland Islands. European dogs in
India often fail to transmit their character. Sheep in
tropical countries lose their wool in a few generations."

A fourth check to inheritance is to be found in what
is known as the " law of diversity." In obedience to this
law children differ from their parents and from each
other. This so-called law is, however, merely an illustra-
tion of the strength of inheritance, for its effects are due
to the transmission of temporary and accidental condi-
tions in the parents. There is always under such cir-
cumstances a strong inclination in future generations to
depart from the modifications thus accidentally produced,
and return to the original type.

There are two potent infiuences affecting the character

II i I'

'fit

INFLUENCE OF RACES.

216

of the child to which we have made no allusion. We
refer to the power of the mother's imagination over the
physical smd mental condition of her unborn infant, and
to the influence of the mother's mind on the child at her
breast. These subjects have been elsewhere discussed in
treating of the physical life of woman.

We do not think it worth while to " point a moral " by
applying the facts and principles we have now recorded
about inheritance, to the life of tlie parents. Every in-
telligent reader can do this for himself.

Nor is it our purpose to prosecute the study of the
formation of the child through the habits of the father
beyond what we have already done.

From the first it has been our aim to impress upon
our readers the momentous truth that the well-being of
the generations to come, and consequently the destiny of
races and nations, are closely dependent on the healthy
condition of the male in his sexual relations. We have
now traced these relations in the individual, and pointed
out their hygienic 'aws, from the period when they are
first manifested to their final effects on the otispring.

THE INFLUENCE OF RACE.

Although somewhat foreign to the purpose of this
work, which is concerned with the health of the indi-
vidual rather than considerations of race, we cannot for-
bear to quote the thoughts of an eminent theologian,
Canon Kingsley, in reference to the extent and power
of hereditary influences :

" Physical science is proving more and more the im-
mense importance of race ; the importance of hereditary
powers, hereditary organs, hereditary habits, in all organ-
ized beings, from the lowest plant to the highest
animal. She is proving more and more the omnipresent
action of the differences between races ; how the more
favoured race (she cannot avoid using the epithet) exter-

■

21(5

THE THANSMISSION OF LIFE.

minates the less favoured, or at least expels it, under
penalty of death, to ada[)t itself to new circumstances ;
and, in a word, that conipetition between every race and
every individual of that race, and rowrrd according to
deserts, is (as far as we can see) an universal law of living
things. And she says — for the facts of hi?' »ry prove it
— that as it is among the races of plants and animals, so
it has been unto this day among the races of men.

" The natural theology of the future must take count
of these tremendous and even painful facts ; and she may
take count of them. For Scripture has taken count of
them already. It talks continually — it has been blamed
for talking so much — of races, of families; of their wars,
their struggles, their exterminations ; of laces favoured, of
races rejected ; of remnants being saved to continue the
race ; of hereditary tendencies, hereditary excellencies,
hereditary guilt. Its sense of the reality and importance
of descent is so intense, that it speaks of a whole tribe or
whole family by the name of its common ancestor, and
the whole nation of the Jews is Israel to the end. And
if I be told this is true of the Old Testament, but not of
the New, I must answer, What ? Does not St. Paul hold
the identity of the whole Jewish race with Israel their
forefather, as strongly as any prophet of the Old Testa-
ment ? And what is the central historic fact, save one,
of the New Testament, but the conquest of Jerusalem —
the dispersion, all but destruction of a race ; not by mir-
acle, but by invasion, because found wanting when
weighed in the stern balances of natural and social law f

" Gentlemen, think of this. I only suggest the thought ;
but I do not suggest it in haste. Think over it — by the
light which our Lord parables, His analogies between tl)e
physical and social constitution of the world afford — and
consider whether those awful words, fulfilled then and
fulfilled so often since — ' The kingdom of God shall be
taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the
fruits hereof — may not be the supreme instance, the

INFLUENCE OF UACES.

217

under
ancea ;
26 and
\u(f to
living
rove it
lals, so

1 count
le may
mnt of
blamed
r wars,
ured, of
me the
ilencies,
ortance
tribe or
tor, and
I. And
\, not of
ul hold
b1 their

Testa-
ve one,
jalera —
3y mir-
when
ftl law t

ought ;
-by the
reen the
rd — and
len and
shall be
arth the
Qce, the

most complex development, of a law which runs thr<)u;;h
all created things, down to the moss which struggles for
existence on the rock ?

"Do I say that this is all f That man is merely a part
of nature, the puppet of circumstances and hereditary
tendencies ? That brute competition is the one law of
his life ? That he is doomed forever to be the slave of
his own needs, enforced by an internecine struggle for
existence ? God forbid. I believe not only in nature,
but in grace. I believe that this is man's fate only as
long as he sows to the flesh, and of the flesh reaps cor-
ruption. I believe that if he will

' Strivo npward, working out the beasi|
And let the ape and tiger die ;'

if he will be even as wise aa the social animals ; as the
ant and the bee, who have risen, if not to the virtue of
all-embracing charity, at least to the virtues of self-sacri-
fice and patriotism, then he will rise to a higher sphere ;
towards that kingdom of God of which it is written, ' He
that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him.' "

[Works bkferkbd to in this section.— 7%e Variation$ of AnimaU and
PJanU under Domestication, by Charles Darwin, vol. ii, p. 10 et seq. (Am.
edition) ; J. B. ThompHon. L. R. C. S. Eilin., On the Hereditary Nature of
Crime, in the Journal of Mental Science for January, 1870, p. 487 ; Elam's
Physician » Problemt (Am. erl. , 18G9), article, Natural Heritage ; Dr. Edward
S^guin, On Idiocy, a$ the Effect of Social Evilt, and at the Creative Cause of
Physiologicai Education, in the Journal of Psychological Medicine for Jan-
nary, 1870, p. 1 ; Francis Galton, On Hereditary Talent and Character, in
MacMillan's Magazine, voL xii. ; Dr. Prosper Lucas, Traiti Philosophique
et Phyaiologique ; I'Heriditi Naturelle dans let Flats de Santi et de Maladie du
Systhiu No^veux; Pritchard, Researches into the Physical History of Man-
kind, vol. ii. ; Flourens, Dt la Longiviti Humaineet dela Quantity de Vietur
le Globe^ (Paris, 1860) ; Huf eland. Art of Prolonging Life (Am. ed., 1870) ;
Lewes, Physiology of Common Life, vol. ii., p. 314 (Am. ed., 1867) ; The
British Medical Journal, January 11, 18G8, p. 25 ; A. Debay, Hyuiine et
Pkysiologie du Mariage, p. 173 ; Carpenter, Human Physiology, p. 779 (Am.
ed.) ; Mayer, Des Rapports Confugaux, cinquibrae edition, Paris, 18i>8, pi,
381 ; Sir Henry Holland, Medical Notes and Eejlections, p. 30, et seq. Ameri^
tan Journal nf Medical Sciences, July, 18ij5.]

PART IV.

NERVOUS DISORDERS ORTOINATINO IN THE
MALE GENERATIVE SYSTEM.

This subject, singularly enough, has received little
attention from medical wiiteis. There have been no
popular works of any merit on this important branch of
medical science. Even in the text-hooks of surgery there
is scarcely more than a brief allusion to those nervous
disorders hiaving their origin in man's generative system.
Far otherwise has it been with the discJises peculiar to
women. During the last cpiarter of a century the ablest
minds in the profession have been occupied largely, some
exclusively, in the study of their nature and treatment.
Nor have there been wanting well-informed and popular
writers to diU'use among wives and mothers a sound
knowledge of the laws of their organization, and to point
out to them the methods of avoiding the infirmities of
their sex. Thousands have thus been benefited. Equal
advantages would result to the male sex from a correct
knowledge of the causes and results of those diseases to
which they alone are liable.

We are glad to notice that attention has been awakened
to the great need of popular enlightenment in this direc-
tion. One of the most prominent of the English medi-
cal journals, the London Lancet, in a recent series of edi-
torials on this theme, asserts tha,t .. most important service
would be rendered to the coiMMiu.iity by lifting the dis-
cussion of the consequences of J m angements of the specific
function of mankind " out of the mire into which it has
been cast by ignorance, by shamefacednoss, and by greed."
On this side the Atlantic, the Philadelphia Medical and

■' !

CAUSE OF PAUTIAL PAlLALYSia

219

akened
direc-
mecli-
of edi-
service
le dis-
specific
it has
^reed."
al and

Sartjical Reporter expresses " the wish that sotno skilled
writer would dispel a little of the dense popular i<,'iioranco
around these 8ul)jects, aii ifjnorance which, shared as it
is by [>arents, teachers, and j)rofes8or8, prevents them
from ^Mvinsjf instructions to their sons and pupils, by
which the latter could bo saved from incalculable pain,
mental a!:fony, and vice."

It has been our purpose in the previous papfes to dwell
at some length in treating of " The Celibate Life" upon
tlireo of the principal aflections to which the unmarried
man is more especially liable, viz., the consequences of
the solitary vice, spermatorrhcca, and contagious secret
disease. But there are many otiier disorders of the male
reproductive organs, and there are numerous obscure
vervous diseases which are set up and continued by irri-
tation reflected from these parts. Some of them we will
brielly consider.

Every physician is acquainted with the host of strange
and seemingly remote consequences in women of uterine
disease. In dealing with any affection in the weaker sex
he sees the necessity of in(]uiry in regard to the health
of this organ. Too often he overlooks the connection
almost or quite as intimate which exists between the
nervous and generative systems in his male patients. As
a result of this neglect treatment is often nugatory.

Dr. Lewis A. Sayre,of New York, has recently recorded
several cases oi 'partial paralysis due to the un.suspccted
existence of generative malformations. When this able
surgeon remetlied the local trouble the paralysis disappear-
ed, although it had previously resisted the most energetic
and best directed treatment. The doctor also relates, in
the last volume of the Transactions of the American
Medical Association, three cases of hip-disease in boys,
for which he could at first find no cause in any injury,
fall, blow, or wrench of the joint, but which he traced to
the effect upon the hip-joint of frecpient unnoticed falls
to which the child was liable because of its muscular

220

THE TRANSMISSION OP LIFE.

i ? :

^ '

.,;■(■

; ^

it ■

debility or partial paralysis caused by irritation of the
genital organs. He is also satisfied, from recent experience,
that to thia same irritation may be traced many of the
cases of excitable children with restless sleep and bad
digestion, so often improperly attributed to worms.

It is the man of advanced years, however, whose ner-
vous system is most susceptible to the influence of dis-
orders of the reproductive organs. This topic occupied
our attention to some extent while treating of the " decay
of virility " and " the causes which hasten its decline."
We again refer to it in this connection in order to empha-
size the dangers to the nervous and vital forces of the
aged from the slightest approach to excess. That promi-
nent French surgeon. Dr. Parise, in pointing out these
perilR, utters the following words of warning : " One
grand purpose pervades the creation, to live and to im-
part life. This last function ought to be considered the
most important. If men will conform to the laws o^
nature — laws which, moreover, are immutable and eter-
nal — they must submit themselves to conditions of exis-
tence and of organization, and learn how to limit their
desires within the spheres of their real wants. If they
will do so, wisdom and health will bloom of themselves,
and abide without etfort ; but all this is too often forgotten
when £he functions of generation are in question. This
sublime gift of transmitting life — fatal prerogative which
man continually forfeits — at once the mainstay of mora-
lity, by means of family ties, and the powerful cause of
depravity, the energetic spring of lijfe and health, the
ceaseless source of disease and infirmity, this faculty in-
volves almost all that man can attain of earthly happiness
or misfortune, of earthly pleasure or of pain ; and the tree
of knowledge of good and evil is the symhol of it, as true
as it is expressive. Thus, even love by its excesses has-
tens and abets the inevitable doom for which, in the first
instance by the aid of passion, it had provided the victims.
The greater part of mankind, however, show excessive

!,,;

EXCESSIVE INDULGENCE.

221

eter-
exis-
their
they
elves,
otten
This
hich
mora-
se of
the

y in-
piness
c tree
true
has-
le first
ctims.
essive

feebleness in withstanding the abuse of the generative
functions ; and what surprises us most is, that those ad-
vanced in life are r ot always the least exposed to this re-
proach. It is certnin that in old age, at a time when the
passions have given v,'ay to reason, there are still many
individuals who allow themselves to stray imprudently to
the very precipitous edge of these dangerous enjoyments.
They applaud themselves for postponing moderation till
it is rather forced than voluntary ; till they stop from
sheer want of vigour. What heroic wisdom ! Nature,
pitiless as she is, will cause them most certainly to pay
dearly for the transgression of her laws ; and the steady
accumulation of diseases soon gives demonstrative proof
of it. This result is the more certain and prompt, inas-
much as in these cases excesses are almost always of old
standing. The libertine in years has usually been dis-
solute in youth and manhood, so that we may trace the
progress and calculate the extent of his organic deterio-
ration."

It is principally by excessive indulgence that elder men
bring about nervous maladies. With them the strictest
moderation, often absolute continence, is necessary if they
would prolong their lives, and avoid numberless physical
miseries. The effects of undue indulgence at this period
of life, vary according to the temperament of the indivi-
dual. Men of a nervous temperament are most liable to
epileptic or like seizures affecting the brain and nerves ;
those of a sanguine temperament run the risk of hemor-
rhage ; those of a bilious temperament, of some derange-
ment of the digestive organs.

A latent predisposition to various diseases lurks in the
constitution of very many. This predisposition becomes
active under the influence of the depressing effect of ven-
eieal excess. In this way we may account for many dis-
orders of the mind, of the heart, and of the lungs, which
suddenly, as it were, develop themselves. When there
exists in the economy, any organ or function which is

V!'

'?'*""

222

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

'■ I

diseased or feeble, it is upon this that the evil results fix
themselves.

Any part of the body mny become disordered, as the
direct consequence of libidinous excess. Thus, an ex-
perienced physician, Professor A. P. Dutcher, M.D., of
(Cleveland, has found that even in the prime of life, im-
moderation in the marital relation is a frequent cause of
an obstinate form of chronic hronchitls. He says in one
of his lectures : " In lookini^ over a list of fifty cases of
chronic bronchitis, which have fallen under my care
during the last six yoars, I find th;it ton of them have
been attributed to this cause. And tliey were mostly
individuals in middle life, the period when the sexual
propensities are the most vij^^orous, and pronqit to the
most unlimited indulgence. You will occasionally treat
a patient for a long time, who is sutiering from an ordin-
ary attack of chronic bronchitis, and after exliausting
your stock of therapeutics you will wonder that he does
not recover. You are well-assured that the diagnosis is
correct. He assures you tliat his habits are all right,
that your prescriptions are faithfully attended to, and
there is no improvement. Indeed, you may treat him
as long as you please, and he will not be cured, until you
expose the secret source of his malady, and compel him
to abandon it. After treating a very intelligent patient
for this disease a long time, I I'emarked to his wife one
day, that it was exceedingly strange there was no improve-
ment in his case, I could not see that he was any better
than when he first came under my care, ami 1 liegan to
fear that there was something about his case that I did
not understan<l. 'Sir!* said she with great emphasis,
* my husband is a perfect animal. His sexual excesses I
fear will be the death of him. If 5'^ou could do something
to make him moie moderate in this particular, I think
all would be well !' I took the hint, lectured him upon
the evils of his habit, and ordered not only moderation
but total abstinence. He followed my advice, and the
lady's prediction was speedily verified,"

THE CAUSK OF EPILEPSY.

223

him
you
him
>icnt
one
•ove-
better
an to
(lid
lasis,
tsses I
thini;
think
n]ii)n
i-atiou
thti

Epilepsy, nervous tremblings, convulsions and various
forms of paralysis are, as we have seen, sometimes the
consequence of habits of excess, particularly in those who
have passed the prime of life. Many diseases of the
heart and brain, and numerous affections of the skin, are
also often engendered and continued in the same way.
It is only by recognizing these facts, that proper means
of personal prevention and cure can be instituted.

At the same time it must be borne in mind, that a ten-
dency to venereal excess and onanism is sometimes the
result and not the cause of epilepsy, and other nervous
tremblings. Inordinate desire may be the accompaniment,
and the earliest sign of brain disease. At the outset of
the disease the unhappy patient may be conscious of, and
capable of controlling, to a great extent, these morbid,
and to him, distressing promptings which threaten to
rule him. Dr. Echeverria, of I»Jew York city, in his re-
cent work on epilepsy, records a striking illustration of
these remarks, in the case of a patient affected with this
disease, " superinduced by mental over-work, who, press-
ed by my inquiry, wrote to me a history of his case, with
the following about his feelings : " I would not weary you
■«vith the vain confession of prayers and resolves of one
sinning, knowing the while how he sins, but yet, finding
himself" led to the act without any intention or force to
resist it. You may believe me or not ; as for myself, I
am unable to account for this veuery that overcomes my
whole being, as anything but an evil result of my disease.
If this avowal offers no other moral, it presents that of
which you need not to be often reminded in the practice
of your profession — how lightly we regard the blessings
of health — and, considering the self-abuse through whicli
I pass, I think that I may say with the Psalmist : * How
fearfully and wonderfully are we made.'

" Nothing remains to be added to this description char-
acteristic of an epileptic, and of the evil impulse and in-
ability of the patient, to car'*y i>ut any coui'se to repu-
diate it,"

■fr^

224

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

Among the nervous diseases originating in the repro-
ductive organs ayphilia of the nervous systeva. calls for
some notice here. Many close observations on this sub-
ject have been made within t!ie last few years which
leave no doubt that the brain and the whole nervous
organization are liable to be affected by this subtle poison.
Severe headache, epileptic convulsions, and even paraly-
sis may be caused in this way during any period of con-
stitutioaal syphilis. Prof. Van Buren, of New York, has
recently published a series of cases of the nervous forms
of syphilis, which bring into prominence many practical
points hitherto not sufficiently heeded. Paralysis, epilepsy,
and mental derangement were the symptoms presented by
these cases. Enfeeble ment of the intelligence and loss of
memory are common forms of mental disturbance noticed.
Whether insanity is ever of syphilitic origin, is a question
still mooted. The belief has been gaining ground among
English and German physicians having charge of mental
diseases, that such is the case. However it may be as to
actual insanity, there are too many cases on record to
permit of scepticism as to the possibility of serious impair-
ment of the intellect being the frequent effect of tliis
animal poison. The question has recently been asked,
" Does the presence of syphilitic taint in the system ever
so enfeeble the intellect as to render the subject less cap-
able of mental exertion than he was before he actpiired
the disease, without at the same time giving rise to intel-
lectual eccentricities or loss of memory sufficiently notice-
able to disclose his mental condition to his associates ?"
Prof. Van Buren, the propounder of this query, feels in-
clined to answer it himself in the affirmative.

A CAUSE OF WASTING.

There is a disease which has recently attracted much
attention in the medical ]>rofession. It is known under
the learned name of tabeti dorsalis, by which is meant an

A CAUSE OF WASTING.

225

repro-

lls for
s sub-
which
ervoua
loison.
)araly-
»f con-
rk, has
forms
actical
>ilepsy,
ited by
loss of
loticed.
uestion
among
mental
»e as to
cord to
impair-
of this
asked,
|m ever
ss cap-
[;(|iured
intel-
notice-
iatcs V
sels in-

much

under

Mxnt an

afTection chiefly characterized by wasting of the body.
Progressive emaciation is almost the only symptom
present excepting slight hectic fever. The disease has
its origin in the nervous system, and its generally assigned
cause is too early or too frequent addition to venery.

There is a great difference of opinion in regard to what
constitutes excess. It varies in different individuals and
under different circumstances, as we have already ex-
plained in a previous part of our work. It is with this
form of intemperance as it is with alcoholic intoxication,
people's ideas vary as to what is undue indulgence, and
different individuals are affected in diverse ways by the
same amount of indulgence. Venereal intemperance,
whatevei it may be, is the most frequent cause of the Sad
disorder of which we now speaic It is important, there-
fore, that the patient should be candid with his medical
adviser. Concealment is too often practised, to the detri-
ment of the sufferer, particularly when the indulgence
has not only been vicious, but criminal.

It is to be borne in mind that the evil results of excess
are not always immediately manifest. The effects do nut
necessarily at once follow the cause. The connection be-
tween the two, is therefore, often overlooked, and a seri-
ous medical error is thus committed.

Sexual excess is not the only cause of this disease, but
when present always favours its developement. The cele-
brated Dr. Romberg, whose authority in nervous affec-
tions none will caU in question, says : " Two circum-
stances have been shown with certainty to predispose to
it, namely, the male sex, and the period between the
thirtieth and fiftieth year of life. Scarcely one-eighth of
the cases are femalea The loss of semen has always
been looked upon as one of the most fruitful sources of
the complaint ; but this in itself does not appear to be a
matter of much consequence in intluencing the disease, as
patients who have been labouring under spermatorrhoea
for a series of years are much more liable to hypochon-

ffn

226

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

:»

drlasis and Cfirel>ra] afTcctions, than to this. But when
conihined with excessive stimulation of the nerves, to
which sensual abuses give rise, it not unfrequently favouia
the origin and encourages the development of tlie disease
after it has commenced. When the strength is much
taxed by continued standing in a bent posture, by forced
marches and the catarrhal influences of wet bivouacs, fol-
lowed by drunkenness and debauchery, as is so often the
case in campaigns, the malady is rife."

Other writers speak still more positively of the in-
timate relation between this disease and sexual excesses.
Every pra^^bising physician who has had experience with
this fortune ti'ly comparatively rare malady must acknow-
ledge tl.ul t;' history of the cases, when accurately ob-
tained, has nearly always pointed to this causation.

A Cfl^LSE OF CONVULSIONS.

Tliere is a difTerence of opinion in the minds of the pro-
fession at the present time as to the frequency with which
the solitary vice induces epileptic fits. All agree, how-
ever, that here is to be found one of the causes of epilepsy,
some asserting that it is a prominent cause, others that it
is far from being the usual one. We have just pointed
out, on a previous page, that "a tendency to venereal
excess and onanism is sometimes the result and not the
cause of epilepsy." Bearing this truth in mind, and also
the lamentable fact that there have been, and are, many
ruthless alai mists, who, some of them designedly, make
exaggerated statements a6 to the connection between
abuse of the masculine powers and epileptic disease, still
it cannot be denied that an abundance of the best of
medical evidence proves the existence of such a connec-
tion in a certain proportion of the cases. Thus Prof.
Watson, in his work on Practice, so familiar to every
physician and medical student, says :

" There are certain vices which are justly considered

A CASE OF NERVOUS PROSTRATION.

22/

when
ues, to

IVOUI'8

lisease
much
forced
,cs, fol-
en the

,he in-
: cesses,
le with
iknow-
ely ob-
i.

ihe pro-

which

ie, how-

lilepsy,

that it

(ointed

enereal

Lot the

,nd also

}, many

make
btween
Lse, still
Ibest of
•onnec-
^s Prof.

every

Isidered

as influential in aggravating, and even in creating, a dis-
position to epilepsy; debauchery of all kinds ; the habitual
indulgence in intoxicating liquors ; and, above all, the
most powerful predisposing cause of any, not due to in-
heritance, is masturbation — a vice which it is painful and
difficult even to allude to in this manner, and still more
difficult to make the subject of inquiry with a patient.
But there is too much reason to be certain that many
cases of epilepsy owe their origin to this wretched and
degrading habit, and more than one or two patients have
voluntarily confessed to me their conviction that they
had thus brought upon themselves the epileptic paroxysms
for which they sought my advice."

NERVOUS PROSTRATION.

The new circumstances and remarkable activity which
characterize our modern civilization are so different from
those which surrounded the monotonous lives of our fore-
fathers, that we have not as yet become used to them.
We are, as it were, in a new world of life, to which our
systems are not yet acclimated. Hence it is that the
annals of medicine chronicle a large increase in all varie-
ties of nervous maladies within the last score or two of
years, in both sexes and in all civilized lands.

What does this teach ?

It teaches that the part of prudence is to avoid more
sedulously than ever before the strains upon our systems
which are unnecessary, for our nervous organizations can-
not bear that which those of our fathers could.

Among the new diseases which have thus arisen is one
which is peculiarly characteristic of crowded cities, of the
great marts of trade and hives of busy life, where not only
does the task of gaining a subsistence demand the utmost
exercise of the powers, but beyond this the temptations of
vice are most shameless, most prominent and most al«
luring.

~7ja

•^-f*-

228

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

! !

In this disease, which has received the technical name
of paresis, there is absolutely nothing present which we
can put our finger upon and say, " This is the weak point,
here is the seat of the malady." Nor does the patient
himself complain of any pain, and is hardly awaxe of his
condition.

He feels languid, depressed, " out of sorts." His mind
in not as clear as it was. It is an effort to produce any-
thing original, or to undertake any unusual exertion ;
after a while even routine business is burdensome. Tired
as he constitutionally feels, yet often he cannot sleep
sound when in bed.

So the symptoms follow one after another — and it is
not our intention to draw any harrowing picture of them
to alarm the ignorant — until there is very visibly some
definite enfeeblement of the functional power of the brain,
showing itself in motion and in intellectual expression.

This is a disease which was certainly not recognized,
even if it existed, before this age; it is the maladie du
sidcle. And for what purpose have we introduced it
here ? It is to warn against a common, perhaps the most
common, cause of it ; that is, excessive stimulation of the
sexual passions.

Dr. Handfield Jones, of London, calls especial attention
to the importance of this warning, and the frequency
with which the vice referred to leads to a premature and
seemingly unexplainable debility of the system, a want
of energy, a tediurm vitcB. He quotes the words of the
celebrated Hufeland: "It is proved beyond all doubt
that nothing renders the mind so incapable of noble and
exalted sensations, destroys so much of its firmness and
powers, and relaxes the sj^stem as this dissipation."

It is not easy to explain, even were it the place to do
so, these efi'ects, but the correctness of the observations is
too well authenticated to be doubted, and of too much
imjjortance to the public welfare to be concealed. The
men of our time are subjected to excitements such as

It, ,.■

▲ CAUSE OP DISEASE OP THE SENSEa

229

I name
lich we
I point,
patient
5 of bia

is mind
ce any-
certion ;
;. Tired
)t sleep

nd it is
of them
»ly some
16 brain,
ission.
;ognized,
adie du
rluced it
the most
»n of the

itention
■equency
lUre and
a want
of the
doubt
Die and
less and
1.

ze to do
ations is
30 much
The
such a3

none of their ancestors were, and they must be the more
guarded therefore to avoid any needless exposure of their
health. The same intelligence which has raised them
from the depths of unlettered savagery, and enabled them
to cultivate to such an extent the powers of the senses,
must be their guide in using these new abilities as not
abusing them, and in avoiding the perils with which a
wider control over natural agencies is invariably asso-
ciated.

DISORDEUS OP THE SPECIAL SENSES.

To illustrate still further the intimate relationship
which exists between all parts of the nervous systeni,
and how even remote functions are connected in their
healthy activity, we shall speak of a few disorders of the
special senses which occasionally take their rise from the
same cause of which we have been speaking.

By the term " special senses " physicians mean the
senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and feeling. They
are at times all more or less affected in diseases such as
we have mentioned, but the disorders of two of them —
sight and hearing — are so important in themselves, and
relatively so much more common and serious, that in the
present connection we shall refer to them alone.

A greater or less debility of the sight, permanent or
only occasionally present, is a well-known accompani-
ment of an abuse of the generative faculty. Sometimes
til is is merely a dimness, a tendency to confuse objects
and to blur them. At others, it is associated with an ap-
pearance of specks and motes before the eyes, or a sensa-
tion of prickling and heat in the ball of the eye.

Of course all these and similar symptoms more fre-
quently arise from other and more innocent causes than
the one of which we are speaking, but it is well to know
that they also arise from it, and well to be aware that
often as long as such habits are continued and concealed
from the physician, as is generally the case, medication

2:jO

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

■t I

I I

may be nscless, and the physician be blamod for want of
skill, when no one but tho sutlerer himself is to blumo.

It is gratifying to be assured that when tho cause is
removed, these disorders usually rapidly disappear, pro-
viding, of course, that they huve not been in existence so
long as to have impaired the organ. ])r. II. Aluller, whose
observations on these matters we have several times
quoted, says: "The feebleness of the power of vision,
which is so common among those sulieiing from disorders
of tho generative function, may increase to an actual loss
of the power of sight. I have in many instances wit-
nessed its gradual diminution. But I am pleased to say
that in every instance in which the patient continued
under treatment, I have witnessed its restoration ; some-
times quite rapidly after an appropriate local application.

" It must not be supposed, however," continues Dr.
MUller, " that this defect of the sight is always dependent
in these cases on abuse, excess, or nocturnal emissions.
On the contrary, there are various diseased conditions of
the parts which, by some not well understood sympathy,
lead to a disturbance of the powers of sight."

These he proceeds to mention, but as they could only
be understood by the medical reader, we shall not recap-
itulate them. His observation, however, we deem it im-
portant to quote, for it is of utmost weight, in our opin-
ion, that no hasty inference so damaging to the moral
life of a person, or unfair suspicion of his conduct, should
be drawn from anything we say. The facts are, that dis-
turbance ot" the eyesight, even proceeding to actual blind-
ness, may arise from iriitation of the parts, and yet this
be in no wise due to unusual piactices.

The cases due to venereal excess, the same writer goes
on to remark, the oculist is apt to treat in vain, for he
rarely reflects on this distant sympathy, may not know
it or believe in it, or feel a natural hesitancy in inquiring
aliout it. Therefore it may be that cases which have
been pronounced by the eye-surgeon incurable, will

A CAUSE OF DEAFNKS3.

231

lA^ant of
lumo.
;ause is
;ar, pro-
tcnce so
r, whoso
I times
' vision,
lisorders
ual loss
ces wit-
l to say
mtinucd
; some-
(lication.
Lues Dr.
ipendent
missions,
itions of
mpathy,

lid only
recap-
it ini-

ar opin-

moial

should

at dis-

al hlind-

yet this

er goes
for he
)t know
iquiring
eh have
le, wilJ

tin

.eadily be relieved by attention to the precautions whicli
we have givoa for preserving the function of sex in per-
fect health.

The HEAiilNQ is impaired in a less degree by such ex-
cesses, but it unquestionably ia at times implicated.

The disorders to which it is subject from this cause are
chiefly of that character which are termed subjective.
The patient will be annoyed by imaginary noises, such as
buzzing, ringing, and roaring sounds. Occasionally actual
deafness has been observed, a peculiar character of which
readily distinguishes it from that usually encountered,
that is, its variable nature. One day it will be marked,
and only a loud tone can be heard ; tlie next it may en-
tirely have disappeared, or be hardly observable.

So far from being deaf, an unusual sensitiveness of
hearing may also proceed from the same cause.

In short, it is enough to say tliat most of these disturb-
ances of this sense which are found generally where the
nervous system has been much shocked or prostrated, also
make their appearance when it is suffering under a de-
pression from injury from this source.

As these senses — sight and hearing — are the avenues
through which the inost that is good, and beautiful, and
useful is conveyed to us, and as their integrity is essen-
tial to allow us to be of service to ourselves and our
fellow-men, certainly no epliemeral or imaginary plea-
sure of a mere ignoble and seliish sort should induce us
for a moment to imperil their pel tVct working and pre-
servation. Here, again, drawn from the discussion of an
obscure point of medical practice, do we discover an argu-
ment and a powerful one in favour of that golden modera-
tion, that self-control, and that teiiii)erate use of our
powers, which in all times have constituted the kernel
of the maxims of sages and been the aim of legislator-
Experience here is of accord with reason, and proves by
example that which the latter has long taught by piecept.

m ' m»-

W i

23:2

THE TRANSMI«aiO« OF LIFK.

DISORDERS OF DIGESTION.

The nourishment of the system depends, of course, very
directly upon the proper digestion ot tlie food we eat, and
whatever interferes with the process, sotm ^ives occasion
for the appearance of a number of other troubles, de-
j)en(lent upon the starvation as it were of the separate
orj^aus.

Several authors have inwsted that there is little or no
connection ol>scrvable between the functions of sex in the
male and those of digestion ; in the female all agree that
they are intimately related, and that hardly ever is there
a disturbance of the former, but that it is reflected in the
action of the latter.

The analogy of conformation leads us to doubt, there-
fore, their entire independence in the male, and we are
inclined to agree with that more numerous party in the
profession who maintain that many cases display a strong
sympathy between the parts in question. Our own ob-
servation bears this out. Seveial striking cases have come
before us where dyspepsia of long standing disappeared
when the disorder of the lower organs was removed.

The fact that many who exhfiust their systems by ex-
cess are characteiized l>y a voracious apj)etite, is not
Budieient to disprove this view. The demand of the
system for iood is urgent, but, when conyumed, it is often
productive of unpleasant sensations, eructation, water-
brash, a sense of weight and fulness, and the other fami-
liar symptoms of indigestion. While it is nearly always
observed that such persons, in spite of the amount of
food they take, do not increase proportionately in flesh,
but are marked by a degree uf attenuation which has be-
come proverbial.

Instances have come to our knowledge where attacks
of dyspepsia made their appearance only after dissipa-
tions of the kind, ami gave no trouble where the rules
of health, in this respect, were judiciously observed. In

TUE CHANCES OF UIX'OVtUY.

233

8G, very
3at, and
(ccasion
les, (le-
loparate

3 or no
& in the
•ee that
la there
d in tho

t, there-
we are
y in the
a stronr?
own ob-
Lve come
ippeared
.'ed.

s by ex-
is not
of the
is often
water-
!r fami-
always
ount of
in flesh,
has be-

attacks

dissipa-

Lhe rules

/ed. In

these the BufTerui's theniselvea did t\ot hesitate to attri-
bute their CDinplaiiita to what they justly considered the
real exciting cause.

Whatever doubt may exist in reference to tho general
question of the sympathy of these parts, there can be
none concerning tho relationship of certain complaints of
the lower bov els to disturbances of the masculine func-
tion. Obstinate constipation may stand either in the re-
lation of a cause or a consequence to chronic irritation of
tho parts from any cause, innocent or Uagitious. So also
the nearness of position which they occupy in ilio human
system leads them to a participation in the same disturb-
ances.

THE PIIOSPECTS OF CURE.

The catalogue of nervous disorders which depend upon
disturbances of the generative functions is a somewhat
long and a formidable one, but we do not u ish the reader
to carry away any false impressions of alarm.

Our task here is difHcult. We well know that we
shall fail of our purpose if, on the one hand, we create a
terror which may lead to melancholy and despair; and
also if we give the idea that, after all, these vaiious dis-
orders are transient, rai-e, and of slight importance.

They are, in fact, frequent ; they may bo serious ; and
they may become incurable, by leading to organic changes
in the nervous systeai. But they are also generally
readily curable, even after they have long been trouble-
some. While this does not hold good for all of them, it
does for most.

There is no reason for despair, but the strongest for
reformation. Continued indulgence will certainly end in
wrecking the constitution irretrievably ; but nature is
slow to yield thus far. To the last there is hope ; but
from the first there is danger.

Let no young man, in the pride of his strength, flatter
himself he can yield to dissipation with impunity. It

!-m f* ' "

234)

THE ITIANSMISSION OF LIFE.

u,': '

may be that a single excess will ruin his bodily powers
for life, and blight his every hope at the very outset of
his career. Examplesjof this are not wanting, which may
well give him pause, for who knows but their fate may
be his.

The prospects for a complete restoration of the health
are, in the large majority of instances, favourable, but
only on one condition, the immediate and complete cessa-
tion of the wonted indulgence, whether this be solitary
or sexual abuse. Without this imperative condition, we
promise nothing.

Nor is this snough. The thought as well as the act
must be put away. That is no reform which extends to
the misdeed only, while the thoughts and wishes are as
evil as ever. In no department of morals is this more
true than here. " He who looketh upon a woman to lust
after her, hath already committed adultery with her in
his heart." And tlie evil consequences to his body aa
well as to his soul follow as surely in the one case as in
the other.

If the sufferer will resolutely see to it that he is rigidly
j)iire in heart, then we can conscientiously bid him take
courage, for the victory will shortly be won.

THE MEANS OF CURE.

While here, as in the previous parts of our work, we dis-
claim tlie intention of pretending to qualify one unversed
in tlie doctrines of medicine to manage successfully serious
diseases, .is are some we have mentioned, we shall attempt
to put those who require it in possession of informaticm
which will enable them to escape from many of the ilia
they have brought upon themselves.

The treatment of nervous disorders in general has occu-
pied prominently the attention of ])hysicians since within
the last score of years these complaints have become so
much moj'e numerous than formerly.

R,"

THE METHODS OF TREATMEJST.

235

powers
itset of
ch may

be may

I health
ble, but
e cessa-
solitary
:,ion, we

the act
bends to
I are as
is more
1 to lust

her in
body aa
ise as in

9 rigidly
im take

we dis-
invursud

serious
attempt

matioti

the ilia

las occu-
e within
come 80

We may sura np the general principles of this treatmen c
in a few words. The system must be relieved from the
cause of its disorder at the earliest moment, and recourse
be had to tonic and strengthening diet, and drugs to impart
to it the vigour which it has forfeited.

The use of iron, as in the prescription given on an ear-
lier page of this work, will be found of value. Change
of air and scene, as by travelling, is an admirable tonic.
Regulated exercise, always pushed short of the point of
actual fatigue, is essenlial. The mineral waters which
are rich in the salts of iron are of great service.

The free use of cold water is always advisable. To an
ordinarily vigorous system it is singularly invigorating.
It increases the nervous power and attracts the blood
from the inner organs to the surface. The cold bath,
whether as shower-bath or douche-bath, should be taken
with regularity.

In feeble states of the system, cold water may be de-
pressing, and there are some tetnperaments so sensitive to
it that it almost throws them into convulsions. When
this is the case, it is better to commence with tepid water,
and gradually lower the temperature as the system be-
comes accustomed to it. Th^j sponge-bath is often grate-
ful and pleasant to those who cannot support without
great discomfort the ajiplication of cold water in a more
direct manner.

The wet sheet, though cold on its first application, soon
becomes warm, and acts agreeably on those whose systems
are feeble and irritable.

There is a strong desire in many of these cases of ner-
vous trouble to quiet the irritability, and to cheer the de-
pressed spirits with doses of alcoholic beverages; and
there are physicians who do not hesitate to permit and
even to recommend such stimulation. We must enter a
decided protest against tliis ndvico and this habit. It "is
not, cannot come to good." 'J'he taliacions sense of com-
fort temporarily imparted is followed by a reaction which

fn t | ii;» "

236

THE TRANSMISSION OF LIFE.

ft 1

requires a repetition of the dose, and soon a confirmed
habit of tippling is formed. Bad at all times, this is un-
speakably pernicious in cases like those we are discussing,
where it is beyond everything important that the self-
control be maintained, and the passions kept under.

But in spite of the ri^id observance oi the ordinary
precepts for nervous disorders, there are some arising from
this cause which will not be healed by these means, and
yet are readily curable nevertheless. These are the cases
which give themselves and their medical attem .cs the
most trouble. They are weary loads to themseives and
friends, and regard themselves as comlirmed valetudina-
rians. Such require a special local treatment. Their
general nervous troubles will disappear promptly when
the irritation of the parts, the causa of all the symptoms,
no matter how remote, is removed. Many striking cases
to this effect are to be found in the various writers who
have recorded their experience on these subjects.

Of course where, as in some of the cases alluded to in
the earlier part of this article, the general symptona de-
pend upon some malformation, or upon some poison of
contagion still lurking in the system, the special and a[)-
propriate means should be employed, either surgical, to
reduce the malformation, or medical, to expel from the
system, when possible, the morbid material.

The distinction between these various causes is often a
matter of great difficulty, and no one oau trust his own
judgment in an obscure case. Even the expert at times
is at fault, and is led to the adoption of methods of treat-
ment, which, if not injurious, are useless. This is often
the fault of the patient himself Either through ignor-
ance, through a sense of guiltiness, or from a natural
diffidence, facts which would throw light upon the cause
are often withheld.

It need hardly be said that such reticence as this, how-
ever proper in general, is entirely misplaced between
patient and physician. There should be no concealment

THE DANGERS OF RETICENCE.

237

nfirmed
3 ia un-
cussing,
he self-
Br.

trdinary
ing from
ms, and
he cases
.cs the
ves and
etudina-
. Their
ly when
mptonis,
.njr casos
,ers

who

ed to in
itona de-
)oison of
and ap-
ijical, to
Iroin the

s often a
his own
at times
of treat-
1 is often
[h ignor-
natural
ihe cause

his, how-
between
cealment

when health and life are at stake. When sufficient con-
fidence is not felt in a medical attendant to give him all
the facts which are necessary for him to know, some
other one should be sought.

That many fail to receive the proper treatment because
they themselves are entirely unaware how closely their
present troubles are related to their former vices, we well
know. The hints we have given in the last few pages
are for their benefit, and we hope they will lay them well
to heart.

While pointing out, as we have done, a few of the ner-
vous disorders originating in the reproductive system, we
have carefully made our statements of even less strength
than our medical experience and knowledge would justify.
We desire to excite no unnecessary alarm in the mind of
any one. But the fact that various nervous mala'lies may
bo produced by different affections of the male organs
should be known to every man. Having learned how
penetrating and far reaching are the effects, may we not
hope that some of our readers, through the personal ap-
plication of the sanitary laws, which, in this volume, it
has been our endeavour to make clear, will be led to
avoid exposing themselves to the exciting causes of dis-
ease of the masculine function ?

[WoKKS BEFERREn TO IN THIS BKCTioN. — Th« Laticft, London, July 16
and July 30, 1870 ; Partial Paralysis from Reflex Irritation, cavsed by corv-
iietiital PhimoHis and Adherent Prepuce, by liewia A. Sayre, M.D. : Prof.A.
1'. Dutcher, M.D., Lectures on Chronic lironchitis, in the Philadelphia
Medical and Surgical ftemw^er for October 12, 1867; M. (Jonzales Eoheverria
on Kpilepiy : Atuitomo-Patholouicaf and Clinical Notes, New York, 1870, p.
2.51 ; Prof. Wni. U. Van Buren, M.D., on •i^y/ihilis of the Nervous System, in
tlie New York Medical Journal, for NoveuibtT, 18701; Traiii Historique et
Pratique de la Syphilis, par le docteur E. Lanoereaux, Paris, 18(j(), p. 441 ; Let
Passions d^ins Icurs Rapports avee la Santi et leu Maladies, par Xavier Bonr-
^'eoin, p. 2'.t ; 8. W. 1). Williams, M.D., on A Case of Syphilitic Insanity, in
the Journal of Mental Science for April, 18U9; A Cane of Syphilitic Diwast
01 the Nervous System, Journal of Pnycholotiical Medicine for April, 18<.;y ;
Lectures on the Principles and Practice of Physic, by Thomaa Watuuu, M.D.
(Am. ed.). p. 149.]

THE POYSICAl TYPE OF MANKOOD.

' i

I :

In the foregoing section we have seen he y the constitu-
tion is sometimes wrecked by the local diseases which
we have treated of in the present work. We have traced
these effects from their incipient stages until mind and
body were involved. Let us now, in order to relieve
this dark picture and dismal theme, turn our attention,
for a few paragraphs, to the reverse of it, to man in the
ideal perfection of his physical frame, and learn whether
there are any stable laws in that department of nature ;
and if so what they are.

The artist who studies man not as he is, broken and
debased by indulgence, but as he should be, in the en-
joyment of all the powers which health and virtue can
grant, will be our guide.

He discovers that in the perfect physical type of man
there are certain definite proportions which constitute
symmetry, and make up a harmony which reappears in
every statue and painting of the highest class, and whicli
the instinct of the artist appreciates more quickly than
the tape-line of the anatomist

The details of this harmony will be interesting to note.

The unit of the scale is the length of the nose measured
from the inner corner of the eye downward.

Four times this unit equals the height of the head mea-
sured from the crown to a lino horizontal with the point
of the chin.

Eight times this unit equals the distance from the
crown of the head to a line drawn around the chest at
the level of the armpits.

Sixteen times the unit equals the distance from the
crown to tho junction of the lower limbs.

THE PHYSICAL TYPE OF MANHOOD.

239

man

,itute
'ars ill
'hich
than

mea-
point

And thirty-one times tlie unit equals the total height
from the sole of the foot to the crown of the head ; and
this again is equal to the distance from the extremity of
the middle finger of one hand to that of the other when
the arms are extended.

Very numerous and minuter measurements are given
in works which treat of the rules of drawing and sculp-
ture. The physician, with mind fixed on the attainment
of life and health, naturally might expect this ideal physi-
cal type to coincide with that endowed with longest life
and greatest strength.

Singular to say, he would be in the wrong.

** The graceful shape and form of perfect symmetry,"
remarks an eminent army surgeon of large experience,
**are seldom connected with power, activity, and that
inexhaustible fund of endurance which support toils and
fatigues with constancy and firmness."

By what, then, can the capacity in a man for physical
labour and endurance be judged ?

This interesting question has recently been answered
by a German physician, who has devoted much time to
the study of the external conformation of the human
body. He includes in his formula three factors, the height,
the weight, and the circwmference of tlie chest on a line with
tlie nipple ; and he decides that the greater the proportion
of the latter to the former factors, the greater the physi-
cal capacity.

It was a familiar fact in our late war that neither very
tall nor very short men supported the toils of field ser\'!ce
as well as those of a medium stature. Nor is it common
to observe either extreme in stature reach an advanced
old age.

In one sense, the whole external form of a man is a
commentary, and a disclosure of his nature, habits, and
disposition. There is a physiognomy which is not con-
fined to the face, but embraces the whole body. A gifted
French surgeon, by observation, became such an adept in

240

THE rnVSlCAL TYPE OF MANHOOD.

this science, that he could, without fail, ascertain the
profession to which a man belonged, by examining liia
body. As passion and indulgence leave their Cain-like
brand upon the face, so occupation impresses its peculiar-
ity on the muscles of the trunk and extremities.

The perfect physical type of manhood cannot be
sought, therefore, amid the anxieties and toils of our
marts and forums ; it must not be ex[)ected in our gym-
nasia nor studios ; it will not be found in struggling
crowds ; but we can expc jt it only where the wise ancients
placed it, and where their works of art represent it —
among the immortal godai

MEDICAL VIEWS

oir
POPULAR MEDICAL INSTRUCTION.

Our bilief in the necessity for a work similar to the
one we have written has been abundantly justified, not
only by the testimonials and warm recommendationa
which it has received from many eminent men and friends
of education (as the reader will see at the close of the
volume), but also by the sale in a singularly short space
of time of three editions, ana by the personal thanks of
not a few who have read it and found profit and consola-
tion in it.

While among those who have thus aided and counten-
anced our efforts in imparting instruction on an import-
ant and peculiarly difficult branch of hygiene, we are
gratified to number not a few of our own profession who
have achiewed a deserved reputation by their studies in
State Medicine, we have received from some others,
whose opinions we value, expressed doubts as to the need
for a work like this.

Desirous as we are to exociarate ourselves from the
charge of having taken up weapons to conquer imaginary
foes, or to have inaugurated a Quixotic crusade against
sanitary windmills, it has occurred to us that we could,
with propriety, at this stage of our labours, examine the
objections to which we have referred. As fai- as they
have been brought to our notice, tliey are curiously
diverse, and may be summed up separately as follows : —

1. There are no, or almost no evils to health which
result from abuses of the masculine function. The turrortt

242

MEDICAL VIEW&

■ I

ii i

which accompany such abuses are purely imaginary, and
works like this might increase them.

2. These evils are so real, so manifest, and so well-
known to the public already, that any further information
upon them is superfluous.

3. Whether real or imaginary, such evils are so rare in
moral communities like ours that the public mind ought
not to be excited and alarmed by a description of them.

4. It is granted that these evils are both real and fright-
fully prevalent, but it is not wise to address the public
concerning them, because it is best that the public be
kept in ignorance of whatever concerns its physical being.
In the words of a professor of obstetrics in a Massachu-
setts college, in a letter to us, " The reading of works on
physiology makes men and women know just enough to
be complete fools. It would be a lucky day for them
should they forget that they have tongues, stomachs, and
livers."

Nothing but our veneration for a number of those
members of our profession who oppose popular informa-
tion on physiology and hygiene, has prevented us from
feeling some degree of amusement in comparing these
various objections to the project which we have en-
deavoured to carry out. It might not be becoming in us
to meet them with opinions and arguments of our own,
and, becoming or not, they would not have the same
weight as those advanced by professional men of unques-
tioned superiority in medical science, of vast experience,
and of world-wide reputation.

We add, therefore, some quotations from recent medical
wi'iters who have, with unbiased minds and with pains-
taking fidelity, studied this subject, and thought about
the propriety of rendering it more familiar to the general
public as an important department of hygiene.

Abbotts Smith, M.D., M.R.C.P., Lond., M.RC.S., Phy-
sician to the Finsbury Dispensary ; late Physician to the
North London Consumption Hospital j Physician to the

iry, and

30 well-
rmation

) rare in
i ought
)f them,
d fright-
3 public
ublic be
al being,
assachu-
rorks on

LOUgh to

or them
tchs, and

of those

informa-

us from

ig these

lave en-

ng in us

ur own,

e same

unques-

lerience,

medical
pains-
it about
general

Is., Phy-
|n to tke

to the

THB OPINIOH or DB. ABBOTTS SMITH.

243

Metropolitan Free Hospital, and to the City Dispensary,
etc., says, in The Medical Preaa and Circular, of London,
for December 21, 1870 :—

" For many years past, I have had extensive opportu-
nities for observing at the various institutions with which
I have been connected, as well as in private practice, the
frequency of cases of spermatorrhcEa, and I have been
especially struck by two facts, namely, 1. The remark-
ably helpless and dejected state of patients suffering from
this aftection ; and 2. The relative facility of cure, as com-
pared with numerous other disorders of the genito-urinary
organs, if the patients remained under treatment for a
reasonable period, and if they, at the same time, relin-
quished the bad habit which, in a certain proportion of
the cases, had brought on or tended to perpetuate the
ailment.

" A third feature presented itself with almost uniform
regularity, and this was that in most of the cases (at any
rate, in something like two-thirds of the whole number
under observation) the patients had, before applying for
hospital advice, foolishly placed themselves in the hands
of ignorant, unscrupulous quacks, who, acting on the
principle of the old highwayman's maxim, 'your money
or your life,' had rapaciously extorted as much as they
could of the former, while their victims ran no small risk
of also losing the latter. To a certain extent, some of the
sufferers could scarcely be blamed for their apparent
want of discrimination in going to such men, as they had
in the first instance resorted to medical practitioners, who
had told them, either that their disorder was imaginary,
or, rushing into the opposite extreme, that it was incur-
able, or only to be removed by the progress of time.

*' It is not a little singular that the medical profession
should have assumed such an apathetic or indifferent po-
sition as regards this disorder. There can be no doubt of
the existence of spermatorrhcea in a large number of
patients, and, in fact, it would be found to be much more

244

MEDICAL VIEWS.

111

common than it even appears to be, if it were more gener-
ally recognized as a distnict affection. Many of the cases
which now fall into the hands of empirical pretenders,
would then come within the range of observation of quali-
fied practitioners. And this must, sooner or later, be tlie
case when the false delicacy which is at present allowed to
surround the subject of spermatorrhoea is removed. It is
the conscientious duty of medical men, standing as they
do in the position of guardians of the public health, to
grapple resolutely with this, as with every other phase oj
disease, instead of leaving unfortunate sufferers exposed
to any charlatans who may haiipen to seize upon it as a
fertile field for deception and extortion. I write thus
earnestly, because many instances have been published,
in the medical journals, of patients— often of superior edu-
cation, intelligence, and social position — who have
suffered severely at the hands of quacks, partly through
their complaint having been treatea too lightly by medical
practitioners, partly through the mauvaise honte which
induced them, misled by the specious promises held out,
to fall into the traps set by quacks. ' Omne ignotum pro
magnifico * is an old and true axiom concerning the credu-
lity of sick people, who, like drowning men, readily snatch
at any proffered assistance, without waiting to form an
opinion as to whether it is worthless or sound. With re-
gard to the almost culpable distaste for dealing fully with
the subject, I am of the same opinion with that which
was recently expressed to me by the editor of a medical
journal, that there can be no more real reason for ignoring
the functional disorders of the male, than those of the
female sex, upon which so much has been written and
said of late years.

" The general symptoms of spermatorrhcea need not be
dwelt upon, and I shall purposely pass over the mi-
nutely detailed and grossly exaggerated symptoms, which
the quacks carefully and persistently parade before their
victims' imaginations, such as ' involuntary blushings,'
' loss of vigour,' ' gradual decay of nature/ and the like.

THE HAIIM DONE BY CHARLATANS.

245

ire gener-
the cases
•eteudera,
of quali-
er, be tlie
illowed to
ed. It is
g as they
health, to
'phase oj
'8 exposed
:tn it as a
irrite thus
published,
)erior edu-
(/■ho have
y through
by medical
mte which
held out,
%otum pro
the credu-
ily snatch
form an
With re-
fuUy with
lat which
a medical
ir ignoring:;
)se of the
itten and

Bed not be
the mi-
nis, which
fore their
lushings,'
the like.

" Suffice it to say, that the f,'cneral symptDins are simi-
lar to those which are present in all cases of disease where
the patient is subjected to the effects of continuous ex-
haustion of the system. He becomes languid, weak and
unfit for any sustained physical or mental exertion, dis-
posed rather to brood in solitude over his misfortunes,
than to join in social conversation and amusements, thin,
pale and anaemic in appearance.

" In the majority of cases, especially of those which are
connected with masturbation, the patient is unwilling to
speak of his ailment, and particularly reticent concerning
its causes and nature. To this peculiarity may be attri-
buted, in great measure, the uncertainty and difficulty of
treatment. A physician may go on for a long time, treat-
ing a case of this kind by general measures, but unless he
should eventually suspect its real character, and satisfy
himself, by closer questioning, of the accuracy of his sus-
})icions, no improvement will be manifest in the condition
of the patient. In fact, the patient will be further off
from a cure than ever ; the physician, unconscious of the
' foTis et origo mail' will get batlled and disheartened at
the continuous want of success, while the patient, be-
coming more reticent, and it may be more addicted to the
bad habit, will fall into an almost hopelessly chronic
state of illness and despair. How much better would it
be for the patient's health and happiness, if he could face
the matter boldly, and at once disclose the nature of his
case to his medical adviser. ' Half-confidences are bad,'
remarked one of our most distinguished judges. Lord St.
Leonards, with reference to legal consultations; what,
then, must half-confidences be in a medical consultation
where the real nature and origin of the case are known
only to the patient himself ?

" If the patient gives a fair history of his ailment, the
physician will usually be enabled to mark out a definite
coui'se of successful treatment."

246

MEDICAL VIEWS.

Dr. Storer, Vice-President of the Anicrican Me<lical
Association, says, concerning the hygiene of the functions
of sex : —

" The subject ia one that concerns all, for it lies at the
foundation of society — sexual hc.ilth and disease, the need
or advantage of marriage, the need or advantage of di-
vorce, the chance of home bein;^ such or an empty name,
an earthly heaven or a worse than [)urgatory — these are
topics that affect each man, however careless or uncon-
cerned he may think himself, or may appear to be.

" la it asked, if these disclosures are not by their very
publication subversive of good morals, and the calling at-
tention to the true relation of the sexos suggestive to bad
men of, and conducive towards, their false relations ? I
answer —

" First, that to ignore the existence of sin, error, misery,
is in reality to encourage and to increase them. It is Yike
walking upon thinly-crusted lava, or upon breaking ice,
certain to prevent our saving others, ready indeed to in-
gulf even ourselves. We varnish over or seek to conceal
vice, and it loses half its grossness — it becomes attractive
perhaps, or fashionable ; but if we strip it of its veil, any
soul, not wholly smirched, will recoil with horror.

" Again, all of us learn the lessons of life by experience
— sad experience, indeed, it too often is. Alany a ma.i
would give even his own soul could his past life be re-
stored to him, and its follies, its sins be effaced. Too often
his soul is no longer his own to give : inextricably entan-
gled in passion's web, wound about and about with its
myriad threads, there remains but the dead and worthless
semblance of himself that can be restored by nought save
the boundless grace of God. Who would not gladly es-
cape such risk, and welcome every premonition of dan-
ger ?

" Still again, many, claiming to be immaculate V ^^n^
selves, will ask, * Am I my brother's keeper ?* A o,

living together in communities, as we do, it must ^on-

TUB OPINION OF DR. STORER.

247

Medical
i unctions

es at the
the need
yQ of di-
»ty name,
these are
r uncon-
be.

beir very
allinfj at-
ive to bad
tions ? I

)r, misery,

It is like

iking ice,

ied to in-

io conceal

attractive

veil, any

kperience
ny a raaa
ife be re-
Too often
.ly entan-
with its
^vorthless
light save
;ladly es-
of dan-

Ite tl '^m
ft

on-

fcHsed that we are responsible, every one of us, and to a
very great extent, for the shortcomings and evil deeds of
all the rest, and it must also be confessed that there does
not exist, that there probably never existed, a perfectly im-
maculate man, who never once has erred in the very matter
we are now considering, either in deed, or in word, or in
thought. Consoling indeed for those of us who humV)ly
confess our infirmities is this very fact. Take the very
basest of us, and he at times is conscious of vain regrets of
his own misdeeds, and a fond desire that those whom he
loves, for every man has such, may be better than ha Take
the very best of us, and he sees a height beyond any he
has yet attained, that he prays he may yet reach and
pass.

" And further : not merely are these researches, publica-
tions for the general weal, i)eifectly legitimate and ad-
visable in themselves; they have been sanctioned by
precedents that have already been established. I do not
refer to the attempts of unprincipled empirics to terrify the
masses by overdrawn pictures of disease, nor of holy and
well-meaning men to turn them to better ways by fervent
descriptions of the wrath to come. We shall take neither
the fear of things present nor future as our standard in
this discussion, but appeal solely to each man's reason —
and such appeals have been made before. They have
been made in France by Ricord, by Lallemand, and others
of the great medical philosophers of tiie day ; by Parent-
l)uch5,telet and by Diday. In England, there are men
like Acton, who dare to sound the trumpet of alarm,
bringing forward their facts from private practice, from
the hospital, and from the dead-house, and drawing from
these indisputable conclusions. In our own country
there are men like those brave souls, now one of them at
least translated to a better country, Blatchford, and
Hodge, and Pope, and Barton, and Lopez, and Brisbane
physicians of the very highest rank in their profession,
who were not ashamed, in the question of the frequency

248

MEDICAL VIEWS.

and the ill results of criminal abortion, to take stand be-
side me upon the platform of our personal knowledge, and
knowing, they dared maintain. I will cite but one in-
stance more. It is that of a good man now gone to his
rest, and a vo«y rook he was to the swelling tide of moral
as well as physical evil — the late Professor John Ware, of
Massachusetts. His little work has stayed many a heail-
long step and saved many a soul alive."

William Acton, M.R.C.S., Fellow of the Royal Med.
and Chir., and statistical societies, etc. etc., in the preface
and introduction to hia work, addressed to the profession,
on the Functions and Disorders of the Reproductive Or-
gans, says : —

" Shou.M these pages accidentally fall into the hands of
laymen of sense and information, many of the facts and
opinions to be found therein will, I apprehend, prove at
least suggestive. The continent student will find reasons
for continuing to live according to the dictates of virtue.
The dissolute will be taught, on positive and iirefragible
grounds, the value of self-control. The married man vill
find advice and guidance ; and the bachelor, who is often
j)laced in a trying; social position, will glean consolation
from observing that not only are his sexual sufferings ap-
preciated and understood, but that rules are given him for
their mitigation. The physiologist will see his principles
reduced to practice. The comparative anatomist will
judge how much light his investi^rations on the animal
kingdom have thrown upon sexual relations in man.
The surgeon will learn how to manage that difficult class,
the hypochondriacal, and how to address himself to the
audacious old libertine who, setting at nauiiht religious
principle and social customs, acts in open defiance of the
laws of his country. Lastly, the advocate who practises
in the ecclesiastical or criminal courts will here find the
basis for many valuable arguments — nay more, he may
learn how, in many casea of guilt, fair cause may be shown

stand be-
iedge, and
t one in-
ne to his
e of moral
1 Ware, of
ly ahead-

5yal Med.
lie preface
profession,
ictive Or-

e hands of
facts and
, prove at
ad reasons
of virtue,
rrefragible
. man vill
10 is often
onsolation
erings ap-
len hiin for
principles
mist will
lie animal
in man.
[cult clas.s,
jif to the
religious
ice of the
practises
tind the
k he may
be shown

THE OPINION OF DR. ACTON.

249

for a culprit's committal to a lunatic asylum instead of to
a prison.

"Until lately, indeed, many standard writers on the
generative system have practically ignored the functional
aspect of their subject ; dealing with the whole of the
wonderful and complex machinery of which they treat as
if the offices it fulfils, the thousand feelings it atfects, the
countless social, moral, and scientific interests with which
it is so intimately connected, were of little or no moment.
Others copy their predecessors, and perpetuate staLcmenta
little in accordance with the advanced state of science at
the present time.

" One reason of this reticence is obvious enough. The
subject has been considered delicate — dangerous — un-
seemly — just as well let alone, even in scientific works.

" Of course there have been notable and honourable ex-
ceptions to this fas I cannot but think) rather cowardly,
if not prudish, neglect of so large and important a branch
of the boundless science of humanity. Foremost, perhaps,
among these, I may be permitted to specify Dr. Carpenter.
In the later editions of his ' Physiology,' that eminent
author has boldly met the difficulties of the subject. Far,
for instance, from ignoring the existence of sexual feel-
ings, he has investigated them in the same calm and
philosophic spirit with which he has approached all other
inquiries. Popular prejudice he has quietly passed by ;
and has discussed a physical phenomenon, an intellectual
faculty, or a sexual instinct, with equal simplicity and
completeness. Indeed, every step in physiological science
seems to reveal to us something more of that mysterious
connection between the perishing frame and the imperish-
able part which at once rules, and is so largely influenced
by its earthly companion. I conceive it to be of the
greatest importance in no case to neglect or ignore their
connection, and perhaps in none more than in the case of
the generative functions. Those functions, and the feel-
ings, instincts, and tendencies of which they are the ex-

250

MEDICAL VIEWS.

poneiits, are, perhaps, the most, powerful social and moral
agentfj in the world. They are fraught with happiness or
misery to generations as well as individuals.

" Plain speaking is not of necessity impurity. It is not
unfrequently its very opposite. I admit that a matter so
important as this should be treated gravely and by com-
petent authority — not left to the scofi'er and the quack.
But I believe that in so doing, the truest wisdom and the
best means of securing the results we desire will be found
in a scientific candour."

From The British and Foreign Aledico-Chi/rurgical
Quarterly Review: —

" We doubt whether, among our human relations, there
is one that exerts a greater influence upon most of us than
that which draws its impulses from the sexual feelings.
Indirectly, it governs the whole life of the female, from
the time at which she dandles her first doll to the time
when she teaches her grandchild " pattycake, pattycake ;"
the vices and the virtues of the sterner sex — less con-
fessedly, perhaps, but no less really — result from the
vagaries and dreams of boyhood, or the waywardness or
resolutions of adult age, that are prompted by the sexual
instincts

" Sexual excesses are the monster evil of the present,
no less than of former times ; it is not, except in parti-
cular forms, a subject for legislation, because legislation
cannot reach it ; but it is essentially a subject for the
clergyman and the schoolmaster to deal with. It is folly
to ignore what every man who has been at school must
know to prevail. It is wisdom to avail ourselves of the
holiest aspirations of the youth to enable him to shun
evil, not from fear — though from fear if need be — but
from a just appreciation of the immutable laws, which
may be traced equally in Holy Writ and in natural theo-
logy. We trust that those whose position as men of
science and teachers enables them to speak with authority,

THE OPINION OP MEDICAL JOURNAIA

261

will assist in combating a,r.d arresting the evils which it
entails, and thus enable man to devote more enduring
energies and more lofty aims to the advancement of his
race, and to the service of his God."

From the London Lancet :

" The only way by which some of the most important
functional ailments and aberrrant physiologic states affect-
ing humanity can be rescued from the grasp of the most
disgusting and villainous quackery, and treated with
benefit to the patient, is by the scientific and conscien-
tious practitioner openly taking them under his own
charge

" Now, however, that legitimate and able practitioners
permit themselves to be known as willing to bestow as
much consideration on the aberrations of the generative
functions as on those of any other, we trust that some
stoppage will be put to the basest system of plunder ever
conducted under the mask of ' medical advice.' "

The Philadelphia Medical and Surgical Reporter for
January 7, 1871, in an able editorial, entitled " The Realm
of the Quack," makes the following remarks : —

" Never anywhere in the field of human studies can
we find more striking illustrations of the dangers and the
evils of ignorance than in the history of that science
whose votaries we are. Nothing so touches the human
heart, nothing so puts to its utmost strain each faculty of
our being, as the love of li "e, the fear of death, the dread
of pain. These are the ai!-powerful and universal mo-
tives to which in every age the true and the false physi-
cian appeal.

"The true physician seeks to allay unnecessary and
nn[)hiloso|)liical terror, to soothe with utmost promptness
the suffering he witnesses, to iustil a calm resignation to
the universal law of (irath, to defer that inevitable close
of the career by wise and temperate precautions, and to

252

MEDICAL VIEWS.

defend the public from the approach of pain. To accom-
plish this, the master-minds of all ages are agreed that
the most effective means is the diffusion of sound kiunu-
ledge. Socrates was not the first to proclaim that the
source of physical and moral evil is ignorance. And
what he advanced and proved with such inexhaustible
subtlety of logic and profuseness of illustration, has be-
come the watchword of civilization and the hope of the
race.

" The battle we have to fight is against the powers of in-
tellectual darkness ; and the history of each day adds an-
other to the long register of facts that proves that in our
science, as in all others, those who know the most are the
leaders and the true benefactors of their race.

" A strong illustration of this axiom is found in the
history of charlatanism. Within the last score of yoni.s
we have seen it dispossessed of one after another of its
strongholds by the careful study of them by able and
conscientious observers. Hysterical phenomena, long the
peculiar province of miracle vendors, are now too well
known to allow them any further chance for their bold as-
sumptions. The diseases of women, which twentyyears ago
was in its twilight period, is now a branch of medical
science abounding in distinguished masters, and its most
important facts, those which it is well for all to know,
have been laid before the public in popular works of the
highest order of merit, and which will prevent thousands
from unwittingly violating the laws of their organization.

" There is still one department which remains far too
largely in the hands of those who delight to play upon
human suffering, and to foster it for their mercenary ends.
Secret diseases have largely passed out of their hands, but
they still thrive upon certain complaints which a native
shame disinclines the patient to reveal to his family
physician.

" The same is also true in England. In a recent num-
ber of one of the leading medical weeklies there, after

. 1

>^A

THE OPINION OF MEDICAL JOUBNALSL

remarking that ' quacks only thrive in that part of medi-
cine which is neglected by the faculty,' it adds, 'hence,
since there have been such able writers on syphilis in this
country, that the field has been abandoned by these dan-
gerous charlatans. The only field left now for the quacks
is that of spermatorrhoea and functional diseases of males.
The Obstetrical Society has attacked the diseases of our
sisters in such a positive spirit, that the outsider has no
chance in that department. That there are plenty of
diseases of the male reproductive organs besides gonor-
rhoea and syphilis, well-educated medical men know, but
there is a wonderful disinclination to taking up this ques-
tion. We have a few honourable exceptions in the names
of Curling, Erichsen, and more recently Waring, Curran,
and Teevan, but the exception proves the rule that the
subject is still in the twilight epoch, and hence fit to be
seized on by charlatans. Let us hope that our best
young men may soon clear away the silly mysteries about
this branch.*

" We echo that hope for this side of the Atlantic, and
extend to it the wish that some skilled writer would dis-
pel a little of the dense popular ignorance around these
subjects, an ignorance which, shared as it is by parents,
teachers, and professors, prevents them from giving in-
structions to their sons and pupils, by which the latter
could be saved from incalculable pain, mental agony, and
vice. Every physician and most teachers must have wit-
nessed repeated examples of the need of just such informa-
tion."

THE RELATION OF THE SEXES

,1.1

EARLY YOUTH.

A number of thoughts which occurred to us while
writing the earlier pages of this work, related to our theme,
yet not directly forming part of it, seem to us of such
interest and practical bearing, that it is well to group
tliem together in the form of an appendix, under the
above title.

Too often the student of nature, accustomed to the
]^hysiological aspect only of phenomena, and impressed
with the importance of the function, regards reproduction
as the only purpose of a difference of sex. He considers
that the end is attained when the species is perpetuated,
and may believe that could this be accomplished in any
other mode, then sexuality would become a question of no
moment.

The incorrectness of such a narrow view as this has been
shown with extraordinary force of thought and beauty of
language, by the eminent German philosopher and critic
Wilhelm von Humboldt, in an essay on " The Difi'erence of
Sex and its Influence on Organic Nature."

We cannot enter here into the convincing and brilliant
arguments which he adduces to prove the truth of his
conclusions ; we shall only repeat, in a brief and inade-
quate manner, what these conclusions are.

The distinction of sex, in his eyes, extends to the men-
tal and moral as well as the physical traits. " Without it,
iia.ture would no longer be nature, her mechanism would

FHE DISTINCTION OI" SEX

255

wbile
theme,
>f such

group
ler the

to the

pressed
uction
nsiders
tuated,
in any
in of no

IB been
jauty of
critic
[ence of

Irilliant
of his
inade-

|e men-
lout it,
I would

cease, and both the attraction which draws Individuak to-
gether, and the struggle which forces each to put forth his
best energies, would cease, and a tedious, debilitating
monotony would ensue."

The male is everywhere, and in all hia manifestations,
characterized by peculiar traits, and the female by others
quite as much her own. The predominance of these
qualities in either sex, however, is no advantage, but a
disadvantage. In the highest types of human physical
beauty, the feminine and masculine traits are brought
into intimate union and a perfect equilibrium. In the
Apollo of the Belvidere, magnificent specimen of manhood
that it is, there is yet something feminine, something
lends the grace and softness of the other sex to the power-
ful muscles and manly frame.

On the other hand, in that most perfect model of the
female figure, the Venus of Milo, exquisitely feminine as
it is, there lurks constantly some line or vague expression
which reminds us of a man. Instinctively the ancient
artist, with the divination of genius, recognized and gave
to his work that unity of the sexes which the philosopher
reasons must belong to the perfect human creature.

Let us exemplify our meaning by another and a loftier
example. The traditional face of our Saviour, which is so
familiar to us in Christian art, ancient and modern, it is
well known is not a likeness, but an imaginary portrait,
developed by the inspiration of ardent piety, and perfected
by a long series of monastic artists, until it expresses the
ideal of their highest art-dreams. And who, on atten-
tively examining any good copy of this traditional face,
Cf.n fail to be struck with the feminine softness and sweet-
ness which are present, and which, though present, do not
in the least weaken or deduct from the quiet decision, the
unalterable serenity, the unmeasured oower, and the mas-
terly dignity of the countenance ?

What is in these lofty efforts of art )ortrayed in the
physical powers is not less true of the intellectual and

256

THE SEXES IN EARLY YOUTH.

moral attributes. The remark has been made by some
acute analyst of human nature, we believe by Goethe,
that there is always something feminine in genius. Cer-
tainly that disposition is the most admirable, and that
intellect most powerful, which include in themselves
what we are accustomed to define as the masculine and
feminine attributes, which temper the rude force of man
with the delicate sensibilities of woman, which fortify
her susceptible nature with his sterner strength.

These views, which we gather from the realms of art
and philosophy, are not idle reveries. Thej'^ have an im-
mediate and most practical bearing on our own lives, on
self -culture, on the education of youth, and on the rela-
tion of the sexes in early life.

An extended study of social life discloses to us two
diverse theories which have prevailed, and still obtain, in
different nations, and in different families in the same
nation, with reference to this topic.

The one holds that as early as possible in life, and for
as long a me as possible, it is wise to separate the sexes
and keep them separated.

The second theory insists that any such action is most
inevitably calculated to defeat its objects, and to create
and foster the very evils it is designed to avoid.

Let us examine these opinions.

THE THEORY OF SECLUSION.

The Oriental nations from the dawn of history to the
present hour, as a rule, confine the females of the family
to separate apartments, restrict their knowledge of the
world, and debar them from social intercourse. Young
men grow to maturity without having any general female
society.

In Italy, Spain, and many other of the European
countries, unmarried girls of the better ckisses are sedu-
lously secluded in seminaries or convents. If allowed to

TWO DIVERSE THEORIEa

257

y some
Goethe,
L Cer-
id that
rnselvea
ine and
of man
fortify

3 of art
I an ini-
ives, on
[,he rela-

) ua two
btain, in
he same

, and lor

he 86X63

is most
,0 create

to the
family
of the
Young
|1 female

iropean
sedu-
)wed to

enter general society at all, it is under the strict surveil-
lance of duennas, or other elderly female friends. Freedom
of social intercourse among the young is not approved.
Parents fear that the effect will be injurious.

In England there is much difference in this respect.
From ancient time* the women of Anglo-Saxon lineage
enjoyed greater freedom than those of the South of Europe.
They were never shut up in latticed boudoirs, and hidden
from mankind by impervious jalousies. Their children
grew up as playmates and companions.

The theory of seclusion is based on the belief that
moral restraint applied to women is insufficient, that they
cannot be trained to a virtuous self-control, and that the
only efficacious means to guard them from social dangers
are to keep them in profound ignorance and to deprive
them of every opportunity of transgression. What the
consequences of such a theory, deliberately carried out,
are upon the woman we need not explain to those at all
conversant with the social morals of Spain or Italy.

But the effects of this plan upon the male sex are even
worse. The young man, with all his instincts drawing
him toward the society of the opposite sex, finds none of
it which suits his age and aspirations. He naturally
turns to where it can be found, namely to that class of
society which spurns the restrictions of the social code,
and, naturally enough, those also of the moral code.

This is why, in all the continental cities, there is an ex-
tensive and well-defined circle known as the demi-monde,
an attractive, agreeable, and dangerous resort for the
young. The polish and training which the votaries of
this circle obtain may indeed satisfy the superficial de-
mands of the world, but to the moralist, to the admirer
of the sterner virtues, to the lover of his country, such a
training is portentous in the extreme.

The nation which educates its youth in this school pro-
vides for itself an enervated and false civilization, and
prepares for its own downfall. The best physical train-

258

THE SEXES IN EARLY YOUTH.

ing is not that \vhich sedulously guards against every
shock, and every breath of cold air, but which gives to
the body endurance and vigour to enable it to bear with
impunity the blasts of winter and the struggles of the
arena. So the best moral training is not that which dili-
gently shuts out all knowledge of the world, and is based
on an utter distrust of natural virtue, but that which
teaches self-control, ability to resist evil and cleave to the
good, to fight and overcome temptation, and to be actively
virtuous.

This training is not to be had on the theory of seclu-
sion. To obtain it we must commence education from a
different point, and wholly alter the relation of the sexes
in early youth.

:i 1

THE THEORY OP SOCIAL UNION.

In this country there is no excuse for the young man
who seeks the society of the loose and the dissolute.
There is at all times and everywhere open to him a society
of persons of the opposite sex of his own age and of pure
thoughts and lives, whose conversation will refine him, and
drive from his bosom ignoble thoughts.

But our present intention is not to discuss this question
as it pertains to general society, but to confine our remarks
to the period of boyhood and girlhood.

As we remarked in the earlier pages of the present
work, the sexual passion is developed long before the age
of puberty. It is clearly visible in childieu of even ten-
der years. As we there said, it is of the utmost import-
ance that it shall be restrained and controlled to the
utmost. Can this best be done by a rigid separation of
the sexes, or by a free communion between them ?

The common and ancient supposition is that the first
mentioned is the best plan. Yet, as we have shown, this
view is based upon a fallacy. The Latin proverb tells us
we strive against that which is forbidden. The very

A DANGEROUS SOCIAL SCHOOU

259

rarity of an object excites curiosity, while familiarity
breeds indifference.

Nowhere is this more true than in the history of the
sexual passion, and there are numbers of evidences we
could adduce.

That ingenious naturalist, Mr. Darwin, explains on
this ground the abhorrence to the crime of incest. It is
well known that, with widely different races in the most
distant quarters of the world, marriages between relations,
even distant relations, liave been strictly prohibited. At
first, Mr. Darwin thinks that a slight feeling arising from
the natural indifference of familiarity and the sexual ex-
citement of novelty, led to unions between members of
different rather than of the same families. This feeling
was augmented through " natural selection," and finally
became instinctive. It seems more probable that degrad-
ed savages should thus unconsciously have acquired their
dislike and even abhorrence of incestuous marriages,
rather than that they should have discovered by reason-
ing and observation any evil results wh^h might have
followed on such unions.

It is this indifference which should be most assiduously
cultivated in the young of both sexes, especially in males.
Nature herself has provided for it to some extent in fe-
males. It is one of the acute observations of Wilhelm von
Humboldt that such an indifference is the rule in the girl
when just blossoming into womanhood. To quote his own
admirable words : " The first emotions of her youthful
heart wander, like the glance of Diana, into the far dis-
tance. The earliest maidenly age is thus not unfrequently
acconipanied by a certain want of fetling, indeed, inas-
nuich as the feuiininc mildness de[)enils upon the develop-
ment of those einotii;i!s, we may say, by a certain hard-
ness. Some chaiacters hasten over this piiriod so rapidly
that it is hardly perceived, but in most it is visible for
some time."

There ia strong reason to hold that one of the most ef-

2(;o

THE SEXt^S IN EAllLY YOUTH.

iH^ '

fective means to bring about this iuditi'orenco of familia-
rity 18 by

THE CO-EDUCATION OF THE SEXEa

We have spoken of this in a previous part of this work
as an experiment, about the result of whicli we are not
(piitu fully satistietl. The evidence which has been sub-
mitted to the public is nearly all in its favour. We are
still, however, not yet inclined to give it our unreserved
advocacy; there are man}-^ considerations of locality and
custom which must "give us pause;" there arc individual
instances in which it cannot be approved, and there are
limits to mixed classes which must be detined. But of
Buch importance as a practical question do we consider it,
that we venture to insert an <!Xtract of some length from
the last Annual Report of the Board of St. Louis Tuljlic
Schools, written by the etiicicut superintendent, Professor
William T. Harris.

lie remarks: —

" It is in accordance with the spirit of our institutions
to treat women as sulf-dctermining bein;'s, and as loss in
want of those external artiticial barriers that were bu'lo
up in such ]*rofusion in })ast times. We give to youth of
both sexes more privileges or opportunities for self-con-
trol than are given in the old-world society. Each gene-
ration takes a step in advance in this respect.

•' Occasionally, as in San I'rancisco, there is a returning
eddy which may be caused by the unbalanced condition
of society found on frontiers. Old cities, like New York
and Boston, may move very slowly in this direction, be-
cause of enormous expense required to change buildings
and school- yards so as to adapt them to the wants of
" mixed schools." In fact, the small size of school-yards
in many cities renders this change next to impossible.
Western cities will take the lead in this matter and out-
strip the East. Within fifteen years the schools of St.
Louis have been entirely remodelled on this plan, and the

imilia-

s work
iro not
m sul)-
kVe are
^served
ty and
ividuiil
ore are
But of
sider it,
til from
Public
rofessor

itutions

; less in

re bu'lo

outh of

elf-con-

oene-

turning

Miditiou
York
ion, be-
aildings
ants of
1-yards
possible,
nd out-
s of St.
and the

PROP. HARRIS REPORT.

201

results have proved so admirable that a few remarks may
Vje ventured on the experience which they furnish, i
wish to apeak of the effects on the school system itself
and of the effects upon the individual pupils attending.

"I. Economy has been secured through the circumstance,
that the co-education of the sexes makes it possible to
have better classification and at the same time larger
classes. Unless proper grading is interfered with, and
pupils of widely different attainments brought together
in the same classes, the separation of the sexes requires
twice as many teachers to teach the same number of pupils.
This remark applies, of course, particularly to sparsely
settled districts. The item of economy is very conside-
rable, but is not to be compared with the other and
greater advantages arising.

" While it is conceded by the opponents of co-education
that the primary schools may be mixed to advantage, they
with one accord oppose the system for schools of a higher
grade. Now, what is singular in our experience is the
fact that our high school was the first experiment on this
plan for classes above the primary. Economy and better
classification were the controling reasons that initiated
this experiment, and from the high school the system has
crept down through all the intermediate grades. What
had been found practicable and satisfactory in the highest
grades could not long be kept away from the lower ones.

" II. Discipline has improved continually with the
adoption of mixed schools. Our change in St. Louis haa
been so gradual that we have been able to weigh with the
utmost exactness every point of comparison between the
two systems.

" The mixing of the male and female departments of a
school has always been followed by improvement in disci-
pline ; not merely on the part of the boys, but on that of
the girls as well. The rudeness and abandon which pre-
vail among boys when separate, at once give place to self-
restraint in the presence of girls. The prurient sentimen-

2G2

THE SEXEB IN EAllLY YOUTH.

■'i \v>

'! i

tality engendered by educatin!:^ girls apart from boya — it
is manifested by a frivolous and silly bearing vvlien such
girls are brought into the society of the opposite sei: — this
disappears almost entirely in mixed schools. In its place
a quiet self-possession reigns. The consequence of this
is a general prevalence of milder forms of discipline. Boys
and girla originating — according to nature's plan — in the
same family as brothers and sisters, their culture should
be together, ao that the social instincts be saved from ab-
normal diseased action. The natural dependence of each
individual upon all the rest in society should not be [)re-
vented by isolating one hex from another during the most
formative ptages of growth.

" III. Instruction is also greatly improved. Where the
sexes are separate, methods of instruction are unbalanccxl
and gravitate continually toward extremes that may be
called masculine and feminine. The masculine extreme is
mechanical, formalizing in its lowest shape, and the merely
intellectual training on its highest side. The feminine
extreme is the learning-by-rote system on the lower side,
and the supeiluity of sentiment in the higher activities.
Each needs the other as a countcr-cl'.ccU, and it is only
through their union that educational n'.ethods attain com-
plnteness and do not foster one-sidedness in the pupil.
We find here that mixed schools are noted for the pre-
valence of a certain healthy tone which schools on the
separate system lack. More rapid progress is the conse-
quence, and we find girls making wonderful advances even
in mathematical studios, while l)oys seem to take hold of
literature far better for the iuilueuce of the female j)ortioii
of the class.

"IV. liul'tvidiial development iH, as already indicated,
far more sound and healthy. It has been found that
schools kept exclusively for girls or bo3's require a much
more strict surveillance on the part of the teachers. The
girls continoil by themselves develop the sexual tension
nmch earlier, their imagination being the reigning faculty

Is, ..

THE mo 1 1 EST EDUCATION.

263

and not bridled by intercourse with society in its normal
form. So it is with boys, on tho other hand. Daily as-
sociation in the class-room prevents this tension, and sup-
plies its place by indifference. Each sex testing its
strenj:{th with the other on an intellectual plane in the
presence of the teacher — each one seeing the weakness
and strength of the other — learns to esteem what is essen-
tial at its true value. Sudden likes and dislikes, capricious
fancies and romantic ideals give way for sober judgments
not easily deceived by mere externals. This is the basis of
that ' quiet self-possession ' before alluded to, and it forms
the most striking mark of difference between the girls or
boys educated in mixed schools and those educated in
schools exclusively for one sex.

"That the sexual tension be developed as late as pofj-
sible, and that all early love affairs be avoided, is the
desideratum, and experience has shown that association of
the sexes on the plane of intellectual contest is the safest
course to secure this end."

These judicious remarks, by one who has long and at-
tentively studied the prcblemunder advantageous circum-
stances, are so clear that we have few commentaries to
make upon them. Of course there are certain branches of
instruction to which they do not apply, but this is a
question \tre do not enter upon in this cuimection.

The point to which we wish to draw especial attention
is what Professor Harris calls the " late development of
the sexual tension," in children of both sexes who are al-
lowed freely to intermingle iu the pursuits of education.

Furthermore, as we have shown at the outset of this
appendix, that education itself is higher which develops
the latent feminine instincts in boys, the inherent mascu-
line traits in girls ; which, in other words, tempers each
sex with the best characteristics of the opposite sex.

Segregation and isolation do not improve the morality
nor elevate the culture, but the contrary. From tho
earliest years it is better that the sexes should meet in an

264

THE SEXES IN EARLY YOUTH,

unrestricted manner, that diffidence, false modesty, and
spurious sentiment should be avoided, and that much of
the intellectual and social training should be in common.

While this is true, it by no means follows that the
social basis of children's society should be upon the same
theories as that of adults.

No training is more objectionable and more calculated
to bring about precocious maturity, in other words, to
foster the very tension which it should be our aim to dis-
courage, than to introduce into the thoughts and social
life of children the sentiment of sexual love. Hence it
was that \7e have said, on a previous page : " The growing
custom of allowing veiy young people of both sexes to
associate at parties, balls, dances, and similar amusements
cannot be approved of on the score of health. It is nearly
certain to favour precocity."

Conversation about beaus and " girls," reference to the
admiration of the opposite sex, teasing about early loves,
and such subjects, on which too many parents delight to
sper k with their children, are thoroughly unwise.

While the ordinary intercourse of the family and the
school is likely to bring about a condition of indifference,
it is not to be trusted to alone. The minds of the young
are too excitable and too eager for novelties tx) be left to
their own discretion. It is essential that they be occupied
with matters which will keep them away from seductive
and insidious subjects.

TI 3 pursuit of the severer studies, such as mathematics,
and the proper training of the physical powers, are what
we must chiefl^y rely upon to accomplish this. With these
precautio IS, we need not fear the result of the freedom
which in this country is constanLly extending in reference
to the relations of the sexes in daily life.

While these associations should be looked upon with
approval, they should not be unrestricted. Even in our
country, in which we boast of liberty and equality, there

ty, and
luch of
ammon,
,hat the
le same

Iculatcd
ords, to
Q to dis-
d social
[ence it
jrowinij
exes to
sements
a nearly

e to the
y loves,
light to

and the
fference,
e young
B left to
occupied
eJuctive

lematics,
,re what
ith these
freedom
•eference

A NECESSARY CAUTION. 2G5

it is better that children 6nd their playmates and com-
pamonsamon,. those of thei. own social position, than
witli others Ites carefully nurtured. Hence the imoro-

IZf^'f T"1? """",'°'' '»^8^'^' ''"^ often done Zthe
chUdren. '^'""''"=' ^'«' ^ *« companionship of their

ton with
II in our
ity, there

IDE RELATION OF SEX.

DISEASE.

It is an interesting inquiry to what extent the nature,
character, and frequency of disease in the human race are
intluenced by sex. Tiie power of sex over disease exists
to no inconsiderable degree. It is partly due to the dif-
ference in the physiological and partly to the diversity in
the social life of man and woman. The extent and prac-
tical bearing of this influence upon health and longevity
deserve more attention at our hands than they have re-
ceived in an incidental manner elsewhere in this volume.

First, we shall inquire into

man's liability to disease as compared to woman's

In other words, which sex is the more subject to sick-
ness, and what diseases show a partiality to the male
rather than the female sex ?

The most natural reply to this question, and the one in
accordance with popular notions on the subject, is
that woman, with her feebler frame, more delicate ner-
vous organization, and her host of affections peculiar to
herself, is more frequently and dangerously sick than man ;
that she suffers more and dies earlier. This, however, is
not the case. As we have pointed out in speaking of
" the physical traits of the male," the average duration of
life is greater with the gentler sex, who more frequently
attain extreme old age than their sterner partners in the

THE INFLUENCE OF SEX ON APOPLEXY.

2G7

struggle 'or existence. Yet it seems very like a paradox,
that the race should not be to the strong. Several explana-
tions have been offered. It has been asserted that man suc-
cumbs sooner because ho is the more exposed to danger
and disease by his avocations and the customs of society.
VV^ar, which cost him his blood, costs woman only her tears.
For him, almost alone, are the perils of the ii\toxicating
cup, the exhaustions of the debauch, the fearful anxiety
of the stock-room,and the excitement of the political arena.
The risks of maternity do not equal these peculiar perils
of raaidiood. Another explanation has been sought in
the finer nervous orixanization of woman, which enables
her to endure more and react l)etter. Man, therefore,
suffers less, but his powers of resistance are less, and the
tenrlency to death greater.

Both these explanations are doubtles just, and account
to a great extent for the singular disjtarity in the vitality
of the two sexes. The character of the diseases which are
met with in men more freq'iently than in women explain
still farther the seeming anomaly.

We will ])ass in review sf)me of the principal diseases
which our Ucsh is heir to, and note the sex they prefer.

APOPLEXY.

I one in
ect, is
ner-

iar to
ti man ;

ver, is

ing of
ition of
[uently

iu the

Men are of tener assailed by this dangerous disease than
women. This may be accounted foi-, iii part, by the well-
known fact that one of the most active causes of ajwplexy
is the intemperate use of fermented liquors, which, in
some constitutions, produce a speedy impairment of the
functions of the brain. Alcohol also exerts a pernicious
intiuence in many instances upim the heart and arteries.
Tlie hc^art's action is not only increased under its influence,
but positive alterations in the structure of the blood ves-
sels take place. In such instances, we find the movements
of the heart permanently quickened, and the blood, there-
fore, driven more forcibly to the brain, while the coats of

2G8

THE BELATION OF SEX TO DISEASE.

■'I!;

the arteries having lost their elasticity by a thickening
or thinning (perhaps ulceration) of their substance are
more readily ruptured by this forcible current, and hence
the tendency to hemorrhage in the brain is vastly in-
creased. The excessive use of tobacco is also supposed to
predispose to congestion of the brain, and consequently to
apoplectic attacks. As the excessive employment of al-
cohol and tobacco are essentially vices of the male sex, we
may attribute to them, in part, the greater liability to
apoplectic attacks to which men are the victims.

EPILEPSY.

This disease also is more prone to attack the male sex.
An exception, however, is to be made in this respect in
reg.ard to the French, particulurly Parisians. All French
authors agree that in Paris at least there are more women
epileptics than men. Esquirol, the highest of the French
authorities, states, after carefully com|)aring the number
of patients at vaiious asylums, that the number of women
attacked was one-third greater than that of the men.
English writeis, however, are unanimous as to the greater
proclivity to epilepsy being on the side of the mule sex.
An analysis of the returns of the Registrar- General of
England with reference to the mortality from this disease
in either sex, during the past seven years, shows that
6,729 were male and 0,149 females. Hence, " it would ajv
pear that the mortality of males at all ages from epilepsy
is 5").2G per cent., of females 47.73 jjer cent., and that,
tlierefore, 4.r^3 per cent, of male deaths occur from epi-
lepsy in excess -f female deaths from that cause; or, to
put it in a ditferent way, we find that the average male
deaths in one year from epilepsy are 1)01.3, of feii,.ilos
878.1 ; so that annually in Eniiland and Wales 83.2 more
males die epileptic than females." The census ot the
T^nite«l States sliows also that in America more men die
epileptic than women.

THE INFLUENCE OF SEX ON HYSTERIA,

2C9

Men wlien attacked by epilepsy are more apt to die of
the disease than women. This greater liability to death
on their part is not confined to epilepsy, but is true of all
diseases of the nervous sytsem, for whether in children,
youth, or old age, death from these affection is more pre-
valent in the male than the female sex. Very extended
statistics have shown that during the first five years of
life the deaths among males from nervous diseases are
greater by one-fifth than among females,

ST. VITUS' DANCE.

This disease, known to physicians under the name of
chorea, unlike apoplexy and epilepsy, is both moi'e fre-
quent and more fatal with the female than the male sex.
It is essentially a disease of children, being rarely met
V'ith after twenty. From ten to fifteen years of age is
the favourite period of life for this afiection and, accor-
ding to some of the most reliable statisticians, girls are
three times more frequently the sufferers than boys.

$iJiH'

HYSTERIA.

that.

This nervous affection is almost monopolized by the fe-
male sex. It is nearly exclusively met with in women
between the ages of fourteen and thirty. It is a mistake,
however, to suppose that men are never hysterical. We
have mon than once seen attacks of veritable hysteria in
the male I'is Under the influence of excitement and de-
bility, men of a certain temperament are not unfre-
(juently seized with histerics. Shakspeare, the great
master of tlie human passions, was aware of this. Ho
puts into the mouth of Lear, upon hearing Kent's account
of the cause of his being placed in the stocks, the words ; —

" O, how this mother swells up toward my heart 1
Hysterica pastu> t dowu, thuu cliiubiug sorrow,
Thy elements below I

270

THE RELATION OF SEX TO DISEASE.

A common name for hysteria in Sliakspearo's time waa
the mother, by which terra Lear therefore first designates
his feeUng before employing the more learned Latin syno-
nym.

NEURALGIA,

^[i!

This disease is more common, because probably of their
greater exposure to the exciting causes, in men than in
women. But that form of neuralgia which takes the
shape of headache, is more of a feminine than a masculine
afiiiction.

HEADACHE.

There are few women who are not more or less sufferers
from attacks of headache ; many men are never troubled
in this way. Women not only are more subject to this
affection, but they also suffer more severely. Intensity of
pain depends greatly upon the susceptibility, the capacity
for suffering on the part of the individual. It is only by
poetical licence that it can be said, an insect crushed feels
the pangs of a dying giant. The delicate sensibility of
woman imposes upon her greater suffering from the same
amount of pain.

The headaches peculiar to the female sex are very nu-
merous. In men, late hours, improper food or liabits of
eating, dissipation, excessive or prolonged mental toil,
business anxieties, and want of exercise, are the principal
causes of headache. In women, exposure to the night air
while thinly clad, tight lacing, a too sedentary, indoor life,
imprudence at the monthly epochs, and family cares, are
the main influences which induce it.

INSANITY.

Males are more liable to insanity than females, in the
pro})ortion, according to the latest i.nd most trustworthy
tables, of fifty-three per cent, of males to forty-six per

THE INFLUENCE OF SEX ON CONSUMPTION.

271

cent, of females. The period of life during which women
are most subject to this disease, and most apt to die from
its effects, is between the ages of twenty and forty. Most
of the men on the contrary, who die of this disease, are
between the ages of forty and sixty, a time wlien strength
and hope so often fail the anxious man of busincsa

BB0NCHITI3.

Men are more liable to be assailed by inflammation of the
bronchial tubes than women. This is probably due, to a
great extent, to their greater exposure, in out-door life, to
the causes which induce bronchitis.

ASTHMA.

The male sex is much more predisposed to this trouble-
some affection than the femab. According to the experi-
ence of some physicians of the widest practise in this
disease, about eighty per cent, of all the patients are of
the masculine gender.

its of

toil,

ncipal

it air

life,

js, are

CONSUMPTION.

This fatal disease numbers more victims among the fe-
male than the male sex. Sex intluences, «ilso, the time of
developement of the symptons when the aticction is here-
ditary. Thus in males the malady manifests itself about
a year and a half later, on the average, than in females.

Dr. Edward Smith, F. R. S., etc., Physician to the
Hospital of Consumption and Diseases of the Chest,
Brompton, in a review of a ■ v^e number of cases of con-
sumption, and of the condiiiuus of system and circum-
stance which had aggravateil the disease, says : —

" One striking feature to which we must refer was the
greater liability of the female over the male sex to many
of the ills to which we have referred. Thus, in reference

272

THE llELATION OF SEX TO DISEASE.

to the parents, more mothers than fathers had children
early, had feeble general health, and had died early. Of
the pati(jnts, more i'eiiiales than males had mothers who
(lied early,had most relatives who had died of consumption,
had parents with one child only, had experienced feeble
health and defective appetite through life, had had deli-
cacy of the lungs, were married when very young, had
feeble children, had lost most children, had suffered from
anxiety, had had measles, scarlet fever and hooping-cough,
had not worn flannel next the skin, had a very defec-
tive education, were of susceptible temperament, had
brown eyes, florid complexion, and fleshy habit, and had
suffered from coldness of the extremities. This is most
striking evidence of the liability of females to conditions
tending to constitutional disease."

LUNG FEVER.

■ ; -I
I i'i

'i^

Cases of inflammfitinn of the lungs occur much more
frequently among males than females. The influence of
sex in the causation of the disease, is probably, however,
more apparent than real. Men are more generally exposed
to changes of temperature, which are the principle ex-
citing causes of the disorder.

HEART DISEASE.

Organic disease of the heart Is more commor. in men
than in women. The latter, however, are moie liable to
palpitation of the heart unconnected with disease of the
siructure of that organ.

ill

ANEURISM.

Males are more frequently affected with aneurism than
females. According to the statements of some surgeons
of the largest experience, more than seven-eighths of all

lildren
y. Of

[-8 wllO

option,
feeble
id deli-
ig, had
sd from
-cough,
' defec-
it, had
nd had
is most
iditious

ch more
Lience of
owever,
exposed
pie ex.-

!n men

lial>le to
of the

^m than
urgeons
18 of ail

THE INFLUENCE OF SEX ON RHEUMATISM.

273

cnses occur in men. This gieater liahility of the male
8fX is due to the relative fiequcncy in that sex of fatty
and earth}' degenerations of the coats <>f the arteries, and
not, as h.is been well pointed out by Prof, Gross, to the
ditlerence in the occujtation and habits of the two sexes.
In the vvor<ls of the professor of surgciy at tlio Jefferson
Medical College, " the opinion which ascribes the greater
frequency of spontaneous aneurism in males than in
females to their more laborious occupation, their more in-
temperate habits, and their greater exposure to all kinds
of disease, is entirely untenable, and, thereioro, unworthy
of confidence. Women, it is true, are not sailors, carpen-
ters, blacksmiths, or hod-carriers, but in many parts of
the world they are tillers of the soil, and engaged in al-
most every variety of pursuit calculated to rupture the
arterial tissues if they were in a serious state of disease,
such as we so often meet with in the other sex."

GOUT.

Women sometimes suffer from gout, but neither so
frequently nor so severely as men. Hippocrates stated
that women were not liable to gout at all until after the
change of life. This is not strictly true, but it is quite
certain that women are most subject to this disease be-
fore puberty and after the change of life, and but rarely
afiected by it during the intervening period.

RHEUMATISiL

The statistics of rheumatic afFections show that, prior
to the age of forty, more men than women die from
rheumatic inflammations. After the age of fbity a curious
change takes place in this respect. The female constitu-
tion is so altered that she becomes the one most readily
affected with this malady. From forty to sixty more
women die than men from the direct or indirect efff^cts of
rheumatic fever and inflammation of the joints. This

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•274

THE RELATION OP SEX TO DISEASE.

W M

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I • '

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much greater frequency of the disease in women after the
change of life has been ascribed to the greater tendency
of the skin to perspire, and hence the greater danger of
checked perspiration.

DROPSY.

Men are more frequently afflicted with dropsical effu-
sions than women. From forty to fifty years of age, the
proportion of deaths from this malady is nine males to
five females ; from fifty to sixty the still greater ratio of
fourteen males to six females. Here again, as in the case
of some of the other diseases we have mentioned, the
cause of the disparity between the sexes iPAy be in a
measurtt accounted for by the more frequent instances of
excesses in the use of intoxicating liquora with men than
women. For, in the language of Prof. Dickson, " Intem-
perance in he use of ardent spirits is one of the most pro-
lific sources of dropsy in its worst forms. Whether this
fatal habit be carried to the extreme of sottish debauchery
and drunkenness, or limited to such indulgence as may be
allowed without actual exposure and ruin to the reputa-
tion, the effect is ultimately the same ; the vitality of the
system is exhausted by the incessant application of in-
ordinate stimuli ; the pow^ers of the stomach are worn out
by the repetition of excesses, each more debilitating than
the former, or its tissues thickened and inflamed by being
so constantly bathed in a heating and almost caustic
fluid ; the viscera concerned in digestion become univers-
ally obstructed and indurated, and disease and death must
at length ensue."

ENLARGEMENT OF THE LIYEB.

Increase in the size of the liver occurs more frequently
in females. The highest living authority upon diseases
of this organ, Dr. Murchison, of England, attributes this
to the practice of tight-lacing, so much in vogue among

\:\\

1} '

rter the
ndency
nger of

al effu-

age, the
lales to
ratio of
the case
aed, the
be in a
ances of
ten than
" Intem-
lost pro-
bher this
)auchery
may be
reputa-
iy of the
n of in-
orn out
ing than
>y being
caustic
lunivers-
ith must

jquently

diseases

ites this

among

THE INFLUENCE OF SEX ON TTPHOID i^VEB. 276

fashionable women. Occasionally also the same effect is
produced by the habitual wearing of a tight belt by a
man.

CONSTIPATION.

There is a greater tendency to costiveness, and conse-
quently a greater liability to the many evil results it
brings, among females than mal«3. The reasons commonly
assigned for this are the more sedentary habits and over-
condnement to the house of women.

CANCER.

Cancerous disease is of more frequent occurence among
women than men. Thus, it has been found that of the
11,662 persons who, during a period of five years, died
from it in England (exclusive of the city of London), there
were 8,746 women and 2,916 men. That is to say, three
times as many women as men lost their lives through
this terrible malady. The womb and the breasts are the
favourite sites of malignant tumors in women. It is
owing to this extraordinary predilection of malignant
disease for these parts, that women suffer so much more
than those of the other sex.

STONE IN THE BLADDER.

This affection, so common in certain districts of the
country with males, is very rarely met with in women.
This is owing largely to anatomical reasons.

TYPHOID FEVER.

To this affection women are less subject than men.
There is also a greater mortality among male patients than
female.

The influence of sex over disease is apparent, as we
have seen, in many of the most common and serious mala-
dies, in reference to the liability to attack, the character
of the invasion, and its mortality. Each sex is also sub^

1,1

in;
ii

I!::, I

hi k

276

THE RELATION OF SEX TO DISEASE.

ject to its peculiar disorders. A few words upon those
peculiar to men will not, we trust, be without pxacticjil
value.

A DISEASE PECULIAR TO OLD MEN.

In a previous chapter we called attention to the nervous
disorders originating in the male generative system, their
causes, and the prospects and means of cure. To these,
therefore, we need not recur. But there are certain local
troubles to which the male sex ia liable as years advance
which have not yet been more than alluded to by us ;
one of these is an affection known as enlargement of the
'prostate gland. This gland, situated inmiediately in
front of the neck of the bhidder, when it increjises in size
causes much inconvenience and suffering.

The causes of this enlargement arc, according to Prof.
Gros, always those " which act in a slow and permanent
manner. Whatever, therefore, has a tendency to keep up
habitual engorgement in the organ may be considered as
being capable of producing the affection. Augmented
action necessarily occasions an augmented afflux of blood
and a corresponding increase of nutrition. Diminished
action has a reverse effect. Amongst the more frequently
enumerated causes of the malady are excessive venery,
stricture of the urethra, disease of the bladder, horseback
exercise, gonorrhoea, and the employment of stimulating
diuretics ; but, in general, the influence of these causes is
apparent rather than real. They are, no doubt, all cap-
able of inducing the disease ; but, on the other hand, it is
equally certjiin that they are often accused when they
are entirely innocent. Some of the very worst cases of
hypertrophy of the prostate occur in old men who have
led the chastest of lives, who have not ridden on horse-
back for forty or fifty years, and who have never had the
slightest disease of any kind of the urethra."

The symj)touis which first attract attention are mainly
those which are connected vvith the voidinjif of water —

i those
acticiil

lervous
o, their
f these,
in local
idvanco
by us ;
t of the
tely in
J in size

to Prof,
rmanent
keep up
Jered as
THiented
of blood
uinished
quently
venery,
jrseback
aulating
causes is
all cap-
md, it is
len they
cases of
ho have
tn horse-
had the

i mainly
water —

;

DISEASE PECULIAR TO OLD MEN.

277

irritation, a frequent desire, difficulty in passing it, and
slight pain. The lower bowel " never feels empty, even
after the most thorough purgation." These symptoms
gradually increase and bring others in their train. When
noticed at the age of fifty or over, they should lead the
individual to seek at once medical counsel in order that
aid may be extended him at the outset of the trouble.
lie should, also, scrupulously avoid all irritating and
stimulating foods and drinks, and never take any griping
purgatives. Salts, citrate of magnesia, and cream of tar-
tar are innocent and beneficial laxatives to employ. All
these causes which we have just enumerated as liable to
excite the disease must be avoided — hence, horseback
exercise and sexual intercourse are eminently improper.
Rest in a recumbent position is of very great service. Of
course, this should not be carried to the extent of the
avoidance of all gentle exercise in the open air during
pleasant weather.

Few men in advanced life escape altogether some
trouble with the bladder and contiguous organs. It is
important, therefore, for every individual to avoid every-
thing which experience has taught him will excite even
temporary discomfort of these parts. TJiat moderation
in the gratification of all desires, which is so conducive to
health in early and middle life, becomes imperative now.
when there is no surplus vitality to be drawn upon to
repair the ravages of imprudeuco.

m, I

r ^\

THE MORAL RELATIONS

or TBB

SEXUAL LIFE.

■J. 'A

I i

V [

\: fi--'

iiiir

•r

We have confined ourselves so far in our considerations
on the relations of the sexes to the physiological aHpectf
of the question, its physical, and to some extent, its in-
tellectual bearings. It seemed more appropriate to the
nature of our studies and to the character of our re-
searches. Now, however, that we have brought our
labours so nearly to a close, and have examined the
peculiarities of sex in their various bearings upon the
temporal welfare of the individual and the race, we may
be permitted to step aside from our path and explain the
influence which these powerful instincts have exerted and
continue to exert on his actions and destiny as a moral
being.

The historian or theologian who does not carefully esti-
mate the strength and power of the sexual impulses will
often fail to interpret the actions and the creed of past
generations. He will attribute to motiveless caprice and
to unmeaning malignity many actions which were merely
the expression of an uncontrolled instinct.

So also in the lives of individuals, it is a matter of
daily observation that in these respects it is next to im-
possible to understand the vagaries which govern other-
wise prudent and cautious men.

THE SEXUAL BELATIONS IN HEATHENDOM.

Did we desire to magnify the importance of our thenjo,
we could readily illustrate from history how in all times

SEXUAL RELATIONS IN HEATHENDOM.

279

it has so fastened itself upon the minds of men that it
shaped their destiny and even formed the baais of their
hopes beyond this life.

Every student of mythology is aware that the rites of
many primitive religions are but the complex symbols
which represent the power of transmitting life, and that
the myths which have been devised to perpetuate the
signification of these rites are but veiled descriptions of
the same fact. The East Indian Qod appears under his
triple form of the Creator, the Preserver, and the Des-
troyer ; an«l in his form as the creator, he is represented
by and woi*shipped under the image of the membrum
vlril. The bull Mithra in Persian story, and the god Bel
who wjus worshipped on the plains of Euphrates, are
repetitions of the same idea.

As might be expected, such distorted conceptions of
divinity, this confusion of ideas which confounded together
the creation and the transmission of the vital principle,
led to licentious ceremonies and a general abasement of
the moral sense. The scones recorded by the Hebrew
prophets which tranfpired in ancient Babylon, and which
were parts of the lel.'gious observances of that city,
iioct'ssarily laid the foundation for that disintegration of
society and destruction of individual powers which finally
resulted in the ruin of the state.

When the antique austerity of the classical republics of
Greece and Rome became tainted with the corruption of
Oriental communications, the most glorious traits of these
commonwealths disa|)peareil, and in their place came
Ciesarism and profligacy. So clearly was this introduc-
tion of foreign religious rites the commencement of the
state's deterioration, that the ancient heathen historians,
Tacitus for example, directly attribute it to this cause.

We refer to these degraded misconceptions of physical
truths, and this apotheosis of the animal instincts, so that
we may bring into stronger contrast with them the just
and beautiful estimate wliicli was given them by Chris-
tianity.

f ■

4
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280

liOBAL RKLATIONS OP SEXUAL LIFE.

SEXUAL BELATIONS IN THE MOSAIC LAW.

■

|.|

ill

■'"I-.

i'i

I' i '

fl'

:J|I

The Old Testament by its clear and sublime teachings
preserved the Israelites from the contaminiitiDn liy wnicli
they were surrounded. Situated in the midst of nations
by whom an unlicensed debauchery was regardeii as a
part and parcel of religious life, the chosen people success-
lully maintained its purity, and even in the darkest hour
of its history there were found four hundred men who
had never bowed the knee to Baal.

The doctrines of the Mosaic law are most explicit in
what relates to individual purity. Far from passing by
in silence these delicate relations as in<lifi'ercnt, or t»f
doubtful utility, or as possibly harmful if discussed openly
— as the modern fashion widely pievails — the sacred word
enters with singular minuteness into the admonitions for
chastity, for tempeiance in the marital relation, and for
sanitary precautions connected therewith.

We do not think it necsssary to quote all the many
texts which are at hand to support this assertion. Any
one who will take the pains to examine the various chap-
ters in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, which contain the
directions to single and married men, wid there find an
txplicitness and a minuteness which writers of the present
day cannot attempt to imitate.

It will be of interest and value, however, to recall and
clothe in modern language the directions given on some
of the points to which we have referred in the preceding
chapters, both for the purpose of substantiating what we
have just said and to admire again the accuracy aud wis-
dom of the inspired word, even in its minutest pcvtions.

In regard to nocturnal and involuntari/ emissions the
law distinctly recognizes them as an " uncloanness." The
man was ordered to bathe himself thoroughly in water,
and his garments likewise. The cold bath, the vulue of
which to control such discharges we have several times
eujphasized was thus early enjoined for the sanu; rdrcctioiL

mi.

BEXU4lL BELATIONS IN TOE MOSAIC LAW.

281

teacl iJiga
l)y wnicli
f nalions
•deil as a
e 8UCC0SS-
kest hour
men who

xplicit in
assing by
nt, or of
L'd openly
LJied word
litions for
n, and for

the many
on. Any

ous cha|i-
ntain the
e lind an
le present

ecall and
\\ on some
preccdinj^
what we
aud wi.s-
])Cvtion!3.
ions the
IS." The
in water,
v;due of
ral times
iid'ectioiL

A 8oldier who was so disturbed during war was to wan-
der ahout outside the camp durinj? the whole of the next
day, and at ni<^ht, when fatigued with the exeicise, was
to bathe himself and return. The exercise and the cold
effu-sion were quite certain to prevent any in)mediate re-
turn. (Leviticus XV. 10 ; Deuteronomy xxiii. 10, 11.)

The intimate connection which we have shown to exist
between the health of the j)arts and the general mental
and physical soundness is recognized in the Mosaic law in
a variety of references. Any one wounded or maimed there
was forbidden to enter into the congie<,'ation of the Lord,
and still less could he become a priest. Even during a
struggle it was positively forbidden for a wife to inter-
fere in such a manner that she might cause an injury to
functions of the man ; and if she did so, the penalty was
to be carried out without mercy ; " thou slialt cut off her
hand, thine eye shall not pity her." (Deuteronomy xxiii.
1 ; xxv. 11.)

The diseases peculiar to the organs, those which in the
former pages we have designated as *' secret diseases,"
were clearly by no means uncommon, and, whatever a
spurious modern diffidence may say about it, were most
indubitably considered by the publisher of that great law
and admirable hygienic code, as most proper subjects for
public instruction- For it must not be forgotten that the
Mosaic law was no series of esoteric maxiuis for the be-
hoof of a limited few, but was fe-^ularly reail aloud to all
the assembled people, without omission and without re-
serve. They were nurtured from childhood in its precepts,
and no one arose to proclaim that it contained perilous
and insidious information.

Considered in this aspect, the very full and detailed
descriptions it gives of sexual diseases have additional
iu\portance. Some inaccuracies, or, perhaps, hesitations,
in the rendeiiniij considerahly obscure to the onlinary
reader th" real purport of the advice. For instaneo, tluM-e
can be no reasonable doubt but that in the earlier veiaes

282

MORAL RELATIONS OF SEXUAL UTt,

Ji v.

!?'',

of the fifteenth chapter of Leviticus the disease referred
to is gonorrhoea. The words in the second verse, "a run-
ning issue out of the flesh," is rendered in the margin of
the English version " a running of the roins." Saint
J^rfime, the translator of the Latin vulgate, thought that
the disease intended was spormatorrhoea, and therefore
rendered the original by: " Vir, qui ihdiiur fluxum semi-
nis." The third verse, which contains what physicians
call the diagnosis, is in the English version wholly unin-
telligible ; but in the vulgate the test is clearly given
which we now recognize as distinguishing a slight and
innocent discharge from one which is specific and con-
tagious : —

" Et tunc judicahitur huic vitio suhjacere, cum per
singula momenta adJicBserit carni ejus, atque concreverit,
fcedus humor."

The contagious nature of the disease was impressed on
the people by tlie most stringent regulations. The saddle
that the victim rode on, the cup that he drank from, the
bed he slept in, and the bench he sat upon were all to be
considered unclean, and not to be touched by a healthy
person. In part explanation of the minuteness of these
directions, it is to be remembered that the clothing in an>
cient times did not provide the concealment and protec-
tion which our modern fashions afford. Even after a
complete cure had been obtained the man must hold aloof
for seven days and wash himself and his clothes in fresh
running water.

The thirteenth chapter of Leviticus has been subjected
to several most critical examinations of late years by
physicians who were also skilled Hebraists. One of the
most recent of these studies is before us, written by a
learned teacher in Vienna. He gives an exhaustive com-
mentary on the original text, and adduces strong evidence
that the word in the second verse and elsewhere, rendered
in the English version " flesh," has reference solely to the
virile member ; and that the disease designated as leprosy,

MARRIAGE DUTIES UNDER TUS MOSAIC LAW. 283

referred
"a run-
argin of
Saint
▼ht that
nereforo
im semi-
ysiciaiis
ly unin-
y given
ght and
md con-

yam per

icreverit,

:es.sed on

bo sad<lle

[rem, the

all to be

I healthy

of these

i<X in au-

protec-

after a

)ld aloof

in fresh

lubjeeted
'^ears by
le of the
len by a
Lve com-
ividence
'endered
ly to the
leprosy,

and (^hich, aa described, docs not exist at present either
in Palestine or Europe, was ttyphilia. He supports this
view by pointing out with a large array of evidence that
the description given does apply to this loathsome and
dangerous complaint, and that the injunctions of complete
seclusion and periodical examinations of a suspected sore
are precisely those which, were it in our power, ought to
be carried out to-day. We do not pretend to judge on so
difficult a question in linguistic and Biblical lore as is here
presented ; bat so far as the medical aspect of the discus*
sion is concerned, we have been strongly impressed by
the arguments used. And certainly, alter what we have
already said of the subtle and disastrous character of this
scourge, we may well believe that special precautions
would have been given by the Divine Voice to guard the
chosen people from its contamination.

Passing to another part of the law, we find the vice of
masturbation in the form in which it was then commonly
practised by the heathen nations as a religious rite, con-
demned and punished with death. (Leviticus xviii. 21; xs.2.)

That other and more heinous sin, which brought down
the wrath of God upon, and derived its name from the
city of Sodom, was repeatedly condemned as an " abomi-
nation " (Leviticus, xviii. 22 ; Deuteronomy, xxiii. 17) ; and
an equally vile crime against nature is solemnly cursed in
more than one passage. (Exodus, xxii. 19 ; Leviticus, xviii
23; XX. 15.)

The relations of the sexes were defined with an accu-
racy which left no pretext for unrighteousness. In spite
of all that modern political economists have written about
the uselessness of sumptuary laws, we perceive a deep
wisdom in the prohibition of either sex using clothing
which pertains to the other. (Deuteronomy, xxii. 5.)
Prostitution was absolutely prohibited ; incest, adultery,
rape, and fornication punished with severe penalties.

In marriage the relations of the sexes were defined flis-
tinctly. A newly married man was not to be called upon

i ■ .

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S !

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284

MORAL RELATIONS OF SEXUAL LIFE.

to go to war, nor to be clmr^'cd with any onerous busineHs
for the space of one year, (l)eiitoronomy, xxiv. 6.) Hus-
bands were not to deny their wives " the duty of luar-
riapfe," but were forbidden to demand from them this duty
durinjj the monthly illness, and not until after the clean-
sing from it, which took place on the eighth day after its
cessation. (Leviticus, xviii. 19, and xv. 28.)

As the reproduction of the species was considered one
of the chief ends of marriage, any action by which tl.is
was permanently avoided, as in the case of Onan, who re-
fused to be instrumental in raising up an heir to his do-
ceasod brother's estate, was regarded as criminal, and
punished accordingly.

We have by no means exhausted this interesting Bibli-
cal study. Wo might exemplify by many copious quota-
tions from different parts of both Old and New Testaments,
the importance which the Word of God attributes to a
j)roper understanding of our duties as parents of future
g> nerationa. And why, let us ask, was it deemed of such
im|)ortjince T The reason given is both a fact in history
and a warning for all time.

** Ye sliall not commit any of these abominations.

" That the land spue not you out, when ye defile it, as
it spued out the nations which were before you.

"For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations,
even the souls that commit them shall be cast off from
among their people."

Terrible words, true at all times, and of all people ! The
curse of uncleanness, of sexual vice, is sure finally to de-
stroy the individual, the family, society, the nation, and
extend its blighting power to unborn generationa

THE MEANING OF THESE WARNINGS.

Would these instructions have been given with this so-
lemnity and with this care were they of small moment ?
We cannot for an instant entertain the idea. Can we sup-

iismcHS
Hus-
f lu av-
is duty
clean-
iter its

•eil Olio
ch tl'.is
who 10-
his <le-
al, and

gBiMi-
} quota-
4i!nent3,
tea to a
f future
of such
history

IlKSULTS OF SEXUAL VICE.

2S5

e it, as

nations,
)tf froui

el The
to de-
ion, and

this 80-
Loment ?
we 8up-

pose that their intention was merely sanitary in character,
that they liad no reference to the moral relations of *he
individual ? Such a view were inconsistent with the
known oljocts of revelation. Finally, if instruction on
these relations wjia deemed so important in the infancy of
the world, lonj^ before civilization with its new crimes
and its ne ,/ vices had multplied temptations and penalties,
c^in it bo possible that they are now no longer needed ?
Or if needed, that it is no longer right to give them ?

If, as we believe, there is a profound moral significance
in these apparently hygienic admonitions, has that signi-
ficance de[)arted from them now ?

The answer to this question is too palpably . iven by
the enormous amount of vice and misery which results
from sexual vice in this day and generation, for there to
be any need of a reply from us. A keen stud . it of buman
nature has bitterly said: " When modesty departs fr. m
the heart h1:j takes up ber residence in the lips ; " *,nd we
fear that tiio prudishncss which would leave unsaid the
wi'-nings to youth antl men concerning the dangers to
which their sex exposes them is, in reality, far more to bo
suspected than the candour which sounds aloud those
warnings, even at the risk of shocking some sensitive
minds.

We know from multitudinous examples that there is no
one vicious tendency which more surely saps the strength
of the state, destroys the happiness of the domestic circle,
eontiiminates social life, and leads the individual to de-
structive habits, than that which regards the sexual re-
lations. Where the mothers are virtuous, the sires will
Ije I nave, and the sons will be dutiful. Where libertinism
is winked at, where soileil reputations are excused, where
statutes protect traffic in human sin, we may surely look
for lack of courage, lack of patriotism, lack of prosperity ;
and though such a plague spot may appear fair and nour-
ishing enough for a time, sooner or later a swift destruc-
tion will overcome it And ever since the time at which

iif

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286

MORAL RELATIONS OF SEXUAL LITE.

we penned the line where we characterized a certain city
as the " lupanar of Europe " the curse has gone forth
upon that city, and she is now in blood and aahes doiug
penance for ner sins.

■■■' i ' \ .

Hi:

lilill

IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.

Too frequently there aro those who in theirnatural in-
clinations allow themselves whatever liljertifs are not
specifically prohibited by the moral code, just as theie are
in business matters too many who do not hesitate at any
transaction which is " o' the windy side of the law," and
construe, like the lawyer Mr. Vholes, in Dickens' novel,
everything to be moral which is legaL One such it was
our chance to meet, one who professed to live according
to the highest religious life, and yet who defended the
propriety of an occasional indulgence in solitary licentious-
I ess on the ground that it was nowhere prohibited in the
New Testament

This defence, urged as it was by one decidedly above
the average in talents and acquirements, impressed us
strongly with the need of a more definite expression of
opinion on the part of teachers, both medical and religious,
in reference to the duties of man in relation to his sexual
nature.

All readers are familiar with the cardinal diflference
that exists between the manner of teaching of the Old and
the New Testament, that the former lays down a defined
ethical code chiefly in the method of prohibition, while
the latter inculcates principles and motives of a positive
character, which, follow a out, necessarily carry with
them all and more than all the force of the older law.

While, therefore, in the older books we found a minute-
ness of detail not surpassed even in special sanitary works,
we must not expect a reiteration of these in the Evange-
lists and Apostles. But what we may expect, and what
tfe do find in abundance, are nuuiberless exhortations to

TEACHINGS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.

287

Terence
lid and
Idefined
while
(ositive
with

linute-
Iworks,
fvange-
what

bns to

purity, chastity, and cleanliness, warnings against lewd-
ness, uncleanness, the lusts of the tiesh, and the abomina-
tions which were in vogue in the corrupt cities of the
Roman Empire, at that time rapidly declining toward the
pit of efleininacy and ruin into which it finally fell. The
prevailing licentiousness of the times is over and over
again referred to, and the strictest injunctions given to the
early Chiistiuns to keep themselves aloof from the pitch
which dehled the social life of the heathen.

Paul was too well aware of the destructive consequences
of sexual vice either to omit the mention of it, or to pass
it by with a timid delicacy. He refers to it with distinct
emphasis, and sounds his warning in no ambiguous words.

The precise view taken of t)ie marital relations by our
Saviour and his disciples, has always been and continues
to be an unsettled p(3int between rival schools of theolo-
gians. Even in the second century there arose a Syrian
sect under the leadership of Saturninus, who declared,
somewhat as do the Shakers of to-day, that sexual inter-
course at all time and under all circumstances is a sin of
the darkest dye, and that marriage is an invention of the
devil. As Mosheim well remarks in his Ecclesiastical
History, it is gratifying to consider that any such extreme
view brings with it its own correction, for as it prevents the
birth of children, it must look for recruits solely to the
adult population, and must consequently be of limited
duration.

Certain it is, however, that the expressions used by the
Great Teacher led to a much higher estimate of the sacred-
ness of the marriage tie, and produced a loftier respect
for woman than had been usual either in the Israelitish
or the European nations.

The law of divorce which was then promulgated, was
based upon a view of marriage very different from that
previously existent. Under the Mosaic law, as well as
under the Greek and Roman codes, the husband and wife
were united by a tie previously civil in its character. The

III

mTTWfFT

288

MORAL RELATIONS OP SEXUAL LITE.

'I i

deeper unity which binds them, which makes them one,
which sinks the duality of person in the oneness of life
Btnd aims, and which is now recognized as a physiological
truth, was not so much as suspected by the most contem-
plative philosopher of classical days.

Then again, the duty of fidelity to one wife, and to the
marriage vow, was never before impressed upon either
Jew or Gentile. Polygamy was practised and authorized
among the Jews, while the Greeks, though approving of
only one wife, did not consider it obligatory upoL the
husband to be faithful to her. On the contrary, we read
frequently in the Greek classics of marrie'i men visiting
the houses of the hetaerw, and passing their time in this
company, without any general denunciation of the act,
and almost will out comment.

Only when we compare the social life of that day with
that which Christianity introduced, can we api)reciate the
immense superiority of its morality, and the enormous
vices it had to combat and to conquer. All social life is
based upon family life ; and this, in its inception, history,
and character, depends directly upon the moral relations
of the sexes. Social reforms must commence here, and
here is where Christianity did commence.

,^. S

SEXUAL RELATIONS IN CHRISTIANITY.

Thus Christianity, which came not to do away with the
Mosaic law, still less to do away with the evils that law
was given to correct, reiterates and defines the warnings
and the instructions of the Old Testament on the relations
of the sexes. It elevated the bond of marriage, increased
the stringency of the lien, lessened the causes of divorce,
and ordained the principle of monogamy, which previously
had been an approved system but not an obligatory en-
actment.

The precepts inculcated by the Apostles on these points,
and on the sins of uncleauness, were required at a time

#!|:

31 one,
of life
logical
anteiu-

[ to the
L either
horizod
iing of
)0i- the
jve read
irisitiug
in this
bhe act,

ay with
iate the
lormous
1 life is
history,
elations
re, and

FALSE AND EXAGGERATED NOTIONa.

289

rith the
fiat law
rarnings
[elations

icreased
Idivorce,

iviously
lory en-
points,
a time

when the weight of the examples of men high in station
and eminent in intellect was thrown in favour of vicious
indulgence.

The rigidity of the early Christians on these points,
maintained as it was amid temptations of a lascivious
pagan state enormously wealthy and incredibly dissolute,
naturally passed into austerity, and from austerity to as-
ceticism.

They reversed the example of the Oriental nations, and
instead of regarding the instincts of procreation as natural
and proper when controlled and enlightened, they looked
upon it as the sure proof and sign of man's moral degra-
dation, the one greatest foe to his spiritual advancement,
the peculiar stronghold of Apollyon and his imps, and
that which beyond all else it behooved the seeker after
righteousness to utterly crush and stamp out of his nature.

These false and exaggerated notions, the product of an
ignorance of the physical nature of man, gave rise to sad
results. A morbid fear of sexual excitement, a constant
turning of the thoughts to dangers from this source, are
precisely calculated in some temperaments to weaken and
not to strengthen the resolution. There is a fatal attrac-
tion to some constitutions in the forbidden. Nititur in
vititum, nature seeks what is not allowed, and the result
of overstrained terrors manifests itself occasionally in
fearful scenes of violence.

Mr. Lecky, in his " History of European Morals," gives
some striking illustrations of the dangers of this code of
morals. He remarks : —

** Most terrible at times were the struggles of young and
ardent men through whose veins the hot blood of passion
flowed, who were borne on the wave of enthusiasm to the
life of the anchorite in the dc lert. In the arms of Syrian
or African brides, whose sott eyes answered ^ove with
love, they might have sunk to rest; but in the lonely
desert no peace could ever visit their souls. Multiplying
with frantic energy the macerations of the body, beating

290

MOBAL RELATIONS OF SEXUAL UFS.

,1:,:

¥\

ilili

■■(; ti

! I

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lif i

their breasts with anguish, the tears forever streaming
from their eyes, imagining themselves continually haunted
by forms of deadly beauty, their struggles not unfre-
quently ended in insanity and suicide. When St. Pacho-
mius and St. Palaemon were once conversing toegther in
the desert, a young monk rushed into their presence in a
detracted manner, and, convulsed with sobs, poured out
his tale. A woman had entered his cell, and had seduced
him, and then vanished, leaving him half dead upon the
ground ; then, with a wild shriek, the monk broke away,
ruslied across the desert till he arrived at the next village,
and then lea})iiig into the open furnace of the public baths,
he perished in the flames."

This narrative is but one of numbers which could be
brought forward illustrating the dangers of ignorance and
prejudice on the important topics we have discussed in
the present volume, and the close relations they bear to
the moral part of man's nature. Here was a mis-guided
young man crazed and driven to self-murder by the
phantom which his own imagination, diseased by long
dwelling upon one function of his system, had conjured up.

DURING THE MIDDLE AGES.

The same unfortunate interpretation of the Christian
doctrines produced similar violations of natural laws
throughout the Middle Ages, The violence done to the
natural impulses by an enforced and unwilling celibacy
showed itself in prevailing dissoluteness of life, and too
often those who should have been the models and exam-
ples of holy life, were the leaders in profligate ways.

The struggle by which others atteinpted to maintain a
formal continence, while their imaginations were uncon-
trolled, remained, and ever will reuiain, bitter and hope-
less. The unavoidable continence of the moiuisteries was
not slow to foster vices of a more deleterious character
than licentiousness itself, and consequently to injure

RELATION OF THK SEXES IN MODIiRN TIMES. 291

saming
aunted
unfre-
Pacho-
bher in
ce in a
red out
seduced
3on the
e away,
village,
ic baths,

iould be
mce and
iBsed in

bear to
s-guiJud

by the
[by long
ured up.

iris ti an
ral laws

to the
celibacy
and too

exam-
ys.
intam a

uncon-
d hope-
ries was

aracter
injure

rather than to benefit the general weaL Of course, we do
not mean that this was commonly or even frequently the
case, but there is too much evitlence from original records
to deny that much moral turpitude arose from this mis-
understood position of the procreative instinct in the
economy.

Matrimonial life itself felt the effects of this erroneous
view. It was looked upon as allowable, but not the most
holy condition of life. That there was real chastity in
marriage, though perhaps conceded in words, was not in
act and belief, for the condition of virginity was constantly
upheld as the only really pure state of living. " To cut
down by the axe of virginity the wood of marriage is the
true object of the saint," is the energetic metaphor of
Saint Jerome. The consequence of this belief that the
marriage state was inconsistent with pure holiness was
that when a strong religious fervor fell upon a husband or
wife, its first effect was to make any continuation of
happy married life out of the question. The more reli-
gious partner at once desired and attempted to lead a
solitary life, or to join some monastery or sisterhood.

In other words, it came to be generally understood that
married people, by the very act of marriage, put themselves
upon a lower plane of morality.

The inevitable consequence was a loss of self-respect, a
diminished esteem for marital purity, and a visible ten-
dency to infidelity in the marriage relation. It is not too
much to say that an impartial student of national traits
can still distinguish the fruits of these views in the
southern nations of the European continent.

IN MODERN TIMES.

In more modern times the inconsistencies and the in-
correctness of these views of the relations of the sexes be-
came apparent, and able men rose who maintained that
neither continence nor virginity were more pleasing in

>'h

i •

i ,

in-

i. ! j:!

MORAL BELATIONS OF SEXUAL LIFB.

the sight of Qod than married chastity and fidelity, and
that any doctrine to the contrary, so far from elevating a
national standard of morality, did exactly the reverse.
The teachers further maintained that sexual impulse is
not in itself evil, nor is it any more liable to result in evil
than any other passion or appetite appertaining to man ;
and that, in reference to its temperate indulgence under
proper and legal restrictions, it is entirely in accordance
both with the laws of natural science and the maxims of
pure Christianity.

This was, indeed, a step in advance, and it has re-
bounded to the well-being of those who have appreciated
and recognized it. But in its full bearings in social and
individual life, it is still too superficially understood by
the masses.

This is, in a measure, owing to a general hesitation in
stating distinctly to the public the nature and laws which
govern the more recondite functions of the human frame.
Aa far as this has been done, it has been by those ver; in-
sufficiently qualified to act as the interpreters of sciei.oific
results, and much more for selfish and immediate ends
than from any abstract desire to promote the comfort and
the happiness of their fellows.

Yet the various facts which we have adduced, not from
remote or limited fields, but from the general history of
the race, prove conclusively how intimately associated
with man s moral nature, and consequently with his life
hereafter, are these questions concerning his peculiar
powers.

In a double sense is there a perpetuity connected with
the exercise of this function. In our article on Inheri-
tance we have told how distant ger.erations will certainly
be moulded in their moral, mental, and physical natures
by the actions of their ancestore now living. Now, we
call attention to the individual destiny of each as depen-
dent, to no small extent, upon the same actions. Im-
prus.ied, as we hope our readers will be by this double re-

ih- ]

ty, and
ating a
reverse,
mlse is
b in evil
o man;
3 under
ordance
,xims of

, has re-

reciated
:ial and
tood by

ation in

t^s which

n frame.

ver in-

•

ciei-oific

THE TEACHINQS OF THEOLOOIAN&

293

te ends
ifort and

□tot from
story of
5sociated
his life
peculiar

led with
Inheri-
jiertainly
natures
Fow, we
depen-
ds. Im-
)uble re-

sponsibility, they should seek to learn how to perform
these important duties intelligently.

The practical deductions which we could make from
such facts are that we should not supinely fold our hands
and sit contented with indolence and ignorance in the
face of these demands upon our attention.

No one denies that almost the greatest scourges of
modern societies are still the products of a want of regula-
tion in the sexual relations. Hitherto, renouncing as un-
suited to the refinement and purity (!) of our social life
the plain and direct admonitions which God saw fit to
impart to His chosen people that they might bo kept un-
spotted from the evils which surrounded them, we have
tried the plan of saying nothing and doing nothing. We
have hoped that by a well-bred silence on the subject of
carnal aoominations, they would presently disappear and
be f orgotton.

The result has unfortunately not yet justified this
agreeable expectation. If anything, it seems that these
vices are increasing at quite as fast a rate as population,
wealth, and luxury increasa The simplicity of the
Society of Friends, the severity of the Pilgrim Fathers, or
the heroism of the Huguenot refugees which marked the
early history of our country, were hard to discover in any
corner of our wide domain.

AT THE PRESENT DAT.

These topics, we well know, lie without the field of
medical inquiry, and we feel that we may be crit icized
for having spoken on matters which other and abler
pens could treat with greater power. Nor would we thus
have ventured beyond the legitimate limits of our sphere,
had we not been persuaded that for reasons heretofore
urged, there has been and is an injurious reticence about
the subject.

We have had placed at our disposal a library of leceut

!i !

204

MORAT. RELATIONS OF SEXUAL IJFK.

I
I 1

i 1

H:!

theological works tolerably comprolicnsive, and we have
spent a number of hours in exaiuining the works of reoent
divines and religious instructors. But in not one of them
have we found as definite and positive warnings on the
dangers of a misunderstood relation of the sexes as we
have already referred to in the Bible itself. We may, and
hope we have overlooked some works wlueli do contain
them. But that there is no longer any need of such war-
nings, or that it would be of doubtful utility to give them,
or that it would be unadvisable on the score of propriety,
are excuses for absence which we cannot admit.

There is far greater latitude customary in social rela-
tions in this country than in the old world; there is a
precocity of intellect and a susceptibility of the nervous
system which is scarcely met with elsewhere. Unless
these traits are guided by morality and intelligence, they
will soon bring forth a corruption unsurpassed in our
times. Conceahnent and attempts to enforce ignorance
will not succeed. These instruments of crafty despots
and a bigoted priesthood are inconsistent with our insti-
tutions.

What then, to sum up, are the questions concerning
the moia,l relaticms of the sexual life, which remain open
to-day, and which it is our duty, without hesitation, to
confront ?

They are the duty which each man owes himself not to
sin against the ordinances of his own lite by violating his
functions ; tlie duty which he owes tlie other sex to rescue
them from the gulf of iirostitutiou, and to withhold the
temptations which attract them there ; the duty he owes
his children in keeping himself free from the taint which
will render them misenible invalids. Marriage is to be
rescued from the views which are degrading it once more
to a mere civil eontract, a legalized concubinage. The lax
sentiments about divorce are not to pass unchallenged.
The relations of husband and wife are to be redeemed
from the estimate which places them upon a plane with a

ve have
)f recent
of theiu
1 on the
es as we
aay, and
contain
iich war-
ve them,
ropriety,

;ial rola-
lere is a
nervous
Unless
ace, they
il in our
(jnoranco
T despots
)ur insti-

ncernin<^
ain open
ation, to

elf not to
atinghis
)o rescue
lold the

le owes

nt which

is to be

nee more

The lax
allenj^ed.
edeenied
le with a

THOUGHTS OF AN ENGLISH TRAVELUCB.

295

business pai-tnership or with those of employer and em-
ployed.

There is also the prohibitory part of the moral statute
to be enforced. If there is one sign more portentous than
another concerning the tendency of American civilization
it is the remarkable activity of the press, and even of the
pulpit (in some of its forms), in desseminating a false
view of sexual morality.

On the one hand, we see on every news-stand illustrated
books and papers familiarizing the public mind to inde-
cency — the periodicals of widest circulation are filled with
tales of morbid sentimentality ; and not a few through
their advertisementa offer concealment and aid to debau-
chery.

On the other hand, a populous State is sunk in poly-
gamy ; another dissolves the marriage tie as readily as a
copartnership; and at many points over the land communi-
ties are found who dispense with marriage altogether, and
live in a condition of miscellaneous fornication.

A talented English traveller who visited this country a
few years ago, and who chose to study the tendencies
rather than the statistics of our people, considered these
aberrations of the healthy sexual instinct as at once the
most remarkable and the most ominous features of our
civilization. As a nation, we were not well pleased with
Mr. Dixon when we read what he had to say about us,
and sought rather to discover the motes which may exist
in the eyes of his own countrymen than to remove the
beams he had so clearly pointed out in ourselves.

But the facts he recorded are undeniable, and nothing
but their familiarity prevents them from impressing us as
unpleasantly as they did him. The remedy for them is
not remote nor difficult It is to insist upon better un-
derstanding of the ethical bearings of the reproductive
function, upon the purity and })ermanency of marriage,
and upon those sounder views of duty which ^« have
Already explained.

rwwr

CONCLUSION.

,f1 :'
■s ■

(, ■'

■f<

:iHi

• I

Aa we reach the conclusion of our subject we cannot
but feel the inadequacy with which we have treated the
theme which has occupied us. The portion of man's
nature whoso laws and liabilities we have with great
brevity rehearsed, is at once the most mysterious and the
most momentous of all. This alone it is which allies him
with an earthly future beyond the limit of his own exist-
ence ; this it is which in its use or abuse controls not solely
his own life and welfare, but in ways to an extent wholly
beyond our power to estimate, the welfare of generations
to come.

Whether we regard the subject from a purely ethical or
a purely physiological point of view, its importance can-
not but impress us profoundly. What impulse of man's
physical nature most potently governs his actions, his as-
pirations, and the moral complexion of his life ? Precisely
this on which we have been engaged. On what do some
of the most difficult questions of modern social morality
turn ? Once more, on the control of this impulse. How
can we as individuals most certainly secure the moral
progress of posterity ? By endowing them with a physi-
cal constitution free from the taint of hereditary disease,
and a mental constitution devoid of inherited tendencies
to crime. To accomplish this, science warns us again and
again that no subtle compound of chemicals will suffice,
and no future reformation and late adopted purity of life,
but only early, unalterable, permanent fidelity to prin-
ciple.

The hesitancy which has so long, and so naturally, kept
silent the voice of the medical profession upon these points,
should now be laid aside, for the immense collection of
statistics leave no doubt as to their accuracy, and their

THE TUAN^;MISSION OF LIFE.

297

cannot
[/cd the
man's
i great
Eiua the
lies him
n exist-
)t solely
, wholly
Bratioua

Lhical or
ice can-
>f man's
i, his as-
*recisely
do some
norality
How
e moral
a physi-
disease,
adeiiciea
Tain and
suffice,
y of life,
|to prin-

lly, kept
|e pointvS,
Ictiou of
id their

bearing on the future of the race. ^Tany of the best
minds m tlie world of practical and statistical medicine
have been earnestly turned in this direction, and, as a
consequence, during the last decade great adv«,nces in
knowledge have been secured, and numerous suggestions
have been presented looking to the preservation of the
general health. It is not possible'for the profession alone,
ujisupported by the puy)lic, to carry out those measures
of repression and protection, whicli we have referred to as
necessary to effect any reform. Ai.d the public, in order
to be induced to take any action, muf i be made acquainted
in no uncertain manner with the necessities of the mea-
sures asked of it.

Finally, the private individual who is suffering or who
only thinks ho is suilcring (which is often quite as sad a
condition) from his own misdeeds, and is deprived by the
nature of these misdeeds from the sympathy ana at-
tention he would otherwise have, should be put in pos-
sesnion of a sufficiency of facts, to enable him to judge
whether his fears are groundless, or whether it be not wiser
to lay aside all reticence, and seek by prompt means a
recovery.

Such have been our aims in composing the foregoing
chapters. Whether or not we have succeeded in ex-
pressing ourselves regarding them lucidly, instnictively,
and satisfactorily, the reader who has accompanied us
thus far, ia better able to judge than ourselves.

' I'i (

1 1 '

iiiflOlB,

1 ■

; »m

'. .' ■ 1

(. .1;

Jiii!^

APPENDIX.

TUB PBOORKSS OF PoI'ULAR CULTURE IN PHYSlOLOaT.

It ib gratifyinjj to observo that with the increase in
intellectual enlightenment, always cornea a confidence in
the beliijt that tliis enlightenment njt only is consistent
with, but is an aid to, sound morals.

In nations and ages which may be called mediajval,
ignorance was anxiously defended by good men, under the
mistaken notion that it is the best safeguard of purity.
But the dissemination of knowledge has, in point of fact,
proved a better protection. In many countries of Europe
to this day it is the custom to allow unmarried girls hardly
any liberty, and a very circumscribed reading. The Ame-
rican girl, with almost untranimeled independence in both
directions, is unquestionably superior in moral self-reli-
ance. The publication of a volume full of the titles of works
which are forbidden to be read — the Index Expurgdtoriua
— has not improved, but has deteriorated the Roman
Catholic Church.

So, on physiological subjects, the objections which were
vehemently urged, at first, against all popular instruction,
have been, one by one, giving way, until now it ia only
in regard to sexual physiology that prejmlice is in the
ascendant.

Even here, it is evident that the barriers of the mediae-
val doctrines are disappearing. The very important re-
searches of naturalists into the laws of descent, the effects
of intermarriage, the transmitssion of mental and moral

■ ' • i

yyiL

APrENDIX,

£9U

qualities, and the like, show that it la becoming more an<l
more nico^nized that these are questions about which the
general piiMic should be informed without loss of time.

Since the first publication of this work, wo note a de-
cided advance in this direction. Several works of a
popular character have been published, whose authors ex-
plain, in proper language, those physiological facts which
it is well foi all to be acquainted with. Thoughtful physi-
cians have couio more and more to recognize the large
number of maladies which take their rise in ignorance of
the laws of health in the relations referred to. Thus one of
tluMu writes, in a recent treatise : —

"So grave are the errors of ignorance in the married re-
lation, tiiat. in my opinion, to encourage, or even to allow
young people to marry without having received such in-
structions If' r ^ foolisli and wicked as to place in the hands
of a child a i lo J pistol or a paper of poison, for no other
reason than that it wanted them and had reached a cer-
tain age, and yet to oiler no word of advice or of wju-ning
respecting the dangers of their employment.

" But, alas, bow few parents, how few instructors, have
the knowledy;e, the discretion, the tact, the judgment, to
qualify them for suchaudllice ?

" Until parents feel it an essential part of their duty to
acquire this information themselves, fiom relial)le sources,
and to impait it fully and freely to their children, as soon
as it can be comprehendetl by tluMu, no teacher of physi-
ology can hold himself wholly guiltless of the sins or mis-
fortunes of those under his charge, if, from mistaken deli-
cacy or other motive, he refrains from including in his
instructions an account of the processesof generation, and
the perils which attend the vioJuLion of their laws."

These words of Professor Uurt G. Wilder, M.D., of
Cornell University, indicate an enormous advance since
the time, not a score of years ago, when any public in-
struction in physiology was condemned by more than one
teacher of the branch in medicid schools.

'If^

.!'ii

300

APPENDIX.

Several other efforts have been made, and successfully,
to disperse the mystery which has only served as a stimu-
lus to morbid imaginations, and which has k«pt its hold
under tlic mistaken notion that it is Uie protection of purity
of mind.

f' ^ : '

li t

L. I

APPENDIX.

801

icesN fully,

J a stimu-

its hold

of purity

THE EFFECTS OF SEXUAL TROUBLES ON THE MIND.

The more intimately the publication of this work has
Jed us to study and observe the effects of sexual troubles
on man— whether those troubles were the results of vice
misfortune or ignorance, whether they were wholly real or
partly imagi nary—the more have we noted the indequa-
tcly great effect they exercise on his mind. The patient
attributes to them influences which they certainly never
have nor could have; and often lays at the door the failure
of faculties and plans of life which an unprejudiced ob-
server would attribute to quite other causes.

For example, nothing is more common than for one who
has for a brief period during youth been addicted to soli-
tary bad habits, to assign this as the probable reason of
a number of functional ills which the physician, studvina
his c-^se, cannot see in that relation at all. So, again in
various cases, after appropriate treatment has removed all
the prominent symptoms which such a habit has left be-
hind It, the patient is still haunted by a fear that he is
not what he should and would have been, that he is deep-
y and irremediably damaged by his former weakness, and
that he never will be his former self again. Hence, in-
stead of becoming cheerful with obvious improvement of
his case, he is apt to remain almost as dispirited as ever
apd because he finds that the honest and intelli.rent phvsi-
cian does not desire to keep him under his care lonr^er.he
seeks the advice of the charlatan. The latter, if hS does
not, by inept and violent measures, actually brin^ about
a condition ot positive disease, at least fools him to tlie
top ot nia bent, and bleeds him to his last dollar, or as near

-;^(:i

If p ""^

302

APPENDIX.

.' i^l!

it as is possible. Ofton and often has this history
occurred in our knowledge.

The same mental cliaractcristic has been noted by
others; and in particular, a '^cture by Sir James Paget,
the eminent London surL'oon, deserves notice in this con-
nection. It is on the subject of

HYPOCHONDRIA FROM SEXUAL TROUBLES.

The cases which he includes under this name are those
of male patients who regard trivial maladies, or even some
of the natural events in their sexual life, with the unrea-
sonable dread and gloom, or watchfulness, which are cha-
racteristic of that species of mental alienation known as
hypochondria.

This class is largely made up of those who are entirely
ignorant about the nature and laws of their sexual func-
tion; or else they are those of a vci-y emotional tempera-
ment, prone to excitement, and of an irritable class ; or
else, and these are the most numerous, they are of the class
whose minds, so far as their sexual life and its relations
go, are really in some degree unsound, and unable to appre-
ciate properly the part these peculiar functions ought to
bear in the life of man.

In regard to those so affected through

IQNOIUNCE OF SEXUAL AFFAIRS

there is little doubt that it is much more common both in
England and this country tlian one might imagine.
Not but few boys grow up without hearing vulgar allu-
sions and coarse expressions of the sexual relation ; but
authoritative teaching us to what is and what is not hurt-
ful, of what is and what is not lawful, the boy almost
never hears, and thus he is led to form low and inconect
opinions.

The desires and the passioiLs arise and grow without

i, i

APPENDIX.

303

:)oth in

the knowledge how to direct and control them. Hence
errors, and fancies, and things lialf-undei-stood are taken
into the mind, and in later life become to some men sources
ot misery and fright, and to some the source of hypo-
chondria and gloom.

This ignorance may sometimes be dispelled later in
life by giving full information, and when it is thus sup-
planted with enlightenment, the wretchedness wliich it
causes goes with it. But this is an exceptionally fortunate
result ; more often, the mind has been so long under the
influence of groundless terrors, that even when they are
shown to be such, the mental effect continues. Then,
again, there may have been reasons for apprehension, but
they have been removed. Do the teiroi's leave with their
former exciting cuuses ? No ; the physical ailments,
though definitely removed, leave this hideous legacy of
distrust and low spirits,

Take a real instance. A middle-aged single man applies
to a physician, because he is suffering from too frequent
losses during sleep. They are evidently too frequent, not
because they exceed a certain immber, for, as we have
stated on a former page ([). 84?), there is no definite and
invariable rule in this respect, but because they leave be-
hind them a sense of marked lassitude and exhaustion, a
feeling of incapacity for mental and physical labour.

The case is taken in hand, and at the end of two or three
months the discharges are more r.ue, and are not followed
by any perceptil)le sense of exhaustion. The general
health is improved, the appetite keener, the bowels well
regulated. In the opinion of the physician the man is
well.

Not so in his own opinion. He has become possesseil
with the fear that his sexual powers are permanently im-
paired by the diseased conditions they experienced for a
time. He presses for lurther inforniation on this point,
and is decided in his statement that he is convinced he
never will be able to enter properly the marital relation.

\n^^-

304

APPENDIX,

i;l

The physician attempts to show him that he h free from
disease, that there is no reasonable doubt but that he will
remain so, and that therefore his fears are without founda-
tion, or at any rate, absurdly premature. Do such rational
arguments convince him, or diminish his anxieties ? Not
at all. He continues to have the same spells of low spirits,
and belief that he is impotent.

This portrait, which, as we have said, is one painted from
nature, is that of a man who must be supposed to have a
diseased mind ; to be, on this point, actually insane. And
it is by no means a rare case.

Another frequent cause of this form of depression is that
which follows a belief that a man is suffering from sperm-
atorrhoea when nothing of the kind is present. Tliis is I y
no means confined to youth. On the contrary, it is very
common about nuddle life, or a little after it when the
powers begin to fail.

Many men at this period are excessively anxious about
themselves, and are inclined to believe that the natural
abatement of their force is owing to disease of the part
rather than to that normal diminution of the powera
which is characteristic of their period of life.

To discover this imaginary disease they will often in-
spect with great anxiety their urine. It frequently pre-
sents to the eye some shreds of mucus, or signs of the
secretion from the prostatic glands, opening into the
urethra in front of the bladder. These, they convince
themselves, proceed from the seminal vessela.

VARICOCELE.

Again, as Sir James Paget remarks, there are some to
whom, through ignorance or misguidance, a varicocele is
a source of inisery and dismay. A varicocele is an en-
largement of the veins which lead to the scrotum, and oc-
casionally, by their painful dragging sensation, cause pain
and armoyance. Quacks not unfrequently very much ex-

APPKNDIX.

305

ee from
he will
fouiula-
ratiui\al
? Not
spirits,

ed from

have a

i. And

n. is that
I spenu-
liis is l.y
: is very
hen tlie

us about
natural

jhe part
powei-3

ften in-
tly pro-
of the
nto the
uuviuce

some to
coct'le is
an en-
, and oc-
11 so pain
uuch ex-

agi^erato the importance of this malformation, and pie-
tend that it ia a forerunner of impotence and of wasting
of the parts. Such fears are groundless.

A varicocele is troublesome because of the sense of weight
and aching which sometimes accompanies it and which is
generally increased by long standing and walking. In
some cases, also, the veins become iiidamed and sensitive.
But this is the utmost haiin which a varicocele does, and
it never produces either im[)otence or wasting of the part.

The utmost treatment which is required is to wear a
Busj)ensory bandage, and to use a cooling, evaporating
lotion when the part is painful from much standing or
walking. It ia needless to give the matter any special at-
tention, and the less so, as it is a complaint which tends
to dimininish of itself as years advance. It ia said by
some who have examined men for military service, that
about one man in twelve has this defect, and many of
them are hardly aware ^f it until informed of it by the
examining surgeon.

Another prevalent cause of hypochondria from sexual
relations is the

SPINAL IBBITATION

which is not unfrequent in men of nervous temperament
and feeble constitution. The backache, exhaustion, sense
of languor and general malaise which these persons experi-
ence after sexual connection or natural emissions during
sleep are by no means signs of weakened organs or threat-
ened imjiotency. In many the same symptoms are present
after any unusually severe muscular or mental exertion.
They are generally remediable by treatment adapted to in-
vigorate the whole system and relievo the particular con-
dition of the spinal cord which leads to Huch sensations.

In many such cases, great difficulty is found in persuad-
ing the patient ihat his sufferings do not find their origin
iu some bad habit he has at some past time been addicted
b

r r'

306

APPENDIX.

1. 1'

n:i

to, This fear increases both his misery and the difficulties
encountered by the physician in relieving it.

Such a patient is full of apprehensions. He finds it im-
possible to divert his mind from hLs generative powers,
and his constant solicitude about his symptoms aggravates
and exaggerates them. This leads to further mischief.
Such a direction of his mind depresses the whole nervous
system ; and what is more, produces a special irritability
in the nerves of the part to which the attention is directed.
So that it is really possible that the very anxiety lest he
has the malady, brings it on.

Few conditions are more to be pitied tlian that of the
hypochondriacs who thus suffer, and few are more difficult
to cure. As we are writing this, not as a work of instruc-
tion to physicians, but to aid the sufierer in relieving him-
self as much as it is practicable for him to do, we cannot
urge too strongly upon all who are thus tormenting them-
selves to strive for the strength, tlie courage, and the man-
liness to throw aside this burden.

How is this to be done ? We will say how. The life
should be fully occupied in muscular, open-air work, if
possible ; at any rate, in vigorous, steady labour of some
kind. The general rules of hygiene, familiar from what
we have already said on previous pages, should be regard-
ed. Abundance of sleep should be taken, and habits of
self-control in all things should be cultivated.

Especially, a resolute endeavour must be made not to oc-
cupy the mind at all with the anxieties and forebodinjf
that have so darkened its pleasures.

The reply may be, that this cannot be avoided : that i«
IS easy to prescribe a person not to think of his troubles,
but to carry out the precept is not in his power.

To this we answer that it hjis been well shown by Dr.
Carpenter, the eminent physiologist, thet mental training
is acquired, not by stifling a sentiment, but by substituting
a better one for it. The true plan is, when we wish to
escape that fretting of the miud over some worrying topic,

fficulties

ds it im-
powers,
:gravate8
mischief,
nervous
:itability
directed.
J lest he

it of the
I difficult
instruc-
ing him-
d cannot
ig them-
bhe man-

The life
work, if
of soma
>m what
i regard -
labits of

lot to oc-
rebodiniif

: that i%
troubles,

\ by Dr.

training

stituting

wish to

ng topic,

APPKNDO:.

807

not to say. - I wiU not think of that any more." but to say
Here is another subject that I will think of"
Let a peraon always have some important or entertain-
mg and worthy topic to which his mind can turn iT its
vacant moments, and thus he will escape many a minute
of ennui, many an idle and injurious va,crary

This precept, it is said, is much cultivated among the
Buddhist scholars of the Orient. One of these, on afisin '
m the morning, selects a verse from their sacred books o?
a topic from the writings of some philosopher, and when-

whTch n ?^> 'I' t)^' \^^^ ^°°^^Sed in sLe'occu^aSi
which permits his thoughts to wander, or when he must
pass a period m waiting, he turns to this verse or topic
and thinks It over. At the close of the day he reviews
his meditatioixs, and writes them down «vicwa

Some such plan a^ this is an admirable one to cany out,
not merely in the relation above mentioned, but in all the
occasiom* of life where we are threatened with enuui or
wish to escape from our thoughts.

! '

:jo8

API'ENDIX.

IIL

REMARKS ON THE DANQEllS OF SOLITART HABITS

! i

The readiness of doctors to disii;^ree has often been a
subject of sarcastic allusion, aud certainly they have often
justly exposed themselves to censure for hasty decisions.
This may be partly attributed to the prejudices which
warp every man's judgment, partly to diliciency in op-
portunities of observation, and partly to the circumstances,
more or less difierent, which affect every phenomenon.

One would think, however, that on such a broad ques-
tion, one apparently so easy of solution as the effect on the
system produced by indulgence in solitary vice, there
would be no great divergence of opinion.

Yet such is not the case. Among recent eminent writera
there is one who has expressed himself so strongly on this
subject that his words have led us to survey the ground
again with especial care, and the result has been that we
are convinced that he has vastly underrated the evil re-
sults of the habit.

As his name is now the most famous among the sur-
geons of Great Britain, and his opinions must necessarily,
through his works, repu>)lished in this country, exercise a
wide influence, we feel it a duty in this book to quote
his words, and subject them to the test of others' experi-
ence, and the conditions of life and disease as they appear
with us.

The writer refei red to is Sir James Paget, Surgeon in
Ordinary to the Queen, and the passage of his writings
we have in mind is the following extract from a lecture
delivered to physicians and students in a London hospi-
tal;—

)een a
B often
nsions.
which
in op-
tances,
ion.
[ qucs-
) on the
, there

writers
on thia
{ground
hat we
)vil re-

le sur-
ssarily,
orcise a
quote
experi-
appear

jeon in

vritinga

lecture

hospi-

APPENDIX.

309

"With careful and positive toa('hini» you will cure the
ipfnorant, and do good to nil, except those whose bypo-
cliondria is near to complete insanity. But on some sub-
j«.<!ts of your teaching you will have to be very clear as to
matters of fact ; especially, for instance, as to the practice
of masturbation, to which many of your patients will
ascribe their chief distress.

" Now, I believe you may teach positively that mastur-
bation docs neither more or less harm than intercourse
jiractised with the same frequency in the same conditions
of general health, age and circumstances. Practiced fre-
(piently l)y the very young, that is, at any time before, or
at the beginning of puberty, masturbation is very likely
to produce exhaustion, effeminacy, over-sensitiveness and
nervousness ; just as equally frequent intercourse at the
Bame age wouhl probably produce them. Or practised
every day, or several times a day, either act is likely to
produce such symptoms. And the mischiefs are likely or
nearly sure to happen, and to be greatest if the excesses
are practised by those who, by inheritance or circumstances,
are liable to any nervous disease, to spinal irritation, epi-
lepsy, insanity, or any other,

" But the mischiefs are due to the quantity, not to the
nature of the excesses ; and the quantity is to be estimated
in relation to the age and power of the nervous system.
] have seen as numerous and as great evils consequent upon
excessive intercourse as on excessive masturbation ; but
I have not seen or heard anything to make me believe
that the occasional practice of this latter vice has any other
effects on one who practices it than has occasional inter-
course. I wish I could say something worse of so nasty a
practice ; an uncloanliness, a filthincss forbidden by God,
an unmanliness despised by men."

While so much of this opinion will be generally ac
knowledged to be true as asserts that the occasional indul-
gence in this detestable habit may not leave after it those
permanent efliBcts which the quacks pretend, and the dread

310

APPENDIX.

ill! I

Hi! S, I t

! : i

of which drive bo many almost to despair, yet, on the other
hand, it has been abundantly shown thjit there is on the
habit itself a pecular and distressing wear on the nervous
system which leaves most serious traces for a long time.

It has, for instance, been demonstrated by Professor
Gross, of Philadelphia, that a variety of stricture is
brought on by masturbation, which may in turn lead to
most serious consequences. These are, in the milder forms,
undue sensitiveness of the urethra, with slij^ht inflamma-
tion along its tract, and the erections become imperfect and
feeble, and ejaculation too precipitate. This may continue
until sexual desire is abolished, and a condition of hypo-
chondria sets in with all those ditiicult features which we
have previously described.

There are, moreover, other very serious difFerences be-
tween intercourse and solitary vice. The temptation to
carry the latter to excess is far greater than is the case
with the former ; and the excitations, abnormal and exces-
sive, which are encouraged to provoke it, cannot but have
a long-continued disastrous influence.

Another grave charge against it is its prevalonce in
early, we may say very early life. Even in infants it is
not unknown, and should be carefully watched for. An
able American writer on diseases of children. Dr. Jacobi,
has recently called especial attention to this subject. He
points out that young children may be prompted to it by
some condition of the urine, by the presence of seat worms,
or by acquired nervous derangements, as well as by the
vicious instructions of those around them.

He recommends that regular bathing and constant occu-
pation under intelligent supervision, are important precau-
tions. Children must not be permitted to sit on the floor
too long ; they should not be allowed to remain in bed
after waking up, but induced to rise and dress at once.
Habits of solitude, and the inclination to indulge the im
agination, should be broken up, and active out-door ex
ercise insisted on.

•a !;

INDEX.

Abortion, criminal

Accidents, inheritaiica of

the reaults of

Acquired habits, their he-
reditary nature

Acton, William, M.R.C.S.,

etc., his views on popu-
lar medical inBtruction .
Age, how to retain virility

Agenetio period

Alcohol, effects of, on vir-
ility

its influence on the heart
Aneurism, influence of box

Amherst College, weight

and height of students of
Anger, may be inherited..
Apoplexy, influence of sex

Artist, the, his views of

man

Asthma an inheritance...

influence of sex on

Atavism, what it is

a cause of non-inheri-
tance

Athletes, the continence

of „

Auzias-Turenne on "syph-

ilization"

Avarice, may be inherited
Avoidance and limitation

of oflTspring

Augustus, King of Poland,

the number of children

PAOK

183
193
212

248

180

51-51)
267

272

20
210

207

238
107
271
201

214

122

210

178
171

PAoa

Tlachelor celebrities G3

Bicheiorhuod, adyantages

of 02

proper reasons for , 6')

disadvantages of 67

Baravicino de Capellis, the

remarkable case of 40

Hec<juerel, the Htatistios of 68
Beer-drinkiiig, an effect of 57

Bichat on the transmission

of life 22

Blindness, a cause of 230

Board of State Charities of
Massachusetts, fifth an-
nual report of 93

British and Foreign Med-
ico-Chirurgical Quart-
erly Review, its views
on popular education... 250

Bronchitis a result of ex-
cessive indul;,'ence 222

Bromide of potassium, a

useful preparatitm of. .. 80

Bronchitis, influences of
sex on 271

Butfon on life in the old
and new worlds 68

Cancer, influence of sex on 275

Camphor and hops 56

Cancer, its hereditary na-
ture 197

Castration, effects of 34

Castrates , 33

Celibacy, advantages of.. 62

proper reasons for 65

312

INDKX.

m'i\

TAUn

dinadvftntaf^os of 07

Ohambor, hy^^ieno of Ui2

Charlnt.ana, the evil iu-

fluenco of 244

Chorea, ititluenco of si^x on 269
Chrysostotu, St. John, on

marital coiititienco 181

Cicero ou the ploaaures of

love 42

Circnnistancea hostile to

inhoritaiK'o 214

Cloanluuvs.s, the nocossity

of, in boys 28

Climate, its influence on

puberty 24

Cod-liver oil a romedy in
inherited dispoaitions to

disease 201

Co-education of the hoxos iiOO
Ccmception, nature of . . . . ITo

Conclusion, tlie 20(5

Constipation, the cuiseaof 275
(Constitution ; the, ita in-
fluence i>u the ago of

puberty 25

Consummation of mar-
riage I.'io

its siguilication 1.%

obstacle:* to 142

Con8Uni[ition, how fre-
quently inherited. ... lOti
influence of sex on.... 271
ConvulHions, a cause of.. 2'2(»
a result of vensTeal ex-
cess. 223

Cousins marrying 132

(Cowardice, may be in-
herited 2J0

Crime, hereditary char-
acter of 208

Criminal class, peouliar-

itiea of the 209

Criminal abortion 183

Cure, proapocta of, in

nervous troubles 233

PA OR

moana of, In nervous

tronbloH 2;'.t

Diinjrors of excess 108

DoafnesH, ii cause of 2.")!

Debility 1 17

Decay of virility 40

Do Loiiun.vilUi, his a<,'e

when last ni.urii-d 40

Desire, cfreota of fouil and

<lrink on 48

druf^s wliich atininlato.. M
drugs which moderate.. Mi
" Diary of a London

Physician" OS

Digestion, disorders of . .. 232
Disease, the relation of

sexto 200

Diseased children, how to

avoid having l!)t

Divf>rce, the Christian law

of 287

Diverse theories, two of

8( >cial life 2r)0

Dormitory regulations,

hints on 2!»

Drunkard's legacy, the. ,. 2U0
brinks which strengthen

virility 4K

which weaken virility.. f.O
Dropsy, iiiflucnce of sux on 274
Dntcher, I'rof. A. P., on
the eliecta of venereal ex-
cuss. . 222

Dyspepsia, a cause of.... 232

i ^.iTiy aex-passion 76

-Kuncation ; the effect of,
through the parents on
the olald 211

INDEX.

313

PAOR

'2M

• ••

ir.s

• •

2:5 1

• •

117

• •

J,'0

• ■

> ••

i..

)..

• ••

• •

232

i)f

• •

200

• •

l!)t

• ••

287

• ■

2r)0

18,

2!»

• •

2U0

« •

• •

f.d

274

oil

'X-

■ •

222

• •

2'^-2

211

Edward Gray, the ballad

Eioctricity, tho use of. .*.'.*

Kn<,'aguaieut8, Iiinijr

Envy, may b« Inhorited..

Epik'imy, inheritable

» result of venereal ex-
cess ^

^ the influence of sex on.
Example of prolonged vir-

_- ' ""y

riXcoBs, dangers of

what is excess ?

twofold nature of

Excessive indulgence,dan-

gorof, in old men

Extraordinary example of

inheritance

Fallen, tho fate of the....

Fatliors, what they be-
queath children

Fidelity, paramount duty
of.

Flirt, the male

Fly blisters, a caution in

regard to

Flogging, the dangers of..

Flcnirens on longevity. . . .

Food and drinks which

strengthen virility...

weaken

Form of disease, changed

by inheritance 198,

Frights, needless

Frescobaldi, Dianora, the

family of

PAGI

G6
160
133
210
197

223

208

40
108
171
101)

221

203

110

190

135
134

55
29
58

48
50

206
83

179

Gambling may be inherited 21 1

Genius, is it inheritable t 205

why unfruitful 205

Giratilt, Dr., of Paris, hia
recent essay

Goetho, jxtract from the
Faust of

Gout, an inheritance.*.'.*.!
influence of sex on

Harvard College, weight
and height of students of

Headache, influence of aex
on

Health in relation to sym^
nietry

Heathendom, sexual re-
lations in

Heart, disease of, the re^
suit of inheritance.,,
disease, influence of sex
on

Hereditary diseases, hyg.
ienic treatment of

Hidden nature of heredi-
tary diseases

Hip-disease, a result of
generative malforma-
tion

Hops, the active principle

Hufeland, Dr., on tho*
means which shorten life

Husbands and wives

Husband as a father. . . .'*

Hygiene of puberty....*]

Hygiene of virility

Hygienic treatment of
hereditary diseases

Hyateria, the transmission
of

influence of sex on. .*...'

gnorance concerning mar-

PAOfl

150

45
197
273

20
270

2;i9

278
197
272
200
198

219
80

72
103
174

200

197
269

138

314

INDEX.

1 ii§

PAOB

Ul-ussge, inheritance of,

the consequence of 194

Immnnity to disease he-
reditary 199

Impotence 149

IndiTidual responsibility,
how affected by the he-
ritage of immorality. .210, 212
Indians, American, a cus-
tom among 1R6

Inheritance 190

physical qualities we in-
herit 190

how to avoid transmit-
ting disease 194

mental qualities we in-
herit 204

is our moral nature in-
heritable 208

Inherited tendency to
driiak, ineradicable na-
ture of 206

Insanity, a cause of 74

inheritable 197

oft'Cuer transmitted to

daughters 198

oftener transmitted by

mother 198

influence of sex on 270

Intermarriage of near re-
latives 132

Intemperanoei a cause of

dropsy 274

Intoxication, a cause of

degenerate offspring.. 206
effect of, on offspring. .. 206

Iron, a receipL for. 89

Irving, Washington, the
deep sentiment of 66

Jealonsly, may be inhe-
rited 810

riAi

Kingsley, Canon, on the
influence of race 21S

Lancet, the London, its
views on popular edu-
cation 251

Laodicea, anecdote of . . . , 148

" Law of diversity " 214

Laws of inheritance in dis-
ease 199

Laycock, Prof. Thomas, on
venereal excess 169

Lethargy 145

Lecky, Mr., extract from
his ** History of Fiuro-
pean Morals " 289

Libertinage, may be inhe-
rited

Limitation of offspring. ...

Liver, enlargement of, the
influence of sex on

Locksley Hall, an extract
fr3ni

Longevity, Flourens on..

Loss of power, special
treatment. ..........

of virility prematurely,
a national tendency. .

Lung-fever, influence of
sex on

210
178

274

66
68

159

272

Malformation, the results
of 28,152

Mangan, Olarenee, lines
from 44

Man's liability to disease

as compared to woman's 266
specific function 21

•H.

INDEX.

815

216

251
148
214

199

169
145

289

210
178

274

66
53

159

272

266
21

PAGK

Man, nnsexed 13

Manhood, signs of estab-

tabliahed 35

the physical type of . . . . 238
Marriage, an excellent de-
finition of 126

consummation of 137

ignorance concerning ... 1 38

meaning of 325

physical fitness and un-
fitness for 127

preliminaries of 1 25

the relation of 140

Marriages, judicious, ef-
fect of, on hereditary

affections 193

Married life 126

Marital relations 164

dangers of excess 1 68

what is excess 171

Masinissa, King of Nu-
inidia, his age when

married 40

Masturbation 71

its consequences 73

its prevention 76

its cure 79

Maudsley, Dr. Henry, the

counsels of 74, 81

Means of cure in nervous

affections 204

Medical journals, their
opinions on popular
medical oducation.. . . 250
views on popular medi-
cal instruction , 241

and Surgical Reporter,
editorial of on popular
medical education. . .. 251
Mental qualities which wa

inherit 204

Middle Agea, unfortunate

doctrines during the.. . . 289
Mind, purity of, » reme-
dial measure 79

PAQB

Montaigne, Michel de, on

hereditary resemblance. 208
Moral heritage in relation
to individual responsi-
bility...., 209,212

nature, our, is it inheri-
table 1 208

relations of Uie sexual

Ufe 278

Mortality of males 21

Monaio law, sexual re]»>

tions in the 280

Mumps, a risk from 37

Muscular development, its
bearing on the hygiene

of puberty 27

MuBset, Alfred de, a beau-
tiful poem of 69

National tendency, our, to
premature lossof virility 57

Nature of conception 176

Natural theology of the

future 216

Nervous disorders origina-
ting in the male gene-
rative system 218

system, disorders of, in-
heritable 197

prostration, how produ-
ced in many oases. ... 227
Neuralgia, influence of sex

on 270

Neutralizing effect of one
parent over the other in

inheritiince 214

New Testament, the teach-
ings uf the .- .. 286

Obesity, influenoe of, on
generative power

154

316

INDEX.

1/in

■f i

OocupationB, influence of,
on puberty

Occupations, influence of,
on virility

Ofispring, avoidance and
limitation of

Old age, the perils of . . . .
men, disease peculiar to
words to the

Opponents of popular med-
ical instruction

Origen, the fanaticism of.

Oxford, weight and height
of students of „

Paralysis, partial, the re-
sult of generative mal-
formations inheritable...

Paresis, definitions of ... .

Parr, Thomas, how old
when married

Passion, what it is

Pastilles de serail, a warn-
ing against

Peculiar form of inheri-
tance

Perfect human creature,
the unity of the sexes in
the

Phosphoric acid lemonade

Phosphorus, the use of. ..

Physical traits of the male
type of manhood

Physiognomy, the, of the
whole body

Police registration

Popular medical instrnc-
tion, the opponents of..

Population, a curious law
of

Portalis, Count of, his de-
finition of marriage. . . .

Power

PAGl rAGB

Power maximumof 171

25 Premature loss ofvirility,

a national tendency — . 67
47 Pride, instance of the in-
heritance of 210

178 Pritchard, Dr., his case of

220 atavism 201

276 Prostate gland, enlarge-

41 mentofthe 276

Prostration of the nervous

242 system, the causes of. .. 227

34 Prostitution 106

in the United States 106

20 its effects on the woman 109
its consequence to the

man Ill

the causes that maintain

it 114

is it a necessary evil 7 . . 116

197 how can it be stopped ?. 1 17
238 shall it be regulated by

law 120

40Puberty 23

31 what it is... 23

what hastens it 24

64 its hygiene 26

208 %

Question, a national 182

255 Qnetelet, the statistics of. 20
IGO Quinine, a mixtiire con-

160 taiuing 80

238 lU

239 Race, Influence of 215

107 Receipt, a useful 89

Receipts, valuable 80

242 Reform, where it should

begin 123

20 Regimen Sanitatis 66

Remedies in nervous af-

126 fections 234

1 59 Reticence, dangers of . . . . 230

i ■ i

INDEX.

817

171

210

201

276

227
lOG
IdO
109

111

114
116
117

120
23
23
24
26

182
20

215
89
80

123
56

234
23tt

PAOB

Reaemblance of children to
parents, why not closer. 213

RheumatiBm, influence of
sex on 273

Rondibilia, his advice to
Panurge 66

liules, practical, on inhe-
ritance 199

Sad subject 71

Saturninus, the doctrines

of 287

Sayre, Dr. Lewis A., on
generative malforma-
tions 219

Schools, directions for. ... 77

hygiene of 78

Secret diseases 92

their effects and fre-
quency 92

their nature and history 94
their course and oonae-

_ quences 96

sin of father visited on

the children 99

after disease how soon to

marry 102

how to prevent disease . 103

personal prevention 104

Seclusion, theory of 256

Self-abuse 71

Sex, distinction of 19

the relation of, to dis-
ease 2(56

Sexes at will 185

Sexea, the co-education of, 260
the unity of, in the per^

feet human creature.. 255
the relation of, in early

youth 254

Sexual function, its co-re-
lations 60

Sex-passion, early 77

PAOB

Shakspeare, his knowledge

of the human heart. ... 46

Sight, debility of, how

produced 229

Signs of established virility 35

Sims, Dr. Marion, his re-
searches on sterility .... 156

Sin of the father visited on

the children 99

Smith, Abbotts, M.D.,
etc., his views on popu-
lar medical instruction.. 242

Social evil, the 106

prostitution in the Uni-
ted States 106

its effects on the wuiiian 109
its consequences to ;,ho

man HI

the causes that maintain

it 114

is it a necessary evil ?. . 116

how can it be stopped ?. 117
shall it be regulated by

law? 120

union, the theory of. ... 258

Solitary vice, the 71

its consequences 73

its prevention 76

its cure 79

Spartan laws on celibacy.. 64

Special senses, disorders of 229

Specitic function, man's.. 21

Spermatorrhcea 83

what brings it about. ... 86

how to prevent it 87

how to cure it 88

Stature of male and female

infants compared 19

Sterility in man 156

woman's period of , 180

Stone in the bladder, its

frequency 275

Storer, Dr., his views on
popular niuuical instruo-

tion 246

Li' I

318

INDEX.

PA03

St. Titiur dance, the In-
fluence of Bex on 269

Superstition, a curious. ... 147

Symmetry, the details of . . 238

Syphilis, history of 94

ni the nervous system . . 224

•* Syphilophobia " 98

Tabes dorsalis, what it is. . 224

Talent the offspring of
talent: 204

Taylor, Jeremy, on marital
indulgence IGo

Temperament, its influ-
ence on puberty 25

Theft, a hereditary crime
often 210

Thought and inclinations
hereditable 208

Thury's, Prof., law on pro-
duction of sex 186

Tobacco, a consequence of

the excessive use of . . . . 68

Traits, physical, of the
male 19

Transmission, laws of ... . 100

Type of manhood, the

physical 238

Typhoid fever, iufluonce of
•ex on 276

Unsoundness of mind, of-
ten inherited 206

Virginity, tests of 141

VirUity 35

■igns of its establish-
ment 35

Its hygiene 88

examples of prolonged.. 39

PAOB

its decay 40

causes that hasten its

loss 43

diseases which shorten it 45
effects of occupations

and exercises 47

how to retain it in age.. 48
the food and drinks

which strengthen it. . iH
the food and drinks

which weaken it 60

effects of drugs 53

our national tendency to

the premature loss of. 67
Virtuous habits, can they
be transmitted f 211

Ware, Prof. John., his
valuable work 248

Warnings, meaning of the
Biblical, in relation to
the sexes 284

Wasting, a cause of 224

Watson, Prof. Thomas, on
the cause of epilepsy... 226 '

Weight of male and female
infants compared 19

Wife, choice of a 130

Winn, Dr. J. M., his rules

on inheritance 199

Why children do not more
closely resemble parents 213

Woman's liability to dis-
ease as compared with
man's 207

Words to the old 41

Touatt, the axioms of, on

inheritance 194

Young, words to the 43

Youth, the physical cha-

oarcteristics of 33

y i !

! -i:

■•■■■•i

'mmm

PAOB

43
45

47
48

60
53

57
211

248

284
224

226

19
130

199

213

207
41

194
43