Healthy Happy Womanhood A Pamphlet for Girls and Young Women ISSUED BY THr United States Public Health Service Treasury Department \Va>hiD|ton, D. C. UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY AA 000 731 030 HEALTHY. HAPPY WOMANHOOD Throughout France and in many different coun- tries of the world there stands the statue of a great hero:"c Frenchwoman, Joan of Arc. Thds humble peasant girl of Brittany, aroused by the misfortunes of her countrjTnen, helped to free them from the hands of a foreign foe. But to-day she has come to represent far more than this. She lias come to £tand for the woman with a vision, tlie woman who is seeking to do her part for the bettennent of the world. Wherever her figiu-e appears, it is always looking forward, the light of a groat piu-pose in her eyes, the will for large acliievcment in the lines of her face. As she raises her standard aloft there seem to gather behind it innumerable hosts of those who would follow her lead. A daughter of war- ridden fifteenth-centmy France, she nevertheless sjTnbolizes the woman of the twentieth centm7", eager to take a part in the work of the world and in the great life-giving enterprises of peace. HEALTH, THE FOUNDATION You who aspire to take a part in the work of the world should assure yourself of good health. With- out it all other preparation may be in vain. To- day, in addition to the more familiar duties of the home, new occupations in factory and office are open to you. In many fields you may now compete with men. But only if you poaseae 20185'— 20 (2) good health — a vigoroua body and a clnar hrain — can you cxpi>ct to undertake the new and trying work successfully. Xo matter how thoroughly you are trained, such training will he of little value unless it rests upon a foundation of good health. Good health is even more important from the point of view of motherhood. In some of the war- ravaged countries of Europe more than lialf of the Laities who are bom die during the first year of life. Thousands of others begin their lives under tremendous handicaps, ^^'hy? Lai^ely because the strength of the mothers has been sapped by foo<l shortage and overwork so that tliey can not give their babies proper nourishment. The dream of these mothers of chubby, rosy-cheeked babies, who were to have been their joy, has vanished. Upon healthy womanhood dep>ends to a large extent happ>' motherhood. Phy.sical fitness during youth is the best founda- tion for healthy, happy womanhood. It is an asset of which you may rightly feel proud. With health, you can look forward to the time when you can participate actively in the work of the world; with health, happy motherhood becomes a well- grounded hope for the future. BEAUTY AND POPULARITY Besides fitting you more effectively for your life's work, good health will incidentally increase your beauty and attractiveness. True beauty comes from within; it can not be put on from without. Good health gives such beauty, a beauty that will wear. Its foundation is health of mind and body; its expression is a sparkling eye, a clear complexion, a graceful body, an active brain. Every girl wants to be popular with her com- panions. To-day the popular girl is the girl who glows with life, who can swim and dance and play outdoor games, who has plenty of energy for fun when she has finished her daily tasks. Good health, since it produces high spirits, vitality, cheerful- ness and leadership, will help to make you popular. Every girl likes to enjoy herself. She likes to go to parties and picnics, to find the real joys of living. Physical fitness, by enlarging your opportunity for enjoyment and your power to enjoy, makes more such occasions possible. HOW FITNESS IS ATTAINED Plenty of physical exercise, fresh air, sufficient sleep, frequent bathing, three well-balanced meals a day, erect carriage and comfortable clothing will help to make you strong and well. Exercise. — To keep physically fit, exercise regularly every day of the year. Many forms of exercise are enjoyable as well as beneficial. Walk- ing to and from school or office, "hiking," skating, canoeing, swimming, are excellent forms of outdoor exercise. Games, such as basket ball, volley ball, hockey and tennis, stimulate both mind and body and are enjoyable sports. The blood tends to flow to the part of the body that is used and gradually strengthens the otherwise weak and flabby muscles. Girls who sit in offices, work in factories, or spend the day in the schoolroom are using only a part of their bodies. They need to make special efforts to exercise the unused muscles during their leis- uje hours. Fresh air and sleep. — ^You ehoulfl always insist upon working in well-ventilated rooms. Spend some time each clay in the open air. By sleeping in a room w'ith the ^"indows open, much fresh air is secured \nthout special effort. Sleep rests tlie brain and relaxes the muscles. A groAving girl needs from 8* to 9^ hours of sleep even.' night. Older girls may find that they can keep well with somewhat less. Bathing. — !Many impurities are cast off by the body through the jwres of the skin. In order to keep those pores open and clean, frequent hatha with soap and warm water are necessary. The best way to bathe is to take a warm liath followed by a colli shower or sponge and a brisk rub with a coarse towel. A cold bath is excellent for you, if after the rub-down it leaves your body warm and glowing and is followed by a feeling of general well-being. What to eat. — A vigorous body demands whole some foo<l, eaten regidarly. Three meals a day are sufficient. They should include fruits and vege- tables, either fresh or canned; cereals including bread, especially whole-wheat and corn bread; butter, eggs and milk; a moderate amount of simple dessert. Meat once a day is sufficient. Proper food, at least eight glasses of water a day, plenty of exercise, and care in keeping the bowels emptied each day will prevent constipation. If waste material in the bowel is not removed, it will generate poisons which are likely to damage the entire system. Erect posture. — Not only unattractiveness but also headaches and disturbances of the diu'eative and breathing organs may be due to slouching positions which crowd the lungs, stomach, and 6 intestines. The essentials of a good standing position are to "stand tall" — chest up, not out — the back touching an imaginary straight line. The feet should be parallel, with toes pointing straight forward. Aside from, all questions of health, the erect girl who carries herself with ease and gi-ace, inspires, by her very appearance, the confidence of her employer or teacher and her friends. Clothing. — Clothes should be loose fitting, warm and light, and should hang from the shoulders, which have a bony frame and are well able to carry the weight. A'void extremes of fashion, particularly in shoes. For street wear at least those with low heels will prove attractive as well as practical. The body needs a level foundation upon which to stand. GLANDS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS Important in maintaining health and ^'igor and in carrying on the work of the body are several organs of different sizes called glands. Each of these glands produces a special kind of secretion or juice. The largest gland in the body is the liver which secretes bile or gall, a juice which aids digestion. Smaller glands in the cheeks and under the tongue secrete saliva which has a similar function. Tear glands give off tears which moisten and cleanse the eyeball. Other glands, instead of pouring their secretions out where they can be seen, send their product directly into the blood. For instance, the thjToid gland located in the front of the neck makes a secretion which is absorbed by the blood and which plays an important part in development. Other important glands are the ovaries in the woman and the testes in the ma;;. These glands belong to the sex or reproductive organs o£ man and woman. The secretion from the ONaries is absorbed by the bloud and canied to all parta of the Vjody. It causes the girl's breasts to en- large, her figure to develop. It adds a lastre to her hair, a spaikle to her eye. It makes her brain clear and active. In short, it changes her from Hie awkward girl of 12 or 13 into a bright, at- tractive young woman. The secretion from the I oy's sex glands gives tone to his muscles, power to his brain, and vitality to his nerves. The sex glands are necessary for the development of man- hiod and womanhood. THE KEPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM The function of the reproductive organs is to produce life — fuller and richer life for one's self and the new lii'e of little ones who will grow up to assume our tasks. In tliese organs lie the woman's power to become a motlier and the man's power to become a father. The gii-l's reproductive organs consist of the uterus or womb, two fallopian tubes, two ovaries, and the vagina. The utenis or womb is a pear-shaped body about 3 inches long, hanging ^^■ith the small end down- ward in the lower part of the body. Its lower end opens into the vagina which is a short tube con- necting it with the oute-ide. The fallopian tubes are attached to each side of the upper end of the uterus. Beyond the end of each tube is an o\ ary. In addition to making the secretion which helps to develop the girl into a woman, the ovariee make 8 tiny egg cells. Each cell contains the mother's portion of the life of a child. After the girl's sex organs ha^'e partially matured, at 12 to 15 years of age, one of these egg cells develops about once in 28 days. It passes from the ovary an*-! finds its way down the fallopian tube. At about the time the egg cell leaves the ovary, an additional supply of blood is sent to the uterus. If this is not needed for the development of the egg cell it passes out of the body at the monthly or menstrual period. This is called menstruation. Menstruation is a normal experience and not an illness as many girls have been taught to believe. A girl who is well and strong should feel little or no discomfort during her menstrual period. To avoid unnecessary distress due to pressure upon the uterus, special care should be taken at this time to empty the bowel and bladder regularly. Vigorous forms of exercise such as swimming and horseback riding should be avoided, but some regular exercise should be taken. The external parts of the sex organs should always be kept clean and free from the irritation of tight clothing. Bathing with warm water and soap is especially necessary during menstruation, but care should be taken to avoid getting chilled. If a complete bath can not be taken, the external parts of these organs should be washed night and morning. THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE Before the egg cell furnished by the ovary can develop into a child, it must be fertilized by the sperm or male germ cell which is furnished by the sex organs of the man. 9 The union of male and female j,'erm colls i8 necessary in most forms of plant and animal life to produce now life. The male cell in the pollen of the flower must unite Antli the female cell which lies at the base of the flower before a seed containing the life of a new plant will devel'op. This union of male and female cells is called fertilization. The ej:g of the hen must be fertilized within the lien's })ody by the sperm of the rooster if the egg which is laid is to contain the life of a baby chick. Among animals such as the rabbit, the cat, the dog, and the horse, and man, the sperm or male germ cells are placed in the body of the female by the sex organ of the male, and union ^\•ith the egg takes place within the reproductive organs of the female. The fertilized egg then develops in the uterus of the mother. With the human mother, the child grows in the uterus of the motlier for nine montlis, fed by nourishment from her blood, warmed and protected within the body. The muscles of the uterus then contract, and the child comes down the vagina into the outer world. At that time the child has developed to the point where he can breathe for himself and take the milk furnished by special glands in the breast of the mother. The uterus of the mother returns to normal size within a few days after the birth of the child. Afteru'ard she should liave even greater \igor and better health for the experience. THE SEX INSTINCT The feeling of hunger which animals and human beings have drives them to seek fnod. The sex instinct leads them to create life and continue the io race. There exists between men. and ■women a strong attraction . This attraction is of te n descri bed by the "vrord love. LoA'e is due in a large measure to the sex instinct. All the fine emotions such as love ol: mother for cMld, of husband and %vife, friendship, devotion to a gi'eat cause, and the joy wliich one finds in every day work are closely related to it. For tlie boy and for the gii'l the creative or sex impulse finds satisfaction in constructive acti\'ities. School Work, reading interesting books of romance and adventure, clubs, games, outdoor sports xrith. boys and girls, all furnish outlets for creative energy. Such outlets are also to be found in hob- bies, the making of collections, or the cultivation of special talents in dramatics, music, and painting, These hobbies ha-\-e the additional ad^-antage of helping a girl to make herself a distinct indiAidual. If she participates in pageants or plays or debating, or is known as a girl who paints posters, she is somebody, and therefore has more respect for her- self and receives more I'espect fi-om others. The unmarried woman finds an outlet for her creative energA' in work, recreation, and serAice for others. But because tliis impulse is related to the creation of new life its most complete expression is found in building up a home and family. The sex instinct is a tremendous power in life. Used rightly it vdll bring to the indiAidual and to the race the gi-eatest joy; used wrongly it will not only fail to produce this result, but also it will prob- ably lead to serious suffeiing and unhappiness. 11 MISUSE or SEX After centuries of experience the marriage of one man with one woman has come to be considered the best method of carrjinp: on the life of the race. Through such a relationship the sex instinct finds its mogt wholesome satisfaction. A man and a woman who liring children into the v/orld whom they are unwilling to take care of endanger their own happiness as well as the v.-elfare of the com- munity. They miss the finer joys of human love and fail to appreciate what such love may mean in their lives. More than this. Indulgence in sex relations among persons who are not married to each other exposes them to a serious phy.«iral danger. They are likely to become infected with a venereal dis- ease. These diseases are called syphilis fpox) or gonorrhea (clap). They are germ diseases. To the man a venereal disease may mean lifelong suffering, unless by proper treatment the germs are destroyed . Syphilis often causes heart disease, paralysis, and some forms of in.sanity. Gonorrhea may cause blindness, chronic rheumatism, incur- able disorders of the sex organs, and inability on the man's part to become a father. A man who has one of these diseases is likely to give it to his ^v^fe. WTiile syphilis affects her much as it does a man, gonorrhea often afflicts her even more seriously. Many operations upon women's reproductive organs are made necessary* by gonor- rhea. Many women are lifelong invalids as the result of this dLscafo. Some die. Many babies are blind at birth by gonorrhea in tlie mother. Fortunately, simple medical treatment given the 12 baby immediately after birth ^vill prevent blind- ness of this kind. Syphilis causes many miscar- riages (the birth of babies before they can live out- side the mother's body). Many babies are defec- tive in A-arious ways because of it. It is important to remember, however, that these results — blindness, sores, invalidism, and opera- tions upon women — ^are often due to causes other than syphilis and gonorrhea. These diseases are contagious or "catching." Usually they are passed from person to person through sexual intercourse. Occa.sionally, how- ever, a person is infected through using a towel, or public drinking cup, or from being kissed by a diseased person. Accusations should never be made, therefore, against anyone who appears to be suffering from the effects of gonorrhea or sj'philis. If one of these diseases has actually been con- tracted, the infection may have occurred in an entirely innocent way. Sj'philis and gonorrhea can be cured if treated by a competent physician. There are many good clinics for those who can not afford a private phy- sician. If the treatment is not thorough and con- tinued long enough the disease may reappear years after the patient believes the cuie to be complete. This is especially true when the infected person relies on patent medicines or "quack" doctors. Advertising doctors seldom cm-e and generally do more harm than good. Because the sex instinct, which may bring the individual the greatest joy, is sometimes misused a girl should exercise gieat care in the choice of the men with whom she associates. Chance acquaint- ances often in\ite girls on automobile rides, to 13 mo^•iee, and cates vriih the intention of loading them into sex relations. Such inWtations should be refused. A girl does not v.-ish to be considered an easy mark or to put herself in a position where a man can take advanta^^e of her. THE GIKL'S 1>AKT Men have ahrays demanded that the women whom they marry be pure. But too little atten- tion has been paid to the men who have been unchaste or unfaithful. To-day physicians are teaching that sexual intercourse is no more neces- sar}' for men than for women. People are realizing that the great<?^•t health and happiness can be attained only through complete physical, mental and spiritual development, that such development is possible only when the sex instinct is used for the upbuilding of the individual and the race. They understand that this rule applies as rigidly to men as to woinen. Girls and women have a special work to do, therefore, in helping to build up a liigh standard of sex conduct. They must demand clean living from the men vriih whom they associate. Frank, wholesome companionship on the part of the girl will encourage the same sort of companionship from the man. Good manners are bom of a respect for one's self and for others. A handshake extends a friendly greeting. A kiss should mark a pledge of love. A girl who does not value these expres- sions highly and use them sparingly makes herself cheap and weakens her p(nver of self-protection. If she really values a man's regard, she ^^^ll not seek to ^vin it through acts and words of familiarity, or clothing which tends to arout?e sex desires. 14 Ph\'sical attraction alone will never wholly satisfy; lasting love and friendship are cf the mind as well as of the body. Their foundation is mutual respect and understanding, their highest expression a deeply spiritual emotion. A girl's success and happiness will depend large- ly upon her choice of associates and finally upon her choice of a husband. Because she Avill choose her husband from among her men friends, it is important that her friendships be based upon qual- ities that will wear. Hasty marriages, following an acquaintance of a few days or weeks, often result in unhappiness because they are not founded on a love based upon a knov/ledge of each other. Fit partners for life are those who understand and respect each other's \'iews, who recognize each other's faults as well as \irtue8, and who are willing to work together for lasting companionship. HOME MAKERS ALL The future of the race depends upon the chil- dren. The men and women of to-day can de- termine in a large degree the kind of men and women who will make up the world of to-morrow. A girl can, by keeping herself well and by marry- ing a man who is physically fit, give her children a clean bill of health. '^Tiether they will add fine- ness of character to a good physical inheritance depends largely upon the influence which is exert- ed upon them in their home. It is the woman who is peculiarly the home maker. She can determine whether her home is to be a place where people sleep and eat only, or where hei family and friends find comfort, inapix- 15 ation and sympathetic companionship. A tru9 home maker t<h;ircs her husliand'o responsihilitiea, enters into the lives of her children and the com- munity. By developing her own mind and spirit she is able to give the best in herself and draw out the be' tin others. Her huaband and children love her and work i.r her gladly. A CH.\I.LKNC!E TO THE I'RESEXT In the development of America, women have mat.'e a splendid record. Three hundred years ago, when the Pilgrims landed on the stern and rock- boun 1 Xew England coast, it was the women — the Anr s and the Priscillas — who kept hope and faith a!i\e as the numlicr of graves beneath the Plymouth cornfields grew and £'rew. During pioneer days in solitary log caV ins, women shared %\Tth their bus- lands the constant danger of attack from hostile Indians. They were not spared when the red- skins descended upon the settlements \\'ith toma- hawk and torch, as the stories of Ann Hutchinson, Hannah Dustin and many others indicate. At the time of tho Revolution, Molly Pitcher, taking her husband's ]>lacc in the fighting when ho W3^ grievously wounded, was not the only woman who showed courage and endurance. Through the terrible ^nnter at Valley Forge, when the cause of Washi.Tgi»n and Jefferson seemed all but lost, women in homes from Massachusetts to Georgia helped to keep the light of liberty burning. Women bore their share of the burden in the settle- ment of the lands across the Alleghenies, in the fertile valleys of the Ohio and the Misfsissippi. And in the tragic days of the Civil War, in homes 16 nortli and south, in hospitals and on battlefields, •vromeu took their part earnestly and courageously. Never in any period of the country's history have they been found wanting. To-day the opportunities for woman's develop- ment and her ability to contribute toward the creation of a better world are greater than ever before. At last all acti\dties of life are open to her. She is now free to choose the part she will play in the world's work. Whatever part it may be, good health is essential. Only because the women of pioneer days possessed clear minds and Aigorous bodies were they able to take such an active part in the settlement of this country. Their record is a challenge to you, a woman of the new century. But only as yon .are similarly qualified can you in the home and in the larger world outside meet this challenge of a glorious past by your achievement. V. D. No. CO. S.B.ofH. ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THIS PUBLICATIOK MAT BE PROCURED FROM THE SUPEP.INTTJNTIENT OF DOCtTMENTS GOVERNMENT PRINTINQ OFFICE WASHINGTON, T). C. AT o CENTS PER COPY V WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1920