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

Date:
1736
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

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

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    [45 ] The P R E F A C E. A S being the Mother of Children is the higheft Honour, and ^ mojl exalted State of Satisfaction that the Fair Sex can at¬ tain to, in a married Life ;Jo on the contrary Barrennefs, of all other Misfortunes, is by much the greatefi\ producing the mofl fevere Affliction that can attend a Family, and caufing the deepeft fecret Grief in a Woman that is pofflble to be imagined: What Difeord ! What Differences! are bred in many Families for want of Children to crown the earnejl Dejire of married Per fins? And what Reproaches and ?nelancholy Reflections that Want often occafeons, with the difinal Difirders that from thence frequently arife, may be eafily conceived by judicious Perfins, who will give themfilves Liberty to confider how great the Sorrow of that Woman muff be, who knows, that could Jhe have Children, Jhe Jhould be abfolutely happy in a married State, when for want of them, Jhe is perhaps treated with Ignominy and Contempt, and made the mofl unfortunate of her Sex. THIS being true, it naturally follows, that nothing is more neceffary than to treat of and faithfully difeover the Caufis and Cure of Barrennefs in Women, when it is done with a real Intent Gf being ferviceable to the World, in ren¬ dering fuch a confider able Number of the Fair Sex fruitful and happy, who with the loft Degree of Sorrow now labour under the ingrateful Imputation of being Barren. AND the more ufieful wild it fill appear, when we con¬ fider that the Natural Excellent Modefty of our Women, re¬ frains them from openly feeking a Cure of that unfortunate Circumflance, which by Means of the plain modeji Account given in the firfl Chapter of this Practical Difcourfe, may be fecretly remedied by themfilves ivithout the Knowledge of others. I N refpeCl to what regards the Male Sex, or their Impo- tency and Infertility, or in general their Incapacity of Propa¬ gating their Species, it is mofl certain, that during the Heat and firfl' Sallies of Youth, Men are fi intent on their Paffionsy and their Thoughts fo much employed on the gratifying them% that many' of them think or care little of the End of Marriage^ or of having Ifliie; but when Reafin gets the better of their Pafflons, and a few Years have ripen'd their Judgment, they then confider that there is no way of becoming immortal in this World, or at leaft of perpetuating them [elves to the End of Time, but by being renewed in their Children, to whom only they can leave their Poffejfms with real Satisfaction, * *r r*