Section 35 — For women only

In the treatment of diseases peculiar to women all symptoms from head to feet, and previous history should be given.

Local examinations and local treatment are seldom required and will only be made by the homoeopathic physician when really necessary.

In these diseases, as in all others, nature speaks through symptoms which point to states and conditions well understood by the well-informed physician.

These diseases, like diseases in other parts of the human economy, are amenable to the internal homoeopathic remedy, they should be treated like those hidden diseases where the eye of the doctor cannot penetrate, by the language of nature, by symptoms pointing to the pathological condition and the curative homoeopathic remedy.

There is no need in the majority of cases for local applications, surgical operation, pessaries and supports, cauterization, removal of the womb or ovaries, and the accompanying shock to a true woman's modesty.

All these diseases have been cured by the internal homoeopathic remedy, and they again may be by the intelligent physician.

We are fully aware that there are conditions and states calling for surgical skill, but surgery should be the last resort.

While it will require more time to effect a cure by medicinal means, it is certainly more pleasant, less repulsive to a modest woman, less dangerous, and more in accordance with the plans of a beneficent Creator.

It has often been said and demonstrated that Homoeopathy is woman's best friend. It respects her modesty, preserves her womanhood, relieves her of the many ailments peculiar to her sex and habits, and does it all more pleasantly.

It might be parenthetically suggested that much of the suffering of woman arises from her habit of life and obedience to the demands of Dame Fashion.

In this section we allude only to those symptoms peculiar to women.

No matter what the disease or trouble may be, the patient should read all preceding sections and carefully give the totality of her symptoms as therein directed.

Also, each part of this section should be carefully considered.

Mammae (the breasts).

For pain see Section 6.

For discharges see Section 7.

For skin eruptions, spots, hard lumps, morbid growths, cancer, etc., consult Sections 31 and 32.

Have you ever had abscess (bealing) of the breasts ?

Have breasts ever been injured ?

Are breasts cold ?

Are breasts hard, swollen, inflamed, hot, sensitive, sore ?

Are breasts undeveloped (too small) or too large ?

Do breasts itch ?

Is there pain when nursing the child (Section 6) ?

Is there any fluid or milk in breasts other than when nursing ?

Is there any trouble with the nipples or the part around them ?

Such as bleeding, burning, cracks, eruptions, gummy secretions, hard, inflamed, inverted or retracted, itching, pain (Section 6), redness, sensitiveness, soreness, swelling, ulcers ?

Genitals (external sexual parts).

Consult especially Sections 4, 6, 31 and 32.

Is there any trouble of the genitals ?

Biting, burning, congested, cracks, dryness, enlarged, eruptions, loss of hair, heat (feels hot), inflammation, irritation, itching, moisture, rawness, sensitiveness, smarting, soreness, stinging, stitching, sweat, swelling, tickling, tumors, ulcers, voluptuous sensation, warts.

For any trouble, pain, etc., state all the facts as to aggravation and amelioration, Section 5.

Vagina

(the canal which leads from the womb to the external orifice of the genitals).

Especially consult Sections 4, 6, 7, 31.

State all the troubles of the vagina fully and particularly.

Do not allow modesty to prevent a full statement.

These matters are held in the strictest confidence.

There may be want of all feeling in the vagina, bearing down in the vagina, biting, burning, coldness, congestion, constriction and contraction of the walls, discharges (see Leucorrhcea), dragging, drawing, dryness flatus or wind from vagina, fullness, granulations, undue heat, heaviness, inflammation, irritation, itching, jerking, pain, pressing, pricking, prolapse or falling of the walls of the vagina, rawness, sensitiveness, smarting, soreness, stitches, swelling, ulcers, warts.

Ovaries

(the ovarian region is to either side of the womb and above the groins). Especially consult Sections 4, 5, 6.

Always state on which side the trouble is.

If an enlargement or a tumor state pains minutely (Section 6), whether it increases or decreases, its relation to discharges from the vagina and menses, how long present, whether growth is rapid or slow, whether movable, and about the size.

Have you ever been injured in the ovarian region ?

Did you have any trouble before marriage ?

Have others of your family, or your mother, had the same or similar trouble ?

State all other troubles. There may be aching, bearing down, boring, burning, cramping, dragging, drawing, gnawing, grinding, heaviness, hardness, inflammation, itching (internal), jerking, numbness, pain, pinching, pressing, pushing sensation, sensitiveness, tenderness, shooting, soreness, stinging, stitches, swelling, throbbing or beating, twitching, twisting, etc.

The Uterus

(the womb is situated in the middle lower abdomen, behind and extending a little above the bladder).

In this place it will be well to ask some very delicate, but important questions.

A true answer to these may throw much needed light on the case.

With these, as with all questions, no reply is to be made unless there should be something abnormal.

Were you led into the habit of masturbation (self-abuse) when a child, or later ?

To what extent did you practice it ?

Is there undue sexual desire ?

Is the sexual desire lost ?

Is sexual embrace painful or distasteful ?

Has sexual embrace been excessive ?

Are there any bad results following (within a few hours) sexual embrace ?

If married, how many children ?

If no children, do you do anything to prevent them ?

How do you prevent having children ?

It will be well to fully state everything abnormal about these things, and ask any questions that may give you needed light.

Especially consult Sections 4, 5, 6, 31, for womb troubles.

Do you have a consciousness of a womb ?

(Normally there is no feeling, hence no consciousness of any internal organ.)

State the sensation if the womb seems not to be in the proper position.

If there is pain or other trouble in any other part of the body which seems to be connected with the womb, state particulars and mention what relation there seems to be.

Have you falling of the womb ?

If so, give the extent, the accompanying troubles, the time and cause, what relieves or aggravates (Section 5), and the effect upon you generally.

To what extent have you worn a pessary or support, and what would be the effect if you did not wear any ?

For haemorrhage see Section 7 and 30, and "Flow" under Menses in this Section.

Have you ever received an injury in the region of the womb ?

Have you been ruptured or torn in childbirth ?

In womb trouble there may be aching, bearing down (or a pushing as though everything would come out), burning, bursting feeling, contraction, congestion, cramps, cutting, discharge (see Vagina in this Section), distress, drawing, enlargement, fullness, heaviness, hardness, inflammation, labor-like pains, motion, neuralgia, pain, pressure, sensitiveness, soreness, spasms, squeezing sensation, swelling, throbbing, etc.

Menses (the monthly sickness or period).

To insure a prompt cure it is necessary for patients to be very observing and report all symptoms as directed in other Sections.

The interval between the menstrual periods is 28 days, counting from the beginning of one period to the beginning of the next.

At What age did you have your first menses ?

Had you any trouble before or during the first period ?

Have you, at any time, had your menses stopped or deranged by getting feet wet, from a general wetting from cold, fright, sickness, or from any cause ?

Have menses been irregular or painful since a particular time ?

Are your menses too frequent, too seldom, delayed, regular, early, late ?

How often do they come ?

For pain at the period describe as directed in Section 6, and Before, During, and After, in this Section.

Do you have menses during the nursing of your child ?

Do you have the whites or nose bleed instead of the menses ?

How long do menses last ?

Does excitement or overexertion bring menses on ?

When does the flow increase, decrease, or cease ?

Afternoon, day only, evening, lying down, morning, motion, at night only, walking. Mention anything that affects the flow.

Character of the flow. Describe the flow very carefully.

Acrid, black, bright red, brown, changeable, clotted or lumpy, copious, dark, excoriating (making parts sore), fetid or foul, greenish, gushing, hot (unduly so), intermitting as to flow, membranous (shreds), milky, mucous, odor (what is the odor ?), pale, profuse, protracted (lasts too long), scanty, stringy, tenacious, thick, too thin, viscid, watery, dark clots in bright blood, etc.

Give exact appearance and odor of the flow.

Before the Menses.

It is very necessary to state whether the accompanying troubles of the menses are before, during or after the flow.

We mention some of the more frequent troubles occurring at these times.

Various troubles of the abdomen.

Loss of or a very great appetite.

Troubles of the back. Difficulty in breathing. Troubles of the chest. Chill. Chilliness. Costiveness. Convulsions. Cough. Delirium. Diarrhoea. Ear trouble. Eructations. Eruptions. Eye trouble. Face trouble. Fainting. Cold feet. Head troubles ; headache. Leucorrhoea. Pains in arms or legs. Swelling, itching and soreness of the breasts.

Mental changes (Section 3). Nausea or vomiting. Bleeding of nose. Ovarian troubles. Pain (Section 6).

Restlessness. Sexual excitement. Urinary troubles. Great weakness or weariness. Describe all such troubles, and others, as directed in the various Sections.

During the Menses.

This refers to the time from the starting to the ending of the flow.

All the troubles mentioned as occurring "Before the Menses" may occur during the period, and many others.

Describe everything as directed in other sections. Consult especially Sections 3, 4, 5, 6.

After the Menses.

Many of the troubles referred to above may occur after the menses.

Give all the complaints carefully as above.

Leucorrhoea (the whites).

At what time does it come on ?

Is it all the time ?

Describe the color, consistency, odor and appearance of the discharge, and all accompanying complaints.

Does it make the parts sore, raw or itch ?

What color does it stain the napkin or clothing ?

Notice what other complaints always come on or are worse when the leucorrhcea comes on or is worse.

Does it corrode the clothing ?

Does it come on, or is it worse, before or after the menses ?

Are you excessively weak ?

It may be acrid (corroding), albuminous (like white of an egg), biting, black, bloody, brown, burning, clear, cold, cream-like, dark, fetid or foul, like jelly, greenish, in gushes, honey-colored, lumpy, mild or bland, milky, mucous, opaque, profuse, purulent (mattery), ropy, scalding, scanty, smarting, causing soreness, starchy, sticky, stiffening the linen, suddenly coming and going, tenacious, thick, thin, thready, transparent, watery, white, yellow.

Pregnancy (during and after).

There are many complaints incident to the pregnant state.

These are all curable by the homoeopathic remedy, and when thus cured "labor" is always much easier because it is more natural.

Treatment during this period is not only best for the mother, but is also best for the future health of the coming child, as well as for future pregnancies.

The healthy woman will have no trouble and the minimum of pain in bearing children ; normal labor is easy labor.

Report all these complaints as in the various sections of this pamphlet, but especially consult Sections 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

Nearly every abnormal condition of the pregnant woman will be found in the preceding sections.

Have you ever miscarried ?

How often, and what was the condition of your health afterward ?

At what month of pregnancy was the miscarriage ?

What caused the miscarriage ?

For morning sickness consult Sections 15 and 16, and state how long pregnant.

How did you get along at your last confinement ?

Were instruments used ?

How long were you in labor ?

Was there any trouble with the after-birth or with the lochia (discharge) ?

How was your recovery from childbed ?

Describe any complaints you may have had following it.

Have you had milk leg ?

Do you nurse your child ?

If not, why not ?

Was the milk good and sufficient ?

How long after childbirth before having your menses ?

Describe any trouble you may have had pregnancy or after childbirth.

Climacteric (the change of life).

Describe any trouble which may arise during this period as directed in the various sections preceding, and especially consult Sections 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

At what age did your mother or older sisters pass this period ?

If you are now passing it, at what age did it begin ?

Do you have flashes of heat ?

If profuse flooding, describe as directed in "Flow" in this section, and as in Section 30.

If past the period, how long since ?

Did you have any trouble during the climacteric ?