Tokology

Constipation of the bowels is not only a frequent attendant upon pregnancy, but is a common ailment of both men and women. From year to year this symptom is on the increase, until fully nine-tenths of the American women and one-half of the men are afflicted with it.

Every person should have a free, soluble, satisfactory evacuation of the bowels daily. In pregnancy especially, not for one day should constipation be allowed.

Constipation is usually the first notice of bodily derangement, and may be the precursor of a chronic state of ill health. The approach, too, of this affection may be insidious, existing when the subject is not aware of it. The evacuations may be regular, yet not sufficiently free and copious to be compatible with health.

The slightest torpidity of the bowels results in retention of residual matter, which becomes reabsorbed into the system, acting as a foreign and poisonous substance. Other organs of elimination must, on this account, be overtaxed, in the vain attempt to overcome the obstruction.

The urine becomes thick, turbid and highly colored, if not offensive. The skin emits an offensive odor and sooner or later becomes dry and scaly. The surface, from obstruction of the pores and venous capillaries, is alternately hot and cold, making the person sensitive to drafts and changes in temperature. The lungs must do double duty and the breath is loaded with offensive exhalations. Here is the beginning of most cases of catarrh, bronchitis and phthisis. Indeed, there is no disease of the human organism which may not be traced to constipation.

What are the principal causes of constipation?

Mainly sedentary habits, errors in diet, overtaxed brains, the use of cathartics, and in women errors in dress.

Many persons, even some authors upon the subject, consider that constipation is the result of torpidity of the liver only, causing a lack of bile furnished for diluent purposes. While this is frequently the case, still there may be a diminution in the pancreatic juice as well as in the secretions peculiar to the intestines, causing a lack of moisture in the excrement.

There may, too, be lack of bulk in the residual matter to be acted upon by the fluids and impelled by the muscular coats of the intestines; which, again in their turn may want power to perform their peculiar function. In a sedentary life the weakness of these muscles is enhanced and respiratory power is lacking. All processes of digestion depend upon deep breathing, which stimulates action in the abdominal viscera. Any exercise that tones or develops the involuntary muscles of breathing is an incalculable adjuvant to all the functions of the body. The person of sedentary habits not only loses the advantage of exercise, but is usually engaged in some occupation that gives great strain upon the nervous organization. This takes away the nerve stimulant so essential to assimilative processes. Dr. James H. Jackson, in his admirable treatise upon constipation, in speaking of the effects of occupation, says:

“It is not the man or woman who lives regularly, eats temperately, and exercises the brain moderately, or even severely, if the habits are correct, and sufficient out-door air and exercise are had to oxygenize the blood and keep up muscular tone; it is not the muscle-worker, the agriculturist, the mechanic, the machinist; it is not the maid of all work, as a general thing. It is the brain-worker—the lawyer, merchant, doctor, banker, minister, teacher; it is the man who sits in his office or works in his store or shop in poor air and light, having little or no muscular exercise, who constantly thinks, is anxious, worried, careworn, a victim of the intense competition and excitement which modern business life imposes; it is the wife and mother who lives in the house all day, who is continually worried by household cares and anxieties, who is socially taxed and excited; it is she who idles away her time, passing it in in-door indolence, who dresses unphysiologically, eats badly, feeds upon sensational literature, and lives under the reign of her emotional and passional nature; it is the poor factory girl or seamstress, plodding away through weary days, in stifling air and on starvation diet, as of baker’s bread and tea, debarred from all out-door recreation; or the school teacher who barely earns her living, though she works brain and nerves, almost daily, to the point of exhaustion. In these classes, subject to unphysiological habits of work, want of recreation, unfavorable surroundings, irregularity in eating, sleeping, etc.—more from lack of knowledge than from necessity—are found the victims.”

Improper food, prominent in the causes of constipation, poisons rather than nourishes the body, inducing congestion of the alimentary canal by the irritation set up.

Highly seasoned food and stimulating drinks excite extra secretions when first taken, but the reaction or secondary effect of the overstrain is torpor, and consequently absence of secretion. Notably, too, we have the same effect from aperient drugs. Even the too free and constant use of salt causes a dryness of the intestinal canal, probably from the fact of its stimulating power. Nature daily attests this statement by the demand for drink after partaking of salted meats, fish, etc.

Food lacking in elements of nerve nutrition proves constipating; foods that are too concentrated are usually those that are highly carbonaceous, notably fats and sweets, as well as those abounding in starch. In these the insufficient residue fails to furnish the needed volume to fecal matter. The absence of water, too, furnished by vegetables and fruits, causes a dryness of the contents of the intestinal canal, which of itself is an impediment to their onward passage through the bowels.

Of these carbonaceous foods, pastry, cakes, hot bread and white flour bread stand prominent. As elsewhere stated, hot breads, starch, and all of the fats do not digest in the acid fluid of the stomach. Passing into the duodenum the alkaline bile and pancreatic juice emulsify and liquify them. If the quantity of these substances taken be too great there will be much the same result as the soap-maker gets when he puts in his kettle too much fat for his lye. The substances are not dissolved, and can not be taken up by the villi of the intestines for nutrition, and a concentrated mass lacking residuum passes into the excrement.

The prevalent, if not foolish fashion of using only bolted or white flour for bread, a flour abounding in starch and lacking in gluten, is largely the cause of indigestion and constipation. The gluten lies next the bran and contains the nitrates and phosphates which digest in the stomach and feed muscles, brain and nerves, while the bran itself furnishes residuum for fecal matter.

Another factor especially answerable for the recent increase of constipation, is the prevalent use of baking powder. This makes a beautiful, light, friable and delicious bread, requiring but little time or care in its preparation. If adulterated with alum, astringent effects follow. Even in a pure powder, we have an acid and an alkali, which, after chemical union has taken place, leaves a residual salt that has a depressing influence upon the nervous system. A sensitive person not accustomed to the use of bread from yeast powder, even if eaten cold, will in a few hours feel depressing influences, upon both mind and body.

Dr. Beaumont, who had the privilege of watching the process of digestion in the stomach of Alexis St. Martin, tells us that “hot bread does not dissolve in the fluids of the stomach.” This is owing to the presence of carbonic acid gas in the bread, and to the fact that it is not friable, consequently becoming an insoluble, doughy mass that can not be permeated by the gastric fluid. Of course it passes in this state into the intestines, and much of it must become waste material. It is estimated that 8,000,000 lbs. of baking powder is used annually in the United States alone. What wonder is it that dyspepsia and constipation are on the increase!

Fat meats, dried and salted meats, are constipating. Fresh poultry has a like effect. There are few persons who do not remember the old time practice of arresting the action of a cathartic drug by the use of a chicken broth.

Eggs and milk are constipating to many. The latter is especially so if boiled or if the two articles are combined in custards, puddings, etc. Among the vegetables, beans (dried) are constipating. This, however, is largely the result of the mode of preparation. They may not be sufficiently cooked, and the fat incorporated with them renders them indigestible. Cheese is constipating to many, also chocolate and cocoa. Of the fruits, blackberries and raspberries are constipating, especially if the seeds are taken. More than any other articles of diet, these induce and aggravate hemorrhoids.

Any of the above mentioned foods may not prove constipating when eaten with a mixed diet.

The errors in dress conducive to torpid bowels, are lack of covering to the extremities, and excess of clothing in the abdominal region, thus favoring congestion of the vital organs. Garments that are tight and improperly supported restrict respiration, infringe upon all the digestive organs, and impede the circulation.

When women are freed from the trammels of dress, they will have taken a long stride toward freedom from invalidism. Is it Utopian to hope that it will also aid in giving them both political and social freedom?

A very common means taken to overcome constipation only increases it and renders it less amenable to common sense treatment, and that is the prevalent use of cathartic drugs. “They all depend for effect upon a certain quality they possess of exciting secretion and peristaltic activity. Of course they do this through the nervous system, few if any of them being mechanical in their action, but accomplishing their results by stimulating the nervous system to extra effort. In doing this, they necessarily exhaust the source of supply; for the tendency of all stimulation is to induce exhaustion as the consequence of unnatural exhibitions of nervous force. Persons using these so-called remedies—laxatives, cathartics, and purgatives—thus securing temporarily the movement of the bowels, find that after their use it is more difficult to secure natural passages, and that the dose must be increased to produce any effect. Meantime the continued use of these drugs not only exhausts nervous force, but often creates inflammation of mucous surfaces, disturbing digestion, and poisoning the blood.” This is more especially true of the saline cathartics.

Such cases are much more rationally, comfortably and effectively treated by the use of enemas. (Chap. IV).

Pregnancy aggravates or causes constipation, by reflex nervous action from an irritable uterus or mechanically by pressure of fetus upon the colon or rectum.

Other causes of this difficulty will be thought of—such as excessive exercise, violent emotions, as anger, grief, etc., wounds in any part of the body, irregularity in meals, late suppers, eating between meals, etc., etc. Practically it is not essential to enter into details in regard to them. No matter what the cause, all will experience benefit in adhering to the following hints upon the

Treatment of constipation.—First ascertain the cause or causes, and remove them. One might as well expect to cure a burn, while pouring scalding water upon it, as to cure torpid bowels if the cause remains. Every person should establish the habit of

Regularity in securing evacuations.—The nervous system acts under the law of periodicity to a large degree in controlling the functional operations of the body. This tendency should not only be generally heeded, but utilized in regulating the bowels. A little intelligent care will generally secure a call for defecation at a specified time, which may be established to suit convenience, and which once established, should not be allowed to pass, except for the most urgent reasons.

The number of evacuations per day will vary with the quality and amount of food consumed, and the vocation and temperament of the person. If two evacuations each day is the rule, then one should be after breakfast and the second shortly before the regular retiring hour for the night. If only one evacuation each day is the habit of the person, then if convenient, let it be the hour before retiring, unless a satisfactory habit is already fixed at some other hour. There are few things that promote good, sound, refreshing sleep, like a thorough emptying of the bowels before going to bed.

If one would prevent constipation and its evils, this practice should be heeded; and if one would cure constipation, it should be enforced in connection with any other necessary measures, as follows: “Go to the closet at the appointed hour, sit for a few minutes, gently straining to effect a passage. The practice of forcing an evacuation by severe muscular effort is all wrong, and should never be indulged. Far better take an enema of water if necessary. The practice of sitting long at stool is also to be condemned. The bowels may be made lazy in this way, and it leads to waste of time, and to hemorrhoids. If not successful, go till next day at the stated hour if you comfortably can; then try again, and if you do not succeed, take an enema of water sufficient to produce the desired movement. The next day repeat this effort at the given time, and so continue.”

I am more and more convinced that all straining should be avoided. When the bowels do not move readily, wait a few moments passively for nature’s call, avoiding all anxiety in the matter. Should this method fail, then, by will power, press the sphincter muscles back by short, quick, and repeated movements. This will lubricate the rectum, force back the feces, and shortly after result in a satisfactory discharge of the bowels. A little practice will bring these muscles under complete control, and by this means a habit of constipation may be cured. This same course is also found very beneficial for piles.

Other simple measures will overcome constipation, especially if of recent origin or of mild form. Drinking one or two glasses of cold soft water before breakfast is often sufficient. Some eat ice for the same purpose. These are diluents, besides acting upon the nerves producing contractile effects of the muscular coats of the digestive tract.

With others, eating a raw apple or orange before breakfast is sufficient. Drinking a glass of water, into which a tablespoonful of bran has been stirred, is very efficacious for some. A lady in Iowa had had very obstinate constipation for years. Allopathic and homeopathic remedies had no effect. Exercise and the strictest hygienic living seemed equally of no avail. If, however, before eating her breakfast, she would eat half a cup of bran stirred in water or milk, the desired result would be obtained. This affords residuum for the alimentary canal, as well as mechanical stimulus to the mucous coat.

In long standing, obstinate cases, these simple remedies will not suffice. There must be an entire and radical change in diet as well as other rational measures used to overcome the conditions.

Our native wheat meets the need for this change, perhaps more fully than any other food, provided the whole of the grain is used. Such preparations of it may be found in varied and attractive forms, first among which, because almost everywhere procurable and easily prepared, is graham flour. Complaints are sometimes made against this excellent and nourishing food, that it is too harsh for delicate stomachs.

The complaint should rather be made against careless and ignorant millers, who put upon the market an article ground from their lowest grade of wheat, often, too, without proper cleaning. When the best wheat is properly scoured and prepared by a skillful miller, very few will find difficulty in its digestion. Rolled or cracked wheat, wheatlet, and flour of the entire wheat, are very useful in establishing a correct habit.

In these the gluten which lies next the bran is preserved—this contains the nitrates that feed muscular tissues and the mineral product that nourishes and sustains the nervous system. For constipation, these foods are the natural remedy and preventive, as they give the ganglionic nerve centers nutriment, and hence enable them to preside over the functions of digestion.

Entire Wheat Flour, Franklin Mill Co., Lockport, N. Y., fulfills these conditions, and is one of the noblest additions to the foods of the world. The grain is denuded of the outside silicious bark and then ground into a fine flour, and all the elements of the grain are preserved.

Wheat, more than any other article of food, furnishes all the elements and in the right proportion required to nourish the body. In bolting the flour to make fine white flour, four-fifths of the gluten, the very most nutritious part of the grain, is taken out to be fed to cows and hogs.

Dr. Ephraim Cutter, of Harvard, in an able illustrated article on “Cereal Foods” in the American Medical Weekly, says: “The gluten of cereal foods is their nitrogenized element, the element on which depends their life-sustaining value, and this element is, in the white and foolishly fashionable flour, almost entirely removed, while the starch, the inferior element, is left behind and constitutes the entire bulk and inferior nutriment of such flours. To use flour from which the gluten (in the bran) has been removed, is almost criminal. That it is foolish and useless needs no further demonstration. In sickness, and in the sickness of infants especially, starch is highly injurious, while gluten is life-giving and restorative.”

In the valuable article from which the above extract is taken, microscopical examination is given of forty-four kinds of flour and health foods. Of the Franklin Mill Co. flour he says: “The field is filled with gluten cells. Repeated examinations prove this to be the best flour examined.” One can readily see, being more nutritious, in point of economy, even, this flour is invaluable. It is preferable for making anything that is ordinarily made from white flour; makes better pie crust, better cake, and griddle-cakes, and for toast, pudding and gems, has no comparison with other flour. Still further, what will with many be considered the best argument for its use, the taste of this flour is sweeter and more “nutty.” Once accustomed to the “Flour of the Entire Wheat,” white flour seems tasteless and insipid, and none will return to its use from choice. Hundreds of cases within my knowledge attest to this fact.

The effect of this food in alleviating and curing constipation is something of which all should know. A family at one time came to live near me in which was a baby boy about sixteen months of age. I was attracted by his pretty ways, but saw that he was far from well, his skin being white and waxy, his flesh puffy. I said to the mother, “Your little boy is not well.”

“Do you think so?” she answered in surprise. “Everybody thinks he looks so well.”

“He certainly is not well with that appearance of his skin. What is the matter?”

“Why, nothing at all, except that he is dreadfully constipated, and has been for months. His bowels do not move oftener than once in two or three days, and then he suffers terribly, screaming and crying piteously. His rectum often protrudes, and blood comes with the passage.”

“Poor little fellow. That will never do. What do you feed him?” “Mostly bread and milk.”

“White bread?” “Yes, baker’s bread.”

“Did you ever use bread of the entire wheat flour?”

She had never heard of it but was willing to try anything that might give relief. I sent her a nice loaf, and not only the baby but all the family enjoyed it. The mother desired to learn how to make the bread, and Wally soon made his chief living off it, and was in a short time, without the use of any other means, entirely cured of his distressing ailment. After that, a sweeter, more joyous baby I never saw, hearty and happy; roses supplanting lilies on his cheeks, his flesh becoming firm and hard, and his fretful, nervous temper growing sweet and even. The happy mother could not sufficiently attest her gratitude, saying many times that she should always be glad that she moved into our neighborhood, simply on account of having learned of this one useful article of diet.

Wheatlet, a new preparation which is manufactured by the Franklin Mill Co., of Lockport, N. Y., meets a demand for a food adapted to the relief of constipation. It is equally good for the use of dyspeptics and those who are nervously debilitated. It is rich in the nitrogenous and phosphatic elements of the wheat, and being highly nourishing, strengthens the nerve system which presides over the organs of digestion. For some stomachs in a diseased and highly sensitive state, it is preferable to cracked wheat or rolled oats, being more delicate than either. It is invaluable for children, especially when they are first weaned.

Cracked or rolled wheat stands with or above the entire wheat flour in its value to overcome torpid bowels. Often by making no other change in diet, but adding this one article properly cooked, constipation will be entirely removed. I have been recommending it for thirty years, with uniformly satisfactory results. In a family with whom I staid while lecturing in Southern Illinois, was a bright boy three years of age. The next morning after my arrival, the mother entered my room, her face the picture of despair.

“Can you, doctor, tell me anything I can do for Charlie? For nearly twelve months he has not had a natural passage. Strong cathartics have ceased to have any effect, and he has a terror of enemas.”

I noticed the night previous that the child ate a late supper, consisting entirely of cold mutton and sweet cake. I wondered then if it was possible he could feed on such food and be well. I said to her, “Have you tried diet?”

“Only to give him figs, and these he dislikes. I don’t know what to give him.”

Alas, how many mothers do not know!

“Do you not ever use graham bread?”

“None of us like it.”

“Have you ever given him cracked wheat?”

“I never heard of it.”

“Send and get a package. I will show you how to cook it, and we will lunch upon it.”

Charlie ate of it, not freely, for his lunch and supper. The following day he had two natural, easy evacuations. I counseled her to give him less meat and cake, have him eat the wheat at least once a day, and partake of more fruit. Months afterward she reported no return of the constipation. Oftentimes it is the simplest things that are the most effectual.

Feast on fruits! Would that this could be a motto upon the wall of every dining room in the land! Next to the whole of the wheat, fruit is the best laxative to the bowels.

Dr. Jackson says: “I advise the use of fruit in the morning if taken only once a day; but I heartily approve of its forming a part of every meal, though I strongly condemn the indulgence in fruit between meals.”

I coincide with him, and emphasize by saying feast on fruit freely! Don’t stint the supply to sauce dishes. Use large saucers and not only once full but twice or thrice full at every meal. Acid fruits are preferable. They are the staple, and properly prepared, one never tires of them. The acid of the fruit is largely oxygen, and uniting with the carbon of other food, in this way assists in digestion.

For constipation some of the dried fruits well cooked are valuable. Of these peaches, plums, prunes, apricots, etc., that are rich in hydrocyanic acid, are preferable. Get the best, stew several hours. Never prepare a meal without it. Do not say it is expensive, and you cannot afford it. Take half the money you put in meat and lard, and purchase fruit. You will get interest and principal returned in health for yourself, in rosy, buoyant children, and noticeable absence of doctors’ fees.

Most of the garden vegetables are also valuable. Rhubarb, onions, tomatoes, asparagus, green peas, squash, cauliflower, green corn, etc., etc., are good, and should be well cooked without butter. The fruits and vegetables supply water, laxative in its effects upon the mucous surfaces. They increase the residual matter of the excrement, and supply stimuli for peristaltic action.

Avoid strong tea, especially if steeped a long time. Tannic acid is developed, giving an astringent effect. Coffee, especially the higher grades, in the occasional use, stimulates the bowels to action, but the habit of taking strong coffee gives the secondary effect, and torpidity is the result.

It may be a wise provision of nature that the poorer and cheaper the coffee, the less deleterious is its character. Java and Mocha may be really poisonous to an individual, while Rio is quite inoffensive. Most of the adulterations of coffee are harmless. One “feasting on fruits freely” will not feel the need of any drink at meals, and in total abstinence great gain will be made in overcoming symptoms of indigestion.

LAXATIVE.

• Rolled and cracked wheat.
• Bread, gems, biscuit, griddle cakes, crackers and mush from flour of the entire wheat, and graham flour.
• Granula.
• Bran gruel and jelly.
• Fruit puddings.
• Fruit pies.
• All fresh acid fruits, including tropical fruits, like bananas, oranges, lemons, etc.
• Dried figs.
• French prunes and prunellas, eaten raw.
• Stewed dried fruits, containing hydrocyanic acid, of which peaches, plums and prunes are the best.
• New Orleans molasses.
• Rhubarb.
• Onions.
• Celery.
• Tomatoes.
• Cabbage, raw.
• Corn.
• Squash.
• Cauliflower.
• Green peas.
• Spinach.
• Beets, etc.
• Liver.
• Oysters.
• Wild game.

CONSTIPATING

• Hot bread.
• White bread.
• White crackers.
• Black pepper and spices.
• Pastry made of white flour and lard.
• Bread, rolls, dumplings, etc., made with baking powders.
• Cake.
• All custard puddings.
• Salted meats.
• Salted fish.
• Dried meats.
• Dried fish.
• Smoked meats.
• Poultry.
• Cheese.
• Chocolate.
• Cocoa.
• Boiled milk.
• Tea.
• Coffee.
• Coffee made from wheat, corn, barley, toast, etc.
• Beans (dried).
• Potatoes.
• Farina.
• Sago.
• Starch.
• Tapioca.
• Rice.
• Raspberries.
• Blackberries.

Lean fresh meats, fresh fish, eggs, raw milk, oatmeal, barley, buckwheat, corn meal, and sweet potatoes have no marked action either way, unless in exceptional cases.

Appropriate and sufficient exercise is next in importance to having proper food, in overcoming constipation. General and habitual exercise is essential to promote good circulation, a healthy nervous tone, complete respiration, and also power and elasticity of the muscles. The stomach, liver and indeed all the alimentary tract require also local exercise in order that a healthy standard may be gained and maintained.

The worm-like or peristaltic action of the intestines is produced by the contraction of the muscular coat. It is by this action that the contents of the canal are carried forward. Is it not plain that if exercise can develop the muscles of the arm or leg it can give tone and power to these muscles as well? Dr. Taylor, in “Health by Exercise,” says: “It is a curious and most interesting fact that children and young animals, whose desire for motion is inherent, are inclined chiefly to those exercises and those positions which necessarily affect the abdominal contents.

“It is in such exercises as climbing, rolling, crawling, jumping and playing generally that these contents are most disturbed. We are convinced that the means prescribed by nature will secure healthful development and power in these most essential parts of the body. As if to insure these healthful effects, nature has ordained that by respiration, as an efficient and constant means, these motions shall be secured to the alimentary canal. The abdominal contents may be considered as being located between two great muscular organs, the diaphragm and abdominal walls. These muscles act conjointly and simultaneously and upon all the included parts, causing them to play incessantly upon each, and subjecting them to a constant and gentle pressure.”

Deep breathing, using the diaphragm and abdominal muscles, of which the majority of women have no practical knowledge, gives the most efficient exercise to the digestive tract. The A, B, C, of health lessons is in deep natural respiration. The lungs must be filled to the bottom, and the involuntary muscles of breathing brought into action. The most eminent vocal teacher of this country asserts that in breathing “the main action should be at the waist and below the waist.” Animals and children have this natural breathing. Men and women lose it from lack of exercise, and constrictions of dress. Health, strength, longevity and power of endurance depend mainly upon lung capacity.

For constipation, those exercises must be taken that develop the diaphragm and other respiratory muscles, that strengthen the muscles of the abdomen and trunk as well as the muscular tissue of the intestines themselves.

SPECIAL EXERCISES FOR CONSTIPATION.

1. Lying upon the back, with abdomen relaxed, have bowels thoroughly kneaded: make rapid, gentle movements with balls of the fingers and palm of the hands, not the knuckles.

2. Same position, move diaphragm up and down without breathing. This requires a little experience and can be aided at first by external pressure of the hand, following the motion. This is one of the most desirable for the object required, and must not be abandoned because of a few failures. The diaphragm can be taught to obey the will.

3. Reclining on the back on a spring bed; flex the knees, inflate the lungs; move hips up and down with the springs twenty or thirty times. This can be performed by even quite a weak person, and is beneficial to the strongest. Brings into action moderately a great variety of muscles.

4. Flex the knees and elevate the hips, resting the body on shoulders and feet. Move slowly up and down ten times. Hold to count ten, and then rest to count the same. Lungs with this had better be inflated. No exercise is more valuable for developing deep breathing. Sick and well would be benefited by taking this exercise morning and night.

5. Stand with toes at angle of 45°, knees together, hands crossed upon the back. Bend the knees. The body is kept perpendicular and slowly descends until sitting upon the heels. Then slowly straightened, keeping trunk in same position. Count four with each movement, and from four to ten with the rest. This is a severe exercise, and needs to be taken cautiously at first by the invalid. There is no better, however, for torpid bowels.

6. Stand as before. Palms of hands placed over lower ribs, fingers forward. Inhale through the nostrils and expand the waist as if to burst the belt. Expel the breath slowly and assist it by pressing with the palms against the ribs.

7. Same position; inhale through the nostrils; retain, to count twenty; expel through the mouth as whispering the syllable Hoo! to a person forty feet away.

8. Sit on the floor; limbs horizontal and parallel; lungs inflated; hands joined over the head; move backward and forward slowly as far as possible; rest; same position, move sideways.

9. Horizontal position on back; hands clasped over the head; raise both feet and head at same time making the body assume a curved shape; hold to count ten; repeat this only five or six times at first. This is a powerful exercise, affecting the abdominal viscera and general circulation.

10. Lie in the horizontal position; hands clasped over the head; the head and heels only resting on supports, as two stools, while the body is quite free; hold in this position from five to ten minutes, according to strength, practicing waist breathing; at first one might place the stools nearer together.

11. Kneel with one leg; place the other forward with the foot firm upon the floor; arms parallel, stretched upward to the side of the head; move backward and forward slowly, while counting four to each movement, and for rest; repeat three or four times, and change to the other knee. This is a good exercise for hips, groin and lower abdomen.

12. Upon both knees wide apart, hands on hips, fingers forward. Move quickly from right to left, and back as far as possible. This is a good exercise for liver, spleen and muscles of the side.

Nos. 5, 10, 11 and 12 should not be attempted by a weak person until the others have been practiced at least a month, and then begin with caution. All these exercises should be taken in a loose wrapper. There must be no restraint upon any part of the body. One walking or working need not be deterred from taking them. They bring into action unused muscles, and consequently rest those that have been overworked. I knew a lady who did much of the heavy labor of a large greenhouse. She never retired without performing gymnastics similar to the above. She claimed that they rested her by the derivative effect, and the sleep that followed was more satisfactory.

Women cannot expect to successfully and permanently overcome constipation, if the organs are in any way restricted by dress. Nature’s laws are inexorable, and the penalty of violation must be paid. See Chap. VII.

Do not resort to drugs, even for temporary relief. Almost all aperient medicines act through the nervous system, stimulating the secretions to increased flow. All stimulation of the nervous system is followed by a corresponding or increased depression. In consequence the torpor of the bowels is worse after a few days, instead of better. If people would only note real results, instead of seeming ones, very little medicine would be taken, at least such as has only palliating effects.

In constipation, until permanent benefits can be obtained by the means proposed, if it is necessary to have temporary relief, resort to enemas in preference to drugs. A small quantity of tepid water will usually remove the contents of the rectum. If a thorough evacuation is desired, follow directions on page 48.

Retaining a pint of warm water over night has proved beneficial in many cases. Very obstinate impaction in the rectum can be relieved by injecting from one to two ounces of linseed oil in the rectum, and retaining it over night. Use a rubber piston child’s syringe for this purpose.

Making one meal of raw grains often proves invaluable in constipation. Many persons are adopting for diet, what they call Edenic food. They live entirely upon uncooked food, claiming that it gives natural nutriment, and overcomes morbific conditions. For many years I have occasionally recommended the use of raw grains, rolled oats or wheat, for constipation, nervousness, sleeplessness, etc. It serves its purpose best by being eaten dry, but may be taken with honey, fruit juice or milk.

Going entirely without supper, or adopting the two meal system has proved beneficial in obstinate cases where all other means have failed. The frequency and time of eating is a great matter of habit. By constant feeding, one gets himself to crave food five or six times a day, while the system can be satisfactorily nourished upon one meal a day. Brain workers especially, will find great advantage in taxing the alimentary processes less frequently. On deciding to do without supper, at the usual meal time a craving for food can be satisfied by taking a cup of hot water, hot lemonade, or some fruit juice.

Finally, let me urge thoroughness and persistence in the means laid down to overcome torpidity of the bowels. Do not expect a miracle, but know that by giving proper conditions, normal action will surely be restored, consequently great advantages gained in every direction. Once the functions of the bowels become perfectly normal, all complaints of the system have a fair chance to cure themselves.