As part of a recent storage management redevelopment here at the CALHN Health Museum, I stumbled upon two very fascinating books.
The first being The Lady’s Manual of Homoeopathic Treatment was written by Dr E. H. Ruddock and published in 1882 by the Homeopathic Publishing Company, London. And the second, The Ladies’ Handbook of Home Treatment was written by F.C Richards and Eulalia S. Richards in 1919 and published by Signs Publishing Company Limited, Melbourne, Australia.
The intended purpose of the books was for the targeted female audience to be aware of the best ‘modern’ methods of home treatment relating to a multitude of health concerns impacting them (mainly those related to childbirth and mensuration), and how to minimise any future ailments.
The ‘Ladies Manual’ is a work that should be in the hands of every lady in the land. – Western Rural
As a book placed in the hands of a married woman it stands unrivalled, and yet it is full of just such information as the general practitioner should possess, and will here find easily and quickly. – Cincinnati Medical Advance
With forty years difference between the two publications, the sentiment between the two remains mostly the same. The main difference being that the earlier book has a larger focus on medical remedies and the latter book, being more direct about what the women’s role, both in medicine and society, should be.
Some questionable quotes and advice presented in books include:
Home is the kingdom over which the wife should seek to reign as queen
The girl should be taught housewifery duties, and should become her mother’s helper. The boy should learn to be manly, active and athletic.
It is a fact well recognised among medical men that, on the whole, those women who bear children enjoy better health and suffer less from diseases peculiar to their sex than those women who are childless.
If she be sterile, she will fail to secure that great purpose of marriage – to multiple, and replenish the earth.
She should be impressed with the importance of keeping the feet warm and dry during menstruation. Young girls are likely to be careless about this matter, as they do not properly realise its importance.
Both books repeatably mention the importance of keeping the women’s feet warm, or else at the expense of her health and even at times, her life! But fail to elaborate on why.
In The Ladies’ Handbook of Home Treatment, published in 1919, the Venus de Milo statue is used as a reference for the ideal waist measurement and for “those who particularly admire a small waist” . Since then, the concept of the ‘ideal’ female body shape (which is a whole other story!) has undergone countless revisions. Reaffirming that: 1) There is no such thing as an ideal female body; 2) This fabricated goalpost shifts depending on the trends, key figures, and cultural influences of the day and; 3) Ultimately, these everchanging standards reveal more about society’s values and obsessions than about women’s health and bodies themselves
It was an interesting, yet cringeworthy, glimpse into what the male dominated medical world viewed women as and what was deemed as important knowledge for them to have in 1882 and 1919. I am glad much has changed since then!
To further explore the museums library collection, click HERE
Written by Anna Grigoriev, CALHN Health Museum
