Ceflation of the Periodical Discharge in the decline of life, and the disorders arifing from that critical change of conftitution. A S long as the prime of life continues, with that extraordinary faculty of preparing redundant blood for the fervice of the child, fo long its circulating force will be more than equal to the refiftance of the uterine veffels, and the periodical difcharge will continue; but when they become more firm and strong, from the effect of age, it will then totally cease. At this time, the female conftitution is in a state, the very reverse of what happened at maturity, when the discharge firft appeared. The circulating force of the blood and refifting power of its veffels, may be confidered as an unequal balance to each other, at different different periods of life, producing those two natural changes, which bring on the menfes at maturity, and carry them off in advanced age, as the one or other alternately prevail. The mafs of blood being the fource from which the periodical discharge is derived, from that failure of appetite and digeftion attending advanced age, it will then gra dually become lefs copious; and confequently its monthly returns will be more irregular. Thus the tide of nature being turned, and as it were on the ebb, this long accuftomed evacuation will at last entirely cease, and with it the faculty of having children. Hence, from a diffipation of blood and juices, together with the consequent emptinefs, and rigidity of the veffels, they will gradually shrink up and contract; fo that instead of that wonted freshness and smoothnefs of the skin when replete with moisture, age, age, and wrinkles, thofe unwelcome intruders, will come at last. At this critical time of life, the female fex are often vifited with various difeafes of the chronic kind: I have obferved, more women die about this age, than at any other period, during the years of maturity; for, as many constitutional infirmities, or hereditary disorders were relieved by the first approach of the menfes; fo they often return at the ceffation of that discharge. If, for inftance, the patient had naturally weak lungs, pains at her ftomach, head-ach, or complaints of the breaft and bowels, inclining her to confumption; fhe will probably, now again be attacked with thofe diforders more violently than ever. Several, indeed, who have lived temperately, and are naturally healthy, efcape without much inconvenience; and I have known fome delicate women inclined to hysterics, and nervous diforders, who were relieved by this change, and became more strong and healthy than before whilft others on the contrary, of a fanguine conftitution, who ufed little exercife, and indulged their appetites to excefs, often fuffered feverely at this juncture, particu larly when bleeding and evacuations had been neglected. Some are subject to pain and giddinefs of the head, hysteric diforders, colic pains, and female weakness. The bleeding piles, ftrangury, or intolerable itching at the neck of the bladder and contiguous parts, are often very troublesome to others. The rheumatism and fcurvy, pains in the limbs, ulcers in the legs, and eruptions on the skin, at this time frequently appear; also obstruction of the glands, with the most grievous and distreffing of all human maladies, cancerous tumors of the breaft or womb. Women are likewife fometimes affected with low fpirits and melancholy, which, together 1 together with the principal disorders already mentioned, will hereafter be particularly confidered under their proper titles. It will now be fufficient to point out the methods most successful, at this critical juncture, on a due attention to which, their future health greatly depends. fo Perhaps it may appear extraordinary that many diforders fhould happen from a change that is usual with every female; but it would be unreasonable to expect that nature should always be obedient to her own laws, when they are so often interrupted and tranfgreffed from the many exceffes introduced by luxury, the irregularity of the paffions, and other accidental inconveniencies. To fuch caufes, many difeafes peculiar to the human fpecies, are certainly owing, from which quadrupeds and other animals are free, by living comformable to their own natural feelings, uninfluenced by er |