the reproductive
apparatus; it also serves as a means of elimination for the blood
itself. A careless management of this function, at any period of life
during its existence, is apt to be followed by consequences that may be
serious; but a neglect of it during the epoch of development, that is,
from the age of fourteen to eighteen or twenty, not only produces great
evil at the time of the neglect, but leaves a large legacy of evil to
the future. The system is then peculiarly susceptible; and disturbances
of the delicate mechanism we are considering, induced during the
catamenial weeks of that critical age by constrained positions, muscular
effort, brain work, and all forms of mental and physical excitement,
germinate a host of ills."[H]

[H] Clarke: "Sex in Education."

Here I must be allowed to protest most solemnly against the use of
injections into the vagina for the so-called purpose of cleanliness.
Vaginal syringes are constructed and used now by thousands and the
sufferings of the human race are increased thereby ten thousand fold
proportionately. The vagina, like all organs supplied with a mucous
membrane, is self-cleansing. Water, or any other fluid thrown into this
organ, has a tendency to disorder the mucous follicles, to dry up their
secretions and thus prevent the efflux of some of Nature's necessities.
From this cause alone there will be a reaction upon the vaginal walls,
upon the neck of the uterus and the uterus itself; the ovaries also
become disordered; the lungs sympathize as well as the throat and
bronchial tubes, producing hoarseness, hacking cough and a host of
troubles following in their train. Nervous headaches of fearful
intensity are frequently produced from this unnatural course of
procedure. Moreover, water thrown into the vagina, to wash it out, day
after day for a considerable time, absolutely produces a leucorrhoea
most persistent in character. This is the confession of young ladies to
me in making inquiry as to the origin of their trouble, and I have found
that the discharge was unknown to some of them till after the use of
these injections. It stands to reason that such unnatural washings
should be followed by a retribution equal to the error committed,
because, as before stated, Nature's laws cannot be perverted without a
penalty. A girl should never, under any pretext whatever, resort to such
unhallowed means for the cure or alleviation of leucorrhoea, ulceration,
or for any disord