£*•

THE CONDITIONS OF HEALTH. 237
own vitality. Its mental and moral organization is in
fluenced by hers, and even by her thoughts
and feel
ings. Its muscular structure may be made strong by
her taking proper exercise, or weakened by her indo
lence. I have seen children born with club feet, be
cause mothers would take no exercise during preg
nancy. Children are born with or dyspepsia, tendencies
to colic, from the mother eating improper food at this
The food of the mother has so much to do
period.
with the condition of the child, and with the power of
the uterus to bring it forth at the proper period without
pain or danger, that few things are more important.
Numerous experiments prove that a fruit diet, or one
composed chiefly of fruit, is the best possible. Too
much farinaceous food, especially wheat, promotes the
premature hardening of the bones, diminishes the
flexibility of the foetus, and increases the difficulty of
parturition. No well-informed human mother will live
on the flesh of animals during either or gestation lacta
tion. Flesh is not fit to make babies, nor niilk to feed
them. Indeed, there is no condition of the mother,
mental or physical, which may not have its influence
upon the child. How careful, then, should every
mother be to live in the best possible conditions during
this period ; and how careful should all around her be
to make her life happy ! There is no condition of
health necessary to the mother, which is not also neces
sary to the child, for it partakes of all her life.
When we reflect upon the poverty, material and
spiritual, that exists everywhere ; upon the discord that
enters into the lives of those who are most fortunate ;
upon the evil habits of living that surround us ; and all