History of medical practice in Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

212 History of Medical Practice in IllinoisThis, however, did not affect the woman's social status in any serious way.the menial andA common impression prevails in modern times thathard work of tilling the soil and harvesting the crops was put upon womenbecause it was beneath the dignity of the men who were hunters and warriors.This isfar from the truth. The sowing of seed by women was supposedto render such seed more fertile and the earth more productive thanif planted by men, for it was believed that women have and control thefaculty of reproduction and increase. Hence, sowing and cultivating cropsbecame one of the exclusive departments of women's work.As among other primitive peoples, the menstruating woman was consideredunclean by the Indians and was required to wear certain wellmarked colors during the continuance of the period when she mingledwith others. Also the connection with the moon was noted as among otherpeoples, since the Indian speaks of a woman menstruating as having "moonin the ass." It is obvious that these savages were shrewd in decreeing thatmenstruating women should stay in a separate hut, do no work, rest, andavoid exposure to cold or exertion. Especially were they kept away frommen.Menstruation among the Indians began between the ages of 11 and 14years, or somewhat earlier in the southern climates. Breast developmentbegan at about the age of 12 and was completed at 18 years. At the time ofthe first menstruation, a ceremonial feast was held at which relatives andfriends congratulated the maiden and her parents on the dawn of herwomanhood.The period of gestation was the same for Indian and white races, butmarriage was entered into earlier, as a rule, in the former. Few Indiangirls over 18 or men over 22 years of age remained unmarried. Families ofsix to nine children were average. Twins were relatively common buttriplets were very rare.Indian women were considered unclean during the puerperium and toa different degree during the time they continued to have a lochial flow,either rubra or alba.Confinement among many tribes took place in a specially constructedshelter; this was about 8 feet in diameter and was made of boughs supplementedby strips of canvas or skins during seasons when leafy boughs werenot available. The structure was destroyed after labor. In some instancesa more pretentious building was erected which was used by all the womenof the tribe during labor; this may have been the first lying-in hospital. Inpreparation for labor, two trenches about 10 to 14 inches wide were dug.One contained hot stones over which the parturient squatted (sterility),and the other was used for the disposal of excreta (avoidance of contamination).In this way exposure to infection was minimized. It was customary