The Four Epochs of Woman's Life - Glossary



GLOSSARY.

Abortion. The expulsion of the fetus before the end of the third lunar 
month. 
Afferent Nerves. Those nerves which convey the impressions to the nerve-
centers. 
After-pains. The pains which follow labor and which are caused by the 
contractions of the uterus. 
Amenorrhea. Absence of the menstrual flow. 
Anemia. The so-called thinness of the blood, due to a deficiency of red 
blood-corpuscles. 
Antisepsis. The use of chemical substances which have the power of 
destroying germs. 
Anus. The external circular outlet of the rectum or distal part of the 
large intestine. 
Appendages, Uterine. The Fallopian tubes, the ligaments of the uterus, and 
the ovaries. 
Atrophy. A progressive diminution in the bulk of an organ or tissue. 
Automatic. Involuntary, mechanical. 
  
Bulbi Vestibuli. A plexus of veins on each side of the vestibule. 
  
Capillaries. The terminal and very finest branches of the blood-vessels. 
Catamenial Flow. See Menstruation. 
Cellular Tissue. A loose, transparent tissue which surrounds the muscles 
and organs of the body. 
Cerebrum. The upper and larger portion of the brain. 
Chlorosis. Anemia of young women about the time of puberty. 
Climacteric. See Menopause. 
Clitoris. A small, elongated, erectile organ situated at the upper part of 
the vulva. 
Cohabitation. See Coitus. 
Coition. See Coitus. 
Coitus. Syn., coition, copulation, cohabitation, sexual congress, sexual 
intercourse. The carnal union of the sexes. 
Colostrum. A thin albuminous fluid which appears in the breasts at the 
fourth month of pregnancy. 
Conception, or impregnation, is the union of the germ and sperm cell which 
results in a new being. 
Confinement. Childbed, the expulsion of the child from the womb. 
Congestion. The abnormal accumulation of blood in a part. 
Constipation. Costiveness; a state in which there is not a free daily 
evacuation of the bowels, or where the evacuations are hard or expelled 
with difficulty. 
Continence. Abstinence from or moderation in sexual indulgence. 
Copulation. See Coitus. 
Cord, Umbilical. The cord which connects the fetus with the mother. 
Through the blood-vessels contained in this cord the child receives 
nourishment. 
Corpuscle. A very small particle. 
  
Decidua. A membranous sac formed in the uterus during gestation, and 
thrown off after parturition. 
Defecation. The act by which the contents of the bowel are expelled from 
the body. 
Dehiscence. The splitting open of an organ. 
Dentition. The cutting of the teeth. 
Dysmenorrhea. Painful and difficult menstruation. 
Dystocia. A difficult labor. 
  
Embryo. The name applied to the very earliest stages of the child in 
utero; that is, up to about the time of quickening. 
Endometrium. The lining membrane of the uterus. 
Epithelium. A layer of minute cells which forms the covering of many 
membranes. 
Erection. The state of a part which, having been soft, becomes rigid and 
elevated by the accumulation of blood within its tissues. 
  
Fallopian Tubes. Two very small tubes extending from the upper angles of 
the uterus to the ovaries and serving to convey the ova from the ovaries 
to the uterus. 
Feces. Stools; the normal discharge from the bowels. 
Fetus. The child in utero from the time of quickening to that of birth. 
Fomentations. The application of cloths which have previously been dipped 
in hot water. 
Function. An action of an organ which could be performed only by that 
organ, and which is necessary to the well-being of the individual. 
  
Generative Organs. Syn., genital, reproductive, sexual; those organs in 
the male and female by means of which a new being is created. 
Genital. See Generative. 
Gestation. See pregnancy. 
Gonorrhea. A highly contagious venereal disease, characterized by an 
inflammatory discharge of mucus from the urethra and prepuce in the male, 
and from the urethra and the vagina in the female. 
Graafian Follicles. Minute ovarian vesicles which contain the ova. 
  
Hemorrhoids. Piles or tumors at or within the anus, and consisting of 
enlarged veins. 
Hymen. The semilunar fold situated at the outer orifice of the vagina in 
the virgin. 
Hypertrophy. The increased activity of a part which leads to an increase 
in its bulk. 
Hypochondriasis. Morbid feelings concerning the health and simulating 
disease. 
  
Impregnation. See Conception. 
Infectious. See Contagious. 
  
Katabolic Nerves are those nerves which stimulate the breaking down of 
tissue. 
  
Labia Majora. Two thick folds of skin which extend backward from the mons 
veneris. 
Labia Minora. Nymphae; two very delicate folds of skin which are inside of 
and protected by the labia majora. 
Labor. See Parturition. 
Lactation. The secretion of milk; nursing, suckling the child. 
Lactiferous Ducts. The milk ducts. 
Leucorrhea. Whites; a whitish or yellowish discharge from the vagina. 
Lochia. A discharge which follows labor and which lasts for about two 
weeks. 
Lying-in. The period which follows childbed. 
Lymphatics. The vessels in which the lymph is carried. 
  
Mammae. The mammary glands; the breasts. 
Marital Relations. See Coitus. 
Massage. A systematic kneading of the muscles. 
Meatus Urinarius. The external orifice of the urethra. 
Meconium. The first discharge from the infant's bowel after birth, and 
which had collected in the intestines during the pregnancy. 
Medulla. The base of the brain at its junction with the spinal cord. 
Menopause. Climacteric, change of life, the time of the natural cessation 
of the monthly sickness. 
Menorrhagia. An excessive menstrual flow. 
Menstruation. Menstrual period, menstrual flow, menses, monthly sickness, 
the monthly discharge of blood from the uterus, which, with certain 
exceptions, recurs monthly from about the age of thirteen to forty-six 
years. 
Metabolism. Transformation changes. 
Metamorphoses. Changes of shape or structure. 
Metrorrhagia. A flow of blood between the menstrual periods. 
Micturition. The act of passing water. 
Miscarriage. The expulsion of the fetus between the twelfth and twenty-
eighth weeks. 
Molecular. Belonging to the molecules, or the minutest portion of 
anything. 
Mons Veneris. The uppermost part of the vulva, which is a fatty cushion 
covered with hair. 
  
Nerve-center. A nerve station from which orders are transmitted and where 
orders are received. 
Nubile. Puberty, that period of life in which young people of both sexes 
are capable of procreating children. 
Nymphae. See Labia minora. 
  
Ovaries. Two small ovoid bodies, one on each side of the uterus, in which 
the ova are formed. 
Oviduct. See Fallopian tobe. 
Ovulation. The formation of the ova in the ovary, and the discharge of the 
same. 
Ovule. See Ovum. 
Ovum. Germ cell, a small, round vesicle situated in the ovaries, and 
which, when fecundated, constitutes the rudiments of the embryo. 
  
Parturition. Labor, delivery, child-birth, the expulsion of the child from 
the womb. 
Pathologic. Relating to the diseased condition of tie body. 
Pelvis. The bony cavity situated at the lower end of the spinal column and 
supported by the thighs. 
Periodicity. The recurrence of physiologic phenomena at regular intervals. 
Periphery. The circumference of an organ. 
Peristaltic Action. An alternate contraction, making small, and 
enlargement of the bowel; it is by this means that foods, etc., are forced 
along its passage. 
Peritoneum. A serous membrane which lines the abdominal cavity, and wholly 
or in part envelopes the organs contained in it; it also partly covers the 
organs contained in the pelvic cavity. 
Phenomena. Remarkable appearances. 
Physical. Pertaining to the body. 
Placenta. After-birth, a soft, spongy, vascular body adherent to the 
uterus, and which is connected with the embryo through the umbilical cord. 
Plethora. A condition marked by a superabundance of blood. 
Postpartum Hemorrhage. Hemorrhage following labor. 
Pregnant. Enceinte, gravid; the state of a woman who is with child. 
Premature Labor. The expulsion of the fetus between the end of the twenty-
eighth week and the time that labor ought to have occurred. 
Propagation. The spreading or extension of a thing. 
Pruritus Vulva. An intense itching of the privates, or vulva. 
Psychic. Pertaining or belonging to the mind. 
Puberty. Sexual maturity; nubility; that period of life in which young 
people of both sexes are capable of procreating children. 
Pubes or Pubis. The lowest and middle part of the pelvis in its anterior 
surface. 
Puerperium. The lying-in after child-birth. 
  
Quickening. The sensation experienced by the mother as the result of 
active fetal movements in the womb. 
  
Rectum. The lower extremity of the large intestine. 
Reflex. The reflection of an impulse from a nerve-center which has been 
received from elsewhere by that center. 
Reproduction. See Generative. 
Respiration. Breathing. 
Rugs. Wrinkles. 
Rut. The copulation of animals. 
  
Septicemia, Puerperal. Childbed fever. 
Sexual. That which relates to sex. See Generative. 
Smegma. A cheesy substance which may collect about the vulva. 
Spermatozoa. The essential male fertilizing elements. 
Sympathetic Nervous System. Presides over involuntary acts; as digestion, 
breathing, etc. 
Syphilis. A venereal disease which is highly contagious by coition, 
contact with the lips, etc. 
  
Tachycardia. Distress in the region of the heart, with palpitation and 
shortness of breath. 
  
Umbilicus. Navel. 
Urea. The most important of the solid constituents of the urine. 
Ureters. The ducts leading from the kidneys to the bladder. 
Urethra. The excretory duct from the bladder for the escape of the urine. 
Urination. The act of passing water. 
Uterosacral Ligaments. Ligaments which pass from the uterus to the sacrum, 
and assist in holding the uterus in position. 
Uterus. Womb; the hollow, pear-shaped pelvic organ which is destined to 
retain the child from the moment of its conception until the time of its 
expulsion at birth. 
Utricular Glands. Glands of the uterus. 
  
Vagina. The canal which connects the female internal and external organs 
of generation. 
Vascular. Pertaining to the blood-vessels. 
Vasomotor Nervous System. Comprises the brain, spinal cord, and the nerves 
given off from the cord: this system presides over voluntary acts, that 
is, those acts which are under the control of the will. 
Vestibule. A smooth cavity that exists in the female between the perineum 
and the nymphae. 
Viscera. The contents of the large cavities of the body. 
Vulva. The external genitals, private parts, the female external organs of 
generation. 
Vulvitis. Inflammation of the vulva.