Females and Their Diseases

Abstract

Here is a “ new book, ” sure enough, as the author calls it; not that the teachings are all new, but new in manner, style, and the rapidity of its production. Dr. Meigs has certainly attained one object which he set out to accomplish : we mean, to write in a familiar style. Some may think he has “ sacrificed the dignity ” in this ; but certatnly it is better to dispense with the stiff, prosey, formal rules of writing, to make a book readable, than to say many good things and have them printed for the coating of dust on the shelf. Dr. Meigs may have introduced too much familiar sick­ room conversation into his letters, and his style may be rather quaint for the best, but certainly, his great reputation, the change in the book from the usual manner of writing, and the intrinsic merits with which the work abounds, will give it a wide spread circulation, and a very general perusal. Some points that are new in the body of the work we may take occasion hereafter to refer to, but have room now only to give the following as a specimen of the sick-room conver­ sations. After an extensive interrogation, which we omit, the diologue goes on as follows :