Sex efficiency through exercises : special physical culture for women / by Th. H. van de Velde ; [photos, by E. Steinemann].

Medical men and women will fully realise this; and the supervision and execution of the movements I recommend are not technically difficult. The non-medical assistants in these cases must have much " muscular sense," as well as the faculty of assimilating and carrying out medical instruc- tions with promptitude and accuracy. Of course, this means yet more time, energy and training, and these have no doubt hitherto been the main obstacles to the obstetric use of Swedish gymnastics, for time, energy and special training involve additional expense. But the expense would bring its own reward, and not only in the department of obstetrics. There is much leeway to be made good here. The same is true of massage during pregnancy, the puerperium and convalescence generally, but this should be reserved for trained masseuses alone. Massage is a skilled profession, and the incorrect application of massage may do great harm. The women who are in the fortunate position to afford this special care will help both themselves and their fellow women by insistently requiring it. So long as there are no midwives and nurses who have received special training in obstetric physical culture, the gymnastic instructress will be their only help. And the gymnastic instructresses themselves will have their work cut out for them in this branch and also in training nurses and midwives. Then, as the demand makes itself felt and the supply of trained personnel is increased, public attention will be focussed on this new branch of the healing art, and it will be incorporated in many public health programmes and institutional resources. The adequate care of child-bearing women has an enormous influence on the general health of the whole community. Sellheim(35) is of opinion that the loss of muscular tone and physical fitness as a result of (neglected) motherhood is the most common and prevalent of female complaints and disabilities, but also the most neglected, as it is so prevalent as to be accepted as inevitable! And I entirely agree both with this diagnosis, and with his further suggestion that it is a most urgent duty and public necessity to impress