PART X.
Sterility.
The barrenness, or sterility, of married couples is one of the most prolific sources of domestic unhappiness. "Children are a heritage from the Lord; blessed is the man that hath his quiver full of them." This is the testimony of Holy Writ; and even from the ancient days when these words were written, through all the life of the world, in palace or in hovel, the truth of it stands unimpeached. It becomes, then, of importance to look into the causes of sterility; for knowledge of them frequently assists in their removal.
Sterility is the inability of an individual to supply his or her share of the procreating element; but the word is generally applied to females who cannot conceive, whatever the cause may be.
Sterility among men, of normal conformation, is very rare, and can be caused only by an unnatural condition of the vital principle of the fecundating fluid. Constitutional diseases may so affect the generative organs in man as to render him sterile. And, although he may not be aware of his deficiency in reproductive power (for the cause may be remote, and not within the scope of his knowledge) still the fluid emanating from him may not contain the germ of fecundation; or, if it does, it may be in so un- healthy a state as to be inefficient in its operation. This condition may be brought on by syphilis, venereal excess, advanced age, or chronic maladies.
Among young married people, a very common cause of
