change is the appearance of the menstrual flow. The mother who has not
told her daughter of this coming change in her life before it is due
has committed a serious error; it is no uncommon occurrence for girls
who know nothing of this function to get into a tub of cold water to
stop the flow; and if they stay in long enough, it generally does
stop, and the girl's health may be ruined for life.

The opinion of Dr. Ely van de Warker is that "if healthy ovulation is
the outcome of healthy childhood, the function will obey the law of
periodicity year by year, and all this time the young woman will be
able to sustain uninterrupted physical and intellectual work as well
as the young man. Not that the laws of health may be violated with
impunity at puberty or any other time of a woman's life; but a law of
health is no more binding upon a young woman than it is upon a young
man; and there really is no such thing as one law for women and
another for men."

Age of Puberty.-- In the temperate regions the age of puberty is
reached between the ages of twelve and fourteen years. The girl is
then said to be nubile; that is, as soon as menstruation appears it is
possible for her to bear children; but she is by no means sufficiently
developed to do so, as she herself will not be completely developed
physically or mentally before the age of twenty-two or twenty-five
years.

Physical Changes at Puberty.-- The physical changes that gradually
take place, beginning at the time of puberty, are: the breasts,
pelvis, and neck enlarge; hair develops over the pubis and in the
arm-pits; the voice alters. As a rule, women continue to grow in
stature until the twenty-fifth year. It is said that brunettes develop