THE

PHILOSOPHY OF MARRIAGE,

IN ITS

SOCIAL, MORAL, AND PHYSICAL RELATIONS;

WITH AN ACCOUNT OF

THE DISEASES OF THE

GENITO-URINARY ORGANS

WHICH IMPAIR OR DESTROY THE REPRODUCTIVE FUNCTION
AND INDUCE A VARIETY OF COMPLAINTS

WITH THE

PHYSIOLOGY OF GENERATION

IN THE

VEGETABLE AND ANIMAL KINGDOMS;

BEING

PART OF A COURSE OF OBSTETRIC LECTURES DELIVERED AT
THE NORTH LONDON SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, CHARLOTTE
STREET, BLOOMSBURY SQUARE.

BY MICHAEL RYAN, M.D.,

MEMBER OF THE ROYAL COLLEGES OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS IN
LONDON; PHYSICIAN TO THE METROPOLITAN FREE HOSPITAL, ETC.

LONDON:

JOHN CHURCHILL, PRINCES' STREET, SOHO.

MDCCCXXXVII.

261.

WILLIAM WILCOCKSON, ROLLS BUILDINGS, FETTER LANE.

CONTENTS.

PART I.

MARRIAGE IN ITS MORAL AND SOCIAL RELATIONS-THE
SOURCE OF POPULATION, AND OF SOCIAL AND DOMESTIC
HAPPINESS.

CHAPTER I

Introductory remarks, population, marriage and bas-

tardy laws, function of reproduction, 1-Its influence on

all classes of society, its investigation by philosophers,

naturalists, ecclesiastics, physiologists, and legislators, 2-

Objections refuted, 4-Diffusion of demoralizing works,

necessity for scientific productions, 6-Spurious and erro-

neous work ascribed to Aristotle, 6-Arguments in proof

of the necessity of investigating the subject, 6-British

legislation on marriage, bastardy, and poor laws, criminal

abortion, &c., 7-The population question, the Malthusians

and anti-Malthusians, 8-Proposed immoral checks to

population, 8-Seduction and juvenile prostitution, 10—

Society for the prevention and suppression of juvenile

prostitution, its melancholy reports-seduction and prosti-

tution in Paris, 12-Causes of the infamy and tyranny of

the new poor law, 14-Man-milliners and haberdashers,

their exclusion of the weaker sex from their proper occu-

pation, 14-Toleration of the sale of demoralizing books

and prints, 15-Other causes which excite amorous im-

pulse, lead to profligacy, premature and illicit sexual

unions, 16-Early and late marriages, 16-Physiology of

generation, various questions concerning marriage in its

moral, social, and physical relations, 18-Arrangement of

the subject, 19-Physiology and pathology of the gene-

rative organs, 22.

CHAPTER II.

Institution and object of marriage, 23-A natural,

religious, civil, and legal contract for the procreation,

conservation, and perpetuation of the human species, 23-

Indispensably necessary to mankind, 24-The source of

society, 25-Both civil and domestic, 25-Of divine insti-

tution, 26-A sacred contract which obliges those enter-

ing into it to forsake their nearest relations and most

intimate friends, 26- The perfection and sincerity of

friendship can only be found in the marriage state, 28

-Requisites for a happy union, 28-Heinousness of adul-

tery in husband or wife, 28-Inhumanity of deserting

illegitimate offspring, 29-It is not enough that children

are procreated, they are also to be nourished, clothed, and

educated, 29-Parental duties, 30-Proper age for mar-

riage, constitution, predisposition to diseases, the state of

health, 30-Premature marriages, 31-Premature abuse

of the reproductive function, 31-Late marriages, 32-

Comparative fecundity of the sexes, 33-Hufeland's pre-

cepts on marriage, 35-Individuals who doubt the pro-

priety of forming matrimonial unions, 37-Their resort to

ignorant and unprincipled empirics, 37—In preference to

regular medical practitioners, 37.

CHAPTER III.

Physiology and hygiology of marriage, premature and

abusive exercise of the genital function, 38-Consummation

of marriage, 38-Hygienic precepts relative to the repro-

ductive function, 40-Motives which influence the ma-

jority of mankind in contracting marriage, 42- The

parties ought to be of the adult age, and in good health, 43

-Premature exertion of the generative function, 43-

Great disproportion in stature ought to be avoided, 44-

Generative function as imperious as any other, 45-In-

voluntary and voluntary pollution, 45–Baneful effects of

this vice, 48-The contagion of scholars, 49-How pre-

vented by parents, and those who have the care of youth,

49-Profligacy of the youth of the metropolis, 50-Pre-

mature marriages recommended by some as a remedy,

CHAPTER IV.

Premature and late marriages, 51-Their influence on

the population, morals, health, and longevity, 51-Evils of

premature marriages, and precocious sexual intercourse,

52-Difficulty of determining the proper age for marriage,

in consequence of difference of constitution, climate, and

other circumstances, 53-Causes of early marriages, and

the vicious union of the sexes, 53-Illustration of bad

effects in the British dominions and France, 53-Phy-

siological and pathological objections, 54-Beardless fa-

thers and girlish mothers, 54-Moral and physical objec-

tions, 55-Ancient laws on the subject, 56-Laws of

Lycurgus, Plato, and Aristotle, 56-Of the Athenians,

Jews, and Germans, 57-Marriages of the Armenian and

Georgian infants, 58-Infants of the Calmucs betrothed

before they are born, 58-Early marriages in Ireland, 58

-In consequence of the proverbial chastity of the women,

the rarity of seduction and illegitimacy, infanticide, the

denunciations of the catholic clergy, and the disgrace and

personal danger to women guilty of unchastity, 59-

Poverty assigned as the only cause by the Commissioners

of Irish Poor Law Inquiry, 59-Numerous supposed

illustrations, 60–72.

CHAPTER V.

Late marriages, 72-Physiological and moral objections

to, 73-Laws of ancient nations against, 73-Laws of

Sparta, 73—Of Italy, cecisbeos; of Spain, cortejoes; of

Rome, 74-Moral and physical objections to, 75.

CHAPTER VI.

Marriage in its moral relations, 76-Happy and unhappy

unions, 76-Erroneous motives which influence conjugal

contracts, 76-Requisites for a happy marriage, 77-Men

infinitely more depraved and vicious than women, 77—

Conjual obligations and duties, 78-Causes of matrimonial

misunderstandings, differences, and quarrels, 79-Argu-

ments for and against marriage, 81-Evils of, as regard