My mother has been reading The Women of the House by Jean Zimmerman (a book from our library, by the bye) and she just had to share the following passage with me:
[In the 1690s, no] woman, though, not even Catherine [van Cortlandt Philipse], would dream of shielding her nether regions by pulling on a pair of underpants, even when she menstruated. Women simply bled into their clothing--we're talking about roughly thirty years of monthly "accidents," except for the months a woman spent pregnant. [...] Perhaps the practice of ignoring the issue had its advantages: One historian surmised that far from finding menstrual blood a turnoff, men of the era perceived the aroma of a woman's monthly flow as intensely seductive. And that is fortunate, since bathing with soap and water still was actively frowned upon, with the inevitable gaminess ameliorated mainly by sachets sewn into clothes linings. (178)As a nurse and proponent of personal cleanliness, this passage made her shudder. I believe the not-bathing part, but I'm skeptical about the bleeding-out. Either way, though, it served as a reminder (see post title).
Hmm... Somebody must have explored this scholarship. Time for research :). I completely agree about not wishing one's self into an earlier era; I don't think a contemporary American could stand the standard -- nor even advanced! -- sanitary conditions of even a century ago, much less the Middle Ages. The body bugs alone would be deadly! At least, to this squeamish contemporary American they would be. Does your mother recommend the book overall? Sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteHmm... Somebody must have explored this scholarship. Time for research :). I completely agree about not wishing one's self into an earlier era; I don't think a contemporary American could stand the standard -- nor even advanced! -- sanitary conditions of even a century ago, much less the Middle Ages. The body bugs alone would be deadly! At least, to this squeamish contemporary American they would be. Does your mother recommend the book overall? Sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteMy mom enjoyed the book and found it very interesting.
ReplyDeleteIt follows Margaret Hardenbroeck [Philipse]--who arrived here c. 1659, built a shipping empire, and became the richest woman in NY--and the women who followed in her footsteps. I can't say descendants because only one of them is an actual descendant. The second woman featured, Catherine (mentioned in the post), married Margaret's husband (Frederick Philipse) after Catherine's death and the 3rd woman is the wife of Margaret's grandson.