Ladies' Guide in Health and Disease

J.H. Kellogg (1852-1943) was an American doctor and the inventor of the modern breakfast cereal. This book is a discussion of women's health at the various stages of life, and also discusses aspects of education, exercise, and diet necessary for health in women, as understood at the time. It is a fascinating artefact of beliefs about women's health in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This copy is in poor condition. The engraved leather covering the boards is worn and torn in places, most notably on the corners, and the leather on the spine has almost separated entirely, and been significantly torn at the top and bottom and has a large tear down the centre. Inside, however, the book is excellent shape, with a tight binding and bright text and plates. The fold-out anatomical diagrams are in excellent condition. However, it is missing the series of plates that should be in the back pocket, and the back pocket itself has been almost torn off entirely. Nevertheless, an interesting source for medical, social, and gender history in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.