Phlebotomy Textbook 3rd Edition

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Phlebotomy Textbook 3rd Edition Strasinger Test Bank

Chapter 1: Phlebotomy and the Health-Care Delivery System

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

____ 1. Phlebotomy is defined as:

a. the collection of blood specimens.
b. a technique for performing venipuncture.
c. an incision into a vein.
d. the practice of “bloodletting”.
____ 2. Duties of a phlebotomist include all of the following except:
a. transporting specimens.
b. interacting with hospital personnel.
c. transporting patients.
d. processing specimens.
____ 3. The specimen collected by a phlebotomist is:
a. amniotic fluid.
b. cerebrospinal fluid.
c. synovial fluid.
d. blood.
____ 4. A phlebotomist who is teaching members of the nursing service how to correctly perform phlebotomy is
participating in:
a. accreditation.
b. certification.
c. cross-training.
d. both A and C.
____ 5. The goal of patient-focused care is to:
a. facilitate collection of acceptable blood specimens.
b. increase the efficiency of personnel.
c. provide additional phlebotomy training.
d. increase the number of personnel on the nursing unit.
____ 6. The health-care setting in which most phlebotomists are employed is:
a. blood donor center.
b. physician office laboratory.
c. reference laboratory.
d. hospital.
____ 7. A phlebotomist working in a laboratory that has decentralized the phlebotomy department may be required to:
a. work primarily on a patient-care unit.
b. transport patients from a hospital unit to the laboratory.
c. perform point-of-care testing.
d. both A and C.
____ 8. Increased employment of phlebotomists in home health care can be attributed to:
a. diagnostic related groups.
b. wellness screening.
c. specialty clinics.

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 d. alternative medicine.
____ 9. A laboratory that performs highly specialized laboratory testing is a:
a. reference laboratory.
b. physician’s office.
c. wellness clinic.
d. long-term care facility.
____ 10. All of the following are components of communication except:
a. body language.
b. verbal skills.
c. technical skills.
d. listening skills.
____ 11. Before placing a call on hold, a phlebotomist should:
a. record the caller’s name.
b. check to see if it is an emergency.
c. transfer the call to the phlebotomy supervisor.
d. tell the caller his or her name.
____ 12. A phlebotomist who takes an examination offered by a professional phlebotomy organization is seeking:
a. certification.
b. registration.
c. accreditation.
d. licensure.
____ 13. A phlebotomist who is authorized to place the initials PBT(ASCP) after his or her name has been:
a. licensed.
b. accredited.
c. registered.
d. certified.
____ 14. When communicating with a patient who is hearing impaired, it is important to:
a. use medical terminology.
b. look directly at the patient.
c. locate a family member.
d. perform the procedure without talking.
____ 15. The most important characteristic to ensure job security and advancement in phlebotomy is:
a. speaking slowly and clearly.
b. flexibility.
c. smiling.
d. speaking a second language.
____ 16. A phlebotomist who does not make eye contact with the patient is:
a. using negative body language.
b. being professional.
c. making sure all the phlebotomy equipment is present.
d. worried that the patient will faint.
____ 17. All of the following organizations provide a phlebotomist certification examination except:
a. American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP)
b. American Medical Technologists (AMT)
 c. American Society of Phlebotomy Technicians (ASPT)
d. The Joint Commission (JC)
____ 18. A competent professional demeanor is shown by:
a. neatness and cleanliness.
b. courtesy and cheerfulness.
c. pleasantness.
d. all of the above.
____ 19. When answering the telephone, phlebotomists should state:
a. their names.
b. the telephone number.
c. the department name.
d. both A and C.
____ 20. A patient calls the laboratory to schedule an appointment for a chest x-ray. The phlebotomist should:
a. record the patient’s name and phone number.
b. tell the patient to call radiology.
c. put the call on hold and call radiology.
d. give the caller radiology’s number and transfer the call.
____ 21. A phlebotomist who encourages a patient to express his or her concerns is:
a. exhibiting good listening skills.
b. demonstrating positive body language.
c. having difficulty finding a vein.
d. avoiding returning to the laboratory.
____ 22. The hospital department that performs computerized axial tomography is:
a. physical therapy.
b. radiology.
c. nuclear medicine.
d. cardiovascular testing.
____ 23. In the hospital setting, the clinical laboratory is part of:
a. nursing services.
b. professional services.
c. fiscal services.
d. support services.
____ 24. The department of the hospital that specializes in diagnostic x-rays is:
a. respiratory therapy.
b. radiology.
c. electrocardiography.
d. pharmacy.
____ 25. The department of the hospital that treats breathing disorders is:
a. nuclear medicine.
b. physical therapy.
c. occupational therapy.
d. respiratory therapy.
____ 26. The physical therapy department specializes in:
a. treating with water, heat, and exercise.
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used only for bridals, is thrown over her head; over this is another veil
composed of tinsel, or sheets of gilt paper. Her hair flows down, and, joined
to a mass of false hair, rests upon the sofa. The priest leads her blindfolded
to the centre of the room, places her hand in that of the bridegroom, and
pronounces a blessing. All the company then form in procession; a priest
goes first with a lighted torch, and is followed by the bridegroom; the
march is closed by the bride, who, being unable to see for herself, is led by
female relations. When they arrive at the bridegroom’s house, the bride is
smoked with incense, and sprinkled with rose-water. She is then led to her
apartments, and left with the women. The bridegroom proceeds to his
apartment, where he is shaved and dressed in his wedding suit, every article
of which is blessed by the priest, as he presents it. The couple are then led
forth to the centre of another apartment, where the priest again joins their
hands, and knocks their foreheads gently together. One of the family waves
a crucifix over them, they again touch foreheads, and continue to lean
against each other, while the priest chants some passages from the gospel.
When he has done singing, the priest produces two strings exactly alike,
made of white and rose-colored silk interwoven together. He ties one round
the brow of the bridegroom, over whom the crucifix is held, and asks, with
a solemn pause between each question, “If she is blind, thou acceptest her?”
“If she is lame, thou acceptest her?” “If she is hump-backed, thou acceptest
her?”
To each question the bridegroom answers, “I accept.” The other silken
string is then tied round the brow of the bride, over whom the crucifix is
held. The priest says, “Thou acceptest.” She answers, “I accept.”
The company then shower small pieces of money on the couple, the cross
is waved, and the priests chant. All the men quit the room for a short time,
while the matrons remove a quantity of the robes and veils, under which the
bride is well nigh stifled. At a given signal, the husband is admitted, and
allowed to see, for an instant, the countenance of his wife.
All the company then pass in. The bride is not again enveloped with the
linen veil, but her face is covered with the tinsel and gold paper. The female
guests kiss her, and put presents in her hand. After this, all the male
relations, to the remotest degree, are allowed a glance at the bride’s face,
and the favor of kissing her hand.
 Feasting and amusements then commence, and continue for three days.
All this time the bride is obliged to sit motionless on the sofa; it would be
considered the height of indecorum for her even to whisper to any one,
except the old matron who accompanied her from her father’s house, and
who is generally her nurse.
Toward the end of the third day, the priest leads the bridegroom to the
bride, removes the silken strings from their brows, and carries away the
tinsel veil. The bride is now, for the first time, permitted to speak.
According to the old laws, she was not allowed to open her lips in the
presence of her mother-in-law, or her married sister-in-law, for one year; the
practice is now less rigid, but the most profound respect, and implicit
obedience, is still exacted from the bride toward the relatives of her
husband.
The marriages even of the poorest Armenians take place with all this
ceremony and parade. Cooking utensils, robes, veils, &c., are kept stored in
the churches, for the use of those who cannot afford to buy them for the
occasion.
The dress of the Armenian ladies is remarkably heavy and loaded, and
their ornaments large and massive. They have black eyes, ruddy
complexions, and in general coarse features, with little expression. When
they go out, the face is muffled up with bandages so as to show only the
eyes, and sometimes a part of the nose. In the house, as well as abroad, and
by night as well as by day, they wear a nose band, the pressure of which
makes that feature universally broad and flat. They allow none of their hair
to be seen, except a long braid that falls down the back nearly to the ground.
The custom of muffling themselves up, so that all look nearly alike, led
Tournefort to say, facetiously, “An Armenian returning from a journey is
not sure to find the same wife; he cannot tell whether she may not be dead,
and whether some other woman may not have stepped into the place of the
deceased.”
The Armenian salutation, on entering a room, is to place the right hand
rapidly to the breast, mouth, and forehead. The ladies throw off their
slippers before they sit down. The manner of lowering themselves upon the
divan, so as to assume the oriental posture, is said to be altogether
inimitable by a European. For the sake of change in position, they
sometimes kneel.
Xenophon, in his Cyropædia, relates a beautiful anecdote of an Armenian
wife in very ancient times. The princes of the country having evaded the
payment of their customary tribute to Persia, Cyrus made war upon them,
and took the royal family prisoners. Tigranes, the king’s son, had been
recently married to a woman for whom he had very great love. The Persian
monarch asked the prince what price he would give to regain her. Tigranes
with great fervor replied, “Oh, Cyrus, I would save her from servitude at the
expense of my life!” The noble conqueror replied, “Take your own to
yourself; and do you, Armenian king, take your wife and children, without
payment, that they may know they come free to you.”
When the Armenians returned home, all were talking of the
magnanimity, mildness, and beauty of Cyrus. Tigranes said to his wife,
“And do you, Armenian dame, think Cyrus so very handsome?” “Truly,”
said she, “I did not look at him.” “At whom then did you look?” inquired
her husband. “At the man who said he would ransom me at the expense of
his own life,” she replied.

The Turks as Mohammedans may have four wives, and as many

mistresses as they can maintain; but the common class of people rarely have
more than one wife.
The Grand Sultan cannot marry one of his own subjects, and Christian
princesses would not in general be willing to form one of his numerous
harem, even if such an alliance were not regarded as an abomination by the
Moslems. His household is therefore composed of beautiful female slaves,
usually presented by the first grandees of the empire, as one of the surest
methods of obtaining royal favor. The heir apparent is consequently always
the “son of a slave;” a contemptuous epithet often applied to him in the
hour of adversity.
Orkhan, the second emperor of the Turks, is the only one on whom a
Christian princess was bestowed. Theodora, of the Greek empire, daughter
of Cantacuzene and Irene, was given to the powerful Turk by her ambitious
father, though he was well aware that he previously had many wives and
favorites. No marriage ceremonies were performed; but the troops were
assembled round a throne, on which Theodora was seated concealed by
silken curtains. At a signal from the emperor, the screens were withdrawn,
and the bride discovered in the midst of kneeling eunuchs and blazing
torches; while the joyful sound of trumpets and other instruments of music
welcomed her appearance. Her father had stipulated that she should be
allowed to preserve her religion in the midst of the harem, and he wrote
much in praise of her charity and devotion in this difficult situation.
Achmet I. is said to have had three thousand women in his harem, and
the grandees of the empire generally have some hundreds. The rigid
seclusion of Mohammedan women is said to have originated in the conduct
of Ayesha, called Best Beloved Wife of the Prophet, and Mother of the
Faithful. She went out into the desert to look for a pearl necklace she had
lost, and on her return was accused of listening to the smooth words of an
officer she met. Mohammed did not withdraw his affection, and publicly
protested her innocence; but keenly alive to the disgraceful report, he
expressly forbade any Mussulman to speak to his wives, or to remain in his
house after dinner, or to enter it in his absence.
Harem is an Arabic word signifying sanctuary. These retreats are so
carefully guarded, that little is known of their interior arrangements.
Physicians, and the wives of European ambassadors, have sometimes
gained access to seraglios, which they describe as follows: Favorites of the
highest rank are called khatouns, of which there are seven. She who first
presents the Sultan with a son becomes the sultana hasseki, and takes
precedence of the others. Next in rank to the khatouns are the odahlycs,
whose number is unlimited. Each of the khatouns has a seventh part of the
odahlycs, and a certain number of eunuchs and slaves as her own peculiar
attendants; and each has a separate court, garden, and bath, belonging to the
pavilion in which she resides. These pavilions are adorned with marble,
paintings in arabesque, gilding, mirrors, &c. The odahlycs, generally to the
amount of some hundreds, sleep on sofas in a long high gallery, divided by
a double row of chests of drawers, where they keep their clothing. The
staircases to this gallery are secured by massive trap-doors, fastened with
bars of iron. The inner courts of the harem are guarded by black eunuchs,
with muskets always in their hands, and the outer by white eunuchs.
Innumerable subordinate officers are appointed to settle disputes, and keep
order within and around the harem. When any of the Sultan’s women
accompany him into the gardens, officers are in readiness to warn the
gardeners and all other men to retire; and should any one be slow to obey,
he would be killed on the spot. When the king’s women are removed from
one seraglio to another, they are accompanied by officers with staves to
keep off the people, and to prevent the ladies from showing themselves by
drawing the curtains of their litters. When ill the women are always
attended by their own sex. Physicians are admitted into the harem only
under the strictest guard, and on extraordinary occasions; even then they are
not permitted to see their patients, except through gauze. Notwithstanding
all these precautions, intrigues are sometimes successfully carried on. If
discovered, the woman is tied up in a sack and drowned; but the Koran
ordains that he who accuses a woman without being able to prove her guilt,
shall receive the bastinado.
The mother of the reigning Sultan is called sultana valydeh; a title which
she assumes at his accession, and loses whenever he dies, or is deposed.
Her sons treat her with the most unbounded respect, and give her almost
supreme control in the harem. Her political influence is likewise by no
means inconsiderable. The grand seignior often communicates to her the
secrets of state; covered with a veil, she holds conferences with the grand
vizier and the mufti; and in the absence of her son, she issues orders in his
name. In the time of Achmet III., the sultana valydeh warmly espoused the
cause of Charles XII. of Sweden, and made great exertions to arm Turkey
against Russia, in his behalf. She even wrote letters to the king of Sweden,
and to count Poniatowski, though such a step was in open defiance of the
laws of the harem. The revenues of certain provinces belong to the sultana
mother, and in times of emergency she often lends large sums to his
Highness.
The sultana valydeh and the sultana hasseki almost always dislike each
other, because each is jealous of the other’s influence over the reigning
monarch. The hasseki finds it prudent to dissemble her hatred, for fear of
giving offence to the Sultan; and the valydeh on her part, while she refrains
from openly wounding the affections of her imperious son, generally
contrives all manner of secret and indirect means to injure his favorite. It
sometimes happens, however, that the hasseki is so perfectly passive and
submissive as to be a favorite both with mother and son.
If the heir apparent dies, the hasseki loses her rank, and the next khatoun
who has a son takes her place.
This gives rise to the strongest feelings of rivalship, envy, and hatred. No
pains are spared by the khatouns to destroy the offspring, injure the health,
or vex the feelings of those odahlycs in whom they are fearful of finding
rivals.
The sultana Guneche (a name which signifies the sun) had acquired great
influence over Mohammed IV. by her beauty, excellent understanding, and
perpetual flow of spirits. In the height of her power, the sultana mother was
malicious enough to introduce to her son a lovely Circassian slave, named
Gulbeyaz, or the white rose. The effect produced upon the mind of the
voluptuous monarch was precisely what she wished: Guneche soon
received intimation that apartments and a sultana’s train were in preparation
for the new favorite. She stole to the chamber of her rival, and after loading
her with the bitterest invectives, beat her so cruelly that the whole harem
was in an uproar. The Sultan provided Gulbeyaz with another residence six
leagues distant, and threatened to treat Guneche as a slave. She, however,
made her peace with him, by attributing her rash conduct to excess of love,
and expressing her determination in future to sacrifice her own feelings to
the gratification of her lion, as the sultanas fondly call his Highness.
But afterward her jealousy showed itself in a still worse form. The Sultan
had received from the grand vizier a most beautiful slave, named Khadyjeh.
With a view to her safety, he conveyed her to a seraglio on the canal of the
Black sea. For a time, Guneche appeared to have no suspicion of the
frequent visits he paid her. But one day when the grand seignior had gone a
hunting some distance from Constantinople, she ordered caïques to be
secretly prepared for an excursion on the canal. On her arrival at the
seraglio where Khadyjeh was confined, she affected to wish to enter the
pavilion to rest. The new favorite was engaged in the innocent amusement
of angling, in a closet that overhung the sea. Her vindictive rival came
softly behind her, and suddenly pushed her into the waves, from which she
rose no more.
 The heir to the throne remains under the tuition of his mother until he is
eight or nine years old, and custom, as well as the rules of the Koran,
require from him the most implicit and reverential obedience. The day on
which this important little personage is delivered over to male instructers is
celebrated with great pomp. A recent traveller thus describes the
ceremonies that took place when the oldest son of Sultan Mahmoud was
nearly nine years old: “The extensive plain of Ibraham Aga, on the Asiatic
shore, was covered with tents for the accommodation of troops of children,
of whom six thousand were present. The Sultan was seated on a throne in a
splendid pavilion, supported by gilded columns, hung with gold and silver
tissue. The young prince was introduced to all the chief officers of the
empire, and after respectfully embracing his father’s feet he took his seat on
a cushion near him. A chapter from the Koran was read, and a prayer
pronounced by the grand mufti. At every pause all the children throughout
the camp cried Amen, and it was echoed by the neighboring hills. Food is
distributed and criminals pardoned in honor of the occasion. The festival
lasts three days; and during all this time, men, women, and children remain
in the field. The troops, the long line of tents, the noisy children, and
women in all manner of gay costumes, riding in their painted and carved
arabahs, drawn by oxen, combine to make the scene very cheerful and
exhilarating.”
In many instances the Sultans, when they ascended the throne, have
caused all their brothers to be put to death, to prevent any disputes about
succession. Amurat III. caused his five brothers to be killed in the presence
of their own mothers, one of whom, unable to endure the sight, stabbed
herself in despair. He likewise put to death two of his father’s slaves, who
were likely to become mothers. Mohammed III., son and successor of
Amurat, caused nineteen brothers to be strangled, and ten of his father’s
odahlycs to be thrown into the sea, for the same reason.
The khatouns occasionally make each other a ceremonious visit,
probably from motives of curiosity; but their meals, baths, and amusements,
are distinct from each other. They change their dresses many times a day,
smoke, chew gum mastic, and loll on sofas, while female slaves dance
around them, and perform pantomimes, which almost always represent love
scenes. They have likewise magic lanterns and puppet shows, the subjects
of which are said to be any thing but modest. One of their favorite
occupations is making beads of rose leaves. The petals of the rose are
carefully picked, and pounded into a smooth paste in an iron vessel. The
iron, acting upon a certain acid in the rose, turns the paste quite black. It is
made into little balls, which are perforated for stringing, and hung up in the
shade to dry. When hard they are rubbed between the hands with a little
attar of rose, till they become perfectly smooth. They never lose their
fragrance. The Turkish ladies spend hours in passing these beads backward
and forward on a string, inhaling the delicate perfume. They practise
dancing, music, and embroidery, in the cool kiosks or pavilions, situated in
the midst of the gardens. Here Frank and Greek women are sometimes
admitted to exhibit goods and jewelry for sale, and Jewesses skilled in
fortune-telling, amulets, and love-potions, are always welcome.
A visit from any lady of distinction, either from a foreign nation or some
distant part of the empire, is an extraordinary occasion, and conducted with
much ceremony. If the visiter be a European, they manifest the greatest
curiosity concerning those Christian countries where they have been told
each man has but one wife. At parting, the guests are usually presented with
embroidered handkerchiefs, and sprinkled by the attendants with perfumed
waters.
The Sultan sometimes indulges his women in what is called the Feast of
Lamps, which consists in a general illumination of the gardens of the
seraglio with colored lamps and reflecting mirrors. Booths are erected for
the festival, furnished with a variety of goods, and with vases full of
beautiful flowers. The sisters, nieces, and female cousins of the grand
seignior are invited. The women of the harem, in appropriate dresses, tend
the bazar, while the Sultan and his guests walk about purchasing jewelry
and rich stuffs, which they present to each other. Dancing, music, and sports
of various kinds continue till late at night.
The women of the harem try to obtain as many jewels as they can,
because in case of their master’s death these are not taken away from them.
In the midst of slaughter, the most ruffianly soldier considers the walls of
the harem as sacred; and when executioners are sent to strangle a state
criminal and seize his effects, they do not enter his seraglio, or touch any
property that belongs to his women.
 The Sultan’s daughters and sisters enjoy more liberty than any of his
favorites. Not being heirs to the throne, they are not exposed to the perils
that await his brothers and sons. While these girls are yet in their cradles, a
husband is provided for them, generally among wealthy pachas; and as soon
as he dies, they are provided with another; who (with a view to securing his
wealth for the royal coffers) is very likely to be accused of some crime and
soon strangled. Thus a sister of Amurat IV. had four husbands in less than
one year.
If the sultana be ever so old or ugly, a man dare not refuse the honor of
her alliance, if he values his head. During the reign of Abdul Hamyd, an old
sultana fell in love with a handsome and wealthy young man, whom she
saw pass her windows during a public ceremony. The young man was
thunder-struck when the Sultan made known the honor that awaited him;
for he had an excellent wife, whom he most tenderly loved. But there was
no escape for him. Had he attempted to fly, his capture and death would
have been almost certain. He was compelled to dismiss his wife, who
survived their separation but a few days.
The individual thus chosen is summoned to the presence of the Sultan,
where he waits till the presiding khatoun comes and makes a signal that he
is to follow her into the harem. At the threshold, the eunuchs take off his
slippers, and make him wait some minutes, in token of the obedience he
owes his royal consort. When he enters, he makes three obeisances, kneels,
bows his face to the ground, and repeats a short prayer. The khatoun then
conducts him to his bride, who sits on a sofa, entirely covered with a veil of
red taffeta. She treats him with the utmost haughtiness, which he tries to
soften by magnificent presents. The slaves bring a tray containing sugar-
candy and a pair of pigeons. The bridegroom offers some of the pigeon to
the sultana, and she offers him candy. He expresses his felicity in terms the
most reverential. The sound of various instruments then gives him notice to
retire from the apartments of the women, and feasting and amusement is
kept up till late in the night. If the bride be past the years of infancy, she is
conducted to her husband’s residence with great pomp.
Some writers have affirmed that a part of these marriage ceremonies
consists in the Sultan’s saying to his sister, or daughter, “I give this man to
be thy slave. If he offends, cut off his head;” and that the bride actually
wears a sabre in token of her authority. Whether this be true or not, there
cannot easily be any other bond than fear, in an alliance where one word of
complaint from the wife would bring an executioner to strangle the
husband.
The female relations of the Sultan are never allowed to quit
Constantinople, lest their sons should escape the power of the despot, and
occasion disturbances in the succession to the throne. When the Sultan dies,
his women are shut up in what is called the old seraglio. If his successor be
his son or brother, it is sacrilegious for him ever to look upon them; if
otherwise, the love of novelty sometimes leads him among them to select
new favorites.
But the seraglios of the Sultan and his grandees do not furnish a true
picture of the character and condition of the Turkish women; any more than
the royal marriages and etiquette of European courts are indicative of the
manners of the people. Women of the middling classes in Turkey appear to
enjoy a very considerable degree of freedom and consideration. It is even
said that hen-pecked husbands are as numerous there as elsewhere. Their
houses are indeed divided into separate apartments, one portion devoted to
the men and the other to the women. Sometimes these apartments
communicate only by one door, of which the husband holds the key; and the
food of the women is conveyed to them by means of a revolving cupboard,
similar to those by which the poor are supplied with food at the gate of
convents. But, generally speaking, the Turkish women go in and out at their
pleasure. The streets and bazars of Constantinople are full of them. They
seldom address a stranger, or reply if spoken to; but if any thing peculiarly
attracts their curiosity, they ask questions with much simplicity. Their
favorite recreation is an excursion on the Bosphorus, the arrangements for
which are made with very little ceremony. A lady sends her servants to
invite her female friends, orders the provisions to be carried with them,
gives directions for her husband’s dinner, steps into her caique,[1] calls for
her friend, proceeds up the Golden Horn, selects some pleasant scene where
the children can frolic under the shade of lofty trees, and there they remain
working, talking, singing, and playing on the thambourah,[2] till the
declining sun gives them warning to return. Sometimes the husbands join in
these excursions, and sit in a group apart from the ladies, smoking, and
sipping sherbet and coffee, while female slaves amuse them with dancing
and singing. Trustworthy attendants always accompany the ladies on these
occasions, to protect them from intrusion. It would be considered extremely
indecorous for a stranger to approach the group.
These excursions on the canals are said to be sometimes the scenes of
love-intrigues, carried on by means of signals from those in the neighboring
houses to those in the boats. The police officers are on the watch for such
misdemeanors; how often their vigilance is eluded, is best known to those
who reside near the Bosphorus. The natural love of overcoming obstacles is
a strong incentive to intrigue, and the custom of wearing veils favors
concealment. In case of detection, the prompt punishment of despotic
countries follows without much ceremony. All the public know, is that some
woman is seen hanging lifeless from her own window, with her lover, or
supposed lover, by her side; or that her body, inclosed in a sack, is found
floating on the Bosphorus.
In former times the Turks considered it so improper to display a female
face, that they used to fire at English merchant-ships the figure-head of
which represented a woman; but the custom of veiling the face, by a muslin
tied over the mouth and chin, is gradually going out of fashion, especially
with the young.
The Turkish ladies spend some of their most agreeable hours in the
public baths appropriated to their use. These baths are lighted by bell
glasses at the top, and consist of apartments of different degrees of
temperature. The last room is so hot that high wooden clogs must be worn
to protect the feet from the pavement, and a sudden perspiration trickles
from the pores at the moment of entrance. Yet the women go very
frequently, and sometimes remain in this atmosphere five or six hours,
while their attendants rub them with a kind of brush, and pull the joints till
they crack. This operation, at first a little painful, is said to be followed by a
sensation peculiarly agreeable. Having made plentiful use of perfumed soap
and pomatum, braided their tresses, and pared their nails, the bathers pass
into the next room, the temperature of which is lower. Here clean beds are
prepared for delicious repose after the relaxation of the bath. Coffee and
cordials are likewise furnished in this room, and sometimes a whole party
of women dine there, and stay till evening, listening to stories, and
discussing the important affairs of love and dress.
 Turkish women generally have a sallow complexion with dark eyes. A
face like a full moon, and a person decidedly fleshy, are among their
requisites for beauty. The grandees are said to place a peculiar value upon
fair-haired girls, probably on account of their rarity.
The wedding ceremonies are simple. All the relations send presents of
furniture, clothes, or jewels, which are the property of the wife in case of
her husband’s death. Sometimes, when the marriage contracts are signed, a
solemn promise is exacted from the man that he will never marry again
during the lifetime of his wife. The bridal ceremony is performed by an
iman or priest, who joins the hands of the parties, and recites certain prayers
from the Koran. It sometimes takes place at the bridegroom’s house, but
more generally at a mosque. The day before the wedding the bride goes to
the bath, where her female relations and friends take off her dress, sing a
bridal song, and offer their various gifts. The parties are escorted to the
mosque in state, accompanied by friends and relations in arabahs,[3] drawn
by oxen decorated with ribbons and garlands. The arabah in which the bride
is conveyed is closed, but the others are open. The bridal veil is bright red
bordered with yellow. The eyebrows of the bride are united in one broad
black streak, by means of antimony and gall nuts; and her fingers are
stained with hennah. When the new part of the nail forms a contrast with
the stained part, it is considered peculiarly beautiful. Sometimes a childish
love of ornament is carried so far, that gilt paper cut in the form of
crescents, and various fantastic shapes, are stuck upon the face. Before the
arabah which contains the bride are borne several trees surrounded with
hoops, from which hang festoons of gold thread or tinsel, which wave in the
breeze, and glitter when the sun glances on them. The procession consists
of dancers, musicians, mountebanks, horses loaded with the furniture and
apparel of the bride, and the relatives and friends on horseback, or in
carriages.
When the bridegroom leaves the mosque, his friends strike him smartly
on the shoulders for good luck. Girls are usually betrothed at the age of
three or four years, and receive the nuptial benediction at twelve or
fourteen. The custom of not allowing the bridegroom to see the bride until
after the ceremony is contrary to the precepts of the Koran; for Mohammed
says to one of his disciples, who was about to take a wife, “First see her,
that you may judge how you should like to live with her.”
 The wedding festivities last four days; the men feasting and frolicking in
one set of apartments, the women in another. They usually begin on
Monday, to avoid interfering with the Mohammedan Sabbath, which comes
on Friday. A single life is very disreputable, and widows almost invariably
marry again, unless they are very old. A Turkish woman is respected by her
family and the world in proportion to the number of her children. In general
they have very numerous claims to this kind of distinction. The Koran
declares that a woman who dies unmarried is in a state of reprobation.
The common idea that Mohammedans believe women have no souls, is
not founded upon any thing contained in the Koran. Mohammed expressly
says: “Whoso worketh good, male or female, shall enter paradise;” and the
pilgrimage to Mecca, for the salvation of their souls, is enjoined upon
women as well as men, with the proviso that they must be accompanied by
their husbands, or near male relations.
The Mohammedan law forbids pigs, dogs, women, and other impure
animals to enter a mosque; and the hour of prayers must not be proclaimed
by a female, a madman, a drunkard, or a decrepit person. The first
prohibition was no doubt intended to prevent the frequent meetings between
the sexes which would be likely to take place during religious services. The
last regulation implies no peculiar contempt for women; the same classes
would be excluded from the priesthood in Christian countries.
The Turkish proverb, that “A woman causes the ruin or prosperity of a
house,” implies that female influence is in some degree acknowledged and
appreciated.
Jests at the expense of women prevail in Turkey, as they do all over the
world. Nass-red-dyn, the Turkish Æsop, wishing to propitiate the
conquering Tamerlane, proposed to carry him some fruit. “Hold,” said he,
“two heads are better than one; I will ask my wife whether I had better carry
quinces or figs.” His wife replied, “Quinces will please him best, because
they are larger and finer.” “However useful the advice of others may be,”
rejoined Nass-red-dyn, “it is never well to follow that of a woman; I am
determined to take figs.”
When he arrived in the camp, Tamerlane amused himself with throwing
the figs at his bald head. At every blow Nass-red-dyn exclaimed, “God be
praised!” Tamerlane inquired what he meant. “I am thanking God that I did
not follow my wife’s advice,” replied Nass-red-dyn; “for if I had brought
quinces instead of figs, I should certainly have a broken head.”
Women do not attend funerals in Turkey, the ceremonies of which are
very simple. At the death of a husband they put on a particular kind of
head-dress, and wear no ornaments for twelve months. At the grave the
iman repeats a prayer, and calls the deceased three times by his name, and
by that of his mother, never by his father’s. If the mother’s name be
unknown, they call him “son of Mary,” the blessed virgin; if the deceased
be a woman under similar circumstances, they call her “daughter of Eve.” A
column with a sculptured turban on the top designates the grave of a man; a
kind of vase, or marble bowl, is placed on the top of columns erected for
women. After a rain, the birds come to these vases to drink. In Syria,
Armenia, and Turkey, the color of mourning is celestial blue.
In 1755, Othman III. made very severe ordinances with regard to women.
He forbade their going abroad on Friday; would not allow them to do their
own shopping; (that task being transferred to their husbands and male
relations;) ordered them to wear coarse dull-colored cloth instead of fine
Cashmeres; and made an express edict against their high head-dresses. The
women, to avoid this last ordinance, contrived a species of machinery by
which they could suddenly diminish their caps, and raise them again, when
the police officers were out of sight.
These regulations were but temporary. The wives and daughters of the
wealthy Turks dress with extreme magnificence. Rich colored damask
brocades embroidered with silver and gold, and looped up with buttons of
diamond or pearl, are much worn. Though the national costume remains the
same, fashion plays a thousand freaks with the details of dress.
The Turks do not consider it polite to make inquiries concerning each
other’s wives. Among the class of vicious women in cities the number of
Mohammedans is said to be very small, because the laws restraining them
are peculiarly severe. If it be discovered that a Mohammedan woman has a
Christian lover, he is compelled to marry her, and renounce his religion.
Perhaps there is no country where slavery exists in so mild a form as in
Turkey. The children of slaves are brought up in the same way as the
legitimate children, and enjoy the same privileges and rights. Female slaves
are free by law at the end of six years, and allowed to form the most
advantageous marriages they can.
Instances are numerous of slaves rising to the highest dignities of the
empire. The black eunuchs of the seraglio often acquire immense wealth
and influence.
It is a singular fact, that the Mohammedan nations treat slaves better than
the Christian; and that, among Christians, the Catholic nations treat them
better than the Protestant.
Both European and Asiatic Turkey have been described under the head of
Asia, because their manners and customs are so decidedly and entirely
oriental.
Of the Asiatic Greeks nothing is here said, because their character and
condition is essentially the same as that of the Greeks in Europe.
Numerous Frank and Armenian merchants reside in Smyrna, the manners
and costumes of which are a curious combination of various nations. It
seems very odd to travellers to meet ladies with English or French names,
wearing the Turkish or Greek costume, and speaking the Greek language.
The Carnival is celebrated at Smyrna with extraordinary splendor. On this
occasion the ladies appear in their richest attire, and there is a continual
succession of waltzing parties, concerts, and theatricals.
The wealthy Frank merchants residing in Turkey are extremely cautious
in arranging the marriage contracts of their daughters. The bridegroom
engages to secure his wife a certain portion of his fortune, in case she
survives him, and receives, on his part, a written promise from her father of
the money, jewels, clothes, &c. constituting the dowry, and of the portion he
intends to leave her at his death.

The Persians seem to have been remarkable among the ancient nations
for a savage jealousy of women, which led them to keep the objects of their
love perpetually imprisoned and guarded. Their severity is spoken of as
extraordinary, by Plutarch, and other authors, who wrote at a period when
even the most enlightened nations allowed very little freedom to their
women. Yet the Persians are said to have been the first who carried their
wives and children into the field of battle: “We do it,” said they, “that the
sight of all that is most dear to us, may animate us to fight more valiantly in
their defence.”
The Medes and Persians are likewise supposed to have been the first who
introduced dancing and singing women to entertain their guests at a
banquet; but the fact that Cyrus gave two captive female musicians to his
uncle Cyaxares, proves that music was cultivated at a very early period, by
nations which yielded to the dominion of Persia.
The character of Cyrus is the brightest page in Persian history. At a time
when female captives taken in war were treated with the utmost indignity,
and sometimes with savage barbarity, he was distinguished for a degree of
respectful gallantry, which would have done credit to the most refined
prince of modern times.
When told that the exquisitely beautiful wife of Abradatas had been
assigned to him among other spoils of the Assyrian camp, and that the
woman wept incessantly for her husband, to whom she was fondly attached,
Cyrus at once resolved not to see her, lest her unrivalled loveliness should
make it difficult for him to do his duty. In fact, he protected her against
himself, and against one of his favorite officers, who, being appointed to
attend upon the beautiful Panthea, had become a captive to her charms.
Nothing could exceed the gratitude of the princess, when she found herself
and her attendant maidens living in the midst of the Persian camp with as
much safety and seclusion, as if she had been in the palace of her husband.
Abradatas having received information of the magnanimous conduct of
Cyrus, immediately hastened to engage himself, his troops and treasures, in
the service of the virtuous monarch. When he was about to go forth to battle
with Cyrus, Panthea brought him a golden helmet and arm-pieces, with
broad bracelets for his wrists, which without his knowledge she had caused
to be made from her own jewels. When he asked, with affectionate surprise,
if she had sacrificed her ornaments for him, she replied that her husband
was her greatest ornament. She then reminded him of their obligations to
Cyrus, and told him that much as she loved him, she had rather be buried
with him than live to know he had been deficient in courage. Abradatas laid
his hand gently on her head, and looking upward, exclaimed, “O, great
Jove, make me worthy of such a wife as Panthea, and such a friend as
Cyrus!” As the princess put on his armor, she turned aside to conceal her
tears; and when the door of his chariot was closed, she kissed the steps by
which he had entered, and followed after him. When he perceived this, he
again bade her farewell, and entreated her to return. Her attendants placed
her on a litter, and threw a tent-covering over her, to conceal her from the
admiring troops. When the dead body of Abradatas was brought from the
battle, Panthea reproached herself that she had urged him to such desperate
courage. With the stern enthusiasm of ancient times, she stabbed herself to
the heart, and died on her husband’s breast; having first given directions
that their corpses should be wrapped in the same mantle. The Persian
monarch, with sincere lamentations, ordered magnificent funeral rites, and a
monument to be erected to their memory.
There is reason to suppose that Cyrus was blessed in his own domestic
relations; for we are told that he mourned for his wife Cassandana with the
sincerest grief, and commanded public demonstrations of sorrow
throughout the empire.
The virtuous decorum of Cyrus was an exception to the general character
of Persian princes. Men of rank, who could indulge their whims without
control, sometimes married their own sisters and daughters. Artaxerxes
Memnon, being in love with his beautiful daughter Atossa, had some fears
that the affair would not redound to his credit; but his mother quieted these
scruples by saying, “Are you not set over the Persians by the gods, as the
only rule of right and wrong?”
Another of the Persian kings called the magi together to give their
opinion on a similar occasion. The accommodating priests answered, “We
can find no law that authorizes a man to marry his own daughter; but our
laws authorize a king to do whatever he pleases.”
Some idea of the excessive voluptuousness of the Persian court in ancient
times may be derived from the account given of Ahasuerus.
By an old custom the queen had a right to ask any favor she thought
proper on the king’s birthday, and he was bound to grant it. Amestris, the
wife of Xemes, on one of these occasions, being filled with vindictive
jealousy, demanded that her sister-in-law should be mangled in a most
shocking manner and thrown to the dogs. The innocent victim, who had in
fact discouraged and resisted the king’s passion, was destroyed in the most
cruel manner.
The splendor which now characterizes Persian princes prevailed in
ancient times. The revenues of provinces were devoted to particular articles
of the queen’s wardrobe. This was implied by their names; one being called
the Queen’s Sandals, another the Queen’s Girdle, &c. The use of false hair
was not uncommon in Media and Persia.
The account given of Alexander’s marriage with the daughter of Darius
seems to imply that the ancient marriage ceremonies were very simple. A
great feast was prepared, the bride was seated beside her lover, he took her
hand and kissed her in presence of the assembled guests, and she became
his wife.
The ancient Persians considered matrimony so essential, that they
believed those who died single would infallibly be unhappy in another
world; for this reason, when a relation of either sex died unmarried, they
hired some person to be formally married to the deceased as soon as
possible.
It was considered a great misfortune to be childless. “Children,” said the
prophet Zerdhust, “are a bridge that reaches to paradise; and how shall ye
pass if he have provided no bridge? The angel shall ask every soul, if he
have provided children; if he answer, no, the soul that has contributed so
little to society shall himself be left desolate on the banks of a river, where
he shall see the fresh springs and blooming fruits of paradise, but shall
never be able to reach them.”
A boy was kept in the female apartments, and not permitted to see his
father, till his fifth year, in order that his parent might not experience so
much uneasiness in case he died before that period.
The slightest rudeness to a Persian woman was punished with instant
death by her husband or guardian. He who spoke to one of the numerous
inmates of the king’s harem, or touched their persons even in the most
accidental manner, or passed their chariots on the road, was killed
immediately. The modern laws are but little less severe.
A Persian woman, under the dominion of the kindest master, is treated in
much the same manner as a favorite animal. To vary her personal graces for
his pleasure is the sole end and aim of existence. As moral or intellectual
beings, it would be better for them to be among the dead than the living.
They are allowed to learn a little reading, writing, and embroidery; but their
reading is confined to the Koran, and even that they generally read very
imperfectly. Dancing and music are little practised, except by a public class
of women, usually hired at festivals and entertainments, and of a character
notoriously profligate. These girls are more remarkable for agility than
grace in their motions.
The Persian women are kept continually shut up in the harem, which they
rarely leave from the cradle to the grave. They are visited only by female
relations, or female teachers, hired to furnish them their scanty apparatus of
knowledge. The mother instructs her daughter in all the voluptuous
coquetry by which she herself acquired precarious ascendency over her
absolute master; but all that is truly estimable in female character is
neglected, as it ever must be where nothing like free and kind
companionship exists between the sexes. A resident in Persia declares that
the women are ignorant, and inconceivably gross in their ideas and
conversation. Under such a system it could not be otherwise.
The contempt in which women are held is singularly exemplified by a
Persian law, which requires the testimony of four of them in cases where
the declaration of two men would be deemed sufficient. While talking with
a person of rank, it would be considered grossly impolite to make the most
remote allusion to the female part of his family; even if his beloved wife
were on her death-bed, it would be deemed an almost unpardonable insult
to make any inquiries concerning her.
A large black eye, full of amorous softness, is considered the chief
requisite in Persian beauty. To increase this voluptuous languor of
expression, they make lines around the eyes with powder of antimony. They
take great pains to make their eyebrows meet; and if this charm be denied,
they paint them, so as to produce the effect. They not only dye their hair
and eyebrows, but also stain the face and neck with a variety of figures of
birds, beasts, and flowers, the sun, moon, and stars. A large proportion of
the noble families are descended from Georgian and Circassian mothers,
and consequently have fair complexions.
 When a Persian father has selected a family with which he wishes to have
his son connected, he sends an elderly female to ascertain the girl’s personal
endowments, and the probable consent of her parents or guardians. If the
report prove favorable, the bridegroom sends messengers to explain his
merits, and make a formal offer of marriage. The heads of the family meet
to make all arrangements concerning presents, ornaments, dowry, &c.; and
the papers are sealed and witnessed before magistrates.
On the morning of the wedding, the bridegroom sends a train of mules
laden with presents to the bride, preceded by music, and followed by
numerous servants, bearing costly viands on silver trays, to be spread before
the inmates of her father’s house. The day is spent in mirth and feasting.
Toward evening, the bride veiled, in scarlet or crimson silk, is mounted on a
superbly caparisoned mule, preceded by music, and followed by a long train
of relatives and friends to the house of her destined husband, who rides
forth with a similar procession to meet her. The female attendants conduct
her to the apartments prepared for her, and she is from that moment a lawful
wife. The bridegroom prepares a sumptuous feast for his friends and
relatives, who generally keep up the festivities for three days.
The jointure settled upon a wife varies according to the wealth of the
husband. If he is in middling circumstances, he merely bestows two dresses,
a ring, and a mirror; but he is likewise expected to supply all the requisite
furniture.
It is deemed an irretrievable disgrace for a bride to be sent back after she
has left her father’s house. Sometimes the bridegroom promises a jointure
beyond his means; and in these cases, curious scenes sometimes take place.
He shuts the door against the cavalcade, and declares the girl shall not enter
his dwelling, unless the jointure be reduced. Under these circumstances he
is generally able to make his own terms.
The harems of grandees are the most magnificent portion of their palaces.
In the king’s seraglio the same offices and places exist as at court; but the
chief equerry, the captain of the gate, the captain of the guards, &c., are all
of them women. Women likewise read public prayers, and perform the rites
of the Mohammedan religion within the inclosures of the harem. Women
practise medicine, and bury the dead. A Persian harem is in fact a miniature
city, with its mosques, cemeteries, bazaars, &c. The inhabitants are divided