THE GENESIS OF WOMAN, 269 



THE GEKESIS OF WOMAN. 



By ELY VAN DE WASKEK, M. D. 



IN the construction of a piece of delicate mechanism there are two 

 crises. Through some fault in its construction it may not permit 

 movement in any part; and, each part being perfect, yet, through 

 some defect in the arrangement, it may be capable of motion, but un- 

 able to fulfill the purpose for which it was designed. The first is an 

 error of structure, the last an error of function. 



If in the construction of the machine these sources of failure were 

 avoided, it would perform its appointed office, until interrupted by an 

 accident, or the natural wear of the parts entails both errors of struct- 

 ure and function. 



At birth in the human animal sex is as distinct as at any after- 

 period of life. Birth merely marks a stage of development, and not a 

 change in design. Foetal life to the perfection of the sexual design 

 embraces simply a process of construction. This is the period in 

 which the ci-ises occur. By arrest of development, through imperfec- 

 tion in the structure of subsidiary parts, the perfection of function may 

 never be reached. This would result from an error of structure. 

 Structural perfection may be attained ; but, through some defect in 

 the mutual dependence of the parts, the perfection of sexual design 

 may never be reached. This would result from functional error. The 

 woman who has reached the stature and years which mark comple- 

 tion of structure, but in whom certain organs, vital to the attainment 

 of sexual perfection, remain in an embryonic condition, or one who 

 has reached anatomical perfection, but through defect of function 

 may never gajn that expression of sexual perfection called perfect 

 ovulation, may be, in every other respect, physically a perfect woman, 

 but has given a total defeat to the purpose for which she was de- 

 signed. Both these errors are incidents in the genesis of woman. A 

 fault of sexual function does not spring into existence the moment 

 sexual life is to be crowned by ovulation. This imperfect function is 

 a result, not a process. It antedates the commencement of ovarian 

 life. It may be occult in the years of childhood, it may be antenatal, 

 or even an error of ancestry. I believe it exists with the force of a 

 law, that the conditions which result in ovarian irregularity are oper- 

 ative before and not during the establishment of that function. This 

 office, like any other of the body, is exposed to the accidents of dis- 

 ease; but I think it may be proved that when irregularity of this 

 function is the result of concurrent causes it is purely an accident — 

 the exception which confirms the rule. 



Young women become an object of parental or medical solicitude 

 at a period when it will have but little influence on the perfection or 



