20 THE SEX-COMPLEX 



Summary in As a rule, growth ceases at puberty, for with menstruation 

 secondary there is a large excretion of calcium and the other sub- 

 character- stances which previously were required for the formation 

 of skeletal and other tissues, but which are now no longer 

 wanted until pregnancy and lactation occur, when a 

 fresh body is built up and nourished by the maternal 

 metabolism ; consequently girls who menstruate early 

 are often short, and vice versa. 



Character- The characteristic functions, then, of the female are 



o^Woman. 0118 those associated with the genital activities menstru- 

 ation, gestation and parturition, and lactation. 



The menopause comes at the end of reproductive 

 life, and marks the period at which the metabolism can 

 no longer support the strain of reproduction. 

 Functions Now, this cycle of functions is directly under the 



internal 6 ^ control of the hormonopoietic organs. And it appears that 

 secretions, although before puberty and after the menopause there 

 is little difference between the metabolism of the male 

 and female, yet during the reproductive period there is 

 a considerable contrast, and this is reflected in the activi- 

 ties and structure of the hormonopoietic organs 1 . 



The fact that the internal secretions influence the 

 production of the fully-developed genital organs with 

 normal functions is thus indicated generally, but we 

 must now pass on to consider the relative part played by 

 each member of the internal secretory system in the 

 preservation of the integrity of these organs and their 

 functions. 



1 As I have been discussing sex-differentiation in normal circum- 

 stances, no mention has been made of the remarkable selection different 

 diseases, especially of the hormonopoietic organs, exercise in regard to 

 sex, or of the different remote effects toxins may produce in men and 

 women. These sex-selective actions of pathological processes are most 

 noticeably operative during the reproductive period. 



