PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS 127 



as is the female who abhors the idea of both sexual Types of 

 intercourse and maternity. 



Let us look a little more closely at these types and 

 endeavour to find out, if we can, why such differences 

 exist. It is important to do so in order that we may 

 understand the pathological conditions to be discussed 

 later. 



The whole character of the individual in regard to her Reproductive 

 sexual and reproductive instincts is dependent on two dependent on 

 factors— the psychological, which we have already j^ ^* * 

 discussed, and the biochemical. Both these factors are chemical 

 correlated, and are largely dependent on the original 

 distribution of the sex-characteristics. The larger the 

 proportion of femininity in a woman, and the less the 

 proportion of masculinity, the greater will be her 

 inherent sexual and maternal capacity. If a woman 

 have a comparatively large proportion of masculinity 

 in her composition, it will be reflected in every cell of 

 her body : the characterization of the organs of internal 

 secretion will be modified, and the activity of her ovaries 

 reduced. It is, of course, well known that a woman may 

 have her sexual capacity unimpaired after the removal of 

 her ovaries, but, as a rule, this state of affairs only exists 

 for a short time. In these circumstances she is, in regard 

 to her other organs of internal secretion, largely feminine. 

 So it comes about that the normal woman who finds 

 pleasure in sexual intercourse, and who desires children, 

 is truly feminine in all her characteristics : she men- 

 struates freely, her breasts are well formed and her 

 mind is feminine in its outlook and aspirations ; in 

 other words, the functions of the normal woman, whether 

 psychological or physical, are perfectly coordinated 

 and correlated. 



The woman who desires children but has no sexual 

 inclinations is a product of civilization. As a rule, the 

 desire in her for children is idealistic, and not infrequently 

 she menstruates feebly and does not have a large family. 

 Her physical and psychological functions are not 

 perfectly adjusted. 



