202 



THE SEX-COMPLEX 



Relation of 

 marnmse 

 to genital 

 functions. 



but in this sense amenorrhcea and sterility may be 

 temporarily produced during lactation. 



Parke 1 has recorded a case in which a patient from 

 whom both breasts had been removed subsequently 

 became pregnant and 'carried' to full term. During 

 parturition there was an entire absence of labour ' pains '. 

 In the discussion that followed this paper it was stated 

 by other gynaecologists that they had attended patients 

 from whom both breasts had been removed, but they 

 had not observed any alteration from the normal course 

 of events. 



Mammary 

 inactivity. 



Absence of breasts and absence of secretory 

 activity. — Removal of the breasts has been practised 

 for eclampsia 2 , and the results were thought to be good. 

 No explanation of this effect has been given, but it is 

 possible that in these circumstances the calcium which 

 would have been taken up by the secretory cells is 

 retained in the maternal tissues. Amputation of both 

 breasts, however, seems an unusually drastic method of 

 securing this result. 



Absence of secretory activity after parturition has 

 been mentioned already (p. 97). In saying " absence 

 of secretory activity " I refer to the effect of some 

 unknown derangement in the maternal metabolism 

 responsible for this abnormal state of affairs. 



It is probable that the high calcium content which is 

 found in the blood during normal lactation favours 

 involution of the uterus, and that the absence of milk 

 secretion not only interferes with normal involution, 

 but is also associated with disturbances in the maternal 

 metabolism. 



Superlacta- 

 tion. 



Superlactation. — During lactation, menstruation is 

 absent normally, at any rate for many months. When 

 this obtains the mother is able to stand well the 

 strain of suckling ; but if she nurse beyond the normal 



1 Parke, W. E., Amer. Journ. ObsteL, 1914, vol. lxx, p. 606. 



2 Cavagnis, G., Ann. di Obstet. and Gynecol., 1913, vol. ii, p. 563. 



