GENERATION. 



bafe of fupport to the fomale trunk ; and, as it throws the 

 ihigh-bones f\irthcr apart at their upper ends, produces the 

 increafod widenefs of tlie hips. Hence in progrclTion the 

 centre of gravity is more fenfibly clianged at each Hep ; and 

 there is a pcrccplihle rolhng of tiie pelvis, uhicli charadcr- 

 izes the female gait. Tiie inconvenience of this arrangement 

 counterbalances the advantages which the broader bale ot 

 fupport might othcrwife have bellowed on the female organi- 

 zation ; and the latter is, in truth, an imaginary fiiperiority, 

 f)nce the feet, which are always fmall in women, offer ulti- 

 malelv a narrow fnrfacc for the body to reft on. 



The various pices of the flceleton, by their refpeftive 

 difpofition and junctions, determine the elfcntial form of the 

 body, its pofition and attitudes, and tlie extent and variety 

 of its motions. The characters of the general form, which 

 we have already confidered, are therefore to be retraced in 

 the bones ; and in this jjoint of view a parallel of the male 

 and female orgauiiation leads to very important refults. 

 It is difhcult to meet with a well-formed female Ikeleton, 

 where the llructurc can exhibit (m- reeal the leading traits of 

 the female form. After uuich trouble and obfervation, 

 Soeramerring met with a fpecinien of what he confidered 

 the bell and moll natural form in a young girl of Mentz, 

 ■whefe form hadn(.t been impaired by abfiird modes of drefl- 

 ing, and v>'ho had been fuccefsfully delivered a fhort time 

 before her death. A beautiful plate of this (l<eleton, with 

 its defcription, is exhibited in his " Tabula feeleti feminini, 

 junfta dtfcriptione," folio, 1797. The female fl<eleton, on 

 the whole, is fmaller in all its dimenfions, and more flender 

 than the male. The individual bones have fewer inequali. 

 ties, their prominences are lefs ilrongly marked, the grooves 

 or impreflions more fuperficial, all the cavities lefs deeply 

 hollowed out : hence the furface feeirs more finely turned, 

 and is dillinguilhed by its fmoothnefs. They are often ac- 

 tually fofter, and have on the whole a peculiarly feminine 

 charafter, which cannot be eafily conveyed in deicription. 

 The head, with the teeth, bears a greater ratio to the weight 

 of the fkeieton, on account of the individual bones being 

 in general more flender : the proportions arc I : 6 in the 

 female, 1:8 or I : 10 in the male. The cranium is larger 

 in proportion to the face. The thorax is fliortcr, more con- 

 vex in front, and more diftant from the pelvis, the fpace be- 

 tween the laft rib and the crilla ilii being greater. It is lefs 

 prominent in front ; fo that v.'hile this part projefts the fur- 

 tliell in the erecl or fupiue pofition of the male, the fymphy- 

 fis pubis does the fame in the fem.ale. The loins are longer, 

 and the angle between them and the facrum more acute. 

 The difpolition of the pelvis is particularly characlerirlic, 

 as being fo immcdiatelv conn.efted with the fexual functions. 

 It is larger in all its dimenfions. The facrum is turned more 

 backwards, is broader, and more concave ; the oifa coccygis, 

 more moveable and flender, projeft lefs into the cavity of 

 the pelvis. The hip-bones (ofla innominata) are broader, 

 fmoother, and expanded further in the lateral direction : 

 lience their crilla- and tuberofities are more dillant, hence the 

 fpace between the ofTa pubis is greater. The angle formed 

 between the ramus and fymphyfis pubis is larger : that be- 

 tween the two bones of the pubes is acute in man, while it 

 is of 80 or 90 degrees in woman ; and approaches morenear- 

 !v to the form of an arch. That the iexual tundtions are 

 favoured by all thefe circumftances is very evident ; out 

 the advocates of final caufes point out more particularly 

 the reafon for the wider fpace under the offa pubis : " Ad 

 virum admittendum intercapedine ma'|ore crurum inferiorum 

 ofiium pubis.'' (Albinus de fceleto, p. 475.) The tuberolities 

 of the ifchia arc more diftant, larger and fmoother. The 

 clavicles arc lefs curved^ and the fliouldcr joints are lefs dif- 



tant. The acctabula are further apart, and tlie tiiigli-bcnss 

 more obIi(|ue in their pofition: the latter are alio more 

 curved forwards, and have longer internal condyles. 



The mufcles of the female are more flender and delicate, 

 fliey are, in faft, lefs denfe, fofter and moiller. Thefe 

 organs aire lefs prominent, and their fwellings, partaking 

 of th'-- gencr.il foftnefs of the female conftitution, have not 

 that charafter of vigour which their rough prominences and 

 llronglv m.irked interftices iinprefs on the frame of a muf- 

 cular man, in whom the exterior traits of fex have not been 

 deftrovcd by eueminate manners or fedentary liabits. The 

 cellular and adipous tift^ue is more abundant in the female ; 

 and this, joined to the fmaller prominence of the mufcular 

 bellies, givi-s to the limbs that lok roundnefs and delicate 

 contour which charac\eri/e female beauty, as exprefled in 

 the moft celebrated productions of great artifts. 



The differences juft deferibed, the comparative weakncfs 

 of the mufcles, the elegance and beaiity of the external 

 forms, belong to the very nature of woman. Education and 

 I\abits may add to thele characlers ; may iucreafe the de- 

 licacy of organization ; but their influence is not fufiicient- 

 ly powerful to induce us to overlook the exillence of a ra- 

 dical innate difference in the phyfleal llructurc of the fexcs, 

 occurring in all ages and amongft every people. That fuch 

 differences of organization will produce correfponding va- 

 rieties of f\mclion may be readily allowed : but our fadts 

 are not quite fo indifputable on this point. We could un- 

 doubtedly point out many peculiarities in the fenfibility of 

 women, taking the term in its moft extenfive fenfe, in 

 their perceptions, their mental operations, and the reac- 

 tions of the nervous fyflem on the reft of the frame. We- 

 could trace many circumftances to the influence of the gene- 

 rative organs, and particularly of the uterus. But the in- 

 fluence of education, habits and cuftoms, is fo extenfive, that 

 it is difficult to cUftinguifli betv/een the refults of thefe 

 caufes, and of the funpofed original diftinclions in organiza- 

 zation. The reader may refer on this fubjeft to the Hifloire 

 naturelie de la Femme, by Moreau, tome i, p. 112, S;c. 



We cannot draw any very ftrong line of diftinclion be- 

 tween the fexes in the vital and natural funrtions. We may 

 apply, indeed, to this fubjecl, the philofophical remark of 

 Buffbn concerning animals ; viz. that they differ from each 

 other more ftrikingly in proportion as we compare them 

 together in fuperficial points, which- do not affeft the nature 

 ot their exiltence io much as -its exterior development. 

 Yet the characlers of fex are fo deeply imprcflfed, that we 

 find traces of them even in thefe funftions, v^'hen fubnu'tted 

 to a rigorous examination. The pulfe, ceteris paribus, is 

 more frequent ; the lungs are fmal'er, and the cheil narrow- 

 er. The appetite is lefs ; the body grows more rapidly,. 

 and the periods of dentition, puberty, and adidt ftature are- 

 more early. See, for more detailed ;)bfer\-ation on this. 

 head, the work above quoted. 



The voice is marked by very charnfteriftic diftinftions in 

 the two fexes. In man it is ftrong, deep, lefs foft and flexi- 

 . ble. In the female it is fliarper, and the organs are more flexi- 

 ;tle, fo that articulation can be performed more rapidly. It 

 has alfo a peculiar quality or tone, which, in many inftanccs,. 

 conftitutes an inexprelhbly attraftive charm. " Of all acute 

 voices,'' iays Kouffeau, "it mult be aflowed, in iuite of the 

 prejudices entertained by the Italians in favour of the caftra- 

 ti, tliat none are equal to tlwfe'of women, either in th.e ex- 

 tent or beauty of tlis: tone." The anatomlil, perhaps, will 

 attempt to explain thefe circumftances- by obferving, that 

 the glottis is not enlarged at the age of puberty in females,, 

 as it is in males ; that the larynx is confx'erably fmaller ; 

 that the tongue, the mufcles, and the organs of fpeech being 

 J: lefs 



