I tried to walk or stand for long.  The indigestion and diarrhea were also very troublesome.  I was treated for both by a physician, but without success.  Next year I became engaged to my husband and was shortly after married.  The indigestion and diarrhea disappeared soon after.  The pain and dragging feeling in the abdomen bothered me much in walking or any kind of exercise.  One day I came across a medical work, The Elements of Social Science, in which I found descriptions of symptoms like those I suffered from ascribed to uterine disease.  I again applied to a doctor, telling him I thought there was displacement and possibly congestion.  He confirmed my opinion and told me to wear a pessary.  He ascribed the displacement to the relaxing climate, and said he did not think I should ever get quite right again.  After the pessary had been placed in position every trace of pain, etc., left me.  A year later I thought I would try and do without the pessary, and to my great satisfaction none of the old trials came back after its removal, in spite of much trouble, anxiety, sick nursing, and fatigue.  I attribute the disorder entirely to violent sexual excitement which was not permitted its natural gratification and relief.

“I have reason to believe that suppression acts very injuriously on a woman’s mental capacity.  When excitement is naturally relieved the mind turns of its own accord to another subject, but when suppressed it is unable to do this.  Personally, in the latter event, I find the greatest difficulty in concentrating my thoughts, and mental effort becomes painful.  Other women have complained to me of the same difficulty.  I have tried mechanical mental work, such as solving arithmetical or algebraic problems, but it does no good; in fact, it seems only to increase the excitement. (I may remark here that my feelings are always very strong not only before and after the monthly period, but also during the time itself; very unfortunately, as, of course, they cannot then be gratified.  This only applies to desire from within, as I am strongly susceptible to influences from without at any time.) There seems nothing to be done but to bow to the storm till it passes over.  Anything I do during the time it lasts, even household work, is badly done.  The brain seems to become addled for the time being, while after gratification of desire it seems to attain an additional quickness and cleverness.  Perhaps this cause contributes to the small amount of intellectual and artistic work done by women, admitting their natural inferiority to men in artistic impulse.  A woman whose passions are satisfied generally has her strength sapped by maternity, while her attention is drawn from abstract ideas to her children.”

HISTORY III.—­B. states that his first sexual thoughts and acts were curiously connected with whipping.  At 12 he and another boy used to beat each other with a cricket bat upon the bare nates, and afterward indulge in