an abnormal prevalence of hair on some parts of the body.  While none of these signs, taken separately, can be said to have any necessary connection with the sexual impulse, taken altogether they indicate an organism that responds to the instinct of detumescence with special aptitude or with marked energy.  In these respects observation, both scientific and popular, concords with the probabilities suggested by the three standards in this matter which have already been set forth.

No generalization, however, can here be set down in an absolute and unqualified manner.  There are definite reasons why this should be so.  There is, for instance, the highly important consideration that the sexual impulse of the individual may be conspicuous in two quite distinct ways.  It may assume prominence because the individual possesses a highly vigorous and well-nourished organism, or its prominence may be due to mental irritation in a very morbid individual.  In the latter case—­although occasionally the two sets of conditions are combined—­most of the signs we might expect in the former case may be absent.  Indeed, the sexual impulses which proceed from a morbid psychic irritability do not in most cases indicate any special aptitude for detumescence at all; in that largely lies their morbid character.

Again, just in the same way that the exaggerated impulse itself may either be healthy or morbid, so the various characters which we have found to possess some value as signs of the impulse may themselves either be healthy or morbid.  This is notably the case as regards an abnormal growth of hair on the body, more especially when it appears on regions where normally there is little or no hair.  Such hypertrichosis is frequently degenerative in character, though still often associated with the sexual system.  When, however, it is thus a degenerative character of sexual nature, having its origin in some abnormal foetal condition or later atrophy of the ovaries, it is no necessary indication of any aptitude for detumescence.

Idiots, more especially it would seem idiot girls, tend to show a highly developed hairy system.  Thus Voisin, when investigating 150 idiot and imbecile girls, found the hair long and thick and tending to occupy a large surface; one girl had hair on the areolae of the mamma. (J.  Voisin, “Conformation des organes genitaux chez les Idiots,” Annales d’Hygiene Publique, June, 1894.) It should be said that in idiot boys puberty is late, and the sexual organs as well as the sexual instinct frequently undeveloped, while in idiot girls there is no delay in puberty, and the sexual organs and instinct are frequently fully and even abnormally developed.

Hegar has described an interesting case showing an association, of foetal origin, between sexual anomaly and abnormal hairness.  In this case a girl of 16 had a uterus duplex, an infantile pelvis, very slight menstruation and undeveloped