(PUBERTY.)
The term _menarche_ (μήν, a month, ἀρχή, the beginning) was introduced
by me into medical literature to denote the period of life in which, as
a sign of puberty, menstruation first makes its appearance.
The age at which this occurs is subject to variations depending upon
race, occupation, hereditary tendencies, and climate; but in Germany and
Austria the average age at puberty is 14 or 15, the extreme limits being
12 to 19.
Until about the age of 13, the physical differentiation of the sexes,
except for the anatomical peculiarities of the genital organs, is in our
climates a trifling one. But at puberty the important changes occur by
which the sexes are so strikingly differentiated. Whereas in the growing
boy all physical change takes the form of increasing strength and
energy, in the development of the girl, we note the appearances of the
rounded outlines so characteristic of womanhood. At the same time the
voice alters, becoming less sharp, with a softer quality, and yet a
fuller tone; and we may observe that young brunettes have commonly a
contralto voice, young blondes, more often a soprano. The intellectual
changes undergone by the girl at puberty are no less extensive and
characteristic than the physical changes. In brief, the
undifferentiated, neuter girl is transformed into a young woman, endowed
with all the attributes, mental and bodily, characteristic of
femininity.
As regards the age at which the menarche usually occurs, and the manner
in which its occurrence is anticipated or retarded by the various
influences already mentioned, the following propositions may be put
forward, based on the available statistics and observations:
1. Climate is an important factor. In the torrid zone, menstruation
appears at a very early age, on the average from 11 to 14; in the
temperate zone, it appears later, on the average from the age of 13 to
16; in the frigid zone, later still, on the average from the age of 15
to 18. The mean temperature of the atmosphere appears to have a direct
influence on the age at which menstruation begins, the hotter the
climate, the earlier being the menarche. The height of the place of
residence above the sea level and its distance from the coast also have
a certain influence.
2. Race and constitution have a distinct influence upon the age at which
menstruation makes its appearance. In women of the Semitic races the
menarche occurs earlier than in women of the Aryan races. The average
age at which menstruation begins is in Jewish girls, from 14 to 15; in
Magyar girls from 15 to 16; in German girls from 16 to 16½; and in
Slavonic girls from 16 to 17.
In general the menarche is earlier in girls of a sanguine, lively
temperament and a powerful constitution than in girls of a phlegmatic
temperament and a weakly constitution; further, other things being
equal, menstruation appears earlier in brunettes, girls with black hair,
thick skin, dark eyes, and a dark complexion, than it appears in
blondes, girls with light hair, thin skin, blue eyes, and a fair
complexion.
3. The age at which menstruation begins is also affected by the
conditions of life and the social circumstances. In the higher circles
of society, in the upper, well-to-do classes, menstruation appears
earlier than among women of the laboring classes, who are compelled to
strive for their daily bread. Amongst upper-class girls the menarche
occurs at the age of 14 in one-fourth of their number, whereas among
lower-class girls barely one-sixth begin to menstruate at the age of 14.
In large towns, again, menstruation appears earlier than in small towns,
whilst in the open country the menarche is still further delayed. In the
women of Paris the average age at the menarche is 14 years and 6 months,
in the women of smaller French towns it is 14 years and 9 months, in
French countrywomen it is 14 years and 10 months.
How far the mode of nutrition is concerned in the production of these
results is not yet determined.
4. The time of the menarche appears to be influenced by inheritance to
this extent, that the daughters of women who began to menstruate early
begin themselves to menstruate at an early age, whereas in other
families we observe that both mothers and daughters began to menstruate
late. But this relation is by no means a constant one.
_Ploss_ has collected observations made in various countries and towns
regarding the age at which menstruation begins, and the mean results of
these observations are given below.
The average age at which menstruation began was:
In Swedish Lapland 18 years, 0 months, 0 days.
In Christiania 16 years, 9 months, 25 days.
In Copenhagen 16 years, 9 months, 12 days.
In Munich 16 years, 5 months, 12 days.
In Göttingen 16 years, 2 months, 2 days.
In Vienna 15 years, 8 months, 15 days.
In Berlin 15 years, 7 months, 6 days.
In Stockholm 15 years, 6 months, 22 days.
In Manchester 15 years, 6 months, 0 days.
In Warsaw 15 years, 1 month, 23 days.
In London, between 15 years, 1 month, 4 days.
and 14 years, 9 months, 9 days.
In Paris, between 15 years, 7 months, 18 days.
and 14 years, 5 months, 17 days.
In Madeira 14 years, 3 months, 0 days.
In Montpellier 14 years, 2 months, 0 days.
In Corfu 14 years, 0 months, 0 days.
In Marseilles 13 years, 11 months, 11 days.
In Calcutta 12 years, 6 months, 0 days.
In Egypt 10 years, 0 months, 0 days.
The collective results of the investigations of French authors regarding
the average age at which menstruation first appears are given in the
following table: