ive uterine
haemorrhage in young girls, and, as already said, he refers the
exhaustion to a single cause, namely, to the attempt to impose on the
nervous system two actions of equal intensity, contrary to the
fundamental law that an intense evolution of nerve-force in one part of
the organism necessitates repose in the remainder.

Independently of the three conditions where excessive menstruation is
connected with vaso-motor paralysis, a fourth may be found directly in
the excitement of the ovarian plexus of nerves. This evolution of
nerve-force which accompanies the maturation of the ovule, is the
immediate cause of the afflux of blood to the utero-ovarian vessels. The
effect upon the latter is probably due to the spinal nerve-fibres
contained in the plexus, and upon which the ganglionic excitement acts
like the galvanism in Schiff's experiment, already described. Direct
stimulation of the vaso-motor nerves, alone, as has been said, contracts
the blood-vessels. Stimulation of the spinal fibres associated with them
exercises the contrary effect. An excessive stimulation of those fibres
which enter into the ganglionic masses, would have an effect similar to
that of excessive stimulation directly addressed to the cerebro-spinal
system, and the blood-vessels would be not only dilated, but paralyzed.

Among the conditions, therefore, which may, by inducing either pain or
excessive haemorrhage, render menstruation an abnormal process, and
incompatible with active exertion, three are directly connected with the
ganglionic system of nerves, the fourth indirectly, by the possible
influence upon them of the cerebro-spinal. The first are excessive
activity of the ovarian nerves, derived from the hypogastric plexus;
paralysis of uterine vaso-motor nerves, as a secondary result of this
excessive action: exhaustion of these same vaso-motor nerves, as an
element of general nervous exhaustion. The last theoretical condition
would be, excitement of the brain or spinal cord, in a manner analogous
to what may be determined by a galvanic current, and followed,
therefore, by the same consequence--paralysis of vaso-motor nerves, and
excessive dilatation of the blood-vessels.

The two first conditions among these four are most easily induced when
the activity of the ganglionic system is habitually predominant in the
organism, or when this activity is habitually irregular. This
irregularity, marked by vaso-motor spasm, uterine cramp, and pa