RELATION OF ONSET OF MENSTRUATION TO ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

It is generally conceded that girls in small towns and hamlets begin to meastruate later in life than girls in larger towns and cities. De Lee, in his test book on obstetrics, states, “The highly strung city girl has her periods early in life, the country girl, later. The poor overworked factory girl later—the rich girl early.” Hirsh, in his test book on obstetrics, statcis, “The environment of a girl determines the age at which menstruation begins. If she lives in a city, subjected to indiscriminate association with those of the opposite sex and the sexual temptation, the function appears earlier than in the country.” Osborne states, “Early menstruation has at present become more frequent because this is an age of excitement and nerve tension even for girls—anything that increases thyroid activity in young girls will hasten puberty and the thyroid activity is increased by sexual excitement.”