Читать книгу Old Age Deferred. The causes of old age and its postponement by hygienic and therapeutic measures онлайн

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Gonorrhœa, if it occurs frequently and attacks the prostate, is a great danger both to the mental stability and sexual powers. The presence of great sexual desires, with more or less impotence, must also be taken into consideration when we are collecting evidence to find out the chances of long life in an individual.

Regarding the examination of the female sexual organs and of their functions, it cannot be the object of these lines to describe how to conduct a thorough gynæcologic examination. We must limit ourselves to those points by which we can ascertain the condition of those functions which are under the control of the ovaries, with special reference to their internal secretion. Thus, we need merely observe whether the external sexual characteristics (e.g., breasts, hips, etc.) are well developed, since these are under the direct influence of the internal secretion of the ovaries.

A chlorotic condition allows us to draw the inference that a faulty condition of the ovaries exists (ovarian origin of chlorosis—v. Noorden), and also of the thyroid, as this gland often shows change in chlorosis. The extirpation of these glands is followed by a diminution in the number of red blood-corpuscles and in the percentage of hæmoglobin. Both of these elements of the blood can be increased by the use of thyroid or ovarian extracts, as has been noted by several authorities.