eir brains with
full force and sustained power, at the time when their organization
periodically requires a portion of their force for the performance of
a periodical function, and a portion of their power for the building
up of a peculiar, complicated, and important mechanism,--the engine
within an engine. They are required to do two things equally well at
the same time. They are urged to meditate a lesson and drive a machine
simultaneously, and to do them both with all their force. Their
organizations are expected to make good sound brains and nerves by
working over the humanities, the sciences, and the arts, and, at the
same time, to make good sound reproductive apparatuses, not only
without any especial attention to the latter, but while all available
force is withdrawn from the latter and sent to the former. It is not
materialism to say, that, as the brain is, so will thought be. Without
discussing the French physiologist's dictum, that the brain secretes
thought as the liver does bile, we may be sure, that without brain
there will be no thought. The quality of the latter depends on the
quality of the former. The metamorphoses of brain manifest, measure,
limit, enrich, and color thought. Brain tissue, including both
quantity and quality, correlates mental power. The brain is
manufactured from the blood; its quantity and quality are determined
by the quantity and quality of its blood supply. Blood is made from
food; but it may be lost by careless hemorrhage, or poisoned by
deficient elimination. When frequently and largely lost or poisoned,
as I have too frequent occasion to know it often is, it becomes
impoverished,--anemic. Then the brain suffers, and mental power is
lost. The steps are few and direct, from frequent loss of blood,
impoverished blood, and abnormal brain and nerve metamorphosis, to
loss of mental force and nerve disease. Ignorance or carelessness
leads to anemic blood, and that to an anemic mind. As the blood, so
the brain; as the brain, so the mind.

The cases which have hitherto been presented illustrate some of the
evils which the reproductive system is apt to receive in consequence
of obvious derangement of its growth and functions. But it may, and
often does, happen that the catamenia are normally performed, and that
the reproductive system is fairly made up during the educational
period. Then force is withdrawn from the brain and nerves and
ganglia. These are dwarfed or checked or arrested in