The Connection Between

-- Madness --

And Natural Sexual Periodicity

257.

A.

     It has long been known that the occurrence of insanity follows an annual curve [3], and though our knowledge of this curve, being founded on the date of admissions to asylums, cannot be said to be quite precise, it fairly corresponds to the outbreaks of acute insanity. The curve presented in Chart 4 shows the admissions to the London County Council Lunatic Asylums during the years 1893 to 1897 inclusive; I have arranged it in two-month periods, to neutralize unimportant oscillations. In order to show that this curve is not due to local or accidental circumstances, we may turn to France and take a special and chronic form of mental disease: Garnier, in his Folie à Paris, presents an almost exactly similar curve of the admissions of cases of general paralysis to the Infirmerie Spéciale at Paris during the years 1886-88 (Chart 5). Both curves alike show a major climax in spring and a minor climax in autumn. (Also see chart II for the Annual Curve of the Conception-rate in Europe.)

[3] Mania comes to a crisis in spring, said the old physician, Aretaeus.
(Bk. I, Ch. V).

[ "Studies in the PSYCHOLOGY OF SEX", by Havelock Ellis, Volume I, Part One, Section I., "The Phenomena of Sexual Periodicity", pp. 149-50 -- Copyright 1936 by The Modern Library, Inc. -- Published by Random House New York. ]

B. [ Three charts: Click here to see chart II. on p. 344.
Click here to see chart IV., and V. on p. 345. ]

COMMENT: The proof provided here that the incidence of insanity follows a similar course to that of mammalian / human sexual periodicity is extremely important knowledge, as it shows beyond a doubt that all psychogenic mental illness is based on mankind's sexual drives, and that when they go askew through their repression [ i.e., of bisexual conflict -- jmm. ], Nature exacts its terrible revenge in the form of madness.

The phrase "Madder than a March hare" speaks of the almost "insane" sexual frenzy exhibited by rabbits during their mating season, and the same can be said for many other mammals, [mankind included], and especially for the "Tasmanian Devil", a large and fierce dog-like creature long-noted for its wildly irrational behavior during its "rutting" season.

Sexuality is the force that drives all life, and when it is disturbed or curbed -- for whatever reasons -- the results are invariably explosive. (-- jmm. )

(Again, Please see all the above three charts.)