It is not the heat of weather which produces this phenomenon, for if this were the case, it would appear in July and August rather than in April and May: but it is _the return of early warmth_. Perhaps this phenomenon also arises from influences now unknown, which would contribute in early spring to the vernal resurrection of organized beings. The slight variations in the period of heat in men, in different climates, confirms what has been said as to the action of spring. Villermé having compared the different parts of France, of Europe and even of the two hemispheres, found that the maximum of conceptions is, like this season, more precocious in warm than in cold climates. There is then a period of the year when man is more disposed to indulge in these excesses and when his desires should be more carefully controlled. We have already seen that Wichmann regards the spring as a cause why diurnal pollutions are more active and frequent; the same may be said of nymphomania. In a female whose history has already been given and who was affected with this disease, the period of the greatest degree of salacity extended from the beginning to the end of this season.
There is another observation which at first seems only of a moderate degree of importance but which may present practical deductions of great interest. Villermé has found that the maximum and minimum of conceptions are much less marked in the cities than in the country, and still less so in the large cities. This fact confirms our remarks on the influence of seasons, for it shows that this influence is less, the more individuals are exposed to it. It shows too how far the salacity of men may be influenced by his mode of living. This remark has long been made in regard to animals: the period of rutting ceases to be marked periodically when they pass from a savage to a domestic state. We have now to learn in what manner a retired life acts on the venereal sense. Another observation of M. Villermé seems to us to throw light on this topic.
The law of _maximum_ and _minimum_, which has just been treated of, presents a remarkable exception which is seen in cold countries as Sweden, Finland, St. Petersburgh, &c. In these countries, exceptions occur most frequently in the months of December and January, in short in winter. Different causes have been supposed to account for this exception: there is but one however, which will explain it well--that is the manner in which the inhabitants of these countries are clothed during the cold season. By means of dress and warmth they then create an artificial climate by which they are enabled to resist the rigor of that in which they dwell. The whole body is enveloped in numerous thick and warm garments, which fit accurately, envelope it exactly and preserve for the body its natural temperature: placing these individuals in a position analogous to that of vegetables which are hastened in their growth by manure. Farther they preserve in their dwellings a degree of temperature which would be insupportable in a temperate climate. In fact if the inhabitants of the polar regions should keep civil registers of births, their examination would doubtless demonstrate that in these rude climates, the fine season is not that of amours. It is well known that puberty in these countries is more precocious, as is the case under the tropics. Thus the Samoid women menstruate at the age of 11 years and are often mothers at 12. (Klingstadt, _Memoire sur les Samoides_, pp. 41. & 43.) This is not to be wondered at when we consider that they live in subterranean caves, where there is a stifling heat produced by throwing water on redhot stones. Dwellings then in cold countries may be considered as hot houses which act on man as they do on vegetables.