Gynecologists agree in stating that girls of sanguine temperament and powerful constitution begin to menstruate earlier than weakly and phlegmatic individuals. _Tilt_ describes a peculiar ovarian temperament, in which menstruation begins early; such women have as a rule striking nervous sensibilities, with a dark complexion and glistening, longing eyes, always surrounded by dark rings.
The opinion is general that in girls with black hair, dark eyes, thick skin, and dark complexion, menstruation begins earlier than in blondes with blue eyes and delicate white skin. _Brierre de Boismont_ states in this connection that not fair hair only, but also chestnut-tinted locks, indicate a late onset of menstruation. _L. Mayer_ found that:
17.20 per cent. 18.84 per cent. began to menstruate at the age of 14 16.89 per cent. 18.02 per cent. began to menstruate at the age of 15 15.14 per cent. 16.59 per cent. began to menstruate at the age of 16
According to the same author, the average age at which menstruation begins is:
In blondes 15.55 years. In brunettes 15.26 years.
As regards race, it is well known that in Jewesses menstruation begins at an early age. According to _Joachim_ the age of puberty varies very greatly among the different races inhabiting Hungary. The first menstruation appears:
In Slavonic girls between the ages of 16 and 17 In Magyar 15 and 16 In Jewish 14 and 15 In Styrian 13 and 14
The first appearance of menstruation is commonly preceded by various symptoms dependent on the increased flow of blood to the genital organs. Such symptoms are: Sacrache; dragging sensation in the loins; an indefinite feeling of pressure in the lower part of the belly, especially in the region of the uterus and the ovaries, which region is sometimes also tender on pressure; a slight feeling of weariness in the lower extremities; sudden flushings or pallors; alternating sensations of heat and chilliness, sometimes accompanied by actual though slight change of temperature. In many cases also there are disturbances in the intestinal evacuations and urinary secretion, in the process of cutaneous transpiration, and in the functional activity of the gastro-intestinal canal. A frequently observed symptom is an increased irritability of the entire nervous system, with an inclination to melancholy and indefinite amorous desires—symptoms which _Tilt_ denotes by the term “ovarianismus,” _Emmet_ by the term “erection,” _Lecal_ by the term “phlogose amoureuse,” and the older writers by the term “molimina menstrualia.”