v, Ch. XXIX).
Nipho, in his book on love dedicated to Joan of Aragon, discussed
the reasons why "women are more lustful and amorous in summer,
and men in winter." Venette, in his _Generation de l'homme_,
harmonized somewhat conflicting statements with the observation
that spring is the season of love for both men and women; in
summer, women are more amorous than men; in autumn, men revive to
some extent, but are still oppressed by the heat, which,
sexually, has a less depressing effect on women. There is
probably a real element of truth in this view, and both extremes
of heat and cold may be regarded as unfavorable to masculine
virility. It is highly probable that the well-recognized tendency
of piles to become troublesome in spring and in autumn, is due to
increased sexual activity. Piles are favored by congestion, and
sexual excitement is the most powerful cause of sudden congestion
in the genito-anal region. Erasmus Darwin called attention to the
tendency of piles to recur about the equinoxes (_Zooenomia_,
Section XXXVI), and since his days Gant, Bonavia, and Cullimore
have correlated this periodicity with sexual activity.
Laycock, quoting the opinions of some earlier authorities as to
the prevalence of sexual feeling in spring, stated that that
popular opinion "appears to be founded on fact" (_Nervous
Diseases of Women_, p.
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