[Andrej]

16-20

than that of a man, so that it occasionally becomes difficult to distinguish the edge of the haze. In like manner, but not to the same extent, the Auras of young boys may be faint. This prevents children from being good subjects for early observations. On observing the Aura of an adult woman a characteristic alteration is found. Above the shoulders round the head, down the arms and hands it is very similar to that of the males. If she faces the observer with the hands placed behind the neck, the dissimilarity is at once noticeable. The Aura is much wider by the sides of the trunk than in men, and broadens out until, at the level of the waist, it has reached its full extent. From here downwards, it gradually narrows until it reaches a point not higher than the middle of the thigh, where it finally contracts and follows the outline of the legs and feet. However, the point of final contraction may be anywhere between the place just mentioned and the ankles.

As she stands sideways, the Aura will be seen to be much wider at the back than at the front, and the broadest part is at the small of the back where it frequently bulges out. From thence it comes down from near the nates, following the contour of the legs and thighs. In front it takes the outline of the body, being a little wider at the chest and abdomen than lower down. It is not uncommon to find the haze more pronounced in front of the breasts and nipples, and this increase is evidently dependent upon the functional activity of the glands, as it is most apparent during pregnancy and lactation, but is occasionally the same just before or after menstruation. When the Aura is fully developed age does not produce any alteration, but disease may. Figs. 9 to 13 are good specimens of the Aura of a woman in health.

Amongst healthy women the Aura shows many departures from the above examples. The modifications consist in the difference of width by the side of the trunk and the distance it descends, before it has contracted to its fullest extent, and follows the contour of the body. Besides, it will be noticed that the breadth in front of the body often alters, but not nearly to the same extent. At the back, changes are more frequent and varied. These are chiefly due to differences in breadth and the position of the final contraction. With one person the outer margin of the haze is apparently quite straight from the level of the shoulders to the most prominent part of the nates, and from thence it follows the outline of the body downwards. With another person it will bulge out at the small of the back, contracting when it reaches the middle of the thigh, or it may be near the ground before it follows the figure. Occasionally the Aura proceeds downwards from over the head to the feet without coming near the body. This we consider to be the most perfect shape. Any deviations are due to undevelopment. The average width of the Aura over a woman round the waist is eight to ten inches, and on some not more than six or seven inches, but it may reach twelve or more (vide Figs. 9, 11, 1.

When a girl approaches the age of puberty her Aura begins to show an alteration, leaving the infantile form to attain, in from four to six years, the shape assumed by an adult woman. The change does not usually commence until a short time before menstruation appears, but never before the body has begun to develop. Exceptions to this are occasionally met with. For instance, a girl fourteen years old (Case 9, Figs. 7 and had a marked Transitional Aura, but did not menstruate for six months after. The youngest child who showed any increase of Aura was thirteen and a half years old. She was a remarkably well developed child for her age, but suffered from epileptic fits; six months previously she had an infantile Aura. Three others of fourteen, one of fifteen, four of sixteen, one of seventeen, and one of nineteen years of age, possessed Auras in a transitional state, while two others of eighteen years of age had fully formed Auras. One undersized, weakly girl, nearly seventeen years old, who had never menstruated, retained a perfectly infantile shape of Aura, which, however, was well marked. On the other hand, a tall, well-formed young woman, twenty-five years of age, who had an undeveloped uterus, and who had only menstruated four times in her life (the last period being three years ago), is the possessor of a very distinct Aura, much larger than the average. Another woman, forty-two years of age, who had both her ovaries removed sixteen years ago, had a fairly marked Aura quite up to the average in width by the sides of the trunk, but especially broad at the back and front.

There can be no two opinions as to the enlargement of the female Aura at the period of adolescence, but it remains to be proved whether this is entirely due to the functional maturity of the sexual organs, or whether the other changes which have taken place in the system contribute to its development. But this much can be confidently stated, as will appear later on, that menstruation has a subtle effect on the Aura, while the changes in shape in early pregnancy are not very pronounced. During a later period a great extension in front of the breast and the lower part of the abdomen may appear, but this is only temporary and local. The subject will be discussed later on.

For the sake of simplicity, and to avoid unnecessary repetition in the above description, the Aura has been treated as if it were a simple phenomenon, while in reality it is composite.

Later on its elements will be fully consid-