The _perfect state_ then is the point to which the system must arrive, before the act of venery is permitted, and before marriage is allowable. There is then no longer any fear of disturbing the formative process. Look at animals, those at least which are not domesticated; they do not indulge in the act of reproduction, until they have attained their full vigor, and how often too do severe battles take place for a female. The domestic animals live in a manner which hastens the development of the venereal sense; and they often indulge in procreating at an early period, but suffer for it, and the genital faculties soon become extinct. It seems also to be proved by the researches of Hofalker of Inspruch and Girou of Buzaringues, that both in man and animals the age of the individuals has an influence on the sex and quality of the offspring. But why look to animals for proofs? Daily observation and the testimony of all authors, put beyond all doubt the danger of precocious indulgence. There are certainly numerous individuals of every age who indulge in venereal excesses; but those cases which come under our notice, or whose histories are related by authors, are generally those of young people. Different causes I know may contribute to this result; one of the principal is, that masturbation is the act of venery most frequently practised before the adult age, and that this is generally more pernicious than coition. We have already stated one reason for this difference; we may add that as onanism does not require the concurrence of the sexes, it is more liable on this account to excess. But do these causes alone explain why the immediate consequences of venereal excesses are not seen with but few exceptions except at an early period of life. The enormous disproportion arises from the precocity of these excesses, and also from the state of the economy before it is perfect. We have now to determine at what period of life the body arrives at its perfect state and the distance which separates it from this state at the different ages which precede it. This period however is varied by many circumstances, and it is far from being the same in every individual, in the same country or in the same climate. We can then present only mean results, deduced from those collected in France which are the most numerous and authentic.