Women, in consequence of the greater predisposition imparted to their bodies by menstruation, and parturition, and to their minds, by living so much alone in their families, are more predisposed to madness than men.

Benjamin Rush (1746-1813) American physician, writer, educator, humanitarian

Medical Inquiries and Observations Upon the Diseases of the Mind, 2nd ed., ch. 2 (1818)