The law of sex : being an exposition of the natural law by which the sex of offspring is controlled in man and the lower animals : and giving the solution of various social problems / by George B. Starkweather.

Date:
1883
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The law of sex : being an exposition of the natural law by which the sex of offspring is controlled in man and the lower animals : and giving the solution of various social problems / by George B. Starkweather. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    —M Thury's statements contradicted. Tendency in nature to restore the equilibrium in the next generation-A current theory condensed by Darwin—Certain theories opposed to the laws of Nature—Void of any rational foundation—Contrary to weU- known facts—Their fallacy proved-The Comparative Yigour theory—Tested by M. Girou on 300 sheep—Curious result—The Nutritive theory—Hofacker-s and Sadler's statistics as to effects of relative ages of parents—Reasons why none of these theories can be accepted as the law of sex—M. Girou himself not satis- fied—Preponderance of passion supposed to be a determining cause—Destitute of any law of self-adjustment-The Right and Left Side theory—Tested with animals and found worthless— The principal theories above-mentioned found to be un- satisfactory , . . . CHAPTEE IV. THE NATURE OF SEX AND SEXUAL EQUALITY. Male and female the exception rather than the rule in nature— Both plants and animals afford evidence of this—As also do fishes—Each sex the equivalent of the other—Special organs met with in the higher forms of life—Division of function is the origin of sex—The propagation of trees and insects—Hetero- genesis and parthenogenesis amongst moths, polyps, and bees —Alternate generation—Traditions of a bisexual progenitor in heathen mythology—The human embryo—The relative im- portance of the sexes—Man generally considered physically superior—Woman only an undeveloped man—The development of women arrested by procreative functions- -Female plants less highly developed than male — Development antagonistic to reproduction—Man's susceptibility to disturbing causes—Con- tradictory opinions on the original sex of the embryo—Arguments in favour of female superiority—Females live longer than males, and are less liable to disease—The female amongst animals generally superior—Law of equilibrium as regards sex—The sexes throughout creation true equivalents—Plato of this opinion —Can the sexes be equalized numerically by natural selection 1 —Darwin's hesitation on the point—Fertility may be hereditary, but not the production of a certain sex—No equilibrium possible in such a case—Genealogical records contradict the theory. . 51