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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    CONTENTS. VXOE Descent of Man-Nature credited with cunning devices to equalise the sexes-Ingenious theories to explain Nature's diversity of operation-A curious natural law of sex -Excess of male births estimated at 4 per cent.-Excess of female births during ttie cholera epidemic in Philadelphia-Similar fact observed in raris-Great excess of male births at Buenos Ayres after cholera plague-Yet nature strangely accredited with the re- ad] ustment-The natural tendency to an excess of male births shown to be a fallacy-Excess in mortality of male infants—Erroneous explanations—Numerical relation of males to females at various ages-Polygamy does not affect the pro- portion of the sexes-Darwin's assumption that the law of sex 18 umversal—The rational theory of the law of sex must rest on a broad basis—Striking difference between different races- Excess of male births among the Jews—Tendency to equaliza- tion of sexes in our colonies—Tendency of Nature towards equality of sexes at birth-Absurd processes of adjustment accredited to Nature—Variation of percentages of male and female births in town and country—True indications of plan of adjustment—Tendency of Nature to restore a disturbed equilibrium of the sexes—Various secondary causes produce local inequalities—The theory of the more love determining the sex a harmless assumption—Sex determined at the time of concep- tion—Experiments with caterpillars and moths—The true theory must apply to men and animals—Facts apparently in- harmonious will be found to support the true theory of sex . 10 CHAPTER III. FALLACIES OF CUEEENT THEOEIES. Discussion of old current theories prepares way for considering my own—More than 500 theories on sex existing:—The Ovulary theory—The Spermatic—The Syngenesian—The Epigenesian— Metamorphosis, Preformation, and Postformation—Maternal Volition or Imagination theory—The Ovulary theory as modified by Dr. Napheys—Sex at will claimed to have been discovered by M. Thury—The eggs of the queen bee and of hens—Sex at will from mares—How obtained—Successful results of a similar kind with cows—Time of impregnation supposed to decide the sex—The older parent said to determine the sex of the children