Note on Russo's attempt to show differentiation of sex in the ovarian ova of the rabbit / by Walter Heape.

  • Heape, Walter, 1855-1929.
Date:
[1908]
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Licence: In copyright

Credit: Note on Russo's attempt to show differentiation of sex in the ovarian ova of the rabbit / by Walter Heape. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    [Extracted from the m Seeding* of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, : C3 , VofL iiy. Note on Russo'sPattenit 7- rentiation of sex in the ovarian ova of the Rabbit. >$By- Heape, M.A., F.R.S., Trinity College. \ ^ ^ [Read~*PcrWtober 1908.] The question as to whether or not the conditions of environ- ment exert influence on the proportion of the sexes produced by an animal is a matter of great interest. I am mvself strongly of opinion such is the case and that physical conditions and food especially, that is to say the quality or quantity of food supplied to the mother and her individual capacity for assimilating food and transmitting nutriment to the ovary under varying conditions of metabolism, are factors of importance in determining the pro- portion of the sexes ultimately produced by all animals in which only a limited number of their ovarian ova come to maturity. I have dealt with this matter somewhat fully in a forthcoming paper on the proportion of the sexes amongst whites and coloured people in Cuba”; I would only here add that histo- logical examination supports this view and that it would appear to have a very important bearing, not only on sex ratio but on many other problems concerned with the proportionate production of individuals carrying a variety of other characters. On the assumption that the female germ cell is possessed of dominant sexuality, it would be of extreme value to discover means by which ovarian ova can be histologically recognised as M. or F. ova. For this reason the publication of elaborate investigations on the subject by Russo1 is calculated to excite considerable interest, for he thereby seeks to show: (1) that by means of the introduc- tion of lecithin into the doe rabbit he can profoundly modify the proportion of the sexes produced by her; (2) that he can thereby also demonstrate histologically two kinds of ovarian ova, the one of which he declares to be M. the other f. ova. So far as the fortner is concerned, an examination of the tables published by Russo has led my friend Professor Bateson to con- clude they are not of statistical value, inasmuch as it would appear the cases recorded are selected cases and do not include all births2. 1 liusso, “ Modificazioui sperimentali dell’ elemento epitheliale dell’ ovaia dei mammiferi,” Atti 11. accad. Lincei, Roma, vol. xvi. 1907; “ Metodi adoperati per aumentare artificialmente la produzione del sesso femminile nei conigli,” etc. Rend. d. R. accad. Lincei. Roma, vol. xvi. 1907; “Sulla origine e sulla funzione dell’ apparato mitocondriale nelle cellule sessuali dei mammiferi,” Proc. aend. Gioenia, Sci. Nat. Catania, 1908.