Some Aspects of Sexual Difference in Prenatal Growth and Death

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A first attempt to examine 3 groups of newly developed facts concerning intrauterine fetal life in relation to sexual difference in prenatal growth and death. (1) The ovarian hormone of the mother enters [male] and [female] fetuses through the placenta; probably produces adverse growth effects in some [female] reproductive organs, and is thus differentially harmful to the [male]. (2) Some published serological studies indicate that the mother''s blood reacts to the [male], but not to the [female] , fetus as to a foreign body. (3) The vitamine B, protein, and metabolic requirements of [male] in postnatal stages are higher in [male] than in [female] ; this is probably true for prenatal stages, where it may result in the death of a disproportionate number of [male] in that fraction of mothers whose nutritional status is lowest. From the high prenatal death rate of [male] the conclusion has been drawn by many that [male] are inherently weaker than [female] . This conclusion is unwarranted since it rests on the assumption, here shown to be incorrect, that the pre-natal environment is essentially equivalent for the 2 sexes.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: