The Technic of Nuclear Sexing

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Abstract
This paper includes an outline of the technic of the diagnosis of sex by means of examining the cells of the somatic tissues and of the blood. The technics are not difficult and can be mastered by any competent microscopist. The sex chromatin body in the somatic tissue cells is a small mass, usually adjacent to the nuclear membrane, staining deeply with hematoxylin, Feulgen reagent, and thionin. It is approximately 0.7 by 1.2[mu] in size, and is present in 80 to 90% of the cells of the normal female. In the leukocytes of the peripheral blood a drumstick-like projection may be seen in approximately 1% of the cells of the female. It is pointed out that this drumstick is probably a sex characteristic, and that the leukocytes should be examined in conjunction with other tissues. Stress is placed on the necessity for experience in the tests and the use of control material. Brief mention is made of the care that must be used in transferring the results of the test from the level of cytology to that of clinical medicine, with the particular emphasis on the danger of an injudiciously worded report reaching the patient.