40G TRANSACTIONS AND PROCEEDINGS OF [Sess. lvi. 



sufficient to cause a great difference either in the number or 

 the size of cells between M and F, a difference which must make 

 itself evident by the larger size of F at the time of maturity. 



"We find, however, statistically, not only the male child to 

 be bigger and heavier at birth, but also the man heavier 

 than the woman ; facts which are decidedly against the view 

 of the female being relatively more anabolic. Another fact* 

 might also be brought forward, that, namely, adults remain 

 of practically the same size for the rest of their lives, thus 

 showing that the processes of anabolism and katabolism are 

 exactly balanced. That also in sexual cells we have con- 

 structive and destructive metabolism balancing one another, 

 I shall endeavour to show afterwards. 



The only objection that could be raised against my 

 endeavour to show that females are not relatively more 

 anabolic is this : — I supposed that both M and F w^ere 

 supplied with, and assimilated an equal amount of nourish- 

 ment, and that the relative anabolism of F was due to kata- 

 bolism proceeding in it at a slower rate tlian in M. It 

 could be urged- that F, from the very fact of being anabolic, 

 would require less nourishment than M, that therefore less 

 nourishment would be taken up, and that such a difference 

 in size need not result, as I have endeavoured to show, must 

 result if an ecpial amount of food be assimilated by both M 

 and F. To this I might answer, if the smaller amount of 

 katabolism in F leads to a lessening of the anabolism, then 

 we might say that the metabolism in F was slower than in 

 M. If, however, the difference between M and F consist in 

 respectively rapid and slow metabolism, and I believe this 

 to be the case, we could hardly stretch the term anabolic to 

 cover female tendencies, nor the term katabolic to cover 

 male propensities. 



I cannot therefore accept the view that only one theory 

 of sex can be the correct one, namely that as femaleness was 

 developed due to a preponderance of either absolute or relative 

 anabolism, while similarly maleness owed its origin to kata- 

 bolism. 



Ityder,t in a paper, remarkable fcjr its style and reasoning, 



* As was jiointel out to nio by Jlr Gialiam Korr. 



+ J. A. Ryder, The Oiigiri of S(;x through Cumuhilive Iiitcgralioii, &c., 

 Pruc. Am. Phil. Soc. .\xviii., 1890, !>. 109. 



