THEORY OF SEX — ITS NATURE AND ORIGIN. 



125 



SO far from being unrelated to the other as is commonly 

 supposed, are in complete parallelism. Femaleness is anabolic 

 preponderance in reproduction, hence the ovum has necessarily 

 the general character which this "diathesis" produces in non- 

 reproductive cells ; and, similarly, katabolic preponderance 

 stamps its character of active energy upon spermatozoon as 

 naturally as upon the ciliated cell or the monad. 



Diagram showing the divergence of ovum and spermatozoon 

 from a undifferentiated amoeboid type of cell. 



Rolph's characterisation of tlie male cells as hungry and starving 

 (katabolic), has been experimentally confirmed by their powerful attrac- 

 tion to highly nutritive fluids, and is every day illustrated in their persistent 

 attraction to the ova. Platner has suggested, in the intimately hermaphrodite 

 gland of the snail, that the external cells which form the ova are better 

 nourished than the central cells which divide into sperms. Just as an 

 infusorian in dearth of food is known in some cases to divide into many 

 small individuals, so the mother-sperm-cell is perhaps the seat of similar 

 katabolic necessities. The long persistence of vitality seems at first sight a 

 difficulty, if the sperms are highly katabolic cells. It must be noticed, 

 however, {a) That there is often only retention, not continuance of activity, 

 e.^i^. , when the sperms lie closely packed in the special storing reservoirs ; 

 {/>) That the secretions of the female ducts probably afford some nutriment 

 to the sperms, which expose an exceptionally large surface in proportion to 

 their mass ; and (c) That to a certain extent we may think of them as 



