REPRODUCTION 101 



that a woman who is active and diligent during her 

 pregnancy will give birth to a boy; but a sleepy, 

 dreamy mother will bring a girl into the world. Even 

 modern scientists have tried to influence the sex of 

 the child before birth by special dieting of the mother. 

 Sugar was supposed to favour the production of boys. 

 This is contrary to the old nursery rhyme, which tells 

 us that little girls are made of sugar and spice and all 

 that's nice; boys being made of frogs and snaik and 

 puppy-dogs' tails. But unfortunately it must be 

 admitted that all such unscientific and scientific 

 attempts and forecasts have so far failed. 



A somewhat picturesque notion still very prevalent 

 is that a woman with a child should look only at 

 beautiful things and think only noble thoughts, for 

 then her child will be born beautiful and noble. Akin 

 to this idea is the belief that mental impressions 

 of the mother are transmitted as corresponding 

 physical defects to the child; for instance, if she has 

 been frightened by a mouse, it is said the child will 

 be born with a birthmark on the body in the shape 

 of a mouse. In most cases the resemblance is a mere 

 coincidence; but the question of the influence of 

 maternal impressions on the offspring has not been 

 definitely settled either way, though scientific opinion 

 tends to discredit them. 



Among primitive people woman is considered im- 

 pure during pregnancy, and therefore she must in some 

 cases leave the house a few weeks before the expected 

 confinement, and go to one of the huts specially erected 

 for that purpose. The Yakutes do not allow a 

 pregnant woman to eat at the same table with the 

 others; she spoils the bullets of the hunter and 



