V. 

 THE DETERMINATION OF SEX. 



Your Excellency! 



There is probably no phenomenon which has always 

 seemed to mankind at once so interesting and so mysterious 

 as sex. A history of the opinions, speculations, and customs 

 which have arisen in the course of time in connection with the 

 question of sex would be instructive. The progress of science 

 has recently made us acquainted with the material basis of the 

 phenomenon. The most important notion we have acquired 

 is that of the difference between sex and sexuality. We 

 derive our notion of sex from our repeated experiences in 

 connection with man and with domestic animals. We know 

 from our daily Kfe that male individuals possess many pecul- 

 iarities which the females do not have, and vice versa. By the 

 application of the microscope we have discovered sexuality 

 proper, which is not characteristic for the male or female 

 body, but is peculiar exclusively of the sexual products. An 

 animal or plant is a male or female according as the individual 

 in question produces ova or spermatozoa (pollen grains). 

 We note often that secondary pecuUarities have been devel- 

 oped in connection with this fimdamental difference. The 

 secondary pecuUarities are pronounced in man and the higher 

 animals. One of the most interesting books which we owe to 

 Darwin deals briUiantly with the problem of the origin of the 

 so-called secondary sexual characteristics. They are really 

 secondary and without doubt a consequence of the sexual 



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