No. 523] NOTES AND LITERATURE 



435 



repeated twice independently, by Basile 4 and by Punnett, both 

 times with negative results. 



Russo 's original evidence consisted of 100 selected litters of 

 young borne by lecithin-treated does winch included 217 male 

 and 431 female rabbits, and of 100 control litters (likewise 

 selected) from non-treated docs which included 400 male and 

 287 female rabbits. The claim is made that lecithin treatment 

 raised the percentage of female offspring from 41.8 to 56.5. 

 Russo in this ease proves too much, for his selected controls fall 

 as much below the normal percentage of females as his selected 

 lecithin-treated eases exceed it and. it is fair to assume, for the 

 same reason, because they are selected. It is astonishing that a 

 scientist should present such evidence. A prosecuting attorney 

 who should be allowed to decide what evidence should be pre- 

 sented to the court, both for and against, and that all else should 

 be excluded might convict any one of us of all the crimes enu- 

 merated in the criminal code. 



On the other hand, Basile and Punnett give all their results, 

 not selected ones; they mean to tell the whoh truth, not selected 

 truth. Basile obtained from lecithin-treated does 66 male and 

 51 female young, or 4-'?.0 per cent, females, while from controls 

 he obtained 225 male and 215 female young, or 48.8 per cent, 

 females. This result is contrary in nature to that of Russo. 

 If any effect is to be ascribed to the lecithin, it is in this case 

 male-production rather than female-production as claimed by 



methods outlined for him in detail by Russo. They are there- 

 fore particularly satisfactory. From lecithin-fed does he ob- 

 tained 24 male and female young, or 4S.9 per cent, females; 

 from controls 54 male and 49 female young, or 47.6 per cent, 

 females. These proportions agree closely with those obtained 

 by Basile, and accord with Hurst's extensive observations cited 



