325 
CAN THE MALE EXERT ANY INFLUENCE ON THE 
DURATION OF THE FCETUS IN UTERO ? 
By J. C. Hall, M.D . , Retford. 
M y attention was drawn to this subject a few weeks ago, 
during a professional visit to the Earl Spencer. His lordship 
has paid considerable attention to the subject of gestation, and 
has already written one or two papers replete with facts, I ven- 
ture to assert, no other man in England could furnish. He 
asked me * c if I thought the bull could exert an influence on the 
duration of the calf in the uterus of the cow, and if I could re- 
member any work in which the author had mentioned this curious 
fact V 9 At the same time, he informed me that “ one of his 
bulls seemed to exert some influence of this nature, for the cows 
in calf to him went some days longer than those in calf to other 
bulls.” I replied, that I was not aware of any writer who had 
observed the same thing, and that I would mention the circum- 
stance to a professional friend. I accordingly wrote to Dr. R. 
Lee, Lecturer on Midwifery at St. George’s Hospital, and from 
him received the following answer : — 
“ My dear Sir, — The influence of the male parent in the dura- 
tion of utero-gestation is a very curious fact, and I am not aware 
that it has been noticed by any one previous to you. I think it 
so important, that you ought, as soon as you can arrange the 
observations, to publish the whole. I cannot find any allusion 
to the influence of the male parent upon the duration of preg- 
nancy in the lower animals by Tessier, and think it would be 
proper, before stating this, to consult his papers. I am very 
much engaged at present, but hope soon to be sufficiently at 
leisure to render you any assistance in my power, the doing of 
which will afford me the greatest pleasure. I have mentioned 
the fact stated in your letter to several friends, and they have all 
been very much struck with it. — I remain, &c.” 
On receiving the above letter from Dr. Lee, confirming the 
opinion I had before expressed to Earl Spencer, I requested his 
lordship to furnish me with a statement of the facts he had ob- 
served. He kindly did so, and I now give them in his lordship’s 
own words : — 
“ Upon taking,” writes Earl Spencer, “ an average of seven 
hundred and sixty-four different periods of gestation of cows, I 
found that two hundred and eighty-four or two hundred and 
eighty-five days ought to be considered the usual period. The 
VOL. XV. X X 
