408
T .
G .
H S U
(1959), but was defended by Jacobs et al. (1959b). In my opinion,
which incidentally is more of human than of scientific interest, the
prefix "super" implies superior, extraordinary, or exceedingly rich
in the characteristics generally known to a group. Thus "superfemale"
would better describe those women who are extremely feminine, both
in physical traits and in disposition. However, I shall refrain from giving
examples for obvious reasons.
D . H E R M A P H R O D I T I S M
Intersexes have been repeatedly reported in lower animals. In the
Gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, intersexes can be produced by interracial
crosses. This classical example, worked out in detail by Goldsmidt,
requires no introduction except to point out that the determination
of sex anomaly appears to be genie. In Drosophila melanogaster, an
unbalanced ratio between autosomal sets and the sex chromosomes
would result in intersexes. That is to say, if the fly has three sets of
autosomes and two X ' s , it is an intersex. However, an intersex
phenotype determined by a gene mutation has been described in
Drosophila (Stone, 1942).
In man, true hermaphroditism with both ovarian and testicular
tissues in one individual is karyotypically a female (Ferguson-Smith
et al., 1960b; De Assis, Epps, Bottura and Ferrari, 1960; Hungerford
et al., 1959; Harnden and Armstrong, 1959; Sasaki and Makino, 1960).
The sex chromatin pattern, as expected, is also positive. No chromosomal abnormalities, as far as microscopic examinations can determine,
have been found. Book (1961) contends that: "The conclusions were
based on only one type of cell culture, derived from either bone marrow
or peripheral blood. The karyotype might be different in other tissues.
Consequently, these observations cannot disprove the hypothesis that
the Y chromosome is essential for the development of the testes."
While such arguments can hardly be overthrown, available information
strongly supports the notion that not all hermaphrodites are cytological
mosaics. In Drosophila melanogaster, an autosomal gene was found to
transform females into males (Sturtevant, 1945).
Clayton, Smith and Rosenberg (1958) reported a case of hermaphroditic siblings, both of whom were sex chromatin positive. It was later
learned that the middle brother, diagnosed as a normal male when the
earlier report was made, was also a hermaphrodite. Idiogram analysis
made from cultures of skin, testes, bone marrow and peripheral blood
showed typical female condition for all three "boys" (Rosenberg,
Clayton and Hsu, 1963). The parents were karyologically normal.
Thus the possibility of mosaicism was relatively slim.
T .
G .
H S U
(1959), but was defended by Jacobs et al. (1959b). In my opinion,
which incidentally is more of human than of scientific interest, the
prefix "super" implies superior, extraordinary, or exceedingly rich
in the characteristics generally known to a group. Thus "superfemale"
would better describe those women who are extremely feminine, both
in physical traits and in disposition. However, I shall refrain from giving
examples for obvious reasons.
D . H E R M A P H R O D I T I S M
Intersexes have been repeatedly reported in lower animals. In the
Gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, intersexes can be produced by interracial
crosses. This classical example, worked out in detail by Goldsmidt,
requires no introduction except to point out that the determination
of sex anomaly appears to be genie. In Drosophila melanogaster, an
unbalanced ratio between autosomal sets and the sex chromosomes
would result in intersexes. That is to say, if the fly has three sets of
autosomes and two X ' s , it is an intersex. However, an intersex
phenotype determined by a gene mutation has been described in
Drosophila (Stone, 1942).
In man, true hermaphroditism with both ovarian and testicular
tissues in one individual is karyotypically a female (Ferguson-Smith
et al., 1960b; De Assis, Epps, Bottura and Ferrari, 1960; Hungerford
et al., 1959; Harnden and Armstrong, 1959; Sasaki and Makino, 1960).
The sex chromatin pattern, as expected, is also positive. No chromosomal abnormalities, as far as microscopic examinations can determine,
have been found. Book (1961) contends that: "The conclusions were
based on only one type of cell culture, derived from either bone marrow
or peripheral blood. The karyotype might be different in other tissues.
Consequently, these observations cannot disprove the hypothesis that
the Y chromosome is essential for the development of the testes."
While such arguments can hardly be overthrown, available information
strongly supports the notion that not all hermaphrodites are cytological
mosaics. In Drosophila melanogaster, an autosomal gene was found to
transform females into males (Sturtevant, 1945).
Clayton, Smith and Rosenberg (1958) reported a case of hermaphroditic siblings, both of whom were sex chromatin positive. It was later
learned that the middle brother, diagnosed as a normal male when the
earlier report was made, was also a hermaphrodite. Idiogram analysis
made from cultures of skin, testes, bone marrow and peripheral blood
showed typical female condition for all three "boys" (Rosenberg,
Clayton and Hsu, 1963). The parents were karyologically normal.
Thus the possibility of mosaicism was relatively slim.