The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-01-20
Is Attracting the Attention of
Scientists Everywhere.
SECUTED IN PARIS.
Medical Faculty Views His
Claims With ScOrn.
Learned Men in Berlin, London
and This Country Impressed.


assistance in bringing boys into the world
and giving heirssto the chndless. Numer-
/ Gus visitors continue to go to his house,
many having come long distances to see
him. He is doing what he can to coun-
teract the popular impression that he is
ready to practice his system. He says:
I will not accept any fee nor give any
advice about this matter. Foolish women
should not expect can assist them now
The matter has been prematurely dis
closed before could lay all the facts be-
fore the scientific body to which I belong
Not until that is done will it enter upon
a practical stage
London, Jan. 2O-Dr. Henry Forbes
Winslow of London said today: Nobody
knows exactly what determines sex in
children, but as I understand DR.. Schenk' s
system it consists in nourishing the
mother into the strongest physical condi-
ton. In that it is harmonious with the
general theory that strong, robust
mothers are more likely to give birth to
boys than girls. Another fact which cor
robOrates this theory is that male chill
dren at birth are as a rule heavier and
bigger than girls, requiring greater nour-
ishment, which would tend to show that
the vigorous system of a mother created
a predisposition in favor of boys It is
also believed that as Dr. Sehenk says,
the father has little influence on the
childs sex. There has been a practice
among the peasants in many countries to
influence the sex of horses and cattle, and
the persistence of this practice shows it
must have met with some success. 1t is
singular fact that every one of these
systems consists in influencing the mother,
paying no attention ito the father.
Many of these systems are based upon
mental impressions, like the ancient
Greeks, who put up the statues of Apollo
for mothers to admire. Others, however,
are almost Identical with Dr. Schenk's
theory as I understand it, nourishing and
strengthening the mother by every means.
Ny opinion is that all the probabilities
are in favor of such a practice, but 1 hesi-
tate to say that it would be infalhble, DR..
Schenk may point to his seven sons, but
I know families where all the children
were boys where no such system was
practiced."
Paris. Jan. 2O.-Dr. Oscar Jennings said
today. in discussing the Schenk theory:
sta tistical proofs have been adduced in
favor of the system of Hippocrates for in
huencing the sex of child, well
that of Darwin; but doubt if any infal-
nble method can be devised"
DR.. Caubet, the Partisan expert, said:
1.-The theory is stupid and absurd, and I
will not be convinced until DR.. Schenk
establishes it by statistics. It is well
known that in the French agricultural
districts the farmers have a method by
which they can influence the sex of
calves, but I doubt if this can be applied
to human beings"
DR.. S. Posi-, a member of the Academy
of Medicine, a, professor of obstetrics and
recently elected a senator, had this to
say: DIR. Schenk's theory is bizarre. 1t
is necessary to distinguish between the
embryo and the matter of sex. Several
causes affect the embryo, such as food,
heat and excessive emotion. Expert
nnents made upon hens eggs show that
an irregular distribution of heat causes
a monstrosity. The same is true in re-
gard to human beings. The savants infer
by induction, not by experiments, that
external causes affect the matter of sex.
There is no proof that food determines
sex"
Prof. D'Areste says: Il have made eS-
periments with heat and produced extra
ordinary effects upon impregnated eggs,
but I know of nothing justifying the
Schenk theory"
Charles Bouchard. the most eminent
physician of France, says: 'Schenl1s
theory is extra scientific; differentiation
of sex does not take place at the time he
supposes. The Aristotelian theory has
been exploded. but nothing has been dis
covered in favor of Schenk's view"
The faculty of medicine here knows
nothing of the Schenk system and will
not examine it, because they think it is
not sufficiently serious matter. DR..
Maurice Fleury says the question is like
one Of the problems of the schoolmen.
schenk's theory, in his opinion, is char
latanesque-
DR.. Laumonier. when seen in his labora-
tory here, admitted that there was much
truth in DR.. Schenk's theory. He had
long recognized that flood was an i'm
portant factor in the settlement of sex
in cases of certain of the lower animals
and insects Dr. Laumonier gave some
advice regarding food. A vegetable diet,
with eggs and milk, led. he said, to a
greater proportion of males than did a
diet consisting largely of meat If the
vegetable food is not sufficiently nourish-
ing. more milk dishes, he said, should be
added. and also caviare and calves brains.
He asked whether the fact that these ele-
ments were rich in phosphates did not ac-
count for the result, as males contained
larger proportion of PHOSPHORUS than fe-
males.
Berlin, Jan. 2O.-Prof. Gusserow, direc-
tor of the Maternity Clinic of the Berlin
university, discussed the Schenk GlScoN-
cry at length. This specialist has as
sumed q skeptical attitude toward the
methods prescribed by DR.. Schenk. on the
ground that all previous attempts to in
huence the development of the embryo by
close adherence to a certain diet have
failed.
Prof. Hertwig. director of the Anatoml>
pathological institute of the Berlin uni
versity, said that some time ago certain
attempts to influence the sex Of the en-