The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1916-06-10

upon women and children than they do
pom adult males. SO that as matter Of
fact there are usually more women and
girl children lost In the havoc OF war
than men. Already the women and child
victims by starvation. exposure. disease
and massacre in Belgium. in Poland n
northern France in Armenia and Serbia
equal II they do not outnumber the ter
rible totals OF the casualty reports OF all
the armies. And there Is no valid reason
why the bereayed mother should grieve
more deeply and sincerely over her lost
sons and brothers than over her lost
sisters and daughters.
There Is only one suggestion and that
a tentative one. which can be advanced
toward clearing up even part OF the
mystery. This comes from the work that
has recently been done. largely by Amer
lean scientists. upon the possible deter
mination OF sex IN the ova or eggs OF var
ious insects fishes. frogs and birds
Forms in which the eggs can be Matched
or caused to be developed outside 81 the
body and hence under conditions where
every stage OF their development can be
carefully observed and studied.
They have bv no means solved the mys-
terry OF the determination OF sex. but
two things have been determined with a
fair degree OF clearness. one that an
astonishing and most constant equality
between the sexes ia numbers born runs
through almost every division OF the
animal kingdom and IS apparently based
upon a curious law % odd and even like
the losses OF the GiCe. All the germ cells
OF one sex. usually the female or oya. are
exactly alike while the germ cells Of the
opposite sex. or srerms. are o. two kinds
which We will call odd and even.
To put ~ very roughly. 80 an even
sperm first reaches and mates with an
ovum. the result will be a female. n an
- La. e-H al f.-.
splitting process. which can only be OK
planned in most appallingly technical
terms. odd sperws and even sperms are
produced 10 exactly equal numbers. the
chances ~ an "odd" combination and an
even" combination are exactly equal
SO whenever the bir'Hs count no into tla
thousands. this equality shows ITSELF with
absolute constance. aa has long been
found ia the male and female births OF
our own species Sever more difference
between them than three or four ir 'he
hundred save FOR brief periods. and when
twenty or more years Boo succession aro
taken not more than ten or hfteen IN tie
thousand
To guard against a wrong impression. q
should be stated that while ir the ma
fo~Ift ~ fhr different forms ~ animals
from frogs and insects uD stud .ad iu oh a
manner. d.. is pho female cells or o.a which
are au alike. and the male coils or sperm
arc 20 TWO N... |''.' H'N|Ha ... N'NIl.f
forms m animals. notably birds .nn con
dIfior .a reversed Tho male re'f. nrn sl
arHvr and rho female cells OF two different
kinds
This. o. course. would AZ fret sight ap
pear t1 put frn control ~ srv Ir any form
.- degree utterly and roreiea basuu.
our r.rar Fo- A. reduced tho question
90 ra'rrosa r- f.ma'rrr.a f0 "a pIrr.'
mechanical problem % mathematical
...H..aa IH..H ~ f... aUnrr"e Identical ID
every respect except oH.r... .- ev %
noes. era1 nra' roach and ffrt'lze nj
nslm. both Blinds uf arirur being 20.
fI.ad Ir rrtl... equal numbers Al.
f.rra can Boo IffIa question f.lf ftI4 Al
the arfua. .fafr ~ affairs 'r the vat'
rvrrUhr ming waI1r.f. of instance.
Ninety nine time. UIf ~ bum rod. ur
and female ara produced alternately H
precisely .rn.rff. rr.llr'.Hr. a
surely and aa 600 .1rah'y ar numb "a
counted .1 .I..n. ..n a.I conn. odd ..'
even altruaf.'. The sexes aro Iitert /