Mammalian Conception, Sev Differentiation, and Hermaphroditism as Viewed in Historical Perspective

This paper surveys in broad perspective some of the steps inthe development of theones of mammalian sex differentiationfrom antiquity to the present. The questions of why and howmales and females differentnte and why there are intersexeshave been answered by conjectures, speculations, and theones.In antiquity, when the existence of mimimhan egg and sperm wasunknownsex determination was con]ec tuicd to depend upon such factorsas which testis contiibuted the semen or which sideof the uterusreceived it. These fanciful notions peisisted until the middleof the 18th centuiy. Discovery of mammalian sperm in the samecentury and the ovum in the 10th centuiy led to obseivationsof fertilization. With advances in genetics andthe identificationot sex chromosomes, the 20th century was prepared to constructtheories foi normal sev differentiation and inteisexuality basedon experimental observation. The bovine freemartin—a naturalexperiment—prompted the hounonal theory leseaich on frogsled to a coittco medullaiy inductor theory, cellular cmmerismin fteemaitin and co tvun was the basis for a cellular theory.Of these, the hormonal theory in particular, provided some verifiablespeculations. However, there is no completely acceptable theoryand new lines of research are badly needed