THE STRONGER SEX

Evening Star, Issue 19661, 14 September 1927, Page 1

THE STRONGER SEX

WHERE WOMEN HAVE THE ADVANTAGE Not moil (writes Dr T. LamiKmier, in ‘ Lc Petit Provencal,’ Marseilles). Such data as science lias been able to accumulate show that women arc the stronger—more resistant to death, disease, ami the mishaps ol lile. Naiuie sees to it that more men titan women are produced, because a larger number of the men arc doomed to extinction. He writes; “There is one argument that I bate never seen invoked in lavor of Icm inism. Tt is, ncverthless, of importance, and here it is. The male animal resists less well than the female the causes ot destruction and death. Thin rule applies, of course, to men and women. Jt is known, in fact, that at equal ages widows arc more numerous than "rl ( i"' ers, and that the. average length ol do of a woman is a little greater than that of a man I will not pause to consider the interpretation of this -fact given by misogynists—namely, that the haish humor of our companions contributes to the shortening of our days. This is worth nothing, because the same phenomenon—the, slighter longevity of the male—is ahserved also in amnia Is. Wo. must also take into account the lac that this feebler resisting power of the male to death appears Irom the hegm-murr-timt is to say, Irom the very moment when his sex is_ determined, and consequently before birth. “In the first place, parental mortality is quite high—lDS per cent, with goats, 33 with mice; the embryos degenerate and their vitality. In 'this mortality wlmt is the proportion ol males-' It cannot always he, determined, hut it seems considerable, if we may rely on the following data;—-Al-though in favorable conditions a given number of births may furnish a total of 100 males and 100 females, the number of ■ males tails to eighty, or even sixtv when the conditions become unfavorable. Thus the males arc more sensitive to such conditions than the females, ami wc may accordingly conclude that the males hear the chic! brunt of pre-natal mortality. “ For the human species the study ol still-births lends to similar results. TUore arc lucre stillborn nublrcu ol Inc male sox than of the female. Me may conclude properly that (hero must ho more male than lemalc children hoin. But although male natality is greater than female, male mortality is also greater. In 1913. in England, 101 hoys to 100 girls wore horn. But during the first mouth 129 boys died lor every KID girls; during the two following months 122, and at the end of the year 125. Thus the female sex predominates at all ages. Of ten centenarians seven arc women. r l his all goes to prove the greater fragility of the male. What is the (011180? The physiological activity of tiie, male is ordinarily much intensei than that of the female; his nutritive exchanges, Ids expenditures ol cueigy are sensibly larger. Ho thus uses himself up more quickly. Besides, in many species except tu tho superior vci tehrates, lie is less robust than the iemale, and often becomes her victim. Occasional I v she even devours him. Tills is why Nature multiplies him innumerably. seeing that very few are to survive. *AVc know of small creatures whose males arc so rare that they arc never met with except by accident. “ But. then, which is tho ‘ superior sex,’ even in the human species? Arc not most men, as some English spinsters are maintaining, nothing hut parasites, delicate, and born in too great numbers—blown away by the slightest zephyr? How much we have been deceived” in our pretensions! So far as science has anything to tell us wo cannot do otherwise than admit that our charming spouses arc not altogether wrong in wishing so often to wear the breeches 1”