Fruits of Philosophy: A Treatise on the Population QuestionKnowlton, Charles
Philosophy
Fruits of Philosophy: A Treatise on the Population Question
Knowlton, Charles
Birth control; Malthusianism
considered by its author as a proof that conception always takes place
in this organ."
The above quotations are from the third volume of Bostock's Physiology.
Now, as the seminal animalculae are essential to impregnation, and as the
ovum is impregnated in the ovarium, what more probable conjecture can we
form than that an animalcule, as the real proper rudiment of the foetus,
enters the ovum, where, being surrounded with albuminous fluid with
which it is nourished, it gradually becomes developed? It may be noticed
that Leeuwenhoek estimates that ten thousand animalculae of the human
semen may exist in a space not larger than a grain of sand. There can,
therefore, be no difficulty in admitting that they may find their way
along exceedingly minute vessels from the vagina, not only to, but into
the ovum while situated in the ovarium.
I think no one can be disposed to maintain that the animalculae merely
reaches the surface of the ovum and thus impregnates it. But possibly
some may contend that its sole office is to stimulate the ovum, and
in this way set going that train of actions which are essential to
impregnation. But there is no evidence in favor of this last idea, and
certainly it does not so well harmonize with the fact that the offspring
generally partakes more or less of the character of its male parent. As
Dr. Dewees says of the doctrine of sympathy, "It makes no provision
for the formation of mules; for the peculiarities of and likeness of
parents; and for the propagation of predisposition to disease from
parent to child; for the production of mulattoes," etc.
Considering it important to do away with the popular and mischievous
error that the semen must enter the uterus to effect impregnation, I
shall, in addition to what has been already advanced, here notice the
experiments of Dr. Haighton. He divided the Fallopian tubes in numerous
instances, and that after the operation a foetus is never produced, but
that _corpora lutea_ were formed. The obvious conclusions from these
facts are that the semen does not traverse the Fallopian tubes to reach
the ovaria; yet, that the ovum becomes impregnated while in the ovarium
and, consequently, that the semen reaches the ovum in some way, except
by the uterus and Fallopian tubes. I may remark, however, that a _corpus
luteum_ is not positive proof that impregnation at some time or other
has taken place; yet they are so rarely found in virgins that they were
regarded as such proofs until the time of Blumenbach, a writer of the
present century.*
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account