Abstract
GERMAN1 has put forward an interesting hypothesis to account for the increased incidence of mongolism among the offspring of mothers more than 35 yr old. He maintained that the frequency of coitus decreases with age2, and so therefore does the proportion of time during which fresh spermatozoa are present in the uterine tube. Thus oocytes, which in younger women might be fertilized immediately after release into the uterine tube, may in older women be fertilized only after several hours. During that time deterioration of the oocyte may occur, one possible effect being the production of a mongol child. It is worthwhile examining this hypothesis more closely using rough estimates of the length of life of the oocyte and of the sperm (given as 24 h and 48 h, respectively, by German).
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References
German, J., Nature, 217, 516 (1968).
Kinsey, A. C., Pomeroy, W. B., Martin, C. E., and Gebhard, P. H., Sexual Behaviour in the Human Female, 348, Table 93 (W. B. Saunders and Co., London, 1953).
Roberts, J. A. F., An Introduction to Medical Genetics, 170 (Oxford University Press, 1963).
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CANNINGS, C., CANNINGS, M. Mongolism, Delayed Fertilization and Human Sexual Behaviour. Nature 218, 481 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1038/218481a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/218481a0
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