Virgin Views

The Embryological Approach

by Virginia

Chromosomes, genes, glands and neurological dev- elopment all have one thing in common. They all det- ermine on one level or another the potentials that an organism, in our case man, has available for ex- plotation and development. Potentials are areas of possibility, they are not any specific, definite, limited substance or pattern. How these potentials are exploited depends on the circumstances, condi- tions and forces brought to bear on the individual by his environment and this does not exclude his fetal environment. A chemical manufacturing plant with its laboratories, reactor tanks, mixers, pipe lines, filling machines, conveyers, packaging equip- ment and storage facilities may have been designed to manufacture shampoo but it could be converted and the equipment used for the production of a variety of other chemical products, such as foods, medicines or cosmetics according to the wishes of the manage- ment. These wishes in turn would be based on various forces in the business environment. The same is true of an organism--it has potentials for development in several different directions. Which direction is taken depends on the summation of all the forces at work on it.

It is, I think, obvious to all of us that there are lots of factors involved in the sex-gender devel- opment of a human being. Not only are there here- ditary, glandular, nutritional and other biological forces at work, but also those of family, playmates, school and society on the social level, and training

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