Skip to main content
Historical Bibliography Updated: March 1, 2020

The theory of the free-martin.

Publication Details

Science, 43, 611-613. 1916 CE.

Lillie found that sex steroids in the blood controlled differentiation. "Free-martins, sterile female cows born without sex organs, were a perplexing issue for cattle ranchers. Lillie found that free-martins formed when twins shared the same placenta. The hormones from the male twin would then be shared with the female, stunting the growth of her reproductive system." (Wikipedia article on Frank Rattray Lillie, accessed 3-2020).

Thematic Classifications

Catalog MetadataReference Information
Entry Number#11854
Permanent Linkhttps://staging.historyofmedicine.com/entry/14058
Author Bio LinkWikipedia ↗
External URLthe-theory-of-the-freemartin