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Sex Chromosome Abnormalities in Two State Hospitals for Patients requiring Special Security

Abstract

THE association between sex chromatin abnormality and mental sub-normality is well established. The incidence of sex chromatin abnormality in the new-born male and female population is about 0.2 per cent and 0.08 per cent respectively; in institutionalized mentally sub-normal male and female populations about 1 per cent and 0.4 per cent respectively. Court Brown1 reported that a high proportion of sex chromatin positive males recognized in his unit had been committed to a mental defective institution because of anti-social behaviour. He suggested that an abnormal sex chromosome complement might predispose to delinquency. However, a survey by Wegman and Smith2 on a group of socially disturbed males of relatively normal intelligence failed to show an increase in sex chromatin abnormality.

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CASEY, M., SEGALL, L., STREET, D. et al. Sex Chromosome Abnormalities in Two State Hospitals for Patients requiring Special Security. Nature 209, 641–642 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1038/209641a0

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