The Hereditary Process

Every man and every woman at conception

received 23 chromosomes from each parent or 46 in
all.
Maternal Grand
parents
d parents
Paternal Gran
In mating, each 23
23 passes on half of his
or her chromosomes
to every child.

Father Mother

23
The father’s role is
that of passing on half
of his chromosomes
by way of a sperm.
23
These 46 chromosomes
constitute everything that
determines the heredity of
the child.
23
23
The mother, although she
also acts as incubator and
nourisher for the egg,
contributes no more to the
child’s heredity than does the
father.

Child
 How Sex is Determined

 Father produces sperms of two  Mother produces eggs all of one kind,
kinds, in equal numbers: each with a large X sex chromosome:
With large X sex Chromosomes

With small Y sex Chromosomes

(Note that all 22 other chromosomes

in sperms or eggs are of
corresponding types)
 XX
If sperm with X enters egg, the two Xs pair
up as do all the other chromosomes

A Girl

If sperm with Y enters egg, the sex chromosomes XY

do not match up, although all others do.

A Boy