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In the foreword to this book, Sir Walter Langdon-Brown singles out the fuchsin staining cell as the pivotal point around which the various observations and hypotheses concerning virilism gain reliable anchorage. In the hands of American investigators, the special staining method described has not been impressive nor altogether satisfactory as an aid in endocrine studies. Virilism, pubertas præcox, pseudohermaphrodism and related clinical conditions remain obscure in many directions and any hypothesis constructed to reveal and clarify this relatedness which derives its basic premise from an inconclusive staining reaction is destined to an uncertain future.
One section of the book is devoted to psychological studies. The theoretical orientation and the case histories are disappointing. No serious effort is made to distinguish between conscious data and unconscious trends. Oftentimes terms such as homosexual and heterosexual are used in so vague a manner as to leave the reader in doubt as to whether the subjects actually had overt sexual experiences or had simply shown a preference for the company of their own or opposite sex. The deeper conflicts were not explored; the material suggests primarily, concern with the subjects' attitude towards somatic alterations.