Secrets of the womb

Tuesday, September 1, 2009 - 05:49 in Health & Medicine

In a prize-winning essay, Jacqueline Maybin says the female body could hold the key to a medical revolution I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king. Queen Elizabeth I, 1588 When addressing her troops before they faced the Spanish Armada, Elizabeth I identified the exceptional ability of women to overcome their natural disadvantages. From birth, Elizabeth was a disappointment to her father, Henry VIII, because of her sex. Yet, despite her "weak and feeble" body, Good Queen Bess became one of England's most popular and successful monarchs. Without doubt, the average male is physically stronger than the average female. This is due to higher levels of the male hormone testosterone. Nevertheless, I've noticed that strength does not always equate to physical power. The female hormones have ingenious ways of compensating. They give women...

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