Anyone wishing to experiment with sex hormones will do
well to review the literature recorded in the bibliography.
The results so far reported in brief are these:
Feeding the female hormone (oestrone) to both sexes of fry and older
guppies, hindered growth and depressed the growth of females. In males the size
at sexual maturity was increased. In older males their growth was enhanced but
male coloration was lost.
Feeding the male hormone (testosterone) depressed the growth of all young
fry. Growth of partly grown females was enhanced.
In yet another study, pregnenalone was fed in tablet form. It
fulfilled the expectancy for an androgen (a hormone which controls the sex
characteristics of males) better than testosterone proprionate. When fed to
immature guppies from birth on, it completely prevented development of female
secondary sex characteristics and caused early development of male secondary sex
characters. It induced earlier-than-normal development of germinal elements and
when given over a long period of time, destroyed the testes.
Testosterone had similar effects but not as marked. In males it inhibited
male red colors from developing, just as female hormones had been found to do.
Thyroxine, a thyroid gland product, produced, in one study, larger guppies
which required a longer growing period to mature. In males the thyroxine-treated
individuals became about one-half larger but continued growing for nearly twice
as long. In another study of putting synthetic thyroxine into the water, and
feeding powdered thyroid gland, no changes could be observed.