Sex chromatin anomaly among Chinese psychiatric inpatients compared to schoolchildren

In a study of sex chromatin abnormality among Chinese psychiatric inpatients, buccal smears were examined from a total of 1,253 psychiatric inpatients (639 males and 614 females). One male psychiatric inpatient (1.6/1000) was chromatin positive (plus ve); two female psychiatric inpatients (3.3/1000) were found to have two sex chromatin bodies (less than e). The lower rate for male inpatients in comparison to Chinese schoolboys (i.3/1000) is thought to reflect a higher rate of mental subnormality in the primary schoolchildren. This is considered attributable to the special nature of the school system and psychiatric patient facilities in Taiwan. The higher rate for female inpatients in comparison with the schoolgirls (0.5/1000) tends to indicate a predisposition to mental disorder in favor of psychosis associated with double sex chromatin abnormality in the female.