Aristotle believed that intercourse in northerly winds would produce male offspring. Hippocrates claimed that sperm from the right testicle would yield sons, and French aristocrats in the 18th century believed him to the point of cutting off their left one.
美國「時代週刊」上就曾經列舉了一些西洋的秘方，例如希臘大哲亞里士多德認為在吹北風時行房可生男孩；另一個哲學家阿納薩哥拉相信男性右邊睪丸的精子與卵子結合可生男孩，結果使十八世紀的法國貴族為生兒子以繼承爵位和財產，不惜切除左邊的睪丸。