During the First World War, he was a medical officer, and continued publishing papers, mostly on human female physiology.

"Traditionally, armies march with a 30-inch pace; but that's taxing to someone who is five-foot-one, and, given female physiology, it can lead to pelvic stress fractures."

With his colleague, Dr. Robert G. Edwards, a specialist in female physiology, Dr. Steptoe had developed a way to remove mature egg cells from the ovary when they are ready for fertilization.

Ideas about women's sexuality were linked to contemporary understanding of female physiology.

We're still working on the female physiology, but I think we're close to solving that problem as well.

"What you have here is normal female physiology," he says.

Drawing heavily on French physiological science, Acton premised his theory on a belief in the absolute difference between male and female physiology and their related forms of sexuality.

- or perhaps it was just the more finely attuned, hyperthyroid female physiology.

The researchers admitted that their conclusions go against current understanding of the differences between male and female physiology, as well as against their own experience as former competitive athletes.

Researchers have much to learn about female sexual physiology.