Fifties biology

I did A level biology and there was a lot about fruit flies and Darwin. You ought to see what is taught now. It is honestly mind blowing how much our knowledge has come on in 40 years

In my parents’ bookshelf there were two books called The Marriage Book and The Motherhood Book. When I was about ten I used to sneak these out and hide them in the roof of my dolls’ house. I have no idea whether my mother knew or not. The books fascinated me, but I didn’t understand them at all.

Luckily my mother told me about periods etc, plus there was a great deal of gossip at school. I was the first in my form, which made me a sort of heroine. I was 11 when I had my first period.

When our boxer bitch went on heat for the first time, when I was about 11, my Mum told me about reproduction and menstruation - though perhaps not all about them! | gave up science classes after third year, as I wanted to take Classics. I learnt a good deal about the 'facts of life' from prolonged perusal of the two Penguin volumes of Greek myths - Greek gods and goddesses were a randy bunch.

Having pets teaches children a lot about birth and death and how mammals are made. It’s amazing how ignorant many people are about their own anatomy and how our bodies work.
The dog’s seasons are a good place to start sex education but dogs and cats don’t menstruate.

Obviously, mum couldn't explain the difference between our dog's bleeding when on heat and a woman's menstrual blood. It was quite a useful analogy until, some years later, when the local boy dogs were gathered round our back gate, it occurred to me to ask if menstruation was a sign that I was fertile.

I think it is the nervous system

Endoplasmicreticulum. There! Are you impressed? I’ve always loved that word.