N.z. Lags In Work On Xyy Men (Press, 8 February 1979)

On 8 February 1979, a report highlighted that New Zealand may have up to 4,000 men with an extra Y chromosome, akin to the character portrayed in the television series "XYY Man." Dr P. P. E. Savage, the medical superintendent at Oakley Hospital, indicated that while international studies suggest many XYY individuals are found in prisons or mental institutions, New Zealand lacks the necessary specialised testing equipment to identify these individuals. Research has shown that classic XYY men tend to exhibit characteristics such as being tall, muscular, balding, and ill-tempered, along with a narrow pelvis, low intellect, and acne issues. According to Dr Savage, these traits, coupled with an unstable environment, increase the likelihood of criminal behaviour, as the presence of the extra Y chromosome affects masculinity levels. The syndrome gained widespread attention when "XYY Man" was aired in Britain and later in New Zealand, portraying a burglar whose genetic anomaly predisposed him to crime. The condition was first recognised in 1961, and researchers noted a connection between the extra chromosome and antisocial behaviour within five years. Studies from British, American, and Canadian researchers indicated that approximately two to three in every 1,000 men are born with this genetic variation. Notably, certain maximum-security mental hospitals in England reported that nearly 25 per cent of their male patients were XYYs, while similar investigations in the USA and Britain noted that one in twenty male patients in maximum-security settings also exhibited this chromosome. In New Zealand, however, the identification of XYY individuals has been rare, primarily due to the time-consuming nature of genetic testing processes, which can take up to three days to yield results. Most testing in New Zealand focuses on abnormal births or legal determinations of sex in specific cases, such as those involving transsexuals. Dr Savage has called for the New Zealand government to acquire laser scanning technology used overseas to expedite the detection of XYY men. He believes investing in this research could enhance the understanding of criminal behaviour associated with this chromosome variant, potentially enabling predictions of future behaviour that psychiatrist and medical researchers have long sought to achieve. This area of study, he argues, is crucial for ongoing investigation and could lead to significant advancements in criminology and psychology within New Zealand.

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