A mechanical and critical enquiry into the nature of hermaphroditesParsons, James
History
A mechanical and critical enquiry into the nature of hermaphrodites
Parsons, James
Intersexuality -- Early works to 1800
‘In Hermaphrodites this is the Part which, as it grows, resembles the
Penis; this is plain, because no Perforation can be discerned in it.’
This Sentence very much weakens his guess’d Opinion of the Urethra,
which he does very often afterwards in his several Stories of these
Creatures. The first he saw was in _France_, of about Twenty-eight Years
of Age, which was shewed to the People for Money; he describes her
thus[116]:
‘This Subject, on the upper Part of the Pudenda, had a Clitoris as long
as one’s Finger, and as thick as a Penis; with a Glans, Frenulum, and
Præputium, as are seen in Men, except that the Glans was not pervious;
below this there was an urinary Passage, and the Vagina Uteri as in
Women; in each Labium there was a Testicle.’
In this History our Author owns, there was no Perforation to be seen in
this large Clitoris; and as to the other Parts he describes no more than
a perfect Woman.
Another of these he saw at _Utrecht_, which her Owner told him was a
perfect Female till between five and six Years old; at which Time she
began to change, and at Eleven a Penis was grown conspicuous, but without
a Perforation: the said Man told him also, that she had then her Menses
periodically as other Women. She had below the Clitoris the Meatus
Urinarius and Vagina properly situated, to which he adds a Testis in each
Labium; and further, that there was a seminal Discharge upon Occasion,
but that the Hermaphrodite did not know whether it was by the Clitoris,
or the other feminine Parts. His Narration of this History begins thus,
of which we shall insert but a few Words, the Substance being just
mentioned above[117]:
‘In Company with other Spectators, I have seen such another _English_
Hermaphrodite, twenty-two Years old, here at _Utrecht, &c._’
This is the Subject Dr _Allen_ speaks of in the _Transactions_, which
has been taken notice of before in this Treatise, that was carried to
_Flanders_, and shewed to our Author; now whosoever will be at the Pains
to compare the Descriptions given by both these Authors, which they
had only from the Mouth of her Keeper, will see how they differ, and
consequently what Untruths proceed from Hearsay; now after all these
Things, our Author makes this Conclusion of his own Accord[118]:
‘From all which it is plain, that these Kind of Hermaphrodites do not
partake of both Sexes, but are only Women, whose Parts of Generation are
illy formed, that is, the Testes have descended out of the Abdomen, and
the Clitoris is grown too large.’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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