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Updated: July 15, 2025
Intersexes in the human species not only the extreme pathological cases represented by the so-called "hermaphrodites," but also merely masculine women and effeminate men have been the subject of serious remarks as well as literary gibes from the earliest times. The Greeks called these people urnings. Schopenhauer was interested in the vast ancient literature and philosophy on this subject.
M. Blanc begins with this declaration: We cannot understand those who have imagined I know not what mysterious coupling of two opposite principles. To graft association upon competition is a poor idea: it is to substitute hermaphrodites for eunuchs. These three lines M. Blanc will always have reason to regret.
A. Because there are seven cells or receptacles in the womb; wherefore they may naturally have so many children at once as there falls seed into these cells. Q. Why are twins but half men, and not so strong as others? A. The seed that should have been for one, is divided into two and therefore they are weakly and seldom live long. Of Hermaphrodites. Q. How are hermaphrodites begotten?
I believe, indeed, from the facts alluded to in our fourth chapter, that a certain amount of crossing is indispensable even with hermaphrodites; and that close interbreeding continued during several generations between the nearest relations, especially if these be kept under the same conditions of life, always induces weakness and sterility in the progeny.
This people are reported to purchase all their wives from their enemies, and to kill all their own daughters, lest by marrying into hostile tribes their enemies should increase in numbers. In some places, the women continued to suckle their children till they were ten or twelve years old; and there were certain men, being hermaphrodites, who married each other.
I must here introduce a short digression. Nevertheless there is reason to believe that with all hermaphrodites two individuals, either occasionally or habitually, concur for the reproduction of their kind. This view was long ago doubtfully suggested by Sprengel, Knight and Kolreuter.
This must be determin'd by the Predominancy of the Parts, for there are some Hermaphrodites so very vigorous as to embrace Women, and others whose Parts are so dispos'd as to receive with pleasure the Caresses of Men; and where there is nothing to hinder the amorous Action, but that they are capable of enjoying mutual Pleasure, it would be a piece of injustice to prohibit their Nuptials.
These must be at full Age before they are able to Caress a Woman; and where after the coming out or the privy Parts they Copulate, it will be a hard matter for them to Engender, being in their Nature Cold. As the Intelligence wants Matter for the Forming of the privy Parts of the three first sorts of Hermaphrodites, so there is more than there is occasion for in the fourth.
In fact if earthworms are kept in water for too long, the concentration of ammonia that is discharged through their excreta makes the water too toxic for the earthworms to survive. Earthworms also cannot tolerate salt or salt water even briefly. Earthworms are hermaphrodites. Depending on the species, their life span is between six months to one year.
Modern research has much diminished the number of supposed hermaphrodites, and of real hermaphrodites a large number pair; that is, two individuals regularly unite for reproduction, which is all that concerns us. But still there are many hermaphrodite animals which certainly do not habitually pair, and a vast majority of plants are hermaphrodites.
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