James Parsons

“ Hermaphrodites, or Fricatrices, nor was it ever known, and it is impossible, that a Woman should be transformed into a Man. But a Male Child at it’s Birth being thought a Female, as was said before, when his Parts begin to come out which lay hid, may, indeed, become a Man.’
Hence it is plain, that our Author would make Use of the Word Hermaphrodite, not as crediting such an Existence, as it expresses, in human Nature; but as thinking it a Term fit only to serve him in his Explication of some of the Diseases of the Parts of Generation. ”

“ What, but Ignorance and Superstition, could urge Men to make Laws for their Destruction or Exclusion from the common Benefits of Life? in fine, what, but these very Causes, could make several harsh Laws continue still in Force against them in many Places, which suppose those Women that happen to be Macroclitorideæ, to be capable of exercising the Functions of either Sex, with regard to Generation; and, further, restrain them under severe Penalties to stick to that Sex only which they should choose? as if poor Women could exercise the Part of any other Sex but their own. ”

“ The third Division in Men is, only the Urine issuing out of the Middle of the Scrotum. This may indeed be sometimes the Case in Men; for when the Glans Penis is not perforated, or is by any Disease closed up, Nature often finds a Passage for the Urine in many Places; of which we have several Cases both from credible Authors, and also from several eminent Practitioners in Surgery who often meet such Cases. But with what Right this may be call’d an hermaphrodital Affair, I cannot imagine, and shall therefore submit it to the Judgment of the Reader. ”

“ It happens to some Men, in Generation, to have added to them those Female Parts, and to some Women those Masculine Parts that are luxuriant in them, when Nature is hinder’d, or grows forgetful; for when by any Accident [40] it happens thus, that Superfluity of humid Matter that usually contributes to either the inordinate Size or Number of any Limb, goes to the Formation of a Member of any other Nature without Rule or Order.’
Before we can in any wise understand whether the Cause assigned by this Author be just or not, we must guess at what he means by the Word Nature. ”

“ Besides, we find they are all so, through their whole Class; which to them is the same strict Law of Nature, that it is to other Animals to possess but a single Sex. Nor can this Law be ever violated in them, by any Means whatsoever, any more than that Law of Nature predominant in us should digress from what it always was, or be alter’d by any new Decree of the Divine Will, whose Decrees are already fix’d and unchangeable; our single Natures being [5] sufficient to preserve the human Race, in a successive Series, and their double one being no more ”

“ But it is observable, that where there is a perfect Penis and Scrotum found in a Child, there is never the least Sign of any Part proper to a Female annexed to it; but that, on the contrary, whatsoever Subject is said to be an Hermaphrodite has the Feminine Parts in Perfection, and no Penis nor Scrotum, nor, according to De Graaf’s Dissection, any Organ serving to their Nutrition, Action, Accretion, or any other Function, but only the Clitoris (common to all Women) somewhat larger than Ordinary, which will fully appear when we come to speak of him. ”

“ And indeed, were we to have regard to the Notions of some of the Ancients concerning Generation, as, that the Male and Female Semina meeting form’d a Child of either Sex, according to the Predominance of the Strength or Quantity of either Semen, and if both were equal in Quantity and Quality, a Child of both [8] Sexes was begotten, I say, were we to have regard to this, we might still be liable to be borne away by this Hypothesis, as Authors have been hitherto, which would inevitably seduce us to believe, that there are Hermaphrodites in human Nature. ”

“ It is to be much fear’d, something absurd must be the Consequence; for allowing that Hypothesis held and receiv’d by Hypocrates, Galen, and many of the Learned that followed them, that the Fœtus is always form’d of both these Semina mingled together, it must follow, from the Notion held by Empedocles, that no other than a Child of [56] two Sexes could be produced, and consequently the entire Race of Mankind must have been Hermaphrodites, since it was necessary both should contribute something, in order to consummate the Act of Generation. ”

“ It would have been much more to the Credit of this Author to have subscribed to this Doctrine at once, without endeavouring to maintain, in so uncertain a Manner, any Thing that had the least Hint towards allowing a Perforation in the Clitoris, or a virile Nature to a Woman, and so suddenly to quit and contradict his former Opinion, in his Histories and Animadversions on them, which must be very obvious to any one that will allow himself Time and Liberty to consider the Animal Oeconomy, and the Laws of Nature, as far as they respect human Bodies. ”

“ Though one may be informed of a Matter which in itself is really Fact, yet if an Absurdity should arise in the Narration, it would be laudable to enquire whether it is to be ascribed to the Relater or to the Thing told; but as there is nothing which, when true, can admit of any Absurdity, there is therefore the greater Right to be discontented with what is not easily understood ”

“ Again, no Lady that languishes for a little Daughter amongst her Sons, would be long in Pain about it, if she could by Coition at any certain Time be capable of chusing one; nor in fine, would any [47] such Appearance happen in human Nature, as is erroneously reputed Hermaphrodital, if such were never produced, but after the twelfth Day from those times of the Menses; for Mankind would, at such Seasons, avoid the Act of Generation; lest Beings so infamous, as they are superstitiously thought, should be the Product of their Embraces. ”

“ But we are, according this Hypothesis, at a terrible Loss to know (if the Males had no seminal Matter) how a Female could be produced, tho’ the latter were never so well stored with such female seminal Matter; because, the former being without it, there could be no consummate Coitus, and consequently no Female; so that, to sum up this Opinion, we must conclude, if both contribute, Hermaphrodites must ensue; if the Males only, Males must only be born; but if Males have nothing to emit, neither Male nor Female could [57] be begotten, and Generation must drop by Degrees. ”

“ All female Fœtus’s, during the greatest Part of the Time of Gestation, have the Clitoris as large in Proportion to their [147] Sizes, and sometimes larger, than the Angolan Woman before-mentioned, which is evident from several then shewed together to the Society; this, I am inclined to believe, is Nature’s common Rule all over the World. Now it is impossible that so many Hermaphrodites should be found at once, since we have so very few Instances among the European Nations of those so reputed ”

“ Credulities of this Nature, though upon the most insignificant and ill-grounded Assertions, generally make great Progress in the Minds of Men and are sometimes so deeply rooted, that the Vicissitudes of many Ages have not been sufficient to open Mens Eyes, or make them sollicitous for the Truth. ”

“ Hence it is plain that the Causes assign’d by our Author for the Production of this double nature in human Bodies, can produce no such Effect; for the World is by this time assur’d, that the Mechanism of Generation is otherwise carry’d on, and that no animal Being whatsoever is generated in the Manner laid down by our Author and his Predecessors, therefore no Hermaphrodite can be the Effect of such a Scheme of Generation. ”

“ But no such Restraints attend larger Animals, and therefore no such Nature is at all necessary in them; however, tho’ all others are limited to certain Seasons, as to their generative Capacities, it is very strange that no Appearance has ever been had of two Sexes in any one upon Dissection, (though many have been supposed of a double Nature) but the human; who have no limits set to their Powers of procreating, and who on all accounts seem to have the least need of any thing of the Kind. ”

“ If, from Custom, Women cannot succeed in a Feude or Copyhold, so an Hermaphrodite [xliv] cannot; which is to be understood of those only in whom the female Sex is most apparent; where such Hermaphrodites, who are more Female, are compared to Females, and those more masculine to Men, therefore the Law is to be determined accordingly. ”

“ For it is very plain to all Capacities, if it be necessary that such a Power as he calls his Vis Agens should accompany and direct the seminal Matter, in order to assist, and carry on, the Work of Generation, that whensoever she was so overcome, as not to have any concern in the Work, or act upon the seminal Matter, it ought to be deprived of any Manner, or Power, of growing into any Form whatsoever; whereas, by our Author’s System, we find, that when this Vis Agens has any thing to do, it is only towards the Formation of a Male ”

“ To judge alone of any Performance is somewhat less difficult, than to perform and judge together; it is therefore that the World in general are better Judges than Performers, the Majority of whom will snarl at a Word or Sentence, as the Standers-by often do at a Gamester’s Manner of playing a Cast, they would have played themselves another Way, though perhaps not so well ”

“ That they do not desire Women more than Men, from a mere natural Inclination, but because by a Gratification of this Nature there is not so much danger of being expos’d; therefore a Congress like this is the more eagerly sought after, and agreed on by two Females so inclin’d, since by an over long Clitoris in one, both find their accounts answer’d, without fear of that Accident, that is the necessary Consequence of dealing with Men ”

“ The present Notions of Generation are greatly different from what is here the Faith of our Author, because a better Knowledge of the Structure of the Parts, which are the Instruments of it, has taken Place; and certainly an Hypothesis is better founded upon an experimental Fact, than upon bare Supposition ”

“ It would be an Injury to Truth to deny the Existence of an Hermaphrodital Nature, to all the animal World in general; but however, I am inclin’d to believe it is only proper to some Reptiles, and but a few of these; for among the several Tribes of larger Animals, whether of the Air, Earth, or Waters, there seldom are any, of late Years, to whom this double Nature is ascribed, but those of the Human ”

“ What appears to be a Rima or Slit in the Extremity of the Clitoris, in the Opinions of many, is no other than the Angle made by the Plication of the two Nymphæ where they arise, which undoubtedly is always the natural Case, and no other, in every Subject of this Nature. ”

“ But having understood that some were particularly of Opinion, that such as have the Clitoris long have no Uteri, I opened [152] the above-mentioned Fœtus, and found the Uterus in it’s natural Situation, with every Appendix proper to it, in their Places; which, with the Dissections made by several Anatomists upon such Occasions, will be very prevailing, to manifest the Existence of an Uterus in every Macroclitoridea, whether any Thing be contained in the Labia or not. ”

“ This Division of Hermaphrodites differs in some measure from that of Manardus and Laurentius, but is of as little account as either. This first Part of it declares a perfect Male, which he owns to be capable of Procreation; and because he finds (or supposes) an accidental Mark like a Slit or Hole in the Perinæum, he makes this Male an Hermaphrodite in an instant, though at the same time he confesses the Hole to be always superficial, as not at all penetrating into any Part of the Body, and that neither Urine nor Seed can pass thro’ it. ”