rh@mit-eddie.UUCP (Randy Haskins) (06/09/84)
I took the liberty of moving this into net.bio in addition to the groups it is in in the hopes of enticing people with scientific knowledge to contribute. As I understand it, hermaphrodites have all sorts of problems, and I think the vast major of them don't even have one set of gender-organs working completely. I think the instances of h's having the female reproductive organs functional is very low. Anyone know for sure? -- Randwulf (Randy Haskins); Path= genrad!mit-eddie!rh
ir128@sdccs6.UUCP (06/11/84)
In medical school I saw only one true hermaphrodite, a child of about 4 years old. Diagnostic tests had confirmed ovaries and testes, but the latter were undecended and rudimentary. Because of the rarity of true hermaphrodites the literature is very scanty about the functioning of both sets of gonads. However, because of the hormonal complexity of spermatogensis and ovulation simultaneous production of viable sperm and ova appear to be TECHNICALLY impossible. (I took the original questions about masturbation-incest-etc to be about LOGICAL possibilities--philosophical questions about the meaning of the terms involved.)
gsa@proper.UUCP (George Acton) (06/14/84)
Most texts of general pathology, endocrinology and gynecology have
a chapter discussing this subject, and usually a little chart
showing the 8-10 different subtypes. Gender can relate to
chromosome count, sex of gonads, arrangement of internal
genital organs, arrangement of external genital organs and
endocrinologic factors like type of sex hormones circulatong
and the body's responses to them. Not to mention psychological
and social identification. There are several ways for these
sexual characteristics to get mixed up. Having functional
gonads for both sexes, is impossible, to the best of my
recollection. It is possible to have one ovary and one testis,
and if this is based on a chromosomal rearrangement after
conception, they would contain germ cells, but my impression
is that a level of circulating sex hormones that would support
reproductive ability for one sex would interfere with function
of the opposite-sex gonad to the extent that it would be
infertile.
--George Acton, MD