On Hermaphroditism.

575. In order that the state of the question may be clear, perfect, imperfect, and improperly so-called hermaphroditism must be distinguished.

a. Hermaphrodites (Zwitter) are properly said to be human beings who share in the organs of both sexes and therefore in the work of generation can, at pleasure, act either as male or as female. It is certain today from the laws of physiology that such true and perfect hermaphrodites have never existed and can never exist; but it is ascertained that imperfect and improperly so-called hermaphrodites exist and have existed.

Therefore the doctrine of the ancients concerning hermaphrodites, which St. Alphonsus proposes from Busenbaum in this way: "If one sex predominates, matrimony will be valid according to that sex only; if both are equal, the option is given to them that they may use either, yet in such a way that whichever they have once chosen, they must always retain" - this doctrine, I say, must be held as antiquated.

b. Improperly so-called hermaphrodites are human beings of a determinate sex who nevertheless, besides their proper organs, are endowed with some one of the essential organs of the other sex, e.g., a male with a female ovary or uterus, a female with a male testicle. These indeed are not unfit for completing the work of generation.

c. Imperfect hermaphrodites (Scheinzwitter) are said to be human beings of doubtful sex, who are neither true males nor true females, since their sexual organs are so formed that they can be held as organs of either sex. These are ordinarily unfit for completing the work of generation, since in it they can act neither as male nor as female.² Human beings of this sort must be kept away from the clerical, priestly, or religious state.

¹ A hermaphrodite (Hermaphroditus) is said to be a human being who, born of Mercury (Hermes) and Venus (Aphrodite), shares in both sexes.

² Cf. A. Eschbach, Disputationes physiolog. theolog., 2nd ed., p. 53.