engleski

Hermaphrodism- myth, legend and diagnosis- an anthropological, ethnological and medical view

The world mythology abounds in marvelous characters and gods that have played an important role in the history of medicine. They are now the paradigms of a variety of genetic mutations, teratogenic effects, and pathologies. Among these mythological characters and symbols, hermaphrodites are widely known. Relying on the rich literature on the history of medicine, anthropology, and ethnology, this article investigates the historical perception of hermaphrodites across nations and cultures, establishes similarities in their perception of hermaphrodites and shows how medicine sought to proffer objective interpretation of these phenomena over time. In conclusion the article points out the existence of two cultural distinctive interpretations of hermaphrodism, that is, sacral and non-sacral, folkloristic. The latter sees a hermaphrodite as a monster or a freak. A number of African, North American, Asian and European nations celebrated their hermaphrodites as holy creatures beyond mortal reach. Hermaphrodites embodied the idea of the whole, of a self-sufficient being having the properties of either sex. This interpretation persisted in the iconography and symbolism of later societies, and we find it also in the Holy Bible. Many folk traditions drew from this interpretation of hermaphrodism. The case in point are a number of cults which seek to restore hermaphrodism as an ideal state of existence (Cult of Cybele, Tantrism, Yoga). In contrast, the African people sought to divide the two sexes from the original, inborn state of hermaphrodism. Hermaphrodites who continued to live in the folk outside the sacral realm were gradually isolated and finally extinguished. This induced through time the search for a medical explanation of this phenomenon. The paradox is that both interpretations would coexist in one nation in the same time. This article gives also a chronological review of historical medical figures who attempted to define sexes, sexuality, and hermaphrodism. There are a number of attempts to explain the origin of hermaphrodites throughout history from Titus Livy and Avicenna to Freud and Jung. In modern science hermaphrodism is defined as an abnormality in sex organ differentiation due to which a person may have both male and female sex organs. This cognition, however, has not impeded the history of medicine to continue the investigation of its historical role, seeking similarities and interpretations across cultures and ages.

hermaphrodism; androgyny; history of medicine; cultural sexology; medical sexology

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