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From: ir128@sdccs6.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.religion,net.social,net.philosophy,net.bio
Subject: Re: Questions on hermaphroditism
Message-ID: <1547@sdccs6.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 11-Jun-84 06:34:55 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdccs6.1547
Posted: Mon Jun 11 06:34:55 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 12-Jun-84 00:38:40 EDT
References: <532@ihuxj.UUCP> <772@bbncca.ARPA>, <2084@mit-eddie.UUCP>
Organization: U.C. San Diego, Computer Center
Lines: 16

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.)