Part 6

Now since he absolutely declares, they who think thus are without Reason, it follows that Lemnius had no right to quote him, for the only Opinion he dislikes, of those contained in the whole Chapter; but to whomsoever the Opinion belongs, there is a Necessity for the following Animadversions upon it.

If a limited Time was necessary thus for the procreating of the different Sexes, as, that for the first five Days after the Cessation of the menstrual Discharge, Males only are begotten, it should have been universally known by Experience long ago, since the Opinion was as early as Avicenna; and none of those that we daily see very anxious for Male Heirs, would ever want them, if their Consorts were breeding Women, and this the Case. 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 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.

‘Yet, notwithstanding Avicenna (says Lemnius) does not account for this Doctrine, I will endeavour to reason upon it, and support it;’ which is an Evidence that he was so fond of it, that besides laying it down as the Opinion of the former, in order to gain the more Credit for the Notion, he runs into an anatomical Way of enlarging on it; the bare Recital of which, without the least Animadversion on it, will be sufficient to shew every judicious Reader, how Errors beget Errors, and may successively do so, to the End of time, whilst an implicit Credit is given to Mysteries of this kind.

‘For at first, when the Uterus is cleansed by the Expurgation of the Humours, it acquires greater Heat, whereby the Semen Virile mixes the more powerfully with that of the Female, and is directed into the right Sinus of the Uterus, by the attractive Force of the Liver and right Kidney, from whence also, in these first Days, warm Blood is derived, to the Nutrition of the future Fœtus: Nor can the Parts on the left Side, being then cold, and void of Blood, immediately after the menstrual Discharge, contribute any thing; but Blood is by degrees drawn from the emulgent Veins of the left Side, which go into the Spleen and Kidney, so that, from the fifth to the eighth Day, some Blood flows from them, whereby the Fœtus is to be nourished; thus a Female is formed when these Parts compass their Strength, or are esteem’d as those of the Right out of their Situation, and also on Account of the Coldness of the Aliment. After the eighth Day, the Parts on the Right-side take the Office of preparing the Blood, which again begins to flow freely from them for the Growth of a Male.

‘After this Number of Days, because the menstrual Blood flows promiscuously, and the Matrix becomes too moist by the Afflux of cold Humours, and the Blood not being determin’d to either Part, but fluctuating in the middle of the Uterus, the Semina being there confus’d together produce an Hermaphrodite; which, when conceiv’d, receives Strength and Form sometimes from the right and sometimes from the left Sinus, enjoying the Efforts of both; Hence Androgyni or Hermaphrodites spring up.’

Tho’ Lemnius has made so large a Comment upon that Sentence, which he would have us take for Avicenna’s Opinion, he is fond of giving another Opinion of his own, which he supposes to account for Hermaphroditism, and that is, any unusual or indecent Execution of the Coition.

‘Sometimes this infamous Conception is form’d from an indecent and unusual Copulation, as when the Man is supine, and the Woman prone in the Act, &c.’

That this cannot be the Cause of Hermaphrodites is evident from this short Reflection, viz. That since the Fœcundation of the Ovum which contains the Fœtus, depends upon something immitted from the Penis, I believe it matters not in what manner that Ceremony is perform’d, provided that End is answer’d; and therefore Fœcundation cannot be alter’d, nor the Seminium changed, by any Variety in the Position of the two Sexes whatsoever, during the Act of Generation; for the Effect of the fœcundating Juice will be always the same upon the Ovum howsoever it is injected.

Dominicus Terrelius imagines, the Cause to be in the Position of the Female, immediately after the Coitus.

‘After a Woman has receiv’d the Semen Virile into the Uterus, care must be had of the Position of her Body; which ought not to be supine, because then the Semen, remaining in the middle of the Uterus, does not become either a Male or Female absolutely, but both together which is call’d an Hermaphrodite.’

And tho’ this Author does not seem to think of a Number of Cells in the Uterus, yet according to his Notion for this Doctrine, he supposes Nourishment is drawn from each side of the Uterus to the Center, where he says the Semen is lodg’d, and being somewhat different, as to their Heat and Cold, the Mixture of these two kinds of Nourishment causes a promiscuous Sex; which he compares to certain Women of Tuscany call’d Lunenses, who, says he, being careless of their Position after the Reception of the seminal Matter in Coitu, brought forth many Hermaphrodites from time to time.

Now, that the Semen should lodge in the Middle of the Uterus, and not in the rest of its Cavity, is very strange, since there is but one Cavity, and no manner of Partition to confine it in one part more than another; and as to the Capacity of the Cavity of the Uterus, it is known to be very small, insomuch that if we may suppose any of that Matter passes into it, it is impossible but the whole must be fill’d, considering the Quantity of that Fluid that is generally injected at such Times.

But how ridiculous a Notion must it be, that in so small a thing as the Uterus, when empty, a hot nutritious Juice should occupy one side, and a cold one the other; besides, if it were incumbent on Women, after Coition, to place themselves in a certain Position, for fear of having monstrous Children, there would certainly be great danger of the Produce of many; for we may be confident no such Care is taken at those times, by any Woman whatsoever.

Empedocles thinks, that in the Formation of Hermaphrodites, the Parts of the different Sexes are drawn from the Parents in the Coitus; that is, those of the Male from the Male Parent, and those of the Female from the contrary Sex that begets them. These two Sexes, join’d in one Fœtus, constitute the double Sex, and an Hermaphrodite is form’d. His Words according to Caspar Bauhin are,

Αλλὰ διέσπασται μελέων φύσις, ἡ μὲν ἐν ανδρος, ἡ δ’ ἐν γυναικος,——

If we must, from this Opinion, suppose, that no Particle in the Semen Virile can contain any thing that might contribute to the Formation of a female Part of Generation, nor in the Semen Muliebre to that of the Parts of the Male; 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 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. Or else, that if the Females should have no such Matter, as is call’d Seminal, that of the Males would always produce a Male by virtue of theirs alone, when injected into the Female.

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 be begotten, and Generation must drop by Degrees.

The Opinion of Parmenides, an ancient Greek Author, appears in the following Lines, translated by Cælius Siciensis, from his Book which he wrote of Nature, concerning Hermaphrodites being produced.

‘When the Semina of a Man and Woman are mixed together, the forming Virtue, preserving a due Moderation and Temperature, will produce Bodies properly made; for if there be an Opposition of the said Virtue in the mingled Semen, she unhappily implants in the Fœtus a double Sex.’

Here is the Vis Informans accused of Opposition or Neglect in resisting, or letting the Semina go on their own way in the Formation of the Fœtus, which is much the same with Constant. Africanus’s Accusation of Forgetfulness or Impediment; and therefore what is said under that Author, will suffice for the rendering this Opinion also of little Worth.

The Principles laid down by Averroës are no less particular than others just mentioned; he says, The Semen Muliebre abounds with, or is constituted of, Particles adapted to the Nature of every Member in the Body, and in order to account for a Superfluity of Members in a Body, he draws this Conclusion from thence; that if the seminal Matter in a Female is more than is necessary for the Formation of one Child, and less than will make two, the superfluous Part will form superfluous Limbs to the one Child, according to the Nature of the Particles it contains; that is, if it consists of Particles fit for the Head, there will be two Heads, and so of the Hands, Feet, &c. and then he adds, ‘The Cause is much the same, when the Parts of Generation of both Sexes exist in any Person.’ And that on the other Hand, if their be a Deficiency of the seminal Matter, some Limb or other must be wanting.

If this be thought a just Hypothesis, then we cannot but suppose, there is a great and most miserable Restraint upon the whole animal Part of the Creation; for if it be absolutely necessary that such a certain Quantity (and no more, nor less) is to be expended on the compleating of a proportionable Fœtus, I am of Opinion that not one third of the Animals of the World would escape being Monsters; and the Art and Business of Physicians would be more requisitely employed in ordering Regimens, and Calculations towards the fixing the Sustenance and other Non-naturals, in such Proportion to every Animal, as should produce in each an exact limited Quantity of seminal Matter, than in curing Diseases.

But besides adjusting the necessary Quantity of such seminal Matter, it would be no less difficult to calculate a Proportion of Particles for each Part, since our Author makes some Head-Particles, some for the Feet, and so of the rest; least, tho’ the Quantity in the whole may be just enough, yet, the Head Particles, for example, might be too many, when there might at the same time be less of any other Part; so that according to this Notion, a Child might be begotten with a Head and half, and but half a Foot.

But Gorræus differs from Averroës, as Liebaultius relates, who would not place the Cause of Hermaphrodites in the whole seminal Mass, but only in those Parts of it that are chiefly concern’d in contributing to the Formation of the Parts of Generation of both Sexes; and therefore, so general a mistake is not to be ascribed to him, as to the former, tho’ his Supposition is altogether as ill grounded.

Peucerus comes into a Class with Averroës, but tacks some little Addition to the Doctrine of the latter, of a Superabundance, or Scarcity in any Parts of the Semen, their producing a Superfluity or want of any of the Members of the Body; he says,

‘If for making two Bodies the Matter is deficient, but is too much for one, the Vis Plastica forms more Limbs than are natural.’ A little after he adds,

‘In this Manner Hermaphrodites and Androgyni are begotten, who have the Parts of both Sexes; although one of them may be weaker and of less Efficacy than the other, and sometimes it happens that one may be changed or quite abolish’d.’

This Opinion in general is pretty near that of the former Author; but when he says, that one of the Sexes in an Hermaphrodite may be changed, or quite destroyed, it is somewhat obscure, and difficult to reconcile to the first Part of his Opinion; for first, he says, pursuant to the same Cause, of the Redundancy of such and such Matter, Hermaphrodites arise, ‘quibus sexus utriusque membra insunt,’ and then, altho’ one of the Sexes may be weaker and of no Efficacy; nay, sometimes one may be changed or quite abolish’d. Indeed when he says, that one of the Sexes in an Hermaphrodite is of no Efficacy, he is right; for our reputed Androgyni, which are the Macroclitorideæ, have one of theirs so, which is the Clitoris; and consequently ought to be deny’d the Character of an Hermaphrodite; but when he says, one of the Sexes is chang’d, he can, with less right, call them Hermaphrodites. If one be changed, it must be to some other Sex; and as there are but two, then there must be a double Male or female Sex, upon the Alteration, and all this, after they have become of this double Nature, according to the Cause in the first Part of his Opinion; for a Change is consequent to the former State of the thing changed. But, in fine, when one Sex is abolish’d, there ought to remain but a perfect Man, or Woman; how therefore can this most unaccountable Variety be said to proceed from a Redundancy of Particles of any kind whatsoever.