s appear blurred and thus the sexual distinction is made
difficult, especially on an anatomical basis. The genitals of such
persons unite the male and female characteristics (hermaphroditism). In
rare cases both parts of the sexual apparatus are well developed (true
hermaphroditism), but usually both are stunted.[9]

The importance of these abnormalities lies in the fact that they
unexpectedly facilitate the understanding of the normal formation. A
certain degree of anatomical hermaphroditism really belongs to the
normal. In no normally formed male or female are traces of the apparatus
of the other sex lacking; these either continue functionless as
rudimentary organs, or they are transformed for the purpose of assuming
other functions.

The conception which we gather from this long known anatomical fact is
the original predisposition to bisexuality, which in the course of
development has changed to monosexuality, leaving slight remnants of the
stunted sex.

It was natural to transfer this conception to the psychic sphere and to
conceive the inversion in its aberrations as an expression of psychic
hermaphroditism. In order to bring the question to a decision, it was
only necessary to have one other circumstance, viz., a regular
concurrence of the inversion with the psychic and somatic signs of
hermaphroditism.

But this second expectation was not realized. The relations between the
assumed psychical and the demonstrable anatomical androgyny should never
be conceived as being so close. There is frequently found in the
inverted a diminution of the sexual impulse (H. Ellis) and a slight
anatomical stunting of the organs. This, however, is found frequently
but by no means regularly or preponderately. Thus we must recognize that
inversion and somatic hermaphroditism are totally independent of each
other.

Great importance has also been attached to the so-called secondary and
tertiary sex characters and their aggregate occurrence in the inverted
has been emphasized (H. Ellis). There is much truth in this but it
should not be forgotten that the secondary and tertiary sex
characteristics very frequently manifest themselves in the other sex,
thus indicating androgyny without, however, involving changes in the
sexual object in the sense of an inversion.

Psychic hermaphroditism would gain in substantiality if parallel with
the inversion of the sexual object there should be at least a change in
the other psychic qualities,