during the consulship of Messalus and C.
Lucinius was condemned to death, as well as was the one born at Luna
during the consulship of L. Matellus and Q. Fabius Maximus. Debierre
states that in the reign of Nero this barbarous custom was discontinued,
as this emperor admired these freaks of nature from their novelty, as it
is related that his chariot was drawn by four hermaphroditic horses.[44]

In connection with hermaphrodism it has been shown that the males who
have been supposed to be so malformed were really, in most instances,
but cases of hypospadias. It may not be uninteresting to observe that,
while during nearly four thousand years circumcision has been practiced
without the habit or condition ever having become transmissible or
hereditary, hypospadias has shown a decided tendency to being
transmitted. In Virchow's _Archives_, Lesser reports having treated
eight subjects during one generation in a family.[45] Fodere records the
case of hypospadias reported by Schweikard, in a person of forty-nine
years of age, whose urethral orifice was near the junction of the penis
and scrotum, but who, nevertheless, had three fine children. The same
author records the remarkable case reported by Hunter to the Royal
Society of London, also so deformed, who successfully impregnated his
wife by receiving the spermatic fluid in a warm spoon and immediately
injecting it into the vagina.[46] Another interesting case is taken from
_L'Union Medicale_ of August 26, 1856. It instances both the heredity
connected with hypospadias and the peculiar circumstances under which
impregnation at times takes place; it is reported by Dr. Trexel, of
Kremsier, and is as follows: "On April 1, 1856, a newborn infant was
brought to Dr. Trexel, that he might determine its sex. The father and
mother were servants of a peasant. On an examination of the alleged
father, he was found to have all the external characters of a male; the
urethra, which was rather shorter than ordinary, but of large size, was
imperforate; the scrotum was divided into two pouches, each containing a
testicle. The apposed surfaces of the scrotal pouches were covered with
a red skin, and the division extended through their entire length. At
the root of the penis, in the anterior angle of these pouches, was an
opening of the size of a lentil; this was the orifice of the urethra.
The lower surface of the penis was grooved from the above-mentioned
orifice to the end of the glans. Ther