From the sixteenth century to the eighteenth century, hermaphrodites were discussed and depicted in a range of artistic, mythological, scientific and erotic con

Kathleen Long analyzes works from a range of disciplines and domains, medical, alchemical, philosophical, poetic, and political, to explore the reasons for the

Punctuated with remarkable case studies, this book explores extraordinary encounters between hermaphrodites--people born with "ambiguous" sexual anatomy--and th

Early modern European thought held that men and women were essentially the same. During the seventeenth century, medical and legal arguments began to turn again

Using new inquisitorial sources, this study examines the complexities revolving around transgenderism and the construction of gender identity in the early moder