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Changes in Sex Not Unusual; Many Keep Secret, Doctors Say By Alton Blakeslee Associated Press Science Editor DENVER, Dec. 6.—The Ameri can ex-GI who changed in sex from man to woman does not walk alone in the mysteryland of human sex. There are perhaps thousands of Americans living in doubt or (Editor's Note: An astonishing story was the disclosure in New York and Copenhagen this week that an American ex-GI had undergone medical and sur gical treatments to change into a girl.; Alton Blakeslee, covering the American Medical Association convention in Den ver, interviewed medical and urologist specialists for this interesting story.) ignorance about their true sex. Some are men who really are women. Some are women who really are men. Some are living contented lives, often in marriage. Others live in a hell of mental torture and doubt and fear. Actually, all humans begin life with double sex. Very early, be fore we are born, we become either clearly male or female. But sometimes the mysterious controls over sex go awry, and a baby is bora who sexually is part male, part female; These are called pseudo - hermaphrodites. Very rarely, individuals are born who are "true hermaphrodies.” possessing the external and in ternal organs of both sexes. One medical specialist. Dr. El mer Hess of Erie, Pa., estimates there are 2,000 to 3,009 pseudo hermaphrodites—on the borderline in sex—in this country. A famous urologist, the late Dr. Hugh Young of Baltimore, once said perhaps one in every 1,000 persons is born a pseudo-herma phrodits. If that statistic is cor rect, some 150,000 Americans started life with doubt or error over their true sex. Some take action early to have the question decided. Others may not act for years, perhaps not until doubts arise. Today in Copenhagen, golden haired Christine Jorgensen, 26, is living a new life as a woman. Only two years ago she was George Jor gensen. jr.. a soldier serving at Fort Dix, N. J. Medical and surgical treatments brought her transformation to a woman, correcting what Miss Jor gensen called a mistake by nature. Case of Scottish Doctor. A few months ago, in Aberdeen, Scotland, Dr. Ewan Forbes-Semp hill announced his change to liv ing as a man, after 40 years of being a woman—Dr. Elizabeth Forbes-Semphill. He married his housekeeper. In New Jersey a few years ago, a 33-year-old woman, a success in business, became a man. She was found to be predominatly male in sex. and by surgery was changed to live as a man. It is rare for news of these changes to become public. Patients often keep it a secret, and take up a new life in another city. Many persons with the border line sex never consult doctors. They even can be unaware that there is anything unusual—they 6imply accept the verdict—given at birth—that they were boy or girl. Sometimes, parents fail toj tell their child when a doctor has told the parents the child is partly o.f both sexes, said Dr. Hess, who is Immediate past president of the American Urological Association. In 45 years’ practice. Dr. Hess has treated about 30 pseudo hermaphrodites. Another doctor in 20 years said he has seen only one. 1 / j^?^ MY FAVOWTE GIFT j ! MIRACLE I SEWING I MACHINE I | ILNAS MIRACLE OPEN | ty ARM. Dorn socks—sews £ 2 closed cuffs, armholes . . . a 2 oil hard-to-reach places os £ easily cs flat surfaced. f £ STHE machine that does all family darning and mend* I iny . . . Save on the machine that pay* for itself » many times over! ELNA does more, does it easier. Foil | size sewing surface gives you plenty of room for comfort* 5 able sewing. You actually rest while you work! , » Virtually vibration free ... built to last a lifetime! With £ distributors in SS countries, ELNA has world-wide facili- S ties for servicing and parts replacement! S PNONE for FREE HOME DEMOHSTRATIOM SMALL DOWN PAYMENT, EASY TERMS j Abbatt's SEWING MACHINE CENTERS 523 1 nil, of F St. N.W. 1229 H St. N.E. 0,,» M«n. ... Th.ra. 1... 'TO • tan Frl. A Sal. 'TO 0 ME. 8-6858 U. 3-5511 I a third doctor only one in 35 years. The double-sex conditions traces way back into human histoi-y. The name hermaphrodite comes from Greek mythology. The gods Aphro dite and Hermes had an extraor dinary child, endowed with at tributes of both mother and father. Unable to tell the sex, they combined their names, calling the child Hermaphrodite. There are other legends. Some times the hermaphrodite was considered a God. The early Ro mans felt the double-sexed per sons were bad luck, and sentenced them to death. The mystery of double-sex is tied in with the mystery of human reproduction. The baby from a single egg of his mother, after it is united with a sperm cell from his father. In the first weeks of his growth, the unborn baby or embryo shows no sign of becoming either male or female. There is a complete system of ducts to make the baby male, another complete system to make it female. But then one system withers, and the other develops and pre dominates. This choice apparent ly is determined by genes and by the gonads or sex glands. In the male, the gonads are the testes, which make the sperms for new life. In the female, the gonads are the ovaries, the storehouses of eggs for new life. All Are Bi-Sexual. In reality, all humans. remain somewhat bi-sexual. The male has some vestigial female sex organs, the female some vestigial male organs. Both men and women produce both male and fe male sex hormones. The male has a preponderance of male hor mones, the female of female hor mones. In the early de\ elopment of the unborn baby, things can go wrong so there is no clear-cut prepon derance to make the baby clearly a male or a female. The child may have organs of both sexes. The true hermaphrodite has a complete set of both organs, in ternal and external ones. But in stead of two gonads or glands of one sex, he has one of each—one testis and one ovary. There are only about 20-odd proven cases in the world of such complete sex mix-up. Reviewing them once. Dr. Young said the emotions and sexual interest of these people almost always de pended upon whether they had been reared as boy or girl. One true hermaphrodite was i said to have had sex relations with | both sexes. Far more common is the pseu do-hermaphrodite. This person j has the sex glands of only one sex. | That is, the two male glands, the testes which may be hidden or : only partly formed, or the two female glands, the ovaries. Compromise Development. But the external organs are neither completely one way or the other. The development can be ; a compromise. Secondary sex characteristics, such as face hair i or breasts or body contours, may j be those of the opposite sex. Whether such a person is truly male or female depends upon whether he has male sex glands or female. Sometimes an explor atory operation is needed to learn this. The pseudo-hermaphrodite is usually really a male. Dr. Hess said. The external organs may greatly 'resemble those of a; woman. And the person who is really a' female may have some external < appearances of a man. Surgery can correct this con dition, in either way. So a person reared as a girl can be changed to be a man. Often the man is able to marry and have a satisfactory married life. He may be able to become a father. If the glands are really those of a female, the surgery can change the "boy” or puzzled girl l , into a true female. It is very unlikely that such a woman could! have a baby. Dr. Hess said. Much depends upon the degree of mixed sex. There are many j degrees of it. Unusual Cases Told. A book by Dr. Young tells of some unusual cases. One was declared a girl at birth 1 , and dressed as a girl. She was attracted to girls, made love satis factorily to girls. Despite this, she married, and lived satisfac- 1 torily with her husband, though deriving no pleasure herself from; sex relations with him. Christmas Gift Survey Proves Most Folks Whnt Ronsons! •Yes, in an independent, nationwide lighter survey, 77% of JLk Ah, what bliss to KNOW that the gift you give it the gift they 3g||r l||||L want! Yes, almost everybody wants a Ronton. And little wonder! Every Ronson is a gem of design, made with jewelers’ lllr precision. Styles for women, (left) ...styles for men, (right.) And be sure you give a Ronson. You want your gift to be the real thing, and not some feeble imitation. _ In «ilver-grey glow enamel, with monogram shield. from only $6.95 cartridge. /w Satin and pol- j jr* Cpjjgf 2J0 Om ' SON CROWN §■ fig A Writes, 'hromium a w&R'wpßßm 4 tONSOM AOOMS | r Satin and polished chro- . from SIO9S / mium plawr, engine* I Lighter, matching Urn and Tray /-Ts. Pr»»t, if» lit! Re/eese, ift outl ; T# SV*M iBNtatiSRS, Ml fST tWS RUM N tfcl light ST I STESTSS kONSON = WORLD'S 6ICATIST LIGHTER soason. mcwajm. ■-1.. Tononro. o*rr» leaeoe. sue. When doctors discovered that “she” was really a man, she re fused surgery to make her more completely a man. If she did be jeome a man, she said, she would raave to leave her husband and Igo to work. Another person changed from boy to girl, then back to male. One true hermaphrodite was a young man, an athlete, who was discovered to have the internal organs of a woman and the ex , ternal organs of a man. except for one gonad (testis). The internal organs were removed, along with .other surgery. Some years later : he was happily married. ; In another case, a young girl had confusing signs of being boy or girl. Her male-like organs were I removed, leaving her with female organs for life as a woman. Dr. Hess tells of an 18-year-old igirl who was changed to boy by six surgical operations. One mother, he said, became angry and refused to have "daughter” changed fully to a boy, which he actually was. A woman of 40, told that she: was really a man, also refused; surgery, preferring not to revamp! Boy-Turned-Girl Rejects Fabulous Show Offers By the Auociatad Frau COPENHAGEN. Denmark. Dec. j 6.—Showmen in the United Btates | and Europe have showered fabu lous contract offers on Christine ! Jorgensen, the Bronx boy-tumed • girl. She said today she is turn ing them all down. Christine, 26, is convalescing at Copenhagen’s Rigs (State) Hos pital from a series of operations that changed her sex. Most offers probably will remain unanswered, Christine indicated. She said the only thing she wants is to be left alone. her life as a woman and wife. Some persons suffer from a dif ferent type of condition. They are completely male, in every way, but may become feminized by too much female sex hormone. This is often seen in men who are receiving female hormones as treatment for cancer of the pros tate gland. They even develop breasts which lactate, or yield fluid. Women sometimes show mascu linizing effects, such as face hair and other changes, from large doses of male hormone. The same Accord on River Dwellers An agreement reached by five European countries now provides social security and medical care to the 45,000 persons living abroad the 7,700 freighters, passenger ships and other craft on the Rhine River. 'Socrates' Died in 1786 BERLIN.—Moses Mendelssohn. German Jewish philosopher, was known as “the German Socrates.” He was born in 1729 and died in 1786. Felix Mendelssohn, the wed ding-march composer, was his grandson. virilizing changes may come from hormone upsets due to tumors of the adrenal glands or of the ovaries. These changes revert to normal when the tumor is re moved. For those bom with doubtful sex, much can be done by surgery and other treatments. It is important, says Dr. Hess, for the doctor attending a birth to make sure of the real sex of the child. If there is doubt, measures can be taken early in life to prevent much heartache about borderline sex. THE SUNDAY STAR, Washington, D. C. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1982 Shop Monday till 9 P.M. Monday Hours 12:30 to 9 P.M. ♦ 7th, Bth AND C STREETS N.W.-NA. 8-9806 in Festive Print SwibH^Wfe/i, Whisks you fashionably through the holiday season! - 8 95 & Colorful, slim lined with % push- \wy|£/y/ up sleeves, a collar that turns up or lies flat and on-in-a-jiffy xipper. IwlFm | Smooth acetate rayon jersey that j \\\ I 111 tt washes easily and needs little iron- I I |f|| jl ing. Black, navy, brown or grey I | /If ill print. Sixes 12 to 20, 14 Vi to 22 Vi. / i ij/fll \ Latuburgh’t—DAYTlME FROCKS, Third Floor Phone NAtionol 8-9800 anytime, or mail this coupon: Dept. M, 7th, Bth and E Sts. N.W. Washington, D. C. Pitas# sand mt Hit following Shelton Strollers at 8.95 j Quantity | Six# j Color | Second Color I ' ~ I I. I . ~ j i i 1 I 1 I ' "I I I ’ I I I 1 I NAME ADDRESS CITY " . v . STATE ZONE □ Charge □ M.O. □ C.O.D. □ Check Please add 2% sales tax where opplkoble. A-25