Doubtful Reproduction and the Medicolegal Regulation of Intersex Bodies

Key Points

• To explore how eighteenth-century cultural texts engage with the reproduction of intersex bodies and the implications of medicolegal views.
• Analysis of historical cultural texts including legal documents and memoirs.
• Examination of medical treatises focused on intersex individuals.
• Interpretive reading of queer and intersex literary characters.
• Medical treatises often portray intersex individuals negatively, focusing on nonreproductive aspects.
• Literary representations highlight moments of hope and future possibilities for intersex characters.
• Cultural texts reflect societal concerns around reproduction and gender identity in the eighteenth century.