Dr. Reis will explore the changing definitions and perceptions of alleged hermaphrodites (a term used historically) from the colonial period to the mid-twentieth century, when so-called corrective genital surgery became routine in this country. As the history of responses to intersex bodies has shown, doctors have been and continue to be influenced by the worries and anxieties of the larger society, particularly concerning marriage and homosexuality, thereby rendering any medical management a cultural, rather than simply a scientific, endeavor.