The term "intersexuality" was created, not the condition itself. Richard Goldschmidt coined the term in his 1917 paper, "Intersexuality and the endocrine aspect of sex."
Here's a breakdown of the terminology evolution:
- Before the term "intersex" was widely adopted, the term "hermaphrodite" was used.
- In the 1940s, British specialist Cawadias suggested replacing "hermaphrodite" with "intersex."
Therefore, while Richard Goldschmidt created the term "intersexuality," he did not create the biological reality of intersex variations. Intersex variations have existed throughout human history and in other species as naturally occurring variations in sex characteristics. He simply provided a new way to describe it.
