Reviewing the treatment of differences of sex development
The SNSF is providing funding for University Children's Hospital Zurich's scientific review of the treatment of children with differences of sex development (DSD children). They used to be called hermaphrodites and intersexuals. From the 1950s onwards, it was customary for children and newborns with no clear biological gender to be assigned their "true" gender as soon as possible by exploiting pharmacotherapy or by surgically operating on them. Many of those affected have experienced severe psychological and physical trauma as a result of their treatment. The University Children's Hospital in Zurich is currently conducting a historical review of medical therapeutic practice in this field in cooperation with the Chair of History of Medicine of the University of Zurich. The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) has approved the researchers' project application and has allocated half a million Swiss francs to the project. An interdisciplinary team headed by Professor Flurin Condrau, chair of medical history at the University of Zurich, Professor Rita Gobet, head of urology at the Children's Hospital and Jürg C. Streuli, paediatrician and ethicist at the Children's Hospital, will investigate the treatment of children with differences of sex development (DSD children) between 1945 and 1970.
