Is the brain a part of the body?

Quote: Face

I want the "something else".

I will post something else around Saturday or Sunday.

Just don't expect too much.

Quote: Nareed

Just don't expect too much.

And you didn't get much ;)

The weekend got messed up two ways <sigh>. I'll post as soon as I get the time.

How ever will we cope?

Quote: TheCesspit

How ever will we cope?

There are any number of ways. I suggest "stoically." It's much more dignified ;)

I left this hanging because I didn't know quite how to make the argument. I still don't. Circumstances compel me to make it anyway.

I've said before biology and biological systems are messy. By this I mean two things: 1) diverse functions can be combined, and 2) there is much overlap between the forms of a single species.

The first point is easy to explain. Simply consider that the systems for eating, breathing, reproducing and excreting are all interconnected in some places. IN fact, excretion is part of the digestive system. Want more? Sure, when you have a runny nose, a large part of what ends up caught in a tissue is made up of tears. When you cough and expel something, that came from your lungs. I could go on, but I think it's clear the extent to which we, and all other species visible to the naked eye, are "messed up."

The second point is more difficult and requires more explanation. If we confine ourselves to the "higher" vertebrates, meaning birds and mammals, we see two basic forms per species, namely male and female. This is called dimorphism, and varies much between species. For example, a male gorilla is twice as big, on average, as a female. A male lion is not only bigger than a female, but also has a mane. When it comes to humans, the dimorphism is considered slight or moderate. Even though women are shorter and smaller than men, it isn't a very big difference.

Anyway, point two is there is much overlap between the forms. The obvious example is nipples on men. What you may not know is that men not only have nipples, they also have milk glands. Only these don't normally develop. But expose a man to estrogens, and he will grow breasts. Also, and this isn't well-known, trauma to a man's breast might induce the milk glands to grow. Add prolactin, and he will lactate, too. Lastly, men can develop breast cancer, though this is very rare.

There is more. Ovaries and testicles develop from the same basic structure, in response to both genes and hormones. The sexual organs are remarkably similar in function, but not in form.

Finally the male and female brain have a few but distinct anatomical differences. This does not mean that one is superior to the other, although some skills and/or talents are more prevalent in one gender than the other; sometimes in large degrees, sometimes not. The anatomical differences are not only few, they are tiny. A few cells arranged one way, slightly more neurons here or there, things like that. but they are crucial.

The few studies made on transgender men and women show anomalies in some of these structures as compared to the "genital" gender. That is to say, a transgender woman has a structure X in her brain that is about halfway between that of a man and a woman, rather than having one within the range of a man given her genital structures. In Transgender men, some these structures are within the range of what you'd expect for men.

These studies are few and the results are not well understood as yet. There hasn't been much research in this area, after all. But they indicate a rather conclusive, concrete anatomical difference in the brain as regards gender. Other studies, with more subjects and better understanding of the results, say outright that personality, character, temperament and intelligence, among other things, have a lot to do with the brain.

So I ask again; is the brain a part of the body?

If it is, then how can anyone claim gender is determined solely by genitals?

Quote: Nareed

So I ask again; is the brain a part of the body? If it is, then how can anyone claim gender is determined solely by genitals?

Yes it is a vital part of the body; but no one, absolutely no one, claims sex is determined solely by genitals.

Consider an arrest in Los Angeles: there is no Intersex Jail. There is a Mens Jail and a Womens Jail. Thats it. The rule is that no matter what the arrestee prefers or views himself as: it there is a penis "it" goes to the mens jail; if there is a vagina it goes to the womens jail.

This is a policy of short term administrative convenience. It does not comply with UN Intersex Recognition rules. It does not have to.