Concept in Definition ABC

When a man's genitals are partially or totally amputated, castration occurs. Castration is partial when the testicles are mutilated and is total when mutilation refers to the testicles and the penis. In some ancient cultural and social contexts the castrated person was a eunuch.

From the point of view of medical pathology there is eunuchism, which is the set of alterations physical disorders that eunuchs suffer from (hormonal and morphological alterations and in some cases problems mental).

A historical tour

In the mythology Greek the Amazons mutilated male genitalia when they no longer needed a man sexually. On the other hand, the figure of the eunuch appears frequently in the Bible (for example, Noah suffered the amputation of his sexual organs hands of his own son Cam).

Formerly in China, castration was used to punish certain crimes. At the same time, some men decided car-mutilate and become eunuchs in order to enter the service of the emperor (the eunuch was considered a faithful man and a good watchdog of women).

In the eastern harems the sultan had slave women with whom he could maintain intimate relationships. These women, known as odalisques, had to be closely watched and the eunuch was in charge of carrying out this function.

Some Christian currents have expressed their radical rejection of sexuality, which is valued as a sinful tendency. In this sense, in Russia the sect Skoptsy was made up of men who had decided to mutilate their genitals in order to renounce any sexual temptation.

Between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries there was a custom in Europe to castrate kids singers to keep their voices sharp. Those eunuch children are the castrati.

These singers were highly valued in courtly circles for their quality vocal. Curiously, the castratis were highly appreciated by the courtesans, because as men they were exotic and with them it was possible to have a sexual relationship without the risk of pregnancy.

The persecution of albinos on the African continent

In the present the figure of the eunuch does not exist with a social, religious or artistic function. However, male castration is still practiced in some African territories. This is what happens to albinos, who have their genitals mutilated for use in acts of witchcraft.

Photos: Fotolia - Olivier Le Moal - Morphart