Today, when most people hear the word ‘eunuch’, their first associations are with weakness, sexual impotence, inadequacy as a man, etc. That has definitely not been the case throughout history. To judge by the alarmed reaction to the very word, you’d never think that castration was once a popular practice. But it was: for centuries men had themselves voluntarily castrated, for a whole variety of motives. The eunuch, originally imported as a slave, gradually transcended his image of bondage. Eunuchs were considered to be very loyal: after all, they had had no other family than their master, they had been abducted from parents and homeland and could not father any descendants of their own. In general eunuchs proved extremely faithful and devoted, but there were many potential rewards for their servitude. Eunuchs worked as opera singers, choristers, generals, theologians, philosophers, chamberlains, prophets, harem guards, tutors to imperial children, tax inspectors — the list is endless. In this way they served imperial families, the aristocracy and religious institutions and were certainly neither puny nor pathetic.
Archaeologists believe that the castration of animals began in around 4500-4000 bc. Animal husbandry, which had begun with sheep, pigs and goats, was extended to cattle. Bulls were not only an important source of meat, but also provided muscle power for pulling ploughs and carts. The only problem was that bulls could not be kept together. The magic solution turned out to be castration, and the ox was born. Increased manageability was a motive for the castration of many domesticated animals. Castration of tomcats prevented them from spraying urine all over the house and also had a calming effect on their behaviour.
No so long ago, in order to help dogs deal better with the psychological effects of their castration, an American company (cti Corporation, Bruckner, Missouri), brought out a product called Neuticles: testes prosthetics for dogs. The manufacturer stressed that with this product a dog would look just the same after the operation as before, while the animal would feel the same and wouldn’t really know that it had been castrated. Bumper stickers carrying the slogan ‘I love Neuticles’ were printed for the cars of proud dog-owners! In the case of a number of domesticated species of animal special names were devised for castrated individuals: a stallion or a male donkey became a gelding, a boar (male pig) a barrow, a ram a wether and a cock a capon. As has been said, primitive man soon realized that castration of his animals could prove beneficial. It made animals easier to fatten and easier to handle. Castrated animals usually abandoned their normal behaviour: geldings proved more suitable for riding and driving, capon meat was more plentiful and juicier, and schnitzels made from barrows were tastier. Over the centuries oxen were used less and less as draught animals, but because oxen store more fat in their muscle tissue, castration remained in vogue, since once slaughtered they provided better beef.
Nowadays male piglets are castrated when they are two weeks old. Before then the piglets are too young to survive the procedure, and if one waits too long, only a vet can carry out the castration. The set of forceps used for the castration is called an emasculator. With calves and lambs the seminal cords may be severed using a so-called burdizzo up to the age of two months — all without anaesthetic.
The term castration is probably derived from the Latin castor, beaver, since the latter is said to bite off its own testicles when in danger. It was as if beavers were surrendering their castoreum, and so saving their lives. By the middle of the nineteenth century the beaver had been all but wiped out in Europe because of the castoreum secreted by their anal glands, which commanded extraordinarily high prices. It was used to treat not only impotence, but toothache and heart problems, and it was also smeared on beehives to increase the honey yield.
Gary Taylor has written an amusing history of castration (Castration: An Abbreviated History of Western Manhood), based on religion, biology, anthropology, etc. One can forgive Taylor for becoming slightly ponderous when he tries to situate castration theoretically, but having read his book, one thinks: all things considered, the balls on the Christmas tree are the ultimate symbol of the international annexation of pagan ideas by Christians.
The human fear of castration is very deep-seated, more so than most people think. In Greek mythology it is referred to a number of times, for example in the story of Uranus and Melampus. The noble parts of Uranus, having been thrown into the sea, brought forth Venus, and
Melampus was later involved in curing a prince (Iphiclus) who suffered from impotence and was unable to father children — an affliction also caused by castration anxiety.