Title: Castration - Wikipedia
Headings: Castration
Castration
Contents
History
Africa and the Middle East
Europe
Myth
Slavery
Punishment
Modern era
China
Non-Han peoples
Korea
Vietnam
Americas
Iran
Modern trafficking
Prevention of crime
Criticism
Music
Religion
Hinduism
Christianity
Judaism
Islam
Others
Medical consequences
Psychoanalysis and literary theory
Chemical castration
Animals
See also
References
Bibliography
External links

Content: Surgical castration is bilateral orchiectomy (excision of both testicles), and chemical castration uses pharmaceutical drugs to deactivate the testes. Castration causes sterilization (preventing the castrated person or animal from reproducing ); it also greatly reduces the production of certain hormones, such as testosterone. Surgical castration in animals is often called neutering . A medical illustration by Sharaf ad-Din depicting an operation for castration, c. 1466
The term castration is sometimes also used to refer to the removal of the ovaries in the female, otherwise known as an oophorectomy, or the removal of internal testes, otherwise known as gonadectomy. The equivalent of castration for female animals is spaying. Estrogen levels drop following oophorectomy, and long-term effects of the reduction of sex hormones are significant throughout the body. Castration of animals is intended to favor a desired development of the animal or of its habits, as an anaphrodisiac or to prevent overpopulation. As above, see neutering for more information on castration of animals. The term castration may also be sometimes used to refer to emasculation where both the testicles and the penis are removed together.