Title: USRF - The Voice of the Castrato
Headings: The Voice of the Castrato
The Voice of the Castrato
Effect of testicular secretion on laryngeal development
Effect of castration on the male voice
Physical appearance of the castrati
The rise of the castrati
The making of a castrato
The great castrati
The decline of the castrati
References

Content: USRF - The Voice of the Castrato
The Voice of the Castrato
J S Jenkins. Lancet 1998; 351: pp. 1877-80. The deliberate induction of male hypogonadism by castration was practised from ancient times for various reasons. The Bible (Matthew 19, 12) states "there are eunuchs which were made eunuchs by men: and there are eunuchs which made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake". The latter reference to the desirability of celibacy and chastity was taken only too literally by some early theologians (eg, Origen, c185-254), who castrated themselves for their religious beliefs. In countries of the Middle East and Far East it was most often done to provide eunuchs as guardians of the harems, and the practice persisted until the present century;