Title: Unmanned: An Unnatural History of Human Castration | Psychology Today
Headings: Unmanned: An Unnatural History of Human Castration
Robert D. Martin Ph.D.
Unmanned: An Unnatural History of Human Castration
From unkindest cut to soaring songs of praise.
Effects of castration
Skeletons of castrati
Castrati in the Sistine Chapel
Castration and lifespan
References

Content: Historically, however, eunuchs — seen as less likely to stir up unrest — were far more widely engaged as servants, military commanders and senior political officials. The first records of deliberate castration to produce eunuchs, from the Sumerian city of Lagash, date back some 4,000 years. In China, the eunuch system, which dates back almost as far, was firmly entrenched in the imperial culture and persisted through two dozen dynasties until 1911, when the last emperor was deposed. Castration was performed not only as a punishment but also as a prerequisite for entering imperial service. Towards the end of the Ming Dynasty in the mid-17th Century, some 70,000 eunuchs were employed to serve the emperor. The last known eunuch of the Chinese imperial court, Sun Yaoting, died just before his 94th birthday in 1996. In an entirely different context, castration has also been carried out on young boys before puberty to prevent their voices from breaking. Early castration blocks the radical size increase in the larynx that otherwise produces the characteristic “Adam’s apple” of an adult man. After puberty, the total length of male vocal cords increases by 63 percent, whereas female vocal cords grow only half as much. In 1970, a British historian published a fascinating account of voice breaking three centuries ago by examining data covering 20 years for members of Johann Sebastian Bach's choir in Leipzig.