Two New Articles

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Prof. Richard Wassersug has published two new articles on eunuchs within the past month. He has asked that they not be posted in their entirety on the Eunuch Archive, although he will send PDF copies to anyone who requests them. His email address at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia is

Tadpole-at-dal-dot-ca

Below are the titles and abstracts of the two articles:

Passing Through the Wall:

On Outings, Exodus, Angels, and the Ark

Abstract: Classicists have argued that angels in Christian theology were modeled on the eunuchs of antiquity; with angels providing the same services to the Lord in Heaven that eunuchs provided to emperors on Earth. I apply this idea toward understanding the cherubim on the ark in Exodus 25 and the death of Aaron’s sons in Leviticus 10. I also suggest that the angel-eunuch analogy can help us understand the psychological impact of androgen deprivation therapy on modern prostate cancer patients. Appreciating this analogy can help prostate cancer patients accept and adapt to the changes they experience.

Journal of Religion and History, 2008 Dec 30. [Epub ahead of print]

Mastering Emasculation

Here’s the Case: Dr A, a 62-year-old medical school professor, was diagnosed 10 years ago with prostate cancer (PCa). His baseline prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level was 19 ng/mL and his Gleason score was 7 (3+ 4). He had a radical prostatectomy. One month postoperatively his PSA level was 0.08 ng/mL and began to rise, so he went on to receive salvage radiotherapy. His PSA level in the subsequent 6 months rose additionally to 0.28 ng/mL, so within a year he started continuous androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Since then his PSA level has remained below the detectable limit of 0.04 ng/mL. His testosterone level has stayed below 2 nmol/L.

Not surprisingly, he has experienced a number of adverse effects of the hypogonadal state, including impotence. Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors were ineffective for his erectile dysfunction, and no other efforts were made to recover erectile function. ADT has lead to profound changes in Dr A, such that he no longer considers himself a man. Through research and self-discovery, however, he has found a way to redefine his current state and has moved on to a rewarding and sexually fulfilling life.

Dr A now considers his gender to be that of a eunuch. Although such a label may sound pitifully self-deprecating, it has in fact empowered him, and provides a welcome alternative to either endlessly mourning his former manhood or pretending that little has changed. Surprisingly, he is sexually active, reports that he is orgasmic, and recently got married—to a woman he met after “coming out” as eunuch. He credits his sexual functionality to his acceptance of an altered gender status and considers it far better to view himself as a eunuch than as a mutilated male.

Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2008 Dec 22 [Epub ahead of print]

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Great titles, both of which I find enticing. Can't wait to read them in their entirety. As for angels, Jesus did tell the Samaritans that at the resurrection, "people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven" (Matt. 22:30). Various interpretations can be made from this, but one seems more plausible than the others: believers will be like angels in that they will be sexless. That doesn't mean that heaven won't be absolutely great, as mortals we attribute so much to the pleasure of sex, but the Bible indicates that heaven, being in the presence of God as immortals with imperishable bodies, will be more pleasurable than any sexual experience here on earth (1 Cor. 15:50-55). As for "Mastering Emasculation," I've been wondering about my own sexuality as a eunuch. I do use a small amount of testosterone cream to prevent depression and osteoporosis, but essentially I'm a eunuch. My sexual desire is to satisfy my wife, bringing her to orgasm. She calls me her eunuch and hearing that actually stimulates me mentally. I prefer to please her sexually over getting sexual stimulation or pleasure myself. Is that what the 62 year old man means when he says he's orgasmic? He is impotent, so without erections what brings him to orgasm? That's a puzzle, except that I know I have a wonderful sensation, a titillating excitement when my wife orgasms. It's not a male orgasm with ejaculation, but a strong feeling of intense satisfaction that sweeps over my body giving me pleasure. I refer to it as a eunuch orgasm. I don't know if this is typical for eunuchs, but it's true for me.

radical prostatectomy