Has anyone ever looked into electrocautery methods for performing castrations? It seems simple enough -- a nichrome wire is looped around the scrotum, a high-frequency current is passed through the wire as it is pulled tight, and in less than a second the scrotum would be cleanly severed and simultaneously cauterized. That's the idea anyway.

Anyone know any more about this?

Like many people here I desperately wish to be rid of my testicles. As a result I have done some pretty awful things to my self putting my health at risk. So I am going to treat this something you are seriously considering.

Most electrocautery devices are designed to work on a much smaller scale. It would be difficult to find one big enough to do a job of that size. Even then I would hazard a guess that it would take longer than a second to do the job so pain would definitely be a factor. Electrocautery is good for sealing blood vessels but it can't close a wound, which is what you would have after your scrotum and testicle have been severed.

This sounds like a good idea only if you are planing on an ambulance ride to the ER followed shortly by psychiatric examination.

There are two types of cutlery devices used medically. One is simply a heated wire that burns the flesh. It is often called a cutlery pen. It sort of looks like a small flashlight where the wire is located where the light bulb would be. The wire heats red hot. Once it is touched to the skin or blood vessel, it burns and cools off very fast. It does not have enough power to keep the wire hot very long. It is not very good as a real cutlery device.

The second one is more on what you are talking about. It is an electronic device that produces a high voltage high frequency and low current. This one is use most often in surgery. This one burns the flesh by way of an electrical arc. In some ways like a metal arc welder. The current jumps from the probe to the skin and burns it. No direct contact is needed. This one is far more efficient thus, why it is the one of choice for surgeons. The price is rather steep and not all that easy to obtain. Using different settings and probes often called scalpels produce different degrees of burning. It is not designed to function as you suggested in forming a wire to surround the scrotum. Many of you may have seen this one used to remove a mole or skin tag on your body.

Yes, both do produce smoke and the smell of burning flesh when used.