Our place in history

[thefraj (imported)]

Okay, this may sound like a weird post, but there is a good reason.

There is a new encylopedia under development, it's free, readily accessible by the whole world, and modifiable by the public at large.

http://www.wikipedia.org

I think this could be a wonderful opportunity to describe to others what being a eunuch is really like. What physical, mental and emotional changes a person can expect. No encylopedia in the world has yet included juicy information like this! We've always been on the outskirts of medical documentation. This could be a chance to raise awareness and even generate support for our cause.

Up until now, their entry has described only eunuchs of history. Makes no mention of 'modern' eunuchs as such. And makes some claims about eunuchs, that are clear nonesense. We need to help them understand!

Wikipedia links with many other encyclopedia engines (such as Answers.com). By adding our thoughts here, we help shape the very understanding of our condition.

But in order to make our place in history permanent, we need to agree upon a concise description written in the style of an encyclopedia entry.

And I would like - if possible - for us to work on this together, so we can say it is a joint effort that excludes no-one, and is as comprehensive as possible.

To start fleshing out this idea, my suggestion is to start with the three catagories mentioned so far : Physical, Mental and Emotional changes.

Apologies if we've already discussed something like this before; it would be worth dragging up all the older posts if they include information we can use.

I'll make a separate post; which I will keep updating everytime someone adds some new ideas. I've posted just the first thoughts of the top-of-my-head! So please correct me, or add your own thoughts, or let me know if I've forgotten something!

[thefraj (imported)]

The list so far...

Physical Changes

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Sterility in all cases.

Decreased libido and calmer sexual urges. And, in some cases, especially more mature men, impotence may result and inability to orgasm (and therefore ejaculate)

Many will still be able to engage in sex, though often orgasms become softer and may take longer to reach.

A eunuch that is still sexually active will still be able to ejaculate, but no semen are present.

Body hair and facial hair will tend to thin, become more fine, and grow at a slower rate.

Re-distribution of fats will occur; hips and behind will become more rounded, and gynecomastia may occur.

Decrease in bone density will occur, which may lead to premature osteoperosis.

Hot flashes may be experienced initally, but usually dissapear over time.

Male pattern balding will be avoided in later life.

Mental Changes

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Increased sense of sight - often beautiful colors, a bright day, and flowers, may seem more pleasing. Prehaps even emotionally uplifting.

Taste and smell may well become more sensitive, and a person may experience a change in preference of taste.

A calmer, gentler personality will likely develop.

Emotional Changes

-----------------

Emotions are likely to become more intense, tears will come more easily.

Some report feeling the 'Eunuch Calm'; a feeling of inner peace and tranquility

A eunuch will likely be more compassionate and aware of others feelings

Eunuchs are pre-disposed (especially if castrated at a young age!) to depression.

[bryan (imported)]

Great idea! Go for it. Good list so far.

[JesusA (imported)]

At TheFraj's suggestion, I have already rewritten the first two paragraphs of the Wikipedia article to correct some serious errors. I will gradually continue down through the article, a paragraph at a time.

I would be happy to take suggestions for what ought to be included (or excluded) from the article as it exists now.

The section that I replaced read

A eunuch is a male who is intentionally castrated to serve a socially defined function, such as a servant in a royal court, or as a singer. The practice was established before 700 BC and accounts of eunuchs are known throughout history.

The castration could be of only the testes, or also include the penis (sometimes with a tube inserted to keep the urethra open). The exact methods varied greatly; there have been reports of some procedures having a mortality rate of over 50 percent.

My revised version reads:

A eunuch is a human male whose testicles have either been removed or are non-functional. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 21st century B.C.E. Over the millenia since, they have performed a wide variety of functions in many different cultures. Eunuchs have served as military commanders, singers, religious specialists, government officials, and guardians of women.

The castration most frequently involved only the testes, but might also include removal of the penis. The methods used varied across time and space. There have been some exaggerated reports of high mortality from the surgery, but the best documented rates are no higher than for other surgery at the time, e.g., about 3 to 5% for removal of both testes and penis in Ch'ing Dynasty China. The highest well-documented mortality rate was when 329 of 1,565 boys from the Miao tribe in southern China died when they were castrated after defeat in battle during the early Ming Dynasty - a death rate of 20%.

As you can see, I made the minimum change necessary to correct what was already posted.

[plix (imported)]

I too think this a great idea. You might want to add that total impotence is possible in some eunuchs, especially older ones. In those cases, ejaculation and maybe even orgasm might not be possible. It might also be possible for some eunuchs to lose their libido entirely.

[An Onymus (imported)]

One possibility--It might make some sense to explain in Wikipedia the distinction between "eunuch" and "eunuchoid," since the two terms overlap somewhat, in terms of what is described. I think some individuals who post to the archive and describe themselves as eunuchs, might actually be more accurately described as eunuchoid individuals.

Wikipedia is fundamentally a good idea, but of course there can be a lot of abuses of the revision process.

[sag111 (imported)]

Ok explaie what a eunuchoid is i want to know.

[thefraj (imported)]

I'm not so sure going into too much detail on this topic could be terribly useful. Obviously boys (and some men) castrated could be eunuchoid - resembling or having the characteristics of a eunuch.

I suppose a person could be eunuchoid, and still have functioning testicles. It's more to do with appearance. and outer characteristics.

And obviously, someone castrated at a young age would more than likely seem eunuchoid (maybe that's worth a mention?) But of course, that's the whole point! Like explaining that a male-to-female transsexual exhibits more female characteristics than a male!

I don't know, I'll think about that one because it could be worth a mention, but only briefly and I'm not sure where.

---

[Appended... (again!?)]

Just dawned on me, in some ways the entire article has eunuchoid flowing through it. We are arriving at a set of characteristics for eunuchs, so someone who is eunuchoid would exhibit some (or all) of the points on our list. Maybe it's just another way of looking at the same problem?

Okay, so I've confused myself now!

Hehe

~Rog

[An Onymus (imported)]

I may have made too many assumptions again. I thought that the word "eunuchoid" was primarily used as a noun--come to think of it, though, I can't remember any specific instance where I saw it as that part of speech. Maybe the Oxford English Dictionary can provide a definitive usage framework for the word.

[thefraj (imported)]

No, An Onymus, I take it back. You raised a very good point (but with a slightly different word!)

Although "eunuchoid" is as already explained (adjective)

"R

esembling or having the characteristics of a eunuch

"

There IS another word "eunuchoidism" which sounds like it comes from the same stem, and it does. But it's use and meaning can be subtly different. Here is one definition (www.dictionary.com)

"a state suggestive of that of a eunuch in being marked by deficiency of sexual development, by persistence of prepubertal characteristics, and often by the presence of characteristics typical of the opposite sex"

This struck a chord with me, because it ties in with what I was suggesting with the COGIATI and Anne Moir tests, many here seem to have both sexual characteristics! Even before castrated.

A eunuch in the mind...