I suppose this could also be posted under "chemical castration" or "eunuchs in the arts and news". Or even the health forum. It concerns Alan Turing, that brilliant British mathematician who was also a homosexual, put on some sort of chemical, and went on to commit suicide.

This discussion came up in alt.callahans, but I would like some more information, and I am sure the EA can provide.

Exactly what was the chemical used, and did it have a known or unkown side effect of severe depression?

He was forced to take estrogen, which is supposed to decrease libido. He committed suicide two years later:

http://www.lambda.net/~maximum/turing.html

In 1952, Turing's home was burglarized by a friend of a man with whom he was having an affair. Refusing to be intimidated, he reported the crime. During the investigation, he did not hide his homosexuality from the police. He was labeled a pervert and was charged with gross indecency. He agreed to submit to hormone treatments rather than go to prison. He was injected with the female hormone estrogen. It was believed that estrogen injections were useful in curbing sexual urges.

The stress and humiliation of his treatment at the hands of the government that he served loyally throughout his life led to his mental deterioration. Alan Mathison Turing committed suicide by eating an apple laced with cyanide in 1954. He was 41 years old.

Very cruel punishment indeed.

Love,

Kelly

Not that I am defending the authorities in this case. The treatment of Turing was abysmal and unjust. However, in context, the authorities who accused Turing of being a pervert most likely did not know of Turing's involvement in Bletchley Park and the deciphering of the German Code.

That is why we consider Turing a hero...

The British effort called "ultra" was not revealed to the world until 1977 (The

Ultra Secret by Wintherbotham {spelling}) ... That is thirty-two years after the end of WWII and then, it still took several years for the complete story to be told.

In terms of secrets, "ultra" was the highest level. Most histories of WWII published before 1977 and after 1945 DID NOT REVEAL how the British solved the German code machines and used the information to tell the Allied troops where to attack the German troops. The British and Americans did not share this secret with the Soviets. It remained secret for thirty years after the war....

Why would the authorities step in to reveal that secret to save Turing? After all, he is merely a pervert in a burglary dispute. And that attitude was truly horrendous and despicable.