I recall reading in one of the articles in the nonfiction section, that it was not unknown for noble families in the Byzantine Empire to have one of the younger sons of the family made a eunuch, if there were several male offspring, since eunuchs often became high government officials. If this was done over the course of several generations, then some families might have had several generations of eunuchs who served in the imperial government, and might be considered to have produced a hereditary line of eunuchs. (more or less.)

In modern times, some research has indicated that sexual orientation may have a genetic origin, and certain genetic lines may produce more gay persons than others; at the same time, the desire for removal of the sex organs might be considered an aspect of sexual orientation. This leads me to wonder if the desire for orchiectomy, because of gender dysphoria, might have a genetic component. Does anyone who has, for that reason, felt a desire for orchiectomy, know of relatives who have experienced the same urge toward removal of the testes? Or, perhaps, does anyone know of an ancestor who had the same urge? I would suspect that, because most persons who want their testes removed, don't feel comfortable telling others about those feelings, it's unlikely that anyone belonging to this forum would know about relatives with desires of that type. But, of course, it would be interesting if a pattern which indicated a hereditary component could be established.

It also seems possible that those who desire orchiectomy because of physical pain in the testes, or because of excessive sexual desire, could have relatives with those same characteristics, and those relatives would of course be more likely than most people to want the testes removed. I can't remember ever reading anything that suggested that whatever causes testicular pain is hereditary, or that greater than average sexual desire is inherited. But, on the other hand, I doubt if these things have been extensively researched.

As to the cancers for which removal of portions of the sex organs is a treatment--cancer of the prostate, cancer of the testes, cancer of the penis, cancer of the scrotum--I can't recall ever reading that those afflications show any genetic properties. I also don't think I have ever seen or heard anything which would indicate that a tendency toward development of ovarian cancer is hereditary, although there are strong indications that a susceptibility to breast cancer is inherited. I think that a specific gene has even been linked to the development of the more virulent form of breast cancer.

Wow! You’ve asked some important questions, for which I don’t think we have answers yet.

You are certainly correct about the Byzantine “hereditary” eunuchs, with a number of families represented among eunuch administrators and ecclesiatics over several generations – one generation of eunuchs helping their younger eunuch family members to advance within the system. This was probably also true as far back as the Assyrian Empire, where there is strong evidence both to indicate that a majority of government administrators were eunuchs and to indicate that the most common source of eunuchs was the younger sons of noble families. The surviving records are not sufficient to prove this to all historians, but are certainly quite strong.

On the genetics of homosexuality, the several twin studies that have been undertaken seem to consistently indicate about a 50% (or more) heritability of male homosexuality. Dr. Dean Hamer of the National Institutes of Health has worked on a specific gene (Xq28) on the X chromosome that seems to be linked to homosexuality (and would be inherited exclusively in the maternal line for boys since it’s on the X chromosome). In both men and women it seems to produce a sexual attraction to males. In males it produces homosexuality; in females it produces increased fecundity. Women who carry it tend to have much larger numbers of children than women who do not – satisfying those who wonder why it’s not eliminated from the gene pool by producing males who largely do not reproduce. There is a genetic advantage to possessing the gene that produces gay boys.

As one of my friends put it, “The next time you see a good Catholic woman with ten children, half of her sons are likely to be gay because of the genes the mother carries.” (And, half of her daughters would likely carry the gene to help them produce more children than average.)

For the other parts of your question, I would be interested in any ideas that other members of the Archive might have.