# Becoming a eunuch **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [February 13, 2009, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/becoming-a-eunuch/485663 "2009-02-13T08:50:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![psythe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@psythe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psythe)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/becoming-a-eunuch/485663/1 "2009-02-13T08:50:15Z")
For more, see: > **[What are the pros and cons of becoming a eunuch?](https://www.straightdope.com/21341239/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-becoming-a-eunuch)** I believe that there is a huge industry for eunuch prostitutes in India, where the necessary operation is likewise cheap and quick (they don’t even bother to anaethetise you, and remove your penis into the bargain). Have fun; don’t forget to write. ---
**Author:** ![butwhat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3bc359/32.png) [@butwhat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butwhat)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/becoming-a-eunuch/485663/2 "2009-02-14T15:50:21Z")
A must for real sex offenders ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/becoming-a-eunuch/485663/3 "2009-02-14T22:32:20Z")
> [@psythe](#): > > For more, see: > [What are the pros and cons of becoming a eunuch? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/48/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-becoming-a-eunuch) > > I believe that there is a huge industry for eunuch prostitutes in India, where the necessary operation is likewise cheap and quick (they don’t even bother to anaethetise you, and remove your penis into the bargain). Have fun; don’t forget to write. I believe you are thinking of Hijras. While all Hijras live as women, they do not have to be eunuchs. The Master has written of Hijras [Why are Indian eunuchs warned about unsafe sex? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1041/why-are-indian-eunuchs-warned-about-unsafe-sex) And do you have any cites for your claims about the lack of anasthesia? ---
**Author:** ![Tenar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@Tenar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenar)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/becoming-a-eunuch/485663/4 "2009-02-15T03:27:12Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > I believe you are thinking of Hijras. While all Hijras live as women, they do not have to be eunuchs. The Master has written of Hijras [Why are Indian eunuchs warned about unsafe sex? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1041/why-are-indian-eunuchs-warned-about-unsafe-sex) > > And do you have any cites for your claims about the lack of anasthesia? Assuming that **psythe** IS thinking of Hijras, the very column which you cite states quite clearly that their emasculation typically occurs sans anasthesia: [QUOTE=Cecil] The highly ritualized operation is done without anesthetic. Two quick cuts are made, severing both testicles and penis. A stick is inserted to keep the urethra open for purposes of urination. No attempt is made to stanch the bleeding or stitch the wound, which is treated with hot sesame oil to prevent infection. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/becoming-a-eunuch/485663/5 "2009-02-16T19:24:22Z")
Was Cecil’s comment about Frankie Valli a joke? If not, I just learned something. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/becoming-a-eunuch/485663/6 "2009-02-17T15:19:48Z")
[QUOTE=xizor] Was Cecil’s comment about Frankie Valli a joke? [/QUOTE] Yes. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/becoming-a-eunuch/485663/7 "2009-02-19T22:04:19Z")
I still haven’t seen in ‘pros’ on becoming a eunuch. Not that I expect to. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/becoming-a-eunuch/485663/8 "2009-02-19T23:35:30Z")
Well, they are enumerated in Robert J. Sawyer’s book **Hybrids** , after a rapist is castrated by the Neanderthal protagonist Ponter. Apparently, the pros include a lowering of anxiety and tension. The debatable-if-it’s-pro-or-con effect is a much-decreased libido. A quote, from the end of chapter 9: > [@](#): > > Some more spelunking took him to the Geocities page of a person born male who underwent castration, with no hormonal treatments before or for years after. He reported: “Four days after my castration…it seemed that waiting for traffic lights and other little annoyances did not bother me so much… > > “Six days post castration I returned to work. This workday was unusually hectic…and yet I still felt so calm when the day was all over. I was definitely feeling the effects of castration and most certainly felt better all the time without testosterone. > > “Ten days post castration I felt as a feather floating around everywhere. I just kept feeling better and better. For me the serenity was the strongest of the castration effects, followed by the decrease in libido.” ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/becoming-a-eunuch/485663/9 "2009-02-20T00:13:05Z")
I’m afraid to read that spoiler. ---
**Author:** ![psythe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@psythe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psythe)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/becoming-a-eunuch/485663/10 "2009-02-20T17:43:33Z")
Thanks DocCathode/Tenar; I’d no idea where I’d read about Hijras but yes, those are the ones I mean. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/becoming-a-eunuch/485663/11 "2009-02-20T19:29:00Z")
[QUOTE=G0sp3l] I’m afraid to read that spoiler. [/QUOTE] You shouldn’t be. It’s not dirty or gross, just a detail from the story you may not wish to know prior to reading the book. ---
**Author:** ![Karlos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f475e1/32.png) [@Karlos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karlos)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/becoming-a-eunuch/485663/12 "2009-02-23T19:27:43Z")
I understand most traditional eunuchs were slaves or indentured servants and didn’t have any choice about their jobs. Also it was quite common to have the eunuchs’ tools bobbed also so there was no possibility that harem’s bodyguards could penetrate the girls. However this was not always practiced and I believe there were several accounts of the Ottoman Emperor’s eunuchs being executed for having had sex with the harem gals. Of course they were shooting blanks but the Ottoman Emperors were usually very unforgiving of such transgressions. So I would tend to think that this loosing your tool along with the balls to be the biggest downside of the eunuch occupation. Karlos ---
**Author:** ![Odilon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecc23a/32.png) [@Odilon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odilon)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2009, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/becoming-a-eunuch/485663/13 "2009-03-01T19:37:35Z")
Cecil writes: “Reputable hospitals will only perform castrations in connection with complete sex-change operations, and then only after intensive psychiatric screening. Johns Hopkins, the hospital that for years handled most of the sex changes in the U.S. (they’ve since gotten out of the business), required a minimum of two years of psychological testing.” Reputable hospitals also perform castrations as treatment for medical conditions like prostate cancer. Of course, you have to be diagnosed with the condition in order to get the treatment. I do think it’s ever done, say, as a preventative measure for someone with a family history of prostate cancer. I would say there are more castrations done for medical reasons like treating prostate cancer tha than for sex change operations. Anyway, one of the pros would be reducing the male hormones that are believed to add to the likelihood of that cancer. As far as I know, in terms of career prospects, men who have undergone that procedure usually return to their professions. I don’t know if it effects physical strength enough to make doing a job that demanded that more difficult. However, men castrated after their voices have changed don’t have their voices change back. So there’s no prospect for a novelty singing career. And I think I’ve heard that castrated men are prone to put one wait like neutered cats do. ---
**Author:** ![Odilon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecc23a/32.png) [@Odilon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odilon)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/becoming-a-eunuch/485663/14 "2009-03-01T19:41:18Z")
“prone to put one wait” That’s “prone to put on weight” for you English speakers. (Sometimes when I think, I fall asleep.)