94 GLANDS IN HEALTH AND DISEASE 



opment of female characteristics, and as showing 

 that the sex characters owe their presence to the 

 genital organs. The very name suggests that the 

 sexual organs are involved in the development of 

 sex characters ; but why when such organs of a male 

 are cut out of his system he should then tend to 

 revert to the female type is not clear. The view 

 is gaining ground that castration produces a 

 "neutral" rather than a female variety. 



What effect castration has upon mental develop- 

 ment is not beyond dispute. From the accounts of 

 some eunuchs that have come down to us, who at- 

 tained distinction in their day, it would seem as if 

 the mind of the person is not affected. Unfortu- 

 nately our information as to their age at the time 

 of castration, and as to the completeness of the 

 operation, is meager; and both these factors need 

 to be known before we pass judgment. Experi- 

 ments with animals have shown that castrated 

 animals lack the courage, the animation and the 

 passions of normal male animals; and many ob- 

 servations on eunuchs lead to the belief that there 

 is a distinct tendency towards the suppression 

 of the finer emotions, these in turn being sup- 

 planted by a general air of indifference and mental 

 inertia. 



The absence of certain sex characteristics w T hich 

 does not always imply the formation of sex charac- 

 ters belonging to the opposite sex after castration 



