The Ethics of Medical Homicide and MutilationO'Malley, Austin
Religion
The Ethics of Medical Homicide and Mutilation
O'Malley, Austin
Medical ethics
The ovary corresponds to the testicle, and the Fallopian tube to
the vas deferens. Removal of the ovaries, or removal or closure of
the Fallopian tubes, renders the woman sterile, but removal of the
ovaries has other profound effects beside sterility. Loss of the
ovaries brings on suppression of ovulation, menstruation, pregnancy,
and ovarian internal secretion, various neuroses, and a tendency to
insanity in certain cases.
The testicles and prostate gland produce an internal secretion
containing spermin, and the ovaries a similar nitrogenous base called
ovarin, which acts like spermin. The suprarenal glands secrete
epinephrin; the thyroid gland and the pituitary body also make
internal secretions, and these secretions sustain the tone of the
blood-vessels and effect immunity against those toxins that arise
from metabolic waste substances while these are in the body before
elimination. If there is a hypersecretion from one or more of these
glands, the excess causes congestion of the cerebrum and cerebellum
and of the nerve centres there, and one effect may then be a sexual
erethism that leads to masturbation and similar deordination.
Castration in the male or ovariotomy in the female stops all
production of spermin and ovarin. In man the prostate gland also
ceases its function after castration, and vasectomy lessens the
production of spermin. In castration or spaying, again, when we
remove the power of producing spermin or ovarin, that function of the
testes and ovaries whereby the body is immunized against poisoning
by its own effete material is also inhibited, and evil effects arise
from this waste material. These toxins act just as would an excess of
spermin or ovarin--they congest the cranial nerve centres, excite
fever, neuroses, or temporary sexual erethism. This excitement may
gradually subside as equilibrium is restored and neutralization
effected, through a compensatory overproduction of the internal
secretions by the other glands remaining in the body. Cimoroni[180]
found after ovariotomy an increase in size of the pituitary body
with dilatation of the blood-vessels. Goldstein[181] reported a
case of gigantism from overactivity of the pituitary gland after
castration. Acromegaly in cases where there was no castration has
been accompanied by atrophy of testicles and ovaries. Cecca[182]
found like effects in the thyroid, and several have observed these
effects in the adrenals. All these results have also been produced
experimentally on animals.
[180] _Policlinico_, 1907, p. 16.
[181] _Münchener medizinische Wochenschrift_, April 8, 1913.
[182] _Soc. Med.-Chir. de Bologne_, 1904.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account