Penis removal

Not to be confused with Castration.

In ancient civilizations, removal of the human penis was sometimes used as a means of demonstrating superiority: armies were sometimes known to sever the penises of their enemies to count the dead, as well as for trophies, although usually only the foreskins were taken by the Jews.^[1] The practice of castration (removal of the testicles) sometimes also involves the removal of all or part of the penis, generally with a tube inserted to keep the urethra open for urination. Castration has been used to create a class of servants or slaves (and especially harem-keepers) called eunuchs in many different places and eras.

In the modern era, removal of the human penis is very rare (with some exceptions listed below), and references to removal of the penis are almost always symbolic. Castration is less rare, and is performed as a last resort in the treatment of androgen-sensitive prostate cancer.^[2][3][4]

In addition to the examples below, there have been instances in the 21st century in which captives in Iraq and Yemen have been castrated.^[5][6]

Human penis removal in medicine and psychology

Main article: Penectomy

Some men have penile amputations, known as penectomies, for medical reasons. Cancer, for example, sometimes necessitates removal of all or part of the penis. In some instances, botched childhood circumcisions have also resulted in full or partial penectomies.^[7]

Genital surgical procedures for trans women (transgender or transsexual women) undergoing sex reassignment surgery, do not usually involve the complete removal of the penis; part or all of the glans is usually kept and reshaped as a clitoris, and the skin of the penile shaft may also be inverted to form the vagina. When procedures such as this are not possible, other procedures such as colovaginoplasty are used which do involve the removal of the penis.

Issues related to the removal of the penis appear in psychology, for example in the condition known as castration anxiety. Others, who associate the organ with rape and male dominance and aggression, may consciously or subconsciously see the organ (their own or those of others) as a weapon and express a hatred for it, potentially desiring to see it violently removed.

Some men have undergone penectomies as a voluntary body modification, thus including it as part of a body dysmorphic disorder. Professional opinion is divided regarding the desire for penile amputation as a pathology, much as all other forms of treatment by amputation for body dysmorphic disorder. Voluntary subincision, removal of the glans penis, and bifurcation of the penis are related topics.

History of Involuntary penis removal

Assault

There have been incidents in which men have been assaulted, usually by their sexual partners, by having their penises severed. The case of John and Lorena Bobbitt, for example, was popularly known for Lorena Bobbitt cutting off the penis of her husband, John, out of rage after he allegedly raped her, though he claimed it was for revenge when she discovered his infidelity. Bobbitt's penis was successfully reattached, and he later had a brief career in pornographic movies.

This was not the first modern case, however. On May 18, 1936, Sada Abe strangled her lover (believed to be at his request, he wanted to die while having sex) Kichizo Ishida and cut off his penis, placed it in her kimono and carried it around with her for days before eventually turning it over to the police. She spent a very brief time in jail, and was granted amnesty in 1940. The penis was last seen at a department store exhibition in 1949. This episode was the basis of the film In the Realm of the Senses.

Mutilation or forcible removal of the penis has special symbolic significance. As a symbol of male sexuality, fertility, and masculinity, the removal of the penis may be inspired by a desire to emasculate, and sometimes results in the emasculation of the victim. Another motive, particularly in cases of spousal assault, is sexual.

From 1973 to 1980 one hundred cases of Thai women cutting off their husband's penises were recorded.^[8] Most of them were not reattached.^[9]

A study of penis reattachment, found that of a group of 50 men, 98% reacquired functionality, even though some involved full reconstructive surgery using tissue and bone. Reportedly some of these men later fathered children.^[10]

See also

• Penectomy
• Genital retraction syndrome
• Penis transplantation
• Castration
• Apophallation
• John and Lorena Bobbitt

References

1. ^ See an example of this in the story of David's courtship of Saul's daughter in 1 Samuel 18:25-27; Then Saul said, “Thus shall you say to David, ‘The king desires no bride-price except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, that he may be avenged of the king's enemies.’”
2. ^ Loblaw, DA, Mendelson DS, Talcott JA et al. (2004-07-15). "American Society of Clinical Oncology recommendations for the initial hormonal management of androgen-sensitive metastatic, recurrent, or progressive prostate cancer". Journal of Clinical Oncology 22 (14): 2927–41. doi:10.1200/JCO.2004.04.579. PMID 15184404. 
3. ^ Terris, Martha K; Audrey Rhee, et al. (2006-08-01). "Prostate Cancer: Metastatic and Advanced Disease". eMedicine. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/454114-overview. Retrieved 2007-01-11. 
4. ^ Myers, Charles E (2006-08-24). "Androgen Resistance, Part 1". Prostate Cancer Research Institute. http://www.prostate-cancer.org/education/andeprv/Myers_AndrogenResistance1.html. Retrieved 2007-01-11. 
5. ^ Worth, Robert F., and Marshall, Carolyn, "G.I. Crime Photos May Be Evidence," The New York Times, August 5, 2006, accessed October 20, 2009
6. ^ Judd, Alan, "Our soldiers are mortals who will suffer, not superheroes," Telegraph, October 7, 2001, accessed October 20, 2009
7. ^ Colapinto, John (1997-12-11). "The True Story of John/Joan". Rolling Stone: pp. 54–97. http://infocirc.org/rollston.htm. 
8. ^ Jiemin Bao (2005). Marital acts: gender, sexuality, and identity among the Chinese Thai diaspora. University of Hawaii Press. p. 143. ISBN 0824827406. http://books.google.com/?id=9VW51LMnkv4C&pg=PA143&dq=thailand+penis+chinese#v=onepage&q=thailand%20penis%20chinese&f=false. Retrieved April 3 2011. 
9. ^ Charles Panati (1998). Sexy origins and intimate things: the rites and rituals of straights, gays, bi's, drags, trans, virgins, and others. Penguin Books. p. 143. ISBN 0140271449. http://books.google.com/?id=3xkNq9JGh9sC&dq=Many+of+the+severed+penises+could+not+be+surgically+reattached+because+they+could+not+be+found&q=reattached. Retrieved April 3 2011. 
10. ^ HEALTH CARE IN CHINA-TRANSPLANTS AND DRUGS - China | Facts and Details

External links

• The No-Penis Club