Castration Station

So the poem we're reading in my lit class (Eloisa to Abelard by Alexander Pope) talks about the castration of Abelard when he decides to become a priest. After class, questions arose regarding what a castration involves, and my good friend Will Runkle and I did some research. Here is what we found:

-We both thought it was the severing of the entire penis, but it's actually just the testicles.
(We realized later that of course you need your penis for when you pee.)
-Your sex drive goes away
-Testosterone levels diminish
-Your muscle mass usually decreases
-Contrary to popular belief, your voice does not get any higher
-Some people notice an extreme calmness after castration; life's daily irritations no longer matter
-If castrated after puberty, you can still get an erection, and in fact, have sex (but why would you want to? you don't have a sex drive, dummy)
-Eunuchs, or castrated guys, were once used as guards of harems
-Sometimes, though, the women in the harems actually liked having sex with them because they never ejaculated and thus could hold erections longer

I found this fascinating. Still, poor Eloisa; without his testicles, Abelard's desire for her could never match hers for him ever again. It really is a sad thing. Based on a true story.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunuch
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castration
http://www.geocities.com/sherrylanina/Castration.html