性-人类性的基本层面
Sex - Basic Aspects of Human Sexuality

性激素的作用：睾丸酮
The Role of Hormones: Testosterone

阉割对性行为的后果是什么？

青春期前的阉割
在青春期之前，用外科手术切除睾丸，既阉割，会阻止男孩性发育。他不会有变声过程，其性器官维持幼稚状态，而且没有生育能力。

去势者和太监
几个世纪前，尽管有不同的理由，欧洲和亚洲都有阉割男孩的习俗。在欧洲，阉割男孩是为了训练他们做歌剧明星（被称为去势者），既唱很高音阶和响亮声音的男歌手。有些歌手因此而发了财和出了名，甚至像汉德尔（Handel）和莫扎特（Mozart）这样的伟大作曲家也为他们作过曲。在亚洲，阉割男孩是为了让他们作闺房看守（被称为太监）。太监留在妇女的身边能够让人放心，因为他们不能让妇女怀孕了。

What are the effects of castration on sexual behavior?

Castration before puberty
Before puberty, castration, i.e the surgical removal of the testicles, prevents a boy's sexual maturation. He does not experience a voice change, his sex organs remain underdeveloped, and he remains infertile.

Castrati and eunuchs
In previous centuries, both Europe and Asia had a custom of castrating some young boys, although for different reasons: In Europe the boys were castrated in order to train them as opera stars (so-called castrati), i.e. male singers with very high and very strong voices. Some of them became very rich and famous, and the greatest composers like Handel and Mozart wrote operas for them. In Asia, boys were castrated in order to make them harem guards (so-called eunuchs). They could “safely” be left in the company of women, because they could not impregnate them.

从左至右：意大利：意大利被阉割的男歌手Farinelli（Carlo Broschi，1705-1782）曾经过着童话般的生活，他先是在欧洲剧院唱歌，后来在马德里的西班牙皇家宫廷唱歌。土耳其：土耳其帝国也雇佣被阉割者作闺房守卫。此出显示的是“白人太监主管”。中国：正如这幅早期的照片所显示的那样，皇宫的太监们不仅被切除了睾丸，而且连阴茎也被切除了。 From the left: Italy: The Italian castrato Farinelli (Carlo Broschi 1705-1782) led a fairy-tale life, first on European opera stages and then at the Spanish royal court in Madrid. Turkey: The Ottoman Empire also employed castrated men as harem guards. Shown here is the “Chief of the White Eunuchs”. China: As this early photograph shows, the eunuchs of the imperial court usually had not only their testicles cut off but also the penis.