Читать книгу Old Age Deferred. The causes of old age and its postponement by hygienic and therapeutic measures онлайн

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That the whole external appearance of a castrated animal or man is changed, is also demonstrated by important changes in the skeleton and size of such animals or persons.

As Poncet^[30] has shown, the extremities of a castrated rabbit become abnormally long, and it is a well-known fact that eunuchs have abnormally long arms and legs. This also occurs in cases of infantilism, which, as we know, is due to a non-development of the sexual glands. Moreover, the thyroid of such individuals is also found to be in a pathological condition, as was shown by Hertoghe.

Men who have been castrated before puberty or whose testicles are undeveloped, present such an external appearance. They have no moustache, as above mentioned; their hair is dry and brittle and remains short; their faces are pale, and of a yellowish hue; their hands are cold and reddish blue. Often the skin of the face is like parchment and has many wrinkles. Their intelligence is often diminished, as we will show later on, and they are usually anæmic.