A two-dimensional female figure/nurse made of mixed media holding a limp horizontal figure made of a tube of zinc white paint with arms on a textile background bearing the letters ‘SIDA’ in each corner; advertising the danger of AIDS. Colour lithograph [by Eduardo Ponjuán and René Francisco], ca. 1995
Notes By multi-media Cuban-born artists Eduardo Ponjuán and René Francisco who work together according to similar poster found on http://fons.upv.es – Figure’s skirt
Brown glass bottle of phosphorus, zinc and strychnine pills,
Description Not much is known about why someone would take these pills. Strychnine is a stimulant for the central nervous system and may have been used to treat nerve disorders. Hi
Galvanic anti-neuralgic headband made up of a series of 24 alternate zinc and copper discs mounted onto a felt and ribbon band. The headband was tied around the head, with the discs resting on the temples, where perspiration would act on the discs by producing a mild galvanic current
Galvanic anti-neuralgic headband made up of a series of 24 alternate zinc and copper discs mounted onto a felt and ribbon band. The headband was tied around the head, with the disc
Tube of tuberculin jelly, London, England, 1955
This jelly may have been used to conduct a test to see whether a person has been exposed to bacteria-causing tuberculosis. This test, called the ‘Fluorpa-per test’, was introdu
Carbonic anhydrases (or carbonate dehydratases) and inhibitors
The carbonic anhydrases (or carbonate dehydratases) (EC 4.2.1.1) form a family of enzymes that catalyze the interconversion between carbon dioxide and water and the di
Carboxypeptidases function in blood clotting, growth factor production, wound healing, reproduction, and many other processes
A carboxypeptidase (EC number 3.4.16 – 3.4.18) is a protease enzyme that hydrolyzes (cleaves) a peptide bond at the car
Arginine
Arginine is the amino acid with the formula (H2N)(HN)CN(H)(CH2)3CH(NH2)CO2H. The molecule features a guanidino group appended to a standard amino acid fram
Voluntary castration has existed as a religious practice up to the present day, openly in India and secretively in other parts of the world. Gods in a number of different cultures were castrated, a mutilation that paradoxically tended to increase rather than diminish their powers. This cross-cultural examination of the eunuch gods examines the meaning associated with divine emasculation in Egypt, Asia Minor, Greece, the Roman Empire, India, and northern Europe to the degree that these meanings can be read from the wording of myths, early accounts, and the castration cults for some of these gods. Three distinct patterns of godly castration emerge: divine dynastic conflicts involving castration; a powerful goddess paired with a weaker male devotee castrated because of his relationship with her; and magus gods whose castration demonstrates their superiority. Castration cults associated with some of these gods--and other gods whose sexuality was ambiguous, such as Jesus--some of them existing up to the present day, illuminate the spiritual powers associated with castration for gods and mortals. Keywords: castration, eunuch, Osiris, Kumarbi, Ouranos, Cybele, Attis, Adonis, Combabus, Indra, Shiva, Odin, Hijra, Skoptsky
In the course of the human past the elimination of the testicles of boys and men – what we call castration – has taken place for a variety of reasons. Many times it was meant to deliberately hurt people. It is and was also performed, though, as a therapeutic measure by well-meaning physicians. Studying the motivations of medical practitioners involved in castration practices provides insight into the deontology and cultural context of these healers. This article explores the healing activities of the physicians of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds in this special field of surgery. In the extant literary sources we find medical indications for castration which are quite obvious to a modern eye, but also more mysterious and unexpected occasions which need to be explained from the historical context. Keywords: Greece and Rome; castration; generative organs; medical history; masculinity
Zeuterin, it rhymes with neuterin
Zeuterin (zū-tur-in) is the trade name of an injectable product containing zinc gluconate and the amino acid arginine, which is used for sterilizing young male dogs without
