28 February 1930

Men with Monkey Testicles

The first successful implant of monkey testicles in a man dates from 1920. A French doctor of Russian descent, Serge Voronoff, performed the operation. By 1930, some 500 men could be found in France with simian testicles. Only the wealthy could afford this operation. It was thought to have a rejuvenating and sexually enhancing effect. The experiment generated ethical objections of all kinds, but most of all people feared that a new kind of half ape would arise. Apart from this, The Anti-Vivisection and Humanitarian Review in February 1930 is very angry about the fact that the doctor was breeding chimps and baboons in a palazzo on the French Riviera.

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