in the Materia Medica, CASTOR; the inguinal glands of the beaver. The ancients had a notion that it was lodged in the testicles; and that the animal, when hard pressed, would bite them off, and leave them to its purifiers, as if conscious of what they wanted to destroy him for. The best sort of caistor is what comes from Russia. So much is Russian caistor superior to the American, that two guineas per pound are paid for the former, and only 8s. 6d. for the latter. The Russian caistor is in large hard round cobs, which appear, when cut, full of a brittle, red, liver-coloured substance, interpenetrated with membranes and fibres exquisitely interwoven. An inferior sort is brought from Dantzig, and is generally fat and moist. The American caistor, which is the worst of all, is in longish thin cobs. Russia caistor has a strong disagreeable smell; and an acrid, bitterish, and nauseous taste. Water extracts the nauseous part, with little of the finer bitter; rectified spirit extracts this last without much of the nauseous; proof spirit both: water elevates the whole of its flavour in distillation; rectified spirit brings over nothing. Caistor is looked upon as one of the capital nervine and antiphysic medicines: some celebrated practitioners, nevertheless, have doubted its virtues; and Neumann and Stahl declare Castration, clare it insignificant. Experience, however, has shown that the virtues of castrators are considerable, though less than they have been generally supposed.
**Castration**, in Surgery, the operation of gelding, i.e., of cutting off the testicles, and putting a male animal out of the capacity of generation.
Castration is in much use in Asia, especially among the Turks, who practise it on their slaves, to prevent any commerce with their women. The Turks often make a general amputation.
Castration also obtains in Italy, where it is used with a view to preserve the voice for singing. See Eunuch.
The Persians, and other eastern nations, have divers methods of making eunuchs, different from those which obtain in Europe: we say, of making eunuchs, for it is not always done among them by cutting, or even collision. Cauta and other poisonous herbs do the same office, as is shown by Paulus Aegineta. Those eunuched in this manner are called *thibier*. Besides which there is another form called *thigier*, in whom the genitals are left entire, and only the veins which should feed them are cut; but which means the parts do indeed remain, but lax and weak, as to be of no use.
Castration was for some time the punishment of adultery. By the laws of the Visigoths, sodomites underwent the same punishment.
By the civil law it is made penal in physicians and surgeons to castrate, even with consent of the party, who is himself included in the same penalty, and his effects forfeited. The offence of Mayhem by castration is, according to all our old writers, felony; though committed upon the highest provocation. See a record to this purpose of Henry III. transferred by Sir Edward Coke, 3 Inst. 62, or Blackstone's Commentaries, iv. p. 206.
Castration is sometimes found necessary on medicinal considerations, as in mortifications, and some other diseases of the testicles, especially the *sarcocoele* and *varicocele*. Some have also used it in maniac cases.
Castration is also in some part practised on women. Athenaeus mentions that King Andromytes was the first who castrated women. Hesychius and Suidas say Gyges did the same thing. Galen observes, that women cannot be castrated without danger of life; and Dalechampius, on the foregoing passage of Athenaeus, holds, that it is only to be understood of simple padding.