Vasectomy - History
Unraveling the history of vasectomy revealed that the procedure was used to curb excessive masturbation and also as a eugenic tool.
Vasectomy - Journey into the Lesser Known!
Although most people think that the practice of vasectomy started around 1950 however, the concept of males resorting to birth control methods is nothing new. The first use of condoms (made of animal intestine and fish) by men, presumably for protection against sexually transmitted diseases dates back to as early as 1640.
The term vas deferens was coined by Berengarius much earlier (1470- 1530). In Latin, vas means vessel and deferre means 'to carry down'.
Early Years Then in 1830, Sir Ashley Cooper's found that when the blood vessels of a dog's testicle were tied, no issues followed coitus. Crude as the experiment may be, this was what seeded the development of a surgical procedure for birth control in men called vasectomy. The dog however retained its ability to produce sperms even after 6 years of the surgery. Male birth control suffered a setback in the US following the Comstock law (1873) according to which advertisement of any form of birth control was illegal.
Masturbation, Castration & Eugenics
The first use of vasectomy (1899) was on a 19 year male who had complained of excessive masturbation. The surgery was carried out by a physician by name Harry Sharp. Following the surgery, the patient is reported to have acquired a higher intellectual level in addition to reduced masturbation.
Between 1904 and 1907, vasectomy (both as left and right or bilateral) was used to reduce the chances of infection of the epididymis following prostate surgery. The infamous case where a patient murdered a surgeon, for castration as birth control measure, prompted surgeons to look for another alternative for castration and very soon, vasectomy began to assume an important role. Infact, vasectomy was made compulsory of any confirmed idiot, rapist or a criminal. This led to the flourishment of the concept of eugenics where individuals who were considered as being unimportant to the society were vasectomised so ensure that the future generations were healthy!!!
Hitler & Vasectomy
During Hitler's chancellorship, it was made compulsory for men to obtain a "Fitness to marry" certificate Those who failed the test were made to undergo vasectomy for sterlisation.
Until 1948, vasectomy was primarily used for preventing criminals or those in penal institutions from fathering children. Some of the other indications included:
- Case where the wife was unable to undergo surgery on account of poor health,
- Situations where both the husband and the wife had arrived at a common agreement regarding prevention of pregnancy.
- Prevention of infection following prostate surgery
- Sterlisation of the masses on racial grounds.
Popularity of Vasectomy
The period of 1950s and the 1960s witnessed a widespread use of the technique for sterlisation purposes accompanied by a refinement in the surgical technique that ensured better results and far fewer complications. It was also during this period that vasectomy was universally accepted as a form of birth control in men.
India & Vasectomy
In India, Kerala and Gujarat (2, 22, 000 vasectomies performed) showed great and those who underwent vasectomy were given incentives and other rewards for the volunteers.
No Scalpel Vasectomy
The technique of "No-scalpel vasectomy" was developed in China by Dr. Li Shunqiang. This was later introduced in New York and other parts of the world by Dr. D. Mark Goldstein and his colleagues. In 2003, the use of vasclip, was approved by the FDA. Since then, a number of studies are being conducted to analyze the effectiveness of vasectomy and to make it more patient or rather client friendly.
