Original version

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

Discovery

Documentaries

Factual: Science & Nature

Factual: Science & Nature: Science & Technology

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

BBC World Service

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service East Asia

BBC World Service South Asia

Discovery: Science Stories: Series 3 - Testosterone: Elixir of Masculinity

Magazines & Reviews

Testosterone: Elixir of Masculinity

19/12/2016 GMT

Science Stories: Series 3 - Testosterone: Elixir of Masculinity

BBC World Service - Discovery, Science Stories: Series 3 - Testosterone: Elixir of MasculinitySearch BBC

How testosterone has been used and abused in history

From the 19th century, testosterone has been championed for its rejuvenating properties in restoring virility. What role does testosterone play in shaping masculinity

Testosterone has been claimed as one of the most important drivers of human life – through the agency of sex and aggression. In the 19th century, Charles-Eduoard Brown-Séquard injected himself with extracts from ground-up animal testicles, and made startling claims for its rejuvenating properties and its ability to enhance virility. But the amount of testosterone derived from the injection was actually so small that it could only have been a placebo effect. Today synthesised testosterone is increasingly prescribed for the so-called ‘male menopause’; it’s also regularly used for trans men as they transition, as well as for some women with low libido. In ‘How Much Testosterone Makes You a Man’, Naomi Alderman explores how testosterone had been used and abused in the past. She considers the credits and deficits of its story, and asks what it can tell us about identity and masculinity.

Image: Stick men, BBC Copyright

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Discovery

Science Stories: Series 3 - Testosterone: Elixir of Masculinity

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

About BBC World Service