Arnold Adolph Berthold (1803-1861) Testis Transplantation and the Regain of Male Sexual Characteristics and Behaviors
Submitted by Alan Rogol
In 1849 Berthold transplanted testes from roosters into the abdominal cavity of capons without vascular anastomoses or nerve connections. After 6 months he observed (in translation) that the grafted testes permitted “…these animals remained male in regard to voice, reproduction instinct, fighting spirit and growth of comb and wattles”. The regain of function of the organism is due to “…the productive influence of the testicle …by its effect upon the blood, and through the blood, upon the organism”. This was the first experimental proof of the hypothesis of Théophile de Bordeu from 1776. Berthold’s department chair the renowned physiologist, Rudolf Wagner, could not reproduce the findings and they were “buried” for more than 50 years.