Aretaeus of Cappadocia (first and second centuries, CE) Apparent dual function of the testis
Submitted by Alan D. Rogol, MD, Ph.D.
Aretaeus of Cappadocia, the latter a former Roman province in eastern Turkey, recorded some observations that may have anticipated the two functions of the testis. Around 150 CE, when writing a chapter on gonorrhea, he stated “For it is the semen, when possessed of vitality, which makes us to be men, hot, well-braced in limbs, well-voiced, spirited, strong to think and act. For when the semen is not possessed of its vitality, persons become shriveled, have a sharp tone of voice, lose their hair and their beard, and become effeminate, as the characteristics of eunuchs prove” (Aretaeus. The Extant Works of Aretaeus, the Cappadocean on Gonorrhea. Translated by F. Adams. Sydenham Society; 1854:510).