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Brown-Sequard and 'Rejuvenation' by Testicular Extracts |
The impact of Brown-Sequard's 'rejuvenation' was profound. In 1889, when
he made public the results of his self-injections, he was a scientist
of international stature and a member of the prestigious French Academy
of Sciences. Moreover, he was 72 years old, near the end of a distinguished
career that included major contributions to neuroscience and adrenal function.
He was heir apparent to Claude Bernard's chair of medicine at the College
de France.
"…the placebo effect can be powerful, even in a highly educated physician (Cussons, Med.J.Aust., 2002)."
Brown-Sequard, C. Note on the effects produced in man by subcutaneous
injections of a liqueid obtained from the testicles of animals (Lancet
2: 105, 1889). |
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A century
later, scientists in Australia attempted to repeat the extraction of
male hormones from dog testes, following the methods published by Brown-Sequard
in his original work. Testosterone concentrations of the extract were
measured by radio-immunoassay. The Australians found that each of the
Brown-Sequard injections would have contained only about 100 ng of testosterone,
whereas daily testosterone secretion in man is about 6 mg. Further,
the testis does not store testosterone, but releases the hormone upon
synthesis into the systemic circulation; thus extracts from the testis
would not be expected to be particularly rich in testosterone. The authors
conclude,
