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- eunuch - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
A man or boy who has been deprived of the testes or external genitals is known as a eunuch. This condition can be a birth defect or a result of castration (the removal of the testicles). From ancient times in the Middle East and China eunuchs were employed as chamberlains to kings and as guards and servants in harems or other women’s living quarters. Most men who became eunuchs had to undergo castration to gain employment as guards. Some were castrated as a form of punishment, and some were castrated as boys after they had been sold by poor parents. Eunuchs were considered most suitable to guard the wives or concubines of a ruler. Their confidential position in the harems frequently enabled them to exercise an important influence over their royal masters and even to raise themselves to stations of great trust and power. Some eunuchs rose to become bodyguards, confidential advisers, and even ministers, generals, and admirals.