Excretion of androgens by eunuchs: the isolation of 17-ketosteroids from the urine

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Examination of the urine of a eunuch was made by the same methods as those which were applied to normal urines. From the ketonic fraction, the same compounds as are obtained from urine of normal [male][male] or [female][female] were isolated, namely, androsterone, aeticholan-3([alpha])-ol-17-one and transdehydroandrosterone. The relative amts. of the compounds in a eunuch''s urine, about 0.5, 0.9 and 2 mg./l., respectively, compared with those in mixed normal [male] urine (1.6, 1.4 and 0.2 mg./l., respectively) show a probably significant increase in the amt. of transdeldioandrosterone. None of these compounds is of purely gonadal origin. The results indicate that transdehydroandrosterone is derived from the adrenal cortex, which may be more active in a eunuch than in a normal subject.