The
Burdizzo is a
castrationCastration is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, by which a male loses the functions of the testicles or a female loses the functions of the ovaries...
device which employs a large clamp designed to break the blood vessels leading into the testicles. Once the blood supply to the testicles is lost, testicular
necrosisNecrosis is the premature death of cells and living tissue. Necrosis is caused by external factors, such as infection, toxins , or trauma. This is in contrast to apoptosis, which is a naturally occurring cause of cellular death...
occurs, and the testicles shrink, soften, and eventually deteriorate completely.
The burdizzo is used primarily on farm animals. For example, pampered
cattleCattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, used for
Kobe beefrefers to beef from the black Tajima-ushi breed of Wagyu cattle, raised according to strict tradition in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Kobe beef is renowned for its flavour, tenderness, and fatty well-marbled texture...
, are often castrated by this method because of the reduced risk of bleeding and
infectionAn infection is the detrimental colonization of a host organism by a foreign species. In an infection, the infecting organism seeks to utilize the host's resources to multiply, usually at the expense of the host. The infecting organism, or pathogen, interferes with the normal functioning of the...
.
Burdizzos have also been used by some human males as a means of self-castration, often by those seeking a remedy for a high
sex driveLibido in its common usage means sexual desire; however, more technical definitions, such as those found in the work of Carl Jung, are more general, referring to libido as the free creative—or psychic—energy an individual has to put toward personal development or individuation.- History of the...
, or those who, for religious or personal reasons, seek to become eunuchs. The burdizzo has also been used by some
transsexual womenA trans woman is a male-to-female transsexual or transgender person and the term trans woman is preferred by many such individuals over various medical terms. Other non-medical terms include t-girl, tg-girl, and ts-girl...
and other male-to-female
transgenderTransgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to diverge from the normative gender roles....
persons, as an alternative to the surgical procedure known as an orchidectomy. Because an incision is not required, castration by burdizzo is usually bloodless and, according to some research, has a lower risk of
infectionAn infection is the detrimental colonization of a host organism by a foreign species. In an infection, the infecting organism seeks to utilize the host's resources to multiply, usually at the expense of the host. The infecting organism, or pathogen, interferes with the normal functioning of the...
, compared with traditional methods. However, because the burdizzo was not originally designed for human use, and because fairly little research has been done on burdizzo castrations in humans, many physicians and others do not consider the burdizzo to be a safe castration method for humans. While the risks of blood loss and infection are low, anesthesia is a must, without which, the burdizzo causes blunt force causing trauma to the spermatic cords, which are thickly wrapped in nerve fibers.
The Burdizzo was designed by doctor Marcus Schoeler in 1921 and is still in use to this day.