Castration?Voice & Michael Jackson

Firstly, I know that I am late in my reactions and I feel sad for all but, mostly I feel sad for Michael Jackson who I imagine had a more challenging life than we know !

Below are some of my unsettling medical musings about his childhood and his death....

As a pediatrician and music lover , I have pondered Jackson's life and death from many different angles:

1. How might his pediatric development been affected and perhaps,more importantly, why might it have been?

I speculate that given his gorgeous high pitched childhood voice that perhaps

financial and family

pressures might have

existed to artificially maintain his voice before puberty changed it to a lower manly sound.

Yes,sadly,I am suggesting that money and his Father's

severe handling of the music pop star's normal development could have led to unethical decisions and interventions like...say----

.

Could this be called CASTRATION ?

(By the way, it can be surgically or

chemically induced.)

Check this out---

"But the most intriguing reasons for prepubertal castration was to be found in Italy, where from the end

of the 16th century it was carried out to preserve the male unbroken

voice into adult life. In an age when cruelty and barbaric punishments were common, its popularity was such that for a period during the

18th century the voice of the castrato dominated opera throughout most of western

Europe".http://www.usrf.org/news/010308-jenkins_lancet.html

2 .Was he facing life as an individual whose body was essentially severely altered ?

Castration is described below to affect the physical features in the following manners:

"The manner in which the castrati appeared to their audiences can be judged from our clinical experience of eunuchoidism due to spontaneous primary hypogonadism.

A tallness of stature, which was unusual in the 18th century, was commented upon by contemporary writers and was due to failure of the epiphyses to close at puberty, thereby allowing the unopposed action of growth hormone and other growth factors. There was a smooth pale skin, with, later in life, fine wrinkles around the eyes, no beard, plentiful scalp hair, a tendency to obesity, rounding of the hips, and narrowness of the shoulders; the pitch of the speaking voice was similar to that of a female."

3) Could these hormonal alterations have affected him emotionally? could they explain behaviors or affeminate affectations or his desire for severe body image changes?

Below, a scientist describes-

Dr. Richard Wassersug is a professor of anatomy and neurobiology at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Chemical castration is the common treatment for advanced prostate cancer, and more than 250,000 American men are taking these drugs. But few people know of any men taking them, simply because we hide. It is shameful to be castrated.

This Dr. says "My initial response to the therapy was typical. My mood plummeted along with my testosterone level. Hair vanished from my arms and legs. Muscle disappeared, fat appeared. My memory suffered. Not only was I now more likely to lose my car keys, I occasionally couldn't remember where I left the car."

I suspect Michael died of an overdose and that he was treated with Propofol(which was found previously in his home),whether this was the cause of death or not will remain to be seen

However,what would be of interest in the coroner's report would be any evidence of castration and dating of such an event. If this had occurred as a child in the care of his parents it would certainly give further pause to the courts about the guardianship of his children. I hope that his children do not become props for Joe Jackson and that their memories are of the essence of Michael Jackson's spirit,music and the voice of angel where love delivered despite its high costs!

definition of the fatal syndrome:

Propofol (2, 6-diisopropylphenol) is a potent intravenous hypnotic agent that is widely used in adults and children for sedation and the induction and maintenance of anaesthesia. Propofol has gained popularity for its rapid onset and rapid recovery even after prolonged use, and for the neuroprotection conferred. However, a review of the literature reveals multiple instances in which prolonged propofol administration (>48 hours) at high doses (>4 mg/kg/h) may cause a rare, but frequently fatal complication known as propofol infusion syndrome (PRIS). PRIS is characterized by metabolic acidosis, rhabdomyolysis of both skeletal and cardiac muscle, arrhythmias (bradycardia, atrial fibrillation, ventricular and supraventricular tachycardia, bundle branch block and asystole), myocardial failure, renal failure, hepatomegaly and death. PRIS has been described as an 'all or none' syndrome with sudden onset and probable death.