What is egg cutting?

There are many ways for ancient eunuchs to "lead an honest and clean life". Stidder, a British official, recorded in detail in 1870 the body cleaning operation organized by China.

The cost of cleansing surgery is six taels of silver.

It is said that the place where castration was done at that time was called the factory, which was located outside the Xihuamen Gate of the Forbidden City and was a relatively shabby hut. Several knife makers in charge of the operation, although castrated by profession, are only recognized by go-vern ment, and have no fixed salary. They can charge each eunuch six taels of silver for the operation, but they are responsible for the complete cure. "Clean people" are mostly poor people. If they can't pay cash in advance, they have to find someone to guarantee and pay the operating expenses in the future.

During the operation, the abdomen and upper thigh of the castrated person are tied tightly with white cloth or bandage, and then the site to be operated is washed with pepper water. The scalpel used for castration is a machete similar to a sickle with a sharp blade. The knife maker will hold the penis and scrotum of the operator with one hand, and suddenly cut the penis and scrotum from the root with the other hand.

In the blink of an eye, it marks that a man's treasure is separated from the castrated body. Next, a white wax needle will be inserted into the man's urethra and tied with a rope. The wound was covered with a piece of paper soaked in cold water and then carefully bandaged.

Moreover, it is said that after this series of procedures, castrated people can't stay in bed immediately, and they must be helped to walk in the house for two or three hours before they can stay in bed. Three days after the operation, you must not drop water. After three days, the white wax needle was pulled out and the urine gushed out, that is, the castration was successful.

The medical conditions in ancient times were certainly not as good as those in modern times. Such three days should be equivalent to going to the gate of hell. Life is big, one is alive; Life is not big, so I went to see the devil. This is still an official castration with certain technology, and the folk castration method is even more terrible.

Liu Yueping, deputy director of Beijing Eunuch Cultural Relics Museum, mentioned the castration of young children in Qing Dynasty. He said: "Children are castrated and their limbs should be fixed. After fixation, he tied his genitals, tied them to the beams, hanged himself, and then stimulated them to a certain extent with cold water. Then the knife suddenly cut it off with a machete. There are several ways to cut it off. One is to squeeze out the testicles, and the other is to castrate him completely, that is, to cut him whole. "

In ancient times, there were so-called "binding method" and "kneading method", which could not be completely dug out. The "tying method" is to tie the boy from the root of the genitals "testicles" with hemp rope when he is young, which does not affect the urine drowning, but hinders the normal development of the genitals. Over time, the boy's genitals will lose their function.

What do castrated eunuchs do with "baby"?

The eunuch who was "cleaned" called the surgically castrated penis "baby". What if the eunuch's "baby" is cut off? Parents who are physically damaged should not be hurt. Castrated people attach great importance to "baby" and will not throw it away. They will try their best to keep it safe. The storage method is to put it in a lime powder box to absorb blood moisture and keep it dry, then wipe it clean with a wet cloth and soak it in sesame oil. When the oil permeates, put it in a small wooden box, seal it, choose an auspicious day and hang it on the main beam of your ancestral temple or home, which means "promotion" and symbolizes that castrated people can "step by step" in the court. This is the pursuit of all castrated people.

There are also "treasures" sent to family shrines, because the bodies were given by ancestors, and they should be given to them after being cut off. If the eunuch forgets to ask for the "treasure" after the operation, it will be kept by the knife maker, and the castrated person will be redeemed with silver when he enters the palace and makes a fortune. If it is lost for some reason, make a ceramic or porcelain penis buried with it, or rent out the "treasure" of other eunuchs.

After the eunuch dies, his family will sew back the treasure, burn the voluntary castration book, as if there were no such thing, and let the deceased see their ancestors in the underworld.