Department of Urology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
J Sex Med. 2013 Apr;10(4):1178-83. doi: 10.1111/jsm.12081. Epub 2013 Jan 29.
The testis importance in homeostasis was recognized for millennia, but a consistent interest in exploring their endocrine function only goes back to about a century.
The aim of this study is to provide a succinct perspective of the events leading to the discovery of testosterone, the mind-boggling early attempts at therapy and today's situation.
The literature was reviewed with searches in OvidSP Medline, PubMed, and Google Scholar under the headings of testosterone/androgens history. Due to the explosion of reports between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a manual review of the collection of the period's journals at the university's library was performed. Pertinent books were consulted for specific biographical details.
There is a robust body of literature dealing with testicular function for the period starting in the late 1800s. It is illustrative to learn the painful efforts of many well-intentioned and honest scientists with more conviction and determination than knowledge. Among them, unfortunately, a number of charlatans and profiteers tainted the concept of hypogonadism and its treatment with repercussions lasting until this day. The discovery and synthesis of testosterone represent the effort of brilliant minds (two Nobel Prizes) in various countries and frequently working for the pharmaceutical industry. Shortly after testosterone became available, controversy arose about its application, use, abuse, and potential detrimental effects. Over the decades, the hullabaloo about hypogonadism and its treatment has focused on a variety of issues ranging from absurd efficacy claims to solid studies and from doubts of its existence to convincing proof of a detrimental age-associated deficit in testosterone production.
The history of testosterone discovery, synthesis, and introduction into the therapeutic armamentarium is an outstanding example of human curiosity, ingenuity, greed, and skepticism. Despite the vast progress in the field, many issues remain unresolved, but thoughtful science augurs well for its future.
几千年来，人们一直认识到睾丸在体内平衡中的重要性，但对其内分泌功能的持续探索可以追溯到大约一个世纪前。
本研究旨在提供一个简洁的视角，介绍导致发现睾酮的事件，以及早期令人难以置信的治疗尝试和今天的情况。
通过在 OvidSP Medline、PubMed 和 Google Scholar 中搜索睾酮/雄激素历史，对文献进行了回顾。由于 19 世纪末至 20 世纪初报告数量的爆炸式增长，在大学图书馆对该时期期刊的收藏进行了手动审查。查阅了相关书籍以获取特定的传记细节。
有大量关于 19 世纪末开始的睾丸功能的文献。了解许多善意且诚实的科学家的痛苦努力是很有启发性的，他们的知识比信念更坚定。不幸的是，其中一些江湖骗子和奸商玷污了性腺功能减退症及其治疗的概念，其影响一直持续到今天。睾酮的发现和合成代表了不同国家的杰出思想家（两个诺贝尔奖）的努力，他们经常为制药行业工作。睾酮问世后不久，就出现了关于其应用、使用、滥用和潜在有害影响的争议。几十年来，关于性腺功能减退症及其治疗的喧嚣一直集中在各种问题上，从荒谬的疗效声称到确凿的研究，从对其存在的怀疑到令人信服的证明与年龄相关的睾酮产生缺陷的有害证据。
睾酮的发现、合成和引入治疗领域的历史是人类好奇心、创造力、贪婪和怀疑的杰出典范。尽管该领域取得了巨大进展，但许多问题仍未得到解决，但深思熟虑的科学为其未来带来了希望。
