Harry Benjamin
Encyclopedia
Harry Benjamin was a German
endocrinologist, widely known for his clinical work with transsexualism. He was raised in an observant Ashkenazy Jewish home.
, received his doctorate in medicine in 1912 in Tübingen
for a dissertation on tuberculosis
. Sexual medicine interested him, but was not part of his medical studies. In an interview conducted in 1985 he recalled:
Following an ill-fated professional visit to the United States, the liner in which Benjamin was returning to Germany was caught mid-Atlantic both by the outbreak of the First World War
in 1914, and the Royal Navy
. Given the choice of a British internment camp, as an "enemy alien
", or returning to New York, he used his last dollars to travel back to America, where he made his home for the rest of his life, although he maintained and built many international professional connections and visited Europe frequently when wars allowed.
After several failed attempts to start a medical career in New York
, in 1915 Benjamin rented a consulting room, in which he also slept, and started his own general medical practice. Later he also practiced in San Francisco (at 450 Sutter Street) in the summer of every year.
, a fellow sexologist, to see a child who "wanted to become a girl", despite being born male, and whose mother wished for help that would assist rather than thwart the child. Kinsey had encountered the child as a result of his interviews for Sexual Behavior in the Human Male which was published that year, and had seen nothing of the like previously. Neither had Benjamin. This child rapidly led Benjamin to understand that there was a different condition to that of transvestism, under which adults who had such needs had been classified to that time. Despite psychiatrists whom Benjamin involved in the case failing to agree amongst themselves on a path of treatment, Benjamin eventually decided to treat the child with estrogen (Premarin
, introduced in 1941), which had a "calming effect", and helped arrange for the mother and child to go to Germany where surgery to assist the child could be performed, but from there they ceased to maintain contact, to Benjamin's regret. However, Benjamin continued to refine his understanding and went on to treat several hundred patients with similar needs in a similar manner, often without accepting any payment. Many of his patients were referred by Dr. David Cauldwell, Dr. Richard Stoller, and doctors in Denmark. These doctors received hundreds of requests from transsexual-identified individuals who had read about their pioneering research on transsexual transition. However, due to their personal political opinions of the American doctors and a Danish law prohibiting sex reassignment surgery on foreigners, these doctors had to refer the letter-writers to the one doctor of the era who would aid transsexual individuals in gender transition, Harry Benjamin. Until Benjamin's work, any experiments on sex reassignment had not included treatment of endocrinology as well as surgery. Benjamin conducted treatment with the assistance of carefully selected colleagues of various disciplines (such as psychiatrist John Alden and electrologist Martha Foss in San Francisco and plastic surgeon Jose Jesus Barbosa in Tijuana. His patients regarded him as a man of immense caring, respect and kindness, and many kept in touch with him until his death.
The legal, social and medical background to this in the United States, as in many other countries, was often a stark contrast, since wearing items of clothing associated with the opposite sex in public was often illegal, castration of a male was often illegal, anything seen as homosexuality was often persecuted, if not illegal, and many doctors considered all such people (including children) best treated by forced treatments such as drugged detention, electroconvulsive therapy
or lobotomy
.
Although Benjamin's 1966 book, The Transsexual Phenomenon, was immensely important as the first large work describing and explaining the affirmative treatment path he pioneered, he had already published papers and lectured to professional audiences extensively. Publicity surrounding his patient Christine Jorgensen
brought the issue into the mainstream in 1952, and led to a great many people presenting for assistance, internationally. Similar cases in other countries (such as that of Roberta Cowell
, whose surgery by Harold Gillies
in England was in 1951 but was not publicised until 1954; Coccinelle
who received much publicity in France in 1958, and April Ashley
whose exposure in 1961 by the British tabloid press was reported worldwide) fuelled this. But most of Benjamin's patients lived (and many still live) quiet lives. Many critics consider 'The Transsexual Phenomenon' to be patronising to transsexuals. He was contradictory on his views and seemed warm to the transgendered as well as patronising and sometimes mean spirited. He and Dr. Elmer Belt's correpondence show great bigotry against the transgendered. Benjamin was often angry that transsexuals were not greatful for his help.
. Benjamin himself lived to be 101. Benjamin was married to Gretchen, to whom he dedicated his 1966 major work, for 60 years.
In 1971 Benjamin published Basic Self-Knowledge, a guide to the Fourth Way work of G. I. Gurdjieff. In 1979 the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association
was formed, using Benjamin's name by permission.
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
endocrinologist, widely known for his clinical work with transsexualism. He was raised in an observant Ashkenazy Jewish home.
Early life and career
Benjamin was born in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, received his doctorate in medicine in 1912 in Tübingen
Tübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
for a dissertation on tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. Sexual medicine interested him, but was not part of his medical studies. In an interview conducted in 1985 he recalled:
Following an ill-fated professional visit to the United States, the liner in which Benjamin was returning to Germany was caught mid-Atlantic both by the outbreak of the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in 1914, and the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. Given the choice of a British internment camp, as an "enemy alien
Enemy alien
In law, an enemy alien is a citizen of a country which is in a state of conflict with the land in which he or she is located. Usually, but not always, the countries are in a state of declared war.-United Kingdom:...
", or returning to New York, he used his last dollars to travel back to America, where he made his home for the rest of his life, although he maintained and built many international professional connections and visited Europe frequently when wars allowed.
After several failed attempts to start a medical career in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, in 1915 Benjamin rented a consulting room, in which he also slept, and started his own general medical practice. Later he also practiced in San Francisco (at 450 Sutter Street) in the summer of every year.
Work with transgender people
In 1948, in San Francisco, Benjamin was asked by Alfred KinseyAlfred Kinsey
Alfred Charles Kinsey was an American biologist and professor of entomology and zoology, who in 1947 founded the Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University, now known as the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, as well as producing the Kinsey Reports and the Kinsey...
, a fellow sexologist, to see a child who "wanted to become a girl", despite being born male, and whose mother wished for help that would assist rather than thwart the child. Kinsey had encountered the child as a result of his interviews for Sexual Behavior in the Human Male which was published that year, and had seen nothing of the like previously. Neither had Benjamin. This child rapidly led Benjamin to understand that there was a different condition to that of transvestism, under which adults who had such needs had been classified to that time. Despite psychiatrists whom Benjamin involved in the case failing to agree amongst themselves on a path of treatment, Benjamin eventually decided to treat the child with estrogen (Premarin
Premarin
Premarin is the commercial name for a compound cream of vaginally administered estrogens, consisting primarily of conjugated estrogens. Isolated from mares' urine , it is manufactured by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and has been marketed since 1942...
, introduced in 1941), which had a "calming effect", and helped arrange for the mother and child to go to Germany where surgery to assist the child could be performed, but from there they ceased to maintain contact, to Benjamin's regret. However, Benjamin continued to refine his understanding and went on to treat several hundred patients with similar needs in a similar manner, often without accepting any payment. Many of his patients were referred by Dr. David Cauldwell, Dr. Richard Stoller, and doctors in Denmark. These doctors received hundreds of requests from transsexual-identified individuals who had read about their pioneering research on transsexual transition. However, due to their personal political opinions of the American doctors and a Danish law prohibiting sex reassignment surgery on foreigners, these doctors had to refer the letter-writers to the one doctor of the era who would aid transsexual individuals in gender transition, Harry Benjamin. Until Benjamin's work, any experiments on sex reassignment had not included treatment of endocrinology as well as surgery. Benjamin conducted treatment with the assistance of carefully selected colleagues of various disciplines (such as psychiatrist John Alden and electrologist Martha Foss in San Francisco and plastic surgeon Jose Jesus Barbosa in Tijuana. His patients regarded him as a man of immense caring, respect and kindness, and many kept in touch with him until his death.
The legal, social and medical background to this in the United States, as in many other countries, was often a stark contrast, since wearing items of clothing associated with the opposite sex in public was often illegal, castration of a male was often illegal, anything seen as homosexuality was often persecuted, if not illegal, and many doctors considered all such people (including children) best treated by forced treatments such as drugged detention, electroconvulsive therapy
Electroconvulsive therapy
Electroconvulsive therapy , formerly known as electroshock, is a psychiatric treatment in which seizures are electrically induced in anesthetized patients for therapeutic effect. Its mode of action is unknown...
or lobotomy
Lobotomy
Lobotomy "; τομή – tomē: "cut/slice") is a neurosurgical procedure, a form of psychosurgery, also known as a leukotomy or leucotomy . It consists of cutting the connections to and from the prefrontal cortex, the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain...
.
Although Benjamin's 1966 book, The Transsexual Phenomenon, was immensely important as the first large work describing and explaining the affirmative treatment path he pioneered, he had already published papers and lectured to professional audiences extensively. Publicity surrounding his patient Christine Jorgensen
Christine Jorgensen
Christine Jorgensen was the first widely known person to have sex reassignment surgery—in this case, male to female.-Early life:...
brought the issue into the mainstream in 1952, and led to a great many people presenting for assistance, internationally. Similar cases in other countries (such as that of Roberta Cowell
Roberta Cowell
Roberta Cowell, , was the first known British male-to-female transsexual to undergo sex reassignment surgery.Born Robert Cowell, she was a Spitfire pilot in World War II and a racing driver after the war. She had a vaginoplasty on 15 May 1951, via a surgical method invented and performed by Dr...
, whose surgery by Harold Gillies
Harold Gillies
Sir Harold Delf Gillies was a New Zealand-born, and later London based, otolaryngologist who is widely considered as the father of plastic surgery.-Personal life:Gillies was born in Dunedin, New Zealand...
in England was in 1951 but was not publicised until 1954; Coccinelle
Coccinelle (entertainer)
Coccinelle was a French transsexual actress and entertainer. Hers was the first widely publicized sexual reassignment case in Europe, where she was a national celebrity and a renowned club singer.- Early life and career :...
who received much publicity in France in 1958, and April Ashley
April Ashley
April Ashley is an English model and restaurant hostess. She was the first British person to be outed as a transsexual, which was by the Sunday People in 1961...
whose exposure in 1961 by the British tabloid press was reported worldwide) fuelled this. But most of Benjamin's patients lived (and many still live) quiet lives. Many critics consider 'The Transsexual Phenomenon' to be patronising to transsexuals. He was contradictory on his views and seemed warm to the transgendered as well as patronising and sometimes mean spirited. He and Dr. Elmer Belt's correpondence show great bigotry against the transgendered. Benjamin was often angry that transsexuals were not greatful for his help.
Other work and interests
Apart from sexology, he was a gerontologist and worked on life extensionLife extension
Life extension science, also known as anti-aging medicine, experimental gerontology, and biomedical gerontology, is the study of slowing down or reversing the processes of aging to extend both the maximum and average lifespan...
. Benjamin himself lived to be 101. Benjamin was married to Gretchen, to whom he dedicated his 1966 major work, for 60 years.
In 1971 Benjamin published Basic Self-Knowledge, a guide to the Fourth Way work of G. I. Gurdjieff. In 1979 the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association
Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association
The World Professional Association for Transgender Health, Inc. is a professional organization devoted to the understanding and treatment of gender dysphoria. The organization was originally named after Harry Benjamin, one of the earliest physicians to work with transsexuals...
was formed, using Benjamin's name by permission.
See also
- Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria AssociationHarry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria AssociationThe World Professional Association for Transgender Health, Inc. is a professional organization devoted to the understanding and treatment of gender dysphoria. The organization was originally named after Harry Benjamin, one of the earliest physicians to work with transsexuals...
- Benjamin scaleBenjamin scaleHarry Benjamin's Sex Orientation Scale was an attempt to classify and understand various forms and subtypes of transvestism and transsexualism in biological males...
- List of transgender-related topics
- Eugen SteinachEugen SteinachEugen Steinach was a leading Austrian physiologist and pioneer in endocrinology.-Biography:He was born on January 28, 1861 in Austria....