I heard you can sell your testicle. I am looking for exact phone
numbers or addresses that I can contact to do this. I assume they will
be colleges or hospitals.

Hello Vission,

It would seem someone is pulling your leg.

If you search Google with the terms [ "donate testicle" ], 
[ "testicle donation" ], and [ "testicle transplant" ] you'll find a
multitude of message sites, in which myriad young men clamor for
information about how to sell or donate a testicle - with *no response
or information*:

Paid Medical Studies Forum
http://www.mootrealm.com/wwwboard/wwwboard.html

EZ Board Forums
http://pub88.ezboard.com/fendeffectdboardofftopic.showMessage?topicID=5031.topic


Dr. Eugene Katz of the Fertility Center at the Greater Baltimore
Medical Center states that he's never heard of testicle donation:

Testicle Donation
http://www.gbmc.org/fertilitycenter/forum.cfm?Action=Detail&ParentMsgID=23795

Fertility Center
Greater Baltimore Medical Center
Physicians Pavilion West
6569 North Charles Street, Suite 406
Baltimore, Maryland 21204
Phone: (443) 849-2484
Fax: (443) 849-3067
E-mail: fertility@gbmc.org 

Transplant surgeon Dr. Jeff Punch says:

"Testicles are not transplanted."

Where can I find out about testicle transplants? Are they done?
http://www.transweb.org/qa/asktw/answers/answers9701/96040504.html

Testosterone Magazine offers this tongue in cheek exchange:

" Testicle Transplantation?

Is it medically possible to transplant a new testicle, just in case
mine would be damaged in an accident? (My girlfriend has threatened me
a few times lately, due to spending too much time reading Testosterone
magazine and neglecting her.)

If so, would it also be possible to get me a third extra ball? And if
this is the case, which one should I choose, a ball of Dorian Yates or
one from Ronnie Coleman, or maybe even better, one from TC, who has
proven lately to have more balls then anybody out there!

Seriously, if an older guy would get a testicle transplant from a
younger guy, would he get higher Testosterone levels or isn't this the
case?

Keep up the good work!

Andrew

Andrew, I in fact have four balls (two that I carry for everyday use,
and two sterling silver ones that I keep in my dresser next to my
cufflinks — you know, just for special occasions and stuff) and if it
were possible to transplant them, I would gladly give you an extra
one.

Actually, there were some testicle transplants done late in the 1800’s
and early in the 1900’s. As I remember reading, they involved
transplanting the testes of one rooster to another. And, one of the
fathers of Testosterone research, Charles Eduard Brown-Sequard,
claimed to have rejuventated himself by injecting the extracts of
guinea pig testicles (for real).

I don’t think it’s possible to transplant human testicles yet. I
suspect the tissue rejection problems would be too great, and given
that testicles, or glandular tissue of any kind, isn’t the toughest of
tissues, they’d be ravaged by the immune system. If I’m wrong, or I’m
not seeing the picture clearly, I’m sure someone will let me know.

In the meantime, let’s all stick with Tribex-500, prohormones,
steroids, or Testosterone injections to manage our endocrine system.
Let’s leave the testicle transplantation experiments in Tim
Patterson’s basement, where they belong.

And keep an eye on that girlfriend!"

Testosterone Magazine
http://www.t-mag.com/articles/166rm.html

I called my mother in-law, a retired registered nurse.  She laughed
and said "No such thing!".  She then instructed me to call her former
employer, our family physician.  He likewise responded that there is
no such thing, it's a hoax that's been perpetuated since long before
he even started medical school.

I spoke with representatives at the following hospitals, all of whom
replied that there is no such program in place *anywhere*, to their
knowledge:

Medical College of Ohio Hospital
419-383-4000

St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center
419-251-3232

The Toledo Hospital
419-291-4000


There have been some *experiments* with testicular implantation, but
at this time, the procedure is largely unsuccessful and no programs
are in place to accomodate men seeking to donate or sell a testicle.

--Missy

---

Request for Answer Clarification by vission-ga on 18 Apr 2003 20:22 PDT

I actually found the same sites in my search... I guess I wasnt
specific enough. sorry. I was told you could donate it for research
and such, not really for trasplant. Basically for test and to find
cures for different things I assume. If this will help in an effort
for some actual contacts that would be great. Again you maybe right it
may be just a "myth" for lack of better words. I also heard that The
university of tennessee was one that has done such a study in the past
if that can be a place to start.

---

Clarification of Answer by missy-ga on 19 Apr 2003 00:44 PDT

Hi again,

I did speak to three very reputable hospitals, as well as my own
physician, and they all said there was no program accepting testicle
donations - either for a fee or as a flat out donation.

That said, it *may* be possible that a learning hospital might have
solicited donations for a study, but it's most likely that donated
testicles came from cadavers.

It's a holiday weekend and I now have houseguests, so I'll pursue this
further for you on Monday.  Have a good weekend!

--Missy

---

Request for Answer Clarification by vission-ga on 19 Apr 2003 09:44 PDT

Thank you so much for putting the time in this one. I probaly should
have offered a little more money since I myself was having a hard time
finding the answer. I have no problem offering a decent tip though. I
really want hard facts to know if this is a goose chase or not. So
again I thank you and hope you also have a great weekend and am
looking forward to hearing from you next week.
                    Happy Easter

---

Clarification of Answer by missy-ga on 21 Apr 2003 14:28 PDT

Hello again,

I've spoken at length with several representatives of the Medical
College of Ohio, located in Toledo, Ohio, about the processes by which
learning hospitals and research facilities obtain organs for research
purposes, and was informed that *under no circumstances* are research
specimens retrieved from healthy individuals.  Research specimens are
obtained from cadavers and from amputations (in the case of limbs) or
removals made necessary by disease (in the case of organs).

I also contacted a friend at the University of Michigan Medical school
and asked him to search The National Institute of Health's Medline.

He writes:

"Hm...well, twelve million scientific articles in th National
Institute of
Health's Medline and about twenty minutes of looking and I haven't
found even a breath of anything that looks remotely like donating 
healthy testicles..."

He goes on to state that enough testicles are removed for reasons such
as testicular cancer that there would be no reason to obtain testicles
from healthy individuals for research purposes - there is no shortage
of available specimens.

Additionally, even if healthy specimens were accepted, you would not
be paid for your donation.  Neither living donors of organs, nor the
families of deceased donors receive monetary compensation, as such
compensation is prohibited by federal law:

"It is ILLEGAL to sell your organs in the United States. It is against
Federal law to sell organs in the United States. This offense is
punishable by a fine and imprisonment. The National Organ Transplant
Act (Public Law 98-507) prohibits the buying and selling of organs.
Among the reasons for this law is the concern of Congress that buying
and selling of organs might lead to inequitable access to donor organs
with the wealthy having an unfair advantage."

Myths About Organ Donation
http://www.ikidney.com/iKidney/Lifestyles/LifestyleTips/Transplant/MythsAboutOrganDonation.htm

If you're still interested in donating *any* of your organs or
tissues, why not sign an organ donor card, or bequeath your body to a
learning hospital in your area?

You can get more information here:

Donate Life
http://www.shareyourlife.org/Default.asp



--Missy

Thank you so much. I assumed it was a "wives tale" and should have
figured that if I couldnt find any information on it then I probaly
should not have wasted someones elses time :o). But I am satisfied
that I was able to get the second look from Missy. Thank you so much!!

Where can I donate my brain? It wouldn't hurt as much. Dr.s say the
brain feels no pain.

Thank you, Vission.  I'm glad I could be of service!

--Missy