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Harry Benjamin (1885-1987) made significant
contributions both to gerontology and to sexology.
Benjamin, born in Berlin, had close connections to sex researchers in Europe where sex research blossomed at the beginning of the 20th century. His interests in endocrinology were inspired by the work of Steinach, Vienna. His involvement in transvestism and transsexualism was inspired by the work of
Hirschfeld, Berlin. In contrast, his interests in psychoanalysis were spoiled at his first encounter with Freud. It was
Hirschfeld who, in 1910, coined the term transvestism, and, in 1923, the term transsexualism. in 1918, Magnus Hirschfeld reported
the
first sex reassignment surgery having taken place in Berlin in 1912.
| He arrived in the United
States (1913) and joined the Neurological Institute of Columbia
University to nurture endocrinology.
Encouraging his interest was his
friendship with Eugen Steinach, of Vienna, who had claimed to have
found a restorative effect in vasoligation of older men.
Benjamin’s understanding of the
newly braking developments in endocrinology led him to try these
hormones to deal with the problems of aging and to coin the term
"gerontotherapy." |
Harry Benjamin (1885-1987)
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Dr. Benjamin is best known in the
sexological field for his unprecedented work with transvestites and
transsexuals. He emerged quickly as the American leader in the field and
published a seminal work on transsexualism,
The Transsexual Phenomenon (1966). Over his career, he treated
more than 1500 people with gender identity disorders, and was known for
the kindness and understanding he extended to all his patients.
He was so proud, and somewhat relieved,
when in 1978, many of the professionals in the field organized The Harry
Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association, for organizing
symposia and who initiated creating
standards of care for the treatment of Gender Identity Disorders. |
