1918: “Rejuvenation” experiments start in Vienna

The Viennese doctor Eugen Steinach (1861–1944) was among the most controversial scientists of the interwar period. His experiments on the sexual glands of rats led him to the conviction that the human aging process could be slowed down via the “diversion” of secretions by means of a vasectomy. As of 1918, his followers began performing these operations on people too and the discovery, which was originally intended as strictly scientific knowledge, became a worldwide phenomenon. Steinach’s “discovery” satisfied all the demands for the revitalisation and renewal of a weary society and quickly achieved immense renown. In medical circles, his findings were disputed from the beginning and the critical voices increasingly gained the upper hand. At first this had no bearing on the popularity of his methods among the general public. Thousands of people worldwide were “rejuvenated” according to the Steinach Method, including a subsequently disappointed Sigmund Freud.