Epiphysan is an extract derived from the

pineal gland The pineal gland (also known as the pineal body or epiphysis cerebri) is a small endocrine gland in the brain of most vertebrates. It produces melatonin, a serotonin-derived hormone, which modulates sleep, sleep patterns following the diurnal c ...

s of

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

, historically used by veterinarians for rut suppression in

mares A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four y ...

and cows. Between 1954 and 1987 it was notoriously used in child research at the Kinderbeobachtungsstation in

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, which housed a children's psychiatric facility.

History

First developed for veterinary medicine, Epiphysan had been tested on humans in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

in the 1930s. Prisoners who were given the drug, temporarily exhibited a reduction in their masturbation impulse.

Documented cases

Maria Nowak-Vogl, a psychologist affiliated with the

University of Innsbruck The University of Innsbruck (; ) is a public research university in Innsbruck, the capital of the Austrian federal state of Tyrol (state), Tyrol, founded on October 15, 1669. It is the largest education facility in the Austrian States of Austria, ...

, oversaw the Kinderbeobachtungsstation until her retirement in 1987. Her treatments included the administration of various potent sedatives including

Rohypnol Flunitrazepam, sold under the brand name Rohypnol among others, is a benzodiazepine used to treat severe insomnia and assist with anesthesia. As with other hypnotics, flunitrazepam has been advised to be prescribed only for short-term use or by ...

. Some children were given Epiphysan to suppress their sexual feelings and discourage

masturbation Masturbation is a form of autoeroticism in which a person Sexual stimulation, sexually stimulates their own Sex organ, genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm. Stimulation may involve the use of han ...

. Nowak-Vogl was the first to administer it to children. According to hundreds of medical records reviewed by Ina Friedmann, a historian of medicine at the University of Innsbruck, nearly thirty cases of Epiphysan being administered were documented. After the 1980 documentary ''Problemkinder'' exposed some of the practices at the villa, Kornelius Kryspin-Exner, its new supervisor, ordered an end to the use of Epiphysan. No research has been done to study the long-term effects of Epiphysan.

References

{{reflist Veterinary drugs History of psychiatry Human subject research