John Money Biography

Words: 1848
Pages: 8

The Facts Section: On August 27, 1965 in Winnipeg, Canada, two twins named, Bruce and Brian, were born to the proud parents of Janet Schultz and Ronald Reimer ("Dr. Money and the Boy with No Penis”). However, around 8 months, the boys developed problems urinating and were brought to a clinic. The doctor assured them that it could be solved with a simple circumcision. Although this is a routine procedure, the doctor who performed it used an unconventional method of a cauterizing needle instead of a blade to perform the operation. The electrical equipment malfunctioned, and the surge in current had completely burned off Bruce’s penis (“Health Check: The Boy who was Raised as a Girl”). With his penis burned through the tip, shaft, and base, the doctors were unsure what to do next. The parents sought the advice of various specialists, but later came to the conclusion after meeting with Dr. John Money, a psychologist from John Hopkins, that the “best” solution would be a castration with a complete removal of the testes, hormonal treatment, and essentially “gender conversion” therapy. His name was then changed to Brenda. …show more content…
John Money, around this time, was receiving attention for his ideas on the biology of gender and sexuality. His theories were based on his notion that a child’s gender identity was determined by environmental factors, including the social conditions that said child is raised in. “Nurture not Nature,” was the popular slogan he used to promote this idea ("The Tragic Twin Boy Who Was Brought up as a Girl after Horrific Hospital Blunder”). The debate of nature versus nurture, more often than not, centers around the overall effect genes have on the human personality through environmental and/or social factors one might be exposed