MTF Crossdressing during Civil War?

[moderntrickster]

I've been on Google for hours now searching for everything within the realms of male crossdressing, victorian era and civil war as well as everything in between it seems and I'm still not getting a very good idea of what I'm looking for

Comments

[xtricks]

search out corseting -- tight corseting affects the shape of the torso and you can get info on it via the corseting kink.

In the civil war era, hormones, injections and so on would be out. My best guess at what he might try -- if he could find a willing doctor or animal vet, would be a simple castration. Just the removal of the testicles - removal of the penis is risky because if the urethral opening heals incorrectly, he could die. Also, back then, there wouldn't be much in the way of useful anesthesic or antibiotics (or the concept of germ theory, for that matter). Castration is a: relatively minor surgury, in terms of trauma to the body and b: something most everyone in the era would be familar with as a way to make something or someone less male.

[corvideye]

Ditto on "male corseting". There are several historical periods when some men did wear corsets (according to Wikipedia, one era was 1820-1835), and I know I've seen images of men whose bodies had been permanently altered by this practice.

[moderntrickster]

I've seen some modern images, but I've never had any luck finding anything from that period. But I'll definitely be digging around more for that.

[corvideye]

I wish I could remember where I saw it online... I'll see if I can dig it up.

[moderntrickster]

That would be wonderful if you could find it! :D

[corvideye]

Damn, now I'm wondering if I'm actually remembering an image from the CSI episode someone mentioned below. Funny how the brain can play tricks...

[moderntrickster]

I'll definitely give male corseting another look! Thanks you.

I wasn't sure how safe castration was during that time, but I'm pretty sure that in the long-run, I'll end up pushing it that extreme; especially because I'm certain at this point in the plot that he has no intention of going back to living as a male.

[corvideye]

Have you looked at the castrato (plural castrati) opera singers? They were usually nipped before puberty, but it would give you info on the historical logistics of the operation.

[moderntrickster]

I've done a bit of research for a completely different storyline, but nothing in-depth. I've added it to my research list, though!

Most of the research I've done is on ancient Roman castrati/made eunuchs and ancient "lifestyle" eunuchs since I'd done a Diocletian-era homoerotic storyline a while ago.

Same topic, roughly, but completely different historical era and I'm finding out a lot of really interesting things.

[fides]

You might also try looking at Indian hijras for your time period. Totally different culture and cultural understanding but they would have been performing castration rituals at the time you are thinking about and might be able to give you more historical logistics to add to the mental pile.

[moderntrickster]

I never would have thought of that! Thank you, I'll totally give it a look!

[sushidog]

Actually by the time of the civil war, anaesthetics were routinely used for surgery; chloroform and ether were both used, with chloroform being the more popular of the two.

[xtricks]

Was it? I thought that was later? Especially in the South? The tech levels between the North and South were a little different.

[sushidog]

General anaesthetic was developed largely during the 1840s, and was definitely in use on both sides during the Civil war; there were almost certainly times when it wasn't available due to supply lines being cut, but by the 60s it was well-known and widely used. There's quite a thorough account of its history, referencing its use on both Union and Confederate solider, here.

[moderntrickster]

This is a wonderful resource. Thanks!