Steroids

-medicinal effects of testicular extract known for centuries

- first “scientific study” was when a British neurologist began injecting himself with dog and guinea pig testacle extract and noted the beneficial effects it caused.

-testosterone discovered in 1935, and the artificial synthesis of testosterone was discovered only weeks apart by 2 teams, both German, led by A. Butenandt and L. Ruzicka respectively. Both were offered the Noble Prize in 1939, but Butenandt was forced to decline by the Nazi party.

-During WWII, German scientists tested various anabolic steroids on people in concentration camps to avoid chronic wasting, and on soldiers, to increase muscle mass, and make them more aggressive.

-Steroid programs were implemented in the Soviet Union to enhance Olympic athlete performance, other countries “forced” into starting steroid programs to keep up.

-Anabolic steroids produce many negative side-effects such as: hypertension, high blood cholesterol, enlargement and thickening of left ventricle, heart disease, cardiac arrest, liver damage, testicular atrophy, infertility, stunted growth…to name a few.

-Anabolic steroids are also used medically…bone marrow growth, prevent chronic wasting, anemia, cancer and AIDS patients

-Was most prominent form of “doping” by professional and amateur athletes.

-Many tests for steroid use-including monitoring hormone levels over time –after prolonged use, endocrine system stops functioning normally, abnormal hormone fluctuations indicate doping

-Replaced fairly recently with Growth Hormone, which is somewhat harder to detect, and much easier to mask, and even more recently, pro-hormones