12 Facts About Leo Stanley

Leo Leonidas Stanley was an American surgeon who served as the Chief Surgeon of the San Quentin State Prison from 1913 to 1951.

Leo Stanley was most notable for performing unethical human experiments on inmates during his tenure.

When Stanley was 9, the family moved to San Luis Obispo County, California, where he studied at Paso Robles High School.

In 1913, despite having no surgical experience, Leo Stanley was hired as the Chief Surgeon for San Quentin State Prison.

Leo Stanley performed grafting experiments on prisoners, transplanting testicles from executed prisoners to other inmates.

Leo Stanley believed that these procedures could cure afflictions such as pedophilia, depression, asthma, acne, neurasthenia and melancholia.

Leo Stanley performed plastic surgeries on inmates, believing that they would be less likely to commit crimes if their appearances could help them find more work.

In 1933, Stanley briefly served as the San Quentin warden when Warden James B Holohan was recovering from an illness.

In December 1941, shortly following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Leo Stanley was called into service as a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy Reserve.

Leo Stanley was posted to the naval hospital on Mare Island, then the San Francisco Naval Officer Procurement, the Pearl Harbor naval hospital and finally the Treasure Island naval hospital.

Leo Stanley operated a private practice in San Rafael, California, for a short time, and later worked as a physician on cruise ships.

Leo Stanley died at the age of 90, with no children.