Pacer Pillowtalk: Is circumcision medically necessary?
Circumcision is a procedure done to boys one to two days after birth, removing the foreskin covering the tip of the penis. First, the baby is first numbed. Then, the skin is then clamped down and removed. An ointment is applied and the wound is dressed.
So, is circumcision necessary?
America is one of the few countries that practices routine, nonreligious circumcision.
Though more popular in religious middle-east practices, it didn’t gain popularity in the United States until the puritanical 19 century when, among other things, sex-phobia was promoted by medical professionals as a way to stop children from masturbating, according to David Gollaher, author of “Circumcision: A History Of The World's Most Controversial Surgery.”
It was also considered a necessary treatment for “curing” headaches, insanity, epilepsy, paralysis, strabismus, rectal prolapse, hydrocephalus, and clubfoot.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) found that the health benefits of male circumcision outweigh the risks, but the benefits may still fall short of recommending universal newborn circumcision.
The benefits include less risk of urinary tract infections, a reduced risk of some sexually transmitted diseases in men, protection against penile cancer and a lower risk of cervical cancer in female sex partners.
Continuing, it may prevent of balanitis (inflammation of the glans), balanoposthitis (inflammation of the glans and foreskin), prevention of phimosis (the inability to retract the foreskin) and paraphimosis (the inability to return the foreskin to its original location).
Though comparatively shorter, the risks include general pain, risk of bleeding and infection at the site of the circumcision, irritation of the glans, higher chance of meatitis (inflammation of the opening of the penis) and greater risk of injury to the penis.
Another shortcoming of foreskin removal is the loss of nerve endings as "The foreskin plays an important role in sex. It’s filled with nerve endings, “ according to a research study published by the NIH.
Losing the foreskin means that glans become desensitized and there is a loss of natural lubricant. This topic was explored in a study called “Immunological functions of the human prepuce.”
An advocate for this procedure was the invetor of Corn Flakes, John Harvey Kellogg, clearly expressed in his publication “Plain Facts for Old and Young, by John Harvey Kellogg”
As for lowering the risk of transmitting communicable sexual diseases, condoms are at least 20% more effective in preventing the spread of diseases like HIV.
