A BRIEF HISTORY OF CIRCUMCISION

[intro] Big social changes in the USA often find there way here after a few years, so it's interesting to discover that in California this November there is a vote proposing to ban the practice of infant genital mutilation on human rights grounds. Much mirth surrounds the subject of male circumcision ( Did you hear about the apprentice circumcisionist? He slipped and got the sack) and the reasons for having it done are numerous. But whats involved, whats the history behind it and is it really funny? Throughout history, mans chief preoccupation has been the size and wellbeing of his winky, so its therefore surprising that collectively the gender has so consistently allowed a mostly pointless surgical procedure that actually shortens this most precious asset. From the Latin <circum> (around) and <caedere> (to cut), circumcision been practised by civilizations all over the world at different times, from the Aztecs to the Jews to the Egyptians which might suggest that the practice goes back to the very early days of man as he left Africa and spread throughout the world, some 50,000 years ago. With this in mind, its sobering to consider that precision blades were only possible from the bronze age, some 5,000 years ago, and controlled anaesthesia has only been available for about the last 200 years. What those early patients had to endure is the stuff of a blokes worst nightmare. Its likely that for the best part of 45 millennia the prime implement for carrying out the procedure was a flint. Proof that the practice stretches back to Prehistoric times can be found in cave paintings depicting the procedure being carried out, while Egyptian mummies dating from 4000 BC have been found with missing foreskins. In the Biblical era, according to Genesis, God told Abraham (around 2000 BC) to circumcise himself, his household and his slaves as an everlasting covenant in their flesh, while those who were not circumcised were to be 'cut off' from their people. However, the Greeks (around 1000 BC) didnt like it at all, and thought that the foreskin was sacred. Which is surprising as youd expect it to be right up the Greeks street. Jesus Christ himself was circumcised at the tender age of eight days, and its said that the holy prepuce, his foreskin or whats left of it currently resides in Rome. Thus the practice was sanctioned by Christianity and spread throughout the Christian world, as well as elsewhere. The Aztecs (1500s), for example, not only had a penchant for ripping out the hearts of their citizens as living sacrifices, but also practiced circumcision among the aristocracy.

By the 1850s in the UK, the Victorian obsession with preventing masturbation had seen it introduced widely as a possible cure for the horrific sin, with tradition carrying it through right up to the 1970s. Today the practice is still popular in Australia and the USA, but is in decline in the UK. This is partly due to a more holistic approach to health, but probably also the practicality of health service budget cuts. Arguments rage about whether male circumcision is acceptable. The camps are split down the middle, from the traditional pro-circumcision lobby who think that a flappy bit of skin is a bit scruffy and should jolly well be neatened up and chopped off and while youre at it polish those shoes and get that hair cut. The counter argument is that evolution has made a pretty good job of getting us this far and if natural selection deemed it important to have a flappy bit of skin then it should damn well stay put. And in the meantime lets grow a beard, pop on some sandals and chill out a bit. In contrast to female circumcision, which is hugely traumatic, barbaric and banned in many countries, male circumcision is generally considered harmless. Apart from some short term discomfort, it allows the circumcisee to carry on with a fully functional and fulfilling sex life (albeit with less nerve endings). Every year in the USA its estimated that there are about 15 million post-infancy circumcisions performed, which makes circumcision the most common surgical procedure. During the operation the foreskin (prepuce) is removed, so that the tip of the penis (the glans) and the opening through which the male urinates (the urethra) are exposed. Its a routine procedure and takes just a few minutes to perform. Today there are three reasons why a chap would wilfully take steps have the end of his manhood severed. MEDICAL Phimosis is a condition where the foreskin is too tight. Its painful and promotes bacteria, which is not very nice for anyone who has to get involved with said penis. Best thing is to lop the offending hood off with a scalpel and be done with it. RELIGIOUS Jewish men get circumcised in infancy, a milestones marked with a ceremony called Brit Milah and carried out by a circumciser called a mohel. Fortunately, the horror of having the end of the knob sliced off is lost in the blur of infancy. Muslims too prefer their men foreskinless, but would rather the protagonist face up to the full-blown awfulness of having his pride and joy hacked about as an adolescent. Yes, at that prickly time in a young mans life when hes riddled with insecurity, raging with testosterone and quite fancying anything female with a pulse, they haul him in and cut off the end of his willy. TRADITION Many people still consider a circumcised penis cleaner. A natural lubricant called smegma (aka knob cheese) develops under the foreskin, which many

consider to be dirty. However, it acts as a lubricant between the foreskin and the head of the penis. In many western societies, the mistaken belief about cleanliness is often a reason why fathers insist their sons undergo the circumcision, and so the cycle continues. Right or wrong the arguments for and against circumcision are compelling, but The USA Circumcision Reference Library has this to say: Depending on the amount of skin cut off, circumcision relieves a male of 80 percent or more of his penile skin. Depending on the foreskin's length, cutting it off makes the penis shorter by 25 percent or more. Careful anatomical investigations have shown that circumcision cuts off more than three feet of veins, arteries, and capillaries, 240 feet of nerves, and more than 20,000 nerve endings. .and thats not funny.