Male circumcision is the removal of the foreskin from the penis. The word circumcision comes from the Latin circumcidere, which means to cut around. It’s a common and very controversial surgery performed around the world.
Circumcisions can be performed on males of all ages, but it is prefered to perform it on newborn infants. On infants, there is no numbing agent or anesthesia given, so the baby feels all the pain under the assumption that the baby will eventually forget it. In infants, the foreskin is still fused with the skin of the penis. In the circumcision, clamps are used to pull the foreskin open, while slicing it away from the glans of the penis. The foreskin is then cut off of the penis. In adults, anesthesia is administered prior to the surgery and clamps are not needed since the foreskin is already separated from the glans and doesn’t need to be sliced away from it. In the adult surgery, after the man is asleep, the foreskin is liften up and cut off. In both cases, careful care is needed to prevent infection and irritation.
Circumcision is usually chosen for infants for non-medical reasons. It may be medically indicated in children whose foreskin cannot be fully retracted from the glans, inflammation of glans and foreskin, and chronic urinary tract infections. The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests circumcision in areas with high HIV/AIDS rates. (KEEP IN MIND THAT CIRCUMCISION DOES NOT PREVENT HIV/AIDS. IF YOU ARE CIRCUMCISED, YOU STILL SHOULD USE PROTECTION.) Circumcisions are also performed for religious reasons, due to social norms, and because the parents find a circumcised penis to be more attractive. Some people believe that it helps prevent or does prevent sexually transmitted diseases. Do not take this paper to mean you should not wear protection because you are circumcised. Numerous circumcised males become infected. Because of people who had problems with their penises and had their foreskins removed later in life, word gets spread and people think they should prevent this by removing it earlier. Others think that the boy should have no say in whether he is circumcised and that it is solely the parents’ choice because it never affects the child. Many people think that circumcision will always be society’s norm, so they try to make their child fit in. Another reason for circumcision is that it has gone on a very long time, so they assume that it is good if it has been around that long. People think that their doctor knows best. Doctors are often not taught about the pros and cons of circumcision, only taught how to remove it. Having grown up in a society that promotes circumcision, a circumcised doctor may promote circumcision. Some doctors, out of ignorance, claim they need to perform a circumcision because the infant’s foreskin is fused to the glans of the penis. Due to not having been educated on the topic, they do not know that it naturally remains fused for the first few years of the boy’s life. Some parents believe that circumcision prevents penile cancers. This is not the case. A circumcised boy can get penile cancer at any point in his life, just like an uncircumcised boy. It is also believed by some that circumcision cures hyperactivity and hyperactive disorders. They often believe that circumcision provides greater pleasure during intercourse. In some areas, it is thought that circumcision allows the conception of male offspring.
Of course, there are side effects, as with any surgery. In one Ontario study, 35 out of 100 boys experienced hemorrhage, 31 out of 100 boys experienced ulcers in the area, 8 out of 100 experienced infection, 1 out of 100 encountered stenosis (narrowing of the urethra). Another complication is accumulation of smegma (a natural secretion used to clean under the foreskin once thought to cause penile cancer, but has since been disproven) on the glans. Meatitis (inflammation of the opening of the urethra) can occur with or without infection. Surgeons have a complication rate of almost 15%. Surgical registrars have a complication rate of almost 18%. Resident medical officers have a complication rate of 50%. Hemorrhage is the most common complication, which can be mild, moderate, or severe. Severe hemorrhaging can lead to blood transfusions or death. Hemorrhaging can occur spontaniously after the circumcision site has begun healing. Ulcers are the second most common complication. The post-operative treatment appears to have no effect on whether the patient develops ulcers, and the age of the patient seemed to have no bearing either. Just under 9% of patients need a “recircumcision” because the penis later appeared to have never been circumcised in the first place, in spite of the circumcision having taken place. The recircumcision poses the same risks as the first circumcision. It appears that the method of circumcision has no affect on the risk of complications. In some cases, further surgery is required to widen the urethra, due to it closing up partially after the circumcision. In one British study, 46 out of 140 children vomited within 24 hours of the circumcision and one was admitted into the hospital for profuse vomiting. 19 children were incapable of urinating for 12 hours after surgery. Of those, 5 were incapable of urinating for 3 days. One child was admitting into the hospital for urine retention. 36 children’s wounds oozed. Of those, two were admitted for significant bleeding. 38 children were able to wear pants after 4 days. 26 were able to wear pants after 7 days or more. 22 children had persistent blood retention in the area. 12 children were prescribed antibiotics for infections. 2 children had antibiotics for recurring urinary tract infections. 1 child developed a chest infection. The average length of time for healing was over 10 days. 76 patients were fully healed after 14 days. 2 boys required surgery to repair stenosis. A New Zealand study of 635 boys revealed that 75% experienced penile inflammation. The study also shows that infants who undergo circumcision are at higher risk of penile problems than older children who undergo the surgery. Another British study, this one of 220 patients, found that 98% experienced serious bleeding, 39% experienced serious infection, 20% experienced necrosis (tissue death and decay), 8% experienced urinary retention, 8% experienced blood retention, 4% experienced “buried penis” (obstruction of the urinary stream), 3% needed a skin bridge due to improper healing, 3% experienced the lost of penile shaft skin, 2% experienced penile amputation, 2% experienced wound separation, 2% developed cysts, 2% experienced stenosis, 1% had lacerations (cuts) on their scrotums, and 1% had miscelanious complications. In the United States alone, there are 131 to 2,744 deaths a year related to circumcision alone.
*Information gathered from Wikipedia, Circumstitions.com, CIRP.org, and NoHarmm.org.*
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