Except for the religious reasons given in the Old Testament and the Koran, there are a great many reasons given why a man (newborn) should be circumcised.
Are these reasons correct, or are they merely hype? Read on, to discover the real facts about circumcision.
The Original Excuse for Circumcision
It seems that historically the reason given for circumcision is that it prevents masturbation. Nothing could be father than the truth.
Studies have found that both Jewish and Moslem groups are masturbating the same, it not more, than uncircumcised males.
In the post-war USA, proponents of mass circumcision (involuntary amputation of the male infant's prepuce) had the following rationale.
Circumcision was said to cure such diseases as masturbation, headache, insanity, epilepsy, paralysis, strabismus, rectal prolapse, hydrocephalus, and clubfoot.
The entire male 'baby boomer' generation was being circumcised, and by the 1970s, almost 90% of all American male infants were circumcised.
The Facts
It seems that circumcision did not live up to its proponent's claims, and to the opposite, scientists now understand the prepuse performs a great role in masculine hygiene and several immunological duties.
The modern proponents of circumcision now claim that circumcised males are less likely to attract STD (sexually transmitted diseases) than those of uncircumcised males. Study after study is proving the opposite is true.
What is a Prepuce? What Does it Do?
The foreskin that covers the glands of the penis (the head and upper 1/3 part of the penis proper) is called a prepuce. The prepuce exerts a sphincter action, acting as a one way valve, blocking the entry of contaminants during urination.
The prepuce contains ectopic sebaceous glands that produce smegma. Smegma is a natural emollient containing various secretions, desquamated epithelial cells, and a form of mucus.
This in turn protects and lubricates the glands, facilitates erection, and aids penetration during sexual intercourse.
More specifically, the prepuce contains apocrine glands which secrete cathepsin B, lysozyme, chymotrypsin, neutrophil elastase, and cytokine.
Cytokine is an enzyme that evokes an immune response on contact with specific antigens. The prepuce also secretes pheromones like androsterone.
Finally, the prepuce secretes lysozyme, a substance found in tears, and human milk, quickly destroys bacterial cell walls.
Is the Prepuce an Erogenous Zone?
The answer is an overwhelming yes.
The prepuce contains a rich, complex network of nerves and an abundance of mucocutaneous end organs sensitive to motion, touch, temperature, and erogenous stimulation, somewhat similar to the clitoris in a woman.
The entire prepuce has more nerve endings that the rest of the skin of the penis. It appears the uncircumcised men have a much greater amount of sexual pleasure than that of the circumcised one.
Also the prepuce facilitates the smooth, easy movement between the mucosal surface of the man and woman during sexual intercourse.
In fact, the prepuce aids the penis to slip in and out of the vagina, non-abrasively inside its own covering of self-lubricating, flexible skin. Therefore the woman is stimulated by moving pressure and friction (rather than by friction only).
The Case for Circumcision
Judging from today's research and revelation from many new studies, the real case for leaving the penis intact (as it was intended) is being firmly established.
As far the as the idea of circumcision preventing STD is concerned, this is completely false. The solution to eliminating STD is by education, not by circumcision. |
