European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 14, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday september 14, 1985 the stars and stripes Page 17 circumcision myth and misconception by Jane e. Brody new York times very year More than 1 million american infants undergo an operation that the medical profession declared unnecessary More than a decade ago. That operation is circumcision the re Oval of the Prepuce or Foreskin that covers the glans of the Penis. Circumcision is by far the most common surgery performed on children in the United states where 80 to 85 percent of Newborn boys Are circumcised. Nowhere else is the rate that High. Indeed in most Western countries circumcision is infrequently practice. Where a generation ago half the boys in Britain for example were circumcised at birth today less than half of 1 percent undergo the procedure. In scandinavian countries Newborn circumcision is a rarity. There Are two undisputed reasons for performing circumcision on babies that Are but a few hours or Days old one reason is As a religious rite among jews and moslem for whom the Foreskin is a symbolic sacrifice that places the infant under the lord s Protection. In these groups there is no comparable ritual for Newborn girls who have a Hood covering the Clitoris that is Akin to the male Foreskin the second readily accepted reason for circumcision of newborns is an inability to pass urine because a malformed Foreskin completely closes the penile opening. Such cases Are unusual. Beyond these myths abound about circumcision ranging from its presumed painless Ness and safety to its demonstrated health benefits. A study among new mothers by the Johns Hopkins University obstetrics division revealed the researchers said that Many women believe that  is As natural and necessary for male infants As is cutting the umbilical  also common is the belief that circumcision is required by the Hospital or by the United states military. Misconceptions also prevail about the special care needed by  males. Physicians who have carefully reviewed the available medical evidence say that despite widespread Public belief to the contrary there is no health Ustle Catlon for routine circumcision of newborns. In 1971 and again in 1975, the american Academy of paediatrics concluded that routine circumcision of All male babies was not medically warranted. The Academy committee found Little evidence to justify routine circumcision As a Means of preventing venereal disease cancer or other disorders. Nor does circumcision prevent masturbation or premature ejaculation which Are As common among circumcised As  men. Erma Bombeck Irwi it throughout the years my taste in literature has gone through several cycles. I moved quickly from Heidi and Huckleberry finn into College classics. For 15 years. Or. Benjamin Spock s chapter on toilet training was worn on a string around my neck. This gave Way to my fantasy years when i was surrounded by Sidney Sheldon and Judith Krantz. For the last several years my Reading has been restricted to the family medical guide. It gives you a hernia up. 483, 737-40, 956 to hold it. But it has become the most important Book in my life. This 1,087-Paoe volume lists every disease and Mal Ady know to Man from abdominal wounds p. 31. Illus. 35 to yellow fever see travel abroad. I be had them All. From  upper respiratory disease of horses to prostate gland problems which historically have never been a part of the female Anatomy. In 1978, the american College of obstetricians and gynaecologists joined the paediatricians in opposing routine circumcision a procedure that adds $100 million to $200 million a year to the costs of medical care. There have also been some changes in thinking about the hygienic role of circumcision. It was Long thought that unhealthy secretions were harboured beneath the Foreskin including in adults a natural substance called Smegma which was thought to be carcinogenic that might be difficult to clean away under some circumstances. Accordingly mothers of uncircumcised babies were warned to be sure to Wash regularly beneath this tissue. Now however the self cleansing role of the Foreskin is better appreciated and mothers Are being warned not to insist on cleaning beneath it lest the tissue tear and constricting scars form that could in fact make circumcision a necessity later in a boy s life. It is apparently no More necessary to clean under an infant s Foreskin than it would be to Wash under a girl s clitoral Hood or inside her Vagina. In All but 4 percent of boys at birth the Foreskin has not yet finished separating from underlying tissues making full retraction impossible. This process usually takes place slowly during the first one to five years of a boy s life and sometimes later. By age 1, half of boys have fully retractable foreskins by age 3, 90 percent do and by puberty the separation is Complete in nearly All uncircumcised males. When this separation remains incomplete into adolescence or beyond or if the Foreskin is too tight a surgical Silt in the tissue can relieve the tension. Rarely does persistent difficulty in retracting the Foreskin necessitate full circumcision. If forcible attempts Are made to retract the Foreskin before the natural tissue separation has occurred injury can result. The pedlar la Academy advises parents to let nature do the cleaning until such time As the Foreskin can be easily retracted. At puberty boys should be taught to retract the Foreskin and clean beneath it when bathing the Academy recommends. As for the hazards of circumcision itself they include the following the operation is decidedly painful and in newborns anaesthesia local or general is rarely used because of the possible risks involved however a study at the University of Iowa showed that the use of a local aesthetic during circumcision significantly reduced crying and other signs of physiological stress such As heart rate and blood oxygen Levels without causing any harm to the infants. The surgery itself has attendant risks. One in 500 cases results in significant Iii effects. Including serious bleeding and infection. There have been occasional disastrous mishaps. Including excessive cutting of penile tissue severe infection or gangrene that resulted in loss of the Penis and even death. The fact that circumcision is often performed within hours of birth not infrequently in the delivery room Means that the baby s vital functions May not yet be stable and medical conditions that would make circumcision hazardous May not yet be identified. Circumcision removes the tissue that nature intended As a protector of the sensitive penile glans. Without the Foreskin the glans is exposed to constant irritation by diapers and their contents in infancy and a clothing and other substances later on. Penile ulcers can occur in circumcised infants when the glans is exposed to urine soaked diapers. The notion that the reduced penile sensitivity associated with circumcision can help prevent premature ejaculation in adults has no foundation in medical research. As for the purported benefits of circumcision these have been poorly documented in medical studies. Cancer of the Penis a rare disease that occurs primarily in elderly men. Is indeed More common in  men. However one study showed that circumcised men with poor Hygiene have a higher cancer rate than those who have not been circumcised but practice Good Hygiene. In a British study genital herpes infections were found to be More common among uncircumcised men. Since genital herpes increases the risk of cervical cancer in exposed women it has Long been thought that circumcision also protects women against cancer. However in a new York City study of 1,148 women with cervical cancer whose husbands were examined no link was found with Lack of circumcision. Physicians who have studied the risks and benefits of nonreligious circumcision urge two measures that parents be Well informed before childbirth and that if circumcision is performed it be done Only by Well trained physicians using careful surgical technique not As is often the Case now in the delivery room by medical residents and doctors in training. For further information the following Are available a biased but Well documented discussion of circumcision can be found in circumcision an american health fallacy by Edward wallers Oln Springer publishing co., 200 Park ave. South new York . 10003, $9.95 plus postage. Waller8tein has also summarized the highlights of his Book in a 50-cent pamphlet. The circumcision decision available from the Penn press 1100 23rd ave. East Seattle Wash. 98112. For parents with uncircumcised infants the american Academy of paediatrics pamphlet care of the unc cum closed Penis can be obtained by sending a stamped self addressed envelope to the american Academy of paediatrics dept. A 141 Northwest Point Road. Elk Grove Village Iii. 60007. Single copies Are free for 100 copies Send $15. I must admit i be Learned a lot about myself from this Book. For example you Don t have to write a Best seller to get writer s cramp from autographing it. Writ ing a Christmas newsletter longhand to 400 of your Dearest friends will do it. And you Don t have to play Tennis to get Tennis Elbow. Just announce you get Nau seated in the morning and then answer the phone for three weeks. And a woman really can get varicose veins of the neck from Yelling at her kids Over a period of years. But lately i have found the Book extremely de pressing. Every time i turn to the Index to look for some sympton that is plaguing me the diagnosis includes the line common among those 40 years or  i never seem to have anything uncommon any More. Stiffness lower Back pains immobility blurred vision loss of memory acute exhaustion aches twitches stitches and strange noises. It s All there lumped under  when i was younger i used to get More respect for my infirmities now it s just another Yawn. I m never sick and i m never Well. I m just. Predictable. At my age i am a Pushover for housewife s eczema p. 995which is a Classy term for dishpan  hoping to find a cure that listed my husband what did i Seo prevalent in women Over 40 who have associated for years with soaps detergent and  i thought i was onto something under my skin i leafed excitedly to Page 922 and there it was Purpura simplex or Devil s pinches. The prognosis runs in families and appears later in life. Seems to be harmless which is fortunate since there is no effective treat  As i read on a to shirt the other Day after 40, it s Patch Patch Patch even chests Are getting harder and harder to read from a distance not to mention How they re getting harder and harder to laugh at. C los Anat to time Syndicate