# Circumcision. Is it medically necessary or "just for looks". **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 25, 2001, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-is-it-medically-necessary-or-just-for-looks/70048 "2001-06-25T04:41:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2001, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-is-it-medically-necessary-or-just-for-looks/70048/1 "2001-06-25T04:41:57Z")
Is it really necessary? I am uncircumcised and probably will be forever, unless I have a medical condition that requires my foreskin to be removed, which is highly unlikely. I feel there is a certain stigma attached to having a foreskin, at least in this country, and want you to know I am in no way trying to break it down, just educate you a bit. I remember guys in gradeschool asking me what it felt like, if I ever had an infection, or if I would ever get it removed to try to fit in. I’ll answer their questions for all of you who care. \*How does it feel?\*It feels probably the same, except I have more skin, and its **way** more sensetive. Does that mean that I last only a minute in the sack? When I was 17 it did, but I have learned a few things since. _Have I ever had an infection?_ No. When I was little my mom bought Zest soap that stunk and stung like hell. It burned for a few minutes after using it. I think it just was really sensitive. It has gotten red and raw at times, but that was self induced. _Will you ever get it cut for cosmetic purposes?_ The thought has crossed my mind, but none of my lovers seemed to care. After they got to know what a stallion I was it wasn’t a big deal. 😉 As some of you may know, circumcision is disappearing on a worldwide basis and practice will be down to 10% by 2050. It has never really caught on Europe, Australia or anywhere else. The only reason it has been so popular in the US is because of misinformation dating back to the mid-1800’s. It was shown in only a handful of studies in the 1950’s to be beneficial. Since then it has been proven unnecessary in study after study. [A Short History of Circumcision in the U.S. in Physicians' Own Words](http://www.sexuallymutilatedchild.org/shorthis.htm) Do you think it has any social benefits? If you are planning to have children are you going to circumcise them and why? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2001, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-is-it-medically-necessary-or-just-for-looks/70048/2 "2001-06-25T05:13:01Z")
Of course there is a third choice which is that it is done for religious/cultural reasons. It’s certainly not medically necessary. I have no opinion on what looks better but I imagine that those who are sexually attracted to men could give a shit one way or the other. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2001, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-is-it-medically-necessary-or-just-for-looks/70048/3 "2001-06-25T05:20:40Z")
_Originally posted by Wishbone:_ > [@](#): > > As some of you may know, circumcision is disappearing on a worldwide basis and practice will be down to 10% by 2050. It has never really caught on Europe, Australia or anywhere else. The only reason it has been so popular in the US is because of misinformation dating back to the mid-1800’s. It was shown in only a handful of studies in the 1950’s to be beneficial. Since then it has been proven unnecessary in study after study. Oh Lord. We’re not really going back down this road again, are we? **Wishbone** , friend, I see that you registered as a SDMB member earlier this month. Therefore you were probably not around when we had a [sarcasm]_delightful_[/sarcasm] character who had something of a monomania on the subject of circumcision, and about the male member in general. I won’t mention his name, for fear that if it gets mentioned three times, he’ll reappear _a la_ Beetlejuice. But what I will mention is the handy-dandy search function that you can access by clicking on that neat little search icon in the upper right corner of this web page. Type in “circumcision” and you’ll come up with some threads. The topic of circumcision has already been hotly debated here at the SDMB, some would say, _ad nauseam_, and I’m sure I’m not alone in hoping that we don’t get a repeat of that here. ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2001, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-is-it-medically-necessary-or-just-for-looks/70048/4 "2001-06-25T05:30:43Z")
Thank you Atreyu, I checked the search engine and came up with nothing of the sort that you had described. I am afraid it fell victim to the thread clipping, or whatever they called it. It would be rad if you could toss some other words at me that I could pop in the searcher and try to dig it out, or you could lay it on me yourself. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2001, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-is-it-medically-necessary-or-just-for-looks/70048/5 "2001-06-25T05:32:27Z")
Oh no. You really don’t want to do this. It’s not your fault at all, it is just that the worst (and wordiest) fanatic we ever had here was an anti-circumsicion nut. Among his better claims: Sex is actually a substition for masterbating with a foreskin, which is the more pleasurable act. All women prefer to have sex with men with foreskins. They show this by closing thier eyes and not making any noises or moving during the act. (You think I am joking, don’t you?) That doctors know that they are ruining the lives of everyone they circumsize, but that they are too ashamed of the lives they have already ruined to ever admit it. All the problems in the Middle East come from the fact that both the Jews AND the Arabs are circumsized. In fact, most war nad suffering is a direct result of circumsision. Jews picked up circumsizion while slaves in Eyqpt. The Eygptions invented circumsiosion because a Pharoh had his memeber accidently mangled and decreed that everyone else had to suffer the same punnishment. Since then, circumsision has lingered because fathers are so bitter about thier own mutilation that they mutilate thier sons in retribution. If a woman dosen’t like having her nipples stimuated they need to be _suck started_. The list goes on and on. Go get a bag of popcorn and do a web search for “Jack Dean Tyler.” Start at the oldest thread and work your way forward. It’s amusing as hell. One bit of warning: don’t claim that you are _more_ sensitive than cut men. As we established then, sensitivity is a realitive thing, and really, how could you know? As far as the OP goes, my husband is not circumsized and I don’t see any reason why we would circumsize any son we might have. ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2001, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-is-it-medically-necessary-or-just-for-looks/70048/6 "2001-06-25T05:37:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Manda JO \* > **Go get a bag of popcorn and do a web search for "Jack Dean Tyler"** There’s the unutterable name. I suppose if it’s mentioned again, we’ll have to whisper it. 😃 I still think the Chicago Reader ought to publish the JDT threads. That was some seriously wacky s\*\*t. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2001, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-is-it-medically-necessary-or-just-for-looks/70048/7 "2001-06-25T05:41:12Z")
> [@](#): > > I checked the search engine and came up with nothing of the sort that you had described. I am afraid it fell victim to the thread clipping, or whatever they called it. It would be rad if you could toss some other words at me that I could pop in the searcher and try to dig it out, or you could lay it on me yourself. You need to set the “Search by Date” to “Any Date”. Be advised, however, that this is a bit like one of those horror movies where the characters open up a portal to the ninth circle of Hell. Everyone in the audience is already shouting “No! No! Don’t go in there!” KLAATU… BARADA… N-N-N–_damn!_–Necktie? Nicoret? Nichelle Nichols? ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2001, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-is-it-medically-necessary-or-just-for-looks/70048/8 "2001-06-25T06:00:58Z")
Here we go: [pboards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=61677](http://pboards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=61677) [boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=50903](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=50903) Thanks everyone for the tips. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2001, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-is-it-medically-necessary-or-just-for-looks/70048/9 "2001-06-25T08:02:09Z")
Ok, Ok, I only looked this up cause it’s 3AM and the search function is running so smooth that it is a pleasure. And for the same reason some people like to post links to pictures of horrible trainwrecks. Actually, wishbone the URL to start at is: [url="[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=43031](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=43031)]Here [/quote] JDT comes across as merely insane for the first page or so–the full extent of his maddness slowly dawns upon the reader, a sort of creeping horror that would take a skilled writer to reproduce. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2001, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-is-it-medically-necessary-or-just-for-looks/70048/10 "2001-06-25T08:07:26Z")
Ack! and I was feeling smug about my link! [Try this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=43031) ---
**Author:** ![YWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/6f9a4e/32.png) [@YWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YWalker)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2001, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-is-it-medically-necessary-or-just-for-looks/70048/11 "2001-06-25T17:51:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Manda JO \* > \ > In fact, most war **nad** suffering is a direct result of circumsision. Really? It’s not from getting their 'nads blown off? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2001, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-is-it-medically-necessary-or-just-for-looks/70048/12 "2001-06-25T18:10:30Z")
Shudder. This topic again. Let me summarize by saying no, it’s rarely medically necessary. Some people argue that there are medical _benefits_, but there is considerable debate (see the threads) about whether they are valid or meaningful claims. Benefits (be they real or imagined) do not add up to necessity. But whatever that case, I think just about everyone, on both sides of the issue, would agree that it’s not medically _necessary_. I will go no further on this issue. _cringes, whimpers, slinks off_ ---
**Author:** ![sk8rixtx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/858c86/32.png) [@sk8rixtx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sk8rixtx)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2001, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-is-it-medically-necessary-or-just-for-looks/70048/13 "2001-06-25T18:33:06Z")
[hijack]Y’know, I kinda miss old Jacko. He really belived everything he said, even if it was totall BS. If only for a laugh… ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2001, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-is-it-medically-necessary-or-just-for-looks/70048/14 "2001-06-25T19:28:03Z")
Let me say for the record that… I am circumcised. My eight-month-old son is not. I have no more to add… I just thought it’d be cool to actually SAY that out loud to someone. ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2001, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-is-it-medically-necessary-or-just-for-looks/70048/15 "2001-06-25T20:02:31Z")
“Tug-Ahoy”- the man talks about it like it is a new scientific procedure developed by a highly accredited medical team at Harvard. I think I found my new name. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2001, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-is-it-medically-necessary-or-just-for-looks/70048/16 "2001-06-26T00:36:41Z")
_“300 million Europeans can’t be wrong!”_ 😃 ---
**Author:** ![urban1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d07c76/32.png) [@urban1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urban1)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2001, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-is-it-medically-necessary-or-just-for-looks/70048/17 "2001-06-26T00:42:00Z")
> [@](#): > > How does it feel?It feels probably the same, except I have more skin, and its **way** more sensetive. I don’t know how you know that, wishbone, since you have never been uncircumcised. For the record, I believe that circumcision was once considered (in the US, only) to prevent all sorts of diseases. Doctors believe otherwise now and no longer recommend it. Still, the rare, cancer of the penis, still is contracted only rarely by circumcised men. [ee this link](http://www.cancerbacup.org.uk/info/penile.htm) Being of the ‘cut’ breed, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be ‘uncut’. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Pippi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Miss\_Pippi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Pippi)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2001, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-is-it-medically-necessary-or-just-for-looks/70048/18 "2001-06-26T01:04:12Z")
I got chills reading JDT’s posts. Do you suppose he is a serial killer? He doesn’t think much of women does he? I’ll be wondering about that weirdo for ever now. ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2001, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-is-it-medically-necessary-or-just-for-looks/70048/19 "2001-06-26T01:22:56Z")
urban1, touché I have always maintained that it _must_ be more sensitive based on the fact that part of mine is covered 50% of the time(I’m a porn star ;)). When I lived in Hawaii I was always barefoot. The skin on my soles eventually grew tough, and the sharp rocks that would hurt my feet upon my arrival, didn’t hurt my feet at all a year later. Need I go any further with this metaphor? Tell me, do you think the skin on your penis responds differently to abrasion than the skin on my feet? But you are right, there is no way that I know of, besides hooking us both up to cerebral pain sensors and subjecting ourselves to grueling acupuncture sessions, to tell. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2001, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-is-it-medically-necessary-or-just-for-looks/70048/20 "2001-06-26T02:39:25Z")
wishbone, sweetie, if the head of your johnson is coming into frequent contact with sharp rocks, I think we need to start a different thread to discuss bigger issues. Xaviera Hollander (where I go for all my best information) once lambasted a writer who recounted her delight with finding an uncut man “whose penile skin wasn’t all toughened like the circumcised men I usually sleep with.” The Happy Hooker said this is a load of crap; that the skin on the head of a circumcised penis isn’t calloused or toughened. She’s seen more peni than me, so I’m taking her word for it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-is-it-medically-necessary-or-just-for-looks/70048.md?page=2)