MEDICAL FRAUD and the criminal assault of boys
The case against circumcision
Thomas J. Ritter, M.D.
Every year, approximately 1.3 million infants are circumcised in the United States. Assuming a physician's fee of $50, this amounts to an expenditure of $65 million- and for what? (Today's estimates $250 - $300 million.) A paradox of absurdities. Certainly neonatal circumcision is a complete opposition to sound medical-surgical practice: a normal structure is operated upon; no anesthetic is used; the patient does not give his consent; there are no legitimate surgical surgical indications; the patient and the part operated upon are subject to a host of complications; the resultant penis is now abnormal, less sensitive and less functional.
Apparently, many physicians are completely ignorant of some very basic aspects of penile anatomy, development and function.The prepuce is a normal structure, with a definite function. Like a shoe, a glove, or hat, it protects the underlying structure-in this case, the glans- from the environment. The normal prepuce at birth is always tight, adherent and non retractable. This situation is desirable. Because of this snugness and nonretractability, the glans and meatus of the normal penis never contact feces, urine or diapers. Circumcision makes it impossible to prevent contact of the glans and meatus with urine, feces and diapers.
Full glans exposure and complete retractibility are usually not possible until the child reaches the age of three to six years. By this time, he is out of diapers and beginning to learn to wash himself.
By the age of six years, practically 100% of the foreskins are retractable. This is guaranteed by a series of natural events: (1) practically daily spontaneous penile erections (erections begin in utero and continue well into old age). In erecting, there is a disparity in the expansile qualities of the enveloping penile skin and the underlying erectile bodies. (2) Smegma. This is not a dirty, nasty substance, but, in infancy, servers a distinct, useful function: it helps to dissect the space between the incompletely developed glans and the foreskin present at birth, and it also serves to prevent re adherence of the prepuce to the glans. (When one learns to wash, one no longer sees smegma.) (3) Masturbation. This is universal amongst males. The infant soon learns that touching his penis is pleasurable, and by moving the loose penile skin back and forth over the underlying glans, he eventually exposes the glans. Added to this list of natural events is, one would hope, solicitous washing of the penis by the parent.
The glans is advantageously and appropriately exposed in only these instances: when urinating, when washing, when engaging in sexual activities. Constant glans exposure is not desirable.
Circumcision represents a subtraction. About 25% of sensitive penile skin is lost forever. Assume a cylinder (erect adult penis) six inches in length and about 1.5 inches in diameter. The area of integumental covering is approximately 30 square inches. But this would represent the circumcised, abnormal penis. The normal penis has a preputial cuff at least two inches longer (one inch forward from the corona to the free edge of the prepuce, and then one inch in returning to the coronal sulcus). This represents an additional area of 10 square inches. In circumcision then, this two-inch by five-inch cuff is removed. the prepuce in itself is richly supplied with nerves and receptive of sexual stimulation.
The foreskin facilitates sexual activity. The tremendous loose skin covering the normal penis can be moved readily without recourse to any extraneous lubrication. The male possesses his own sheath. In masturbation, he readily moves this sheath himself. In heterosexual relations, he places his own sheath into the woman's sheath. There is no more perfectly conceived mechanical arrangement for genital stimulation than this normally occurring sheath-within-a-sheath. Circumcision completely destroys the male's sheath.
The constantly exposed circumcised glans is subject to a host of desensitizing abrasive traumas throughout the male's life. In infancy, it is exposed to feces, urine, diapers and, for the rest of his life, to abrasive clothing. The infant's meatus often changes from the normal slit like aperture to a tight hole. The glans becomes skin like, dry, less purple-red, less smooth, less expansive, develops a layer of keratin and is less sensitive. In the event of genital burns, the exposed glans is more liable to injury.
The operation of circumcision entails many risks and possible complications: death, a psychic trauma, hemorrhage, infection, urethral damage, excessive skin removal, etc. In circumcising, one takes a normal structure and makes it abnormal. This action is contrary to sound thinking.
Peer pressure is no sensible reason for the continuation of the operation. Other bodily mutilations- binding of feet, piercing of noses and lips, binding of skulls, knocking out of teeth, infibulation of the female's genitals, burning and excision of the clitoris - have all been perpetrated on the basis of peer pressure.
Soap and water does wonders for keeping things clean. Why use it on every structure of the body except the male prepuce? Are men really so stupid that they cannot learn to wash their genitals?
The male infant will continue to be born with a prepuce. Anatomy books must show the prepuce as normal. Statues and paintings picture the naked male with a prepuce.
The male with a normal penis need feel no reticence in exposing himself to his circumcised peers. He knows that what he possesses is a normal, sensitive structure that did not have to be surgically altered. He knows, too, that he possesses enough intelligence to master washing the prepuce.
In the Western world, only the English-speaking people (especially in the United States) practice routine, neonatal circumcision. Even in the Western Hemisphere many groups are opposed to it: the Canadian Medical Society, numerous pediatric urologists, the national Pediatric Societies, etc.
People function best with their complete formal faculties-hearing, sight, smell, etc. Love and sexual function between a man and a woman are served bests by the normal genitals that people are endowed with at birth.
Who presumes to improve upon what is normal?
Thomas J. Ritter, M.D. practiced general surgery for over three decades and is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Dr. Ritter was a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Diplomate of the American Board of Surgery. The father of six grown children. Dr. Ritter is deceased and his book has since been revised and published as "Doctors Re-examine Circumcision".
Dr. Ritter is the author of "Say No to Circumcision" published by Hourglass Book Publishing P.O. Box 171, Aptos, CA 95001
What the Experts Are Saying ...about the book. 40 compelling reasons why you should respect his birthright and keep your son whole.
"My own preference, if I had to good fortune to have another son, would be to leave his little penis alone."
Benjamin Spock, M.D.
Author: " Baby and Child Care"
"Circumcision is a very cruel, very painful practice with no benefit whatsoever".
Ashely Montagu, Ph.D
Anthropologist
"...no one is aware of the deep implications and life-lasting effect (of circumcision). The torture is experienced in a state of total helplessness which makes it even more frightening and unbearable."
Dr. Frederick Leboyer
Author, Birth Without Violence
"All of the Western world raises its children uncircumcised and it seems logical that, with the extent of health knowledge in those countries, such a practice must be safe."
C. Everett Koop, M.D.
former Surgeon General USA
"Submitting your son to the procedure to prevent urinary infections makes only a little more sense than buying insurance against being gored by a unicorn in Riverside."
Eugene Robin, M.D.
Stanford University Medical School
"Few...really understand what they are doing when they amputate the foreskin...the foreskin is the integral of sexual pleasure."
George Denniston, M.D.
University of Washington School of
Medicine
"...there are now serious concerns that this routine procedure may actually deprive adult men of a vital part of their sexual sensitivity."
Dean Edell, M.D.
Radio and TV Physician
"The risks of newborn circumcision are an under reported and ignored factor in this argument. Most often a poor surgical result is not recognized until years after the event."
James Snyder, M.D.
Past President, Virginia Urologic Society
"I'm opposed to inflicting an (elective) operation on an individual without his permission."
Howard Marchbanks, M.D.
Family Practitioner