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The '''United States of America''' are also known as the '''United States''' or simply '''America''' or by acronyms such as '''USA''' or '''US''' or '''U.S.A.''' or '''U.S.'''.
America is predominantly an English-speaking nation. As in other English-speaking nations, non-therapeutic [[circumcision]] of boys was popularized in the late nineteenth century, however, the practice of non-therapeutic circumcision of boys is now in decline. The decline of the unnecessary practice has been slowed by continual encouragement and promotion of circumcision by the medical industry.
==History==
Jews have lived in America since before the Revolutionary War. They have always practiced [[Jewish circumcision| ritual circumcision]] , ([[Brit Milah]]) , of boys on the eighth day of life in accordance with the [[Abrahamic covenant]], however this was only for a very small percentage of the population.
One may be certain that the eighteenth century Founding Fathers of the United States of America were men with [[intact]] [[Foreskin| foreskins]] as were the [[foreskinned]] men who fought the American Civil War (1861-1865).
}}</ref>
Seventh-day Adventist [[John Harvey Kellogg]], {{MD}}, of Battle Creek, Michigan, was an important 19th century promoter of male circumcision. Although masturbation is never mentioned in the Bible, Dr. Kellogg believed that [[masturbation]] was immoral, sinful, and caused one to dream "impure dreams", which he believed was harmful to the mental faculties, resuling resulting in mental disorders, such as feeblemindness.<ref name="kellogg1879">{{REFbook
|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/19924/19924-h/19924-h.htm
|title=Plain Facts for Old and Young: Natural History and Hygiene of Organic Life (Sex, Marriage & Society Series)
}}</ref>
[[Elizabeth Blackwell]], {{MD}}, ({{LifeData|1821|1910}}), was born in England, but attended medical school in the United States. She was the first woman to become a medical doctor in the United States. Blackwell thought masturbation was immoral but that circumcision was not the way to correct it. She wrote against it in her 1894 book:
<blockquote>Appeals to the fears of uninstructed parents on the grounds of cleanliness or of hardening the part are entirely fallacious and unsupported by evidence. It is a physiological fact that the natural lubricating secretion of every healthy part is beneficial, not injurious to the part thus protected, and that no attempt to render a sensitive part insensitive is either practicable or justifiable. The protection which nature affords to these parts is an aid to physical purity by affording necessary protection against constant external contact of a part which necessarily remains keenly sensitive; and bad habits in boys and girls cannot by prevented by surgical operations. Where no malformation exists, bad habits can only be forestalled by healthy moral and physical education.<ref>{{REFbook
|first=Elizabeth
}}</ref>
When Remondino discussed the [[foreskin]], he used the most horrific, derogatory,and disparaging language. He devoted thirteen chapters to the alleged evils and faults of the foreskin. It is not clear why he had such an extreme dislike for a natural and functional body part. His recommendation, of course, was for [[Adolescent and adult circumcision| circumcision]].
By the end of the nineteenth century, America had at least one prominent physician and surgeon on the east coast promoting circumcision and another prominent physician and surgeon on the west coast promoting circumcision. There was no real medical science with which to dispute and discredit their false claims. Non-therapeutic circumcision of males was now well-established in the United States.
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Roswell Park (1902) publishes published a paper 'proving' that foreskin causes epilepsy and that circumcision cures it.<ref>{{REFjournal
|last=Park
|first=Roswell
}}</ref>
[[Abraham L. Wolbarst]], {{MD}}, a Jewish New York doctor, apparently considered [[L. Emmett Holt|Holt]]'s paper to be an attack on ritual circumcision or perhaps Judaismitself. He collected ''opinions'' from other doctors of the alleged value of circumcision for health and published those ''opinions'' as ''scientific fact'' in a 1914 ''JAMA'' article.<ref name="wolbarst1914">{{REFjournal
|last=Wolbarst
|first=Abraham L.