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==== Nerve endings in the [[foreskin]] / Quarter (25-US-Ct.) ====
1995, in the film "[[Whose Body, Whose Rights?]]"<ref name="WhoseBody" /> starting from Montagu's description of the number of nerve endings in normal [[skin]], the number of nerve endings in the [[foreskin]] was calculated as follows: “15 square inches comfortably fits 15 quarters. This analogy helps us to understand that the adult [[foreskin]] contains … over 1000 nerve endings …" (15 × more than 50 = more than 750), which NOHARMM supplements to "Since Dr. Taylor's research suggests that the [[foreskin]] is '''more densely enervated innervated than "normal" [[skin]]''', a [[circumcised ]] man likely loses many times more than 1,000 nerve endings.”<ref name="circumcisionharm" /><sup>b</sup>
==== The “ridged band" ====
In 1996 the article by the Canadian pathologist [[John R. Taylor]] et al.<ref name="Taylor" /> about the “ridged band” of the [[foreskin]] had appeared. Taylor reported, that the encapsulated nerve endings<ref>Nerve endings can be divided into types with or without end corpuscles (corpuscular/encapsulated or free nerve endings). “… the free nerve endings (FNE) … do not seem to have any part in fine touch sensation (they are innervated by unmyelinated axons which conduct too slowly, don’t have specialised end corpuscles to transduce vibration, etc. and have a high threshold, all of which prevent the conduction of fine touch).” [[Ken McGrath|McGrath]], Fn 29b</ref> of the [[foreskin]] are concentrated in the “ridged band” and thus are distributed very differently. In his article, Fleiss also mentions the "ridged [[mucosa]]" and calls Taylor as a source. He therefore knew of Taylor’s work.
=== Conclusion ===
It is time to take leave of the exaggerated number of 20,000 nerve endings in the [[foreskin]].<ref>If you want to name a number, you should only specify the order of magnitude >3,000 <10,000. The number of nerve endings in the [[foreskin]] is probably at least 4,000, since the [[Glans penis|glans]] already has 4,000 and the [[foreskin]] is more sensitive – — but this is not qualitatively differentiated, for instance between sensitivity to [[pain ]] or touch.</ref> This legend is very wide spread by the opponents of [[circumcision]]. As long as the number cannot be scientifically proven, it is sufficient to say that the prepuce is very densely innervated and for fine touch is more sensitive than the [[Glans penis|glans]]<ref name="Approvals" />,<ref name="Appendix" />. Otherwise, the credibility and persuasive power of the [[Intactivist ]] movement suffers and makes itself unnecessarily vulnerable. Unfortunately, this can also be seen on the Internet.
Statements on [[foreskin]] anatomy should be evidence-based on studies published in scientific journals, to keep them verifiable and comprehensible. This should be taken seriously. Publications containing the 20,000 (or 10,000 and more) legend should no longer be disseminated. We should make sure our articles are accurate and add correcting notes to published articles where possible.
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[[Paul M. Fleiss| Dr. Fleiss]], however, is no longer with us, so no explanation or correction may be expected from him. It is likely that when he prepared the article for publication in the popular press in 1997, he simply meant to informally express the concept of a [[Ridged band| very substantial innervation of the foreskin]] as had been previously reported by [[John R. Taylor| Taylor]] et al.<ref name="taylor1996">{{TaylorJR LockwoodAP TaylorAJ 1996}}</ref>
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