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The origin of the ritual practice is unknown. There is evidence of its performance in [[Israel ]] in Neolithic times (with flint knives) at least 6000 6,000 years ago. Jews accept the Old Testament origin as a covenant between God and Abraham (Genesis 17), although it is generally agreed that the practice of circumcision in Egypt predated the [[Abrahamic covenant]] by centuries. Ritual Circumcision is not germane to this discussion except insofar as the surgical ritual impinges upon accepted medical practice.
So called "health" circumcision originated in the nineteenth century, when most diseases were of unknown etiology. Within the miasma of myth and ignorance, a theory emerged that [[masturbation]] caused many and varied ills. It seemed logical to some physicians to perform genital surgery on both sexes to stop [[masturbation]]; the major technique applied to males was [[circumcision]]. This was especially true in the English-speaking countries because it accorded with the mid-Victorian attitude toward sex as sinful and debilitating.
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{{SEEALSO}}* [[United States of America]]
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