Neil Pollock: Difference between revisions

'''Neil Pollock''' is a [[Circumcised doctors| circumcised surgeon]] and certified mohel<ref name='National Post, The 2001-01-22'>{{REFweb

}}</ref> from Vancouver, Canada, whose sole livelihood comes from performing non-therapeutic infant [[circumcision]] and vasectomy.<ref name="pollock2011">{{REFweb

While his homepage promises a circumcision that is "virtually bloodless",<ref name="30 second"/> the FAQ page admits that "a small amount of bleeding is normal,"<ref>{{REFweb

  |quote=A small amount of bleeding is normal. Take some gauze with Vaseline on it and squeeze the bleeding area of the penis with your fingers for two minutes.

}}</ref> The topical anaesthetic only serves to numb the area to lessen the pain of the injection, but studies have shown that a dorsal penile ring block is not always effective in stopping the pain of circumcision.<ref>{{REFjournal

  |last2=Martinez

  |last3=Partridge

  |last4=Sniderman

  |last5=Armstrong-Wells

  |last6=Fuentes-Afflick

  |last2=Evans

}}</ref> During the circumcision, the child is given sugar pacifiers to "reduce his pain perceptions",<ref>{{REFweb

  |last2=Cornelissen

  |last3=Fabrizi

  |last4=Patten

  |last5=Yoxen

  |last6=Worley

  |last7=Boyd

  |last8=Meek

  |first=H William

  |last2=Martinez

  |last3=Partridge

  |last4=Sniderman

  |last5=Armstrong-Wells

  |last6=Fuentes-Afflick

According to the ''Jewish Independent'', Pollock claims to "have developed a technique to do circumcision in this older age group under local anesthetic without using sutures and using, instead, a cyanocrylate skin glue that closes the wound." Pollock claims that this provides for a "simpler, easier, quicker, safer and improved cosmetic outcome for patients.", claims that have not been substantiated.<ref>{{REFnews

}}</ref> as part of a team on a "fact finding mission." He was asked by David Patrick, then Head of Epidemiology at the BCCDC.<ref name="millman2009" /> The mission was supposed to consult with the Rwandan healthcare system involved in the fight against AIDS,<ref name="millman2009" /> but Pollock took advantage of the trip to promote infant circumcision specifically.<ref name="millman2009" /> Upon being told that few parents were having their children circumcised because the procedures were being performed with scissors and stitches, without adequate anaesthetic and were taking around 30 minutes to complete,<ref name="millman2009" /> he took the opportunity to promote the [[Mogen]] infant circumcision procedure under the guise of "HIV prevention."<ref name="millman2009" /><ref>{{REFnews

  |quote=Vancouver-based circumcision and vasectomy surgeon, Dr. Neil Pollock, recently returned from a 10 day mission to sub-Saharan Africa where he taught Rwandan doctors proper infant circumcision technique to help them stem the spread of AIDS in the region.

}}</ref> He took advantage of the AIDS crisis, and the fact that the [[WHO]]/[[UNAIDS]] had endorsed circumcision as legitimate HIV prevention to promote specifically infant circumcision, and his "simple and painless procedure" (AKA, the [[Mogen]] technique).<ref>{{REFnews

  |quote=When a relatively simple and painless procedure exists that can so dramatically reduce one's chances of contracting AIDS, it seemed tragic that the local doctors in Rwanda were not properly trained to use it...

}}</ref> Pollock admits that he hopes his "technique" would encourage more Rwandan parents to have their children circumcised, albeit for the pretext of HIV prevention.<ref>{{REFnews

}}</ref> Pollock was largely instrumental in making infant circumcision a priority for the Rwandan Ministry of Health in the fight against AIDS. <ref>{{REFnews

  |quote=At the end of Dr. Pollock's visit, the Rwandan Ministry of Health announced they were making infant circumcision a priority in their fight against AIDS, as they found it to be more sustainable in the long run and ten times cheaper than adult circumcision(v).

In 2014, Pollock claimed he was contacted by Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, professor at [the University of California, Los Angeles] Medical School, asking to train surgeons in Port-Au-Prince. Pollock started a fundraiser hoping to raise $25,000 to cover a one week trip to Port-Au-Prince, to train two surgeons, who will in turn train more surgeons once he leaves. This with the premise that circumcision can help reduce the risk of males contracting HIV through heterosexual intercourse, a premise that has been subject to frequent criticism for lack of proven causal link and failure to show the intended results.

==Lack of third-party payment==

*[[Bias]] -- Motivations for circumcision bias.