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"Male '''circumcision''' (from Latin ''circumcidere'', meaning "to cut around") is the surgical removal or [[amputation ]] of the [[foreskin]] (prepuce) part of the human [[penis]]. The foreskin comprises ''more than fifty percent'' of the epithelium of the penis.<ref name="taylor1996">{{TaylorJR LockwoodAP TaylorAJ 1996}}</ref> [...] The [[amputation ]] destroys the many protective, immunological, sexual, and sensory physiological functions of the foreskin, so it is considered to be harmful.
The procedure is most often an elective, non-therapeutic surgery performed on neonates and children for religious and cultural reasons in violation of their [[human rights]], but in other cases may be indicated for both therapeutic and prophylactic reasons. It is a radical treatment option for pathological [[phimosis]], refractory [[Balanitis| balanoposthitis]] and chronic [[urinary tract infection]]s (UTIs); it is contraindicated in cases of certain genital structure abnormalities or poor general health.
== Historical background ==
The [[amputation ]] of the [[foreskin]] is a very old ritual, whose exact origin cannot be verified beyond doubt. Medical historians assume that circumcision already served in ancient history as a way to control the sexuality of slaves and members of the lower classes without compromising their ability to reproduce. In religious history circumcision may be seen as a substitute for human sacrifice. In prehistoric times it was not uncommon to placate the gods with human sacrifice. Castration of slaves or conquered enemies was common as well. Following religious changes this sacrifice was altered, and only a part of the very organ responsible for the creation of new life was sacrificed.
[[Image:Circumcision Sakkara 3.jpg|200px|right]] For the Aborigines, the Australian natives, the tradition of circumcision is said to go back to 10,000 BC. On the African continent, the first circumcisions are assumed to have emerged around 6000 BC. From ancient Egypt hints of various forms of circumcision date back to the time around 3000-2000 BC. The oldest known depiction<ref>{{REFweb
}}</ref> is an Egyptian tomb relief from the 6th dynasty, approximately 2300-2000 BC. It is not known precisely who was circumcised and why in those times.
In many cultures circumcision during puberty serves as a rite of passage, bringing adolescents into the community. As with other painful or humiliating initiation rites, proof of courage and mastering of critical situations are the key motivations. From some African tribes it is also known that the [[amputation ]] of the [[foreskin]] is seen as the removal of an inborn piece of femininity from the boys, thus making them men.
===Judaism===
}}</ref> They concluded, "Evidence has also started to accumulate that male circumcision may result in lifelong physical, sexual, and sometimes psychological harm as well."
The [[amputation ]] of the prepuce results in the loss of the majority of fine-touch neuroreceptors found in the penis, leaving only the uninhibited protopathic sensibility of the artificially externalized glans penis. The imbalance caused by not having the input from the now ablated fine-touch receptors may be a leading cause of the changes in sexual behavior noted in circumcised human males.<ref>{{REFjournal
|last=Van Howe
|init=RS
}}</ref>
Histology of the male circumcision scar shows [[amputation ]] neuromas, Schwann cell proliferation and the bulbous collection of variably sized neurites. [[Amputation ]] neuromas do not mediate normal sensation and are notorious for generating pain.<ref name="ColdCJ TaylorJR 1999"/>
=== Death ===