Donald C. Snyder

Donald C. Snyder, M.D., from Acron, OH, was an obstetrician.

Contents

Circumcision promotion

In 1953, he and Richard L. Miller published an influential paper in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, calling for the immediate circumcision of all males straight after birth. Ignoring Gairdner and relying heavily on the writings of Wolbarst, they insisted that “phimosis” required immediate surgical correction, and asserted that circumcision would “reduce the incidence of onanism”, heighten male libido and “increase longevity and immunity to nearly all physical and mental illness.”

They also stated that circumcision immediately after birth was convenient for the doctor and in the financial best interests of the hospital. Leading obstetrical textbooks were soon rewritten to include Miller and Snyder’s recommendations.

Publications

• Miller RL, Snyder DC. Immediate circumcision of the newborn male. AJOG. January 1953; 6(1): 1-11. PMID. DOI. Retrieved 13 October 2021.

See also

• Alleged reasons for circumcision