Richard L. Miller
Richard L. Miller, M.D.[a 1], was an obstetrician.
Contents
Circumcision promotion
In 1953, he and Donald C. Snyder 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.
Spence (1970) reported that immediate circumcision of the newborn resulted in chilling of the infant.[1] The American Academy of Pediatrics (1971) declared, "There are no valid medical indications for circumcision in the neonatal period."[2]
Immediate circumcision of the newborn is not a current practice in the United States. Circumcision of boys is losing popularity and is being replaced by intactness.
Publications
See also
Abbreviations
- ↑
Doctor of Medicine
, Wikipedia. Retrieved 14 June 2021. In the United Kingdom, Ireland and some Commonwealth countries, the abbreviation MD is common.
References
- ↑
Spence GR. Chilling of newborn infants: its relation to circumcision immediately following birth. South Med J. March 1970; 63(3): 309-11. PMID. DOI. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ↑
Committee on Fetus and Newborn (1971): Standards and Recommendation for Hospital Care of Newborn infants. 5th ed.. Evanston, IL.: American Academy of Pediatrics. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
