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Though the practice of ritual circumcision of males, both consenting and non-consenting, has existed for millenia, the search for "potential medical benefits" began relatively recently. {''Potential'' means to exist in possibility, but not in actuality, so a "''potential'' benefit" is not a genuine proven benefit.) The discussion of circumcision in the Ninth Edition of the ''Encyclopǽdia Britannica'' (1876) made no mention of any prophylactic, medical, or therapeutic value or function.<ref>{{REFweb

Initially, circumcision was adopted as a way to stop boys and men from masturbating, where [[masturbation ]] was seen as the cause for many diseases. As the myth that circumcision prevented [[masturbation]] became debunked, advocates of circumcision began the great search to find the "medical benefits" of circumcision.

Male and female circumcision involves the removal and disruption of normal anatomical structures that are primary areas of sexual sensation.<ref name="taylor1996"/> In the past, some advocates of mass circumcision have considered the [[prepuce ]] to be a "mistake of nature,"<!--{{Cold and Wiswell (1995)}} | [[Template:Cold and Wiswell (1995)|see more]]--> but this notion has no validity because the prepuce is ubiquitous in primates and because it provides functional advantages.<ref name="cold-mcgrath1995">{{REFbook