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Created page with "{| class="infobox vcard" style="190px; font-size:90%" border="0" cellspacing="4" align="right" |- | align="right" | Image:Neil pollock.PNG|190px|Neil Pollock displaying a M..."
{| class="infobox vcard" style="190px; font-size:90%" border="0" cellspacing="4" align="right"
|-
| align="right" | [[Image:Neil pollock.PNG|190px|Neil Pollock displaying a Mogen clamp]]
|- style="background: #DCDCDC"
| align="center" | '''Colleagues & Benefactors:'''
|-
| align="center" | <br>[[Murray Katz]]<br>[[Pierre Crouse]]<br>[[Edgar J. Schoen]]<br>[[Barbara Kay]]<br>David Patrick
|- style="background: #DCDCDC"
| align="center" | '''Funding & Associations:'''
|-
| align="center" | [[Mogen]]<br>[[Schusterman Foundation]]<br>Canadian Institutes of Health
|- style="background: #DCDCDC"
|}
Neil Pollock is a surgeon and certified mohel<ref name='National Post, The 2001-01-22'>{{REFweb
| quote=Dr. Neil Pollock, a Vancouver-area physician who is also a trained mohel designated to perform ritual Jewish circumcisions...
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/npost.htm
| title=Like father, like son
| last=Owens
| first=Anne Marie
| publisher=
| work=The National Post
| date=2001-01-22
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref><ref name='MohelTraining 2011-04-08'>{{REFweb
| quote=Dr. Pollock has been certified by the Conservative and Reform Rabbinet of British Columbia to serve the community as a mohel.
| url=http://www.moheltraining.com/about_drpollock.html
| title=About Dr. Neil Pollock
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=MohelTraining.com
| date=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> from Vancouver, Canada, whose sole livelihood comes from performing infant circumcision and vasectomy.<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=Dr. Pollock limits his practice to only two surgical procedures. Infant circumcision is one of these procedures. (No-Scalpel No-Needle Vasectomy is the other).
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-drpollock.html
| title=About Dr. Pollock
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> He is a prolific circumciser of infants, and according to his website, he has performed over 30,000 infant circumcisions,<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=As of January 2011, Dr. Pollock has safely performed well over 30,000 infant circumcisions.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-drpollock.html
| title=About Dr. Pollock
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=
}}</ref> he performs 2,500 annually,<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=Currently he performs approximately 2500 annually at his two private offices.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-drpollock.html
| title=About Dr. Pollock
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> and he is personally responsible for 2/3rds of all circumcisions in the entire Vancouver Lower Mainland.<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=He personally performs over 2/3rds of all circumcisions in the entire Vancouver Lower Mainland.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-index.html
| title=Pollock Clinics Infant Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref>
On his website, he references [[Edgar Schoen]], another avid circumcision advocate.<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=For detailed information about the medical benefits and risks of circumcision, please go to http://www.medicirc.org a website written by world renowned pediatrician- Dr.Edgar Schoen of San Francisco California, USA.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-
| title=Parents' Guide to Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref>
== Revenue ==
Neil Pollock charges $455.00 Canadian for circumcising children under 2 months of age.<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=The fee for babies younger than two months of age is $445.00 including all the aftercare supplies and taxes.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-arrange.html
| title=Arranging a Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> If his website is correct, he performs 2,500 annually,<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=Currently he performs approximately 2500 annually at his two private offices.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-drpollock.html
| title=About Dr. Pollock
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> which means he grosses $1,137,500 Canadian on infant circumcision alone.
== Misleading information ==
On his website, Pollock sells circumcision as "virtually bloodless, virtually painless" and "taking only thirty seconds",<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=30 second, virtually bloodless, virtually painless procedure
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-index.html
| title=Pollock Clinics Infant Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> and he claims to be using a unique "new approach" that was developed by himself,<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=A new approach has recently been developed that allows for a virtually painless and bloodless procedure to be safely performed in under 30 seconds. This technique was developed by Dr. Pollock and is used by few in the medical profession because it is relatively new and more difficult to learn.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-guide.html
| title=Parents' Guide to Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> but this information is misleading, it conflicts with information provided on his own website, or it is simply not true.
=== "Virtually Bloodless" ===
While his homepage promises a circumcision that is "virtually bloodless,"<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=30 second, virtually bloodless, virtually painless procedure
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-index.html
| title=Pollock Clinics Infant Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> the FAQ page admits that "a small amount of bleeding is normal,"<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=
| url=
| title=
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=
| accessdate=
}}{{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.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-
| title=Frequently Asked Questions
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> and it gives advice on how to stop it.
=== "Virtually Painless" ===
Pollock promises a "virtually painless" circumcision,<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=30 second, virtually bloodless, virtually painless procedure
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-index.html
| title=Pollock Clinics Infant Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> but this claim depends on a dubious premise; that the methods he boasts in using are actually effective. On his website, it says that the pain control methods used are Tylenol, sugar,<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=To calm the baby during the procedure, a sugar filled gauze pacifier soaked with sweet juice is used, and soothing music is played in the room.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-guide.html
| title=Parents' Guide to Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref><ref>{{REFweb
| quote=During the circumcision, your son will receive sugar pacifiers to suck on which reduce his pain perceptions.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-before.html
| title=Before the Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> a topical cream,<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=Then in our office, he will have topical anesthetic applied to his penis.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-before.html
| title=Before the Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> and a local anaesthetic injection called a dorsal penile ring block.<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=We use extensive pain control methods including Tylenol, a sugar solution (to reduce pain perceptions), a topical freezing cream, and a local anesthetic injection.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-guide.html
| title=Parents' Guide to Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</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
| last=Taeusch
| first=H. William
| coauthors=Alma M Martinez, J Colin Partridge, Susan Sniderman, Jennifer Armstrong-Wells, Elena Fuentes-Afflick
| title=Pain During Mogen or PlastiBell Circumcision
| journal=Journal of Perinatology
| volume=22
| issue=3
| pages=214-218
| url=http://www.nature.com/jp/journal/v22/n3/full/7210653a.html
| quote=...more than half of the study group had what we considered excessive pain/discomfort over the course of the entire procedure.
| pubmedID=
| pubmedCID=
| DOI=
| date=April/May 2002
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref><ref name='Clinical Pediatrics August 1986'>{{REFjournal
| last=Williamson
| first=Paul S.
| coauthors=Nolan Donovan Evans
| title=Neonatal Cortisol Response to Circumcision with Anesthesia
| journal=Clinical Pediatrics
| volume=25
| issue=8
| pages=412-416
| url=http://cpj.sagepub.com/content/25/8/412.abstract
| quote=The adrenal cortisol response to surgery was not significantly reduced by the administration of lidocaine.
| pubmedID=
| pubmedCID=
| DOI=
| date=August 1986
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> During the circumcision, the child is given sugar pacifiers to "reduce his pain perceptions",<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=During the circumcision, your son will receive sugar pacifiers to suck on which reduce his pain perceptions.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-before.html
| title=Before the CircumcisionBefore the Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> but in at least one study, data shows that giving sugar to a child doesn't help to reduce the perception of pain in the child.<ref name='Lancet, The 2010-10-09'>{{REFjournal
| last=Slater
| first=Rebeccah
| coauthors=Laura Cornelissen, Lorenzo Fabrizi, Debbie Patten, Jan Yoxen, Alan Worley, Stewart Boyd, Judith Meek, Prof Maria Fitzgerald
| date=2010-10-09
| title=Oral sucrose as an analgesic drug for procedural pain in newborn infants: a randomised controlled trial
| journal=The Lancet
| volume=376
| issue=9748
| pages=1225-1232
| url=http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2810%2961303-7/fulltext
| quote=Our data suggest that oral sucrose does not significantly affect activity in neonatal brain or spinal cord nociceptive circuits, and therefore might not be an effective analgesic drug. The ability of sucrose to reduce clinical observational scores after noxious events in newborn infants should not be interpreted as pain relief.
| pubmedID=
| pubmedCID=
| DOI=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> Post-operative pain and the pain the child must endure during recovery is hardly, if ever, addressed.
=== "30 Second Procedure" ===
Pollock promises a "30 second procedure,"<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=30 second, virtually bloodless, virtually painless procedure
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-index.html
| title=Pollock Clinics Infant Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref><ref>{{REFweb
| quote=Our procedure takes under 30 seconds (10 times quicker than most hospital circumcisons).
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-guide.html
| title=Parents' Guide to Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> but this doesn't take into account the fact that the child must first have topical anaesthetic applied, and then be given the dorsal penile ring block for which there is a 10 minute waiting period for the injection to take effect.<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=After 10 minutes, the penis is “frozen”, and the circumcision can be done.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-before.html
| title=Before the Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> In the FAQ page, it is admitted that "although the circumcision takes under 30 seconds, we require you to be in our office for one hour and fifteen minutes in total so that we can carefully review with you all post procedure care and answer any of your questions."<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-before.html
| title=Before the Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref>
=== "A New Approach" ===
On his website, Pollock sells his circumcision technique as "a new approach" that "has recently been developed."<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=A new approach has recently been developed that allows for a virtually painless and bloodless procedure to be safely performed in under 30 seconds. This technique was developed by Dr. Pollock and is used by few in the medical profession because it is relatively new and more difficult to learn.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-guide.html
| title=Parents' Guide to Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> Pollock claims to have created this "new method" with another serial circumciser, [[Murray Katz]]. <ref>{{REFnews
| last=Owens
| first=Anne Marie
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/npost.html
| title=Like father, like son There is so much evidence for and against circumcision that making a decision has become almost impossible. In the end, most parents use family tradition or simply trust their instincts
| publisher=
| work=National Post
| quote=Dr. Neil Pollock, a Vancouver-area physician who is also a trained mohel designated to perform ritual Jewish circumcisions, has pioneered a technique with Dr. Murray Katz of Montreal using a four-step approach to pain relief and a piece of equipment that allows for a much quicker operation.
| date=22 Jan 2001
| accessdate=2012-10-07
}}</ref> Pollock's website uses language that suggests that he uses state-of-the-art techniques and equipment that no other surgeon possesses, by warning against others who try to "emulate" him.<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=You may notice other local websites, desperately attempting to emulate Dr.Pollock both in name of website and content. Please be clear when researching your son's circumcision, that the methods and techniques for providing this surgery are only as meaningful as the operating physician's experience, without which, any method or technique is potentially dangerous.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-index.html
| title=Pollock Clinics Infant Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref>
Closer inspection reveals that Pollock isn't doing anything "new"; his website reveals that he uses the Mogen technique, which involves the [[Mogen]] clamp.<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=The technique used by Dr. Pollock is called the Mogen technique.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-guide.html
| title=Parents' Guide to Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=
}}</ref> The Mogen clamp was invented in 1954,<ref name='Reynolds 1996'>{{REFweb
| quote=The Mogen clamp was invented in 1954 by Rabbi Harry Bronstein, a Brooklyn mohel.
| url=http://www.circumcisionquotes.com/rdr5.html
| title=Use of the Mogen clamp for neonatal circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> but it is actually one of many successors to the much older, traditional barzel device.<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=The barzel (Hebrew for iron) also known as a mogen (Hebrew for shield) is a slotted shield to...
| url=http://www.circumstitions.com/methods.html#barzel
| title=Methods of circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=circumstitions.com
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref>
==== What Pollock may not tell parents about Mogen ====
The website insists that without experience, which it boasts Pollock for having, the methods and techniques he uses could be "potentially dangerous," however the [[Mogen]] clamp has been notorious for glans amputations, even among experienced conductors of circumcision.<ref>{{REFjournal
| last=Taeusch
| first=H William
| coauthors=Alma M Martinez, J Colin Partridge, Susan Sniderman, Jennifer Armstrong-Wells, Elena Fuentes-AfflickAlma M Martinez, J Colin Partridge, Susan Sniderman, Jennifer Armstrong-Wells, Elena Fuentes-Afflick
| date=April/May 2002
| title=Pain During Mogen or PlastiBell Circumcision
| journal=Journal of Perinatology
| volume=22
| issue=3
| pages=214-218
| url=http://www.nature.com/jp/journal/v22/n3/full/7210653a.html
| quote=...approximately 10% of the glans of a newborn was amputated (it was reattached surgically) during a Mogen circumcision carried out by two of our most experienced physicians.
| pubmedID=
| pubmedCID=
| DOI=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> Mogen went out of business<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Tagami
| first=Ty
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/atlanta-lawyer-wins-11-573890.html
| title=Atlanta lawyer wins $11 million lawsuit for family in botched circumcision
| publisher=
| work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
| quote=The company is going out of business, according to a woman who answered the phone at its Brooklyn headquarters Monday.
| date=2010-07-19
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> after losing a 10.8 million dollar law suit,<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Tagami
| first=Ty
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/atlanta-lawyer-wins-11-573890.html
| title=Atlanta lawyer wins $11 million lawsuit for family in botched circumcision
| publisher=
| work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
| quote=...after an infant lost a portion of his penis during an operation with the Mogen clamp, a judge awarded $10.8 million in damages against the company.
| date=2010-07-19
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> after a mohel<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Tagami
| first=Ty
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/atlanta-lawyer-wins-11-573890.html
| title=Atlanta lawyer wins $11 million lawsuit for family in botched circumcision
| publisher=
| work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
| quote=In this case, a New York mohel, or Jewish ritual circumcisor, performed the operation in the baby's home...
| date=2010-07-19
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> severed the end of a baby's glans<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Tagami
| first=Ty
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/atlanta-lawyer-wins-11-573890.html
| title=Atlanta lawyer wins $11 million lawsuit for family in botched circumcision
| publisher=
| work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
| quote=The baby in the current case, identified in court documents only as L.G., lost the entire glans, or head, of his penis ...
| date=2010-07-19
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> using one of their clamps. Mogen claimed that injury was impossible with its use.<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Tagami
| first=Ty
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/atlanta-lawyer-wins-11-573890.html
| title=Atlanta lawyer wins $11 million lawsuit for family in botched circumcision
| publisher=
| work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
| quote=The maker of an instrument used in circumcisions claimed that injury was impossible with its use...
| date=2010-07-19
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> The injury behind a prior lawsuit in Fulton County Superior Court had already put Mogen on notice about the danger of the device.<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Tagami
| first=Ty
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/atlanta-lawyer-wins-11-573890.html
| title=Atlanta lawyer wins $11 million lawsuit for family in botched circumcision
| publisher=
| work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
| quote=Attorney David Llewellyn won a similar case in Atlanta last year and the injury behind that prior lawsuit in Fulton County Superior Court put the New York clamp manufacturer on notice about the danger of the device...
| date=2010-07-19
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref>
In a different case, at South Fulton Medical Center, another law suit was won in 2009.<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Tagami
| first=Ty
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/atlanta-lawyer-wins-11-573890.html
| title=Atlanta lawyer wins $11 million lawsuit for family in botched circumcision
| publisher=
| work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
| quote=Llewellyn won another circumcision case in 2009 over an operation at South Fulton Medical Center.
| date=2010-07-19
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> In that case, a child lost a third of his glans, and the plaintiffs were awarded 2.3 million dollars.<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Tagami
| first=Ty
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/atlanta-lawyer-wins-11-573890.html
| title=Atlanta lawyer wins $11 million lawsuit for family in botched circumcision
| publisher=
| work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
| quote=The jury found that both the pediatrician and the physician who performed the circumcision were negligent, and awarded $2.3 million to the plaintiffs.
| date=2010-07-19
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref>
=== "A New Approach" for children, teenagers and adults ===
According to 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
| last=Laye
| first=Baysa
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.jewishindependent.ca/vancouver-doctor-will-train-doctors-in-haiti-in-circumcision/
| title=Vancouver doctor will train physicians in Haiti in circumcision
| publisher=
| work=
| quote=
| date=04th, April 2014
| accessdate=2014-07-11
}}</ref>
== Complaints and investigation ==
In 2003 there were several complaints to the College of Physicians & Surgeons of British Columbia about Pollock Clinics' advertisements. The base for the complaints was that these advertisements present a very one-sided view of circumcision, referring to [Edgar J. Schoen]'s website while failing to mention the position of the governing specialty college, the Canadian Paediatric Society, which recommends that circumcision of newborns should not be routinely performed. The complaints also stated that Pollock's website states that "circumcision is regarded as one of the safest routine operations in practice today." No reference is given for this statement, which is by no means universally accepted. The complaint indicated that Pollock Clinics appeared to be in breach of the Rules under the Medical Practitioners Act, specifically Rule 98, which stipulates that doctors "must not exaggerate, be false, inaccurate, misleading or be reasonably capable of being misinterpreted."<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=
| url=http://courtchallenge.com/letters/bccoll3.html#03aug14
| title=CPSBC re newborn circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2012-12-25
}}</ref>
== Infant circumcision evangelist ==
=== Rwanda ===
[[Image:Pollock in africa.jpg|right|thumb|Pollock holding a child he circumcised in Africa in the name of HIV prevention.]]
On Feb 24, 2009, Pollock Clinics issued a press release stating that Neil Pollock was asked to go to Rwanda by the British Columbia Centere for Disease Control (BCCDC) and Family Health International (FHI),<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| quote=Dr. Pollock travelled as part of a team assembled by the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) and their partner in the project, Family Health International (FHI).
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</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>{{REFnews
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| quote=Dr. Pollock decided to travel to the region after he was asked by Dr. David Patrick, Head of Epidemiology at the BCCDC, to join their fact-finding mission to the rapidly developing country.
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</ref> The mission was supposed to consult with the Rwandan healthcare system involved in the fight against AIDS,<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| quote=The mission was a team effort to consult widely with everyone in the Rwandan health care system involved in the fight against AIDS (from major players in the Ministry of Health, to front-line workers, to people living with HIV).
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</ref> but Pollock took advantage of the trip to promote infant circumcision specifically.<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| quote=In anticipation of his trip, Dr. Pollock contacted Rwandan doctors and inquired as to why, given the correlation between circumcision and AIDS prevention, and the increasing number of adult circumcisions being carried out, so few infant circumcisions were being performed in that country.
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</ref> 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>{{REFnews
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| quote=They told me that very 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...
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</ref> he took the opportunity to promote the [[Mogen]] infant circumcision procedure under the guise of "HIV prevention."<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| 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.
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</ref><ref>{{REFnews
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| quote=Dr. Pollock, who has performed what is arguably the world's oldest surgical procedure over 30,000 times, spent four days in December at the King Faisal Hospital in Kigali, teaching the hospital's chief surgeons his <q>Mogen</q> infant circumcision technique.
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</ref>
As in Canada, Pollock sold the [[Mogen]] technique as "bloodless, painless, and taking only 30 seconds."<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| quote=I offered to go and teach them how to perform the procedure in a safer, quicker and less painful way and they happily took me up on the offer.
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</ref><ref>{{REFnews
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| quote=The technique, named after the specialized tool used in the procedure, is a virtually painless and bloodless method which takes less than a minute to perform.
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</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
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| 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...
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</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
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| quote=Pollock, whose research into infant circumcision has been published internationally, hopes that the proper technique will encourage more Rwandan parents to have their sons circumcised.
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</ref> With the help of his friends and family, he raised funds to buy Mogen clamps and other needed equipment to set up an infant circumcision clinic in Rwanda.<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| quote=Dr. Pollock, through the support of friends and family, raised the funds required to purchase and deliver multiple sets of equipment and supplies that would allow Rwandan surgeons to set up and operate an infant circumcision clinic once he left.
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</ref> Pollock was largely instrumental in making infant circumcision a priority for the Rwandan Ministry of Health in the fight against AIDS. <ref>{{REFnews
| last=N. Michael
| first=Millman
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| 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).
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</ref> The medical tour was covered by grant money from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and funding from the [[Shusterman Foundation]].<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| quote=...much of the trip's cost was covered by grant money from Canadian Institutes of Health Research and funding from the Shusterman Foundation...
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</ref>
Pollock also took the opportunity to promote his vasectomy knowledge while he was in Rwanda.<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| date=2009-02-24
| publisher=marketwire
| quote=Dr. Pollock also presented a talk to local vasectomy surgeons. He hopes to return with a team to the region on a second teaching mission to instruct local doctors on his No-Scalpel No-Needle vasectomy procedure, a virtually painless technique lasting less than six minutes, which he performs approximately 2,000 times a year in his Vancouver and New Westminster clinics.
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</ref>
=== Haiti ===
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.
The ultimate intention of the training, Pollock said, is “to set up a national program accepted by the population, to introduce infant circumcision safely and effectively, and have it evolve to become a widespread practice throughout the country.” UCLA's Klausner and other researchers at UCLA seem to be very interested in introducing circumcision in the Caribbean and Latin America.
Pollock said. “It’s intended that Haiti will become a training centre for circumcision in the Caribbean. It is likely that my technique, once taught in Haiti, will soon be shared with multiple countries throughout the Caribbean, multiplying its effect to save lives throughout the entire region.<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Laye
| first=Baysa
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.jewishindependent.ca/vancouver-doctor-will-train-doctors-in-haiti-in-circumcision/
| title= Vancouver doctor will train physicians in Haiti in circumcisio
| date=04th, April 2014
| publisher=
| quote=
| accessdate=2014-07-11
}}</ref>
{{SEEALSO}}
*[[Bias]] -- Motivations for circumcision bias.
{{LINKS}}
* [http://www.youtube.com/user/DrNPollock Neil Pollock's YouTube Channel]
{{REF}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollock, Neil}}
[[Category:People]]
[[Category:Interest]]
[[Category:Interest]]
[[Category:Pollock Group]]
[[Category:Physicians|Physicians]]
[[Category:Jewish]]
[[Category:Entrepreneurs]]
[[Category:CircLeaks]]
[[Category:From IntactWiki]]
|-
| align="right" | [[Image:Neil pollock.PNG|190px|Neil Pollock displaying a Mogen clamp]]
|- style="background: #DCDCDC"
| align="center" | '''Colleagues & Benefactors:'''
|-
| align="center" | <br>[[Murray Katz]]<br>[[Pierre Crouse]]<br>[[Edgar J. Schoen]]<br>[[Barbara Kay]]<br>David Patrick
|- style="background: #DCDCDC"
| align="center" | '''Funding & Associations:'''
|-
| align="center" | [[Mogen]]<br>[[Schusterman Foundation]]<br>Canadian Institutes of Health
|- style="background: #DCDCDC"
|}
Neil Pollock is a surgeon and certified mohel<ref name='National Post, The 2001-01-22'>{{REFweb
| quote=Dr. Neil Pollock, a Vancouver-area physician who is also a trained mohel designated to perform ritual Jewish circumcisions...
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/npost.htm
| title=Like father, like son
| last=Owens
| first=Anne Marie
| publisher=
| work=The National Post
| date=2001-01-22
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref><ref name='MohelTraining 2011-04-08'>{{REFweb
| quote=Dr. Pollock has been certified by the Conservative and Reform Rabbinet of British Columbia to serve the community as a mohel.
| url=http://www.moheltraining.com/about_drpollock.html
| title=About Dr. Neil Pollock
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=MohelTraining.com
| date=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> from Vancouver, Canada, whose sole livelihood comes from performing infant circumcision and vasectomy.<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=Dr. Pollock limits his practice to only two surgical procedures. Infant circumcision is one of these procedures. (No-Scalpel No-Needle Vasectomy is the other).
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-drpollock.html
| title=About Dr. Pollock
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> He is a prolific circumciser of infants, and according to his website, he has performed over 30,000 infant circumcisions,<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=As of January 2011, Dr. Pollock has safely performed well over 30,000 infant circumcisions.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-drpollock.html
| title=About Dr. Pollock
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=
}}</ref> he performs 2,500 annually,<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=Currently he performs approximately 2500 annually at his two private offices.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-drpollock.html
| title=About Dr. Pollock
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> and he is personally responsible for 2/3rds of all circumcisions in the entire Vancouver Lower Mainland.<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=He personally performs over 2/3rds of all circumcisions in the entire Vancouver Lower Mainland.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-index.html
| title=Pollock Clinics Infant Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref>
On his website, he references [[Edgar Schoen]], another avid circumcision advocate.<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=For detailed information about the medical benefits and risks of circumcision, please go to http://www.medicirc.org a website written by world renowned pediatrician- Dr.Edgar Schoen of San Francisco California, USA.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-
| title=Parents' Guide to Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref>
== Revenue ==
Neil Pollock charges $455.00 Canadian for circumcising children under 2 months of age.<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=The fee for babies younger than two months of age is $445.00 including all the aftercare supplies and taxes.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-arrange.html
| title=Arranging a Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> If his website is correct, he performs 2,500 annually,<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=Currently he performs approximately 2500 annually at his two private offices.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-drpollock.html
| title=About Dr. Pollock
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> which means he grosses $1,137,500 Canadian on infant circumcision alone.
== Misleading information ==
On his website, Pollock sells circumcision as "virtually bloodless, virtually painless" and "taking only thirty seconds",<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=30 second, virtually bloodless, virtually painless procedure
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-index.html
| title=Pollock Clinics Infant Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> and he claims to be using a unique "new approach" that was developed by himself,<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=A new approach has recently been developed that allows for a virtually painless and bloodless procedure to be safely performed in under 30 seconds. This technique was developed by Dr. Pollock and is used by few in the medical profession because it is relatively new and more difficult to learn.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-guide.html
| title=Parents' Guide to Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> but this information is misleading, it conflicts with information provided on his own website, or it is simply not true.
=== "Virtually Bloodless" ===
While his homepage promises a circumcision that is "virtually bloodless,"<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=30 second, virtually bloodless, virtually painless procedure
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-index.html
| title=Pollock Clinics Infant Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> the FAQ page admits that "a small amount of bleeding is normal,"<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=
| url=
| title=
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=
| accessdate=
}}{{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.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-
| title=Frequently Asked Questions
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> and it gives advice on how to stop it.
=== "Virtually Painless" ===
Pollock promises a "virtually painless" circumcision,<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=30 second, virtually bloodless, virtually painless procedure
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-index.html
| title=Pollock Clinics Infant Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> but this claim depends on a dubious premise; that the methods he boasts in using are actually effective. On his website, it says that the pain control methods used are Tylenol, sugar,<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=To calm the baby during the procedure, a sugar filled gauze pacifier soaked with sweet juice is used, and soothing music is played in the room.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-guide.html
| title=Parents' Guide to Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref><ref>{{REFweb
| quote=During the circumcision, your son will receive sugar pacifiers to suck on which reduce his pain perceptions.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-before.html
| title=Before the Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> a topical cream,<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=Then in our office, he will have topical anesthetic applied to his penis.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-before.html
| title=Before the Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> and a local anaesthetic injection called a dorsal penile ring block.<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=We use extensive pain control methods including Tylenol, a sugar solution (to reduce pain perceptions), a topical freezing cream, and a local anesthetic injection.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-guide.html
| title=Parents' Guide to Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</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
| last=Taeusch
| first=H. William
| coauthors=Alma M Martinez, J Colin Partridge, Susan Sniderman, Jennifer Armstrong-Wells, Elena Fuentes-Afflick
| title=Pain During Mogen or PlastiBell Circumcision
| journal=Journal of Perinatology
| volume=22
| issue=3
| pages=214-218
| url=http://www.nature.com/jp/journal/v22/n3/full/7210653a.html
| quote=...more than half of the study group had what we considered excessive pain/discomfort over the course of the entire procedure.
| pubmedID=
| pubmedCID=
| DOI=
| date=April/May 2002
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref><ref name='Clinical Pediatrics August 1986'>{{REFjournal
| last=Williamson
| first=Paul S.
| coauthors=Nolan Donovan Evans
| title=Neonatal Cortisol Response to Circumcision with Anesthesia
| journal=Clinical Pediatrics
| volume=25
| issue=8
| pages=412-416
| url=http://cpj.sagepub.com/content/25/8/412.abstract
| quote=The adrenal cortisol response to surgery was not significantly reduced by the administration of lidocaine.
| pubmedID=
| pubmedCID=
| DOI=
| date=August 1986
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> During the circumcision, the child is given sugar pacifiers to "reduce his pain perceptions",<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=During the circumcision, your son will receive sugar pacifiers to suck on which reduce his pain perceptions.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-before.html
| title=Before the CircumcisionBefore the Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> but in at least one study, data shows that giving sugar to a child doesn't help to reduce the perception of pain in the child.<ref name='Lancet, The 2010-10-09'>{{REFjournal
| last=Slater
| first=Rebeccah
| coauthors=Laura Cornelissen, Lorenzo Fabrizi, Debbie Patten, Jan Yoxen, Alan Worley, Stewart Boyd, Judith Meek, Prof Maria Fitzgerald
| date=2010-10-09
| title=Oral sucrose as an analgesic drug for procedural pain in newborn infants: a randomised controlled trial
| journal=The Lancet
| volume=376
| issue=9748
| pages=1225-1232
| url=http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2810%2961303-7/fulltext
| quote=Our data suggest that oral sucrose does not significantly affect activity in neonatal brain or spinal cord nociceptive circuits, and therefore might not be an effective analgesic drug. The ability of sucrose to reduce clinical observational scores after noxious events in newborn infants should not be interpreted as pain relief.
| pubmedID=
| pubmedCID=
| DOI=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> Post-operative pain and the pain the child must endure during recovery is hardly, if ever, addressed.
=== "30 Second Procedure" ===
Pollock promises a "30 second procedure,"<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=30 second, virtually bloodless, virtually painless procedure
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-index.html
| title=Pollock Clinics Infant Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref><ref>{{REFweb
| quote=Our procedure takes under 30 seconds (10 times quicker than most hospital circumcisons).
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-guide.html
| title=Parents' Guide to Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> but this doesn't take into account the fact that the child must first have topical anaesthetic applied, and then be given the dorsal penile ring block for which there is a 10 minute waiting period for the injection to take effect.<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=After 10 minutes, the penis is “frozen”, and the circumcision can be done.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-before.html
| title=Before the Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> In the FAQ page, it is admitted that "although the circumcision takes under 30 seconds, we require you to be in our office for one hour and fifteen minutes in total so that we can carefully review with you all post procedure care and answer any of your questions."<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-before.html
| title=Before the Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref>
=== "A New Approach" ===
On his website, Pollock sells his circumcision technique as "a new approach" that "has recently been developed."<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=A new approach has recently been developed that allows for a virtually painless and bloodless procedure to be safely performed in under 30 seconds. This technique was developed by Dr. Pollock and is used by few in the medical profession because it is relatively new and more difficult to learn.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-guide.html
| title=Parents' Guide to Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> Pollock claims to have created this "new method" with another serial circumciser, [[Murray Katz]]. <ref>{{REFnews
| last=Owens
| first=Anne Marie
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/npost.html
| title=Like father, like son There is so much evidence for and against circumcision that making a decision has become almost impossible. In the end, most parents use family tradition or simply trust their instincts
| publisher=
| work=National Post
| quote=Dr. Neil Pollock, a Vancouver-area physician who is also a trained mohel designated to perform ritual Jewish circumcisions, has pioneered a technique with Dr. Murray Katz of Montreal using a four-step approach to pain relief and a piece of equipment that allows for a much quicker operation.
| date=22 Jan 2001
| accessdate=2012-10-07
}}</ref> Pollock's website uses language that suggests that he uses state-of-the-art techniques and equipment that no other surgeon possesses, by warning against others who try to "emulate" him.<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=You may notice other local websites, desperately attempting to emulate Dr.Pollock both in name of website and content. Please be clear when researching your son's circumcision, that the methods and techniques for providing this surgery are only as meaningful as the operating physician's experience, without which, any method or technique is potentially dangerous.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-index.html
| title=Pollock Clinics Infant Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref>
Closer inspection reveals that Pollock isn't doing anything "new"; his website reveals that he uses the Mogen technique, which involves the [[Mogen]] clamp.<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=The technique used by Dr. Pollock is called the Mogen technique.
| url=http://www.pollockclinics.com/circumcision/circumcision-guide.html
| title=Parents' Guide to Circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=
}}</ref> The Mogen clamp was invented in 1954,<ref name='Reynolds 1996'>{{REFweb
| quote=The Mogen clamp was invented in 1954 by Rabbi Harry Bronstein, a Brooklyn mohel.
| url=http://www.circumcisionquotes.com/rdr5.html
| title=Use of the Mogen clamp for neonatal circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> but it is actually one of many successors to the much older, traditional barzel device.<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=The barzel (Hebrew for iron) also known as a mogen (Hebrew for shield) is a slotted shield to...
| url=http://www.circumstitions.com/methods.html#barzel
| title=Methods of circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=circumstitions.com
| date=2011-04-08
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref>
==== What Pollock may not tell parents about Mogen ====
The website insists that without experience, which it boasts Pollock for having, the methods and techniques he uses could be "potentially dangerous," however the [[Mogen]] clamp has been notorious for glans amputations, even among experienced conductors of circumcision.<ref>{{REFjournal
| last=Taeusch
| first=H William
| coauthors=Alma M Martinez, J Colin Partridge, Susan Sniderman, Jennifer Armstrong-Wells, Elena Fuentes-AfflickAlma M Martinez, J Colin Partridge, Susan Sniderman, Jennifer Armstrong-Wells, Elena Fuentes-Afflick
| date=April/May 2002
| title=Pain During Mogen or PlastiBell Circumcision
| journal=Journal of Perinatology
| volume=22
| issue=3
| pages=214-218
| url=http://www.nature.com/jp/journal/v22/n3/full/7210653a.html
| quote=...approximately 10% of the glans of a newborn was amputated (it was reattached surgically) during a Mogen circumcision carried out by two of our most experienced physicians.
| pubmedID=
| pubmedCID=
| DOI=
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> Mogen went out of business<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Tagami
| first=Ty
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/atlanta-lawyer-wins-11-573890.html
| title=Atlanta lawyer wins $11 million lawsuit for family in botched circumcision
| publisher=
| work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
| quote=The company is going out of business, according to a woman who answered the phone at its Brooklyn headquarters Monday.
| date=2010-07-19
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> after losing a 10.8 million dollar law suit,<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Tagami
| first=Ty
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/atlanta-lawyer-wins-11-573890.html
| title=Atlanta lawyer wins $11 million lawsuit for family in botched circumcision
| publisher=
| work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
| quote=...after an infant lost a portion of his penis during an operation with the Mogen clamp, a judge awarded $10.8 million in damages against the company.
| date=2010-07-19
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> after a mohel<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Tagami
| first=Ty
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/atlanta-lawyer-wins-11-573890.html
| title=Atlanta lawyer wins $11 million lawsuit for family in botched circumcision
| publisher=
| work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
| quote=In this case, a New York mohel, or Jewish ritual circumcisor, performed the operation in the baby's home...
| date=2010-07-19
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> severed the end of a baby's glans<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Tagami
| first=Ty
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/atlanta-lawyer-wins-11-573890.html
| title=Atlanta lawyer wins $11 million lawsuit for family in botched circumcision
| publisher=
| work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
| quote=The baby in the current case, identified in court documents only as L.G., lost the entire glans, or head, of his penis ...
| date=2010-07-19
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> using one of their clamps. Mogen claimed that injury was impossible with its use.<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Tagami
| first=Ty
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/atlanta-lawyer-wins-11-573890.html
| title=Atlanta lawyer wins $11 million lawsuit for family in botched circumcision
| publisher=
| work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
| quote=The maker of an instrument used in circumcisions claimed that injury was impossible with its use...
| date=2010-07-19
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> The injury behind a prior lawsuit in Fulton County Superior Court had already put Mogen on notice about the danger of the device.<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Tagami
| first=Ty
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/atlanta-lawyer-wins-11-573890.html
| title=Atlanta lawyer wins $11 million lawsuit for family in botched circumcision
| publisher=
| work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
| quote=Attorney David Llewellyn won a similar case in Atlanta last year and the injury behind that prior lawsuit in Fulton County Superior Court put the New York clamp manufacturer on notice about the danger of the device...
| date=2010-07-19
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref>
In a different case, at South Fulton Medical Center, another law suit was won in 2009.<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Tagami
| first=Ty
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/atlanta-lawyer-wins-11-573890.html
| title=Atlanta lawyer wins $11 million lawsuit for family in botched circumcision
| publisher=
| work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
| quote=Llewellyn won another circumcision case in 2009 over an operation at South Fulton Medical Center.
| date=2010-07-19
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref> In that case, a child lost a third of his glans, and the plaintiffs were awarded 2.3 million dollars.<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Tagami
| first=Ty
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/atlanta-lawyer-wins-11-573890.html
| title=Atlanta lawyer wins $11 million lawsuit for family in botched circumcision
| publisher=
| work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
| quote=The jury found that both the pediatrician and the physician who performed the circumcision were negligent, and awarded $2.3 million to the plaintiffs.
| date=2010-07-19
| accessdate=2011-04-08
}}</ref>
=== "A New Approach" for children, teenagers and adults ===
According to 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
| last=Laye
| first=Baysa
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.jewishindependent.ca/vancouver-doctor-will-train-doctors-in-haiti-in-circumcision/
| title=Vancouver doctor will train physicians in Haiti in circumcision
| publisher=
| work=
| quote=
| date=04th, April 2014
| accessdate=2014-07-11
}}</ref>
== Complaints and investigation ==
In 2003 there were several complaints to the College of Physicians & Surgeons of British Columbia about Pollock Clinics' advertisements. The base for the complaints was that these advertisements present a very one-sided view of circumcision, referring to [Edgar J. Schoen]'s website while failing to mention the position of the governing specialty college, the Canadian Paediatric Society, which recommends that circumcision of newborns should not be routinely performed. The complaints also stated that Pollock's website states that "circumcision is regarded as one of the safest routine operations in practice today." No reference is given for this statement, which is by no means universally accepted. The complaint indicated that Pollock Clinics appeared to be in breach of the Rules under the Medical Practitioners Act, specifically Rule 98, which stipulates that doctors "must not exaggerate, be false, inaccurate, misleading or be reasonably capable of being misinterpreted."<ref>{{REFweb
| quote=
| url=http://courtchallenge.com/letters/bccoll3.html#03aug14
| title=CPSBC re newborn circumcision
| last=
| first=
| publisher=
| work=
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2012-12-25
}}</ref>
== Infant circumcision evangelist ==
=== Rwanda ===
[[Image:Pollock in africa.jpg|right|thumb|Pollock holding a child he circumcised in Africa in the name of HIV prevention.]]
On Feb 24, 2009, Pollock Clinics issued a press release stating that Neil Pollock was asked to go to Rwanda by the British Columbia Centere for Disease Control (BCCDC) and Family Health International (FHI),<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| quote=Dr. Pollock travelled as part of a team assembled by the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) and their partner in the project, Family Health International (FHI).
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</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>{{REFnews
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| quote=Dr. Pollock decided to travel to the region after he was asked by Dr. David Patrick, Head of Epidemiology at the BCCDC, to join their fact-finding mission to the rapidly developing country.
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</ref> The mission was supposed to consult with the Rwandan healthcare system involved in the fight against AIDS,<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| quote=The mission was a team effort to consult widely with everyone in the Rwandan health care system involved in the fight against AIDS (from major players in the Ministry of Health, to front-line workers, to people living with HIV).
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</ref> but Pollock took advantage of the trip to promote infant circumcision specifically.<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| quote=In anticipation of his trip, Dr. Pollock contacted Rwandan doctors and inquired as to why, given the correlation between circumcision and AIDS prevention, and the increasing number of adult circumcisions being carried out, so few infant circumcisions were being performed in that country.
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</ref> 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>{{REFnews
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| quote=They told me that very 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...
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</ref> he took the opportunity to promote the [[Mogen]] infant circumcision procedure under the guise of "HIV prevention."<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| 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.
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</ref><ref>{{REFnews
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| quote=Dr. Pollock, who has performed what is arguably the world's oldest surgical procedure over 30,000 times, spent four days in December at the King Faisal Hospital in Kigali, teaching the hospital's chief surgeons his <q>Mogen</q> infant circumcision technique.
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</ref>
As in Canada, Pollock sold the [[Mogen]] technique as "bloodless, painless, and taking only 30 seconds."<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| quote=I offered to go and teach them how to perform the procedure in a safer, quicker and less painful way and they happily took me up on the offer.
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</ref><ref>{{REFnews
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| quote=The technique, named after the specialized tool used in the procedure, is a virtually painless and bloodless method which takes less than a minute to perform.
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</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
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| 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...
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</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
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| quote=Pollock, whose research into infant circumcision has been published internationally, hopes that the proper technique will encourage more Rwandan parents to have their sons circumcised.
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</ref> With the help of his friends and family, he raised funds to buy Mogen clamps and other needed equipment to set up an infant circumcision clinic in Rwanda.<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| quote=Dr. Pollock, through the support of friends and family, raised the funds required to purchase and deliver multiple sets of equipment and supplies that would allow Rwandan surgeons to set up and operate an infant circumcision clinic once he left.
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</ref> Pollock was largely instrumental in making infant circumcision a priority for the Rwandan Ministry of Health in the fight against AIDS. <ref>{{REFnews
| last=N. Michael
| first=Millman
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| 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).
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</ref> The medical tour was covered by grant money from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and funding from the [[Shusterman Foundation]].<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| publisher=
| work=marketwire
| quote=...much of the trip's cost was covered by grant money from Canadian Institutes of Health Research and funding from the Shusterman Foundation...
| date=2009-02-24
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</ref>
Pollock also took the opportunity to promote his vasectomy knowledge while he was in Rwanda.<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Millman
| first=N. Michael
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/BC-Surgeon-Joins-Fight-Against-Sub-Saharan-Aids-953409.htm
| title=BC Surgeon Joins Fight Against Sub-Saharan Aids
| date=2009-02-24
| publisher=marketwire
| quote=Dr. Pollock also presented a talk to local vasectomy surgeons. He hopes to return with a team to the region on a second teaching mission to instruct local doctors on his No-Scalpel No-Needle vasectomy procedure, a virtually painless technique lasting less than six minutes, which he performs approximately 2,000 times a year in his Vancouver and New Westminster clinics.
| accessdate=2011-04-10
}}</ref>
=== Haiti ===
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.
The ultimate intention of the training, Pollock said, is “to set up a national program accepted by the population, to introduce infant circumcision safely and effectively, and have it evolve to become a widespread practice throughout the country.” UCLA's Klausner and other researchers at UCLA seem to be very interested in introducing circumcision in the Caribbean and Latin America.
Pollock said. “It’s intended that Haiti will become a training centre for circumcision in the Caribbean. It is likely that my technique, once taught in Haiti, will soon be shared with multiple countries throughout the Caribbean, multiplying its effect to save lives throughout the entire region.<ref>{{REFnews
| last=Laye
| first=Baysa
| coauthors=
| url=http://www.jewishindependent.ca/vancouver-doctor-will-train-doctors-in-haiti-in-circumcision/
| title= Vancouver doctor will train physicians in Haiti in circumcisio
| date=04th, April 2014
| publisher=
| quote=
| accessdate=2014-07-11
}}</ref>
{{SEEALSO}}
*[[Bias]] -- Motivations for circumcision bias.
{{LINKS}}
* [http://www.youtube.com/user/DrNPollock Neil Pollock's YouTube Channel]
{{REF}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollock, Neil}}
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