Changes

* 1832 [[Claude-Francois Lallemand ]] circumcises a patient to '''cure ''' him '''from nocturnal seminal emissions''' (i.e. wet dreams).<ref>{{REFbook

* 1845 [[Edward H. Dixon ]] declares that circumcision '''prevents masturbation'''.<ref>{{REFbook

* 1855 [[Johnathon Hutchinson ]] publishes his theory that circumcision '''prevents syphilis'''. :: [On the Influence of Circumcision in Preventing Syphilis. ''Medical Times and Gazette.'' 1855;32(844):542-543]* 1865 [[Nathaniel Heckford ]] claims that circumcision '''cures epilepsy'''. :: [Circumcision as a remedial measure in certain cases of epilepsy and chorea. ''Clinical Lectures and Reports by the Medical and Surgical Staff of the London Hospital'' 1865;2:58-64]* 1870 [[Lewis A. Sayre ]] publishes a paper 'proving' that circumcision '''cures epilepsy'''. :: [Circumcision versus epilepsy, etc; Transcription of the New York Pathological Society meeting of June 8, 1870. ''Medical Record.'' 1870 Jul 15;5(10):231-4]* 1870 [[Lewis A. Sayre ]] declares that circumcision '''prevents spinal paralysis'''. :: [Partial paralysis from reflex irritation, caused by congenital phimosis and adherent prepuce. ''Transactions of the American Medical Association.'' 1870;21:205-11]* 1871 [[M.J. Moses ]] declares that Jews are '''immune to masturbation because of circumcision'''. :: [The value of circumcision as a hygienic and therapeutic measure. ''New York Medical Journal'' 1871 Nov;14(4):368-74]* 1873 [[Joseph Bell ]] announces his discovery that circumcision '''cures bed wetting'''. :: [Nocturnal incontinence of urine cured by circumcision. ''Edinburgh Medical Journal'' 1873 May;1(9):1034]* 1875 [[Lewis A. Sayre ]] declares that '''foreskin causes curvature of the spine, paralysis of the bladder, and clubfoot'''. :: [Spinal anaemia with partial paralysis and want of coordination, from irritation of the genital organs. ''Transactions of the American Medical Association'' 1875;26:255-74]* 1879 [[H.H. Kane ]] 'discovers' that circumcision '''cures nocturnal emissions and abdominal neuralgia'''. :: [Seminal emissions, abdominal neuralgia: circumcision: cure. ''Southern Clinic.'' 1879 Oct;2(1):8-11]* 1881 [[Maximillian Landesburg ]] announces that circumcision '''cures eye problems ''' that he believed were '''caused by masturbation'''. :: [On affections of the eye caused by masturbation. ''Medical Bulletin.'' 1881 Apr;3(4):79-81]* 1886 [[William G. Eggleston ]] declares that '''foreskin causes crossed eyes'''. :: [Two cases of reflex paraplegia(one with aphasia) from tape-worm and phimosis. ''Journal of the American Medical Association.'' 1886 May 8;6(19):511-5]* 1888 [[John Harvey Kellogg ]] promotes '''circumcision as punishment ''' for boys to discourage them from masturbating. :: [Treatment for Self-abuse and Its Effects, ''Plain Facts for Old and Young'', Burlington, Iowa, F. Segner & Co. (1888) p. 107]* 1890 [[William D. Gentry ]] declares that circumcision cures blindness, deafness and dumbness. :: [Nervous derangements produced by sexual irregularities in boys. ''Medical Current.'' 1890 Jul;6(7):268-74]* 1891 [[Johnathan Hutchinson ]] declares that '''foreskin encourages boys to masturbate'''. :: [On circumcision as preventive of masturbation. ''Archives of Surgery.'' 1891 Jan;2(7):267-9]* 1893 [[Mark J. Lehman ]] demands immediate implementation of mass circumcision of all American boys. :: [A plea for circumcision. ''Medical Review.'' 1893 Jul 22;28(4):64-5]* 1894 [[P.C. Remondino ]] says '''circumcising blacks will help prevent them from raping whites'''. :: [Negro rapes and their social problems. ''National Popular Review.'' 1894 Jan;4(1):3-6]* 1894 [[H.L. Rosenberry ]] publishes paper 'proving' that circumcision '''cures urinary and rectal incontinence'''. :: [Incontinence of the urine and faeces, cured by circumcision. ''Medical Record'' 1894 Aug 11;4(6):173]* 1898 [[T. Scott McFarland ]] says he has "circumcised as many girls as boys, and always with happy results." :: [Circumcision of girls. ''Journal of Orificial Surgery.'' 1898 Jul;7:31-33]* 1900 [[Johnathan Hutchinson ]] advises circumcision as way to '''decrease the pleasure of sex''', and hence to '''discourage sexual immorality'''. :: [The advantages of circumcision. ''The Polyclinic.'' 1900 Sep;3(9):129-31]* 1901 [[Ernest G. Mark ]] notes that the "pleasurable sensations that are elicited from the extremely sensitive" inner lining of the foreskin may encourage a child to masturbate, which is why he recommends circumcision since it "lessens the sensitiveness of the organ". :: [Circumcision. ''American Practitioner and News.'' 1901 Feb 15;31(4):122-6]* 1902 [[Roswell Park ]] publishes paper 'proving' that '''foreskin causes epilepsy ''' and that circumcision cures it. :: [The surgical treatment of epilepsy. ''American Medicine.'' 1902 Nov 22;4(21):807-9]* 1914 [[Abraham L. Wolbarst ]] claims that circumcision '''prevents tuberculosis ''' and demands the compulsory circumcision of all children in America. :: [Universal circumcision as a sanitary measure. ''Journal of the American Medical Association'' 1914 Jan 10;62(2):92-7]* 1915 [[Benjamin E. Dawson ]] says that since the '''clitoral hood is the source of many neuroses''', female circumcision is necessary. :: [Circumcision in the Female: Its Necessity and How to Perform It. ''American Journal of Clinical Medicine.'' 1915 Jun;22(6):520-523]* 1918 [[Belle Eskridge ]] concludes circumcision will '''relieve one of the greatest causes of masturbation ''' in girls. :: [Why not circumcise the girl as well as the boy?, ''Texas State Journal of Medicine.'' 1918 May;14:17-19]* 1926 [[Abraham L. Wolbarst ]] claims that circumcision '''prevents penile cancer'''. :: [Is circumcision a prophylactic against penis cancer? ''Cancer.'' 1926 Jul;3(4):301-10]* 1930 [[Norton Henry Bare ]] claims that he has cured a boy of '''epilepsy ''' by circumcising him. :: [Surgical treatment of epilepsy with report of case. ''The China Medical Journal.'' 1930 Nov;4(11):1109-13]

* 1934 [[Aaron Goldstein ]] and [[Hiram S. Yellen ]] invent and mass market the [[Gomco]] clamp which makes it easier for doctors to cut off even more skin than in traditional circumcisions. :: [Bloodless circumcision of the newborn. ''American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.'' July 1935;30(1):146-7]* 1935 [[R.W. Cockshut ]] demands that all boys be circumcised in order to '''desensitize the penis and promote chastity'''. :: [Circumcision. ''British Medical Journal.'' 1935 Oct 19;2(3902):764]* 1941 [[Allan F. Guttmacher ]] promotes mass circumcision as a means of '''blunting male sexual sensitivity'''. He also spreads the false claim that a baby's foreskin must be forcibly retracted and scrubbed daily. :: [Should the baby be circumcised? ''Parents Magazine.'' 1941 Sept;16(9):26,76-8]* 1942 [[Abraham Ravich ]] claims that circumcision prevents '''prostate cancer'''. :: [The relationship of circumcision to cancer of the prostate. ''Journal of Urology.'' 1942 Sep;48(3):298-9]* 1949 [[Eugene H. Hand ]] declares that circumcision '''prevents venereal disease and cancer of the tongue'''. [:: [Circumcision and venereal disease. ''Archives of Dermatology and Syphilology.'' 1949 Sep;60(3):341-6]* 1949 [[Douglas Gairdner]] points out that the previous years cases of infant '''circumcision deaths were not necessary given the lack of medical justification for circumcision'''. <br>(Note: This paper helped encourage the National Health Service to drop coverage for infant circumcision which led to the practical elimination of non- religious circumcision in the United Kingdom.) :: [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2051968/pdf/brmedj03656-0009.pdf|The fate of the foreskin. ''British Medical Journal'' 1949 2:1433-7]* 1951 [[Abraham Ravich ]] invents claims that circumcision prevents '''cervical cancer in women'''. :: [Prophylaxis of cancer of the prostate, penis, and cervix by circumcision. ''New York State Journal of Medicine.'' 1951 Jun;51(12):1519-20]* 1953 [[R.L. Miller ]] and [[D.C. Snyder ]] unleash their plans to circumcise all male babies immediately after birth while still in the delivery room to '''prevent masturbation ''' and '''provide "immunity to nearly all physical and mental illness." ''':: [Immediate circumcision of the newborn male. ''American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.'' 1953, Jan;6(1):1-11]* 1954 [[Ernest L. Wynder ]] claims that male circumcision '''prevents cervical cancer in women. ''':: [A study of environmental factors of carcinoma of the cervix. ''American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.'' 1954 Oct;68(4):1016-52]* 1956 [[Raymond Creelman ]] invents the [[Circumstraint ]] which straps down and immobilizes the baby's arms and legs. :: [USPTO patent number RE24,377]* 1958 [[C.F. McDonald ]] says "the same reasons that apply for the circumcision of males are generally valid when considered for the female." :: [Circumcision of the female. ''General Practitioner.'' 1958 Sep;18(3):98-99]* 1959 [[W.G. Rathmann ]] finds that among the many benefits of female circumcision is that it will '''make the clitoris easier for the husband to find'''. :: [Female Circumcision: Indications and a New Technique. ''General Practitioner.'' 1959 Sep;20(9):115-120]* 1966 Masters and Johnson claim that there is '''no difference in sensitivity between penises with and without foreskin'''. <br>(Note: Their work helps propagate the medical dogma that circumcision has no effect on sexuality go practically unquestioned for nearly the next four decades.) :: [''Human Sexual Response'', Boston, Ma: Little Brown & Co, 1966]* 1969 [[Morris Fishbein ]] calls for circumcision to '''prevent nervousness and ''' of course also '''masturbation'''. :: [Sex hygiene. ''Modern Home Medical Adviser.'' Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Co: 1969 pp 90, 119]* 1971 [[Abraham Ravich ]] claims that circumcision prevents cancer of the bladder and the rectum. :: [Viral carcinogenesis in venereally susceptible organs.'' ''Cancer.'' 1971 Jun;27(6)1493-6]* 1971 The [[American Academy of Pediatrics ]] Committee on Fetus and Newborn issues a warning to the Nation that, "There are no valid medical indications for circumcision in the neonatal period." :: [Committee on Fetus and Newborn Issues. Circumcision. ''Hospital Care of Newborn Infants'' 5th Edition. Evanston, Ill: American Academy of Pediatrics; 1971 p 110]* 1973 [[R. Dagher]], [[Melvin Selzer]], and [[Jack Lapides ]] declare that anyone who disagrees with their agenda to impose mass circumcision on America is deluded. :: [Carcinoma of the penis and the anti-circumcision crusade. ''Journal of Urology.'' 1973 Jul;110(1):79-80]* 1975 The [[American Academy of Pediatrics ]] Task force on Circumcision declares, "There are no medical indications for routine circumcisions and the procedure cannot be considered an essential component of health care." [:: [Report on the ad hoc task force on circumcision. ''Pediatrics'' 1975;56:610-1]* 1976 [[Benjamin Spock]], after recommending circumcision for thirty years, revises his best-selling parenting book: "I strongly recommend leaving the foreskin alone. Parents should insist on convincing reasons for circumcision — and there are no convincing reasons that I know of." [Baby and Child Care, New York, E P Dutten, 1946-76]<ref>{{REFjournal | last= | first=* 1985 Thomas E. Wiswell claims that circumcision prevents urinary tract infections. [Decreased incidence of urinary tract infections in circumcised male infants. ''Pediatrics.'' 1985 May;75(5):901-3] | coauthors= | title= | journal= | date= | volume= | issue= | pages= | url= | quote= | pubmedID=* 1986 Aaron J. Fink claims that circumcision prevents AIDS. | pubmedCID= | DOI= | accessdate=}}</ref>:: [A possible explanation for heterosexual male infection with AIDSBaby and Child Care, New York, E P Dutten, 1946-76] * 1985 [[Thomas E. ''New England Journal of Medicine'' 1986 Oct 30;31(18):1167]* 1988 Aaron J. Fink invents the falsehood that Wiswell]] claims that circumcision prevents neonatal group B streptococcal diseaseurinary tract infections. [Is hygiene enough? Circumcision as a possible strategy to prevent group B streptococcal disease<ref>{{REFjournal | last=Wiswell | first=Thomas E. ''American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.'' 1988 Aug;159 (2):534-5]* 1989 Under the direction of [[Edgar J. Schoen]], the American Academy | coauthors= | title=Decreased incidence of urinary tract infections in circumcised male infants | journal=Pediatrics Task Force on Circumcision declares circumcision is necessary. | date=1985 May | volume=75 | issue=5 | pages=901-903 | url= | quote= | pubmedID= | pubmedCID= | DOI= | accessdate=}}</ref> * 1986 [Report of the Task Force on Circumcision[Aaron J. Fink]] claims that circumcision ''Pediatrics.'prevents AIDS''' 1989 Aug;84(2):388-91].<ref>{{REFjournal | last=Fink* 1991 Edgar | first=Aaron J. Schoen tries and fails to convince European countries to institute mass circumcision. [Is it time for Europe to reconsider newborn circumcision? Acta Paediatrica Scandanavian 1991 May;8(5)573-7]* 1991 Aaron J. Fink declares mass circumcision is necessary to prevent sand from getting into the soldiers' foreskins. [Circumcision and sand. '' | coauthors= | title=A possible explanation for heterosexual male infection with AIDS | journal=New England Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.'' 1991 Nov;84(11):696] * 1996 J.R. Taylor finds that the average amount of amputated foreskin was nearly half of the total penile skin | date=1986-10-30 | volume=31 | issue=18 | pages=1167 | url= | quote= | pubmedID= | pubmedCID= | DOI= | accessdate=}}</ref> * 1988 [[Aaron J. [The prepuce: Specialized mucosa of Fink]] invents the penis and its loss to falsehood that circumcision. ''British Journal of Urology.'prevents neonatal group B streptococcal disease''' 1996 Feb;77:291-5].<ref>{{REFjournal | last=Fink* 1997 Edgar | first=Aaron J. Schoen tries and fails once again | coauthors= | title=Is hygiene enough? Circumcision as a possible strategy to convince European countries to institute mass circumcision. [Benefits prevent group B streptococcal disease | journal=American Journal of newborn circumcision: Is Europe ignoring the medical evidence? ''Archives of Diseases of Childhood.'' 1997 Sep;7(3):258Obstetrics and Gynecology | date=1988 Aug | volume=159 | issue=2 | pages=534-60] 535 | url=* 1997 Janice Lander discovers that circumcision without anesthesia is traumatic for babies. (Note: Before this | quote= | pubmedID= | pubmedCID= | DOI= | accessdate=}}</ref> * 1989 Under the direction of [[Edgar J. Schoen]], almost all infant circumcisions were done without anesthetic due to the prevalent belief among circumcisers that babies are not capable [[American Academy of Pediatrics]] Task Force on Circumcision declares circumcision is necessary.<ref>{{REFjournal | last=Schoen | first=Edgar J. | coauthors= | title=Report of feeling significant pain and if they could it doesn't matter since they won't be able to remember it.) the Task Force on Circumcision | journal=Pediatrics | date=1989 Aug | volume=84 | issue=2 | pages=388-391 | url= | quote= | pubmedID= | pubmedCID= | DOI= | accessdate=}}</ref> * 1991 [Comparison of ring block, dorsal penile nerve block, [Edgar J. Schoen]] tries and topical anesthesia for neonatal fails to convince European countries to institute mass circumcision. ''Journal of the American Medical Association<ref>{{REFjournal | last=Schoen | first=Edgar J.'' 1997 Dec;274(24):2157-2162] * 1998 Howard Stang, inventor of an upright circumcision restraint fails | coauthors= | title=Is it time for Europe to mention this conflict of interest in his article promoting infant reconsider newborn circumcision. [Patent #? | journal=Acta Paediatrica Scandanavian | date=1991 May | volume=8 | issue=5,160,185, Infant support and restraint system 1992 | pages=573-577 | url= | quote= | pubmedID= | pubmedCID= | DOI= | accessdate=}}</ref> * 1991 [[Aaron J. Fink] [Circumcision Practice Patterns in the United States, ] declares mass circumcision is necessary to '''prevent sand from getting into the soldiers'foreskins'Pediatrics.'' 1998 Jun;101(6):E5] .<ref>{{REFjournal | last=Fink* 1999 | first=Aaron J. R. Taylor, after studying | coauthors= | title=Circumcision and sand | journal=Journal of the foreskin's specialized innervation, concludes that it is the "primary erogenous tissue necessary for normal sexual functionRoyal Society of Medicine | date=1991 Nov | volume=84 | issue=11 | pages=696 | url= | quote= | pubmedID= | pubmedCID= | DOI= | accessdate=}}</ref> * 1996 [[J.R." Taylor]] finds that the average amount of amputated foreskin was nearly half of the total penile skin.<ref>{{REFjournal | last=Taylor | first=J.R. | coauthors= | title=The prepuce: Specialized mucosa of the penis and its loss to circumcision | journal=British Journal of Urology | date=1996 Feb | volume=77 | issue= | pages=291-295 | url= | quote= | pubmedID= | pubmedCID= | DOI= | accessdate=}}</ref> * 1997 [The prepuce. ''British Journal of Urology.'' 1999 Jan;83(1):34-44[Edgar J. Schoen]] tries and fails once again to convince European countries to institute mass circumcision.<ref>{{REFjournal | last=Schoen | first=Edgar J. | coauthors= | title=Benefits of newborn circumcision: Is Europe ignoring the medical evidence? | journal=Archives of Diseases of Childhood | date=1997 Sep | volume=7 | issue=33 | pages=258-260 | url= | quote= | pubmedID= | pubmedCID= | DOI= | accessdate=}}</ref> * 1997 [[Janice Lander]] discovers that '''circumcision without anesthesia is traumatic for babies'''.<br>(Note: Before this, almost all infant circumcisions were done without anesthetic due to the prevalent belief among circumcisers that babies are not capable of feeling significant pain and if they could it doesn't matter since they won't be able to remember it.)<ref>{{REFjournal | last=Lander | first=Janice | coauthors= | title=Comparison of ring block, dorsal penile nerve block, and topical anesthesia for neonatal circumcision | journal=Journal of the American Medical Association | date=1997 Dec | volume=274 | issue=24 | pages=2157-2162 | url= | quote= | pubmedID= | pubmedCID= | DOI= | accessdate=}}</ref> * 1998 [[Howard J. Stang]], inventor of an upright circumcision restraint fails to mention this conflict of interest in his article promoting infant circumcision.<ref>{{REFjournal | last=Stang | first=Howard J. | coauthors= | title=Patent #5,160,185, Infant support and restraint system 1992, Circumcision Practice Patterns in the United States | journal=Pediatrics | date=1998 Jun | volume=101 | issue=6 | pages=E5 | url= | quote= | pubmedID= | pubmedCID= | DOI= | accessdate=}}</ref> * 1999 [[J.R. Taylor]], after studying the foreskin's specialized innervation, concludes that it is the "primary erogenous tissue necessary for normal sexual function."<ref>{{REFjournal | last=Taylor | first=J.R. | coauthors= | title=The prepuce | journal=British Journal of Urology | date=1999 Jan | volume=83 | issue=1 | pages=34-44 | url= | quote= | pubmedID= | pubmedCID= | DOI= | accessdate=}}</ref> * 1999 The [[American Academy of Pediatrics]] * 1999 The American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Circumcision, after reviewing 40 years worth of medical studies, concluded that the "potential medical benefits of newborn male circumcision... are not sufficient to recommend routine neonatal circumcision." This report is also the first time the AAP has acknowledged(after decades of doctors mindlessly repeating the belief that babies don't feel significant pain) that circumcision without anesthesia is traumatic and if circumcision is to be done, anesthesia should be used. Here are some highlights from the report:

::'''Ethics:''' Here they say while even though cutting off part of your baby's genitalia "is not essential to the child's current well-being" they are perfectly fine with parents and doctors using cultural tradition as justification. <br>(Note: The report does not mention whether they also think cultural tradition is an acceptable reason to anesthetize infant girls and then cut off their clitoral hoods(which are biologically analogous to foreskin)). [<ref>{{REFjournal | last=American Academy of Pediatrics | first= | coauthors= | title=Task Force on Circumcision. Circumcision Policy Statement. '' | journal=Pediatrics.'' | date=1999; | volume=103 ( | issue=3): | pages=686-693] | url= | quote= | pubmedID= | pubmedCID= | DOI= | accessdate=}}</ref> * 2002 [[W.K. Nahm ]] extends the storage life of specialized cell cultures derived from "freshly harvested neonatal foreskin tissue." <br>(Note: Since the 1980s, some amputated infant foreskins have been sold without the knowledge of the parents to biomedical companies for research and even use in commercial cosmetic products such as anti-wrinkle creams.) [<ref>{{REFjournal | last=Nahm | first=W.K. | coauthors= | title=Sustained ability for fibroblast outgrowth from stored neonatal foreskin. '' | journal=Journal of Dermatology Science.'' | date=2002 Feb; | volume=28( | issue=2): | pages=152-8]158 | url= | quote= | pubmedID= | pubmedCID= | DOI= | accessdate=}}</ref> * 2003 [[Edgar J. Schoen ]] steps up pressure on [[American Academy of Pediatrics ]] to reverse its policy on circumcision, claiming that circumcision prevents AIDS. [<ref>{{REFjournal | last=Schoen | first=Edgar J. | coauthors= | title=It's wise to circumcise: time to change policy. '' | journal=Pediatrics.'' | date=2003 Jun; | volume=111( | issue=6 Pt 1): | pages=1490 -1]1491 | url= | quote= | pubmedID= | pubmedCID= | DOI= | accessdate=}}</ref> * 2005 [[R.Y. Stallings ]] finds that HIV rates are significantly lower in circumcised women. <br>(Note: There was no WHO call for mass female circumcision to help prevent AIDS) [<ref>{{REFconference | place=Rio de Janeiro | title=Female circumcision and HIV infection in Tanzania: for better or for worse? | url= | last=Stallings | first=R.Y. | coauthors= | source=Third International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment. Rio de Janeiro, | date=25-27 July 2005] | accessdate=}}</ref> * 2007 R.[[Robert C. Bailey ]] ends his study early with the conclusion '''touting circumcision as a 'vaccine' that prevents HIV infection'''. <br>(Note: This and other similar studies were widely reported throughout the American media.) [<ref>{{REFjournal | last=Bailey | first=Robert C. | coauthors= | title=Male circumcision for HIV prevention for young men in Kisumu, Kenya. '' | journal=Lancet'' | date=2007; | volume=369 ( | issue=9562): | pages=643-56]656 | url= | quote= | pubmedID= | pubmedCID= | DOI= | accessdate=}}</ref> * 2007 [[L. de Witte ]] finds that '''Langerhans cells found in the foreskin are a natural barrier to HIV infection'''. <br>(Note: This and other similar studies were widely ignored throughout the American media.) [<ref>{{REFjournal | last=de Witte | first=L. | coauthors= | title=Langerin is a natural barrier to HIV-1 transmission by Langerhans cells. '' | journal=Nature Medicine.'' 2007;( | volume= | issue=13): | pages=367-371] | url= | quote= | pubmedID= | pubmedCID= | DOI= | date=2007 | accessdate=}}</ref> * 2007 M[[Morris L. Sorrells ]] ''et alsal.'' tests the relative sensitivity of the penis and finds that the '''foreskin is the most sensitive part of the penis and the glans is the least'''. [http://www<ref>{{REFjournal | last=Sorrells | first=Morris L.nocirc.org/touch-test/bju_6685.pdf | coauthors= | title=Fine touch pressure thresholds in the adult penis]. '' | journal=British Journal of Urology International.'' 2007; | volume=99: | issue= | pages=864-9 | url=http://www.nocirc.org/touch-test/bju_6685.pdf | quote= | pubmedID= | pubmedCID= | DOI= | date=2007 | accessdate=}}</ref>