Circumcision

The circumcision is a medical intervention when the foreskin is removed from the male sex organ. The reason of this intervention may be religious or medical. Since the foreskin is removed the glans is revealed even in non-erect state.

Religious circumcision

The most famous religious cause of circumcision is found in Orthodox Jewish communities where it has been a tradition to be performed on every male infant on the eighth day of their life for several thousand years.
Besides them the Islamic faith demands the ceremony of circumcision as the manifestation of enthusiasm and obedience on the believers’ part and therefore the intervention is compulsory to be performed on every male child.
There are other religions where this intervention is traditionally performed, but the above mentioned two religions are the most relevant regarding to the rate of religious male circumcision.

The intervention

is performed by dr. Tibor Lőwy, urologist.

It is noteworthy that these several thousand years old religious rules always had some troubleshooting in the background. It is the same in view of the circumcision too.

The desert nations, especially because of the continuous shortage of water, wished to eliminate the problems originating from the limited washing possibilities and the resulting medical problems by circumcision. Its primary purpose was to prevent cervical cancer; these rules served this purpose that became compulsory in a religious sense afterwards.

Several other laws were destined to solve the same washing problems like the specification of dishes according to certain foods or there strict separation and the law forbidding sexual intercourse during the menses.

These are only random examples that wish to demonstrate that almost every ordinance has some reasonable explanation that contributes to the high level survival of the actual ethnic group free from diseases.

Circumcision for medical reason

The most common reason of medical circumcision is phimosis. Phimosis is usually a congenital disease but it may develop later in the life too.  Phimosis is the condition when the foreskin cannot be retracted fully or at all from the head of the penis.

This condition may cause hygienic problems since the glans is not accessible and therefore inflammation may occur. It may be prevented by circumcision.

Another disadvantage of phimosis is that it may cause problems during sexual intercourse. That is why in many cases phimosis is diagnosed only when the male child reaches the age of starting sexual activity. It is still not late to perform circumcision and in case of any problem it has to be done.

There is another cause of circumcision that is neither religious nor medical: it may be performed as a preventive measure.

Staggering numbers

An interesting fact was revealed during a worldwide survey. Though only 30 percent of world male population is circumcised, but 85 percent of United States male population undergoes this intervention, mainly as a preventive measure.

It is most likely that a proven fact contributes to this staggering percentage: it has been shown that when a man is circumcised, the other member of the partnership has decreased risk of cervical cancer.

This percentage was increased even further when it has been proved that circumcised men have lower risk of HIV infection.

This may be the explanation for the staggering rate that 65 percent of parents of American male infants have circumcision performed on their baby within days after delivery.

Signs indicating the necessity of circumcision

The physical examination, and incidentally the circumcision may be required in case of babies when the baby doesn’t have a straight and steady urine flow, but he dribbles which is most likely caused by phimosis.

The examination of a one year old baby is required when his foreskin cannot be retracted during bathing or retracted only with great effort or only partially.

The circumcision is performed in general anesthesia in case of children, while in case of adults local anesthesia is applied. This is a short routine surgery and the risk of complications is extremely low.

The preventive circumcision is not common in Hungary therefore the observation of the symptoms requires a greater attention. This is mainly the parents’ duty and responsibility for their son.