The evolutionary saga of circumcision from a religious perspective.

Circumcision is the oldest surgical operation known to mankind. It probably originated as a less radical form of genital mutilation inflicted on prisoners of war. Over time it was adopted by the Egyptian priesthood and nobility, perhaps inspired by the mythology of Osiris. In turn, circumcision became part of the Jewish and Muslim religious cultures. In contrast, ancient Greeks valued an intact prepuce, as evident from the nude figures of Renaissance art. In the 19th century, circumcision was touted as a treatment for excessive masturbation, seizures, epilepsy, and paraplegia. Adoption of the procedure by medical science was almost akin to a religious belief. By the mid-20th century, it was widely performed on male infants on the pretext of phimosis when the prepuce was not retractable. In 1949, Gairdner documented that the tight prepuce of infants gradually becomes retractile as childhood progresses. Thus, childhood circumcision solely for non-retractile prepuce is unnecessary, which is the foundation for modern anti-circumcision movements.

Glans Penis phimosis in antiquity as depicted upon two roman exvotos / Fimosis peneana en la antiguedad según la representación de dos exvotos romanos

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Carlos Richard de Beauregard y el tratamiento de la estenosis uretral blenorrágica en el Madrid del siglo XVIII: publicidad, secreto e impostura / Charles Richard de Beauregard and the treatment of blennorrhagic urethral stenosis in Madrid in the 18th century: Advertising, secrecy and deception

Objetivos: Describir la introducción del tratamiento de la estenosis uretral blenorrágica en la ciudad de Madrid en el siglo XVIII por el cirujano francés Charles de Beauregard, las formulaciones empleadas en la elaboración de sus personales ®candelillas», la publicidad en prensa, su comercialización y distribución. Material y métodos: Revisión no sistemática de la prensa madrileña Gaceta de Madrid y Diario curioso, erudito, económico y comercial, entre 1759 y 1790. Revisión de la bibliografía médica del siglo XVIII conservada en el Fondo Antiguo de la Biblioteca Histórica de la Universidad Complutense (Madrid). Búsqueda en portal Google ®Carlos Richard de Beauregard». Resultados: Charles de Beauregard dedicó preferentemente su actividad profesional al tratamiento de las secuelas uretrales de la blenorragia, fimosis y parafimosis, introduciendo en la sociedad española del siglo XVIII, con pretendida originalidad y manifiesto interés comercial, métodos terapéuticos basados en el acetato de plomo, que ya habían sido desarrollados en Francia por Thomas Goulard. Conclusiones: Las secuelas uretrales de enfermedades como la uretritis blenorrágica, la fimosis estenótica o la parafimosis eran muy prevalentes, y de compleja solución para la urología de la época en el Madrid del siglo XVIII. Charles de Beauregard introdujo novedosos tratamientos (pero no originales), invasivos pero no cruentos, alcanzando fama y prestigio social, recurriendo a publicitar su actividad profesional y comercializar los productos terapéuticos que elaboraba mediante anuncios remitidos a la prensa periódica(Gaceta de Madrid)

Objectives: Describe the introduction of the treatment for blennorrhagic urethral stenosis in the city of Madrid in the 18th century by the French surgeon Charles de Beauregard, the formulations employed in the preparation of his personal ®bougies», the advertising in the press, their marketing and distribution. Material and methods: Nonsystematic review of the Madrid newspaper Gaceta de Madrid y Diario curioso, erudito, económico y comercial (Madrid Gazette, curious, erudite, financial and commercial) between 1759 and 1790. Review of the medical literature of the 18th century preserved in the Fondo Antiguo of the Biblioteca Histórica ofUniversidad Complutense de Madrid (Historical Resource of the Historical Library of the Complutense University of Madrid). A Google search of ®Charles Richard de Beauregard». Results: Charles de Beauregard focused his professional work mainly on the treatment of the urethral sequela of blennorrhagia, phimosis and paraphimosis. He introduced to 18th century Spanish society (with purported originality and clear commercial interests) therapeutic methods based on lead acetate that had already been developed in France by Thomas Goulard. Conclusions: The urethral sequela of diseases such as blennorrhagic urethritis, stenotic phimosis and paraphimosis were highly prevalent in 18th century Madrid and required complex solutions for the practice of urology of that era. Charles de Beauregard introduced innovative but not original treatments that were invasive but not bloody and that provided him with fame and social prestige. He advertised his professional activity and marketed his therapeutic products through advertisements submitted to the daily press (Madrid Gazette, Gaceta de Madrid)

The universal condition: medical constructions of 'congenital phimosis' in twentieth century New Zealand and their implications for child rearing.

'Congenital phimosis' was one of a number of pseudo-pathologies that entered mainstream medicine in the nineteenth century. In the twentieth century Truby King, Henry Jellett, and Eric Corkill advocated premature foreskin retraction as the first intervention to manage 'congenital phimosis'. If that failed they recommended circumcision, although eventually it became more expedient to use circumcision exclusively. The nineteenth-century justification for such interventions was to prevent masturbation, but by the middle of the twentieth century this was replaced by prevention of infections. Gairdner's landmark paper of 1949 turned New Zealand doctors away from 'congenital phimosis' and non-therapeutic circumcision, although some doctors and persisting family traditions maintained both interventions until the end of the century.

El significado de la erección, la genitalidad y otras representaciones de índole urológico en el imaginario paleolítico / The meaning of erection, genitality, and other representations of urologic topics in the paleolithic imaginary

La Historia de la Urología comienza con documentos escritos que hacen referencia expresa a procedimientos, prácticas y descripciones de procesos mórbidos relacionados con el aparato urinario y genital masculino. Curiosamente, durante la época prehistórica más reciente, el Paleolítico superior (desde hace aproximadamente 40.000 a 12.000 años; la época más larga desde que nuestra especie entra en escena en la historia de la humanidad) tiene también documentos gráficos que expresan cómo el hombre entendía los fenómenos fisiológicos y cómo observaba los procesos patológicos de su organismo. Las representaciones con genitalidad expresa permiten inferir el significado de la erección desde la mentalidad paleolítica, e incluso la posible existencia de una cultura de retracción prepucial o de ritos de circuncisión. Patologías de índice urológico como la fimosis, la parafimosis, la supuración, el priapismo e incluso masa escrotal, aparecen representadas en dicha época y constituyen los primeros indicios de lo que podemos denominar un saber urológico primitivo

The history of urology starts with written documents making express reference to procedures, practices and descriptions of morbid processes related with the male genitourinary tract. Oddly, the most recent prehistoric period, the superior Paleolithic (from approximately 40.000 years to 12.000 years ago; the longest period since our species entered the history of humanity) also has graphic documents expressing how the human being understood the physiologic phenomena and how he observed the pathologic processes of this organism. The representations with genitality expressions enable us to understand the meaning of erection from the Paleolithic perspective, and even the possible existence of a culture based on preputial retraction or rituals of circumcision. Several urologic disorders such us phimosis, paraphimosis, discharge, priapism, and even scrotal mass appear represented at that time and constitute the first sign of knowledge of what can be called primitive urologic knowledge

[Could phimosis have been the cause of sexual difficulties and delayed fertility of Louis XVI (1754-1793)?]. / Le phimosis de Louis XVI (1754-1793) aurait-il été à l'origine de ses difficultés sexuelles et de sa fécondité retardée?

The great majority of historians agree that the marriage of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette was only consumated seven years after the official ceremony. This delay could have been due to a genital malformation (phimosis) of Louis XVI, a strict religious education, a traumatic childhood and the young age of the two spouses, factors that may have inhibited their sexuality. In this article, the authors try to determine whether Louis XVI was able to overcome his sexual difficulties following an operation (circumcision) or as a result of spontaneous cure.

Phimosis in antiquity.

The medical term phimosis has been in use since antiquity, but in contrast to the imprecise definition of the term that is characteristic of nineteenth-century and some controversial modern medical writing. Greek and Roman medical writers imbued it with a clinically precise definition. Using the tools of the history of medicine, an analysis of the medical writings of antiquity reveals that phimosis was defined exclusively as a rare, inflammatory or cicatricial stricture of the preputial orifice consequent to a true pathological condition rather than a disease process in itself. Putative associations between phimosis and diseases such as urinary tract infections or cancer were not made in antiquity and are reflections of modern, geographically isolated social anxieties. The modern European scientific conceptualisation of phimosis, however, represents a return to the precise terminology and conservative therapeutic approach characteristic of Greek and Roman medicine.