Frequently Used Expressions

(Well, some of them are)

A GLOSSARY OF CIRCUMCISION AND THE MOVEMENT TO END IT

Ar. = Arabic; Fr. = French; Heb. = Hebrew; Gk = Greek; L. = Latin; pl. = plural; pr = pronounced
In Ar. words a capital letter means a consonant has a dot under it, a vowel has a macron over it.

LISTS: (Glossary of the intact penis: Penile Anatomy; Skinonyms )

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SURGICAL CIRCUMCISION

ablate

Remove. (ablation = removal) (L., = carry away)

acucullophallia

The condition of having been circumcised; circumcision, especially as a BDSM (Bondage & Discipline / Sadism $ Masochism) practice. (Gk acu- = point, cull- = cut, -phallia = of the penis)

acucullophilia

The condition of being sexually aroused only by circumcised males. (Gk acu- = point, cull- = cut, -philia = love)

Accu-circ ™

One-piece circumcision device (apparently based on a bottle-opener or cork puller). A blunt probe at one end to tear the synechia, to separate the foreskin from the glans, and at the other end a broken ring that can be slid inside the foreskin. The main device is then slid down the probe to crush and cut the foreskin in one action.... more (Apparently from accu[rate]+circ[umcision]. The root of "accurate" is L. cura, care)

Picture of an Accu-circ™

adamant father syndrome

The condition of being determined to circumcise one's son "to look like me" regardless of all difficulty or argument. First and second person statements from and about adamant parents and others.

alexithymia
A state of deficiency in understanding, processing, or describing emotions. Bollinger & Van Howe have studied whether circumcision causes alexithymia. (Gk a-=without, lexis= word, thumos=soul, as seat of emotion, feeling, and thought, literally "without words for emotions", coined by psychotherapist Peter Sifneos in 1973)

anasagnosia
A neurological condition associated with lesions in the brain, causing the inability to recognise parts of one's own body as one's own, sometimes referred to as Anton's Syndrome. Bizarre and dramatic when the part is an arm or a leg, the patient finds their own limb foreign and disgusting, and sometimes wishs to amputate it. (See "A Leg to Stand On" by Oliver Sacks, 1984, p 53) The possibility arises that this may apply to a man's foreskin, resulting in a desire to be circumcised.

Apligraf (TM)

Trade name (of Organogenesis Inc.) for a skin-tissue cultured from human foreskins. Others are Dermagraft (TM), OrCel (TM) and TranCyte (TM). Ethical issues involved in the trade in foreskins, especially their ownership, are commonly ignored. One foreskin generates a large amount of the tissue, but that would be no excuse if any other tissue were involved. Excellent substitutes are commonly used in non-circumcising countries. Both firms filed for bankrupcy protection late in 2002; Organogenesis seems to have recovered.

assymetrical

An asymmetrical circumcision is one that leaves more skin hanging off one side than the other, as in the case of baby Flatt. A rarely-mentioned unaesthetic downside to circumcision. If done before puberty, it will become less prominent after.

balanitis

[moved]

beta genitalia

The result of circumcision performed by medical students / interns / house surgeons as part of their training. Term coined by John Geisheker of Doctors Opposing Circumcision. (from beta, second letter of the Greek alphabet, hence beta testing, second stage of soltware testing, by users rather than programmers)

"beauty cut"

Euphemism for a low, tight circumcision in which the maximum amount of mucosa is removed and the scar lies in the sulcus. Causes the greatest loss of erogenous tissue. The penis's owner may not agree that it is beautiful.

bellender, bell-ender

A circumcised man (UK slang, also a term of abuse, especially for upper-class men, "toffs") See also bellend.

bone foreceps

Instrument used for haemostasis in freehand circumcision. They resemble double-acting bolt-cutters and can literally cut bone, so damage to the glans from this method was not uncommmon - especially since the glans could not be seen when they were applied.

Picture of Bone forceps

Brennemann's ulcers

Ulcers on the urethral meatus, caused by ammonia burns to the unprotected tissue (the ammonia generated by the breakdown of urine). When the ulcers heal, the scar formation causes meatal stenosis.

circodoxy

The mindset that the foreskin is "extra" and circumcision is the norm, from which being "uncircumcised" deviates. (from circumcision + orthodoxy, coined by Hugh Young, June 14, 2011) See also circumcisionism.

circopath

Person with a compulsion to circumcise. Hence also circopathy, the compulsion to circumcise; and circopathology, the psychological basis of that compulsion. (coined by Gary Harryman on July 13, 2001)

CIRCUMCISION

A euphemism for MGM, but generally used to mean cutting off the whole of the foreskin. It may leave less or more of the inner mucosa and of the frenulum (see high, low, loose and tight.), at the whim of the circumcisor, to the greater or lesser detriment of the person circumcised.

Circumcision is not medicine. It is not "surgery" either, in the eyes of many. It is a "procedure" -- a broad term that encompasses things like removing a splinter, adjusting a spine, lysing a foreskin, or performing the Heimlich maneuver. What are the rules governing the safety, efficacy and necessity of "procedures"? Pretty vague.

If circumcision were surgery, or even real medicine, it would need a ton of guidelines, such as how much tissue to remove, what parts (like the frenulum) to preserve or excise, and how to achieve a "neat" cut. There doesn't even exist a real definition of what circumcision is, because there is no way to consistently identify the organ or tissue being removed. It's not like appendectomy or tonsillectomy, where the goal is clear. There is no dotted line indicating where the foreskin ends and the shaft skin begins.

Circumcisions are like snowflakes; no two are exactly alike. And those fathers who insist on having their sons circumcised to "look like them" don't realize the staggering odds against the circumcisions being anything like their own.

"Circumcision" is not a specific operation. It is not like a vasectomy or the extraction of a wisdom tooth. Circumcision is merely a vague term that says "someone went after the end of my child's penis with a probe, knife and/or clamp". Fathers aren't actually signing up for Junior's penis to match -- what do you tell the dad who has no clear scar to speak of, but the son has a thick, Gomco-induced racing stripe around his johnson? The dad with an all-American "high-'n-tight" job whose son is handed back to him with a loose, bunched cut (as happens more frequently today)? With 30 years between the procedures and changes in methods, how can a dad realistically expect the attack on his son's penis to be similar to the attack on his own?

Circumcision is nothing more than how a given doctor, on a given day, would hack away at the tissue of a normal, healthy penis. No two doctors do it exactly the same; no two boys have exactly the same anatomy to work on. Clamps and bells were introduced in an attempt to bring some consistency to the "procedure", but even they are not consistently applied. Doctors can still pull the skin tighter, can still slip and slice a glans, can still cause grievous hemorrhage.

Given that this is not a necessary surgery in any sense on healthy children, it is really not possible to do it "properly". There is no "properly" when it comes to circumcision in the absence of disease or deformity (from injury, etc.). We all just hack at the bits as best we can, trying to expose the glans, and then tell the parents that it's 'done'."

(L. circumcidere = to cut around. Because it is derived from "-cis-" meaning cut and not from "-ise" meaning cause-to-become, the spelling in "-ize" is not an option.)

circumcisionism

The mindset that the foreskin is "extra" and circumcision is the norm, from which being "uncircumcised" deviates. (coined by Travis Wisdom, June, 2011) See also circodoxy.

circumcision, second

See meatotomy.

circumincession, circuminsession

Not to be confused with the above: in theology, terms referring to the relationship between the three Persons of the Trinity (L. circum, around + in + sedere, to sit; or incedere, to move).

Circumstraint (TM)

Torture-board with straps to hold down a baby sensibly struggling against being circumcised. Advertisement ("...Velcro straps ...[deprive] him/her of leverage. The child is held ... without danger of escape....).

Picture of Circumstraint (TM)

cornification

See keratinisation. (L. cornus = horn) A useful reminder that the circumcised glans hardens like a worker's hands (but beware of the double meaning of "horny").

data-mining

Looking for a correlation where none exists by analyzing data more rigorously, for example extracting data for a (small) subsample in the search for a connection between "lack of circumcision" and some disease.

deep dorsal vein

This vein terminates in the foreskin. After circumcision it must find such connections as it can. On erection it swells (becomes varicose) in a circumcised penis but rarely or less so in an intact one - indicating that circumcision dramatically alters the circulation of the penis.

Picture of erect intact penis - only superficial dorsal veins are visible
Picture of erect circumcised penis - swollen deep dorsal vein

dehiscence

Gaping open of a wound. A complication of circumcision, especially when done with a Gomco clamp. Click here for a first-hand account. (L. gaping apart)

Dermagraft (TM)

Trade name (of Advanced Tissue Sciences Inc. - in liquidation) for a skin-tissue cultured from human foreskins. See Apligraf (TM).

electrocautery

The use of electricity to cauterise (burn) cut tissues, seal blood vessels and so prevent bleeding. Electrocautery instruments may be bipolar (in which the electricity flows between two closely spaced electrodes) or unipolar, in which one electrode is placed on the body remote from the surgery. Unipolar electrocautery should never be used on an extremity such as the finger or penis because the heating effect takes place along its entire length. Several circumcisions performed this way have resulted in ablation of the penis. In the case of David Reimer, the use of an electrocautery instrument with a metal clamp in place contributed to the damage.

epidermal inclusion cyst

A rare complication of circumcision, in which an outer layer of skin is folded into the circumcision scar, which develops an enclosed mass of tissue

Picture of an epidermal inclusion cyst

fistula

A tubular complication of circumcision, as when a skin bridge is open underneath, or an additional hole is cut in the urethra. (L. = pipe, flute, pl. fistulae)

foreskin regression

The re-covering of the glans by the foreskin remnant in older men who have had a low and/or loose circumcision, caused by the natural shrinking of the penis. In some cases and in cold conditions, this may lead to the appearance of intactness.

Frankenpenis
Circumcised penis, since it is artificial, and implying it is monstrous (Germany, from Franken[stein's creature]+ penis, according to Andy on Network54, May 12, 2012)

freehand

(circumcision) without a purpose-designed clamp. One is shown on another page.

giorgi
removal of the foreskin from a healthy baby, whether surgical or ritual. (Coined by San Francisco Intactivists, July 28, 2011, after Loretta Giorgi, San Francisco judge who struck down a circumcision ballot to protect religious interests, because doctors also do it.)

Gomco clamp (TM)

A circumcision device consisting of a metal bell and a flat plate with a hole in it, brought together by a screw to apply circular crushing and fusing force at the position of excision... more. (from GOldstein Manufacturing COmpany, later Gomco Surgical Manufacturing Co.)

Picture of Gomco clamp TM

h[a]emostasis

prevention of bleeding. (Gk., blood stopping)

h[a]emostat

lockable scissors-like clamp used in freehand circumcision. It crushes the foreskin distal to the glans, and the skin is cut with a scalpel distal to it. It may inadvertantly crush the tip of the glans as well, and by squeezing the cylindrical foreskin flat at only one end, can seldom ensure an even cut.

hairy shaft

A complication of too-tight circumcision in which hairy scrotal skin is drawn on to the penile shaft.

high

A circumcision is called "high" when more shaft-skin and less mucosa is removed. This leaves the scar relatively high up the flaccid penis when its owner is standing up. Compared to a low one, this has the advantage of leaving the penis' owner with more of his frenulum, though it is probably done to remove all folds. Methods that involve drawing the foreskin forward before cutting it, such as clamp methods, all produce a high result. The terms "high" and "low" describe a different variation from "loose" and "tight". Apart from those concerned about the nature of the damage they've sustained, the terminology is mainly of interest to circumfetishists.

Picture of high circumcison    Picture of low circumcison

hypertrophic

overgrown, of scarring that has thickened (Gk, excess growth)

Picture of hypertrophic scarring

iatrogenic

(Damage) caused by a doctor (or nurse or parent) eg, phimosis caused by premature attempt to retract the foreskin. (Gk. iatros = physician)

NHS Choices

'It took two weeks for Alex to be back to his old self'

Alison Westbury is mother to two boys and a girl. When her eldest son Alex was born, he suffered from phimosis and his foreskin was very tight. At the age of seven he had a circumcision.

"Alex was born with a very tight foreskin. [This is normal.] It couldn’t be retracted back over the penis [normal] and was difficult to clean. It also caused him to have repeated infections [No, it was the misguided attempts to retract it that exposed the surfaces to infection] where we would have to give him antibiotics or special cream. We talked to the health worker about it when he was young and she told us to keep an eye on it. But as he grew, it was still a problem. For some reason, he’d get more infections during the summer – maybe because he was hot and sweaty. [Because chlorine in swimming pools upset the normal bacterial balance under his foreskin.]

"We talked to our GP and he said we should try and pull the foreskin back [wrong] when he was relaxed and in the bath, but this obviously hurt him and it didn’t make things any better, so we didn’t try that very often.

"In the end, when it became obvious that it wasn’t getting any better, we were referred to a consultant at the hospital who recommended an operation. He said it was better to do it early. If we waited until Alex was older, it would be a much bigger operation with a longer recovery time. If we didn’t do anything, we were told he’d continue getting infections and he might not be able to have a full sex life.

"We were given a choice of either a circumcision or a different operation called a preputioplasty, where the foreskin is cut to allow it to retract. My husband decided that a circumcision would be a better option. As Alex’s foreskin was very tight, we weren’t sure how a preputioplasty would look and thought that if it looked different, it would embarrass Alex when he was older.

"We talked to Alex about the operation a bit, but he was very embarrassed, so in the end we didn’t tell him too much. ...

"When the anaesthetic wore off, Alex was very sore. It was too sore for him to wear pants and shorts, so he spent a couple of weeks after the op wearing his dad’s T-shirts. It was difficult to stop him fiddling, and the operation site kept bleeding. I also think the anaesthetic affected Alex a lot, as he was tearful and seemed very low for some time afterwards. [Finding an important part of your penis missing also has that effect...]

"I hadn’t been given any information about what to do after the operation, and Alex was very nervous about whether it would hurt when he urinated. I wasn’t really sure what to do, so I’d been getting Alex to urinate in the bath to try and make it easier for him. However, when I spoke to the hospital (because the wound kept bleeding), they said it was the wrong thing to do and I should be keeping it dry.

"It took about two weeks for Alex to become himself again. It stopped hurting after the wound had dried up, and after three weeks he was back at school and going swimming with his class.

"He's very conscious that his penis looks different to other boys’ of his age and that it can look a bit smaller. But when he told his best friend that he’d had an operation, his friend just said, ‘Well, we can’t all be the same’, which I think has helped to reassure him a bit."

intervention bias

Bias on the part of physicians and the medical community to intervene, whether it is with drugs, diagnostic tests, non-invasive procedures, or surgeries, when not intervening would be a reasonable alternative.

Yale J Biol Med. Jun 2013; 86(2): 271–280, Jun 13, 2013. PMCID: PMC3670446

The Case for Intervention Bias in the Practice of Medicine

Andrew J. Foy, MD, and Edward J. Filippone, MD

Conclusion
In conclusion, intervention bias is a problem in modern medicine. It corrupts the informed decision-making process and leads physicians to adopt futile and potentially harmful interventions and continue using them after their benefits have been disproven. Futile interventions subject patients to unnecessary physical harm and thus violate the principle of “primum non nocere.” From an economic perspective, the adoption and widespread use of such interventions confers a personal and social welfare loss. Recognition is the first step toward overcoming bias, and physicians must appreciate the limitations that intervention bias poses to the practice of medicine. To guard against it, we should always remain skeptical, insist on rigorous experimentation and reporting of trials that involve hard endpoints, and be unafraid to protest the widespread utilization of interventions that do not pass this test.

ischaemia, ischemia

Restriction of blood supply, a complication of circumcision. (Gk. isch- = restriction, haema = blood)

keloid

Of scars, pulling on the skin (Gk chele, a claw). The term also refers to extremes of hypertrophic scarring, a rare complication of circumcision.

keratinisation

Hardening of the mucosa of the glans after circumcision, leading to reduced sensitivity. (Gk. keras = horn)

All skin has a layer of dead cells on the outer surface of the outer major layer, the epidermis. These dead cells are largely made of a dried-up fibrous protein called keratin that was part of the internal skeleton of the living cells, before they matured and died on their way towards the surface. Therefore, people talk of keratinisation of the various parts of the penile skin. What they are interested in is the hypothesis that, since this layer makes the skin watertight in both directions and keeps out all other foreign matter (i.e. acts as a barrier), the thicker this layer the more likely it is to keep out invading organisms, including viruses. Hence the obsession with keratin by those who believe that the inner foreskin does not have sufficient keratin to provide a barrier against HIV. And the longstanding factoid that circumcision dries-up the remaining mucous membranes (the inner surface of the foreskin and glans) suggests to the circumcision sponsors that increase in the depth of keratin results, thereby increasing protection. This is the underlying hypothesis for the biological mechanism behind the findings in Africa.

However, a Chicago study showed the inner layer to have thicker keratin than the outer (25.37 +/- 12.51 vs 20.54 +/- 12.51 mm, respectively; P = 0.451). If these figures were confirmed by another study with sufficient power for significance, they would entirely 'rot-up' the keratinisation-with-circ protection mechanism argument of the darkside.

A Chinese study disproves the opinion (often expressed by the pro-circumcision lobby) that Langerhans cells are more abundant in the inner mucosa than the outer skin. It found the exact opposite.Outer foreskin is merely the extension of the shaft skin over the glans to the preputial orifice.

Picture of Keratinisation

loose

A circumcision (whether "high" or "low") is called "loose" when the penis's owner is allowed to keep more of his skin and/or mucosa. A low and loose circumcision may resemble a naturally short foreskin, but even the loosest of conventional circumcisions will still remove all of the ridged band.

Picture of loose circumcison    Picture of tight circumcison

low

A circumcision is called "low" when more mucosa and less shaft-skin is removed. This leaves the scar relatively low down the flaccid penis when its owner is standing up. In a very low circumcision, almost all the mucosa of the foreskin is removed and the scar is in the sulcus. Compared to a high one, this gives a smooth appearance, but it removes more of the frenulum. A low circumcision must be performed freehand, skinning the mucosa back and cutting it away, bringing the shaft-skin forward and aligning them. It is a highly skilled operation, and as always, the outcome to the adult is unpredictible in the baby. The terms "high" and "low" describe a different variation from "loose" and "tight".

Picture of low circumcison    Picture of high circumcison

malapposition

Rotation of the shaft-skin with respect to the glans during circumcision, causing the raphe not to line up with the frenulum. A life-long aesthetic blemish, easily committed (when the shaft is covered in blood) by a doctor who may not even know that it is a possibility. (L. = bad placing together)

Picture of Malapposition

meatal stenosis

Narrowing of the meatus, a very common complication of circumcision.

meatal stenosis
Click for larger

meatal ulcer

Ulcer at the meatus, a very common complication of circumcision.

meatitis

Inflammation of the meatus, one of the possible consequences of circumcision.

meatotomy

Operation to correct meatal stenosis by enlarging the opening of the meatus. In the 19th century, meatal stenosis after circumcision, and hence meatotomy, was so common that in Jewish folklore, meatotomy was known as the "second circumcison". (Van Howe, R. S. and Cold, C. J.: Etiology of idiopathic anterior urethritis. Urology, 53: 658, 1999)

Mogen(TM)? clamp

A circumcision device consisting of two flat blades brought together and held by a rotating cam. It then closes to crush the foreskin before it is cut. Described as "the least painful method" though there is no reason this should be so, and "able to be used without previous experience." ... more (Heb. = shield)

Picture of a Mogen clamp

necrosis

Death of tissue. (adj. necrotic)

necrotizing fasciitis

"Galloping gangrene", a possible consequence of circumcision.

neonate

Newborn baby. (adj. neonatal)

nerve force theory

18th-19th Century theory whereby "nervous ether" radiating from the brain set the body in motion. "Nerve force" was believed to circulate in the body like the four humours, and a shortage or an excess, believed to cause disease. "Irritability" (i.e. sensitivity, but confused with inflammation) of the genitals led to an imbalance in nerve force. Thus masturbation was to be condemned and prevented on health as well as moral grounds. See also reflex theory.

- R. Darby, A Surgical Temptation, p 39

neuroma

Abnormal growth of a nerve, especially at a cut end, a complication of circumcision, causing confusion of sensations. (Gk neur- = nerve -oma = growth. pl neuromata, neuromas)

nosocomial

hospital-acquired (infection). (from Gk, nosokomeion, hospital) See also iatrogenic.

nociceptor

Nerve specialised for the detection of painful stimuli. (L. nocere, to hurt + [re]ceptor)

OrCel (TM)

Brand name of foreskin-derived tissue, like Apligraf (TM)

Peyronie's disease (Peyronie's fibroid)

A plaque of dense tissue in the penis causing painful erections and deformity, including a bent penis (in many cases a dog-leg or "J" shape, or twisting the penis around almost a full 360 degrees - a corkscrew) when erect. A man with Peyronie's "can pee around a tree". An image of Peyronies, from the American Academy of Family Physicians' website. (The penis shown is circumcised).

True Peyronie's is extremely rare and does not have any known relationship to circumcision. The condition may be inherited or the result of trauma, even minor. A simple curve of the penis, however, may well be the result of, or worsened by, a circumcision executed more poorly than usual. A video of an operation for Peyronie's disease.

PlastiBell(TM)

A disposable circumcision device consisting of a grooved plastic dome (with a handle, designed to be broken off) placed under the foreskin (which must be slit and forcibly separated from the glans to allow entry). A ligature (thread) is tied tightly around the foreskin, crushing it into the groove, causing it to become necrotic (to die) and drop off... more. [moved link]

Picture of Plastibell™ and its ligature
Pictures of a Plastibell™ circumcision (NSFW - very graphic)

posthectomy

Medical Gk for circumcision (posthe = foreskin, -ectomy = cutting off)

pseudo-foreskin
False foreskin; may refer to
  1. an artificial foreskin made to conceal circumcision (as devised by the boy Roman Polanski as a defence against detection by Nazis)
  2. an articificial foreskin made to re-sensitize the glans (eg the Manhood™)
  3. shaft skin that pushes over the glans in old age as the shaft shrinks and/or the fat pad at the base of the penis grows
  4. a secondary foreskin grown by restoration techniques (this usage is not favoured by restorers).
(Gk pseudo- = false)

redundant (foreskin)

More than someone (other than the owner) feels comfortable with. There is no rule about how much foreskin anyone should be blessed with. (Well, maybe if it trips him up when he walks...) Babies and small boys quite commonly have as much as 1cm (0.5 in) of overhang. This has been better described as "abundant foreskin". Parents who are concerned that their son has too much foreskin should be told, "Don't worry, he'll grow into it."

In infants, …redundancy of the foreskin is common [and] normal; the skin awaits the development of the corpora cavernosa and spongiosum which will occur at puberty.

- "Some observations On the anatomy of phimosis", Geoffrey Jefferson, M. S. LOND., F. R. C. S., (ENG.), VICTORIA, B. C. Surgery, Gynecology, and Obstetrics (Chicago), Volume 23, Number 2: pages 177-181, August 1916.

reflex theory

Mid-19th to early 20th Century theory that "nervous connections regulated all bodily organs and members independent of human will and that disorder in an organ or body part could produce effects at distant locations which could be treated by procedures on the part thought to be exercising the effects." In the male, these sites often turned out to be the penis and foreskin. Hence the use of circumcision to "cure" such varied problems as epilepsy and paralysis. See also nerve force theory.

- R. Darby, A Surgical Temptation, p 103

routine, of infant circumcision:

1. performed as a matter of course, without consultation. This was common through the early part of the 20th century.
2. performed without medical indications, the vast majority of circumcisions.

Medical associations commonly use a bit of linguistic sleight-of-hand when they say "routine circumcision should not be peformed." This appeases both supporters of circumcision, who understand them to mean sense 1, and opponents, who expect them to mean sense 2.

scalpel-happy

(surgeon) over-ready to resort to surgery (cf trigger-happy)

ShangRing(TM)

A circumcision device consisting of two concentric plastic rings that "sandwich" (unfortunate expression) the foreskin, allowing it to be cut away... more (after Jian-Zhong Shang (inventor) + ring)

Picture of ShangRing

Sheldon clamp(TM)

A circumcision device with two sets of jaws. The first set grasps the acroposthion, the second set, the foreskin proper, ahead of the glans - if the boy is lucky. The cut is made between the two sets.

skin bridge

A complication of circumcision in which the healing excision scar fuses to the damaged mucosa of the glans, usually at the corona. A variety of skin bridges can be seen on Circumcision page 1.

sleeve resection

A method of freehand circumcision. A mark is made on the outer skin, usually at the coronal bulge, and another on the mucosa at a desired distance from the corona. A circular cut through the skin is made from each mark, disconnecting a 'sleeve' of skin between the two marks. Scissors are used to cut along the sleeve so that it can be removed. The two circular cuts are brought together and stitched. An exact amount of both outer and inner skin can be removed, and the whole of the action is visible. With other techniques, the inner skin is cut blind. Sleeve resection is not used on newborns. Sleeve resection was used in the randomised controlled trial at Rakei in Uganda, and there it was defined as "...the foreskin was retracted and a distal incision made 0·5-1·0 cm proximal to the coronal sulcus, followed by a proximal incision on the unretracted prepuce at the corona."

Smartklamp(TM)

A non-reusable circumcision device made of plastic, similar to the Tara KLamp, that cuts off circulation to the foreskin, using a plastic ring clamped in place over a tube....more

Picture of a Smartklamp(TM)


spermatorrh[o]ea

Excessive flow of "sperm" [i.e. semen], a 19th century "disease" and an early excuse for circumcision. "Excessive" (like "redundant foreskin" today) meant "more than the doctor or parents felt comfortable with" and "symptoms" included nocturnal emissions (wet dreams) that the doctor no longer enjoyed.

suture-hole

A disfigurement of circumcision in which a depression is left in the skin when a stitch is removed or dissolves.

Picture of Suture hole (Probably done in infancy)
Picture of Suture hole (Done in adulthood)

Tara KLamp(TM)

A disposable circumcision device made of plastic, that cuts off circulation to the foreskin, using a plastic ring clamped in place over a tube ... more. (From the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur = K.L., hence KLamp) [Click for a picture of a Tara KLamp(TM).]

tight

A circumcision (whether "high" or "low") is called "tight" when the penis's owner has more of his skin and mucosa taken from him. Tight circumcisions are likely to cause painful erections (maybe even tearing at the scar) and draw the pubic hair up the shaft. Circumfetishists seem to like them, however.

Picture of tight circumcison    Picture of loose circumcison

TransCyte (TM)

Brand name of foreskin-derived tissue, like Apligraf (TM).

urethrocutaneous

between the urethra and the skin, as a urethrocutaneous fistula

whorl

Because the inner and outer skins of the penis do not naturally fit together around the frenulum when the foreskin is cut away, a round feature or features may form with spiral ridging under and behind the glans near the centre.

Yellen clamp

Alternative name for Gomco clamp. (co-inventor)

Zoon's balanitis, Zoon's disease

an inflammation of the foreskin and/or glans, affecting mainly older men. Until recently, considered a watertight reason to circumcise, but this article suggests otherwise.

J Cosmet Laser Ther. 2010 Apr 29. [Epub ahead of print]

Ablative erbium:YAG laser treatment of idiopathic chronic inflammatory non-cicatricial balanoposthitis (Zoon's disease) - A series of 20 patients with long-term outcome.

Wollina U.

Abstract
Background: Chronic inflammatory non-cicatricial balanitis/balanoposthitis (Zoon 1952) is not uncommon among aged uncircumcised males. The course is chronic and will lead to severe epidermal atrophy. This disease is poorly responsive to topical treatment. The golden standard for treatment is circumcision.

Objective: This study was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ablative erbium:YAG laser treatment.

Methods: An uncontrolled trial was performed with 20 Caucasian male patients (mean age 64.8 years) who presented with chronic inflammatory non-cicatricial balanitis or balanoposthitis. The patients received multiple topical treatments. The disease duration ranged from 1 to more than 7 years. Diagnosis was confirmed by histology. Topical anaesthesia was performed before erbium:YAG laser ablation (focus 1.6-5 mm; frequency 8 Hz; impulse energy mostly 800 mJ; fluence between 11.3 and 20 J cm-2. The pulses were partly overlapping. The pain sensation was recorded by visual analogue scale (VAS). Complete clearance was defined as complete absence of erythematous, smooth-faced, 'wet'-looking patches or erosions. Patients were requested to attend a regular follow-up once a year. The outcome was further assessed by patient's global assessment (PGA).

Results: In all patients a complete re-epithelialization could be achieved within 2-3 weeks. During follow-up between 3 months and 30 months (mean 12.1 +/- 7.2 months), a complete and stable clearing was achieved in 20 patients (100%). There were no severe adverse effects. With topical anaesthetic cream the VAS was very low (mean 1.5 +/- 4.1 mm for 18 patients and 22 treatments). All but three patients were 'completely satisfied' with the procedure and the outcome; three were 'satisfied'.

Conclusions: Ablative erbium:YAG laser therapy is a safe, effective and minimally invasive treatment option [unlike circumcision] in chronic inflammatory non-cicatricial balanitis/balanoposthitis.

PMID: 20429688 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

 

OTHER SURGERY

acrotomophilia

sexual attraction to amputees (Gk, acro=high, tomo=cut, philia=love)

apotemnophilia

(Gk apotemno- = cut off, philia = love) a fetish for amputees and/or amputations. The term was coined in 1977 by Dr John Money, who said "The apotemnophiliac obsession is described as an idée fixe rather than a paranoid delusion, occurring either predominantly or exclusively in males. It is related to erotization of the healed stump and to overachievement despite the adversity of a handicap. The precise etiology is not known and there is no agreed-on treatment method." A person who eroticises the existing amputations of other people should probably be distinguished from one who wants to have any of his own extermities amputated. See also Body Dysmorphic Disorder, circumfetishism.

"Batman excision"

Refinement of the Byars' flaps technique of hypospadias repair, pioneered by Hoebeke et al., in which a triangle-shaped flap is spread out over the prepuce (like Batman's cape).

Body Dysmorphic (or Dismorphic) Disorder

(Gk dys = faulty, morph- = form) The delusion that one's body is malformed. The best-known example is the delusion that one is fat, associated with anorexia/bulimia. This page mooted the desire to be circumcised as a variety of BDD, but a better term is now available, Body Integrity Identity Disorder.

Body Integrity Identity Disorder

Condition of being dissatisfied with having a complete body. Coined to avoid the fetishistic connotations of apotemnophilia. People with BIID seek relief through amputation, and paradoxically claim it would make them feel whole. The desire to be circumcised is obviously an example, and an insistence on having a baby circumcised might be considered BIID by proxy.

 

A growing body of literature suggests that body awareness disorders such as BIID occur as a result of abnormal activity in the right parietal lobe, which is known to be essential for constructing a mental representation of the body. Specifically, this body image is constructed in the superior parietal lobule (SPL), which performs a function referred to as multisensory integration, whereby different types of sensory information entering the brain are brought together. Thus, information from the visual parts of the brain and the primary somatosensory cortex, which processes tactile sensations and proprioceptive information relating to the position of the body within space, is sent to the superior parietal lobule. There, it is combined with information from the motor cortex, which controls movement, and all is processed further to generate an internal model of the body. If these processes are perturbed, the body image is compromised.

Paul McGeoch of the Brain and Perceptual Process Laboratory at UCSD and his colleagues ... recruited four male BIID sufferers (or apotemnophiles) from internet support groups to test their hypothesis. Three of these expressed a desire to have their left leg amputated, while the fourth wanted both legs removed. For their study, the researchers simply tapped the participants' feet with a bundle of fibre-optic filaments, and at the same time, recorded the electrical activity of their brains using magnetoencephalography (MEG). Their responses to the tactile stimulation were compared to those of four controls.

In all four controls, tapping either foot caused an almost instantaneous activation of the right SPL. In the three apotemnophiles who wanted one leg amputated, tapping the unaffected foot evoked a response in the right SPL, but tapping the affected one did not, and in the fourth apotemnophile, who sought amputation of both legs, neither foot evoked a response. These findings confirm the researchers' hypothesis that BIID arises as a result of abnormal function in the right parietal lobe. The brain does not register the limb as a part of the body, and contains no representation of it, so it is not incorporated into the body image. As a result, the apotemnophile has no sense of ownership over the limb, and feels strongly that it does not "belong" to him. It feels extraneous or redundant, so he wishes to have it removed.

Neurophilosphy March 27, 2009

Byars' flaps

Technique of hypospadias repair in which the foreskin is preserved. Excess dorsal skin is used to cover the ventral shaft.

Clitoraid

Charity promoting surgical reconstruction of women who have been subject to genital cutting. Clitoraid is organised by the Raëlians, a cult founded by Raël (formerly Claude Vorilhon) after a reported encounter with aliens in 1973. In 2006-7, Clitoraid raised less than $48,000 worldwide and performed three operations. It planned to start building a hospital in Burkina Faso in May 2007, but its website has not been updated since April of that year. (report update)

dorsal slit

In the foreskin, a crude form of posthioplasty to relieve phimosis. Very similar to super[in]cision. A dorsal slit is also made as part of freehand, Gomco ™ and Plastibell ™ circumcisions.

frenuloplasty

Reshaping-surgery on the frenulum, especially as a treatment for frenulum breve. Rajan et al. found high levels of satisfaction with the operation, about 1 in 9 requiring circumcision afterward.

Glansie

A mechanical retractor designed for the self-treatment of phimosis.

infibulation

  1. Installation of a sealed wire loop through holes in
    • the foreskin, to make erection painful in an attempt to prevent masturbation.

      Through the courtesy of Dr. Archibald, Superintendent of the Iowa Asylum for Feeble-Minded Children, we have become acquainted with a method of treatment of this disorder [masturbation] which is applicable in refractory cases, and we have employed it with entire satisfaction. It consists in the application of one or more silver sutures in such a way as to prevent erection. The prepuce, or foreskin, is drawn forward over the glans, and the needle to which the wire is attached is passed through from one side to the other. After drawing the wire through, the ends are twisted together, and cut off close. It is now impossible for an erection to occur, and the slight irritation thus produced acts as a most powerful means of overcoming the disposition to resort to the practice.

      - John Harvey Kellogg, Plain Facts for Old and Young, pp 295-6

      [It is now also impossible to clean under the foreskin. "Hygiene" to Kellogg and his peers meant only "moral hygiene".]

    • the labia, to prevent intercourse.
  2. Drastic scraping and removal of female genitalia, leaving only a small hole.

(L. fibula = brooch)

Methemoglobin[a]emia

A disorder characterised by the presence of a higher than normal level of methemoglobin (metHb) in the blood. Methemoglobin is a form of haemoglobin that does not bind oxygen. When its concentration is elevated in red blood cells, tissue hypoxia (shortage of oxygen) can occur. Methemoglobinaemia is a risk of priloocaine, a constituent of EMLA anaesthetic cream, used in circumcision.

mithridatum

(not surgery but) another medical treatment regarded as a univeral preventative for nearly 2000 years, now unknown.

neurectomy, neurotomy

Severing of nerves (Gk. neur- = nerve, -ect- = out, -tomy = cutting), an operation to remove sensation, done on purpose at the base of the penis in the 19th century in order to reduce sexual pleasure.

Clark, A. Campbell and Henry E. Clark, 'Neurectomy a preventive of masturbation', Lancet, 23 September 1899, p. 838.
Hamilton, J.A.G., 'Treatment of nymphomania by division of branches of internal pudic and inferior pudendal nerves', Australasian Medical Gazette, Vol. XXII, 20 May 1903, pp. 205-6 refers also to "successful" treatment of a male patient.
Spratling, Edgar, 'Masturbation in the adult', Medical Record, Vol. 48, 1895, pp. 442-3 describes cutting the nerve as too draconian; prefers circumcision.

Invariably done in the course of circumcision at the sulcus with the effect of reducing sexual pleasure. (Strictly speaking, neurectomy involves removing some nerve tissue, neurotomy is severing only. Nerves heal together with difficulty, so the effects are similar.)

penectomy

Cutting off of the penis. A treatment of last resort for penile cancer. Distinct from castration/orchidectomy (removal of the testicles) though both might be done together.

posthioplasty

Reshaping-surgery on the foreskin (including circumcision-reversal).

synechiotomy

One doctor's term for his premature forcible retration of the foreskin, breaking the synechia. Literally "cutting the synechia" (Gk). A more accurate term would be synechialysis (breaking the synechia).

theriac
see mithridatum

Z-plasty

Form of posthioplasty (eg to correct phimosis or penoscrotal webbing or to taper a non-surgically restored foreskin) involving a Z-shaped incision.

 

RITUAL CIRCUMCISION

amakhankatha

traditional Xhosa circumcision nurse

Amidsha

Yugoslav Muslim circumcisor

arel

Intact male (Heb., pl = arelim)

barzel

Slotted plate used in Brit Milah to isolate the glans from the foreskin to be removed.(Heb., = iron, knife)

bersunat

circumcision (Malay)

brit/bris/briss/brith

Heb., = covenant, pl., Britot
(Contrary to the belief of the British Israelite movement, the words "Britain" and "British" are from Celtic, and unconnected to the Hebrew word.)

Brit Mila[h]

Jewish circumcision ceremony, performed on the eighth day after birth. (Heb., = covenant of cutting, pl. Brit Milot).

(Often confused with Bar Mitzvah, a Jewish boy's coming of age ceremony, usually held about age 13, when he first reads a portion of the Torah in the Synagogue or Temple.)

Brit Milim

Surgery-free Jewish naming ceremony, performed in Israel. (Heb., = covenant of words)

Brit Shalem

Surgery-free Jewish naming ceremony. (Heb., = covenant of wholeness) less common than:

Brit Shalom

Surgery-free Jewish naming ceremony. (Heb., = covenant of peace) NB The Brit Shalom Society had nothing to do with circumcision: it was an organisation of Jewish intellectuals in the 1920s-30s promoting Jewish-Arab reconciliation. Contact details for celebrants.

circumfetishist

Person who derives sexual pleasure from the act of circumcision. Circumfetishism, such pleasure. Circumfetishism should be distinguished from just eroticising the circumcised penis, as many women and gay men may do, just for want of knowing any other - but see apotemnophilia and acrotomophilia. Circumfetishism may involve fantasies of power and control, which may be ritualistically acted out. They may be active (sadistic) fantasies of circumcising, or passive (masochistic) fantasies of being circumcised, and the rituals, when they occur, of course involve both. Circumfetishists have at least one website and three clubs. The circlist website links to a discussion group ("Circlist has always permitted, and will continue to permit, circumcision related fetish/sexual postings/materials, straight, gay or otherwise. Individuals may use CIRCLIST to make contact with one another, including for sexual purposes. The list is not just a medical interest list, but rather all things circumcision, including circ-fetish, sexual info, medical info and a place to meet up with fellow circumcision enthusiasts and proponents. "). In June 2005 they held the first International Circumsexual Symposium, in Washington, D.C.. Circumfetishist "Ben Winkie" blogs about it. ("Interests: Being masturbated whilst circumcision is being discussed. Watching circumcisions with others. Etc.") His profile opens new vistas ("circumcision mood music"?). The extent of circumfetishism among doctors and others who perform infant circumcisions is unknown. There is no article on circumfetishism in Wikipedia (though there is one on foreskin fetishism), ostensibly because it is not yet "encyclopaedic" - nobody has written a scientific paper on it. (One Wikipedian, for reasons of his own, moves heaven and earth to keep Intactivist information out of that otherwise valuable resource.)

 

"Some obstetricians have made early circumcision almost a fetish, reaching [a] reductio ad absurdum in one instance with which we are familiar in which the operation was performed when the hips been delivered and pending expulsion of the upper half of the body."...

- Diseases of the Newborn, Schaffer and Avery, 4th ed, W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia, 1977, p 420

circumsexual

Circumfetishists' preferred term for themselves and their condition, perhaps because it elevates their fetish to the status of a sexual orientation (cf heterosexual, homosexual).

"Circumsexual has well over 2,000 members, making us one of the largest circumfetishist groups on the internet!

"Circumsexual is a group for men that are turned on by circumcised penises, the process of circumcision, or the fantasy of being circumcised and/or performing circumcisions on others.

"It is not an anti-circ nor pro-circ forum, nor is it a place to debate such affairs. It's simply for men 18 and older that find everything about CIRCUMCISION to be EROTIC.

"Where CIRCLIST is more about the serious side of circumcision, Circumsexual is about the SEXUAL aspects of the process as well as the end result."

- message touting the circumsexual website

circumthusiast

Enthusiast for circumcision, cf circumfetishist, circumsexual

encoumbee

Pygmy circumcision ceremony

es-selkh

Bedouin circumcision ceremony

eunoto

Maasai circumcision ceremony

Feast of the Circumcision

January 1 (the eighth day after Christmas), Christian festival of Jesus' circumcision (generally used to remember his human susceptibility to wounding, and his circumcision as a precursor of his crucifixion, rather than his Judaism).

hatifat dam berit

ritual substitute for Brit Milah (for when a converting man is already circumcised, or a baby is born without a foreskin or may not be circumcised for medical reasons) involving a pinprick to the penis, drawing at least a drop of blood (Heb.)

iingcibi

traditional Xhosa surgeon-circumcisor

imbalu

circumcision ritual of the Bagisu of Uganda

izmel

Double-edged knife used for Jewish circumcision. Both sides are sharp to avoid the risk of trying to use the blunt side.

kattan

Turkish circumcision ceremony

khAfiDah

Woman who excises girls' genitalia (Arabic = she who lowers the clitoris)

khAtin

Circumcisor (Ar. fem. Khatinah)

khitAn

Circumcision (classical Ar.)

khitoum (khitOn?)

Islamic ritual circumcisors (from khitAn) The name is used in parts of Egypt, throughout the Levant, Iraq, the Arab Peninsula and the Gulf. Khitoum are barber-surgeons.

mezizah/metzitzah

The sucking of blood from the wound. (Heb., = sucking, not to be confused with Mezuzah, a holder for a scroll, nailed to a door-post). Metzitzah p beh, sucking by mouth, was widely believed to be obsolete in all but obscure European Jewish communities, until three babies in New York, all circumcised by the same mohel were found to have herpes. There followed an extraordinary amount of bending over backward. Only one commentater has even hinted at less than the highest motivation for the practice. Another baby died in 2011.

mohel

(Heb. from m.h.l, cut, circumcise, cognate with milah) Jewish ritual circumcisor. Need not be a rabbi or a man. May be a doctor. (pl. mohalim, fem. mohalet, fem. pl. mohalot.) Mohalot are an innovation of the Reform movement, not recognised by Orthodox Judaism. There has been no corresponding agitation by mohalot to be allowed to circumcise baby girls.

moyle/moyil

Yiddish for mohel

mussalmai

Bengali, to circumcise, literally "to make Muslim"

mutilation

Whether circumcision should be called "mutilation" is contentious. A discussion of this is on its own page.

muTahhar

Purified, circumcised (Ar., passive participle of TaThIr)

muTahhir

Islamic ritual circumcisor (Ar., = purifier)

muzayyeen

Barber. (pl. muzayyinUn -In.) The name used in Islamic North Africa from Morocco to Egypt. Barbers usually perform circumcisions.

nolad mahul
born without a foreskin, see aposthia (Heb. born circumcised)

perangan

Slotted board used in Malay ritual circumcision (cf barzel)

periah/priyah

The radical form of Jewish circumcision instituted (or formalised) in the second century CE to prevent concealment. (Heb., = complete)

peritomy

Anglicised Gk = circumcision. St Paul said repeatedly that it was not necessary for Christians. (peri = around, -tomia = cutting)

posthephagy

Ritual eating of the foreskin. An advertisement on the Craig's List website from anon-19728116 obliquely refers to this practice as an aspect of circumfetishism:

I would emphasize that all who choose my methods are consenting adults -- individuals who not only agree to the process, but who also possess the capacity to grasp and appreciate the nutritional value of surgically excised foreskin among the select group of cultural pioneers who perform the procedure. Given the present repressive political climate, the culinary interests of this community of practitioners must remain out of the public arena for the immediate future.

schmegma

An ad-hoc Yiddish form of smegma. Carries a tone of contempt by similarity with words like schmegegge, schlemiel, schmo and the "X----? Schm----!" catchphrase. (Old Yiddish would have very little use for a word for smegma.)

sply

Split the penis ("like a hotdog" - Glenn Epps), an even more extreme form of subincision.

subincision

A ventral slit in the penis through to the urethra, from the meatus some way along the shaft, customary among some Australian aboriginal peoples.

sunatan

(Malay) circumcision in Malaysia. According to Hull and Budiharsana, on Maluku in 1996, many Muslim men were reported to have undergone sunatan "without any foreskin being cut". According to legend, Islamic leaders had changed the custom after a number of deaths. Further details were not given. (Hull, Terence J., and Meiwita Budiharsana, "Male circumcision and penile enhancement in Southeast Asia: Matters of Pain and Pleasure" Reproductive Health Matters, vol 9 no 18, November 2001, 60-7)

sünnet

Turkish ritual circumcision, performed pre-puberty, by a ...

sunnetçi

Turkish circumcisor. (Reportedly nowadays replaced by a doctor.)

supercision, superincision

A dorsal slit in the foreskin, used by/on the priestly and royal castes of ancient Egypt and still customary among some Pacific peoples, such as those of Tikopia. A common method is to push a sliver of bamboo under the foreskin to protect the glans and make the slit forward to the edge of the foreskin. If done pre-puberty, the outcome looks similar to circumcision and has the advantage over circumcision that no tissue is lost. In Samoa and the Philippines, under missionary influence, it has been medicalised and replaced by full circumcision.

tahara

Circumcision (Ar. = purification)

taThIr

Circumcise (Ar., = make pure)

Tok Mudim

(Malay) Ritual circumcisor

tuli

Philippines circumcision ceremony

Urkwtha

Ritual circumcision in the Ciskei of Southern Africa (Xhosa)

 

RESTORATION

(See also the Restoration page.)

BUFF method

A restoration method promoted by BUFF, involving regular stretching.

decircumcise

See restore.

DILE Insert

(Dual-action Incremental Longitudinal Expander) A foreskin restoration device using an internal screw to push on the glans while pulling the skin. Its website has more details.

fauxskin (pr. foe-skin, but more often written than spoken)

Restored foreskin. (Fr. faux=false) Many restored men dislike the term, since their foreskin is not "false", reserving it for artificial foreskin substitutes such as the ManHood, Senslip and Docker.

fore-ball

Dumbbell-shaped steel device for late stages of restoration. The skin is taped over one ball, the other used to attach weight or elastic.

J-tape

Restoration method developed by Johnny: <johnny.com@sympatico.ca> for details.

McCuiston, James J

Kernersville N.C. inventor of an artificial foreskin-substitute comprising a foreskin-shaped sleeve (possibly containing silicone) held on by a cylinder ribbed for relative rigidity. Patent No 5,074,315, Dec 24, 1991

Manhood®

Trade name for an artificial foreskin-substitute worn over the glans. The fact that such products are manufactured and sold is an indictment of infant circumcision.

Nerf®

Closed-foam plastic (The trademark "Nerf®" is property of Hasbro® corporation). A plug made of it, used in the DILE system of foreskin restoration between the glans and the attachment device.

Point Of Equilibrium

The point (actually a line around the penis) where tension toward the glans and toward the base is equal when T-tape draws the skin forward.

Recap (tm)

Early name for the Restor-EZ

Repuce

Restored foreskin, from "prepuce", coined by Hugh Young, January 25, 2009 as an alernative for those who dislike the "faux" aspect of "fauxskin".

restore

Return penis to as near as possible to the way it would be if not circumcised, by a) using mild tension over time to encourage growth, b) surgery. A page gives some more details about this.

Restor-EZ

System of restoration involving a cylindical splint.

RS system

Restore Skin system. A kitset consisting of T-tape, suspender-like elastics, and a special oil to remove the tapes and their adhesive.

T-tape

Surgical tape made in a T-shaped cross-section, with the top of the crossbar adhesive, gripping both sides of the skin to be pulled forward, and the upright used to apply tension.

Picture of T-tape

TLC Tugger

A restoration device made of two silcone cones, held on by friction, the inner one with a loop for tension. (TLC: TapeLess Conical)

Picture of TLC Tugger

TugAhoy (tm)

A method of foreskin restoration involving two plastic shells, the outer one fitting so snugly over the restoring foreskin and the inner one that no adhesive is needed. Tension is applied through the inner shell, so that that the foreskin is actually pushed rather than pulled. Brandon Marr's website has more details.

Tugger (tm)

A weight shaped to fit the front of the glans, to which the restoring foreskin may be taped, with a hole for urination. (Formerly P.U.D., Penis Uncircumcising Device) Not to be confused with the TLC Tugger

Picture of Tugger (Penis Uncircumcising Device)

uncircumcise

Restore foreskin. "Uncircumcised" is not generally used in Intactivist circles to describe intact penises or men.

 

INTACTIVISM

circumcised mindset

Frame of mind prevalent in the US (and no doubt the Muslim world) in which

  • the circumcised penis is "normal"
  • the whole penis is "uncircumcised"
  • the foreskin is "extra skin"
  • the foreskin is "not part of the penis"
  • etc.

circumcised thinking
see circumcised mindset

disendow

Reduce endowment. A word (adapted to this sense in 1996 by John Antonopoulos of Montreal) whose derivatives, disendowment, etc., usefully remind people that circumcision reduces the size of the penis - something some men are said to care about.

intact

Whole (of man or penis, with his or its original foreskin) (L. = not touched)

Intactivism

The movement to protect children (whether male, female or intersexed) from having healthy parts of their genitals cut off.

Intactivist

The highest form of human life, one who selflessly devotes him/herself to the cause of Intactivism. (Word coined by Richard DeSeabra in 1995 - although not with this definition.)

Pictures of Intactivists (offsite)

Intactness Day

July 1, as far as possible from the Feast of the Circumcision, a yet-to-be-celebrated festival of intactness, whether achieved, wished for or worked for.

Intact Network

A group of intact and restoring men, and women, promoting Intactivism through the "Intact Network" newsletter.

"Intact Network"

A two-monthly newsletter promoting Intactivism, edited by Ken Derifield <intacnet@e-z.net>

Intact-Up

A yet-to-be-formed body that will retire Circumstraints (tm), rescue babies, spill mock-blood on hospital steps, disrupt meetings of circumcisors and (non-violently) bomb circumcision chambers.

Penis Day

(Date to be decided) A day set aside for celebrating the penis. (Some women will ask, "What day isn't?") At least one Japanese town already celebrates Penis Day (Hounen Matsuri), on March 15:

Penis Day - click for larger image

A National Penis Day (September 5) has been held in New Zealand. The New Zealand AIDS Foundation was frustrated in 2002 that it was not allowed to erect Smile a billboard showing men's naked torsos to publicise the event and to demystify the penis and male sexuality. In 2003 a radio station got large numbers of people to take their clothes off in public places to raise awareness of prostate cancer. Photographs from the event show that intactness is now normal in New Zealand.

 

ABBREVIATIONS

1ISC

First International Symposium on Circumcision, at Anaheim, California, March 1-3, 1989

2ISC

Second International Symposium on Circumcision, in San Francisco, California, April 30-May 3, 1991

3ISC

Third International Symposium on Circumcision, at the University of Maryland, May 22-25, 1994

4ISGM

Fourth International Symposium on Sexual Mutilations, at Lausanne, Switzerland, August 9-11, 1996

5ISGM

Fifth International Symposium on Sexual Mutilations, at Oxford, England, 5-7 August 1998

6ISGI

Sixth International Symposium on Genital Integrity, at the University of Sydney, Australia, December 7-9, 2000

6ISGI: Click for larger image
Click for a larger image with names

7ISGI

Seventh International Symposium on Genital Integrity, Washington DC, March-April 2002.

8ISGI

Eighth International Symposium on Genital Integrity, Padova (Padua), Italy, September 2-4 2004.

9ISGI

Ninth International Symposium on Circumcision, Genital Integrity and Human Rights, Seattle, Washington, August 24-26, 2006.

10ISGI

Tenth International Symposium on Circumcision, Genital Integrity and Human Rights, Keele, Staffordshire, UK, September 4-6, 2008.

11ISGI

Eleventh International Symposium on Circumcision, Genital Integrity and Human Rights, Berkeley, California, July 29-31, 2010.

AAP

American Academy of Pediatrics

ACOG

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

AHA

American Hospital Association

AMA

Albanian Medical Association; American Medical Association

ARC

Attorneys for the Rights of the Child

BDD

Body Dysmorphic (or Dismorphic) Disorder

BJU

British Journal of Urology

BMJ

British Medical Journal

BUFF

Brothers United for Future Foreskins, a restoration organisation ("mostly married heterosexuals" - Bud Berkeley)

c.

circumcise, circumcision. Many people try to avoid the words.

CAN-FAP

Canadian Foreskin Awareness Project, an advocacy group dedicated to “foreskin education, appreciation and stimulation,” founded by Glen Callender.

CF/IS or CD/IS

Circumcised Fathers [or Dads] of Intact Sons, a support group

CI

Coverage Index

circ[.]

circumcise, circumcision. Many Intactivists dislike this abbreviation because it trivialises (and - sounding like "dirk" - "masculinises? - HY) the operation.

circy

circumcision. A euphemism used by some nurses to still further trivialise the operation and infantilise the mother.

CIRP

Circumcision Information and Resource Pages

CMA

Canadian Medical Association

CPS

Canadian Paediatric Society

EBM

Evidence-based Medicine, generally considered a Good Thing (especially by those who can find evidence to support their case, regardless of its quality).

FGC

Female Genital Cutting, a more neutral term than Female Genital Mutilation

FGM

Female Genital Mutilation (previously known as female circumcision)

FGS

Female Genital Surgery, an inaccurate term for Female Genital Cutting when it is performed outside a surgical setting.

FIG

Fear, Ignorance, Greed - three of the main motivations for circumcision.

FoF

Friends of Foreskin, an Intactivist umbrella group (New Zealand)

FR

Foreskin Restoration

FS

ForeSkin

HGM

Human Genital Mutilation (FGM + MGM)

HOW

Healing Our Wounds, a San Francisco support group for circumcised men. Contact Wayne Goodman.

JAMA

Journal of the American Medical Association

IMAC

Intact Men Against Circumcision, an Intactivist organisation. They should sue Apple Computer for breach of copyright....

KOT

Keep On Tugging, farewell used by restoring men.

LC

Law Commission (UK)

MC

Male Circumcision, a term favoured by its proponents.

MGC

Male Genital Cutting, neutral term formed to parallel Female Genital Cutting

MGM

Male Genital Mutilation

NOCIRC

National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers

NOHARMM

National Organization to Halt the Abuse and Routine Mutilation of Males

NORM

National Organi[s/z]ation of Restoring Men, a restoration organisation. The US one has the domain name NORM.ORG

OB/GYN

Obstetrician/Gyn[a]ecologist. A doctor specialising in childbirth/women, with no particular expertise in male genitalia or baby boys. (L = one who stands in front / Gk = one who discourses on women)

POE

Point Of Equilibrium

P.U.D.

See Tugger.

RCT

  1. Randomised Controlled Trial. Medical experiment in which participants are randomly assigned into two or more groups, one group, (the control group) not having the test procedure done to it. The Gold Standard of medical tests is the Double Blinded Placebo Controlled Randomised Trial, in which neither experimenters nor subjects know which is receiving the experimental procedure, and the control group receives a treatment that does not include the procedure being tested for.
  2. Randomised Clinical Trial.
"RCTs are more commonly termed randomized controlled trials, but the RCTs in this case [for circumcision and HIV in South Africa, Kenya and Uganda] were clinical experiments and are referred to as randomized clinical trials." - Dowsett & Couch

RIC

Routine Infant Circumcision (an in-house Intactivist expression)

RS

Restore Skin (system)

SMEGMA.

Stop Mutilating Every Goy Manchild Automatically, a transient three-member organisation on a Compuserve holistic health group, headed by John Chastain. See also smegma.

TLC

Tender Loving Care, but in TLC Tugger, TapeLess Conical.

USA

(also) Uncircumcised Society of America, a club mainly for gay men with a foreskin fetish.

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Thanks to

the late Glenn M. J. Epps
the late John Erickson
Sami Aldeeb
Rudy the Alphacub
Mario I. Calderó (o-acute)
Peter Daniels
Geoffrey T. Falk
Al Fields
Dr Maarire Goodall
Nicholas Heer
George Hill
Jono Hoch
Frederick Hodges
Menahem Luz
Ken McGrath
Robert Meigs
Mr Martin B L Novoa
Chris Price
Karol Tees
R. Wayne
John Willcocks
Miles Witt

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