Thanks for all the emails on circumcision. I’ve long suspected that this is an issue people care about but that our squeamish culture shies away from. Two points stand out, so to speak. The first is that circumcision for men clearly and indisputably lessens sensitivity and therefore sexual pleasure. Some would argue that this slows sex down, helps control premature ejaculation, and so on. But again, this is so subjective a choice, surely it should be left up to the man whose weenie is going to go under the knife. Secondly, the notion that it’s more painful for a grown-up, and is therefore best performed on infants, is complete projection. How do we know? If anything, the evidence points in the opposite direction, viz this email:
I’m not sure why it is so commonly believed that circumcision is easier on infants than adults. Perhaps this idea persists from the time, not so long ago, when it was believed that infants did not feel pain. There are two reasons why circumcision is almost certainly harder on infants.
1. The foreskin is naturally fused to the glans at birth, in something like the way that kitten are born with their eyes fused shut. Natural separation takes several years. Thus, the foreskin and the glans have to be torn apart, injuring them both, in order for the foreskin to be cut off.
2. We now are beginning to understand the vulnerability of the infant nervous system. The spinal cord response to pain is larger and lasts longer in infants. When infant nerve cells die, other nerve cells fill the gap and make inappropriate connections, thus permanently distorting the nervous system. This can lead to hypersensitivity. We know, for instance, that circumcised boys have a greater pain response to their 4 to 6 month vaccinations. Thus, while the long-term effects of infant pain are still something of a mystery, it seems quite imprudent to cause infants any unnecessary pain or injury.
I have no memory of my own mutilation experience. My mother told me recently that I screamed for hours in pain and shock. Because I don’t recall it now doesn’t mean it wasn’t traumatic then. Can you imagine our medical system doing this unnecessary procedure in any other context? I’m sorry but this is an indefensible practice.
The Dish 