The Big C: Circumcision

Greetings: Rrhain, Crashfrog, Greyline, et. al.Take it from an old "uncut" manimal slut with a degree in biology/pre-med and a specialty in human anatomy and physiology:Circumcision may be "normal" but it ain't Natural.As Greyline attests, the foreskin acts to protect the glans penis. Not a mucous membrane though, greyline, but a very tender and sensitive tissue indeed, in its natural state. It is the glans which contains those rare and special nerve endings you were talking about, not the foreskin. Sorry about that. Those same "corpuscles" are found in the clitoris as well. I suspect you already know the evolutionary implications of that bit of trivia.My parents decided not to circumcize their boys. And the girls have their genitals intact as god intended. But they did have the girls tongues removed. Well, not the whole tongue, just the tip of it. Just enough to assure they they could not offend their future husbands with unhealthy or unattractive conversation. I think most men prefer their women that way. (The tongue only gets us into trouble anyway, according to the Bible). {hope you know this is written tongue-in-cheek} Seriously now. I have never been turned down by any female on the basis of the make, model, or serial number of my tool. By the same token, I have never turned down a female based on the curves, colors, or protuberances of her flesh. By the time we are ready to take that trip, we are way past kicking tires. In fact, even bald and weatherchecked tires can make a number of turns around the block. Anyhow, most of the time, this sort of thing starts out in the dark! Personality, character and intelligence are the universal beauty marks. But yes, let's stop chopping up the children. It would be arrogant and stupid of us to require other cultures to desist from altering their females while we reserve the right to alter our males. A sexist double standard. An hypocrisy that would not be lost on anyone looking at it from the other side of our fence.I've only read about half this thread. The last half. Has anyone discussed the hemorrhaging and infections which used to kill a number of freshly circumcized infants? Could we call that Natural Selection of the Surgically Unfit?This sort of conversation drives me ape!

The most notable characteristic of mucous membrane is that it is moist, wet to the touch in fact. The mouth contains mucous membrane. The vagina contains mucous membrane. I have never before heard the assertion that foreskin contains mucous membrane. My personal experience, as well as my education, suggest otherwise. If it is so, then I would like to know more. Perhaps you could provide a link to the article you mentioned, or otherwise identify where this information may be reviewed? I'll go along with the last part -"not leathery and dry." Wet does describe the default condition of mucous membrane, but it does not describe the default condition of the glans/foreskin interface. In fact, there are times when when the foreskin seems to be attached to the glans with adhesive. A mucous membrane would not permit this situation. Indeed, but it is not the foreskin which provides the pleasure.
I believe it was Rrhain who alluded to glands in the urethra which produce a lubricant. If the glans were already sheathed in mucous, such a lubricant would be unnecessary, or at least redundent. As for the presence of Meissner's corpuscles in the foreskin - there are none in mine. Once again, my education would deny that they should be expected there. Please provide reference.Your argument is good and getting better. I hope that clarification of these details will help to assure that it becomes unassailable.db

There are also glands, in the eurethra, which produce a superb lubricant. It's purpose seems to be to facilite ejaculation. It is sometimes called "pre-ejaculate fluid."

Thank you for the link. Indeed, this information was not in circulation when I was at university. I think the following quote from the site does a pretty good job of summing up the argument against routine circumcision:

quote:

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"Clearly, the penis is a complex organ with many different parts, each specialized for a specific role." British Journal of Urology, Volume 77, 291-295, February 1996.

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Doesn't anyone graduate Sunday School?