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Circumcision: The Gilgal Society Price: £25/$40
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THIS IS a monumental production of 250 A4pp, extensively illustrated in black and white with an interesting full colour cover. The latter, I learned from the publishers, is the contribution of a professional print designer who experienced having to be circumcised in childhood. Considering that the subject of this book is what many consider to be a trivial operation, one could be forgiven for assuming such a tome would be dedicated to heart by-pass surgery. Proportionately it might be assumed that a mere pamphlet would cover something as simple as circumcision. But is it that simple? The title of the publication is only one word: 'Circumcision' writ large, but the subtitle: 'An ethnomedical study' defines its object. Thus, it is an academic work which is destined for libraries, public and private, where it will serve as a resource for overlapping disciplines. Historians, anthropologists, geographers, students of culture, sexology and medicine, will all find an abundance of relevant information. Indeed, parents too, if they are seeking to be informed before making the decision on whether or not to circumcise their son. As the author reminds us, this is the world's oldest and most frequently performed operation. It has arisen independently in differing cultures across the world. It is variously justified in religious ritual, rites of passage, medical expediency or prophylactic, and easier penile hygiene. It captures personal ambitions for body image and improved sexual performance. It flourishes in societies as diverse as Australian Aboriginal tribes and the United States of America. Clearly, the task of organising the mountain of data which the author has gathered, is a tricky one. While focusing on one area, it is easy to stray into another. A discourse on methods may need to touch simultaneously on anatomy and history, instruments and results. Inevitably this gives rise to some duplication, but the book is none the worse for that if it is to be used as a dip-in reference. The reader is helped by a comprehensive table of contents which is set out in three parts, the whole occupying some five pages of detailed topics plus a list of illustrations. In Part I we are introduced to the subject with the anatomy, and variations of penises as they arrive delivered from the factory and as they grow into the adult model. It runs the gamut of naturally arising abnormalities and acquired penile problems. Clearly, nature deals most unfairly with many unfortunate males in this department. There is ample evidence of a lack of quality control at the manufacturing stage hence the need for in-service modifications - often soon after delivery and long before serious use. In some situations, it describes remedies that stop short of circumcision. Then, launching into the subject proper, there is a summary of the extent to which circumcision is performed worldwide, and the varied means by which it is accomplished. This résumé goes into the history and detail of instruments and techniques and ends the section with a discussion on the outcome that each provides. Part II expands on the global dimension of the procedure and the variations evolved in religious and tribal ritual. This section both in text and pictures, is not for the squeamish. (Nor for that matter, are some of the Part I photos of defects). Many who peruse these pages will comfort themselves on their good fortune in being born into a modern society, ie, one where there is no requirement to undergo an un-anaesthetised public circumcision as a demonstration of your maturity. At the end, the scope of the book expands to cover penis piercing and jewellery, decoration, infibulation, and some of the wilder extremes of penile modification. And, just in case you are not happy with your circumcision, there is an explanation of 'un-circumcision' or 'foreskin restoration'. It takes all sorts.... Part III covers individuals' experience of circumcision and the practicalities of the decision to do it. It borrows extensively from 'Forum' magazine which, a couple of decades ago, did a landmark survey of readers who had experienced this procedure later in life, or arranged it for their sons. This enquiry drew and tabulated some fascinating results. 'Forum' has also long been a platform where strong and opposing views on circumcision have been exchanged. In the course of this, many correspondents have disclosed their before and after experiences in adulthood. Some of these letters have been lifted and augmented by anecdotes from other sources tapped by the author. A few are extremely long and detailed and do enter obsessive fetish territory. I would have preferred to see more input from women - there are only a couple of short pieces. More than that, it would be good to have views and experiences from mothers of baby boys. They are in the objective situation of being the recipients of penises, circumcised or otherwise, in the creative process. Postpartum, as principal child carer, it is often the mother who makes, or largely influences, the decision to circumcise a boy. She too is the one who usually has to arrange the procedure and deal with his healing and aftercare. Perhaps some future edition will explore this avenue? Not all boys are circumcised in infancy: many have to be cut at different ages all through to puberty. The book has a valuable assessment of the considerations which apply to doing it during the tender stages of childhood. At the outset the author declares himself to be pro-circumcision. However, he makes a good 'devil's advocate' and the disadvantages and hazards of circumcision are not excluded or glossed over. The book concludes with a valuable and comprehensive set of five Appendices covering a glossary, bibliography, and resources for instruments and devices. It publishes a useful list of URLs to internet sites where the subject is has been increasingly covered and debated in recent years. At £25 this is priced as a professional textbook - modest in consideration of its production costs. An expensive investment for parents perhaps? There are in any case many other short tracts written to advise them one way or the other on this subject, each claiming they contain 'all the facts'. Nevertheless, it is arguable that the price of this more extensive work could be justified for a parent who is about to decide the fate of his or her young son's foreskin. Circumcision is for life and for most who are cut as babies, it's a long life to live with it. This implies an obligation to do informed research before ordering an irreversible operation on another person's behalf. It is interesting that enquiries have revealed that most parents circumcise their boys for reasons of personal preference and a gut instinct that 'it is better for them'. This being so, they may feel the expenditure is worthwhile if only to confirm their instincts are correct. |
