LOL
Alright, alright, before you go shaking your head wondering if Ranger Man’s posts are heading downhill in a heartbeat, hear me out. A SHTFblog SHTF homie has posted on his blog his personal debate on whether or not to have his unborn son get the ole snippity snip snip after birth. Check the post right here. The post is funny, I laughed and laughed.
Now, the question I wonder is whether there is a strategic advantage to waving bye bye to the foreskin in a post-apocalyptic world. Religion beliefs aside, this could be a tough, possibly irrelevant call. It depends on who you listen to as there is conflicting scientific data to support both sides. Recent rates of HIV and STDs in Africa have prompted a move toward circumcision. The National Institute for Health reported that circumcision reduces the risk of HIV transmission by as much as 50%. But is the real problem here just a matter of cleanliness and protected sex? If so, would there be a strategic advantage to being circumcised in the post-apocalyptic world when soap and medical care will be difficult to come by? Would circumcision be an additional defense against contracting something from the “women of the night” that resort to the “oldest profession” in tough times?
It’s an interesting debate, really. Some say the sex is better if the glands in the foreskin are left intact. But then you can find information (like on this page) where a Swedish man gets a circumcision later in life and claims the chics dig it and the sex is actually better. Perhaps finding an answer to the debate is as futile as finding an answer to whether or not an AR-15 is better than an AK-47 (lol – what? they’re all guns . . . sorta – lol).
Perhaps the biggest issue in the Doomsday world will be for people that have religious beliefs surrounding circumcision. Those individuals, giving birth to boys, will be tempted to perform the procedure. Rest assured, it can be done without the marvels of modern medicine. In fact, its history goes back a long, long, very long way. Know that you’ll need a sterile environment and (preferably) some type of anesthesia. There are a few different techniques on how to get it done. If you want to see how – go here – just know that there are pics.
Lastly, on a somewhat related note, you can also read my past post on birth control in the post-apocalyptic world.
- Ranger Man
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{ 8 comments }
To Funny not something most people would think about.
Lower incidence of cervical cancer for women w/ circumcised partners.
A new human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine offers protection against both penile and cervical cancers. Fear of cancer cannot be used to support the practice of male circumcision.
http://tinyurl.com/7t7wj
Harper DM, Franco EL, Wheeler C, et al. Efficacy of a bivalent L1 virus-like particle vaccine in prevention of infection with human papillomavirus types 16 and 18 in young women: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2004;364(9447):1757-65.
http://tinyurl.com/5g7rsn
Van Howe RS, Hodges FM. The carcinogenicity of smegma: debunking a myth. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2006;20(9):1046.
http://tinyurl.com/5l4mrr
without circumcision there is a higher possibility of urinary tract infection.
Not good in SHTF.
Neither of our monkeys (the oldest being 14) are circumcised, and neither was my dad or grandfathers (all born at home). No one is my family has had any problem with dirt or diseases. (BTW…I wouldn’t take the cervical cancer shot…too many girls have died or have had serious side effects from it). Nor is there any greater rate of such diseases in Europe, where hardly anyone is circumcised.
Circumcision has been promoted as a behavior modification strategy and/or to prevent various diseases, most recently AIDS or HIV. However, in the United States, where 75% of adult men are circumcised, circumcision has done nothing to prevent HIV, or any other disease. For example, HIV prevalence in the USA is 3 to 7.6 times that in many European countries, where circumcision is rare.
The foreskin consists of loose moveable skin and mucosa similar to the lips of the mouth, rich in sensory nerve endings and specialized immune cells, which help provide protection from STDs, including HIV. The foreskin is significantly more sensitive than the rest of the penis. Moisture under the foreskin contains lysozyme, an enzyme with antibacterial and antiviral properties. ‘Nough said
You might also want to check out the following:
Canadian Paediatric Society
http://www.cps.ca/english/statements/fn/fn96-01.htm
“Recommendation: Circumcision of newborns should not be routinely performed.”
http://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/babies/Circumcision.htm
“Circumcision is a non-therapeutic” procedure, which means it is not medically necessary. Parents who decide to circumcise their newborns often do so for religious, social or cultural reasons. To help make the decision about circumcision, parents should have information about risks and benefits. It is helpful to speak with your baby’s doctor.
After reviewing the scientific evidence for and against circumcision, the CPS does not recommend routine circumcision for newborn boys. Many paediatricians no longer perform circumcisions.”
Royal Australasian College of Physicians
http://www.racp.edu.au/download.cfm?DownloadFile=A453CFA1-2A57-5487-DF36DF59A1BAF527
“After extensive review of the literature the Royal Australasian College of Physicians reaffirms that there is no medical indication for routine neonatal circumcision.”
(those last nine words are in bold on their website, and almost all the men responsible for this statement will be circumcised themselves, as the male circumcision in Australia in 1950 was about 90%. “Routine” circumcision is now *banned* in public hospitals in Australia in all states except one.)
British Medical Association
http://www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/Content/malecircumcision2006?OpenDocument&Highlight=2,circumcision#Circumcisionformedicalpurposes
“to circumcise for therapeutic reasons where medical research has shown other techniques to be at least as effective and less invasive would be unethical and inappropriate.”
National Health Service (UK)
http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=649
”Many people have strong views about whether circumcision should be carried out or not. It is not routinely performed in the UK because there is no clear clinical evidence to suggest that it is has any medical benefit.”
Canadian Children’s Rights Council
http://www.canadiancrc.com/Circumcision_Genital_Mutilation_Male-Female_Children.aspx
“It is the position of the Canadian Children’s Rights Council that “circumcision” of male or female children is genital mutilation of children.
…
The Canadian Children’s Rights Council position is that there is no medical benefit to the routine genital mutilation (circumcision) of any children (defined by U.N. as those under 18 years of age). Further, all Canadian children, both male and female, should be protected by the criminal laws of Canada with regards to this aggravated assault. Currently, the protection provided by the Criminal Code of Canada includes only genital mutilation (circumcision) of female children.”
I think calling it “snippity snip snip” really reduces the degree of pain and level of intrusion involved in the surgery. It is more than just a “snip” or whatever cutesy name you want to call it.
There are no significant medical benefits for infant circumcision (see the AAP stance). Any “benefits” are marginal and highly debatable. The risks far outweigh those debatable benefits.
For example, women get far more UTIs than either intact males or circumcised males. No one is suggesting we circumcise women. In fact, people get up in arms about it.
I also think that promoting circumcision as a way to prevent HIV is problematic. The BEST way and the ONLY way to prevent the spread of HIV is safe sex. Use a condom or better yet abstain.
It puts men and women alike at risk to falsely push the idea that circumcision is a significant cure all for HIV. (see below articles)
http://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/pdf/10.2217/17469600.2.1.1
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/05/prweb916104.htm
Just some things to think about… Keep your babies whole.