The Practice of Circumcision Throughout History

Abstract

For a long time, the issue regarding the prac tice of circumcision has been attracting the attention of many historians, ethnologists, philosophers, sociologists, doctors, archaeolo gists, and others who studied this phenomenon in accordance with their fields of study. Every field made their contribution to this phenom enon so today we know far more than about a hundred years ago. Archaeology distinguished itself from other fields of study by discovering cave paintings depicting circumcision from the Stone Age dating back to several tens of thousands years ago. Namely, these paint ings undoubtedly indicate that the practice of circumcision developed from the fertility cult, because people, even in prehistory, realized that male sexual function is the guarantee for community survival. That capability is, even today, closely related to inflammation of the prostate, i.e. a penile defect when the foreskin is too tight so it cannot be pulled back from the head (glans) of the penis. Con sequently, residual urine drops cause heavy inflammation along with sexual dysfunction.

After studying this issue, scientists concluded that tribes and peoples from all over the world eventually realized that the aforementioned problem can be solved by medical interven tion, that is, by stretching the foreskin and cutting the narrow tip, enabling the male for intercourse and procreation.

Comparative study of this phenomenon from all around the world determined that, because of the aforesaid reason, circumcision was performed by both culturally primitive tribes from the rainforests of South and Central America, Oceania, Australia, Africa, and highly devel oped civilizations like Egyptians, the Semitic peoples including Jews, Arabs, Edomites, Colchians, and many others whose written and monument legacy mention this phenomenon.