Anybody know why? Evolution Q?!
Question:
Anybody know why? Evolution Q?
Hi. Does anybody know why humans have the foreskin? Is it because we didnt have clothes so we used to foreskin to protect the penis from getting dirty? Does it hurt babies when we cut off their little flap flap? Also, how do we go about removing it on the babies? Just with scissors? Do we use novacain first? Can the foreskin be safely removed as a do-it-yourself procedure? Can I go to a doctors office and tell him to cut it off for me? THANKS!
Answers:
Yes, it does hurt. See here.
http://www.cirp.org/library/procedure/pl...
Overall, circumcision is becoming less popular. It was removed more often before (probably since it was harder to keep clean) but now rates are as low as 14% in some states, and the USA is the last advanced nation to do it. Europeans, Japanese, and Latin Americans don't do it.
http://forums.govteen.com/showpost.php?p...
The foreskin has plenty of functions. It has nerve endings that keep it sensitive, and it keeps the head lubricated (so you don't need lubes to masturbate) and sensitive (to enjoy sex more).
http://www.cirp.org/pages/anat/...
http://www.circumstitions.com/sexuality....
You can get it removed, but it would hurt for some time. You wouldn't be able to masturbate for a few weeks, and pain would accompany that time. In addition, you have plenty or risks. Peter, I previously had problems with my foreskin and now it's fine. Feel free to e-mail me from my profile if you have any questions; I'll be more than happy to help!
Here are the risks of circumcision. You have to weigh those in with the 'benefits' that you'd get. If you're not having problems with your foreskin, removing it would get you almost no benefits (and if unlucky you could fall into those risks).
Overall, both types of guys have about the same levels of satisfaction (uncircumcised guys more by one point or two; see question 17 in link below) but the difference comes it where about half of circumcised guys said they would have rather chosen; I guess that's why circumcision rates are falling a lot (and the USA is the only advanced nation to do it).
http://www.jackinworld.com/library/surve...
http://www.jackinworld.com/qow/q15.html...
Less sensitivity / pleasure (due to constant rubbing of the head)
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs...
http://www.circumstitions.com/sexuality....
More difficulty with masturbation (since the already-lubricated foreskin wouldn't be there to rub the head with)
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs...
Meatal stenosis (when the urethra opening gets irritated due to constant rubbing and closes up); not found in uncircumcised guys
http://www.drgreene.com/21_1137.html...
Higher erectile dysfunction rates
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query...
Again, less sensitivity
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query...
Shorter penis (a guy who was circumcised posted about that this morning; he went from 7 to 5 inches) caused by skin pulling it back due to tightness
http://drgreene.org/body.cfm?id=21&actio...
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...
Skin bridges (where pieces of skin attach to the head, like bridges)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query...
And those are the major ones. Those are risks; they're not guaranteed, just like the risks for being uncircumcised are not universal. Everyone's different. I've provided you with the links so you can compare the rates and such, some are common, with the masturbation difficulty in the 63% range, while others are less common, like meatal stenosis (around 10%). I guess that's why circumcision is becoming less popular; only the USA is the last remaining advanced/industrialized nation to do it, and our rates are falling (to as low as 14%).
http://forums.govteen.com/showpost.php?p...
As far as STDs go, studies have found it for both ways. Here's one that found that circumcised guys have higher rates, for example:
http://www.menweb.org/msnbcirc.htm...
My view is that if you have a lot of partners and practice unprotected sex, you're bound to eventually get an STD, but if you're clean and smart, you'll generally be safe.
As far as HIV/AIDS infections go, when comparing industrialized countries, the USA has the highest level of circumcisions, yet we still have the highest level of HIV/AIDS infections. That's using CIA statistics (uncircumcised Europe and Japan have lower rates):
https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/fac...
And the American Cancer Society has already said that circumcision does not prevent penile cancer.
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/conten...
As far as cleaning goes, you just pull it back and rub the head. It only takes a few seconds and feels good (you're rubbing the head after all). That's never been an issue for me (and it seems like it isn't for the rest of the world).
So as you can see... there's plenty of both. =P