The power of anecdote

[JohnC]

In the "other forum" we read:

I also experienced many boys having to have it done later in life due to infection when working in a children's hospital. (emphasis added)

Working in a hospital could lead one to conclude health problems of every conceivable kind are common -- everyone you meet has one! It says absolutely nothing about how common any particular problem might be.

Well, circumcision for balanoposthitis (inflammation of the foreskin and/or glans) is uncommon, to say the least. In the year to June 2008 a total of 493 boys under the age of 15 years were circumcised for this reason: that would be a total cumulative risk of 0.34%. In other words 34 boys out of 10,000 may require a circumcision later for "infection".

As usual the real reason for amputating an infant's foreskin are to be found elsewhere. This from the same post caught my eye:

It does look better ...

The fact some mothers impose their personal sexual aesthetics on their children is no surprise. Nor is the fact they often try to disguise (even from themselves) this motive with "medical" mythologising. It's just sad.

[bada]

This from the same post caught my eye:

The fact some mothers impose their personal sexual aesthetics on their children is no surprise. Nor is the fact they often try to disguise (even from themselves) this motive with "medical" mythologising. It's just sad.

Yes that line screamed out at me too

[serendipity22]

Some mothers say circumcised looks more natural????

Something is really mixed up there.

I think though in some contexts though anecdote can be evidence.

One US doctor on a website says he has repaired hundreds of botched infant circumcisions in a year.
I will see if I can find the link.

[Goblin Queen]

I have to say this, I think the porn industry actually plays a part in this. The only penis most girls see before they have sex is in porn and pretty much all of those are circed. When it's in a state of arousal, an uncircumcised penis looks the same as a circumcised penis anyway so to me, purely from a sexual point of view, I think that point is moot.

That being said, I think aesthetics is one of the worst reasons people use for circumcising their child. *sigh*