Clinton, the medical benefits have already mentioned above, but here they are again. One is a documented decrease in the incidence of cervical cancer in the partners of circumcised men. The other is a documented decrease in the incidence of urinary tract infections (including pyelonephritis, or infection of the kidney, and urosepsis, or bloodstream infection starting in the urinary tract, both of which can be fatal) in circumcised male infants under one year of age. Again, does that justify circumcision? Not necessarily. Would it justify it in the mind of someone whose child had a severe or even fatal urinary tract infection? You bet your bippy, but that's not how public policy is made.

To answer the question about bathing baby: In a small number of boys, the foreskin is retractable at birth. In most, it's firmly attached to the glans--removing these adhesions to loosen the foreskin is half of the circumcision procedure in a newborn. It becomes retractable in most boys some time between infancy and puberty--yes, that's a very wide window. Until it is easily retractable, it should not be forcibly pulled back. Once it is easily retractable, it should be pulled back and the glans cleaned on a regular basis.

There will be a short quiz next week.

Aloha,
Mark