A Cut Above: Circumcision as an Ancient Status Symbol
Presented in part at the Annual Meeting of the Medical History Society of New Jersey, Princeton, New Jersey, May 21, 2008.
Received 22 October 2009; accepted 23 January 2010. published online 09 April 2010.
Circumcision is the only surgical procedure imbued with multiple sacred meanings across many cultures. Though countless medical benefits have been attributed to circumcision, it is an operation that historically has had greater symbolic significance than medical utility. We examine how the symbolic significance of circumcision influences how it is performed in a medical context.
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey
Reprint requests: David Kaicher, M.D., St. Vincent's Hospital, 203 West 12th Street, Suite 2061, New York, NY 10011
ABSTRACT