CIRCUMCISION, an amputation of the foreskin, or labia minors of the human organs of generation; principally performed on males, but sometimes on females. It has been practised in all ages and by both civilized and savage races, as Arabs, certain African tribes, Chris tian Abyssinians, Australian ublacks,b Malays, some North American Indians, Aztecs, Mayas, Caribs, South American Indians, Jews, Moham medans, Fijians and Samoans.
In the male, the operation consists in re moving a section of the prepuce. The original object was religious and symbolic and its an tiquity is lost in the shade of mythology. The institution of the rite among the Jews is re corded in Gen. xvii. Here it is stated that Abraham, then 99 years old, was himself cir cumcised, with his son Ishmael, 13 years old, °and all that were born in his house and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house?' But by the terms of the covenant every man-child among the Hebrews was to be circumcised on the eighth day after birth, and this rule, peculiar to the race, is adhered to with such rigor that even the Sabbath observances are not allowed to interfere with the ceremony. Other Eastern nations have practised circumcision on various days— the Arabs 7, 14, 21 or 28 days after birth, though Josephus states that in his day the Arabs circumcised after the age of 13 on account of the circumcision of Ishmael, their progenitor, taking place at that age; the Moham medans of Persia circumcise in the third or fourth year; Fijians and Samoans in the seventh year; the Christian Abyssinians in the sixth, seventh or eighth year; while, some of the African tribes that practise the rite follow the Jewish rule ; others, again, performing the ceremony between 30 and 60 days after birth. • Circumcision is universally practised by Mohammedans, not on the authority of the Koran, which does not enjoin it, but as follow ing the example of Mohammed. It seems to be doubtful whether Mohammed's omission to prescribe the rite was due to his deeming such a rule valueless where custom already decreed it, or because he attached only a physiological and not a religious importance to the ceremony. It
is, however, now recognized as a religious obli gation just as strongly as if it had been ordained by the founder of Islam. Circum cision among Mohammedans may be practised seven days after birth, but it is customary to postpone the ceremony to some time between the 7th and 12th year.
Christianity recognizes no religious signifi cance in the rite, substituting for it, according to Saint Paul (Rom. ii, 25-29) °circumcision of the heart.° The Church, however, celebrates as a festival the first of January, as being the day of the circumcision of its founder.
Circumcision of proselytes to the Jewish or Mohammedan faith is insisted on by the ortho dox, and previous circumcision for surgical reasons is not accepted as sufficient compliance with the requirements of religion. Among some °reformed° Jews, however, the circumcision of adults has lately been abandoned. Among many savage tribes the rite is undergone at the age of puberty and is perhaps in such instances more of a sociological than a religious cere mony, being akin to other mystic rites which mark the entrance of the young into full tribal fellowship.
The circumcision of women is effected by the removal of a portion or the whole of the clitoris. It is perhaps practised more in Arabia than elsewhere, but has never prevailed among Jews. The inner significance of circum cision is psychological. It is a purely symbolic rite, the origin of which is lost for the con scious life of the individual. It has no intrinsic medical value whatever, save where some mal development is present. The motive of cleanli ness is solely a rationalization to endeavor to explain its deeper psychological significance as a type of racial identification and an index of the father pixation fantasy in the uncon scious. The operation is sometimes attended with grave consequences, hence should be done by surgeons only.