Abstract
The smaller the structure, the greater is the curiosity it evokes. Foreskin is no exception to this philosophical maxim. Although this tiny organ is present in all mammalian species, only the human foreskin has become a subject of much controversy over the past 5000 years. Romans named it as ‘prepuce’ as it is protruding before (pre-) the tip of penis (putos); it was later euphemistically translated in English as ‘foreskin’. The earliest known pictorial depiction of this organ dates back to Egyptian kingdoms and it has been discussed extensively in the Bible; yet, the words ‘prepuce’ or ‘foreskin’ were not known until 1350 CE and 1500 CE respectively. In Biblical times this organ was known as ‘orlah’ in Hebrew. Historical account of the prepuce is inseparably intertwined with that of its excision (circumcision). Three major religions of the world have strong views about circumcision, which is perhaps one of the two oldest surgical operations known to mankind—the other being craniotomy. Evolutionary purpose of the organ and the origin of its excision are largely conjectural and hence a source of great disagreement. The following narration is constructed up on available evidences filling up the gaps with logical extrapolation.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Taves D. The intromission function of the foreskin. Med Hypotheses. 2002;59:180–2.
Darby R. A surgical temptation: the demonization of the foreskin and the rise of circumcision in Great Britain. Chicago: University of Chicago Press; 2005.
Angulo JC, García-Díez M. Male genital representation in paleolithic art: erection and circumcision before history. Urology. 2009;74:10–4.
Raveenthiran V. On the origin of circumcision. J Pediatr Surg. 2018;53:1877–8.
Raveenthiran V. Tracing the origins of circumcision. J Pediatr Surg. 2019;54:360–1.
Raveenthiran V. The penis in history. In: Fahmy M, editor. Congenital anomalies of the penis. Cham: Springer International; 2017. p. 15–31.
Raveenthiran V. The evolutionary saga of circumcision from a religious perspective. J Pediatr Surg. 2018;53:1440–3.
Friedman DM. A mind of its own: a cultural history of the penis. London: Robert Hale; 2001.
Dunsmuir WD, Gordon EM. The history of circumcision. BJU Int. 1999;83(Suppl):s1–12.
Griffiths JG. The origins of Osiris and his cult. Leiden: EJ Brill; 1980.
Hodges FM. Phimosis in antiquity. World J Urol. 1999;17:133–6.
Kaicher DC, Swan KG. A cut above: circumcision as an ancient status symbol. Urology. 2010;76:18–20.
Gollaher DL. Circumcision: a history of the world’s most controversial surgery. New York: Basic Books; 2000.
Shaw I, editor. The Oxford history of ancient Egypt. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2000.
Freud S. Moses and Monotheism (English translation by Jones K). Hertfordshire: Hogarth Press; 1939.
Aggleton P. A social history of male circumcision. Reprod Health Matters. 2007;15:15–21.
Hodges FM. The ideal prepuce in ancient Greece and Rome: male genital aesthetics and their relation to lipodermos, circumcision, foreskin restoration, and the kynodesme. Bull Hist Med. 2001;75:375–405.
Ciaglia P. The “David” of Michelangelo or (why the foreskin?). JAMA. 1971;218:1304.
Schultheiss D, Mattelaer JJ, Hodges FM, et al. Preputial infibulation: from ancient medicine to modern genital piercing. BJU Int. 2003;92:758–63.
The Holy Bible (King James Version). www.davinci.com/bible. Accessed 4 Aug 2019.
Mattelaer JJ, Schipper RA, Das S. The circumcision of Jesus Christ. J Urol. 2007;178:31–4.
Rizvi SA, Naqvi SA, Hussain M, Hasan AS. Religious circumcision: a Muslim view. BJU Int. 1999;83(Suppl 1):13–6.
Kathir I. The life of the prophet Muhammad (English translation of Al Sira al Nabawiyya by Gassick TL), vol. 1. Reading: Garner Publishing; 1998.
Amin Ud Din M. Aposthia - a motive of circumcision origin. Iran J Public Health. 2012;41:84.
Androustsos G. Le phimosis de Louis XVI (1754-1793) aurait-il été à l’origine de ses difficultés sexuelles et de sa fécondité retardée? Prog Urol. 2002;12:132–7.
Freud S. Totem and taboo (English translation by Brill AA). New York: Moffat-Yard; 1918.
Muller AJ. To cut or not to cut? Personal factors influence primary care physicians’ position on elective circumcision. J Men’s Health. 2010;7:227–32.
van der Kolk BA. The compulsion to repeat the trauma. Re-enactment, re-victimization, and masochism. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 1989;12:389–411.
Bettelheim B. Symbolic wounds: pubertal rites and envious male. New York: Collier Books; 1962.
Brekell J. A dissertation upon the subject of circumcision containing an inquiry into the original of this religious rite. London: Waugh; 1763.
Charles W. Motives for male circumcision among preliterate and literate peoples. J Sex Res. 1966;2:69–88.
Vardanyan AV. Socially constructed phallus: an anthropological inquiry of male circumcision. M.A. Thesis in Anthropology. Northridge: California State University; 2007.
Hunt A. The great masturbation panic and the discourses of moral regulation in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Britain. J Hist Sex. 1998;8:575–615.
Sayre LA. Circumcision versus epilepsy, etc. Med Rec. 1870;71(5):233–4.
Remondino PC. History of circumcision from the earliest times to the present. London: F. A. Davis; 1891.
Van Howe RS, Hodges FM. The carcinogenicity of smegma: debunking a myth. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2006;20:1046–54.
Gairdner D. The fate of the foreskin, a study of circumcision. Br Med J. 1949;2(4642):1433–7.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Raveenthiran, V. (2020). History of the Prepuce. In: Normal and Abnormal Prepuce. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37621-5_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37621-5_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-37620-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-37621-5
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)