Circumcision: A History Of The World's Most Controversial Surgery

David L. Gollaher

ISBN 10: 0465026532 / ISBN 13: 9780465026531

Published by Basic Books, 2001

About this Item

This worldwide history of circumcision, from ancient times to the present, looks at the procedure as initiation, religious and social ritual, and indicator of ethnic and social status Num Pages: 272 pages, black & white illustrations. BIC Classification: MBX; MN. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 229 x 154 x 18. Weight in Grams: 418. . 2001. Paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9780465026531

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Circumcision: A History Of The World's Most Controversial Surgery
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Publication Date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0465026532
• ISBN 13: 9780465026531
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

From the extraordinarily painful initiation rite of the ancient Egyptians, through the Hebrew purification ritual, through its use by nineteenth-century doctors as prevention for ailments including bedwetting, paralysis, and epilepsy, circumcision has had a long and varied history. Perhaps the greatest mystery, however, is its persistence over time through vastly different social contexts.Historian of medicine David Gollaher takes a comprehensive look at the practice in this lively, scholarly history. Circumcision also addresses the growing controversy over the procedure's continuance, and those opposing routine circumcision will find support here. Gollaher concludes that "if male circumcision were confined to developing nations, it would by now have emerged as an international cause cébre."

About the Author

Dr. Gollaher is President and CEO of the California Healthcare Institute and the author of Voice for the Mad: The Life of Dorothea Dix. He lives in San Diego, California.