You have accessJournal of UrologyHistory of Urology Forum I (HF01)1 Sep 2021HF01-09 A CUT ABOVE THE REST: HISTORIC PERSPECTIVES OF CIRCUMCISION AND ANESTHESIA Ellen Lutnick, Kyle Waisanen, and Kevin Pranikoff Ellen LutnickEllen Lutnick More articles by this author , Kyle WaisanenKyle Waisanen More articles by this author , and Kevin PranikoffKevin Pranikoff More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000001992.09AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: To explore the origins of circumcision and the use of anesthesia along the journey. METHODS: Literature review via PubMed journal articles, texts, and historical discussion detailing the evolution of circumcision and accompanying anesthesia throughout history. RESULTS: Earliest records of circumcision described religious rather than scientific rationale, marking a boy’s ascension to manhood. Documentation of the earliest practices of anesthesiology are relevant to urology through these traditions. Circumcision is first noted in Egyptian temple hieroglyphics dated to 4000 BCE, depicting young men restrained with a priest performing the cut wielding a knife. As early as 2500 BCE, circumcision in ancient Egypt was the first known surgical procedure utilizing anesthesia. A mixture rendered from calcium carbonate and acetic acid formed carbon dioxide on the prepuce resulting in the first rendition of cryo-analgesia. Egypt was not the only African culture performing circumcision during this time period. Assyrian records dating back to 400 BCE describe a similar methodology, but also transcribed another primitive method of anesthesia. Assyrians utilized digital compression of the carotid arteries to produce anesthetic effects of both altered consciousness and decreased procedural pain. Carotid compression as anesthesia was commonplace enough that it influenced the language for which the carotid blood vessels are described in both Greek and Russian with translation as “The Artery of Sleep”. As the practice was adopted by the Israelites, infant circumcision was acknowledged on the eighth day of life representative of the covenant between God and Abram. It is considered that this shift may have been related to a pubescent male’s ability to refuse the religious covenant on the basis of the painful procedure, while an infant is unable to object. The Jewish tradition of brit milah utilizes a few drops of wine in the mouth of the infant, both as a form of analgesia and symbolic of the sealed covenant. It is hypothesized that the sugar interacts with the opiate receptors in the brain which is enhanced by the suckling action, providing comfort. Today, approximately 1 of 3 males worldwide are circumcised, with 55% of physicians performing infant circumcision choosing not to utilize any form of anesthesia, citing lack of necessity and anesthetic risk. CONCLUSIONS: Since their earliest documented history, anesthetic techniques have contributed to and been intertwined with the practices of circumcision. Source of Funding: None © 2021 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 206Issue Supplement 3September 2021Page: e230-e230 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2021 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Ellen Lutnick More articles by this author Kyle Waisanen More articles by this author Kevin Pranikoff More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Loading ...
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