A look at the devices and tools of the circumcision trade, and how many times society has tried to reinvent them.
Possibly the world’s oldest surgery, circumcision has seen many forms however it was in the late 1800’s when doctors began to take over the practice in a widespread manner across Western cultures. With that has come the invention of dramatically more and more instruments over the last hundred years.
Learn more about the origin and history of circumcision here in the British Journal of Urology.
Reinventing the wheel:
We have never reinvented the wheel as it fits its roll and purpose. The same is not true for circumcision devices. Every few year’s doctors and businesses invent a new tool to perform the same task but attempt to mitigate the damage associated with the previous model.
Each time they invent a new device, they inevitably sponsor a study to compare the old techniques with the new and improved ones. Measuring damage is often a means to advertise a new way of doing the same thing.
No long term follow-up studies have ever been done on the effects of circumcision, other than those following up surgical complication. Often recording procedures in both the short and long term has been extremely lacking, even today hospitals perform no follow-ups and the details of device and method used are none-existent.
Members can see the 3 year bibliography of research 2016-2019. This is a list of the academic research papers written over the last 3 years on FMG, male circumcision, and intersex issues.
There are many men today who do not have their circumcision appearing on their medical history. Clearly there is a serious lack of will in approaching this subject in a rational and scientific manner.
Recently a strong supporter of 15 Square took the time to write in. He included activist artwork, poetry, a vivid personal account and some independent research of his own. There was no doubt that this subject was close to the centre of his world, and what really jumped out was a list of all of the devices he had looked at and dated throughout his time looking into this subject. After looking online we found that many of these instruments were difficult to track down with only a few exceptions.
Without the presence of a comprehensive list easily found online, we decided to include the list that he sent to us here to show how many times they have tried to reinvent the broken wheel. Each item on this list is a reminder that the previous model harmed the patient in some way. Ad infinitum.
The list may not be exhaustive but it does show how the medical industry has tried to cement circumcision’s role in society whenever there is a price tag attached to circumcision. Harmful devices are still being released regularly.
Circumcision instruments throughout the ages:
Re-usable Devices
Sharpened thumb blades
Flint knives (BC)
Ismol/Ismel metal device (AD onward)
Barsel/Shuld (17th century)
Al Lasim El Fass (19th century)
Bone Cutting Forceps (Early 1900’s)
Moskovich Forceps (1920)
Phimosis Clamp (1907)
Harris Clamp (1932)
Gomco Clamp (1935)
Tibone Clamp (1944)
Preputome (1945)
Jeff Clamp (1950)
Turner Clamp (1952)
Sheldon Clamp (1953)
Kantor Clamp (1953)
Maryan Clamp (1954)
Nutech Clamp
Winkelman Clamp
Circumcept (1962)
Rathman Clamp (Female)
Sheldon II
Mogen Clamp
Improved Gomco (2009)
Disposable Single Use Devices:
Plastibell (1956)
Tomlinson’s Improved Plastibell
Glans Gard (1972)
Tara Klamp (1955)
Smart Clamp
Zhenxi Rings (2003)
Shang Ring (2003)
Ross Rings
Ismail Klamp
Kirve Klamp (2004)
Sunaltrone (2006)
Ali’s Clamp (2007)
Tomlinson’s Accu Circ (2009)
Improved Plastibell (2009)
Circumplast
Prepex
Accucirc
Unicirc
To learn more about some of the effects that can adversely affect circumcised men surgically but also in later life, you can read the following artcile: Will circumcision hurt my baby?
They keep inventing more and more “humane” instruments of torture and promise us that after the anaesthetic it wont feel anything. But they never tell us that the post circumcision trauma goes on for weeks or months and at the psychological level can last a lifetime !!