[My2Matthews]

I just started my A&P I class (I'm a nursing major) and checked out some parts of the textbook, and all the illustrations of the male organs I found were circumcised.

No mention of the foreskin, except in one section which described the foreskin basically as just flap of skin covering the glans, and in the next sentence, it said (and I'm paraphrasing) "After birth, the foreskin is removed through a procedure called circumcision." How annoying! They could have said some people have the foreskin removed after birth, but the way they put it, it's as if everyone does it.

 

[Camellia]

Yeah, its pretty starnge isn't it? I never even knew what an intact penis looked like until I had my son (who still has his foreskin). All the pictures in any book I ever saw showed a mutilated penis

 

[AmandaBL]

Given the current stats, I'm surprised this is still ignored. And we wonder why peds have no clue.... I'm at the point now where I wish I could ask if the PED is circed. I'd love to find one who isn't - that may be the only way to get one with SOME accurate info.

 

[bell bottom blues]

Any action you can take - such as writing the editors or author? or making a request to your professor to use a book in the future with pictures of intact penises?

 

[AmandaBL]

Good point. I'd deffinatley bring it up in the class... They are doing a disservice by pretending everyone circs.... There are more intact penises in the world than mutilated ones.

 

[paminmi]

I recently pitched out into the trash, my A&P book/workbook, along with a bunch of other textbooks from my nursing program nearly 20 years ago. They were exactly the same as you have described: Med-Surg textbook, Lipincott Manual, etc. "A flap of skin" blah, blah, blah! and all circumcised penises in the drawings.

I was hoping things would have changed by now...

:

Pam

 

[hummingbear]

I have heard this here before; it is annoying to say the least.

Hearing it one more time is putting me into gear. My thought is to write a brief letter stating that as the parent of an intact child I am concerned that there is not enough knowledge in medical texts or medical schools on the proper treatment and procedures for infants and boys who have their foreskin. Perhaps I would mention that I have heard many parents tell about the damage done to their sons by health care professionals; however I wouldn't want to be dismissed because of storytelling. Then I will send out a copy to major publishers and medical schools until I am nauseated by licking another stamp. Anyone want to help?

 

[onlyboys]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmandaBL Given the current stats, I'm surprised this is still ignored. And we wonder why peds have no clue.... I'm at the point now where I wish I could ask if the PED is circed. I'd love to find one who isn't - that may be the only way to get one with SOME accurate info.

My kid's ped isn't circed; he volunteered the information to me personally. It makes it a lot easier to relax when we're in for exams!

 

[My2Matthews]

The book is called Hole's Human Anatomy & Physiology, 10th edition. It says on the back that the first edition was in 1979 -- I think they haven't changed their section on the penis since then!

I totally don't understand why the illustrations of the human male are circumcised. That is just not natural. A lot of people have their appendix removed, but all of the illustrations have the appendix intact. It makes no sense at all.

I will write a letter to the publisher, definitely.

 

[hunnybumm]

Did anyone have sex ed in highschool? They showed about 8 pictures of different penis', and 1 picture of an intact penis. At the time, I had no clue what was wrong with the last picture. *sigh*

*for anyone interested, I didn't see an actual adult penis until I was 20. Abstainance and all.*

 

[jee'smom]

i'm a high school anat. and phys. teacher. i have to buy a whole new set of textbooks for next year. i think i'm going to have to do some writing (i have about 6 different textbooks in my basement i'm looking at). by the way, i always present the human body the way nature made it in my class (intact penis, breastfeeding...) we live in a very pro-circ. area.

i have about 150 students a year, and by the time i'm done with them, i have most of them saying things like "why would anyone get their son circumcised? and why wouldn't someone breastfeed".

i've had a number of kids do their senior paper on the evil we call "circ.". last year i had an english teacher tell my student to rewrite the first paragraph because it was too graphic and disturbing... ah YAH... circ is disturbing! anyway, i'm going to be writing letters to each of the textbook publishers!

 

[tuhraycee]

Sounds like some great students, Keri!

No wonder so many doctors as so pro-circ if that's all they've seen in all their textbooks and materials. Good grief!

 

[Benji'sMom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmandaBL I'm at the point now where I wish I could ask if the PED is circed. I'd love to find one who isn't - that may be the only way to get one with SOME accurate info.

Maybe you should just go ahead and ask, even though it's an awkward question. But then again, they could have been raised by mothers who forceably retracted them to clean underneith, so you won't necessarily get good info. Oh well.