This site discusses phimosis in its specific forms of phimotic ring, frenulum breve, adhesions or skinbridges. During erection these conditions inhibit the relationship between foreskin and glans. This functionally restricts the erection, and thus has an effect on the sexuality. With our culture's attitudes on health care, it would be appropriate to encourage early prevention.

Jan 2021 : Please read the new summary.

A Disreputable Study
by
ANDREW GORDON and JACK COLLIN
"Save The Normal Foreskin"
British Medical Journal VOL.306:1-2 (2 January 1993)

Three reliable medical studies show that phimosis alone in the flaccid state occurs at a frequency of around 8.8%. I published this in the Internet Newsgroups. A study by Gordon and Collin was cited in order to show that the real statistic was in fact 1%...

Gordon and Collin merely quote Øster's statistics. It is possible that they, like many other researchers, simply took these statistics at face value (See Reinterpretation of Øster). However, on studying Gordon and Collin's paper I find it a generally discreditable source of information.

On the subject of ballooning as an indication for circumcision, I find their misrepresentations, of both Gairdner and Øster, unforgivable.

Gordon and Collin write : "Although ballooning on micturition is a commonly cited indication, the studies of Gairdner[1] and Øster[2] suggest that if this physical sign is ignored the symptoms will resolve as the foreskin becomes spontaneously retractile"

Gairdner wrote : "Occasionally the preputial orifice is imperfectly related to the external meatus, so that the urinary stream balloons out the subpreputial space; this can be easily remedied by gently separating the prepuce from the glans in the region of the meatus by means of a probe."

Gairdner is quite clear that these problems should not be ignored "whereas a non-retractable prepuce in the young child should be accepted with equanimity as normal, after about 3 years of age steps should be taken to render the prepuce of all boys retractable and capable of being kept clean."

Added to this, Øster never mentions ballooning!

Øster may have been very confusing with his mathematics, but he attempted to give an accurate unbiased report. Gordon and Collin's misrepresentations are clearly the result of prejudice or an indescribable lack of intelligence. I honestly feel we should ignore Gordon and Collin - maybe if we do this, they'll spontaneously retract.

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