FGM of American Women by American Doctors

[painfulquestioning]

In the USA, while involuntary female circumcision never became routine like involuntary male circumcision became, it was practiced on girls at a frequency that most Americans today would find shocking.


Clitoridectomy: Nineteenth Century Answer for Masturbation
http://www.nocirc.org/symposia/first/duffy.html


"Sometimes one will never know, what one never knew."
http://www.genitalintegrity.net/blouch/2006/07/29/missing-pieces-do-not-publish-yet/


"I have scars on my labia set at 90 degree angles where flesh obviously met metal, and a "V"-shaped scar where a clitoris used to be."
http://www.genitalintegrity.net/blouch/2006/07/21/healing-the-trauma-of-genital-mutilation/


Rape of Innocence: Female Genital Mutilation in the USA
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1878411047/


The following six articles are from actual American medical journals:


Is evolution trying to do away with the clitoris?
Transactions of the American Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Vol. 5, 1892, pp. 288-302
"...that the girl who becomes irritable, disagreeable and hysterical may become charming, interesting and possessed of all feminine graces when her prepuce[clitoral hood] is forcibly peeled away from the glans of the clitoris, and we have made a distinct step forward in civilization..."
http://www.historyofcircumcision.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=50&Itemid=68


Circumcision of Girls
Journal of Orificial Surgery, Vol. 7, July 1898, pp. 31-33
"I for one have circumcised as many girls as boys, and always with happy results."
http://www.historyofcircumcision.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=51&Itemid=68


Circumcision in the Female: Its Necessity and How to Perform It"
American Journal of Clinical Medicine, Vol. 22, No. 6, June 1915, pp. 520-523
"Many neuroses and even psychoses have their origin in pathological conditions of the hood of the clitoris."
http://www.noharmm.org/CircintheFemale.htm


Why not circumcise the girl as well as the boy?
Texas State Journal of Medicine, Vol. 14, May 1918, pp. 17-19
"Circumcision will relieve one of the greatest causes of masturbation"
http://www.historyofcircumcision.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=60&Itemid=68


Circumcision of the Female
General Practitioner, Vol. 18 No. 3, September 1958, pp. 98-99
"The same reasons that apply for the circumcision of males are generally valid when considered for the female."
http://www.noharmm.org/circumfemale.htm


Female Circumcision: Indications and a New Technique
General Practitioner, Vol. 20, No. 3, September 1959, pp. 115-120
"If the husband is unusually awkward or difficult to educate, one should at times make the clitoris easier to find[by amputating the clitoral hood]."
http://www.noharmm.org/femcirctech.htm

[Mister.Barbecue]

FWIW, I read "Rape of Innocence" and found it to be lacking as a book. I was expecting a fascinating read with insight into how this barbaric practice could possibly occur and who was responsible. Instead, it was just a book describing her feelings.

As tragic as this woman's story is, she has no idea who the doctor was who mutilated her nor does she know exactly why it was done. There are clues from her description of her mother's persona and the possibility that a doctor suggested it in response to her mother's angrily telling her not to "touch herself". Ultimately though, it is a book almost entirely about her personal experience, and not facts.

It's sad that there is not more historical information on this and that the people who perpetuated these harms are not exposed and held to account.

[admin]

FWIW, I read "Rape of Innocence" it is a book almost entirely about her personal experience

That it is. I think she's got another book in the works.

-Ron

[Aspie]

While it only relates to her own experiences it does it in a way that emotionally resonates with people, I lent the book to my psychologist and she couldn't finish it because it was too unsettling which is a good thing because it means it really resonated with her.

[peterpink]

'Rape of Innocence' certainly resonated with my wife. I found the lack of facts annoying. Perhaps it works better for females.

[Mister.Barbecue]

'Rape of Innocence' certainly resonated with my wife. I found the lack of facts annoying. Perhaps it works better for females.

Honestly I think clitoridectomy is so awful that I don't like to even think about it. Maybe that's why I just wanted facts, instead of wanting to relate to this very sad story. But somehow also not knowing even why it happened for sure is in itself frustrating.

[freedom0speech]

If anyone wants to download copies of these old pro-female-circumcision medical papers, you can download them in a zip file here:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=AEE37728


It took me a while to gather all that together and put it in PDF documents. I'd like more people to have copies so it's well preserved as historical data.

If you're wondering why I would do that, it was to make these videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvX5J7lAv4g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS1inzYWa0Q

[Tally]

Honestly I think clitoridectomy is so awful that I don't like to even think about it. Maybe that's why I just wanted facts, instead of wanting to relate to this very sad story. But somehow also not knowing even why it happened for sure is in itself frustrating.

I think all genital cutting is awful. Patricia's book is her story of discovery of what happened to her body. I think that is what makes it so powerful. Facts are impersonal and can be easily dismissed. For a topic like circumcision, which is an emotionally driven topic, facts are often meaningless, but the effects on people's lives carry a lot of weight. I wish more men would speak out publicly about what circumcision has done to them.

Patricia describes in her book why she, personally, was cut. She describes her mother as having a similar mindset as JH Kellogg. Her mother wanted to control Patricia's behavior, she wanted to keep her in check.

[madbr3991]

all genital cutting is just evil. but i also think that if it is done to men. then as women want to be equal to men then they should be cut as well. thats equal right.

FGM is still happening in the US. there are several pages on this forum with sources to prove this. personally i would prefer if genital cutting completely stopped. the world would be better off without genital mutilation.

[Mister.Barbecue]

If anyone wants to download copies of these old pro-female-circumcision medical papers, you can download them in a zip file here:



Thanks for posting that. Are these all on prepuce removal or are they about clitoridectomy as well? The 1958 and 1959 ones seem to be about clitoral hoods with phimosis. (Do you think there is any truth that some female prepuces need "correction?)

Interestingly, this clamp seems to be similar to the "V-shape" that Patricia remarks was left on her. I wonder if the same tool for prepuce removal was also used for clitoridectomy.
http://i.imgur.com/YmikS.jpg

[Mister.Barbecue]

If you're wondering why I would do that, it was to make these videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvX5J7lAv4g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS1inzYWa0Q

Nice videos! Although why is the prepuce called the "pre-pee-oos" instead of "preh-puss". Sounds really funny.

When presented this way, the whole thing seems absurd. Doesn't it seem doctors must have manufactured all of their results? How else could we account for all their reports of great satisfaction among patients and of cured diseases? Is there some fallacy/bias at work or are they simply frauds?

[Tally]

When presented this way, the whole thing seems absurd. Doesn't it seem doctors must have manufactured all of their results? How else could we account for all their reports of great satisfaction among patients and of cured diseases? Is there some fallacy/bias at work or are they simply frauds?

It is called the placebo effect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placebo). So called quack treatments work because the patient believes they will work. So, if the treatment works, it cannot be a quack treatment, can it? The placebo effect is most marked in subjective results or when the "disease" does not exist, as in the circumcision treated diseases.

[freedom0speech]

Are these all on prepuce removal or are they about clitoridectomy as well?

Mostly prepuce removal, but a couple quick mentions of full outer clitorectomy.


The 1958 and 1959 ones seem to be about clitoral hoods with phimosis. (Do you think there is any truth that some female prepuces need "correction?)

One in 100 million... maybe.


Interestingly, this clamp seems to be similar to the "V-shape" that Patricia remarks was left on her. I wonder if the same tool for prepuce removal was also used for clitoridectomy.

I wondered the same thing.

.

[freedom0speech]

Doesn't it seem doctors must have manufactured all of their results? How else could we account for all their reports of great satisfaction among patients and of cured diseases? Is there some fallacy/bias at work or are they simply frauds?

They believed masturbation was the cause of most illness, so "correcting" the genitals to make them less likely to be fondled was thought to be the new cure-all.

Later it was thought that removing the clitoral hood would "enhance" her sensations. Do this to a woman as a means of making sex better, at a time when women knew very little about their own genital anatomy, and you have the perfect environment for confirmation bias and the placebo effect to take over.

.

[Tally]

Later it was thought that removing the clitoral hood would "enhance" her sensations. Do this to a woman as a means of making sex better, at a time when women knew very little about their own genital anatomy, and you have the perfect environment for confirmation bias and the placebo effect to take over.
Here is an interesting blog about an article for female circumcision in Playgirl magazine dated 1973.

Female Circumcision Promoted in Playgirl–Whaaat?! (http://rabbitwrite.com/female-circumcision-promoted-in-playgirl-whaaat/)

[Julian]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ac/7640062_female_genital_mutilation_banned_by_islami c_leaders_in_mauritania

I suppose this makes it really clear what the Muslims think about boys.

Although I would imagine that a fatwa against MGM may appear in the coming decades.

[AnonS5]

This is sick! Like with the Kellog guy all over again. It's like how Male genital mutilation started in the U.S. - a guy favored in the public experimenting on people and giving these "positive results/testimonials".

I wouldn't be surprised in the next decade this became mainstream with many benefits and disease cures.


It's chilling to see this start all over again. This really sucks.