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Edgar J. Schoen
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Ed Schoen, MD on Circumcision: Timely Information for Parents and Professionals from America's #1 Expert on Circumcision Paperback – January 1, 2005

by Ed Schoen (Author)
2.1 2.1 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
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Although circumcision is the number one surgical procedure, up to date information on this controversial subject is hard to find. All too often juried studies and peer review have been replaced with hysteria and hype delivered by lay “experts” lacking medical credentials. Now Ed Schoen, M.D., chair of an American Society of Pediatrics Study Group on Circumcision and Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, offers straightforward answers to questions about this vital newborn health issue. Drawing on the latest research findings, Schoen presents the facts parents and practitioners need to know to make an informed decision on circumcision. Dr. Edgar Schoen's new book is a fair, honest and insightful account of the extensive health benefits of this simple procedure. It is so good to have an authoritative book like this to turn to." -Dr. Brian J. Morris School of Medical Sciences University of Sydney "It is a delight to read a comprehensive overview of circumcision unfettered by emotional testimonials or zealous diatribes." Tom Wiswell, MD Neonatalogist and Medical Researcher "An honest, informative review of circumcision by one of the wrold's leading authorities that will help anyone who is open-minded wade through the sea of disinformation to reach the truth." Samual A. Kunin, MD, FACS Author of Circumcision: Its Pace in Judaism, Past and Present "Dr. Schoen does a terrific job of telling the 'Circumcision Story from a fresh perspective." Thomas Snyder, MD Retired Chief of Urology, Kaiser Medical Center, Martinez, CA."Avoiding medical jargon and obscure technical terms, this book attempts to rise above the high emotional pitch surrounding this practice. I recommend it to any expecting parent or famly physician." Robert D. Bailey, PhD, MPH Professor of Epidemiology, School of Public Health University of Illinois at Chicago
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  1. Print length
    135 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Rdr Books
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 2005
  5. Dimensions
    5.25 x 0.5 x 8.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1571431233
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1571431233
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

A comprehensive overview of circumcision unfettered by emotional testimonials or zealous diatribes -- Tom Wiswell, MD, Neonatologist and Medical Research

An honest, informative review of circumcision by one of the world's leading authorities. -- Samuel A. Kunin, M.D., Author of

Dr. Schoen does a terrific job of telling the 'Circumcision Story from a fresh perspective. -- Thomas Snyder, MD, Retired Chief of Urology, Kaiser Medical Center, Martinez, CA

It is a delight to read a comprehensive overview of circumcision unfettered by emotional testimonials or zealous diatribes. -- Tom Wiswell, MD, Neonatologist and Medical research

From the Publisher

Up-to-the minute information on this controversial subject is hard to find. Now Ed Schoen, chair of an American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Circumcision and former director of Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Oakland, California, offers straightforward answers to critics of the procedure. Drawing on the latest research findings, Schoen offers all the details parents and practitioners need to make an informed choice on circumcision.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Rdr Books (January 1, 2005)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 135 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1571431233
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1571431233
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.5 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    2.1 2.1 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

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Edgar J. Schoen

Edgar J. Schoen

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Customer reviews

2.1 out of 5 stars
2.1 out of 5
20 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

かげむしゃおたく
1.0 out of 5 stars Blatantly Biased, makes shrewd apeals to nationilism, contains much disinformatioin, treats personal opinions as Fact.
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2015
Verified Purchase
The media could not be loaded.
 This book is filled with lies half truths, and blatant delusions and psychological projections.

Edgar Schoen, speaks cavalierly, of the military having its own brand of informed consent

"they informed, you consented" Clearly seeing no problem with this.

As well as BRAZENLY Playing the "Its a part of being American, its like Apple pie!" Card

if Thats true, then I can only say...

Im ASHAMED of being an American.

and glad of that, one thing I WILL grant him, hes a gifted narrator, skillfully praising the "Common sense, adaptabtimility, willingness to change that charachterizes America"

If I still loved America, his propaganda could have gotten its hooks into my mind... but it found no purchase, on a soul void of patriotism.

he takes a "Oh the humanity!" tone on Intactivists lobbying states into cutting medicaire funding for circumcisions.Am on medicaire myself and I dont mind not being able to have any hcildren I have circumcised.

He doesnt note that those who consider this practice tantamount to RAPE should not have to see their Tax Dollars Spent on funding this procedure

I actually tried wearing gloves at first when handling this ABOMINATION... didnt work sadly.

Edit: Added a nice tasteful video on this book.
4 people found this helpful
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No Cutting please
1.0 out of 5 stars Schoen is a circum-fetishist.
Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2011
Why Does Circumcision Persist in the 21st Century in America?

Parents have been misinformed by the medical community about circumcision, and they now are repeating the mistakes of the past, ingrained by familiarity and tradition.

Typical excuses are:

"So my son will look like his father." (In reality fathers and sons don't compare genitals.)
"So my son will look like the other boys." (With circumcision rates falling below 60%, that reason becomes less valid every year.)
"I don't want my son to have to be circumcised later in life for a medical reason. I'd rather him get it over now. " (Only 1 in 10,000 intact men ever need to be circumcised later in life for legitimate medical reasons.)
Profiteering

Hospitals and doctors profit by performing circumcisions. Circumcision is the most commonly performed elective surgery in America. Since they earn income from the procedure, the medical community tends to be biased in favor of circumcision. In an era of reduced insurance payments to hospitals, there is more pressure than ever to increase revenues.

Doctors get paid extra fees, and hospitals also get paid a facility fee for each circumcision. The average amount invoiced to insurance carriers is on average $1500 per circumcision. Also, circumcised infants typically have longer hospital stays which increases revenue. Also, under the law, hospitals automatically retain ownership of harvested infant foreskin tissue. Neonatal tissue has unique stem cells and growth factors which are valuable. Hospitals can then sell infant foreskin tissue to bio-tech and cosmetic companies for further profit.

False Medical Claims.

Throughout the ages, advocates of circumcision have attempted to find diseases to be cured with circumcision to justify the procedure.

Keep in mind, no professional medical association in the world recommends routine infant circumcision, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

At the turn of the century, in the Victorian age, it was purported to cure insanity and reduce masturbation.

In the Post war era, it was touted it as a new modern wonder, for hygiene, convenience, and good health.

Some attempt to claim that circumcision prevents rare forms of penile cancer, and also attempt to confuse the issue with the more common prostate cancer. However even the American Cancer Society states that circumcision is not a sole means of preventing penile cancer, but that smoking is the highest risk factor. In developed countries, intact and circumcised men have no difference in penile cancer rates.

Advocates of circumcision attempt to link the foreskin to the spread of the HPV (Genital warts) Papilloma virus. However, no studies have proven that circumcision is an effective prophylactic of preventing HPV. There is a very effective HPV vaccine available for men and women with a 99%+ efficacy rate that renders this argument moot.

Circumcision and HIV prevention.

Circumcision does not prevent transmission of the HIV. Advocates of circumcision have touted flawed studies in third world African counties that seemed to show limited protection against HIV infection. However, most men of sexually active age in the United States are already circumcised, but the HIV infection rates are higher in the USA than in other developed countries where circumcision is rare. Recently, a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) proved what we knew all along, that circumcised men have the same HIV infection rate as intact men in the USA.
Religion

Circumcision is mandated in the Muslim and Jewish faiths. The intent of such ancient religious edicts may have been to help keep a man's mind focused on his religion, morals and piety, facilitated by the removal of sensitive erogenous tissue.

Maimonides, the preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and physician, said that the effect of circumcision was "to limit sexual intercourse, and to weaken the organ of generation as far as possible, and thus cause man to be moderate...for there is no doubt that circumcision weakens the power of sexual excitement, and sometimes lessens the natural enjoyment; the organ necessarily becomes desensitized when deprived of its covering from the beginning.
17 people found this helpful
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TRR Jr.
1.0 out of 5 stars Blatantly biased
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2014
I checked this book out from the library believing it would be a fair and honest look at the pros and cons of the most controversial surgery in America. After all, this book was published in 2005, not that long ago. Before I even finished reading the preface (in which he constantly and derisively refers to "the lay, organized anti-circumcision forces"...) it was obvious from the get-go that the author has a clear opinion on the matter, even bluntly stating in the last line of the preface that in his medical opinion, the "facts" speak for themselves in favor of circumcision.

Fine, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and after all, it's the preface and he's a medical doctor. But then I got to the first section of the book which consists of a Question and Answer format. Here is where I am left speechless by the seeming depth of the author's ignorance. For example, (paraphrasing) "Q. Doesn't the foreskin serve a purpose? Otherwise, why are we born with one?" and his answer, i'm NOT exaggerating, is that the foreskin's sole purpose is in the normal development of the fetus' penis. According to America's #1 expert on circumcision, the foreskin "outlives" its usefulness "before he is even born", and is in fact a "liability". He calls it "an external appendix". What about the obvious fact it keeps the glans protected? What about the gliding? Isn't that a rather obvious function of the foreskin? What about the fact it's erogenous tissue? For "America's #1 expert on circumcision" to clearly state the foreskin is useless is laughable. If you're an expectant parent trying to get "timely information", read a book with facts in it written from a neutral point of view.

Another telling aspect of this book is that the author constantly (yet often very subtly) ridicules opposing viewpoints, referring often to the "highly emotional", "lay, organized anti-circ forces".

For instance, in the second section of the book, "Reactions" (the first section is named ironically named "Facts"), he mentions nonsurgical foreskin restoration. Rather than discussing or even mentioning the motivations of those who would seek to restore their foreskins, such as their wanting to regain sensitivity or "feel whole" again, he writes them off as "the extreme end of the anti-circ movement" and goes on to tell a funny anecdote about a foreskin restorer whose restoration device slips off during a business meeting and clanks loudly on the floor. The message is obvious: these people are clowns. He compares the desire for a natural appearance to "wanting to protect the redwood forest and save the whales". Not joking or exaggerating.

Among other outright lies that I can recall off the top of my head (I have returned the book to the library) is that 1) there is no sexual difference between circumcised and uncircumcised males, 2) that it is impossible for an infant to become traumatized (he cites an episode of Dr. Phil about a young new mother who is deeply concerned that her son's circumcision may have had lasting effects on his psyche. Dr. Phil calls that "a load of crap" and the author adds: "Amen."), 3) that circumcision is the "only cure" for phimosis (in fact, any doctor can tell you that the opening can be dilated via gentle tension applied for 10 minutes a day for over a period of a few months), the list is endless.

If you're looking for "timely information", look elsewhere.
3 people found this helpful
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Laura N. Sinai
5.0 out of 5 stars This is a wonderful thoughtful and accurate review
Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2011
The folks posting 1 star reviews are anti-circumcision extremists who are not open to hearing clear and concise medical information. It is a sad state when a wonderful book like this gets bad reviews because of close minded folks. This is a great, thoughtful, well researched book.
5 people found this helpful
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