Circumcision at the 121st Evacuation Hospital: report of a questionnaire with cross-cultural observations

The military surgeon has historically been faced with frequent requests for circumcision. Presenting symptoms of painful erections and intercourse, frenular tears, and penile hygiene are not reported in urology texts and may be dismissed for reasons of secondary gain. Furthermore, circumcision has been labeled an American enigma. A questionnaire was developed to investigate the reasons active duty American and Korean soldiers request circumcision. The results indicate a common core of physical but diverse cultural reasons for circumcision and justify ready access to circumcision from the military surgeon.