History of Circumcision from the Earliest Times to the Present

by Peter Charles Remondino

This book is the amplification of a paper, the subject of which was, “A Plea for Circumcision; or, the Dangers that Arise from the Prepuce,” which was read at the meeting of the Southern California Medical Society, at Pasadena, in December, 1889. The material gathered for that paper was more than could be used in the ordinary limits of a society paper; it was gathered and ready for use, and this suggested its arrangement into book form. The subject of the paper was itself suggested by a long and personal observation of the changes made in man by circumcision. From the individual observation of cases, it was but natural to wish to enlarge the scope of our observation and comparison; this naturally led to a study of the physical characteristics of the only race that could practically be used for the purpose. This race is the Jewish race.

Genres: Nonfiction

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1891

About the author

His father, Angelo Giorgio Remondino, brought him to live in the United States when he was eight. He married Sophia Ann Earle on Sept. 27, 1877 in San Diego, California.

Refer also to:


Peter Charles Remondino (1846-1926), San Diego History Center

Reviews

[Tucker · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wonderfully, horrifyingly strange old book. See my 'Racial language in an 1891 text on circumcision' posted to Disruptive Dissertation.

[John Burns · Rating 1 out of 5]

A very odd book. Much of it is best skipped over. He espouses the medical virtues of circumcision but a lot of his information is outdated and debunked at this point. He's right about some things (improved hygiene, completely circumvents any foreskin related issues like phimosis) but some of his more far reaching claims, like that the Jewish people all live longer healthier lives and this is probably due to mass circumcision - all look preposterous to modern eyes.

There are some interesting historical and anthropological details. A lot of it is not really relevant to the specific topic of circumcision. A whole chapter is dedicated to the practice of castration throughout history.

It has some interesting bits and pieces for anyone interested in this topic but mostly it's just a very odd book which seems to be written to entertain the reader with bizarre details rather than to function as a serious study of the topic. Remondino seems to have been way ahead of his time in identifying some of the legitimate benefits of circumcision but so much of the science in this book is totally bogus that it's easy to see why people might feel that this book had a malign influence on American culture. If we are to responsibly discuss this controversial practice and its place in the future of our civilisation, we need to have that discussion with reference to legitimate scientific claims. This book doesn't really have any place in that debate.

[Bristol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as part of a project about how social deviance is assigned based on circumcision status in cis men. It was arguably the first book in North America published advocating for circumcision is largely at the root of why circumcision became a mainstay in North American society.

There are a variety of medical and social inaccuracies that are listed throughout, and numerous instances of out-right racism as the root for circumcision. However, as it is the first book published (in North America seemingly) on the subject, it also is important for the historical record (which is why I needed for my project).

I would only recommend this book to be critically analysed for some kind of academic work, considering how widely incorrect and offensive most of the book is. If you're looking to study the links between circumcision, and colonisation, it's a good starting point.