THUMB NAILS and other taboos

Dear Robin,

I was doing some research and I would be very appreciative if you could help
me. A book I purchased here in New York City, titled Circumcision: A
History of the World's Most Controversial Surgery, contained the following
passage:

>"For the better part of two thousand years, Jewish circumsion followed a
>three-step pattern. First was chituch, the cutting of the stretched
>foreskin. Then came periah, the complete exposure of the glans effected by
>cutting or tearing away all the inner foreskin tissue back to the frenulum.
>Finally, with the operation finished, came mezizah, a practice in which the
>mohel sucked the blood from the wounded penish until the bleeding stopped.
>.
>. . The surgery was not finished. To accomplish the periah and complete
>the denudation of the glans, the mohel set aside his instruments and used
>only his thumbnail, long, lancet-shaped, filed to the sharpest possible
>edge. . . . Mezizah b'peh followed immediately, the mohel taking the
>bleeding penis in his mouth, sucking the blood, then turning to take
>mouthfuls of wine from a goblet and spitting this wine on the infant's
>wound."

The author, David Gollaher, gives the following citation for this account:

"F. Bryk, Circumcision in Man and Woman (1934), 49. Bryk's account is drawn
from H. Ploss, Das Kind in Brauch und Sitte der Voelker (1884)."

Mr. Gollaher is a medical historian with a PhD. in history from Harvard
University.

But, when I asked Douglas Rushkoff, a professor of communications at New
York University (where I am a student) and apparent scholar of Jewish
history, about the passage, he maintained it was a myth created to provoke
anti-Semitism and bears a resemblance to a fabrication in the "Protocals of
the Elders of Zion". I cannot read German, and I have been unable to find
an English translation of Ploss's work or any English commentary
thereof--except for your website. (I have been unable to locate Mr.
Gollaher.)

And so I must ask if you would be so kind as to help me. Essentially, I
have two separate questions:
1-Does Ploss indeed refer to that "mezizah b'peh", the sucking of the blood
and spitting of the wine?
2-Is Ploss suspected of espousing anti-Semitic views?

Gollaher, the modern author, maintains that the practice was an ancient one
not practiced by Jews today, of course; Rushkoff, who came across as rather
incensed at the suggestion, claims it was NEVER practiced.
Who is correct? Could it be the case that only certain Jewish tribes, or
more isolated/rural communities practiced the ritual?

I would greatly appreciate your response.

Thank you
Chris

_______________________________________________________

Dear Chris,

---- edited ---- (see Ploss and Bryk)

There are so many "pro-circers" who are interested
in such matters that I have never considered it
important for me to get involved with, or gather
information ... so I am absolutely no expert with different
methods of circumcision.

---- edited ----

..... it does NOT seem anti semitic to me ... it even seems
obvious and intelligent, I cant see anything wrong or
embarrassing about it

Sucking blood (pre AIDS) was a very intelligent
and common sense thing to do, I believe saliva is a natural
antiseptic, ..... and I find it absolutely no insult to the Jews.
or any other historic people ...

Also, cutting things with a finger nail may sound barbaric
or maybe even stupid to us, but the finger nail is a
very useful tool for cutting soft things (skin - fruits or fish)
and 4 or 5 thousand years ago would arguably allow
greater accuracy than any held piece of equipment

As guitar teacher Im always explaining to people
that one doesnt play with the nail:- the nail is
led and felt/stroked/guided over the string by the very
sensitive finger tips - previous to magnifying
glasses and all the modern equipment I would
suggest there was no more accurate and sensitive
cutting equipment for soft things.

And now two personal confessions or experiences:

Around 30 years ago as a farm worker, someone cut his eye,
blood everywhere, and imagine his shock - everyones
hands were dirty in a field, a mile away from civilisation -
so I sucked his eye clean, ... everyone seemed astounded
by my action, I never really questioned why this was so unusual,
..... I didnt like the taste, I wouldnt do it since AIDS,
but the guy was so very relieved to find that nothing
wrong with his eye. - and so, this all seemed to me a
natural and good spontaneous reaction. ....
Also, Im sure every Mum has done this to her children
sometime when they bleed. .. so, experience no.2 ...

As I said, I am a guitarist, I have long finger
nails on the right hand, but the thumb nail kept
breaking because I used it to do things.... and
so because it kept breaking on the valuable right
hand, I started growing my thumb nail long on the
left hand!

I would be lost without my thumb nail, I do
hundreds of little things with it - screw driver,
stuck selotape picker, breaking holes in alu folie
to get to the drinks, picking black spots out of
potatoes and apples, everyone envies how I can peel
oranges! ... with garlic I cut through
the tip and root with my thumb nail - what else -
harvesting sorrel from my garden I sometimes have
cut through the stem with my thumb nail but must
admit here the modern "scissors" invention seems
quite useful (perhaps they will even catch on,
sometime in the future, :). ... I have never really
considered sharpening the nail to a fine cutting
edge, humm but maybe this would be an interesting
improvement.

And I have never compared my experience with women
with long nails but I imagine that modern stylish women
are far too precious to use their nails in the way I do

The thumb nail is by far the strongest nail, and I
would bet that many historic peoples knew this and
- have used it to perform circumcision. and I find
this was very very obvious and intelligent !! :)

I suppose in the modern world everyone else buys a
plastic thumb nail gadget to do all these little
jobs ... :):)

Cheers
Robin