In “Mary Poppins,” Julie Andrews sang “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” Drs Kass and Holman1 are to be congratulated for debunking this as far as circumcision is concerned.
What a pity, however, that they join a long list of researchers who fail to see the obvious. The only certain way to avoid the pain and complications of unnecessary surgery is not to do the surgery.
John D. Dalton
United Kingdom
- Kass FC, Holman JR. Oral glucosesolution for analgesia in infant circumcision. J Fam Pract 2001; 50:785-88.
Drs Kass and Holman responded:
The authors do not advocate for or against routine male infant circumcision. As with any procedure, there are risks and benefits that must be discussed with parents or guardians before undertaking. In the United States, infant circumcision is a very common and popular procedure. We advocate only for a more humane way of performing this surgery.
Frederick C. Kass, MD, MC, USNR
John R. Holman, MD, MPH, MC, USN