The prepuce.

cultures are diBcult to define, but include rites of Introduction passage, blood sacrifices and cultural markings [4]. Ritualistic, childhood genital surgery has become popuThe prepuce is a common anatomical structure of the male [1] and female [2] external genitalia of all human lar in the last several thousand years, making the prepuce the most vilified normal anatomical structure and non-human primates; it has been present in primates for at least 65 million years, and is likely to of the human body. Rather than acknowledging the prepuce as normal anatomy, some contemporary physbe over 100 million years old, based on its commonality as an anatomical feature in mammals [3]. Certain icians consider the penile [5] and clitoral prepuce (or clitoral hood) [6,7] to be dangerous and unhealthy. cultures have excised the prepuce from children to conform to societal standards, while other cultures However, before theoretical justifications for circumcision can be considered, a complete understanding of accept the complete external genitalia as normal (Fig. 1). The motives for circumcision in preliterate the normal anatomy and function of the prepuce is required. This paper reviews the embryology, anatomy and function of the prepuce.