Dorsal slit
Encyclopedia
A dorsal slit is a single incision along the upper length of the foreskin from the tip to the corona, exposing the glans
without removing any tissue.
An ancient practice, it has been a traditional custom among a number of peoples, particularly Filipinos and Pacific Islanders, probably for thousands of years. In Western medicine it was used as an alternative to circumcision
to relieve conditions such as phimosis
and paraphimosis
, although a perception of poor cosmesis
limited its popularity. It is still used when circumcision or other measures are impractical or undesirable.
Superincision has been widely practised by people of the Pacific, stretching from Hawai‘i to the Philippines. However, with increasing urbanisation, traditional rituals have been giving way in many places to medically performed circumcision, and almost entirely so among Islanders living in New Zealand, where a recent survey found there was "a strong cultural demand from parents."
The most notable exception to Pacific superincision is the Māori of New Zealand, who do not circumcise or superincise, although they have an indigenous term for the latter (ure haea or split penis) and their tradition is that they stopped the practice when they arrived in Aoteoroa
.
Dorsal slit is now rare in Western countries as a treatment for phimosis. Standard guidelines suggest conservative approaches first and, should those fail, either circumcision or, increasingly, preputioplasty
to both retain the foreskin and relieve the phimosis.
(foreskin trapped behind the glans) or other conditions such as severe balanitis
. Should reduction of the swelling by conservative methods be unsuccessful, a dorsal slit is a common intervention of choice since circumcision is almost always excluded in such cases. While it was formerly recommended that circumcision be subsequently performed once the originating condition has subsided, this appears to be no longer the case.
Dorsal Genital Slits in some African tribes
A variety of "dorsal slit" circumcison was once predominant amongst the Maasai tribe of Kenya and Tanzania, and is still practised and found in many of the more remote regions of the very large area known as "Maasailand" generally.
However the Maasai operation is different in this: rather than a dorsal slit from the opening of the prepuce to the corona, a heart shaped "oval" is excised from the dorsum of the prepuce and the glans is pushed through this hole. Later the edges of the cut prepuce will heal.
This leaves the prepuce intact and hanging down, but the glans exposed. Maasai men swear that this greatly enhances males and female sexual enjoyment.
Formerly tribes that copied the Maasai like the numerous Kikuyu of Kenya also practised the same form of circumcision. Photos of the operation and result are numerously found in specialized Africana books. Carol Beckwith and Tepelit Ole Saitoti's "Maasai" being, I believe, one of them and available on the Open Library project here.
There are even words for the resultant " prepuaial flap" in Maa and Gikuyu languages and possibly other African tongues. In Gikuyu the word, now archais, is likely to be "Ngwati".
This editor has personally seen naked Maasai men and youths who have most obviously undergone this special form of "superincision" and they are commonly found around the Shompole-Lake Natron-Ngorongoro area of Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania.
Numerous Maasai and anthropological authors of culture have described this procedure.
Glans
The glans is a vascular structure located at the tip of the penis in men or a homologous genital structure of the clitoris in women.-Structure:...
without removing any tissue.
An ancient practice, it has been a traditional custom among a number of peoples, particularly Filipinos and Pacific Islanders, probably for thousands of years. In Western medicine it was used as an alternative to circumcision
Circumcision
Male circumcision is the surgical removal of some or all of the foreskin from the penis. The word "circumcision" comes from Latin and ....
to relieve conditions such as phimosis
Phimosis
Phimosis , from the Greek phimos ), is a condition where, in men, the foreskin cannot be fully retracted over the glans penis...
and paraphimosis
Paraphimosis
Paraphimosis is an uncommon medical condition where the foreskin becomes trapped behind the glans penis, and cannot be reduced...
, although a perception of poor cosmesis
Cosmesis
Cosmesis is the preservation, restoration, or bestowing of bodily beauty. In the medical context, it usually refers to the surgical correction of a disfiguring defect, or the cosmetic improvements made by a surgeon following incisions...
limited its popularity. It is still used when circumcision or other measures are impractical or undesirable.
Traditional custom
Since superincision and circumcision are both forms of genital cutting that expose the glans, it can often be difficult to know which procedure is being described or depicted. Opinion is divided on whether a 4,000-year-old image from Egypt, often described as the first depiction of circumcision, may in fact be of a superincision.Superincision has been widely practised by people of the Pacific, stretching from Hawai‘i to the Philippines. However, with increasing urbanisation, traditional rituals have been giving way in many places to medically performed circumcision, and almost entirely so among Islanders living in New Zealand, where a recent survey found there was "a strong cultural demand from parents."
The most notable exception to Pacific superincision is the Māori of New Zealand, who do not circumcise or superincise, although they have an indigenous term for the latter (ure haea or split penis) and their tradition is that they stopped the practice when they arrived in Aoteoroa
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Medical practice
Phimosis
Dorsal slit has a long history as a treatment for adult phimosis, since compared with circumcision it was relatively easy to perform, did not risk damage to the frenulum, and before the invention of antibiotics was less likely to become infected. However, the literature often indicates that despite being "a simple operation" it was "not liked by some" or refers to the "untidy apron-like appearance" it could produce.Dorsal slit is now rare in Western countries as a treatment for phimosis. Standard guidelines suggest conservative approaches first and, should those fail, either circumcision or, increasingly, preputioplasty
Preputioplasty
Preputioplasty or prepuce plasty, also known as "limited dorsal slit with transverse closure", is a plastic surgical operation on the prepuce or foreskin of the penis, to widen a narrow non-retractile foreskin which cannot comfortably be drawn back off the head of the penis in erection because of a...
to both retain the foreskin and relieve the phimosis.
Paraphimosis and other conditions
In some cases the foreskin may become swollen as a result of paraphimosisParaphimosis
Paraphimosis is an uncommon medical condition where the foreskin becomes trapped behind the glans penis, and cannot be reduced...
(foreskin trapped behind the glans) or other conditions such as severe balanitis
Balanitis
Balanitis is inflammation of the glans penis . When the foreskin is also affected, it is termed balanoposthitis....
. Should reduction of the swelling by conservative methods be unsuccessful, a dorsal slit is a common intervention of choice since circumcision is almost always excluded in such cases. While it was formerly recommended that circumcision be subsequently performed once the originating condition has subsided, this appears to be no longer the case.
Dorsal Genital Slits in some African tribes
A variety of "dorsal slit" circumcison was once predominant amongst the Maasai tribe of Kenya and Tanzania, and is still practised and found in many of the more remote regions of the very large area known as "Maasailand" generally.
However the Maasai operation is different in this: rather than a dorsal slit from the opening of the prepuce to the corona, a heart shaped "oval" is excised from the dorsum of the prepuce and the glans is pushed through this hole. Later the edges of the cut prepuce will heal.
This leaves the prepuce intact and hanging down, but the glans exposed. Maasai men swear that this greatly enhances males and female sexual enjoyment.
Formerly tribes that copied the Maasai like the numerous Kikuyu of Kenya also practised the same form of circumcision. Photos of the operation and result are numerously found in specialized Africana books. Carol Beckwith and Tepelit Ole Saitoti's "Maasai" being, I believe, one of them and available on the Open Library project here.
There are even words for the resultant " prepuaial flap" in Maa and Gikuyu languages and possibly other African tongues. In Gikuyu the word, now archais, is likely to be "Ngwati".
This editor has personally seen naked Maasai men and youths who have most obviously undergone this special form of "superincision" and they are commonly found around the Shompole-Lake Natron-Ngorongoro area of Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania.
Numerous Maasai and anthropological authors of culture have described this procedure.