Moral Landscapes: What Is the Greatest Danger for an Uncircumcised Boy? A doctor’s visit can harm your boy. Written by John Geisheker, J.D., LL.M. and published on October 23, 2011 by Darcia Narvaez, Ph.D. in Moral Landscapes, Psychology Today.

WHAT IS THE MOST DANGEROUS EVENT FACING AN 'INTACT' (NOT CIRCUMCISED) BOY?

Aside from circumcision? ... a well-baby visit. Our physicians' international non-profit intervenes in over 100 cases each year of intact boys who were injured by a primary care provider. The injury is called 'PFFR,' or Premature Forcible Foreskin Retraction. We conservatively estimate the annual incidence in the U.S. at more than 100,000 cases. Ironically, many occur when a parent takes the child to a well-baby visit, at 6, 12, or 24 months; but this injury might occur at any age. The children we have helped range in age from one week to 12 years.

The general rule for infant and toddler foreskin care is to wash like a finger and never forcibly retract. There is good reason to never forcibly retract a child's foreskin.

At birth the penis is under-developed. The foreskin is fused to the glans (head) by a normal connective membrane, the balano-preputial lamina, (translation: glans-foreskin layer). The two are functionally an undifferentiated single structure. It takes many years for this membrane to naturally dissipate, a few cells at a time. The average age for full foreskin retraction without trauma is ten years, with half of all boys at age ten fully retractable, and half not yet so. At age 6, for instance, only 20% of boys are fully retractable (Øster et al., 1968-2005).