The first Acorn Newsletter in 1988 was a very modest 4pp consisting of little more than the editor introducing himself and outlining the Society's raison d'être and ambitions. It set out a range of questions to which interested persons were invited to respond and so provide articles for future publications

Some of these were...

• Can a woman tell whether a man has a foreskin or is circumcised by looking, or from differences of feeling during sex?

• How does circumcision affect sexual performance?

• Does circumcision discourage masturbation, and Is that good or bad?

• How frequent is circumcision these days, and why is it less popular than It was?

• It is said that Prince Charles is a roundhead but his sons William and Harry are cavaliers: was circumcision more common among the upper classes, and has this changed?

• Why is circumcision discouraged by most doctors in Britain, but encouraged in the USA?

• Should a man have the right to choose circumcision (provided he is prepared to pay), or should a doctor only agree to circumcision if there are ‘good medical reasons’, and what are these?

• Should a parent have a son circumcised, and if so, which age is best?

• If you are unhappy about having been circumcised, how can you learn to live with the fact?

Acorn No 2

Jumped to a healthy 8pp with 10 diverse contributions such as.

Roundheads & Cavaiiers

Can you always tell the difference between a circumcised and an uncircumcised lad? No - quite often not. If an uncircumcised man with a short foreskin has pulled it right back behind the glans and left it there, it can be quite difficult to tell whether or not he has been circumcised. But if the rim of the glans is covered by 1cm or more of skin from the shaft, he is probably uncircumcised. On a circumcised penis any loose skin Is almost always all behind the glans rim, and there is usually a narrow strip of the lighter-coloured inner layer of foreskin bordering the glans rim. Sometimes rather little skin may be removed at circumcision, but generally the skin on the shaft is tighter and less wrinkled on a circumcised penis. Most uncircumcised men don’t like to be seen with their foreskin back, but many pull it back to urinate or in the shower, and sometimes they do not pull it forward again. The only certain test, however, is whether the line of circumcision scar can be seen. If he was circumcised as a baby the scar line can be an almost invisible pale line which may only be seen on close examination in good light. More usually, though, the scar is quite obvious.

Especially when it Is partly or fully erect It may be very difficult to tell for certain whether a penis is circumcised or uncircumcised. Medical surveys have shown that wives may often not know reliably whether their husbands are circumcised or not. But the resemblance of a circumcised penis to an erect one may be one reason why circumcision has been such a widespread custom for many thousands of years and has been such a source of fascination.

Links to

2000
2001
2002
2003
2004

Further archive links will be added
later