The umbilical cord doesn't contain pain-sensitive nerve fibers, so it doesn't hurt to cut or clamp it. Foreskin is highly innervated, so circumcision is an excruciatingly painful procedure.Umbilical cord dries out and falls off naturally.Foreskin doesn't dry out or fall off naturally, it is amputated.Functions of the Foreskinhttp://www.norm-uk.org/function.htmlThe foreskin represents 50% to 80% of the skin system of the penis depending on the length of the penile shaft. The average foreskin has over three feet of veins, arteries, and capillaries, 240 feet of nerve fibres, and over 20,000 nerve endings. Unfolded, the adult foreskin measures 10 to 15 square inches.The foreskin is as sensitive as the fingertips or the lips of the mouth. It contains a richer variety and greater concentration of specialised nerve receptors than any other part of the penis. These specialised nerve endings can discern motion, subtle changes in temperature, and fine gradations of texture. They are concentrated along an area called the Ridged Band 2 which radiates from the frenulum and encircles the tip of the foreskin just within the junction between the outer and inner skin. It is stimulation of the Ridged Band that causes erogenous feelings in the foreskin.Just as the eyelids protect the eyes, the foreskin protects the glans and keeps its surface soft, moist, and sensitive. It also maintains optimal warmth, pH balance and cleanliness.As it becomes erect, the penile shaft becomes thicker and longer. The double-layered foreskin provides the skin necessary to accommodate the expanded organ and to allow the penile skin to glide freely, smoothly, and pleasurably over the shaft and glans. Coverage at erection ranges from nil to total. All these variations are normal.The mucous membranes that line all body orifices are the body's first line of immunological defence. Apocrine glands in the foreskin produce antibacterial and anti-viral proteins such as lysozyme, which is also found in mother's milk.One of the foreskin's functions is to facilitate smooth gentle movements between the mucosal surfaces of the two partners by its rolling action along the shaft and over the glans during intercourse. Frequently Asked Questions About Circumcisionhttp://www.notjustskin.org/en/circumcisionfaq.htmlThe foreskin has protective, sensory, biomechanical, and immunological functions. Throughout life, the outer part of the foreskin protects the sensitive inner part of the foreskin and the glans from injury, abrasion, chafing, and infection. The foreskin keeps its mucosal tissue and the glans soft and moist so that it maintains sensitivity. During sexual activity, the foreskin glides up and down over the glans, providing sensation from thousands of specialized nerve endings in the inner foreskin. Parts of the foreskin, including the frenulum (a narrow membrane on the underside of the foreskin) and the ridged band (the edge of the foreskin, between the inner and outer skin), are particularly important in sexual function. See the Circumcision Information Resource Center, under "Foreskin sexual function." Circumcision removes most of the inner and outer foreskin, and destroys these functions.Variability in penile appearance and penile findings: a prospective study.http://www.cirp.org/library/complications/vanhowe/The circumcised penis requires more care than the intact penis during the first 3 years of life. Parents should be instructed to retract and clean any skin covering the glans in circumcised boys to prevent adhesions forming and debris for accumulating. Penile inflammation (balanitis) may be more common in circumcised boys; preputial stenosis (phimosis) affects circumcised boys and intact boys with equal frequency. The revision of circumcision for purely cosmetic reasons should be discouraged on both medical and ethical grounds.When discussing the advantages and disadvantages of neonatal circumcision, parents need to know that the circumcised infant requires more attention and penile hygiene than the uncircumcised infant; circumcision does not prevent phimosis and circumcised boys are more likely to develop balanitis, meatitis, coronal adhesions and meatal stenosis. (Meatal stenosis affects approximately 1 out of each 10 circumcised boys, in intact boys meatal stenosis is unheard of! -m)HOW CIRCUMCISION MAY BE AFFECTING YOUR LOVE LIFEhttp://www.boystoo.com/medical/conversion.htmThe primary pleasure zones of the natural (uncircumcised) penis are located in the upper penis, which includes the penis head, the foreskin's inner lining, and the frenulum--the hinge of skin that connects the foreskin tothe head of the penis. When a male is circumcised, some of the most erotically sensitive areas of the penis are removed: the foreskin that normally covers the head of thepenis (the glans) and some or all of the frenulum.The frenulum contains high concentrations of nerve endings that are sensitive to fine touch. The glans was designed by nature to be covered all the time except during sexual activity. Upon erection, both foreskin layers unfold ontothe upper penile shaft, leaving the highly innervated frenulum, glans, and inner lining exposed and readied for sexual activity. The give of the natural penis, by contrast, allows for more bend and flex of the organ in the vagina, adding to a woman's pleasure and comfort. The abundant skin of the natural penile shaft further cushions the force of the coronal ridge in the vagina. In addition, the mobile skin ofthe penis is "grasped" by the ridges of the vaginal mucosa and held in place. The bunching and unbunching of penile skin during intercourse enhances a man's pleasure, but it also excites the woman. Circumcised sex may cause the vagina to abnormally tense up and decrease its lubrication. Women report more problems with lubrication when having sex with circumcised men, possibly because of irritation from the harder tip and involuntary tensing against it, and also because the longerstroke length tends to remove lubrication from the vagina. Often an artificial lubricant is necessary.Intercourse may also be painful for the circumcised man because his penis scrapes against the ribbed structure of tensed-up vaginal walls and becomes overstimulated from constant pressure. What is lost due to circumcision? The Lost Listhttp://www.norm.org/lost.html Effects of male circumcision on female arousal and orgasmhttp://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/116-1181/595/While vaginal dryness is considered an indicator for female sexual arousal disorder, male circumcision may exacerbate female vaginal dryness during intercourse.Most likely, reported vaginal dryness and the related clinical designation ‘female arousal disorder’ is but a normal female response to coitus with a man with an iatrogenically deficient penis.