When did circumcision first become widespread in the US?
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Executive summary
Routine infant male circumcision became widespread in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, driven by medical professional advocacy and changing cultural norms; by mid‑20th century most American males were circumcised, with many estimates putting prevalence historically above 70–80% [1] [2]. Scholarly accounts trace the major expansion to medicalization and popular works around the 1890s that re‑framed circumcision as hygienic and “civilizing,” not primarily religious [3] [1].
1. How circumcision went from minority ritual to mainstream medical practice
Historians who study the U.S. point to a turn in the late 1800s when doctors and public‑health advocates recast circumcision as a prophylactic, hygienic operation rather than only a religious rite. Medical texts and popular works—most famously Paul Remondino’s and later authors—helped normalize the procedure in hospitals and pediatric practice by the early 20th century, producing the widespread practice that would characterize mid‑century America [3] [1].
2. The quantitative peak: mid‑20th century prevalence
Multiple reviews and compilations indicate that by the mid‑1900s a large majority of U.S. males had been circumcised. Contemporary estimates cited in academic and review material place historic U.S. male circumcision prevalence in the multiple decades after medical adoption at roughly 70–80% in some analyses, reflecting near‑routine newborn circumcision in many hospitals [2] [1].
3. Medical rationales and cultural framing that drove uptake
Sources highlight that the U.S. adoption was not a simple continuation of Jewish or Muslim practice but a cultural shift: circumcision was promoted as a sign of “civilization” and public health, tied to emerging germ theory and surgical advances. David Gollaher and other historians argue the practice acquired a “thick veneer of medical rationalization,” which made it acceptable across many non‑religious American communities [3] [1].
4. Regional and demographic variations even at the height
Even when circumcision was widespread, it was never uniform across the country or across ethnic groups. Studies and statistical compilations note important regional differences (for example, higher rates in some regions and lower among Hispanic populations), and surveys relying on different data sources sometimes give different prevalence numbers, underscoring heterogeneity beneath the national “majority” picture [4] [5] [6].
5. Shifts since the late 20th century: decline and policy effects
While the 20th century saw routine adoption, recent decades show a decline in newborn circumcision rates. Public‑health analyses and hospital data document drops from late 20th‑century peaks; scholars and reports attribute declines to changing AAP guidance over the decades, demographic change (growth of groups with lower circumcision prevalence), and policy shifts such as state Medicaid coverage changes that removed routine coverage in many states [7] [8] [2].
6. Why the timing matters to contemporary debates
Understanding that the U.S. expansion occurred largely through medicalization—rather than a single religious or cultural mandate—clarifies why current controversies over consent, medical benefit, and ethics have traction: a procedure normalized by physicians can later be re‑examined when evidence, policy, or public opinion changes [1] [7]. Recent reporting and studies show that public skepticism and insurance policy changes materially influence contemporary rates [8] [6].
7. What the available sources don’t settle
Available sources document the broad timeline and cultural drivers but do not provide a single definitive year when “widespread” status was achieved; instead they describe a process across decades from the 1890s into the early‑to‑mid 20th century, with mid‑century prevalence often reported as the high‑water mark [3] [1] [2]. Precise annual national prevalence curves and a universally accepted cutoff for when circumcision became “widespread” are not provided in the collected reporting (not found in current reporting).
Summary: scholars and contemporary reviews agree the U.S. shift to routine newborn circumcision was largely a medical‑professional project beginning in the late 19th century and reaching broad penetration by mid‑20th century; later decades saw variation and a gradual decline influenced by changing medical guidance, demographics, and Medicaid coverage decisions [3] [1] [8] [2].