This series of articles is intended to better explain to men (and women) some of the adverse effects that comes with the barbaric practice of circumcision in the human male. This article will discuss the penile bridge and its destruction and loss through the circumcisional process.
If one looks at an uncircumcised penis, one will notice something interesting that isn’t apparent in the penis that is circumcised. In the uncircumcised penis, the entire penis is composed of a nearly unbroken sheath (or covering) that starts at the base of the penis, continues through the surface of the foreskin, and travels all the way to the tip of the head of the penis. The only area in this covering (or sheath) that is unbroken is where the foreskin ends at the head of the penis. At this region there is a small “stair-stepping” effect where the thin skin of the foreskin “steps down” and ends, and is picked up again by the skin of the head of the penis.
In other words, there is nearly a completely unbroken covering to the penis. The foreskin is an integral and important part of this.
Now, if we look at a circumcised penis, what do we see? What happens to our unbroken penile sheath? It’s easy to see, as the penile sheath has been broken and is no longer a continuitous structure. Simply follow the penile shaft, starting from the base of the penis, and follow it up the shaft towards the head. Now, when we approach the head of the penis, what do we see? We see a sulcus (or groove) where the shaft meets the head. This is the Penile Moat since the foreskin is missing in this particular penis.
In the uncircumcised penis, the foreskin creates a bridge that crosses this sulcus in the penile shaft. When the foreskin is missing, the “bridge” is removed and we are left with this grooved area behind the penile head. This is important, from a sensory receptor point of view, because this region (in the groove) will not have any contact with the vagina during intercourse. As the banded muscular walls of the vagina (that run with the penile length) close in on the penis, this groove will not have any contact with the vaginal walls. This is especially true because this grooved area runs perpendicular to the vaginal muscles. Because this area gets no contact with the vaginal walls, no sensation is picked up in this area. So, if we had two identical penises, one circumcised and one uncircumcised, the circumcised penis would have less surface area contact with the vaginal walls. This lack of contact means lack of perception and, thus, lack of sexual perceived pleasure.
In the uncircumcised man, this sulcus is covered by the foreskin. This is why it is called the Penile Bridge. It bridges this area between the shaft and the head of the penis. So, when the uncircumcised penis is in the vagina, this sulcus will be covered and this foreskin “bridge” will perceive sensation and, thus, relay sexual pleasure from its contact with the vaginal walls. No bridge means a decrease in sensation and a decrease in sexual pleasure because of the leftover penile moat that is created.
As the penis isn’t very big to begin with, even a small amount of surface area that is compromised will definitely be relayed in less sensation and less pleasure. While this region is small, nonetheless, it is still important to allow a man to perceive and experience the height of sexual pleasure. Without this penile bridge, he loses out on what was naturally put in place to help him enjoy as much sexual pleasure as possible.
Georg von Neumann