Metzitzah B’peh and Nineteenth Century New York: An Analysis of the 1873 New York Board of Health Investigation of Ritual Circumcision.

Abstract

The antiparallel, double helix structure of DNA symbolizes the evolution of the biblical rite of circumcision, brit milah. Established as a testimony to the eternal covenant between God and Abraham, the practice has perpetuated through the millennia, commemorating and harkening back to Judaism’s seminal covenant. Similar to the double helix’s two antiparallel trajectories, brit milah also has a forward looking direction, as its protocol has evolved to ensure its perpetuity and safety. One such safeguard- metztizah b’peh, the addendum to ritual circumcision, which requires the mohel (ritual peritomist) to orally suck blood from the wound immediately following the excision of the foreskin - has been vociferously contended over in recent years.