the unkindest cut of all?

"This was the unkindest cut of all."


--From Julius Caesar (III, ii, 187)

Some countries and cultures still practise male circumcision, despite the fact that many people view it as an old-fashioned, barbaric, cruel custom (including some people that I know personally).

However, recent research has shown that circumcision can reduce the chance of men being infected by HIV, by about 60%. And that is not insignificant.

"This is an extraordinary development," said the appropriately named Dr. Kevin de Cock, director of the World Health Organization's AIDS department. "Circumcision is the most potent intervention in HIV prevention that has been described."