Date: Mon, 1 Apr 1996 15:39:52 -0800 (PST) Reply-To: noharmm-l@eskimo.com Originator: noharmm-l@eskimo.com Precedence: bulk From: "James 2 Ryan" To: noharmm-l@eskimo.com Subject: Townsend Letter X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas In response to Lawrence Ferretti's inquiry: I am not personally familiar with the Townsend Letter. From what is available on the Web, it appears to be a journal which deals with issues related to diet, the environment and alternative medical treatments. While it is not a "prestigeous medical journal," that does not detract from the value of the article by Fleiss and Hodges. What is unfortunate is that the mainstream medical journals would be unlikely to ever print such an article. Dr. Fleiss has written a number of letters on circumcision to "prestigeous medical journals," successfully getting some published. A list of his letters appears below. He is a 1962 graduate of the University of California Medical School at Irvine who also holds a degee in public health. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. As of 1994 (the date of my reference book), he held the position of Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Southern California Medical School and was on the staff of the Los Angeles Children's Hospital. Also as of 1994, he was in private practice at 1884 Hillhurst Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90027-4408. Telephone (310) 664-1977. As Dr. Fleiss' co-author does not appear to be a physician, I have no information on him. The article however, appears to be thoroughly researched and of a quality that would qualify it for a "real" medical journal. They would likely reject it as "unbalanced" or overly "partisan." But how can any honest physician who has researched the facts not be partisan on this issue? This contribution of Fleiss and Hodges deserve to be acknowledged and applauded. James Ryan, MD, MPH P.O. Box 341 Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 Bibliography 1. Fleiss, P.M. Female circumcision [letter]. N.Engl.J.Med. 332:189; discussion 189-90, 1995. 2. Fleiss, P.M. Explanation for false-positive urine cultures obtained by bag technique [letter]. Arch.Pediatr.Adolesc.Med. 149:1041-1042, 1995. 3. Fleiss, P.M. Re: Circumcision revision in prepubertal boys: analysis of a 2-year experience and description of a technique [letter; comment]. J.Urol. 154:1143-1144, 1995. 4. Fleiss, P.M. and Fleis, P.M.,PM] Circumcision [letter; comment] [published erratum appears in Lancet 1995 May 6;345(8958):1187]. Lancet 345:927, 1995. 5. Fleiss, P.M. Female circumcision [letter; comment]. N.Engl.J.Med. 332:189; discussion 189-90, 1995. 6. Fleiss, P.M. A perspective on controversies about neonatal circumcision [letter]. Clin.Pediatr.(Phila). 34(7):395-6; discussion 398-9, 1995. 7. Fleiss, P.M. and Douglass, J. The case against neonatal circumcision [letter]. Br.Med.J. 2:554, 1979.