Ridged band 298511 220546012 2008-06-20T11:28:55Z DOI bot 6652755 Citation maintenance. You can [[WP:DOI|use this bot]] yourself! Please [[User:DOI_bot/bugs|report any bugs]]. [[Image:ridged_band.jpeg|thumb|right|300px|The arrow points to the boundary between the ridged band and the true skin of the foreskin. Eight or ten ridges, encircling the penis, are clearly visible.]] The '''ridged band''' is believed to be an anatomically distinct part of the [[foreskin]]. John R. Taylor, a Canadian [[Pathology|pathologist]] and [[Biomedical research|medical researcher]], first described the ridged band at the ''Second International Symposium on Circumcision'', organized by [http://www.nocirc.org NOCIRC] in San Francisco, 1991, after examining the foreskins of 12 dead infants. The term "ridged band" was subsequently used by Taylor in an anatomical and histological study of the foreskin published in the ''British Journal of Urology'' in 1996.<ref name="Taylor1996">{{cite journal | last = Taylor | first = JR | coauthors = Lockwood AP; Taylor AJ | title = The prepuce: Specialized mucosa of the penis and its loss to circumcision | journal = British Journal of Urology | volume = 77 | issue = 2 | pages = 291–295 | url= http://www.cirp.org/library/anatomy/taylor/ | date = February 1996}} (Reprint: cirp.org)</ref> Most or all of the ridged band is removed by circumcision.<ref name="Taylor1996" /> ==Structure== [[Image:Ridged_band_magnified.jpg|thumb|right|271px|Part of a ridged band, magnified 10x. The glistening mucosa resembles intestinal tissue rather than skin.]] Taylor described a transversely-ridged band of [[mucosal tissue]] located just inside the tip of the foreskin near the [[mucocutaneous boundary]]. He characterized this ridged band as "[[blood vessels|intensely vascular]]". He described the band as "[[nerve|richly innervated]]", stated that it "contains more [[Meissner's corpuscles]] than does the smooth mucosa", and noted that these corpuscles were found only in the crests of ridges. ==Function== Taylor postulates that "the ridged band with its unique structure, tactile corpuscles and other nerves, is primarily sensory tissue".<ref name="Taylor1996" /> He hypothesizes that Meissner's corpuscles in the ridged band are adapted to detect stretch: :Work in progress indicates that retraction and stretching of this accordion-like structure triggers reflex contraction of [[bulbocavernosus]] and [[bulbospongiosus]].<ref name="Taylor2007Sep">{{cite journal | last = Taylor | first = John R. | title = The forgotten foreskin and its ridged band (letter) | journal = Journal of Sexual Medicine | volume = 4 | issue = 5 | pages = 1516 | url= http://pmid.us/17727357 | date = September 2007 | doi = 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2007.00588.x}}</ref> Taylor theorizes that the main function of the ridged band is to trigger sexual reflexes. In a letter to the editor of ''BJU International'', 2007, Taylor writes: :Initial study (J.R.T. unpublished) indicates that the real importance of the ridged band to sexual intercourse lies in an ability to trigger a reflex contraction of muscles responsible for ejaculation.<ref>{{cite journal | last = Taylor | first = John R. | title = Fine-touch pressure thresholds in the adult penis (letter) | journal = BJU International | volume = 100 | issue = 1 | pages = 218 | url= http://pmid.us/17552969 | date = July 2007 | doi = 10.1111/j.1464-410X.2007.07026_4.x}}</ref> In the ''Journal of Sexual Medicine'', 2007, Taylor states: :Both glans and prepuce contribute to the single [[Mucocutaneous zone|mucocutaneous junctional zone]] of the penis and it is possible that these apparently dissimilar structures in fact share similar functions related more to sexual reflexes than to touch perception.<ref name="Taylor2007Sep" /> A.M. Viens, a member of the Department of [[Philosophy]], [[St Anne's College]], [[Oxford University]], comments: :Not only is a pathological study not ideal for conclusions concerning the physical sensation and enjoyment of sex in the living, we have no findings that show that sensation transmission pathways of the penis differ substantially between circumcised and uncircumcised men. As it presently stands, there is no convincing evidence that shows that sexual function of circumcised individuals is worsened or damaged as a result of a properly performed circumcision.<ref name="viens">{{cite journal | last = Viens | first = AM | title = Value judgment, harm, and religious liberty (letter) | journal = Journal of Medical Ethics | volume = 30 | issue = 3 | pages = 241–247 | url = http://jme.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/30/3/241-a | date = June 2004 | doi = 10.1136/jme.2003.003921 | pmid = 15173355}}</ref> Viens also criticized Taylor's methodology, on the grounds that the sample size of cadavers was "extremely small".<ref name="viens"/> The effect of circumcision on sexual function is the subject of intense debate. Taylor's view is that "almost certainly, removal of the prepuce and its ridged band distorts penile reflexogenic functions but exactly how and to what extent still remains to be seen".<ref name="Taylor2007Sep" /> For an overview of the issues surrounding male circumcision and sexual function, see [[Sexual effects of circumcision]]. ==References== {{reflist}} ==See also== *[[Erogenous zone]] *[[Medical analysis of circumcision]] ==External links== *''The Ridged Band: Specialized Sexual Tissue'' URL: http://research.cirp.org/ (Dr John R. Taylor responsible for site content) ===Illustrations=== *''Dr John Taylor's illustrations'' [http://research.cirp.org/pix1.html] *''Your Anatomy''[http://www.infocirc.org/townsend/anatomy2.htm] Site illustrating the ridged band *''Ridged band and frenulum''[http://www.sexdictionary.info/ridged%20ban_frenulum.html] SexDictionary.info ==Further reading== *Kristen O'Hara with Jeffrey O'Hara. ''Sex as Nature Intended It''. Hudson, Massachusetts: Turning Point Publications, 2001: pp. 139, 148-49. (ISBN 0-9700442-0-8) *Paul Fleiss, M.D. and Frederick Hodges, D. Phil. ''What Your Doctor May ''Not'' Tell You About Circumcision''. New York: Warner Books, 2002: pp. 7-8, 13, 14. (ISBN 0-446-67880-5) [[Category:Circumcision debate]] [[Category:Male reproductive system]] [[Category:Pelvis]] [[Category:Reproductive system]] [[Category:Anatomy]] [[fr:Bande striée]]