QUEENSLAND: Doctor took dog, circumcised barehanded

The Courier-Mail (Queensland)
February 8, 2015

Doctor took his dog to surgery with him and did not wear gloves while circumcising patients

by Kay Dibben

A GOLD Coast surgeon was barred from performing circumcisions after he undertook the procedures without wearing gloves and had his dog at his practice during consultations.

Dr Rodney Michael Tracey went to a tribunal to apply for a stay on the conditions placed on his medical registration in February last year, but was unsuccessful.

One of the conditions imposed by the Medical Board of Australia was that he complete an approved education course in infection control.

He was not allowed to perform circumcisions until approved by the board, the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal said in a recently-published decision.

The conditions were put in place because a board committee believed Dr Tracey’s practise of medicine was below the accepted standard of a medical practitioner.

The action was taken as a result of notifications to the Health Quality and Complaints Commission about Dr Tracey’s performance of circumcisions.

The board said there were factual matters that could not legitimately be disputed by Dr Tracey, including that he did not wear gloves while performing Plastibell circumcision procedures.

The board told the tribunal Dr Tracey’s dog was present at his practice during the course of consultations.

Dr Tracey claimed there was limited evidence to support the board’s decisions which were manifestly inappropriate and said the decisions were vague and imprecise.

The tribunal said there was no evidence of any adverse impact on Dr Tracey by imposition of the conditions.

Dr Tracey did not provide evidence as to the extent the circumcision ban affected his practice.

He pointed to the large number of Plastibell circumcision device fittings he had performed, from the original complaint in 2012 until the board decision in 2014, without complications or adverse outcomes.

The board said it had expert evidence that did not support Dr Tracey’s practises and which suggested his conduct was below acceptable standards.

The tribunal refused the application for a stay of the board’s decision.

SAVANNAH, GA: Walmart, Sears and Amazon bow to public horror at DIY Plastibell sales

WOTC
October 24, 2014

Asked and Answered: In-home circumcision kit

by
SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) - It seems you can buy almost anything on the Internet, but one product being sold on popular store websites is raising a few eyebrows, and even led to a petition drive.

This isn't exactly the normal news story, but a WTOC viewer asked if a device show in a picture they sent was safe.

The device in question is a circumcision device meanr for babies, and at the time it was being sold on Walmart's website.

Since the message was sent, Walmart has discontinued selling the Plasti-Bell Circumcision Device after a petition and write-in campaign by angry customers. However, other retailers, including Sears and Amazon, also sold the item.

Now the item is no longer on Amazon or Sears. WTOC spoke with Dr. Dudley Stone of Coastal Pediatrics, who was pretty stunned after checking into the devices.

“It's scary because what's next?” he said. “People will be doing all sorts of things at home.”
He said no device sold in a store or online should be used in a procedure [at] home as sensitive and potentially dangerous as a circumcision, whether it's a child or an adult.

“At home circumcision is an unusual concept,” Stone said. “It's not something recommended by medical professionals and should be done by trained medical staff. To do it at home is not an acceptable technique, and this kit being sold is really intended for trained medical professionals.” [Someone should tell that to AAP Circumcision Task Force member Dr Andrew Freedman, who by his own admission, circumcised his own son on his parents' kitchen table.]

Stone called it a sign of the times; people want to save money and do it at home without seeing a doctor. He said the procedure is not one to fool around with and you should see a doctor.

MISSISSIPPI: Father who lost penis to circumcision learnt nothing, cuts son

Man who learnt nothing ...

Clarion Ledger (Mississippi)
April 25, 2014

Man who lost penis in circumcision circumcises own son

by Emily Le Coz
Space constraints in the newspaper limited how much I could write about the man whose reconstructed penis allowed him to father a child naturally. [No, artificially.] ...
... even though Mike Moore lost his penis because of a tragic circumcision accident, he decided to circumcise his infant son (who is now 6 months old).

Mike "was nervous about having him circumcised," his wife, Heather said, "but there was no cutting involved – just a little plastic ring that goes around him and then it just falls off."

The procedure went smoothly, and everyone is happy and healthy and in tact. [sic]
Speaking of botched circumcisions, here are the court documents related to a case almost identical to Moore's where a 2-year-old boy lost his penis after a laser-cut circumcision. (Moore was 7 when he lost his.)
...

Earlier story