Male genital mutilation: 'whodunnit'?
A 26-year-old man was brought to hospital having sustained amputation of his penis, scrotum and testes. Although he claimed that his 'master' did it, the 'master' denied the allegation. The police subsequently retrieved the two testes but the amputated penile shaft was never found. The remaining scrotum and short penile stump were repaired to enable him pass urine. The evidence of the patient was not corroborated. No motive for the amputation was established. The patient refused to appear in court as prosecution witness against the accused, his 'master'. Furthermore, although he has not withdrawn his accusation, he has paid friendly visits to the master subsequently. There is, therefore, the suspicion that the patient was himself responsible for the amputation. This patient will require long-term psychological, endocrinological and urological follow-up.
Eke
N
N
Urology Unit, Department of Surgery, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. eke.obowu@alpha.linkserve.com
Elenwo
S N
SN