You Let Them Do That to You in Jail?

I had a twenty-year-old man come in worried about an infection in his penis. While recently incarcerated, he had agreed to let a fellow inmate perform surgery on him. An incision was made in the skin of the shaft of his penis. The “scalpel” was a toothbrush handle that had been sharpened by rubbing it on concrete. The incision was made without antiseptic or anesthesia.

Once a hole was made in the skin, a plastic ball, taken from a roll-on deodorant, was pushed up under the skin. The skin was then somehow held together until it healed over, securing the plastic ball under the skin against the shaft of his penis.

The patient explained that he did this in order to improve his sex though it was not clear if it was supposed to make it better for him or his partner.

The patient had subsequently been released from custody and wanted the plastic ball taken out. I easily removed it, using antiseptic, anesthesia and a scalpel not made from a toothbrush handle.