Personal Experience
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#  Personal Experience  

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    Memoirs of an Aramco doctor.
    

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* * *
    
    
    I'm interested in what you are doing on this site, and wish to add 
    to your archive.
    
    I am a retired doctor who once worked for Aramco (The Arab-American 
    Oil Company) from 1947 to 1954, with a one year break for service 
    in the Korean Conflict: 1949-1950.
    
    As part of my duties, one day a month I was to visit the palace of 
    the local potentate. The first visit was devoted to examining his 
    family. The next month I gave routine exams to his servants, 
    including two middle-aged, black males complaining of urinary track 
    problems. Upon examination I discovered, to my horror, that their 
    genitals were completely severed. The wounds were very old, and 
    there was much secondary damage, apparently due to post-operative 
    infection. I explained to my host that the problems with 
    incontinence were the product of the crude procedure and that I 
    could do little to help them except to prescribe antibiotics when 
    infections re-appeared. I made the mistake of lecturing the Prince 
    on the backwardness of this tradition. I advised him in no-
    uncertain terms about the need to avoid such crude attempts to 
    alter the human body, and about the advantages of western medicine.
    
    The next month, after a short day examining members of his extended 
    family, One of his servants presented me with two black boys about 
    ten years old. He told me that the boys were destined to the same 
    fate as the two men I examined the last month. The Prince was moved 
    by my discussion with him at that time, and wished that I would do 
    the procedure using the sound, humane methods I had promoted to him 
    at that time! My company was in the midst of protracted talks with 
    the Prince and his family aimed at extending our presence in the 
    country, and I certainly did not wish that the poor wretches would 
    be subject to the traditional methods, so I agreed to conduct the 
    procedure.
    
    After that, I was occasionally asked to perform the operation on 
    other boys. I did so a total of seven times before being recalled 
    to active military service in 1949. I inquired as to the origin of 
    these children, and was told that they were sold by their families 
    to pay for the pilgrimage to Mecca. The parents had full knowledge 
    of the fate which awaited their children, it seemed to be a special 
    honor in their faith to be so mutilated and to guard the holy sites 
    of Mecca.
    
    I returned to the company in the Fall of 1950, and soon after that 
    time I was presented with three light-skinned boys destined for the 
    procedure. The servant told me that these orphans from North Africa 
    were the product of Arab women and German or British soldiers 
    during the Second World War. One had some Arab characteristics, but 
    the other two could easily pass as an American or European. None, 
    however, could speak much English and chatted with each other in 
    Arabic. I objected strongly to emasculating these boys. The Prince 
    persuaded me to quiz the children themselves on their wishes. 
    Although they appeared to be white, they were under the complete 
    sway of the local faith and even encouraged me to proceed with the 
    operation. They evwen had a rudimentary understanding of its 
    effects (although I can't believe that boys of that age can have a 
    true understanding of the sacrifice involved). The heads of these 
    children were filled with dreams of honored service in the shrines 
    of Mecca. The director of the company, along with the Prince, 
    persuaded me that conducting the procedure would be best for all 
    concerned, so I reluctantly did so. But I insisted that it would be 
    the last time.
    
    The company was nationalized several years later. I made 
    substantial sums of money during those years, but continue to feel 
    some guilt over participating in the operations. My only solace is 
    that the children were much better off having the procedure 
    conducted professionally with anesthesia, rather than by the 
    traditional means. I know that other Aramco doctors also agreed to 
    conduct these operations as a "favor" to our hosts.
    

  
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