"In the beginning was the nightmare, and the knife was with St. Paul, and the circumcision was a Jewish notion and definitely not mine," says a fictional Jewish-born, Christian convert, Timothy, in the opening lines of Gore Vidal's black comedy, "Live from Golgotha."

Now, an announcement by University of Chicago scientists says venereal disease levels are likely to be higher in circumcised men, even though circumcision has long been touted as a health-protective measure.

In their study, examining 1,410 men aged 18 to 59, the University of Chicago researchers discovered that the absence of a foreskin is "significantly associated" with bacterial sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among men who have had several partners.

Edward O. Laumann, writing for the researchers in the Journal of the American Medical Association, says that old-fashioned religious claims, namely that circumcision prevents sexually- transmitted diseases," are simply untrue.

The reasons for this appear to be multiple. The removal of foreskins on the penis, according to investigators, seems to have freed many males to feel sexually adventurous. This may be, they surmise, because uncircumcised men, in a culture that frowns on those who have not been circumcised, are less likely show themselves. This socially-caused embarrassment, it is noted, may also be responsible for a measure of sexual disinterest affecting uncircumcised men as they grow older. Circumcised men, on the other hand, tend to be more sexually adventurous.

According to Laumann, preventing bacterial infections is best accomplished through thorough washing. Researchers have not, however, been able to find any "persuasive evidence" to perform circumcision. The United States leads the rest of the industrial world in the performing of post-birth circumcisions. Non-religious circumcisions are far fewer in Canada and in Europe.

The Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Urological Association have issued statements that cover benefits and risks to circumcised males. Ultimately, they say, the decision must rest with the doctor and the patient.

The AAP is planning a re-examination of its 1989 policy and may, in the summer, revise its guidelines.