You may have seen a video circulating on Twitter of a man in military fatigues inspecting the genitalia of a bunch of men lined up in a row. Or maybe you haven’t, in which case:



You’re welcome.


But what is the context, exactly? While no source is given for the video, similar videos have gone viral in the past, suggesting it is neither fake nor a one-off occurrence. Rather, it’s fairly standard military procedure. As one tweeter who calls himself The Skin Doctor explained in the replies, “This is preliminary medical examination for hernia and hydrocele. The person who’s doing it is a nursing assistant. If he finds something odd, medical officer will examine the candidate next. That will require full stripping as well. Pretty standard.”



While I’m not sure of The Skin Doctor’s qualifications, he does appear to be correct. Assuming the video was taken in India, recruits who pass through the Indian Military Academy have to pass a medical exam, which includes inspection of their genitals for health concerns like hernias, as well as standard blood tests, eye tests, etc. Based on their results, recruits are either declared fit, unfit, or temporarily unfit, in which case they’re given the opportunity to correct the issue before reporting back for a final checkup; having a hernia would see the would-be soldier declared temporarily unfit while they seek to have it repaired, for example.


If army examinations fascinate you, Indore Physical Academy based in Madhya Pradesh has uploaded countless videos showing their recruits undergoing various examinations, including medical, as well as training videos.


Have a ball with them.