Customer Reviews

Men's Health for Dummies

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Inlander's book reviews in fairly basic format questions men may have about their health. I found the book good for most people at the high school graduate level, but one piece amazed me.
In the section on men's plumming Inlander gives a brief outline of the benefits of circumcision. I assume from his commentary Inlander is an American circumcised male.
He starts off all well and states that more or less circumcision adds little as a health benefit and cites a study done in 1997. Then apparently feeling this new knowledge could not be right he adds that circumcision protects against urinary infection in men. This is NOT true. The current flap on circumcision and UTI involves babies less than six months of age. The over all rate of UTI independant of circumcision status for boys is one percent at most. This says 100 or more boys would be circumcised to prophylactically prevent a UTI in one. Not a very good trade off when the complication rate of circumcision is at least one percent and some studies show five to ten percent.
Inlander then grasps at straws and states secretions under the foreskin will cause cancer of the penis!
This is at best an outmoded prejudice. Current thoery posits a virus HPV and smoking the major contributors.In countries which do-not circumcise and have hygienic facilities, i.e. running water,
the penile cancer rate is less than 1 in 100,000 men, hardly a reason to seek a cut.
Inlander then states a number of "junkie" secretions that may LURK under the foreskin causing irritations.
What does he mean? I suppose if a person never practiced any hygiene any body part would be irritated. I would not cut off my nose to avoid blowing it so why is the foreskin such a bother? Obviously Inlander has NEVER owned a normal penis , except perhaps a few hours after birth before the foreskin was harvested without his consent.
So I am forced to say this is a fair book for dummies written by an only slightly brighter dummie, with a need to justify male circumcision as a preventive of a number of improbable conditions.