Private Parts. An Owner's Guide to the Male Anatomy, 2nd Ed

Yosh Taguchi

McClelland & Stewart Inc, Suite 900, 481 University Ave, Toronto, ON M5G 2E9
1996/320 pp

Strengths

Easy to read, no-nonsense language, mostly accurate information

Weaknesses

Not always strongly evidence-based, sometimes too much emphasis on surgery, not patient-centred

This is Dr Taguchi’s second and updated edition of his “Canadian bestseller” first published in 1988. He is a well-known Montreal urologist who says he wrote this as “… the answer to all those questions I have ever been asked… in my office.” Further, as it says on the jacket, “Most men know more about their cars than about the workings of their own bodies.” Many family physicians would agree.

This book is a cleanly laid out, how-to manual for men who want to know more about their genitourinary system. The first chapter deals with basic anatomy and functions. The rest covers various problem areas, such as impotence (when will the medical establishment call this erectile dysfunction?), infertility, vasectomy, lumps, prostate problems, sexually transmitted diseases, and incontinence. The information is straightforward and accurate, and the last few pages contain commonly asked questions and answers.

The section on prostate problems is full of details on diagnosis and management. The author, however, gives too much information on surgical aspects, walking readers through every detail of how he performs the surgery. I also objected to the way routine prostate-specific antigen screenings and almost routine surgery (for prostate cancer) were encouraged. The evidence is still unclear about whether routine prostate-specific antigen screenings help, and no one will pass the College of Family Physicians of Canada’s (CFPC) examination if they push surgery for prostate cancer. I also believe the author makes too light of the quite high postoperative rates of erectile dysfunction. I have fewer points to criticize in the other sections. The details on STDs are good, and I liked the case reports in the section on lumps. This book might not pass the CFPC’s standard for patient-centred material; however, I recommend it as a practical book for patients and residents as long as their physicians read it first.