Mels van Driel (1954) is a urologist at the University Hospital in Groningen, The Netherlands. In 1991 he wrote a postdoctoral thesis on the subject of erectile impotence. Since 1989 he is a member of the International Society for Impotence Research. |
THE SECRET PARTA Natural History of the PenisBy Mels Van DrielISBN 186992858X
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'interesting and informative and eminently readable by a lay audience’- Professor A R Mundy, Royal Free and University College Medical School |
'Men
have a strange relationship with their genitals, one that is
not mirrored by
women. This book is about "penis culture", a subject rarely discussed
in public but considered by many, and reflected by the title, which includes
the word "secret". This book is well researched and explores an enormous
subject across many cultures and throughout the ages. Van Driel presents
a highly informative account of the penis and the many conditions or disorders
that are associated with it, e.g. impotence, priapism, circumcision and
Peyronie’s disease, from many perspectives, other than the medical
one. It is an easy to read format, his titillating account of the
subject includes
a chapter on what women think of an erect penis and about one that
is unable to erect. The book is an evocation of the myths of the
penis and
a gentle satire on the imperfections of having one. The book will
not only appeal to anyone who has one, but also to medical personnel
involved
with one, or to the layman. . . Overall it is a genuine good read.'
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The Secret Part was published in the Netherlands as the best selling Het Geheime Deel, and is translated by Judith Abma-Hill.ContentsIntroduction Impotence Other
Penile Problems A fairy tale about growing old; The
Woman and Feminism The
Erection, Art and Science Bibliography Extracts from The Secret Part'Every so often, politicians also have involvement with an erect penis. In 1993 a discussion arose in European Parliament about the length of the penis. Mrs Nel van Dijk, parliamentary member of Groen-Links (Green-Left party) recommended ending ‘the squabbling about EC norms for the condom’. What was the problem? For just about anything you can think of, there have to be EC norms. The English were fighting for a compromise about the length of the average European penis. According to them, an average length of 17 cm and a diameter of 5.6 cm was far too small. The average English penis is believed to be quite a bit bigger. Nel van Dijk asked the committee whether they were of the opinion that in view of the sensitivity obviously surrounding establishing the average length of the penis, it might be wise to let each country decide their own average length, or at least to discuss the matter on a lower level than the European Committee. Another possibility was making a charter for the condom. The member countries could if necessary ask for exceptions to be made about the statistically estimated average length. ‘And if the gentlemen get stuck, then the male member itself will no doubt need to be normalised. I wonder what measures the busybodies in Brussels will come up with for accomplishing that’. What wisdom in these words! Under the authority of the Amsterdam condom manufacturer Het Gulden Vlies (The golden Fleece), the psychologist Erick Janssen performed a study on the circumference of the penis in erection. If a condom is too tight, this can lead to complaints, ranging from ‘doesn’t feel comfortable’ to ‘it is strangling me’. In contrast, a condom that is too loose, can slip off by accident. Janssen’s study showed that measured around the base, the average circumference of the penis in full erection was about 121 millimetres, with a range from 90 to 161 mm. Thus, the range was very wide. In addition, in a quarter of the study subjects, the circumference of the penis in erection was less than 110 mm, in three quarters less that 130 mm and in ninety per cent less than 140 mm. In ten per cent, the circumference in erection was more than 140 mm. The researcher’s conclusion was that good instruction about condoms should always contain information about the thickness of the penis in relation to various sizes of condom.' P. 58 The Secret Part |