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[Out in the Open, Revised Edition: The Complete Male Pelvis] [By: Schultz Ph.D., R. Louis] [June, 2012]
This is everything you ever wanted to know about the pelvis but were afraid to ask. Louis Schultz examines the male pelvis under the dual lens of culture and science. North American culture prizes male strength, upper-body bulk, and muscularity, but ignores male genitalia for anything other than sexual function. The author strives to increase knowledge of this body region with a guide to male pelvic anatomy and a discussion of male sexual pleasure and emotions.
- GenresNonfiction
Paperback
First published October 8, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 8, 2016
Disappointing publication. I thought this was a book on male physique and health based on medical science (or basic common sense, at least) - the fact that the author has a PhD and was an actual practicing doctor does not make it easier to see through the pretense - but instead this turned out to be a pseudoscientific nonsense (with the exceptions of some common-sense paragraphs). I wish any of the reviews I read had pointed this out.
This is not a book based on actual science. It is written from a perspective of alternative medicine. (And if that doesn't scare you off, then look up 'rolfing' on wikipedia and the lack of evidence to any of what they claim and practice).
Most of the ideas in this book are not unlike religious mumbo-jumbo cleverly veiled in actual expert anatomical knowledge. Plainly said, it is mostly just active imagination let run too far.
To do it justice though, it is not a complete disaster of a book. It does have some decent material/food for thought. But after you separate that out you are left with just a handful loose paragraphs here and there. And it is clear that, while on some things the author has got the right idea, on others he has gone way out on a limb, is presenting clearly too far-fetched ideas, and, less subtly put, appears quack. It is not to my taste.
For example, it is hard to take the author seriously when he comes out with something like this:
The variation in the degree of contraction also explains the differences in the distance between the anus and the base of the penis in different men.
or this:
Not many men take the time to enjoy the feeling of an erection in and of itself.
He claims to have had experience with a huge number of men from many different countries and several parts of the world, and yet he seems to have singled out (or alternatively that's the type seeking out his help) those more rarely seen men who, true, might be as incapacitated in their physique and emotional life as the author claims, but who are not the norm when it comes to the subject matter. Most men do come to terms with their bodies and feelings, and the situation is far from as handicapped as the author makes it out to be. Again, it's his wild imagination at work, drawing not so precise connections and perspective.
To anybody interested in the book: do not buy into the fact that the author was a doctor (an embryologist) and that the book displays anatomical diagrams throughout and uses scientific terms. This is not a scientific text, and it doesn't even make that much common sense as should be expected in most of the things it talks about. The claims the author makes should be taken with precaution. Doctors can be just as quack as some religious fanatics, and their professional title alone is not an indication to the truthfulness of their claims.
Everybody is free to experiment (physically and in the mind) and research, of course, but it should be clearly stated what this book is and what it is not. What it is not is ''complete male pelvis'' (e.g. the chapter on sexuality, doesn't even treat the subject of sexuality!). More precisely, it should be titled ''I have let my imagination run too far concerning the male pelvis''.
This is not a book based on actual science. It is written from a perspective of alternative medicine. (And if that doesn't scare you off, then look up 'rolfing' on wikipedia and the lack of evidence to any of what they claim and practice).
Most of the ideas in this book are not unlike religious mumbo-jumbo cleverly veiled in actual expert anatomical knowledge. Plainly said, it is mostly just active imagination let run too far.
To do it justice though, it is not a complete disaster of a book. It does have some decent material/food for thought. But after you separate that out you are left with just a handful loose paragraphs here and there. And it is clear that, while on some things the author has got the right idea, on others he has gone way out on a limb, is presenting clearly too far-fetched ideas, and, less subtly put, appears quack. It is not to my taste.
For example, it is hard to take the author seriously when he comes out with something like this:
The variation in the degree of contraction also explains the differences in the distance between the anus and the base of the penis in different men.
or this:
Not many men take the time to enjoy the feeling of an erection in and of itself.
He claims to have had experience with a huge number of men from many different countries and several parts of the world, and yet he seems to have singled out (or alternatively that's the type seeking out his help) those more rarely seen men who, true, might be as incapacitated in their physique and emotional life as the author claims, but who are not the norm when it comes to the subject matter. Most men do come to terms with their bodies and feelings, and the situation is far from as handicapped as the author makes it out to be. Again, it's his wild imagination at work, drawing not so precise connections and perspective.
To anybody interested in the book: do not buy into the fact that the author was a doctor (an embryologist) and that the book displays anatomical diagrams throughout and uses scientific terms. This is not a scientific text, and it doesn't even make that much common sense as should be expected in most of the things it talks about. The claims the author makes should be taken with precaution. Doctors can be just as quack as some religious fanatics, and their professional title alone is not an indication to the truthfulness of their claims.
Everybody is free to experiment (physically and in the mind) and research, of course, but it should be clearly stated what this book is and what it is not. What it is not is ''complete male pelvis'' (e.g. the chapter on sexuality, doesn't even treat the subject of sexuality!). More precisely, it should be titled ''I have let my imagination run too far concerning the male pelvis''.
September 13, 2018
Feels dated. Maybe useful for people who are roldfing or performing massage m
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January 31, 2025Read this to help hip pain in my husband . Was hoping for a bit more of the bodywork section but insightful .
July 10, 2016
Very informative and a good resource on the male pelvis.
December 13, 2015
Great read to understand my husband's body better. We're doing Feldenkrais together which is based on the principles of Rolfing. Some parts are too technical but all in all an interesting read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews