(BKREV) Sex at Risk: Lifetime Number of Partners, Frequency of Intercourse, and the Low AIDS Risk of Vaginal Intercourse
Transaction Publishers, 35 Berrue Circle, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8042. 222p., bibliog., index. ISBN 1-56000-309-X. $32.95. Stuart Brody. 1997.
This book is a comprehensive review of the scientific literature dealing with the transmission of AIDS. In reviewing the literature, Brody "concludes by discussing what AIDS reveals about how politically correct thought impedes scientific progress, when taboo themes, regardless of their validity, cannot be pursued." This is a factual but controversial book. Brody challenges some of the methodology that has been used in AIDS/HIV behavioral research and he looks deeply at the reasons "that fear of AIDS transmission from vaginal intercourse has spread so widely and profoundly." The book is divided into 3 parts: "Lifetime Number of Sexual Partners," "Frequency of Sexual Intercourse," and "The Low AIDS Risk of Vaginal Intercourse." In his conclusion, Brody states among several points that poor hygiene and fecal contact contribute to AIDS risk; blacks may have a greater susceptibility to AIDS than whites; AIDS risk for healthy heterosexuals in the industrialized world remains low; AIDS incidence appears to be declining; condoms are of dubious value; there is an overestimation of AIDS risks; politics tend to severely exaggerate the estimate of AIDS risk for healthy heterosexuals; and injection and anal routes appear to be the only significant pathways for HIV infection. Yes, this is a controversial book, but it is based on a review of the literature and, therefore, needs to be considered by all who are doing research, especially medical doctors, clinicians, and those interested in the sociology and psychology of knowledge. A recommended book for all academic and medical libraries.
Keywords: Transmission; Risk Factors; Heterosexuals Copyright (c) 1999 - Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Review's may be reprinted or redistributed for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or educational advancement granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. For other reprinting, redistribution, or translation, address requests to H. Robert Malinowsky, University of Illinois at Chicago Library, PO Box 8198, Chicago, IL 60680 or electronically to hrm@uic.edu. 990410
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