I love poos and wees, so you can imagine the difficulty I had controlling my own bowel and bladder during the time I was waiting for this book to arrive. I must confess to some degree of professional competitiveness, which made me want to find fault with it wherever I looked.

I have to report mixed success—I did remain continent, just, but the book itself is actually a bit of a treasure trove.

It is difficult to imagine a better-researched volume. It explores all aspects of bladder and bowel physiology and pathology and discusses the management of these problems in a sensible and humane way. The text is detailed but very readable and although it …