Not hard to take seriously
From Councillor John Whelan Sir: Peter Westbrook ('Hard sell', 13 July) trivialises in his laddish style the real misery of thousands of men who suffer from impotence. Not only is impotence real, and not the brewer's droop he implies; it is a dark corner of male health, the better understanding of which is not helped by locker-room talk. Impotence can be treated but it requires expert medical assessment, and on the NHS you are lucky to get seen by a consultant in under a year. If you have the money you can go private, but most people cannot afford to, especially when solutions such as testosterone implants are needed.
Of course we all know that you can buy Viagra on the Internet, and that is where Westbrook got his pricing information, but such medication should only be taken under the supervision of a doctor. Westbrook seems to think it is a jolly jape to supply pills to a mate. How irresponsible is that? In so doing he is encouraging his chum only to put off the day when he needs to seek expert attention. Next time, how about a more grown-up discussion of specific male health problems, or is The Spectator too squeamish for such a forum?
John Whelan
Deputy Leader, Lambeth Council, London SEI
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