Feminists will love this book, especially the idea that a man is just a ‘diminished female’. Those of us who own (or are the victims of) a Y chromosome may have different reactions to it. If human cloning ever really takes off could men become completely redundant? Imagine a population composed entirely of cloned women. Heaven on Earth? I think not: but maybe that’s just my Y expressing itself.

This is a fascinating book full of detailed information but surprisingly easy to read. It relates the discovery of the Y chromosome and its use in paternity testing and in the tracing of the origins of the Welsh and other tribes. It will tell you all you ever wanted to know about circumcision and castration, the hydraulics of an erection, why women live longer than men, the effects of testosterone on both sexes, and a great deal more.

Steve Jones has the ability to impart scientific information quite painlessly. His text is seasoned with all kinds of odd, memorable facts and anecdotes. For example: Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln (d.1200 AD) believed that an angel had helped to castrate him. An act which apparently made him more holy. And someone has written a book entitled Why Cucumbers are Better than Men. A vegetarian feminist?

The current President of the Institute has written a book which, I believe, members will find (whether they have a Y or not) both enjoyable and instructive. I recommend it to them.

John Timson