Being a man should not seriously damage your health, conclude White and Banks (2004) in their chapter in a men’s health text. The maxim is used at the beginning of this text to remind the practice nurse of the fact that being a man in some instances can and does seriously damage their health. Men are much less likely to visit their general practice than women. Those men who are aged under 45 years visit their general practice only half as often as women; it is only when they become older that the gap narrows signifi cantly
