Whether it is doctors, patients or society as a whole, they all accept the change of gender boundaries in the medical environment, that is, the "de-genderization" of doctors, and medical ethics, medical knowledge and clinical experience give doctors the power to examine patients' bodies across gender boundaries. (ICphoto/Photo)
Recently, a debate on a network entertainment program about "obstetricians and gynecologists should not be feminized" caused controversy among the audience, and further fermented into a public issue, causing fierce discussion in the field of public opinion, interestingly, both sides of the debate will be "patient-centered" as their core argument, so that this controversy from the surface, like the discussion of many public issues, has the positive significance of promoting social progress, but in depth, behind it is a worrying slippery slope and regression.
In pre-modern societies, the precepts of gender segregation were common, such as the imposition of incompatibility between men and women. Entering modern society, these precepts have been broken, liberating both women and men. More public places and more occupations are open to both men and women at the same time is a major trend.
In this context, medical ethics has also developed accordingly. Whether it is doctors, patients or society as a whole, they all accept the change of gender boundaries in the medical environment, that is, the "de-genderization" of doctors, and medical ethics, medical knowledge and clinical experience give doctors the power to examine patients' bodies across gender boundaries.
However, it cannot be ignored that the customs of pre-modern society still exist in contemporary society and are very stubborn in some areas, which has also caused some special circumstances. For example, when conducting neurology diagnosis and treatment activities, patients are more likely to recognize the change of gender boundaries and accept the "de-genderization" of doctors in diagnosis and treatment. For patients, doctors only have differences in professional titles, medical knowledge, clinical experience, and communication skills, but it does not matter what gender the doctor is.
However, in breast surgery, obstetrics and gynecology and other departments involving sexual organs, the situation is significantly different, in view of the complex relationship between sexual organs, sexual behavior and sexual shame, some female patients can not accept the change of gender boundaries in diagnosis and treatment activities, so it is easy to regard "male doctors" as "strange men", diagnosis and treatment as "possible violation of the process", examination as "violation", resulting in patient refusal and doctor-patient disputes. This is one of the "traditional conflicts" common in the modernization process. The usual treatment principle is to use de-gendering/de-sexualization strategies in diagnosis and treatment, try to dilute the sexual meaning that may cause fear in the diagnosis and treatment situation, and the second is to take diagnostic and therapeutic measures to make the patient feel safe, such as when the male obstetrician and gynecologist diagnoses and treats the female patient, there are female medical assistants present, accompanied by the patient's family, etc.
In general, this "traditional conflict" is related to the cultural background and degree of modernization in different regions, such as in North America, where more than half of obstetricians and gynecologists are completely indifferent to the gender of the doctor, and more than half of obstetricians and gynecologists are men. In Iraq, only 18 percent of patients are indifferent to the gender of their doctors, and only 8 percent are willing to choose a male doctor, similar in other areas with the same religious beliefs.
But even in these areas, male obstetricians and gynecologists, despite their "difficult situation," still exist. This is because obstetrics and gynecology is a very practical discipline, many diagnoses and treatments need to be done by doctors, as a surgical department, a large number of surgeries have high requirements for physical strength, hands-on ability and skill. Therefore, on the one hand, the acceptance of male doctors and medical students is not high, on the other hand, it is indispensable, and some scholars have proposed that men are "important but not accepted roles" in obstetrics and gynecology diagnosis and treatment activities, or "unacceptable but important roles". Unlike the tangled and sensitive psychology of some patients, a large number of literature and data show that whether it is hospital administrators, obstetrics and gynecology experts or female colleagues, they all have a highly positive and welcoming attitude towards male obstetricians and gynecologists, which also shows the unique and irreplaceable advantages and importance of men in this field.
Modern medicine is a complete, increasingly interconnected and ever-updating body of knowledge. The production of medical talents depends on the systematic training of specialized educational institutions. The "male-chasing" of obstetrics and gynecology not only means that the complete disregard for talent and will, completely killing and depriving men of the opportunity to become obstetricians and gynecologists, but also means that the medical education system is destroyed - male medical students lose the opportunity to enter obstetrics and gynecology for clinical internships, their medical knowledge system is incomplete, even if he later engages in other disciplines, he may not be able to make correct judgments when faced with problems in the intersection with obstetrics and gynecology.
At the same time, the decline in medical ethics caused by the "obstetrics and gynecology males" is likely to spread to disciplines with the same or similar conditions, such as breast surgery and urology. Once these disciplines also begin to "chase men", their chain reaction is bound to lead to serious violations of women's rights to survival and health.
Thus, this foreseeable and disastrous consequence makes the absurd and ignorant subject of "obstetrics and gynecology chasing men" a basis for open discussion in any known civilized society. In societies that are recognized as less civilized, this is not the dominant view.
The biggest consequence of "male-to-male obstetrics and gynecology" is the restoration and re-establishment of "gender segregation" and the return to the former modern society. It is funny that the advocates and supporters of the "male-de-male theory" often claim to be the fiercest rebels against gender norms in pre-modern society and have the "most advanced" gender consciousness. This is holding the most avant-garde banner and doing the most ignorant thing.
The fact that "obstetrics and gynecology chases men" can become a public issue and cause widespread controversy also means that the evil consequences of some extremist forces provoking gender confrontation for a long time have begun to appear, and we should be vigilant enough against this kind of public opinion and signs.
(The author is a historian)
(This article is only the author's personal opinion and does not represent the position of this newspaper)
Liu He
![In the delivery room, the male doctor faced the "embarrassing things" of the mother, wanted to laugh and felt very sad[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)