Take your clothes off, oppressor!

Do you want someone who despises you, your opinions, or your ancestry to demand that you remove your clothing? Because as medical schools and other healthcare institutions see patients as members of demographic groupings rather than as individuals, that will be the end result. …

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Asked to explain the differences between the surgeon and the pilot, the students—all medical professionals—struggled. Most of their explanations crumbled upon probing. Both scenarios involve complex, delicate, life-and-death procedures. Only once did I ever receive a truly unassailable answer as to the difference. A nurse said:

“Because the pilot never asks you to take your clothes off.”

Her answer was profound. Perhaps the real value in the doctor-patient relationship is, as she suggested, comfort in a deeply discomfiting situation.

[I often like to write my own version of the headline to boost interest or as a commentary, but … there’s no way to top Bob’s headline. It’s a fun entrée to a serious point of reflection, however. Do we really want to indoctrinate physicians with such a misanthropic world view as a *prerequisite* for entering the process of medicine — the most intimate of the professions? What kind of care can we expect under those circumstances except that which leans toward utilitarianism? — Ed]

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