Despite the fact that cultural differences between genders are becoming obsolete, the differences between male and female bodies are nevertheless very real, and go well beyond the obvious sexual and reproductive variances- men and women absorb medication, feel pain, and even display early symptoms of heart attacks differently. And yet the medical establishment treats male and female patients as though their needs were identical. In fact, medical research is still done predominately on men, and the results applied to the treatment of women. This is clearly problematic, and Gender Medicine calls for the reform of attitudes and practices, for all of us- GP and surgeon, researcher and patient.
