tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post7166592377861134169..comments2024-02-29T03:57:00.088-05:00Comments on The Mermaid's Tale: Who's the hottest doc?Anne Buchananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09212151396672651221noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post-74656179500002723912010-05-13T05:39:32.401-04:002010-05-13T05:39:32.401-04:00I'm blushing...I'm blushing...Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18274317185419760145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post-81540082372328785162010-05-12T18:47:35.181-04:002010-05-12T18:47:35.181-04:00Well, Geoff, love 'em and leave 'em would ...Well, Geoff, love 'em and leave 'em would be nothing new for man-kind. But whether surgeons knocking out (or up) or physicians 'thumping' abdomens (was that a euphemism?) is better, who can say?<br /><br />This day's exchanges show clearly why serious, high-powered science studies such as the one we reviewed today demand our most intense thought--not just laughter.Ken Weisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02049713123559138421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post-77949595555356275172010-05-12T18:41:06.258-04:002010-05-12T18:41:06.258-04:00That's a tough call, Geoff....That's a tough call, Geoff....Anne Buchananhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09212151396672651221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post-16799780042630454802010-05-12T18:19:26.349-04:002010-05-12T18:19:26.349-04:00Hahahaha! This is so great. I need to figure out a...Hahahaha! This is so great. I need to figure out a way to use this in a class. Here's hoping future students will be as funny/illuminating as you guys.Holly Dunsworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05260104967932801186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post-88217312223900733072010-05-12T17:40:35.786-04:002010-05-12T17:40:35.786-04:00Sure surgeons maybe more attractive, but what'...Sure surgeons maybe more attractive, but what's the cost? Would you rather an attentive physician gently thump and probe your abdomen while askiing you indepth questions about your daily habbits, hobbies, and activities - or some brash gigolo surgeon knock you out, get "all up in you", and then leave before you're even awake?Geoffrey Vasilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05359528432864824072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post-24129260138640199132010-05-12T12:02:16.345-04:002010-05-12T12:02:16.345-04:00The boldness issue rings true to me. My father us...The boldness issue rings true to me. My father used to oversee the psychology rotations for med students at the med school where he worked and on the first day of the course he would administer personality tests (which the students found weird because mostly he would lecture on brain injuries). However, from these tests he could guess the specialization of almost all of the students. <br /><br />It is an unfair generalization to say that all surgeons are narcissists or that all pediatricians are nurturing earth-mother types, but peoples' personalities certainly influence their career choices. Attractive individuals may have developed more of the confidence (or as Holly pointed out, been given extra opportunities) needed to be a surgeon.EllenQhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04805375871164019260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post-17835643487213091552010-05-12T09:55:48.537-04:002010-05-12T09:55:48.537-04:00And that "luck" could well include the k...And that "luck" could well include the kinds of social expectations you are talking about, Holly.Anne Buchananhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09212151396672651221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post-6240020432168795142010-05-12T09:50:17.879-04:002010-05-12T09:50:17.879-04:00The table at the end of this post is tongue-in-che...The table at the end of this post is tongue-in-cheek but as usual with wit, there's some truth in it. That is to say, what makes someone a surgeon rather than a GP must be a complex mix of ability, personality and motivation. And luck.Anne Buchananhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09212151396672651221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post-48067812028078461982010-05-12T08:39:42.958-04:002010-05-12T08:39:42.958-04:00Well, Holly, it's surprising to see this comme...Well, Holly, it's surprising to see this comment from you. <br /><br />Most people--well, most women, at least--argue that the size compromise in men is between their brains and another organ, rather than stature! And most would argue that,, judging the quality of men's behavior, brains are the losers most of the time.<br /><br />It isn't clear that what amounts to fancy butchery is more challenging than figuring out what's going on inside a person that you can order many expensive tests for. <br /><br />Although, I guess, the physicians doing the tests don't have to worry that they'll leave any gear inside the patients, the way surgeons do. So maybe it's the worrying that makes the difference.Ken Weisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02049713123559138421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post-14520414402622496882010-05-12T08:28:17.105-04:002010-05-12T08:28:17.105-04:00Doesn't it take more training, more hoop-jumpi...Doesn't it take more training, more hoop-jumping, and higher marks/grades, etc to be a surgeon? What I'm saying is -not that I think surgeons need be more intelligent than physicians -but there's a lot of research linking (or attempting to link) health and attractiveness to intelligence (which could be interpreted as performance). <br /><br />A student pointed this type of work out to me, done by Satoshi Kanazawa from the London School of Economics.<br /><br />If this correlation does exist then it starts a chicken egg thing: Are healthy looking/attractive people actually more intelligent or are they given more opportunities to cultivate their intelligence?Holly Dunsworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05260104967932801186noreply@blogger.com