The 1895 medical book Die Heilgymnastik in der Gynaekologie : und die mechanische Behandlung von Erkrankungen des Uterus und seiner Adnexe nach Thure Brandt (“The physiotherapy in gynaecology and the mechanical treatment of diseases of the uterus and its appendages by Thure Brandt”) features in detail the works of Swedish obstetrician and gynaecologist Thure Brandt (1819-1895).
One problem male medics had was in gaining the trust of female patients, or at least making them feel less uneasy during examination. Other diagrams of the period showed the male doctor looking at a female patient in the eye as his hands went to work. This was “to give the impression he’s not thinking about the region his hand is touching.” No, much better to stare into her eyes, as a lover might.
Brandt’s illustrator circumvented the issue of gender by portraying both doctors and patient as, well, aliens. The pictures get stranger as you scroll down:
Via: National Archive
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