Ashley Bostian

MCOM 262
04/18/16

Book Review on “Gender Medicine” by Marek Glezerman, M.D.

Gender pronouns are becoming more and more common, however the practice of medicine
seems stuck in the past. In “Gender Medicine” by Marek Glezerman, M.D., he touches base on
the ignorance of the field and how it is time for medicine to get in touch with the twenty-first
century.

Glezerman relates current medicine to human development 6 million years ago. “By contrast to
this long genetic history, all of human culture as we know it--the Bible, the Egyptian pyramids,
philosophy, mathematics, medicine, agriculture, and the like--only began to develop in the last
5,000 years.” The developments enabled humans to learn and adapt throughout generations. For
example, when the mechanical clock was invented, it enabled us to measure time and divide
accurately.

Glezerman has the ability to compare and contrast current medicine with the complicated and
new developments to medicine is intriguing. An entire new atmosphere has been created through
technological advancements, which previously put forebears on new research. A central aim on
gender medicine is acknowledging the physiological and pathological differences between men
and women, and those that identify by anything else (X, Ze/Zir pronouns, non-binary, etc.).

The basic acknowledgement begins when Glezerman describes the quite obvious difference in
treatment between separate sexes. “In the light of all the above, gender medicine seeks to create
new definitions of diseases and to spearhead the discovery of a more accurate, specialized
diagnostic and treatment methods for men and women.”

Glezerman has a unique point of view on gender medicine and he is able to clearly write about
scientific terms in a way that the general public is able to comprehend. He takes a look at
medicine from different angles and relates how women and men are treated differently in the
field of medicine and how there has not been enough research on how diseases, medications and
illnesses react differently to opposing sexes.

In the age of modern imaging technology, these difference take on a new meaning. Functional
MRI (fMRI) enables us to monitor brain activity under different conditions, such as when an
individual is angry, sad, or laughing or during various cognitive activities to see which regions of
the brain are activated.” Researchers were surprised to discover various regions of the brain to be
activated in male and female brains.

Glezerman devotes 2 chapters to the discussion about communication between common people
in general. He discusses that prior to the current generation, gender was easier to pinpoint. He
Ashley Bostian
MCOM 262
04/18/16

takes a look at the origin of sex and how that is viewed as a large spectrum now, in relation to the
previous idea that humans can only be male or female. His ability to stay current in the
controversy of sex ideals touches base on some intriguing views and neglected issues.

Glezerman successfully relates current medicine to historical, philosophical and current political
issues in medicine. His original book on gender medicine was released in 2013, but since then he
has completely rewritten it and added 5 chapters that discuss how much has changed in the field
of medicine and inclusion towards all sexes, whether that be male, female or another identifying
term.