Pediatrician unnecessary genital exam?

Abuse of power is rarely merely a "perception." Put anyone on a pedestal and they begin to think they deserve to be. Certain professions attract those who are power-hungry more than others. Doctors fit the bill. Not all, but certainly some.

Abuse of power is rarely merely a "perception." Put anyone on a pedestal and they begin to think they deserve to be. Certain professions attract those who are power-hungry more than others. Doctors fit the bill. Not all, but certainly some.

Those certain professions that are more power-hungry than others, are more likely to be bankers, politicians, CEOs, captains of industry, TV preachers ... these are the professions that attract the highest number of psychopathic personalities and those with the least social and individual conscience, not to mention being more consumed by personal greed in general. These are the professions that are lionized by the media and fawned over by large segments of the population.

Doctors on the other hand, while being susceptible to abuse of their position just like anyone else can be, do at least have a more altruistic foundation for their choice of profession - they have chosen to help alleviate direct individual suffering and disease. Those in the medical profession who tend to gravitate toward the less personal form of medicine - teaching, research and pharmacology for instance - may perhaps do so for any number of reasons (prestige, income, lack of people skills) but they will not be in personal contact with individual patients.

I think that one of the main reasons many people, in the US at least, have such a bad image of the medical profession, is because it is highly driven by the profit motive. Medical treatments cost exorbitantly more than in other industrialized countries and can be the cause of such unheard of things as medical bankruptcy. If you are in fear of losing all your possessions because of necessary treatments, or worse, not getting necessary treatment because of insufficient means, well, no wonder a doctor can become a scary person to deal with in your personal perception. He will then literally be holding the power of life or death.

Add to that, that a physician is one of few professions by which people can be asked and expected to comply with undressing and nudity. So no wonder many people are uncomfortable and uneasy, especially those who are shy about their body and nudity to begin with. And unease and apprehension does of course color people's perceptions for the worse.

And then let's not forget the wonderfully informative role some of the media can play when real abuses are uncovered. It is shouted from the rooftops and rehashed again and again because of the prurient content. It's that wonderful media combination of sex and abuse of power that is bound to get everyone atwitter.

I remember a home visit of my pediatrician when I was very young for a flu. I was in bed and I had a temperature I weared only my underpants. He make some auscultation. On the last part he slipped my underwear to my ankles and makes a complete genital examination. I think it was unnecessary.

When the pediatrician examined me at the childs' hospital for me it was a bit an unnecessary genital exam. i was hospitalized for make some exams to discover my cough's causes (it depended by gastric reflux). and my visit was strange, he began to examinate me from scrotum and penis slipping not only the underwear but the pajama pants so this impressed me and it seems a little unecessary. I'm not saying that the pediatrician should'nt check the genitals ever, but they would be ( i refer to my experiences) more discrete and kind to do this. But it also true that only thorough genital exam, done without asking permission are important for my medfet.

but they would be ( i refer to my experiences) more discrete and kind to do this.

Being discrete and kind (and emphatic and caring etc) is unfortunately hardly ever one of the characteristics of any corporation, bureaucracy, organization ... hospitals are notorious for being considered so, but in most cases this is most likely simply a reflection of the work load and drive towards efficiency and time saving demanded by higher management ... there is often simply not enough time to explain things thoroughly enough ... and often on top of that, patients are often ignorant of the basis of many medical procedures and requirements and so understand even less ... it would be like starting to explain the fundamentals of things to a scared and anxious person ... can you imagine what a job that can be?

AG, that's hitting the nail on the head here in the states. Let a doc get in trouble, and the news media has a field day. Hell, they have a field day with anything that happens, that's untoward in any way. But, doctors are supposed to be of the highest moral scruples, held there, and fried when they ---- up.

So be it; that's my 2¢, and I am going to bed.

Night all ~

I remember a home visit of my pediatrician when I was very young for a flu. I was in bed and I had a temperature I weared only my underpants. He make some auscultation. On the last part he slipped my underwear to my ankles and makes a complete genital examination. I think it was unnecessary.

I had a similar experience when I was 16 or 17 years old. My normal GP was on vacation so another GP did a house call when I was sick in bed with flu, only wearing boxers. My mom waited downstairs while he came to my bedroom and started with auscultation followed by abdomen palpation. Then he pulled down my boxers and removed them completely before doing a full genital check while I was lying on my back. After that I had to stand besides the bed and he had me jump up and down several times completely naked, after which he pulled down my sack and asked whether that was painfull.....never understood what the purpose was....

when I was sick in bed with flu, ..... Then he pulled down my boxers and removed them completely before doing a full genital check while I was lying on my back. After that I had to stand besides the bed and he had me jump up and down several times completely naked, after which he pulled down my sack and asked whether that was painfull.....never understood what the purpose was....

My take is that he was amusing himself in a sexual manner that had nothing to do with the flu ...

Don't recall that ever occurring to me. Only times I was mostly or butt nude would be for a yearly physical. Otherwise, my genitals were never examined by the pediatrician.

Pediatricians check young males to ensure their testicles drop. Not sure what age - could be we were all too young to remember. I recall getting hernia checks by my GP who we saw from birth.

When I was a child, my pediatricians always performed genital exam at every visit, independently from the reason of the consultation (periodic control, flu, abdominal pain...)

@medexam .,..hmmmm...I think that agracier has it absolutely correct. Influenza (as opposed to a very heavy cold) is, as we all know, a very serious and debilitating condition. There can surely have been nothing whatsoever connected with Influenza symptoms necessatating vigorous physical exertion, nor having your genitalia checked!!! Definitely highly suspect behaviour by that particular paediatrician.