While I am pleased that you decided to emphasize my article on emergency contraception by highlighting it on the cover of the journal (BCMJ 2002;44[1]), I was appalled at the choice of illustration that was used. The image of a male fantasy figure portraying such an offensively aggressive stance was in complete contrast to the subject matter concerning human sexuality; worse still it perpetuates the stereotypical tradition of men as aggressors, both as partners and as physicians.
To say that doctors have had a tough time in British Columbia over the past 10 years is something of an understatement. Our gentlemen physicians of the BCMA, charged with our defence, had constructed an impressive Maginot Line, but just like the Germans of 1940, the government simply went round the rear and routed the lot of us, virtually without a fight. Demonized by the government, relegated to the sidelines of the health care battlefield, and stripped of our ability to earn a professional income, many have become frustrated and disillusioned.
I must admit I was fooled. I actually thought this government understood how important it was going to be to make peace with BC’s doctors. The realization that Canada’s doctors were leaving, retiring, and dying in record numbers (David Baxter’s demographics doomsday lectures have been describing this scenario for the past decade) seems to be shared by just about every Canadian province, other than BC.
Breast reconstruction performed at the time of mastectomy is now widely accepted as safe and effective.[1,2] Although several studies have demonstrated the psychological benefits of breast reconstruction, the Canadian Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Care and Treatment of Breast Cancer (1998) make no reference to breast reconstruction.[3-5]
