Ever wondered why, in hospital dramas, surgeons are usually tall, handsome and confident whereas ward doctors look smaller and tired?
Four doctors at the Hospital Clinic at the University of Barcelona, Spain, recruited 12 surgeons and 14 physicians, all male, for a quirky study into medical looks published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
The volunteers filled in a questionnaire giving their vital statistics and sent their pictures. These were matched against photographs of a control group of movie stars in medical roles. Both sets were assessed for handsomeness by a female jury comprising three doctors and five nurses.
PHOTO: EPA
Unsurprisingly, the actors — George Clooney, Harrison Ford, Patrick Dempsey and Hugh Laurie — came out on top, gaining an average droolability score of 5.96.
That compared with 4.39 for the real-life surgeons, whereas the physicians trailed rather pitifully, with 3.65.
But, curiously, the surgeons were significantly taller than the physicians — by nearly 7cm on average.
It seems unfair that surgeons should win in looks and height, but there could be "evolutionary" reasons, the authors say, their tongues firmly in cheek. "Their extra height makes them more likely to be masters and commanders, and gives them a better view of ... the patient lying on the table," they suggest.
The surgeons' fresh good looks are also helped by the fact that they work in the cleaner, cooler air of the operating room, where there is a higher oxygen content. Plus they wear surgical masks, and this could keep their complexion rosy.
In contrast, "physicians tend to hang heavy stethoscopes around their necks, which bows their heads forward and reduces their perceived height," the study wryly suggests.
(AFP)
曾經想過為何在醫院劇中,外科醫生通常高大帥氣又充滿自信,病房醫師卻看似矮小且滿臉倦容。
四位西班牙巴賽隆納大學的醫療門診醫生徵召清一色男性的十二位外科醫生和十四位內科醫生,進行一項有關醫師長相的古怪研究,這份研究刊登在「英國醫學期刊」。
自願受測者填妥問卷,以便統計重要數字,然後寄出照片。他們的照片被拿來和扮演醫療角色的電影明星進行比對,這兩組人都由三名醫師和五名護士所組成的女性陪審團評估其帥氣指數。
結果乃意料之事,演員喬治克魯尼、哈里遜福特、派崔克丹契和修羅利名列前茅,令人垂涎三尺的平均得分數為五點九六。
相較之下,真實外科醫生的得分為四點三九,可憐的內科醫生以三點六五的分數殿後。
但有趣的是,外科醫生明顯比內科醫生高大,平均高出將近七公分。
研究作者看似嚴肅實則嬉戲地表示,外科醫生在相貌和高度上勝出雖看似不公平,卻可能有演化上的基礎。他們指出,「特別高大的他們較容易成為主導者和指揮者,也比較容易看得清楚躺在病床上的病人」。
外科醫生也因在較乾淨、舒爽且具有較高含氧量的手術室工作而相貌堂堂,此外,他們所戴著手術用面具,可保臉色紅潤。
這份研究半幽默半挖苦地表示,「內科醫生反之,時常在脖子掛著沉重的聽診器,會將頭向前傾,降低被認定的身高」。
(法新社╱翻譯︰鄭湘儀)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
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