Immaterial to Diagnosis

Abstract

We know that chivalry is of the past, but what about gallantry? Does it still find a place in modern society? Women's liberation has opened our eyes to the sinister implications of what men always thought to gallant acts and words. They sense condescension, even disdain, in a man's exaggerated courtesy, oversolicitous attentiveness, and ornate compliments. They resent being looked upon as pleasure objects. This resentment is reflected in a recent comment by Cherill M. Parmentier-Perera. 1 Should a female, she queries, referring to a previous article, be reported as 'attractive' on physical examination?... the adjective is immaterial to diagnosis. And she goes on to say, tongue in cheek: Perhaps, the letter on page 858 of the same issue should appended to read 'a 52-year-old handsome male school bus driver.' Handsome, however, is not the exact male counterpart to attractive. The former appeals to aesthetic sensibilities, the latter