Published on July 7, 2025

Beyond the Medical World

By Calvin Timmers
Image credit: Apollo Hauge-Duchateau
Implicit bias and problematic social narratives are shaped by the labels we assign to disorder and disease.

Medical jargon eludes most of us, and the complex diagnoses and symptoms we hear at the doctor's office often leave our minds as soon as we walk out the door. However, this terminology, primarily intended for the medical field, can shape how we perceive social and political issues. Certain words or phrases in our medical past (and present) contribute to implicit bias and problematic social narratives. Here are a few:

The "Rest Cure"

Bed rest, often prescribed to women in their final trimester of pregnancy, has a controversial history. It stems from "the rest-cure," a treatment popular in the 1800s, primarily given to women experiencing a range of symptoms and conditions. At the time, doctors debated "the woman question" —a term reflecting their limited research and understanding of anatomical differences between the sexes. Their solution was often a prescription for what seemed like a luxurious break but was, in reality, anything but that.

The rest cure was the solution to issues ranging from chronic pain to anxiety or depression. Women were sent to the countryside, confined to a house or even a single room for weeks or months, instructed to eat heavily and do nothing but rest. However, this often worsened mental health symptoms rather than alleviating them due to the isolation and lack of physical exertion it required. Despite its ineffectiveness, the "cure" persisted for nearly a century, largely due to the lack of medical research on women. 

The History of Hysteria 

Some medical procedures are named based on the Latin or Greek roots of the organs involved. One such procedure is the hysterectomy—the surgical removal of the uterus. Often, the ovaries, cervix and fallopian tubes are also removed during the operation. Traditionally, hysterectomies were performed through an abdominal incision, similar to a C-section. However, advancements in medical technology have introduced alternative methods, including vaginal hysterectomies, laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomies and fully laparoscopic procedures.

The label for this procedure is made up of the words "hystera," meaning womb, and "ectomy," meaning removal from the body. The word hystera was associated with the uterus and derived from the word "hysteria" due to the influence of the philosopher Plato. He described the uterus as an animal in itself, roaming around the female body and worsening symptoms of hysteria based on its location. This theory was eventually disproven, but not officially discredited until autopsies first became common practice in the 1800s.

Many proposals have been made to change the terminology surrounding the procedure, suggesting alternatives like “uterectomy” or “ovariectomy,” depending on the specific organs removed in each case.

The Blame Game 

The human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, was first discovered in the early 1980s, but cases of the disease had begun appearing nearly a decade earlier. The HIV pandemic has killed an estimated 36 million people worldwide since it began, and around 700,000 of those deaths were in the United States. The disease remains a global health issue today, with an estimated 13,000-15,000 deaths in the US per year. Before it was officially named HIV or HIV/AIDS, the disease was initially called "gay-related immune deficiency" due to the majority of patients identifying as homosexual men. 

The HIV/AIDS pandemic was not just a medical crisis; it also had long-lasting effects on the political world. Due to its original title and the stereotypes surrounding the disease, homophobia intensified in both social and political spheres throughout the entirety of the pandemic. This parallels the most recent global pandemic, which has also reshaped modern society. 

The coronavirus, or COVID-19, pandemic officially began with the closure of schools worldwide in the early months of 2020. The world experienced months of isolation before policies were implemented to allow for safe interaction. However, despite official explanations, certain political leaders, primarily in the United States, began referring to the virus by other names. The term "China virus" became widely used in political speeches, mass media and even everyday conversation. As a result, hate crimes and violence against Asian Americans rose significantly.

The Way Forward 

The labels we associate with procedures and diseases can promote inaccurate messaging and stereotypes that have lasting effects on the populations they negatively represent. Actively removing problematic labels and changing the language in the medical world could reduce both implicit and explicit bias toward the groups targeted with these terms.

This could also encourage unbiased research, as the assumptions made by both medical professionals and non-medical individuals could be alleviated through effective terminology. Overall, the medical field and society at large need to begin reassessing the terminology associated with all aspects of life to diminish the bias it creates and the hate it incites.

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