[Gender perspective relevant in many medical school subjects. Essential to perceive men and women holistically].

Gender perspective in medicine implies that people are seen as biological as well as social and cultural creatures and the concept of wholeness is important. Still, it is common that biological explanations dominate when gender differences in various symptoms and disorders are discussed in medicine and medical training. Applying a gender perspective implies a change in that attention is then also paid to social conditions for men and women in various contexts, for example in education, on the labour market, and in different ethnic groups, parallel and simultaneously to biological causes. In this article it is shown that a gender perspective is relevant in many fields of medical training. A gender perspective can bring new insights in education about the healthy and diseased body, investigation and treatment of disease, communication and the patient-doctor-relationship, as well as career and speciality choices. The need for education of teachers on gender issues is a crucial issue for those responsible for the academic syllabus.