The incoming president-elect of the prestigious American College of Surgeons announced his resignation in the wake of weeks long controversy stemming from a Valentine’s Day editorial in which he espoused the antidepressant effects of unprotected sex observed in a correlative research study of college females by evolutionary psychologists at the State University of New York.

Written in the widely circulated trade journal Surgery News, the article sparked a sharp outcry that ultimately led to the 78-year-old Dr. Lazar Greenfield, of the University of Michigan, having to step down as editor-in-chief. Initial moves to retract the issue from publication devolved into a redaction of any record of the piece from the organizations website and archives. Preserved by the website retractionwatch, the growingly infamous final statement Greenfield concludes, “So there’s a deeper bond between men and women than St. Valentine would have suspected, and now we know there’s a better gift for that day than chocolates.”

A member of ACS for more than 20 years, Dr. Colleen Brophy, professor of surgery at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, said, “I’ve gone back and reviewed the science, and it’s erroneous.” This statement came after she publicly resigned from the organization.

Prior to the Valentine’s Day episode, many viewed Greenfield as a consummate surgeon and mentor – including to numerous women. He served as chairman of surgery at Virginia Commonwealth University and at the University of Michigan. He is also the inventor of the Greenfield Filter which prevents blood clots from passing into the lungs.

Beyond the allegations of sexism directed at Surgery News and Dr. Greenfield, the article sparked a debate about the position of women in the surgical field in general. While women now make up almost half of all entering medical school classes, less than a third choose to go into surgery.

Telling the New York Times, Northwestern associate professor of surgery Dr. Marie Crandall said women are slowly making advances in the field of surgery. “It’s better than it was 20 or even 10 years ago,” she said, adding, “I think we’re making progress.”

In a reply to requests about his resignation from the New York Times, Dr. Greenfield responded, “Rather than have this remain a disruptive issue, I resigned as president-elect. I only hope that those who choose to judge me will read the article in the spirit in which it was intended.”

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