---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A Medical Affair is more than compelling…"
description: "\"“A Medical Affair is more than compelling fiction. It also is a powerful narrative about how relationships between physicians and patients can evolve i..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/anne-mccarthy-strauss-112586_affair_a-medical-affair-is-more-than-compelling_554517.jpg"
---

#  A Medical Affair is more than compelling fiction. It also…

![“A Medical Affair is more than compelling fiction. It also is a powerful narrative about how relationships between physicians and patients can evolve in unethical, even unlawful ways. And as a medical ethicist and educator, I was delighted to see Strauss deftly weave important information about…” quote by Anne McCarthy Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/anne-mccarthy-strauss-112586_affair_a-medical-affair-is-more-than-compelling_554517.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/anne-mccarthy-strauss-112586_affair_a-medical-affair-is-more-than-compelling_554517.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/anne-mccarthy-strauss-112586_affair_a-medical-affair-is-more-than-compelling_554517.jpg)

> ““A Medical Affair is more than compelling fiction. It also is a powerful narrative about how relationships between physicians and patients can evolve in unethical, even unlawful ways. And as a medical ethicist and educator, I was delighted to see Strauss deftly weave important information about sexual misconduct by physicians into her story line.” David Orentlicher Professor of law, medicine and ethics at Indiana University. Oversaw drafting of American Medical Association's ethical guidelines on intimate relationships between physicians and their patients””

[Anne McCarthy Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-mccarthy-strauss/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The novel explores unethical physician‑patient relationships, highlighting sexual misconduct and power abuse.

**In simple terms:** Physician‑patient boundaries can be broken, leading to abuse.

Key Takeaway

Guard professional ethics and consent.

Themes

ethics medicine power abuse relationships

Mood

serious concerned educational

Type

Affair:1 Doctor:1 Medical:1 Medicine:1 Patient:1 Intimate Relationship:1 Medical Affair:1 Medical Ethicist:1 Misconduct Physicians:1 Physicians Story:0 Ethicist Educator:1

When to use this quote

- clinical practice
- medical education
- policy making
- patient advocacy

Key Concepts

medical misconduct boundary violations professional responsibility

Questions to Reflect On

- How can medical training prevent misconduct?
- What safeguards protect patient autonomy?

A Different Perspective

Fiction may blur lines between story and reality.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) [Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor/) [Ethicist Educator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethicist-educator-4610414/) [Intimate Relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimate-relationship/) [Medical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medical/) [Medical Affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medical-affair-4610410/) [Medical Ethicist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medical-ethicist-4610411/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/) [Misconduct Physicians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misconduct-physicians-4610412/) [Patient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patient/) [Physicians Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physicians-story-4610413/)

## Related quotes

> [When adults come together to form an intimate relationship, each person releases into it unresolved issues from their trans-generational pool of unconscious fantasies. Partners…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-raphael-leff/when-adults-come-together-to-form-an-intimate-relationship-each/)

[Joan Raphael-Leff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-raphael-leff/)

> [“The solemn and devotional ceremonies of the Piscean Age and the fear of God will give way to a friendly, intimate relationship with God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-emunds/the-solemn-and-devotional-ceremonies-of-the-piscean-age-and-the-fear/)

[Stefan Emunds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-emunds/)

> [In order to be able to make and keep commitments... to enduring, intimate relationships... you need to be a certain kind of person. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-silk/in-order-to-be-able-to-make-and-keep-commitments-to-enduring-intimate/)

[Danny Silk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-silk/)

> [“Countless studies have shown that people who work less are more satisfied with their lives.37 In a recent poll conducted among working women, German…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutger-bregman/countless-studies-have-shown-that-people-who-work-less-are-more/)

[Rutger Bregman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutger-bregman/)

> [“and confused if someone does not appreciate their niceness. Others often sense this and avoid giving them feedback not only, effectively blocking the nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-bryson/and-confused-if-someone-does-not-appreciate-their-niceness-others/)

[Kelly Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-bryson/)

> [I've never been that girl who has to be in a relationship. My job has given me such a big, full life and, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roisin-conaty/i-ve-never-been-that-girl-who-has-to-be-in-a-relationship-my-job-has/)

[Roisin Conaty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roisin-conaty/)

> [Skillfully engaging in intimate relationships can be one of the most potent spiritual practices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-friend/skillfully-engaging-in-intimate-relationships-can-be-one-of-the-most/)

[John Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-friend/)

> [You cannot have a private relationship in a public arena. You must look to an inner circle of people who really know you. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-d-jakes/you-cannot-have-a-private-relationship-in-a-public-arena-you-must/)

[T. D. Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-d-jakes/)

> [What we need to understand is that when traditions become laws, rules, obligations and expectations others put on us that we don't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/what-we-need-to-understand-is-that-when-traditions-become-laws-rules/)

[Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/)

> [I've never had any intimate relationships with a dolphin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/i-ve-never-had-any-intimate-relationships-with-a-dolphin/)

[Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/)

> [It's not how a photographer looks at the world that is important. It's their intimate relationship with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-d-agata/it-s-not-how-a-photographer-looks-at-the-world-that-is-important-it-s/)

[Antoine D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-d-agata/)

> [“It's like the old question, "Do you lock your house to keep people out, or to protect what's inside?" Should a person act modestly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manis-friedman/it-s-like-the-old-question-do-you-lock-your-house-to-keep-people-out/)

[Manis Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manis-friedman/)

> [“The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is the reference manual used by mental health professionals to diagnose psychological problems, defines the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-berent/the-diagnostic-and-statistical-manual-of-mental-disorders-which-is/)

[Jonathan Berent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-berent/)

> [I don't believe love is real love if it remains cloistered within the confines of an intimate relationship; it should transcend the private sphere.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-e-morgan/i-don-t-believe-love-is-real-love-if-it-remains-cloistered-within-the/)

[C.E. Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-e-morgan/)

> [We need to explore why men fear feeling vulnerable. A women can encourage the men in her life to find the courage to co-create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ko-hayashi/we-need-to-explore-why-men-fear-feeling-vulnerable-a-women-can/)

[Ko Hayashi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ko-hayashi/)

## More Affair quotes

> [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/)

[Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/)

> [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/)

[Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/)

> [Our guiding principle was that design is neither an intellectual nor a material affair, but simply an integral part of the stuff of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-gropius/our-guiding-principle-was-that-design-is-neither-an-intellectual-nor/)

[Walter Gropius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-gropius/)

> [I wonder if it's possible to have a love affair that lasts forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-wonder-if-it-s-possible-to-have-a-love-affair-that-lasts-forever/)

[Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/)

> [For a young man to start his career with a love affair with an older woman was quite de rigueur ... Of course, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/for-a-young-man-to-start-his-career-with-a-love-affair-with-an-older/)

[Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/)

> [As long as the state permits itself to interfere in the affairs of literature, literature has the right to interfere with the affairs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/as-long-as-the-state-permits-itself-to-interfere-in-the-affairs-of/)

[Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/)

> [Love is mainly an affair of short spasms. If these spasms disappoint us, love dies. It is very seldom that it weathers the experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/love-is-mainly-an-affair-of-short-spasms-if-these-spasms-disappoint/)

[Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/)

> [The Fundamental Principle that governs - or ought to govern -human affairs if we wish to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, or pointless utopias, is negotiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-fundamental-principle-that-governs-or-ought-to-govern-human/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [My hope does not rest in the affairs of this world. It rests in Christ who is coming again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/my-hope-does-not-rest-in-the-affairs-of-this-world-it-rests-in-christ/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/)

[Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/)

> [Not everyone likes the stable, gradual rise of our country. There are some who are using the democratic ideology to interfere in our internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/not-everyone-likes-the-stable-gradual-rise-of-our-country-there-are/)

[Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/)

> [The archives recall not one single incriminating incident, not one drunken escapade, not one reported affair, not one spat with a team-mate or reporter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-atherton/the-archives-recall-not-one-single-incriminating-incident-not-one/)

[Michael Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-atherton/)

> [“I ripped the sketch from the wall. "Liar." Edward looked more ravaged than usual. "That is a terrible word, coming from you." "Yup." "And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/i-ripped-the-sketch-from-the-wall-liar-edward-looked-more-ravaged/)

[Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/)

> [For some people, a one-night stand doesn't make any difference in a seven-year love affair. I don't believe the degree of betrayal is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-some-people-a-one-night-stand-doesn-t-make-any-difference-in-a/)

[Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/)

> [And what is literature, Rabo," he said, "but an insider's newsletter about affairs relating to molecules, of no importance to anything in the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-what-is-literature-rabo-he-said-but-an-insider-s-newsletter-about/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

[Browse all 2,218 Affair quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“A Medical Affair is more than compelling fiction. It also is a powerful narrative about how relationships between physicians and patients can evolve in unethical, even unlawful ways. And as a medical ethicist and educator, I was delighted to see Strauss deftly weave important information about sexual misconduct by physicians into her story line.” David Orentlicher Professor of law, medicine and ethics at Indiana University. Oversaw drafting of American Medical Association's ethical guidelines on intimate relationships between physicians and their patients”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anne McCarthy Strauss"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-mccarthy-strauss/a-medical-affair-is-more-than-compelling-fiction-it-also-is-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Affair"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-mccarthy-strauss/a-medical-affair-is-more-than-compelling-fiction-it-also-is-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/anne-mccarthy-strauss-112586_affair_a-medical-affair-is-more-than-compelling_554517.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/anne-mccarthy-strauss-112586_affair_a-medical-affair-is-more-than-compelling_554517.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/anne-mccarthy-strauss-112586_affair_a-medical-affair-is-more-than-compelling_554517.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A Medical Affair is more than compelling fiction. It also is a powerful narrative about how relationships…” — Anne McCarthy Strauss",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Anne McCarthy Strauss",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-mccarthy-strauss/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“A Medical Affair is more than...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-mccarthy-strauss/a-medical-affair-is-more-than-compelling-fiction-it-also-is-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-mccarthy-strauss/a-medical-affair-is-more-than-compelling-fiction-it-also-is-a/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
