• Dr. S.L.Beh, MBBS, DMJ(Lond.),FHKCPath;FHKAM(Pathology) Lecturer, Department of Pathology, University of Hong Kong
• Dr. Petula S.Y. Ho, PhD.  Associate Professor, Department of Social Work, University of Hong Kong.
• Dr. J. Ko, MBBS, MRCPsych(UK),  Senior Medical Officer, Department of Psychiatry, Queen Mary Hospital Hong Kong.
• Dr. Angela. W.Y. Ng, MBBS, MRCGP(UK). Doctor in private practice.  Main interest: Sexual problems in general practice.
• Dr. L. Tao, MD.  Associate Superintendent and Consultant Psychiatrist, Kong Ning Hospital, Shenzhen, China.

The course aims to provide students with a glimpse and a preliminary understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of the study of sex and its relationship with medicine.

By the end of the course, the students are expected to have:

• An understanding of how their own sexuality would influence their awareness, methods and decisions in the management of sexual problems; generated in them a feeling of tolerance and understanding for the sexual behavior of others;
• An ability to look at sexual behavior and problems in the context of one's culture, social and psychological background;
• A broader and deeper interest in sex as an important formal subject of its own, deserving further intensive studies and research.
• The ultimate objective is to improve the students' ability to detect and think about sexual problems of their patients objectively and effectively.
• The course however, does not intend to go into the detailed knowledge or techniques in managing any particular types of sexual problems or diseases since these will be or should have been dealt with by the respective specialty or postgraduate teachings.

• Lectures
• Demonstrations
• Audiovisual sessions
• Group discussions
• WebCT

• Attend all sessions: This is a short course and each part of it deals with a different topic. It could be your only opportunity in your medical study to come across the topic. So, do not miss any.
• Read up the topics beforehand from the recommended reading materials, information and notes in the WebCT, or from any others sources that you can lay hands on.
• Raise questions or participate in discussions freely. Learn how to talk about sexual matters decently with other people and without any embarrassment.
• If you have an attitude or a view that you want to bring out or assert, by all means do so. Remember that the objective of this course is to improve awareness of one's own sexual attitudes and those of others, not to change or "correct" them. This could only be done if as many people as possible could bring out their personal views.
• If there are more difficult issues or special feelings that you wish to discuss outside the course hours, do so with your classmates in small groups, or ask to see the teachers or write to them through the Department of Psychiatry. You can also use the WebCT or E-mail to Prof.M.L.Ng who is at HRMCNML@HKUCC.HKU.HK
• Discussions and revelations in class could touch on very personal matters. Students should take all self-disclosures in class as confidential and not to be revealed or related again outside the class.

• Ng ML & Ng WY (1991) Modern Perspectives in Sexual Medicine. Hong Kong, Cosmos Publication
• Money J & Muspaph H (1978 - 1990) Handbook of Sexology (Seven volumes). New York, Elsevier.
• Ng M.L. & Heaberle E.J. (1997) Sexual Behavior in Modern China. New York, Continuum.

All medical teachings are for bona-fide medical students only, especially this course which contains sexually explicit materials and discussions. Outsiders (people who are not bona-fide students of this class) are STRICTLY FORBIDDEN to attend any part of this course. Students are asked to report to the teacher immediately should they spot any outsiders among them at any time during the course. To breach this rule may lead to serious legal consequences to everyone involved.

The laws on sexual offences vary from country to country and in some instances; they may even vary in different states within the same country. In Hong Kong the laws on sexual offences can be found under different Ordinances1. Sexual offences are very difficult to generalise. Some offences involve an "assault" on a victim. Others deal more with social norms and taboos.

When dealing with sexual offences, the doctor must understand the legal definitions of such offences and what constitute such offences. Rape, buggery, bestiality, incest and indecent assault carry specific legal definitions. Such definitions can be found in the specific parts of the relevant laws. An important definition to remember is that of sexual intercourse. In Hong Kong, sexual intercourse is defined as the penetration by the male penis of the female genitalia. Penetration in legal terms means the slightest passage into the female genital tract. Proof of emission of seed is not required. Consent plays a pivotal part in sexual offences. A valid consent to a sexual act will in most situations be a valid defence. Constraints on the validity of such consents can be a result of mental capacity, age relationship between the parties, etc.

In general, there are in existence many myths and preconceptions about sexual offences and their victims. Unlike other crime, victim-blame is extremely prevalent. This is true for indecent assault in the MTR but even more so for victims of rape. Such prevailing negative attitudes are major obstacles to the victims reporting the crime. They are also major obstacles to successful prosecution of offenders and perhaps most importantly they are major obstacles to the victims seeking help and counseling.

No doctor should be dealing with victims of sexual offences in particular those of child sexual abuse, incest, rape (male or female) without having first exploring their own personal beliefs and attitudes towards gender, sex and victims. The doctor is often one of the first people a victim of rape sees and this encounter can either help the victim on her way to recovery from an acute crisis or it can cause further damage. It is unfortunately not uncommon that victims report the encounter with the doctor as "been raped all over again". It is also extremely disappointing that doctors have frequently ranked as badly as law enforcement officers and lawyers in surveys of their attitudes towards rape victims.^{2, 3}.

• the immediate care and treatment of serious and life threatening injuries/conditions.
• the early detection and recognition of psychological and emotional trauma with the early institution of supportive and rehabilitative measures.
• the screening of preventable conditions such as pregnancies and sexually ransmitted diseases.
• the accurate documentation of any injuries and examination findings.
• the collection of forensic evidence and control samples.

This is essentially a severe post-traumatic stress syndrome and requires early detection and recognition to enable appropriate and effective measures to be instituted to help the victims recover. Victims who receive adequate and continuous support from their friends and family are the most likely to recover. It is however important to remember that friends and family of the victims may themselves be traumatised and also need support. It is also important to remember that before friends or family are involved, the victims' views and consent must be sought. Many victims do not want to reveal the fact that they are a victim of a sexual assault.

The Criminal Justice System comprises the police, the legal profession and the judiciary. The health-care personnel through their encounter with the victims and their subsequent provision of reports and evidence become an important an integral part of the criminal justice system in cases of sexual assaults. Victims of sexual assaults find great difficulties with the criminal justice system4 . Recent changes in laws and procedures in Australia and some of the states in the U.S. have seen some improvements. The current situation in Hong Kong is lacking and in need of urgent improvement befitting such an economically successful and otherwise modern society

The Youth Health Centres of The Family Planning Association of Hong Kong.

The Association of Women Against Sexual Violence.

1. Laws of Hong Kong, Cap 200 Crimes Ordinance Part VI and XII
2. Attitudes toward Rape Victims in Hong Kong. Hing-chu B. Lee and Fanny M. Cheung.
3. Attitudes toward Rape-Feminist and Social Psychological Perspectives. Colleen Ward. Sage Publication.
4. Rape on Trial. Zsuzsanna Adler. Routledge & Kegan Paul Publishers.

1. Rape in Hong Kong: an overview of current knowledge. P.S.L. Beh, Journal of Clinical Forensic Medicine (1998) 5, 124-128.
2. Evaluation of the Sexually Abused Child - A Medical Textbook and Photographic Atlas. Astrid Heger & S. Jean Emans Oxford University Press.
3. Practical Aspects of Rape Investigation. Robert R. Hazelwood and Ann W. Burgess. Elsevier Science Publishing Ltd.