Lazar Greenfield, MD, FACS, resigned from his position as president-elect of the American College of Surgeons yesterday after weeks of controversy surrounding a Valentine's Day-themed editorial he wrote about the mood-enhancing effects of semen on women.

That editorial, titled "Gut Feelings" and published in the February issue of the ACS' Surgery News magazine, explored "new findings" that suggest several "benefits of semen contact" for women having unprotected sex. "So there's a deeper bond between men and women than St. Valentine would have suspected," concluded Dr. Greenfield, who was then serving as the magazine's editor-in-chief, "and now we know there's a better gift for that day than chocolates."

The editorial was removed from the Surgery News website, but you can read it in full here, via RetractionWatch.com, which has been closely following the controversy.

The editorial sparked outrage among some ACS members, particularly women. "I was aghast," Colleen Brophy, MD, of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine told the New York Times' Well blog last week. She called the science in the editorial "erroneous" and said she was resigning from the College "not so much because of the editorial but because of the leadership's response to it." But some members have risen to Dr. Greenfield's defense, noting his record of supporting women in the male-dominated field of surgery.

Despite stepping down as editor-in-chief of the magazine and issuing apologies to those offended by the article, Dr. Greenfield resigned as president-elect of the American College of Surgeons this weekend when the ACS Board of Regents met to consider the matter.

"Dr. Greenfield addressed the Board and expressed his deep regret that individuals had been offended by the article," ACS leaders wrote in a letter to members. "After reaffirming his long-standing support for women in surgery, Dr. Greenfield resigned from his position as an officer of the College."

In a statement e-mailed to the Times, Dr. Greenfield said he resigned to prevent the editorial from remaining a "disruptive issue" for the College. "I only hope that those who choose to judge me will read the article in the spirit in which it was intended." Dr. Greenfield, 78, is also an emeritus professor of surgery and the University of Michigan School of Medicine. ACS vice-president-elect Patricia Numann, MD, FACS, will assume his position as president-elect of the College.

Irene Tsikitas