Summer 2002 volume 98 issue 3 : class notes profiles
Afraid to Ask?
Boils,
scabies, diarrhea…these are just a few of the topics Jonathan Bertman
’86 (left) and Charles Schachter (right) ’86 confront daily on their
Website, www.afraidtoask.com. 
“The
site was born back in 1996, when [Jon and I] looked at the large
well-known health sites like WebMD and realized they lacked pictures,
graphics, or much detail, especially on sensitive topics,” said
Schachter. “One of the first topics we tackled was STDs.” Bertman, a
trained M.D., added, “I believe many people think sporadically, if not
regularly, about these [topics], and the anonymity of a medical Website
makes this the perfect setting to get [their] questions answered.” With
over 100,000 visitors to the site every month, Bertman said, “Our
bulletin board is an always-evolving cross section of current societal
concerns and has thousands of questions by people of all ages. People
post comments or questions and others respond with their own personal
opinions and experiences.”
Bertman, a biochemistry major, and Schachter, an English major, acknowledged the interesting way Vassar’s liberal arts emphasis impacts the site. Bertman said, “In each of our guides we try to start with an example of how artists have looked at these personal topics. Mapplethorpe’s “Man in a Polyester Suit” introduces our male genitalia guide, Dürer’s “Adam and Eve” introduces the STD guide, and Courbet’s “L’Origine du Monde” (“The Origin of the World”) introduces the female genitalia guide.”
—M.B.