In his essay, he recounted a series of insensitive, even abusive, comments over the years from colleagues who seemed to have little understanding of obesity or compassion for those who struggle with it. During Majdan's residency, a classmate at another hospital called to ask whether she could borrow his white intern pants to project slides onto during a skit. She said she thought it would be "hilarious". He thought it "insensitive and callous". Jefferson's Class of 1986 chose him as the subject of its class portrait, the highest honor a faculty member could receive. When it was done, another doctor told him: "You look too fat in the portrait. You know, they should only paint portraits of those who had done something worthwhile for the university. How could you with your size?" He heard more than once of doctors who would not refer patients to him because of his weight.

Lest you think things have gotten markedly better, Majdan said a fellow doctor chastised him less than two years ago: "Aren't you disgusted with yourself?" Majdan, 60, who would not disclose his weight, has won multiple teaching awards. He still sees patients and is director of professional development at the medical college. He works with medical students who are having interpersonal problems. He loves his job, and he doesn't think the prejudice has changed his career path. But he does think his colleagues' mean-spirited comments hurt his pride and lowered his confidence. He wonders how these attitudes affect the large numbers of patients who also have weight problems.

Majdan said he has great faith in the medical profession as a force for good. "I believe that this has to change, this prejudice toward obesity and obese patients, and I have such faith in the future of medicine that I think this has to be addressed," he said. He said most people would never say such cruel things to someone of another religion or ethnic group. "Obesity lives in a politically correct free zone and is the last ... prejudice openly accepted by society," he said. He understands that doctors can be frustrated by their patients' failure to lose weight, but he sees it as no worse than many other difficult-to-treat diseases. "My fellow colleagues are understanding of cancer even when it recurs and recurs, and they'll say, 'Well, that's the disease,"' he said.

Ralph Schmeltz, a Pittsburgh endocrinologist who is president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, said he is 20 kilograms overweight and has always been on the heavy side. He said fellow doctors have not made hurtful comments to him and he doesn't know how common that kind of behavior is. In 2003, Gary Foster, now director of the Centrr for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University, conducted a survey of primary-care doctors about obesity. More than half viewed obese patients as ugly and noncompliant. A third saw them as weak-willed and lazy. Foster said he doubts that attitudes have changed much, although doctors might be more careful about what they say now. He doesn't think doctors are any worse than people in other jobs. "All professions share some core common beliefs, and they tend to center on willpower and discipline," he said. Obese people themselves also have negative attitudes toward those who are overweight, he added. Over the years, Majdan has tried lots of diet programs, and he has succeeded more than once in losing lots of weight. But, like most people, he gained it back.

Majdan, who is 191cm, says he is now at a healthy weight and has been on a maintenance program for almost a year. He would not say where his weight topped out, but the pictures on his wall show a very large man. Majdan says he would have been called severely obese. Loading MCT Follow Life&Style on Twitter @Life_Style_News