Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is back on the campaign trail after a much-publicized bout with pneumonia, which garnered a considerable amount of media scrutiny after Clinton nearly collapsed at a commemoration meeting on Sept. 11.

Speculation about Clinton’s health is nothing new, with outlandish rumors being perpetuated by the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. While there is some legitimacy in a line of questioning that seeks to ascertain the physical health of someone who could eventually hold the highest position of authority in the country, the fascination with Clinton’s health can just easily be a result of a misogynist, antiquated mentality.

The female body has been the target of unwarranted criticism and subjugation for as long as there has been a distinction between the male and female body. The mentality that depicts the female body as an enigmatic, albeit threatening, entity in need of constant supervision is one that has permeated our society whether consciously or unconsciously. Ideas of sanctity and modesty juxtaposed with the biblical concepts of inherent sin are as alive as ever, and that is something to consider when the issue of woman’s health, and by extension her body, is the subject of the public’s attention.

I am not one to jump to the conclusion that a subconscious hatred of women is the rationale for any less than positive news coverage of a woman, but understanding the dichotomy between the historical, male understanding and attitude toward the female body and the coverage of Clinton can prove to be an illuminating experience. Now outdated beliefs like those surrounding the importance of fertility or chastity are the pretext on which our current society was founded on, and whether we like it or not, it has and will continue to influence the treatment of women in this society.

The question that needs to be asked is not whether or not Clinton is ill. The question that needs to be asked is what exactly our true concerns when faced with the prospect of Clinton’s failing health are. Are we concerned that Clinton is at risk of, God forbid, dying prematurely and thus being incapable of fulfilling her presidential duties? It is not an outlandish concern, and it would not be unprecedented. The first president to die in office was William Henry Harrison all the way back in 1841, and the cause of death was, you guessed it, pneumonia. However, advances in modern medicine would make a repeat of that occurrence unlikely, and perhaps that is not the source of our apprehension.