To foreigners such as me, there is another problem with this. In my dear mother language, German, nearly all words expressing a vocation or profession exist in a male and in a female form. "A doctor" translates to "ein Doktor", yes; and there is no female equivalent (although it would be possible, see below). But in the sense of "doctor" meant in this story, it would translate to "ein Arzt" (male) or "eine Ärztin" (female). To me as a German, the words "a doctor" look male.
And then there's the problem with knowing (a little) Latin. "Doctor" is a male form. The female form would be "doctrix". Another reason for the words looking male to me.