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We call physicians "doctors" because the profession aggressively pushed the title on the public in an era where modern medicine was emerging from quackery. The
by wl 6y ago
We call physicians "doctors" because the profession aggressively pushed the title on the public in an era where modern medicine was emerging from quackery. The title means "teacher" and was previously used for people who were especially learned.
- leephillips 6y agoThanks. I’m not aware of how the term has traveled through history, so this is interesting. I just meant that, for most people, “doctor” is almost synonymous with physician, but, as you say, this may be more recent than I thought.