If you could reasonably expect to learn all the skills required to perform legitimate and rigorous surgery from a book, I would have no problem calling you a do

If you could reasonably expect to learn all the skills required to perform legitimate and rigorous surgery from a book, I would have no problem calling you a doctor if you didn't have a degree, provided you could demonstrate these skills. Just like degree-less applicants do in a coding interview. The difference, of course, is that medical school is not at all the same deal where you can learn everything by sitting in front of a computer with an internet connection. Everyone is jumping to use medical school as an analogy, and it's frankly a false comparison. I agree with you about people caring about titles and the perception they bring, however.