WVUPharm2007 said:
Doctor is too passé. I'm going to get a MPH and make everyone call me Master Frazier. That sounds way cooler. Actually, now that I think about it, my rambling brings me to another question. You know in those old kung fu flicks where the leader of some clan is called Master such-and-such? Can you get a master's degree in ass kicking or is that just a Hollywood fabrication?
I'm sure you can get a master's degree in something like that...maybe "conflict and dispute resolution"?
😳
Back in the day, the way it worked was...a young male, who was unmarried, attended University to study in a discipline; he was a bachelor (hence our term for unmarried males) working toward his baccalaureate degree. If he wanted to master a body of knowledge, he could stay an additional year or so and earn a master's degree (Magister). Once you attained the academic rank of Master, you could teach in your discipline (Doctor = teacher). A Doctor was a teacher. You also could profess your knowledge to others, which of course, would make you a "professor" of knowledge -- one who professes.
The body of knowledge taught by a "doctor" was his doctrine. The only true doctors in Western history were academics and clergy. Most doctorate degrees were in Civil or Canon Law (JCD), Theology (ThD), Philosophy (PhD), or Divinity (DD). Physicians were uneducated self-taught barber-surgeons. Pharmacists, however, were usually educated at the universites and were known as Apothecaries or Chemists. An Apothecary was usually schooled in the sciences as well as the arts. I don't believe they were called "doctor", however, because they never taught. Only those who taught others were called "Master", "Doctor", or "Professor". Master-Doctor-Professor had essentially the same meaning.
Deans (also known as "Dons") were higher-ranking professors in a university or college faculty. Don and Dean share the same root word (from the Latin "decanus", which was a leader or chief of ten people in a tribe or group). Don was a Latin-based title of respect or power (Don Quixote/Don Juan, mafia "dons", and I believe they exist in France and Portugal as well). Donna was the feminine version. Dean was the English version of Don, but somehow became integrated into academic nomenclature. However, at Oxford University, in the UK, Deans are still referred to as Dons.
I'm not sure when, but at some point, physicians appropriated the title doctor from the academics and clergy. In the UK, US, and France, "doctor" is synonymous with physician. Interestingly enough, in the UK and Commonwealth countries, physicians, dentists, and others of that ilk only possess a bachelor's degree (MBBS = bachelor of med/surgery, BDS = bachelor of dental surgery, etc.), yet have a "courtesy" title of doctor. Surgeons, however, are called "Mr/Ms" due to tradition. So, here in the US, a lawyer holds a true professional doctorate, but is not called "doctor", and in the UK and Commonwealth countries, a physician holds a bachelor's degree, but is called "doctor". Weird, eh?
However, in most other countries, especially the Germanic (Germany, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Belgium, and Holland) and Slavic (Russia, Croatia, Slovakia, Poland, etc.), and some Romance (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Romania, and some Latin American countries) countries, doctor usually denotes one who has a PhD, law degree, or clerical degree (DD, ThD, etc.)
In fact, in some countries, like in Austria and Switzerland, if you have a master's degree, your title is Mag. So-and-so. They differentiate the doctoral title in Europe too. In many places, your title qualifies your degree: (Dr Med, Dr Jur, Dr Eng, Dr Pharm, Dr Vet). So, instead of Dr. Smith, a physician is John Smith, Dr Med or Dr. Med Smith. A lawyer is Dr. Jur. Smith. You get your title with a little extra information that explains what kind of "doctor" you are.
Just some useless trivia!
🙂
