Should Only Medical And Scientific Persons Be Referred To As Doctors

[barney15c]

Jill Biden has been criticized for using her Doctorate title, which she earned in the field of education. Some have said that this should only be applied to those in the Medical and Scientific professions. The BBC's own style guide uses the title Dr to refer to doctors of medicine, scientific doctors and church ministers who hold doctorates, when relevant. What is the history of doctorates in other disciplines? Do you agree that those who have a Doctorate in say Education, Economics, Theology etc should call themselves Dr. I have no personal opinion either way.

[pastafreak]

Many years ago, I did an Open University course on the history of medicine. As Sqad says a surgeon wasn't exactly thought highly of because of the connection with lowly barbers.
The title of Mr was sought after and highly regarded. Definitely an elevation, both professionally and in society.

[ummmm]

Woof - Current doctors shouldn't. It's the title they've earned and I admire that. Maybe for future generations. A title that is on a par with doctor.

[jim360]

Why not return to calling medical doctors "physicians", then? :)

Alternatively, why not accept that a word can have two different meanings...

[Sqad]

Why not indeed jim?

[Prudie]

I had always thought of consultants etc being referred to as Mr etc as a mark of respect, showing they were higher up the chain than plain doctors.
Some of it surely is just traditional usage, for example we call vets by Mr & Mrs but abroad they are usually referred to as doctor. You also have to work really hard and be really intelligent to gain a PhD so using the title doctor is fully worthy IMO.
Some on here remind me of Rachael in Friends who was always putting Ross down by telling him he wasn't a real doctor (he had a PhD).

[Sqad]

Prudie

////showing they were higher up the chain than plain doctors.//

True my love,true.....-:)

[woofgang]

with respect ummm, its not for you to say what people with PhD's should or should not do.

[pixie374]

No, barney... if you have a doctorate you are entitled to be addressed as Dr, if you like. It's a standard, rather than a subject. Maybe we should change the word for medicine doctors, if it seems too confusing.
Sanmac, isn't a person who has worked at a university for 20 years, a Professor?

[pixie374]

Sorry, drmorgans...

[Ellipsis]

She's listing her doctorate in her professional capacity as "First Lady", just as many people in a professional capacity would list their qualifications. If she as First Lady took a special interest in America's education system, as many First Ladies have done in the past, it might be useful to know that she had a doctorate in education.

[ummmm]

To be fair, woof, I don't care in reality but I simply would prefer it.

I think Jim has the answer....except numbnuts wouldn't be able to spell it :-)

[drmorgans]

Academic staff don't automatically receive the title "professor" after a particular time (in the UK). Often it goes with being head of department or faculty or with particular disciplines or research projects. Isaac Newton was Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, a title that still exists.

[Khandro]

pixie // isn't a person who has worked at a university for 20 years, a Professor?//

'Professor' is simply a title given to a member of the faculty as an award for services, it isn't a qualification like a doctorate.

[pixie374]

Ah, fair enough, sorry. I looked after someone who was a Doctor (of chemistry), but was known as Professor, as he taught at Universities.

[drmorgans]

But to be a professor you probably will have several academic qualifications (PhD, MSc) and professional memberships (fellow of, member of).

[pixie374]

He was very coy about it, drmorgans, it was only from his family and from Google that I found out he was a world-renowned researcher. At one point, unintentionally, he was headhunted and worked for the Mafia briefly.
Fascinating man, though.

[theprof]

Degree awards are difficult area to fully understand. I for one, have been at the forefront over this for more years than I can remember.

I already had BSc and Msc from a prestigious UK university when I entered the doors of an Oxbridge college. Within a week, I had received a further BSc merely for walking through the doors and theoretically, the latter BSc was more prestigious than what I had received in the other uni! I hold a PhD from another UK university in an aspect of Inorganic Chemistry but I also hold D.Phil's from both Oxford and Cambridge in research on biological sciences. On top of that, I have a Masters and Doctorate in Biochemistry, the academic field I finally seem to have settled down in. So wasn't that enough? No. I've written two well known textbooks now in their umpteenth edition in Biochemistry and I was bestowed with a DSc from one and an ScD from the "other place" for my troubles.

I can't convey to you enough how this degrees in academia just fly over the top of my head these days. I don't declare all mine outside academia because people ask me if there's any letter of the alphabet that I don't have after my name and I get embarrassed for no other reason than I'm from a very modest background - I never attended the likes of Eton and Harrow.

The one thing that I do get annoyed about is that in the USA, you can be taught at high school by an associate professor and sometimes, even a professor. These are purely academic titles not based on acquired degrees in the subjects these guys teach. I'm a visiting professor in a few US universities and the academic titles in universities are horrendous.

Anyway, that's my rant today.

[Sqad]

You certainly got that off your chest prof.
I assume you passed you GCE in chemistry? (just joking)

[barry1010]

Anyone can call themselves 'doctor' - it isn't an offence unless you do so with the intention to gain a benefit.

[Peter Pedant]

Oh god there was an awful man where I worked who used to grandly call me "professah!"
as in Good morning professah!
and the minions clustered around him tittered
in the end I said I am a graduate just like you
and he finally shut up

isn't a person who has worked at a university for 20 years, a Professor?
no they have to be appointed be the professors' appts board
We had one who er nominated himself and we didnt support him. He wasnt appointed