You need to study at least five years after high school to be called a doctor. And if you choose a field other than medicine, you need much more time and effort till your doctoral thesis gets approved.
Doctor
You need to study at least five years after high school to be called a doctor. And if you choose a field other than medicine, you need much more time and effort till your doctoral thesis gets approved. Have you ever given a thought to the strange need of having one single word to denote two very different positions? It is hard to guess whether the doctor sahab you just saw at a gathering is a medical practitioner or holds a Ph.D. degree (assuming that he was not wearing a white coat at the time, and you did not get a chance to see his handwriting). To clear this confusion, we shall go back in time to understand a little history of medicine, see why the title ‘doctor’ has two meanings, and also why practitioners of medicine wear a white coat!
The history of medicine goes back to the history of human civilisation. The ancient Greeks introduced advanced ideas like diagnosis and medical ethics. The basic idea behind the Hippocratic Oath is attributed to Hippocrates, the Greek physician who is known today as the Father of Western Medicine. The Greek god of medicine, Asclepius, was believed to use snakes for healing; the Rod of Asclepius, a snake-entwined staff, is still the symbol of medicine all around the world - the World Health Organisation logo and even the emblem for Pakistan Army Medical Corps has the Rod of Asclepius.
In Medieval Europe, the duties of a surgeon were performed by barbers. Yes, due to their proficiency in using blades, the barbers were considered to be the best choice for pulling out a tooth or amputating a limb. This, however, was not always their primary profession since the word “barber” comes from Latin barba meaning “beard” while physicians in those times were academics who preferred working in universities and thought of surgery as something they were overqualified for.
The English word “doctor” came from the Latin word docere which meant “to teach”, and from the same root emerged the word decere (meaning: to be suitable/proper) whose Anglicised version we know today as “decent”. The English word “doctrine” also has the same roots, leading to the Latin docere.
In early Christianity, the “teacher” sense of the word ‘doctor’ was used to refer to only religious teachers of the Bible, including apostles, Church fathers and other Christian authorities. Initially, only the Church had the right to grant someone a licence to teach (licentia docendi). However in 1213 AD, the Pope finally allowed University of Paris to award the license to eligible candidates. In those times, doctoral degrees could only be in theology, law, or medicine since these were the only majors you could opt for if you were blessed enough to have a university education in 13th century Europe. All other disciplines (including sciences) were called Philosophy (literally: the love for wisdom). When the craze grew for philosophy, the degree called Doctor in Philosophy emerged, which is still awarded to students who complete their doctoral studies, no matter what the discipline. Originally, however, the Ph.D. was like the medieval version of a life time achievement award for scholars who had accomplished enough in their careers and their work had attained substantial approval of their peers.
It is amusing to note that the Old English word for a physician was “leech” (derived from Proto-Germanic word lekjaz) which literally meant “enchanter”. The Latin word ‘doctor’ effectively replaced the native ‘leech’ by the late 16th century. However, much earlier uses - Chaucer’s Doctor of Physic’s reference to a medical doctor - have been identified. Interestingly, the Sanskrit word vaidya which literally means “one versed in science” had also been commonly used for a medical doctor. Turns out we are not alone in managing to create this confusion for ourselves; the ancient Indians might have been equally confused.
And why do the doctors wear a white coat? That began only in 19th century when physicians, in an effort to look more like scientists to emphasize their scientific approach towards medicine, and to disassociate themselves from the traditional mystic healers, began wearing the most recognisable symbol for a scientist: a laboratory coat.
