Doctor

Another D, but this one is the big hitter and probably, the subconscious origin of the D titles...

There are a lot of different professions that use "Doctor." Anything you can get your PhD in, Anatomy, Divinity, Psychology (Go Pin!), as well as Dentists, Podiatrists, Optometrists, Chiropractors, Veterinarians and others. What does it mean, actually?

Doctor comes from the Latin "docere" meaning to teach.
1. A person trained in the healing arts and licensed to practice.
2. An eminent theologian in the Roman Catholic Church.
3. A practitioner of folk medicine or folk magic.
4. A rig or device contrived for remedying an emergency situation or for doing a special task.
5. Any of several brightly colored artificial flies used in fly fishing.

Now I can assure you that my dream since childhood has not been to be swallowed by a hungry salmon. Yet, the most appropriate definition, #1, seems to be off the mark as well. Do medical doctors really practice the "healing arts?" Vets do. Psychologists do. Dentists? Well, "licensed to practice pain" would be more appropriate there.

Where did the medical profession go astray in the healing arts? I think that nurses hold the lion's share of humanity in medicine and while they do not have the final decision in patient care, they have the art of healing down pat. Now, I have known wonderful, attentive, caring, committed physicians in my years but the toll of managed care has even the most humanistic doctor frustrated. With the loads of paperwork, packed in patients, rising costs, and malpractice liability, where has the art of healing gone? The bedside is currently about 3 minutes on a cot. The physical is no longer "physical" (probably due to some lawsuit) and usually entails being hooked up to a cold, calibrated machine. The medical history is now a written 10 page questionnaire, detailed yes, but no paper could capture a history better than a verbal conversation. Pediatricians, at least, can still show some affection for their patients, but when was the last time, if ever, a physician held your hand when they had to deliver some bad news? Healing is so much more than a scab falling off.

I have taken this to heart. I think all aspiring physicians do. It is one of the most compelling reasons to go through the intense years of training - to heal a person who is ill. It makes my pulse race just now thinking about it. Its time to learn some art.

I am going to heal people.