In 1975 I left academia and went full time into industry. What became clear was that one had to fit in, namely, one did not present any personal accomplishments that would make one "better" than one's peers. Thus is was just a plain old Mr. and my only objection was when I was called Terrence, since that was what my mother said when I was in trouble. I had this limbic valence being called "Terrence" even though it is my name.
But back to doctor. Even at MIT I do not recall being called Professor or even Doctor. The only place that happened was amongst my colleagues and friends at The Brigham.
Off to Europe, and in my German Office I was called Herr Doctor Professor, but after a while we went back to my informal name. The Russian liked that, no formality.
So what point am I making. Well back to 1975. I had a colleague, an MD, who was in Massachusetts Public Health. One day we discussed the title stuff and he let me know the MD was a Professional degree and the PhD was an academic degree. He said the only true "Doctor" was the academic, the MD was a job title.
Shortly after this I notice Law Schools issue JD degrees. Now I cannot think of any JD lawyer as anything but a "Professional" degree, hardly Academic.
This now comes to the NY Times despute over Dr. so and so. They note:
Do people who go by Dr. need to carry stethoscopes?
One writer in The Wall Street Journal seems to think so, at least when it comes to..., who has a doctorate in education and calls herself Dr. ... In an opinion piece published online on Friday, the author, ..., addressed Dr. ...as “kiddo” and offered her advice on “what may seem like a small but I think is a not unimportant matter.” “Any chance you might drop the ‘Dr.’ before your name?” he wrote. “‘Dr. ...’ sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic.” If the reaction from Dr. ... spokesman and from legions of women in academia is any indication, the answer is: not a chance.“If you have a doctorate in pharmacy or education or biology, it doesn’t matter: Call yourself a doctor,” said ... a professor of anthropology ..., who has a Ph.D. in archaeology from Cambridge University. “You worked your rear end off for years to earn that. Shout it from the rooftops, if you want to. It’s your right.”
OK, so where to start. An EdD is a professional degree, like a JD and others. In a sense it has a connection to an MD or DDS which are professional. A PhD is academic, and in most institutions it means you passed a written qualifying exam, an oral exam, a thesis, a thesis defense, not to mention grades and courses. An MD is courses and Board exams. No thesis, no defense. I do not know an EdD.
So what do we call them. For decades if not since its inception the NY Times only called Doctors if they were MDs, not even a DDS. PhDs were left title-less.
In the British system they do not give title of Doctor to a physician but an MB degree. If you will a professional or trade certification. Namely one has passed exams and courses and been trained. In India it is an MBBS. PhDs are left for those in an academic path. When the title "Doctor" is then used it it to refer to a profession not a degree. Namely a Doctor is a physician or surgeon.
So what do we call a nurse with a doctorate in nursing? No "Doctor" in a hospital since they are not licensed as a physician.
And the wheel goes around. So just call me Terry.
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