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From: rwt@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Rainer Thonnes)
Subject: Re: ae (was: Sociological autopsy of the Dunblane massacre)
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Date: Thu, 27 Jun 1996 12:53:19 GMT
Lines: 34

In article <4qrifb$kvq@sun4.bham.ac.uk>,
sjt@galileo.bham.ac.uk (Sam J. Turner) writes:
> Rainer Thonnes (rwt@dcs.ed.ac.uk) wrote:
> : In article <4qp7sf$lp7@sun4.bham.ac.uk>,
> : sjt@fourier.bham.ac.uk (Sam J. Turner) writes:
> : > Are you suggesting that this confusion is remedied by
> : > contriving greek/latin scientific terms?
> 
> : Not at all, in fact I would endorse heart-doctor, gut-doctor, tooth-doctor, etc.
> 
> : > And who, exactly, would ever imagine a witch-doctor
> : > to treat witches, outside a children's comic book?
> 
> : Anyone who had been lulled into a false sense of omniscience from frequent
> : use of X-doctor as a treater of X.
> 
> You know people who would _do_ that?

Do what, use frequently or be lulled?  I was speaking hypothetically:
*If* we had adopted the practice of calling vets animal-doctors (etc),
*then* I've no doubt that many naive individuals, particularly children,
would be convinced that a witch-doctor would be required to deal with
an unwell witch, who had, say, cast a spell on someone (without meaning
it to be permanent) and subsequently fallen ill, unable to reverse it.

OK, so "witch-doctor" is not a very good reason not to adopt said practice.
So that leaves the question open.  Are there any other reasons?
Remember, this goes back to:

: > : Cheradenine Zakalwe <zakalwe@vision25.demon.co.uk> writes:
: > : > It's a pity English can't use the words "child-doctor", "foot-doctor"
: > : > etc.

Why can't it?
