The Veterinary Record 157:716 (2005)
© 2005 British Veterinary Association
Doctor, doctor
Colin Whiting1
1 9 Lawton Road, Alsager, Cheshire ST7 2AA
SIR, - In answer to David Hadrill's recent letter (VR, November 5,
2005, vol 157, p 600),
does it not accentuate the confusion already surrounding the title of Dr? In
this country, with medics and dentists using it, as well as PHD
holders, it seems to me that it is overused and so becoming undervalued. Could
we not either take pride in the fact that we zoom straight to Mr (or
Miss/Mrs/Ms) as surgeons (something that understandably takes medics much
further time and effort), or if you really want to distinguish yourself from
the crowd, simply have `Vet' or `Vt' as our title, to sit alongside `Rev',
`Capt', `Prof' and `Insp' as titles in current usage. As to falling in to line
with the rest of the world's nomenclature - well, that's hardly been a
traditional British trait, has it? Surely, more fitting that we assume `Vet'
as our title, then convert the rest of the world to our way of thinking.
I don't know whether having `Vet' on your credit card or driving licence
would be any help in getting a better restaurant table or avoiding a speeding
ticket though... and given that I have taken to using a supermarket a little
distance from my workplace, perhaps the blessings of a little anonymity should
not be forgotten!
