# The slovening of medical terminology **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 13, 2025, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-slovening-of-medical-terminology/1012923 "2025-01-13T18:37:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-slovening-of-medical-terminology/1012923/41 "2025-01-15T12:39:26Z")
That would be about when, would you say? I thought they had always been with us. ---
**Author:** ![yendis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ed8c4c/32.png) [@yendis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yendis)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-slovening-of-medical-terminology/1012923/42 "2025-01-15T12:46:49Z")
When doctor went from being a term for a religious scholar to it being used to give the impression that the guy with a leach jar and an alarming tendency to taste everything was somehow able to cure illness. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-slovening-of-medical-terminology/1012923/43 "2025-01-15T12:56:14Z")
This sounds like a different thread. The term doctor as applying to someone with a university degree in theology, philosophy, or medicine began with the rise of universities themselves, in the 1200’s. It’s always been a medical term. But the idea that only people with medical degrees could legally practice medicine is very modern. Like 19th century? I don’t think there was ever a time when people without medical training did not offer medical advice, though. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-slovening-of-medical-terminology/1012923/44 "2025-01-15T13:03:58Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > The term doctor as applying to someone with a university degree in theology, philosophy, or medicine began with the rise of universities themselves, in the 1200’s. Before that, it was the term for any scholar at a formal school. It was only later that it became restricted to those with an advanced degree, while also displacing the native word for a physician. It was not always a medical term. [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/doctur#Old\_French](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/doctur#Old_French) ---
**Author:** ![We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/We_re_wolves_not_werewolves)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-slovening-of-medical-terminology/1012923/45 "2025-01-15T13:04:29Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](#): > > As for the term gaslighting, I think one should be required to have seen the film in order to us it. I’m not sure why it suddenly gained traction in the last few years but ferfecksake, don’t say it if you don’t know what it means. completely agree with this. Use of the term in the wild is incorrect approximately 99% of the time. But, contrary to the title of this thread, it was never a medical term of art, it came from a movie for goodness sake. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-slovening-of-medical-terminology/1012923/46 "2025-01-15T13:06:04Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Now, I realize most English speakers are only semi-literate at best. I’d love to jump on you and energetically refute that statement but, well … LOL I agree, and our school district is an example of this. Any child identified as “special needs” is thoroughly evaluated because there is, in fact, a need to properly identify the issue in order to implement the best special services and educational approach for the child. Those services may be provided here, or the child in question may need to attend an “alternative school” that specializes in the services needed. > [@Ulfreida](#): > > Yet, I manage to get stabby when people throw around terms like narcissist, autistic, or ADHD out of laziness. Or out of ignorance. In the old days, various distinct special needs were simply tagged as “retarded”, a generic, inaccurate, and offensive term. All “retarded” kids were put in one classroom, and that classroom was pretty much run the same way as all the others, except at a way slower educational rate of speed. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-slovening-of-medical-terminology/1012923/47 "2025-01-15T13:42:54Z")
I won’t accept the term “Narcissist” unless the person referred to has literally stared at their own reflection in the river so long that they turned into a daffodil. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-slovening-of-medical-terminology/1012923/48 "2025-01-15T13:51:12Z")
The one that annoys me to no end is the casual use of OCD. It’s an actual disorder, not some cutesy way to say that you’re a bit of an asshole because you just _had_ to spend money on something you don’t need or some other trivial thing in your life. It’s always followed by “I’m so OCD that I just have to. . .” That’s like saying “I’m so cancer that I. . .” ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-slovening-of-medical-terminology/1012923/49 "2025-01-15T13:59:53Z")
With you on the OCD. I have a friend who has to throw away her toothbrush if someone else touches it or it falls to the floor. She has OCD. OCD interferes with living a relatively normal life. Being a neat freak or having poor impulse control is not OCD. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-slovening-of-medical-terminology/1012923/50 "2025-01-15T14:18:30Z")
I allow a little leeway there. If someone feels compelled to act even if it’s not evidently problematic it can be fairly described as OCD. Not poor impulse control, not simply being motivated to clean though. Just having to touch a doorknob three times even though it doesn’t interfere with their lives then there’s OCD there. That said, such things are not an excuse for other problems and failures in life. You’re not late for an appointment or screwed up a work assignment because you had to spend 3 extra seconds touching doorknobs. It’s barely worth mentioning unless the topic of discussion is OCD. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-slovening-of-medical-terminology/1012923/51 "2025-01-15T16:05:37Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > “I’m so cancer that I. . .” I’m not that cancerous but I can clear the room when I show my fungating tumour.\* \* don’t google that. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-slovening-of-medical-terminology/1012923/52 "2025-01-15T16:52:11Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Every time I try to understand autism, I wind up more confused than before. It’s like trying to nail jello to the wall. It doesn’t help that so many of my social media friends keep posting memes asserting that autism is [list of practically everything under the Sun] while simultaneously asserting that autism is NOT [list of practically everything under the Sun]. They post so many wide-ranging descriptions of autism, ADHD, and “neurospicy” that I can’t tell if I’m coming or going. Half the popularly reported traits of autism sound like me, and the other half sound like exactly the opposite of me. > > When I squawk in response to my inability to integrate what they’re putting out there, the answer is always “Well, you know autism is a ‘spectrum.’” OK, fine, but that still gives me no useful information about it. > > I’ve mostly kept quiet about this, Ulfreida, because I don’t want to sound insensitive to folks who really do deal with autism. I want to know how to be more supportive. The memes my friends post are the opposite of helpful. But I gotta squawk. None of it all is adding up to anything for me. Your OP gave me hope my _cri de cœur_ may not fall on unsympathetic ears. > > I had one social media friend who one day suddenly announced she has Asperger’s and that gives her license to be as rude as she pleases. She instantly proceeded to behave obnoxiously toward everyone; I unfriended her. This left me with a jaundiced view toward self-diagnosers. I wish all the self-diagnosers would just shut up already. People do seem to throw around OCD, autism, Asperger’s, Tourette Syndrom, anxiety, ADHD and other medical terms freely as a synonym / justification for “I’m going to do what I want when I want and don’t care if people think I’m a jerk”. As for “autism”, that’s fairly complex disorder with a wide degree of severity, ranging from almost undiagnosable to profoundly debilitating. The main characteristics is a certain “inflexibility” (often leading to meltdowns), repetitive patterns, narrow focus of interests, and difficulties recognizing social ques. So for example, my son was professionally diagnosed as being on the spectrum at around age 5. Some of the patterns we were seeing include: - Counting garage doors - Fixation on the NY Waterway ferries that land near us (every 20 minutes) - Meltdowns if we were to change something like installing new furniture / appliances - Fixation with Lego (later Lego-like games) Now that he’s ten, he never really has meltdowns. He is still really into Lego and Fortnite(which is also a symptom of being ten years old). He does well in school with a bit of help, but focus is still a bit of a problem and he’s still a bit odd socially. He’s also a very affectionate and “touchy” kid. Like he likes to rough house with his dad like any other kid. A lot of kids on the spectrum don’t want to be touched at all. An acquaintance of mine, her son is more severely on the spectrum. I don’t know if he’s “non verbal”, but he’s very sensitive to touch and will probably need significant help all through life. These days “autism” is sort of thrown around a lot to indicate a kid is “weird” or “nerdy”. Although it would not surprise me if I found out a lot of the weird or nerdy kids I grew up with were also on the spectrum. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-slovening-of-medical-terminology/1012923/53 "2025-01-15T16:53:27Z")
> [@yendis](#): > > an alarming tendency to taste everything I object! One ancestor of mine was the very omivourous [Sir Francis Buckland](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Trevelyan_Buckland), a man whose appetite for the obscure went…, well, went beyond weird. This is a gentleman who felt it was his royal mission, to taste as many animals as he could. This includes a long-dead panther, exumed for the dinner. 3 days after burial. I am not quite up to his standard, but I have consumed a large number of oddities, myself. Lamb brain curry was excellent. Guinea pigs, spatchcocked for the barbeque, delicious. Fresh sea urchin. Termites. Field mice whole roasted on a fire… mmm, getting challenging. Mopani worms, straight down the hatch. I do, weirdly, not enjoy eating fish that still have their heads on, even though apparently the eyeballs are a delicacy. Excluding insects, I prefer my food not to be looking at me. ETA, oh shit. I am doing that recipe thing. I did not mean to post recipes. I mean, I could, a grilled guinea-pig in pomegranite and rosemary sauce with lemon-butter potato gratin sounds good. Right? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-slovening-of-medical-terminology/1012923/54 "2025-01-15T17:00:51Z")
I’m thinking of relatively recent times when people commonly refer to themselves as “Doctor” to give the impression that they’re physicians qualified to advise on medical matters, as opposed to the reality of their being homeopaths, naturopaths, chiropractors, basement doctors or having a doctorate in English literature\*. \*no apologies to Naomi Wolf, crackpot queen. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-slovening-of-medical-terminology/1012923.md?page=2)