# Using "Dr." twice, e.g. "Dr. Dr. Jane Smith" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 22, 2023, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-dr-twice-e-g-dr-dr-jane-smith/985952 "2023-06-22T18:22:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-dr-twice-e-g-dr-dr-jane-smith/985952/21 "2023-06-23T14:10:51Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > The only one I know is **Dr. Dr. Gimme The News** Alluded to in post #2. The first song I though of was this… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/NQm8rTb9tZU/hqdefault.jpg "UFO - Doctor Doctor - OGWT") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQm8rTb9tZU) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-dr-twice-e-g-dr-dr-jane-smith/985952/22 "2023-06-23T14:19:27Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > I’ve heard of it in Germany. Also I knew a woman who held a PhD married to another PhD. In Germany she was styled as Dr Frau Dr \_\_\_\_\_. That was not at her request. She found it amusing. I know an (American) couple who both have PhDs, and whose return-address labels say “Dr.2 Lastname”. > [@Jackmannii](#): > > Then there’s the strange of Doctor Willard Bliss (“Doctor” was his first name), admiringly described by Wikipedia as a “pseudo-expert in ballistic trauma”. He went on to become an actual physician (sort of), made a name for himself in quackery and maneuvered into a position to treat President Garfield’s gunshot wound. Well, what sort of pseudo-expert would you want, treating a gunshot wound? It sounds like he was exactly the right pseudo-expert for the job. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-dr-twice-e-g-dr-dr-jane-smith/985952/23 "2023-06-23T18:50:45Z")
The song I first thought of: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Pf0_Be5PPPU/maxresdefault.jpg "Thompson Twins - Doctor! Doctor! (Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf0_Be5PPPU) ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-dr-twice-e-g-dr-dr-jane-smith/985952/24 "2023-06-23T23:04:28Z")
Another vote for the German title stacking. I’ve known people in the US with dual doctorates (usually MD and PhD) and never came across this. But, course, stacking degree abbreviations after a name is common. Dude, if you have a Phd there’s no need to put “MS, BS” after your name. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2023, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-dr-twice-e-g-dr-dr-jane-smith/985952/25 "2023-06-24T00:54:19Z")
Years ago, I worked with a computer organization that had an international membership, mostly academics or corporations. Many from Germany, Austria, Switzerland. We quickly decided on a policy that our mailing list database included ONLY peoples’ names – no titles. Because of a couple of difficulties: - titles like ‘Herr Doktor Associate Adjuct Professor’, which were way too long to fit in the field length on a database, and - the work of trying to maintain the titles when we got requests to change between Associate Professor and Assistant Professor, etc. With a tiny volunteer staff, this was just too much time & effort taken from the main purpose. Not sure that ended up saving us much, though. We were regularly sending out letters explaining that we used names only (ended up with a form letter for that). And responding to letters from members objecting to this policy (sometimes very upset and hurt about it). And it wasn’t just Germanic people – many American & British academics were also upset that their hard-earned titles were not being used. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2023, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-dr-twice-e-g-dr-dr-jane-smith/985952/26 "2023-06-24T18:23:36Z")
> **[DR EVIL - 6 years of evil medical school](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C41o5a6NeNE%2F)** ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2023, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-dr-twice-e-g-dr-dr-jane-smith/985952/27 "2023-06-24T20:39:42Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Another vote for the German title stacking. Yeah, but I never noticed any of them duplicating the title. If a women was married twice is she now Mrs.Mrs.? ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2023, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-dr-twice-e-g-dr-dr-jane-smith/985952/28 "2023-06-24T20:47:28Z")
Only if they legalize polygamy. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2023, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-dr-twice-e-g-dr-dr-jane-smith/985952/29 "2023-06-24T22:35:57Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > … Dude, if you have a Phd there’s no need to put “MS, BS” after your name. In Germany lesser degrees are only used together with a doctorate if they are in a different field, i.e. if you had a _Diplom_ in forestry and doctorate in law you‘d be **Dr. iur. Dipl-Forstwirt ftg**. If on the other hand both your degree and your doctorate were in forestry you‘d just be **Dr. forest. ftg**. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-dr-twice-e-g-dr-dr-jane-smith/985952/30 "2023-06-25T20:07:35Z")
Me too. Peak 80s ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-dr-twice-e-g-dr-dr-jane-smith/985952/31 "2023-06-25T20:26:05Z")
I was once told (on what authority I know not) a tale that when the conductor Herbert von Karajan was appointed to be in charge of some prestigious music festival or orchestra, anotice appeared on the door of one of the two backstage loos: “For the personal use of Herr Dr Generalmusikdirector [&c &c] Ritter von Karajan”. A very short time after, a note appeared in the unmistakable handwriting of a very senior guest conductor: _Für andere Arschlöcher_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-dr-twice-e-g-dr-dr-jane-smith/985952.md?page=1)