In a full verdict, the High Court has declared the use of the appellate 'Dr' by anyone other than MBBS and BDS degree holders illegal. The government's decision taken earlier to allow homeopathy, unani and ayurvedic healthcare professionals use it thus meets with a reversal. In its elaborate observation on the indigenous alternative medical services, the HC has words of high praise because these have more or less 5,000 years' history. Also these streams of medical care served people well when allopath as a system of medicare had no existence. In this context, the HC suggests appellations such as 'Integrated physician', 'Complementary physician', 'Integrated medicine practitioner' and 'Complementary medicine practitioner'. But these are far too long for use before one's name. Maybe, if the abbreviations such as IP, CP are introduced, these may gradually get currency. However, Bangla abbreviation may not sound equally emphatic.
So far as the use of the title 'Dr' is concerned it has a long controversial history not only in the land of its origin but also in the entire Medieval Europe. The doctorate (Latin doceo which means I teach) was reserved for Apostles and other interpreters of the Bible in church. With the rise of universities the right was delegated to the University of Bologna and the University of Paris in 1213 to award scholars in theology, law and medicine. The PhD was a degree granted by a university to a learned individual for demonstration of long and productive career in the field of philosophy. But it had its more rational and widespread use at the Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin as recognition for original research undertaken in the sciences or humanities. Since then doctorate has to ride stormy controversies ---not least involving the medical graduates in Britain until 1917 and the United States of America --- before arriving at a compromise on its use by both graduate physicians and research scholars for their dissertations. Bachelors of medicine from the Royal College of Physicians were not allowed to use 'doctor' for long before this.
In Europe and America, the quacks also started using the appellation 'doctor' before their name and it had to be stopped by enacting laws. The controversy may have been resolved but the confusion has not been totally dispelled. A doctorate degree such as PhD or DSc is conferred for original research work by reputed universities on completion of the post-graduations and master degrees, whereas 'Dr' is used by medical graduates without post graduation. A physician may also earn a PhD but most of them do not and still enjoy the right to use the title.
Finally, the use of the title as a prefix, however, truly represents physicians' profession today. Suppose when someone earning a PhD title on the strength of its originality and value that bring about social well-being and economic emancipation for workers the world over, the appellation 'doctor' proves too inadequate to appraise the contribution. Average mortals require social recognition by the titles they earn but the geniuses hardly care for such extra feathers in their caps.