Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Physician shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Physician offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Physician at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Physician? Wrong! If the Physician is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Physician then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Physician? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Physician and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Physician wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Physician then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Physician site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Physician, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Physician, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
Doctor-->
The word
physician applies to a person who practices some type of
medicine. Such
medical practitioners are concerned with maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis and treatment of
disease and
injury, through both an
area of knowledge — a science — of body organ system, their diseases and treatment, and the
applied practice — an
art or craft — of that knowledge.
Physicians are traditionally considered to be members of a learned
profession because of the extensive training requirements and also because of the occupation's special ethical and legal duties. Many children often are pushed by parents to become physicians due to a misconception of its position in society and a notion of a stable income. It is important to note however, that medical professionals especially in the United States and Canada often work inflexible hours, long work hour shifts, and generally earn less income than a business MBA graduate, lawyer, CA (charted accountant), or managerial positions at firms such as insurance companies and banks.
Etymology of the word
"physician" and its synonyms
The Classical Greek noun
physis and derived adjective
physikos meant "nature" and "natural". From this, amongst other derivatives came the
Late Latin physicus, which meant a doctor of medicine. After the Norman Conquest, the word entered
Middle English via Old French
fisicien, as early as 1200. Originally,
physician meant a practitioner of
physic (pronounced with a hard C). This archaic noun had entered Middle English by 1300 (via Old French
fisique). The noun
physic meant the art or science of treatment with drugs or medications (as opposed to surgery), and was later used both as a verb and also to describe the medications themselves.
Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on historical principles. Fifth edition, OUP, 2002Partidge E.,
Origins: a short etymological dictionary of modern English. Fourth edition, Book Club Associates, 1966Barnhart R.K. (ed.),
Chambers Dictionary of Etymology. (previously published as
Barnhart's Dictionary of Etymology), New York: Chambers, 1988
In English, there have been many synonyms for
physician, both old and new, with some semantic variation.
Medical practitioner is perhaps the most widely understood and neutral synonym.
Medical practitioner is lengthy but inclusive: it covers both medical specialists and
general practitioners (= family physician, family practitioner), and historically would cover physicians (in the narrow sense — see below),
surgeons or
apothecary. The term
doctor (
medical doctor) is older and shorter (see doctor of medicine), but may be confused with holders of other academic doctorates.
Doctor (Genitive case:
doctoris) means
teacher in
Latin_language and is a contraction of the
Greek_language διδάκτωρ (
didaktōr = teacher), from the verb
διδάσκειν (didaskein = to teach). In
French_language, wikt:médecin is a contraction of
docteur médecin, a direct equivalent of
doctor of medicine. In current French idiom, the term wikt:toubib, is now a synonym, derived from Arabic طبيب (
tabīb = physician).
The
Greek_language word wikt:ἰατρός (
iatros = doctor or healer) is not preserved directly in English, but occurs in such formations as
psychiatrist (translates from Greek as
healer of the soul),
podiatrist (=
foot healer),and iatrogenic disease (=
a disease caused by medical treatment). In Latin,
wikt:medicus meant much what
doctor does now, but the ancient Romans also had the word archiater, for
court physician. wikt:archiater derives from the ancient Greek
αρχίατρος (from wikt:ἄρχω +
wikt:ἰατρός = chief healer); by contraction, this has given German_language its word for physician, wikt:arzt.
Leech and
leechcraft are archaic English words respectively for
doctor and
medicine. The
Old English language word for "physician", wikt:læċe, which is related to Old High German
lāhhi and
Old Irish language liaig, has survived as the modern English word leech, as these particular creatures were formerly much used by the medical profession. Cognate for
leech exist in modern
Swedish_language as wikt:läkare, and in modern Norwegian_language as wikt:lege; these Scandinavian words translate as
doctor or
physician — and
not as a blood-sucking parasite (see List of false friends between Swedish and English).
Different meanings of the word
"physician"
"Physician" = any medical practitioner
Physician in the
broad sense, usually in North America, now applies to any legally qualified practitioner of medicine. In the
United States, the term
physician is now commonly used to describe any medical doctor holding the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree (see below). The American Medical Association, established 1847, uses
physician in this broad sense to describe all its members. See the article on
Medicine for more information on what physicians (in this broad sense) do in practice.
"Physician" = specialist (or subspecialist) in internal medicine
However,
Physician is still widely used in an older,
narrow sense, especially outside North America. In this usage, a
physician is a
Medical specialist in internal medicine or one of its many sub-specialties (especially as opposed to a specialist in surgery). This traditional meaning of
physician still conveys a sense of expertise in treatment by drugs or medications, rather than by the procedures of surgeons.Fowler H.W.
A dictionary of modern English usage. 1926. Second edition (E. Gowers, ed.) OUP, 1965
This older usage is at least six hundred years old in English; physicians and surgeons were once members of separate professions, and traditionally were rivals. The Shorter OED, third edition, gives a Middle English quotation making this contrast, from as early as 1400:
"O Lord, whi is it so greet difference betwixe a cirugian and a phisician." Onions C.T. (ed.)
Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on historical principles. Third edition, OUP, 1944. reprinted with corrections 1967 Henry_VIII_of_England granted a charter to the Royal College of Physicians (London) in 1518, and granted the Company of Barber/Surgeons (ancestor of the
Royal College of Surgeons) its separate charter in 1540. In the same year, the same English monarch established the
Regius_Professor_of_Physic_(Cambridge) at Cambridge University http://www.medschl.cam.ac.uk/about/history.html. Newer universities would probably describe such an academic as a professor of internal medicine. Hence, in the 16th century,
physic meant roughly what internal medicine does now.
These days, a
specialist physician in this older, narrow sense would probably be described in the
United States as a
internist (a specialist in internal medicine). The older, narrow usage of
physician (= internist) is common in United Kingdom,
Republic of Ireland,
Canada,
Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Japan,
South Africa, India, Indonesia,
Republic of China, Pakistan,
Bangladesh,
Sri Lanka,
Zimbabwe and Hong Kong. In such places, the terms
doctor or
medical practitioner are prevalent, to describe
any practitioner of medicine (whom an American would likely call a
physician, in the newer, broad sense). For information on the work of specialist physicians in the older, narrow sense, see
internal medicine, or else visit the web page
Doctor-->
The word
physician applies to a person who practices some type of
medicine. Such
medical practitioners are concerned with maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis and treatment of disease and injury, through both an
area of knowledge — a
science — of
body organ system, their diseases and treatment, and the
applied practice — an art or
craft — of that knowledge.
Physicians are traditionally considered to be members of a learned profession because of the extensive training requirements and also because of the occupation's special ethical and legal duties. Many children often are pushed by parents to become physicians due to a misconception of its position in society and a notion of a stable income. It is important to note however, that medical professionals especially in the United States and Canada often work inflexible hours, long work hour shifts, and generally earn less income than a business MBA graduate, lawyer, CA (charted accountant), or managerial positions at firms such as insurance companies and banks.
Etymology of the word
"physician" and its synonyms
The Classical Greek noun
physis and derived adjective
physikos meant "nature" and "natural". From this, amongst other derivatives came the
Late Latin physicus, which meant a doctor of medicine. After the
Norman Conquest, the word entered Middle English via
Old French fisicien, as early as 1200. Originally,
physician meant a practitioner of
physic (pronounced with a hard C). This archaic noun had entered Middle English by 1300 (via Old French
fisique). The noun
physic meant the art or science of treatment with drugs or medications (as opposed to surgery), and was later used both as a verb and also to describe the medications themselves.
Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on historical principles. Fifth edition, OUP, 2002Partidge E.,
Origins: a short etymological dictionary of modern English. Fourth edition, Book Club Associates, 1966Barnhart R.K. (ed.),
Chambers Dictionary of Etymology. (previously published as
Barnhart's Dictionary of Etymology), New York: Chambers, 1988
In English, there have been many
synonyms for
physician, both old and new, with some semantic variation.
Medical practitioner is perhaps the most widely understood and neutral synonym.
Medical practitioner is lengthy but inclusive: it covers both
medical specialists and
general practitioners (= family physician, family practitioner), and historically would cover physicians (in the narrow sense — see below),
surgeons or apothecary. The term
doctor (
medical doctor) is older and shorter (see doctor of medicine), but may be confused with holders of other academic doctorates.
Doctor (Genitive case:
doctoris) means
teacher in Latin_language and is a contraction of the
Greek_language διδάκτωρ (
didaktōr = teacher), from the verb
διδάσκειν (didaskein = to teach). In French_language, wikt:médecin is a contraction of
docteur médecin, a direct equivalent of
doctor of medicine. In current French idiom, the term
wikt:toubib, is now a synonym, derived from Arabic طبيب (
tabīb = physician).
The Greek_language word wikt:ἰατρός (
iatros = doctor or healer) is not preserved directly in English, but occurs in such formations as psychiatrist (translates from Greek as
healer of the soul),
podiatrist (=
foot healer),and
iatrogenic disease (=
a disease caused by medical treatment). In Latin,
wikt:medicus meant much what
doctor does now, but the ancient Romans also had the word
archiater, for
court physician.
wikt:archiater derives from the ancient Greek
αρχίατρος (from
wikt:ἄρχω +
wikt:ἰατρός = chief healer); by contraction, this has given German_language its word for physician,
wikt:arzt.
Leech and
leechcraft are archaic English words respectively for
doctor and
medicine. The
Old English language word for "physician",
wikt:læċe, which is related to
Old High German lāhhi and Old Irish language
liaig, has survived as the modern English word
leech, as these particular creatures were formerly much used by the medical profession.
Cognate for
leech exist in modern Swedish_language as wikt:läkare, and in modern Norwegian_language as wikt:lege; these Scandinavian words translate as
doctor or
physician — and
not as a blood-sucking parasite (see List of false friends between Swedish and English).
Different meanings of the word
"physician"
"Physician" = any medical practitioner
Physician in the
broad sense, usually in North America, now applies to any legally qualified practitioner of medicine. In the United States, the term
physician is now commonly used to describe any medical doctor holding the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree (see below). The American Medical Association, established 1847, uses
physician in this broad sense to describe all its members. See the article on Medicine for more information on what physicians (in this broad sense) do in practice.
"Physician" = specialist (or subspecialist) in internal medicine
However,
Physician is still widely used in an older,
narrow sense, especially outside North America. In this usage, a
physician is a
Medical specialist in internal medicine or one of its many sub-specialties (especially as opposed to a specialist in surgery). This traditional meaning of
physician still conveys a sense of expertise in treatment by drugs or medications, rather than by the procedures of surgeons.Fowler H.W.
A dictionary of modern English usage. 1926. Second edition (E. Gowers, ed.) OUP, 1965
This older usage is at least six hundred years old in English; physicians and surgeons were once members of separate professions, and traditionally were rivals. The Shorter OED, third edition, gives a Middle English quotation making this contrast, from as early as 1400:
"O Lord, whi is it so greet difference betwixe a cirugian and a phisician." Onions C.T. (ed.)
Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on historical principles. Third edition, OUP, 1944. reprinted with corrections 1967
Henry_VIII_of_England granted a charter to the Royal College of Physicians (London) in 1518, and granted the Company of Barber/Surgeons (ancestor of the
Royal College of Surgeons) its separate charter in 1540. In the same year, the same English monarch established the Regius_Professor_of_Physic_(Cambridge) at Cambridge University http://www.medschl.cam.ac.uk/about/history.html. Newer universities would probably describe such an academic as a professor of internal medicine. Hence, in the 16th century,
physic meant roughly what internal medicine does now.
These days, a
specialist physician in this older, narrow sense would probably be described in the
United States as a
internist (a specialist in internal medicine). The older, narrow usage of
physician (= internist) is common in United Kingdom,
Republic of Ireland, Canada,
Australia,
Brazil, New Zealand, Japan, South Africa,
India,
Indonesia,
Republic of China,
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka,
Zimbabwe and Hong Kong. In such places, the terms
doctor or
medical practitioner are prevalent, to describe
any practitioner of medicine (whom an American would likely call a
physician, in the newer, broad sense). For information on the work of specialist physicians in the older, narrow sense, see internal medicine, or else visit the web page
Definition: physician from Online Medical Dictionary
The Online Medical Dictionary is a searchable dictionary of definitions from medicine, science and technology.
Definition: physicians from Online Medical Dictionary
The Online Medical Dictionary is a searchable dictionary of definitions from medicine, science and technology.
Physician - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A physician, medical practitioner or medical doctor is a person who holds a medical degree, practices medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human health through ...
Home - Royal College of Physicians, London
Includes information about the practice of medicine by society aiming to improve communications in the field.
Royal College of Physicians home page
The web site of the Royal College of Physicians, ... Latest Publications. Chronic spinal cord injury Management of patients in acute hospital settings; Denys Lasdun's Royal College ...
The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
Professional body responsible for education, setting standards and examinations. For specialists in General Medicine.
British Association of Stroke Physicians (BASP) Homepage
Professional association whose objective is to advance Stroke Medicine within Great Britain.
AskOxford: physician
physician • noun a person qualified to practise medicine. — PHRASES physician, heal thyself proverb before attempting to correct others, make sure that you aren’t guilty of ...
A Scholar and A Physician
Health and Medicine in Medieval England::
Physicians were seen as skilled people but their work was based on a very poor knowledge of the human anatomy. Experiments on dead bodies were unheard of in Medieval England and ...
