A Dissertation on Doctors Trivia Quiz

Answer: cartoonist

A doctor cartoonist you say
It cannot be no way no way
It can be so believe you me
It was plain for all to see
Pardon my poor rhyming skills but that was in honor of Dr. Seuss who actually worked as a political cartoonist during World War II. His cartoons were later published in a book "Dr. Seuss Goes to War" by Richard H. Minear.

Answer: consortia

Consortia is the plural form of the more common word consortium. A consortium is an association between two or more individuals or groups for the purpose of reaching a common goal. These groups can be companies, organizations, governments, partnerships, or any other entity that acts in concert with another.

There are many medical consortia in which universities, hospitals, or medical practices join forces to accomplish a shared goal.

Answer: orations

An oration is a formal speech usually given for a special occasion or as part of academic exercises. The English word oration traces back to the late 14th century and first meant a prayer, usually a formal public prayer. It came to mean a formal public speech by the early 1500s. An orator was one who argued or pled for a cause originally, much along the lines of oration. Hence an orator would be one who pleaded with God. A professor in medical school would need to be skilled in oration.

Although this is the etymology for the word entering the English language, the Latin word orator and its root 'orare' trace back to ancient times. In ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, oratory was a specific discipline studied by politicians, lawyers, and the ruling elite.

Answer: torsion

"What in the world could torsion have to do with doctors or the medical world?" you ask. I am glad you asked because that was my first inclination also. Then I looked at the etymology of the word and to my surprise there was the answer. Its earliest meaning was "wringing pain in the bowels" from the early 15th century (1400s) according to the "Online Etymology Dictionary".

By the mid-1500s it had come to its more modern meaning of "action or process of twisting as by opposing forces".

Answer: orison

Orison actually comes from the same roots as oration and reinforces the original meaning of oration in terms of prayer. It is etymologically a doublet of oration. Interestingly, it is possible to earn a doctorate in theology which would then make the person a doctor of the soul.

Answer: rosin

"Surely rosin can have no medical meaning," you state somewhat hesitantly. Ah but it does. According to wiki, "Rosin and its derivatives also exhibit wide ranging pharmaceutical applications." It seems rosin can be manipulated to form coatings for pills and tablets, derivatives can be used as part of chewing gum that has medical applications, and rosin and its derivatives have been studied both in vitro and in vivo for its biocompatibility.

Answer: senior

At first senior was used only to refer to a father and a son, i.e. senior/junior (ca. late 1200s). By 1510 it had also come to mean one higher in rank or longer in service. It came to mean a fourth year student by 1741 and a senior citizen by 1938. Interestingly, senior is a word whose meanings continued on so that it has multiple meanings rather than changing from one meaning to the next as happens so often.

In high school I suffered from senioritis in my last year of school. It got progressively worse as the year went along. I went to the doctor but he told me that unfortunately there was only one cure at the time - graduation. So I had to suffer through it all year.

Answer: cronies

Crony, and its plural cronies, means a long time or old friend. It can be traced back to a slang term used at Cambridge University ca. 1660. Most likely it came from the Greek 'chronios' meaning long time whose root is 'chronos' meaning time. Who knew slang existed so far back and at such a prestigious university no less? In order to earn a doctorate from Cambridge you would have to become a crony or old timer.

Answer: consider

Consider comes from the Latin 'considerare' which means "to inspect closely, literally: to observe the stars" ("Collins English Dictionary"; "Random House Dictionary"). Two meanings of the Latin literal translation have been put forth. First, it could refer to navigation by the stars, or secondly, it could refer to the Roman use of astrology for divination.

Now the question becomes how to tie that in with doctors. Are you ready for the leap? "Doctor Who" the British TV show surely must be considered one of the most well-known travelers from the stars.

Answer: doctrines

Doctrines is the plural of doctrine which actually is related to doctor etymologically. Doctrine can be traced back to the late 1300s and comes from the Latin 'doctrina' "teaching, body of teachings, learning" via Old French. Doctor can be traced back to the early 1300s meaning "Church father" and again comes from Latin via Old French.

The meaning of a medical professional did not come about until the late 1500s.