So how come Dr Macartney is Dr and not Mr? Surely he's a member of the Royal College?

Am I being pedantic? Yes..Yes...I am

Well, i assume it's because his character studied to be a doctor, and passed his exams, unlike martin.

yes you are being pedantic

My dad pointed this out too...as soon as you are able to become a consultant surgeon, you should be refered to as Mr. As Mac was applying for a consultancy in Sheffield he has the qualifications, so there for should be Mr Mac. But then again, Dr Mac sounds better!

I think that the only characters who regularly call him Doctor MaCartney are Sue White, who is a nutter anyway(!), and Statham, who would want to put him down and not admit that Mac is his consulting equal. A sketchy theory I know, but the best I could come up with.

Thanks Handbag Someone else got what I was on about!

I agree though.... Dr Mac sounds so much better than Mr Mac which would be more accurate.

When a Dr becomes a member of the Royal College of surgeons they are entitled to be referred to as Mr.....

Sue white refers to it in a conversation with Guy during series 1 when he winds up with a boner.

Boring trivia though and I'm not longer sure why I brought it up

sorry, i didnt know that lmao! I just though your were a dr if you studied for it and everything..

I only know it coz my Dad was going on about it...and I think he knows what he's talking as he is a consultant surgeon!

And I believe at somepoint (possibly mini mars bar scene) Caroline says 'Dr Macartney'...may be wrong though!

Yeah I agree I am sure he ought to be Mr Macartney too. I'm not a medic but I do recall that the chap who opped my daughter was a 'Mr' whereas her 'ologist' was a 'Dr'. I always thought it was one of those bizarre english historical things and was to do with barber surgeons and physicians in 'the olden days' or my childhood as the offspring would have it.

Well my Dad is a Dr but he is also an honouree Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, so does that make him 'Mr' too?

Still, he's a dentist so maybe that’s different?

You become a Mr. when you pas your FRCS exam

i think a lot of people dont no that. and it would be confusing if they called him mr.

i noticed that too, but i think it's because he's not actually a consultant yet- he's still a registrar. caro's called dr too. but then it was dr mancoo, not mr mancoo, so maybe the gw writers just don't know/don't care because they don't really focus on all the medical stuff.

Just a random point to excuse the lovely writers ... if Mac had done a PhD (academic doctorate) he'd always be Dr. Macartney. I can but live in hope that his genius is manifested in many ways .... (also a boyfriend of mine had a dad who was both a medical and an academic doctor, so I know how it works. sort of.)

is it just me or dont you think that even if mr is the right term for someone above dr, dr still sounds better and more professional, cos anyone can be a mr.

apart from a mrs!!

He should be Mr Macartney because he is a surgeon and a fellow of the royal college. It's a status thing and a lot of my colleagues would insist on being referred to as Mr. But I agree it's probably easier to refer to him as Dr than Mr, although I think the British public would have been smart enough to understand he was a senior Dr if referred to as Mr from the first series.

It's all nonsense really because it's just a program on TV. It took over my life for a while but I'm coping with the withdrawl now

quote:

Originally posted by edzmen:
Well my Dad is a Dr but he is also an honouree Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, so does that make him 'Mr' too?

Still, he's a dentist so maybe that’s different?

Surely all dental surgeons are 'Mr'?
(unless they have a PhD as well...I'm trying to make this 'pedant-proof'!)

i always thought that you were "Dr." whatever but when you joined the surgeon or consultant college thingy (sorry i don't do technical terms very well) you could choose to be either "Dr." or "Mr." with a load of those lettery things (forgotten what they're called) after your name. i have no expertise though so am probably talking complete rubbish

Pedant here. *Hangs head in shame*. Sorry about that, Roos1!

mr will sound better in proffesional circles. but for none docter dr sound better.

Dear Miss Tick,
You are absolutely right that Mac should be Mr as he clearly has his fellowship. I know cos I'm a surgeon myself and am referred to as Ms! It does indeed date from the barber surgeons as doctors were deemed to have disgraced their profession by working with their hands. However in a hospital it is a hugh status thing and even a surgeon with a PhD or MD would use the Mr title. I think the writers missed an opportunity because I think it is something that Mac and Guy would have bitched about all the time. Patients are well aware of the status meaning and would admire Mac and Guy would keep reminding him that he was just a barber!

Ooo another doctor. I better grovel though if you're a Ms.

*bows down to all the Doctors, Mses and Mr people...*

Thankyou for your reply Wings Of Desire.
I think you're absolutely correct, Giving Mac his proper title would have unnecessarily complicated the ongoing rivalry between Mac and Guy.
I like continuity and accuracy in a program and yes, it does make me a nerd I'm aware of that!