Phrases & Sayings

history of medicine

why are doctors called quacks

wetherall Wed 16/06/04 16:51

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tartanwiz
Wed 16/06/04
17:38

Originally a quack meant a false doctor or an unqualified person practicing medicine, deriving from 'quacksalver'. A quacksalver (from the Dutch 'quacken' to prattle, and 'salve', a healing ointment) was a person who went around selling useless medicines claiming that they were miraculous cures.

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