Ha ha — I read this one after I read the two great jokes below and found it almost as funny. Hey Alda give your speech to the script writers — not the doctors.
Every High Priesthood MUST have its own hidden language, known only to the cognoscenti, to reinforce its image of being far, far above the plain of mere mortals and thus deserving of deferential and lucrative treatment.
SOME technical language is necessary in nearly every skilled field. However, if you cannot (or will not) communicate with those outside your chosen specialty, you are either not fully educated or else arrogant.
This applies to medical doctors, computer programmers and plumbers alike.
Next he’ll be wanting lawyers to write contracts in plain English...
“I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV.”
[And scientists wanted Alan Alda to cut out many of those lame medical jokes on MASH, but they didn’t have any impact there, either]
Right, just call it what it is, a pooppipeconnectomy.
Alan Alda? Another comedy routine.....Alda The Teacher...Guy must be outta work.
I’m entitled to bite off Alan Alda’s left ear.
Maybe he can convince his “fans” in DC to distill the 2,000+ page Obamacare Law into something understandable...
He should stop worrying. Pretty soon most doctors won’t speak English.
What he doesn’t understand is that in many instances, the scientific language has been reduced to its simplest form to discuss very complex things and concepts and ideas.
That the idea is complex is not reducible to a commonality that everyone can understand.
Not everything can be parsed to fit “Dancing with the Stars,” or Hollywood’s idea of a medical show.
Medical language was born out of the Greek language, not out of some Hollywood pinhead!
alan alda (in small caps) witherred into TV rerunland, when the only claim he had, ceased.
He’s a leftist loon but there is some merit in this effort. I worked with a fellow who was having some bowel disorder. I didn’t inquire too deeply into the matter but it was clear he was parroting what his doctor told him. I know that he misheard some of it because he kept referring to his ass-ending colon
Uh... Alan? Don’t be an idiot...
The doctors use “big words you don’t understand” because they’re generally using Latin terms because Latin is a *static* language whose words don’t change over time. This is because doctors and scientists in general need exacting terms to alleviate confusion otherwise misinterpretations can occur.
I mean, really, you’re not in support of dumbing down the language... Right?
I have a lot of experience with hospitals, Doctors and numerous surgeries. Never, did one Doctor hesitate to explain something if I didn’t understand it. If you graduated high school, you should be able to understand what a Doctor is telling you, it’s not that hard and it’s up to you to ask the Doctor.
Too many people go to the Doctor’s office, he asks how are you doing and most people say OK. If you have a problem, it’s not up to the Doctor to get a psychic to figure out what your problem is; tell him why you’re there and trust me, no matter what you say, the Doctor is not going to be embarrassed, he’s probably done many prostate exams so he’s probably seen it all unless you’re a ‘box’ patient.
These are patients that show up at the ER with a box over their genitals and something on them that won’t come off. I have a relative who is an RN who has some hilarious stories about things like that. No gerbils though.
In other words, they need to perform a jargondeectanectomy.
Especially egregious as we know are the high-priests of environmental "science" who likely invent new terms just to keep the hoi-polloi out of their domain.
Actually, they are terrified that they are going to be found out that they are not purveyors of truth but lies and their life-long quest for fame and money is going to be shattered.