Doctor

1. A formally qualified medical practitioner with years of experience and training behind him (or her) such as Dr John Lawn, known as "Mossy" to his friends.
   
   There are many informal practitioners of medicine and surgery on the Disc, although since they haven't formally studied at a Klatchian university they have no right to call themselves doctors (and generally don't, because their skill speaks for itself). Witches magic, for instance, makes most of its practitioners into gifted physicians and what we would today call GP's. (Although Witches magic hopelessly blends the doctoring of humans with what would otherwise be called veterinarian work - a witch such as Petulia Gristle would find a lot to talk about with Doughnut Jimmy, were they to meet at a party). Actual invasive surgery - sometimes invasive in the same way Hitler's invasion of Poland could be called invasive - is the province of the Igors, and the occasional Igorina.
   
   
2. A medical practitioner such as the resident doctor at the Assassins' Guild, who self-evidently does not have the benefit of Klatchian training behind him and who could rightly be suspected of making it up as he goes along. This unsung genius - for he does have a genius, be it of the "Bloody Stupid" Johnson variety - is also responsible for postulating the theory that illnesses are spread by walruses, something so small that it can't be detected in any way whatosever (Pyramids), and the there's a lot of it going around theory of illness. It is to be hoped that in a working environment where sharp edges are normally used for extremely radical surgery, and where pills and potions are administered for reasons other than that of making the recipient feel better, this doctor has improved his chances of survival by getting better at his job.
   
   
3. A higher academic title conferred on senior Wizards, presumably following the completion and acceptance of a thesis, much like a doctorate is awarded on completion of an accepted PhD on Roundworld. As said about | a fictional university doctor on Roundworld who would have fitted in very well indeed at Unseen University, these are generally the sort of doctors with no (official) access to drugs.

The guiding light of Doctors is a philosopher called Sceptum.