The LA Times has an article about Jill Biden, who holds a doctorate in education, wanting to be addressed as Dr., rather than Mrs., Biden (the article also mentions that she is really the first "second lady" to hold a job in the regular work force, which I think is pretty cool).
Anyway, the article seems to imply that the title "doctor" is to be reserved for those practicing medicine. I find this short sided. The Ph.D. preceded the M.D. historically, and the education levels are comparable. The reason that "doctor" seems to refer to those in the medical profession seems to stem from the fact that the general public encounters medical doctors far more often than they do doctors of philosophy (until they go to college, that is, and the fact remains that many of us do not attend universities).
In any case, if one wishes to respect medical doctors more than doctors of philosophy, this is their perogative (after all, M.D.s save peoples lives in a much, much more direct sense than a Ph.D. [if the Ph.D. is in the business of saving lives at all]). However, both professions require an enormous amount of intellegence and training, and both set out to serve the public good. Jill Biden, like any other doctor, deserves the title associated with all of that training! Suggesting it impolite for her to suggest it is ridiculous!
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