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Lester S. King, MD

JAMA. 1985;253(18):2709-2710.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

As with all highly charged words, the meaning of "profession" varies with the context. The original Latin root, profiteor, conveys a sense of public statement, which might be an avowal, promise, announcement, confession, or commitment. In English the original meaning comes out most clearly in a religious context, as when someone makes a "confession of faith." In a broader context profession came to mean a public claim (or avowal) of special knowledge or skill in some particular area. Then, by simple extension, the word indicated the specific area wherein lay the particular skill.

The so-called "oldest profession" conveys by implication an activity that certainly requires special skill but differs sharply from others less old, those that we called the learned professions. These—originally medicine, law, and divinity— demanded profound academic study. The knowledge acquired by study set the members apart from the laity who, lacking such knowledge, depended on the statements . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
American Medical Association Chicago

Footnotes
Address editorial communications to the Editor, 535 N Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60610.

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