SAWBONES is actually old slang?

[H0mersimps0n]

Hey Sawbones, my girlfriend and I were watching my collector's edition 1, vol 8 on DVD last night and in one of the episodes they refer to the main character's (who is a doctor) patients as sawbones!

I was like "HEY, there's a sawbones in the forums" (yes, I know what you all are thinking my life has been very uninteresting over break)...

Give us any background/history about this medical slang/term?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Toejam]

I can't offer you any history, but when I was in podiatry school our "practice bones" that we honed our surgical skills on was called "saw bones".

 

[Doctor Peloncito]

Whenever my PI (who is almost seventy) talks about me becoming a physician, he says "sawbones" instead of physician. I have heard this in other places as well.

 

[samenewme]

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term dates back to the early 19th century and refers to a surgeon. The earliest reference they cite in literature is from 1830, in Dickens' Pickwick Papers.

 

[skypilot]

Remember Captain Kirk used to call Dr. McCoy "Bones"? Ah I am such a nerd!

 

[Gregory Gulick]

I remember watching a number of Civil War documentaries which used the term "sawbones" repeatedly. Apparently the term, as mentioned above, came en vogue in the 19th century.

 

[SawBones]

Everybody pretty much hit the nail on the head. "Sawbones" and "Leech" were common names for physicians in the 19th century. Perhaps terms like "Bankrupt" or "Defendants" will describe physicians practicing in the 21st century.

 

[H0mersimps0n]

Originally posted by SawBones
Everybody pretty much hit the nail on the head. "Sawbones" and "Leech" were common names for physicians in the 19th century. Perhaps terms like "Bankrupt" or "Defendants" will describe physicians practicing in the 21st century.

said like a true SawBones...

 

[DrMom]

Awww! I was expecting some clever/sarcastic post!!!

SawBones, I'm disappointed!

 

[SawBones]

Originally posted by DrMom
Awww! I was expecting some clever/sarcastic post!!!

SawBones, I'm disappointed!

Not tonight, DrMom. I have a headache.

 

[DrMom]

Originally posted by SawBones
Not tonight, DrMom. I have a headache.

Too bad for Mrs. DrSawbones!!

 

[Dr Sum Day]

Originally posted by skypilot
Remember Captain Kirk used to call Dr. McCoy "Bones"? Ah I am such a nerd!

I thought it was b/c McCoy was skinny!