At the time this occurred, I was dating a young lady who worked in the PX department at Loma Linda Hospital in Southern California.
This is what she told me. If you don't know what a PX is, then you need to know that a row of young ladies sat in front of an array of phone plugs, took calls & routed them to the requested department>person by patching cords from plug to plug. Tip and ring technology.
The YLs were monitored by a particularly nasty old battleaxe supervisor. Nowadays, computers do the work, but the battleaxes are still with us.
Incidentally, Loma Linda Hospital has become ground zero for snake bite treatment in the Western United States.
Anyhow, back to the story. At the time there were three specialist Doctor Smiths accredited at the hospital. An obstetrician, an orthopedist and a pharmacological researcher. A caller asked for Doctor Smith, and the YL asked "Which Doctor Smith?"
The old battleaxe went ballistic - "This is a modern medical facility. We treat patients with the most advanced, scientific, medical care in the world!" "We don't have witch doctors!!!!!" "Never, ever, ever, say witch doctor, or you will be instantly dismissed!"
The lesson sunk in.
So, not much later, a call came in asking for Doctor Smith. The battleaxe hovered.
"Would that be the baby doctor?", the terrified YL asked. "OK, then would it be the bone doctor?". "Oh", she said, relaxing a little, "You must want the medicine man".
Esther, dear, I hope that the intervening decades went well for you.
Verum audaces non gerunt indusia alba. - Ipsi dixit MCMLXXII
