What is the origin of calling a doctor a quack ?

To begin at the beginning, "quack" has been used to mean the sound a duck makes since the 16th century. "Quack" is what linguists call an "echoic" or "imitative" word -- it arose simply because folks thought it was a good approximation of the actual sound it describes.

At about the same time that people decided that ducks "quack," they also began to use "quack" to describe the sound made by itinerant patent medicine salesmen made as they hawked their wares. These charlatans, who boasted endlessly about the miraculous properties of the ointments and potions they sold, were known as "quacksalvers" -- they "quacked" about their "salves." The term "quacksalver" was quickly shortened in common usage, giving us "quack."

Of course, back there in the 16th and 17th centuries, medical science was in its infancy, and the field was awash in fakers and charlatans of all stripes. The term "quack" was fairly quickly expanded from salve-peddlers to include fraudulent "doctors" who advertised their ability to cure a wide variety of ailments but excelled only in relieving their patients of their wallets.

According to Merriam-Webster, it is a shortening of Dutch "Kwackzalber," and its first attested use in English goes back to 1638.

The Dutch word is identical, etymologically, with English "quicksilver," or mercury. Mercury was apparently widely used as a "curative" by early physicians who were ignorant of its deleterious effects. When these became pretty clear to their unfortunate patients, the term became synonymous with charlatan.

The reply above didn't appear on my screen when I posted my own. Having seen it, I'd like to add that, if the etymology given by M-W is correct, then there is no real connection between "quack" as charlatan and "quack" the echoic word for the sound a duck makes. There may be something in it, but it seems pretty speculative to me.

[This message was edited by maiku on 07-19-02 at 11:36 AM.]

In German Quacksalber is a word for somebody who pretends to be a good doctor but in reality he's kind of a fraud. Salbe means ointment. I used to think that the origin of Quacksalber might have come from a guy who sold useless ointments to people. Our word for mercury is Quecksilber. I don't think that Salbe and Silber have anything to do with each other. But it also says in my dictionary that Quackeler (or Quackler) is a regional term for somebody who talks nonsense. Also, Quatsch means nonsense, so I think that might be the origin.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by maiku:

The Dutch word [Kwackzalber] is identical, etymologically, with English "quicksilver," or mercury.

This is unlikely. The English word "quicksilver" comes from the old sense of "quick"—"living"—as in "The Quick and the Dead" and is cognate with Latin "vivere." Quicksilver is actually a loan translation/calque of Latin "argentum vivum" (living silver)(American Heritage Dictionary). But it's possible that the charlatans' use of quicksilver influenced the form of the Dutch word through mild folk etymology.

AH Dictionary gives an answer similar to Georgia85's (and to Kati99's parallel example of modern German): quack from quacksalver:

Middle Dutch quacken, to quack, boast + Middle Dutch salven, to salve (but possibly Middle Dutch quac-, unguent [also salve]).

[This message was edited by referenth on 07-19-02 at 02:18 PM.]

It is possible that the English word "quicksilver" (cf. German "Quecksilber") originates as a calque from Latin, as you suggest. If so, this loan-translation must have occurred very early on to have appeared in nearly identical forms in English, Dutch, and High German. But in no sense is this word "cognate" with the Latin "argentum vivum." Loan translation or calque, possibly, but certainly not cognate.

[This message was edited by maiku on 07-19-02 at 02:30 PM.]

quote:

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Originally posted by maiku:
But in no sense is this word [quicksilver] "cognate" with the Latin "argentum vivum." Loan translation or calque, possibly, but certainly not cognate.

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I agree. I should have had less ambiguous sentence structure, such as:

The English word "quicksilver" comes from the old sense of "quick"—"living"—as in "The Quick and the Dead." "Quick" is cognate with Latin "vivere" (to live). "Quicksilver" is actually a loan translation/calque of Latin "argentum vivum" (living silver).

[This message was edited by referenth on 07-19-02 at 03:14 PM.]