鈥�I KNOW, I know,鈥� writes reader Andrew MacGregor, 鈥測ou said `No more,
please鈥�.鈥� But he cannot resist mentioning Dr Notcutt at the pain relief clinic
at James Paget Hospital in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.
So we are persuaded鈥攜et again. Readers, clearly believing we don鈥檛 mean
a word we say, continue to flood us with examples of nominative determinism, the
phenomenon whereby people choose jobs that fit their name.
As in the past, medics lead the field. As well as Dr Notcutt, there is the
doctor interviewed recently on BBC TV called Norman Haacke. Dr K. Brain spoke at
a recent meeting of the International Society for Autonomic Neuroscience. There
is a urology specialist at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital called Brenda
Wee. And how reassuring to get a home visit from the Essex general practitioner
Dr Croaker.
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It was only after reading an earlier item on this topic that Janet Slaughter
realised she had one 鈥渞ight under her nose鈥�. Her husband Mark is a clinical
pathologist. Then there was the recent Daily Mail article on the role
of posture in avoiding back injury by Dr Skew, and the press release about the
hangover treatment Resolve, which cites Tessa Lush as the person to contact.
In Tasmania, those dissatisfied with the quality of their doctor鈥檚 name
should visit the Hobart office of the Australian Medical Association, situated
in Gore Street.
Almost up with the nominative medics are inspectors working for the Planning
Inspectorate for England and Wales. Consultant Simon Jones tells us he has seen
planning appeal decision letters from many of these, including A. Street, R.
Town, J. Greenfield and, slightly unfortunately, A. Fussey.
Other professions are not far behind. Let us, for example, salute the
appointment of a police liaison officer for the Pub Watch Committee in Flint,
north Wales. Congratulations, Sgt Malcom Beer. And also to Elizabeth Passmore,
awarded an OBE last autumn for services to education, and to Will Drown, a sales
executive at Crewsaver, a Hampshire company that makes buoyancy aids for the
yachting fraternity.
Casting the net wider, we find Charles Sprinkle working at the US National
Weather Service, T. C. Tribe lecturing at the School of Oriental and African
Studies in London, Bob Buttcane helping run Alaska鈥檚 Division of Juvenile
Justice, and Tony Crapper in charge of the sewage treatment plant for the city
of Melbourne.
Then there鈥檚 P. H. Balm, who edited a book on stress physiology in animals,
Lillie and Budd, who write about water plants for the Journal of Freshwater
Ecology, Ms Grubb, who works in the entomology section of the Australian
research organisation CSIRO, Frances Crook, who is the director of the Howard
League for Penal Reform, Bob Swinghammer, who was a stress analyst at the
Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and Robert Frizbee, who
works on advanced propulsion mission concepts for NASA鈥檚 Jet Propulsion
Laboratory.
Finally, zoologist J. Acorn has a TV show in Canada called The Nature
Nut, J. Snow is on the editorial board of the Journal of
Meteorology, M. Skinner writes on 鈥渇ur bearing animals鈥�, Pat Trotter used
to analyse horse racing for NBC TV, and Penguin has published Sauces by
Michel Roux.
Oh yes. And the Oregon Ducks college football team have a line backer named
Wesley Mallard.
That鈥檚 all for now. But in case you thought nominative determinism is a
recent phenomenon, thank you Jim Logan for sending us a 鈥淣ote鈥� addressed to the
editor of the Kentish Note Book magazine, dated 29 December 1888 and
entitled 鈥淲hat鈥檚 in a name?鈥�.
鈥淚n many cases,鈥� the author observes, 鈥渢he name admirably agrees with the
occupation or calling of the individual who bears it.鈥� The note then goes on to
cite examples culled from the Shooters Hill district in the county of Kent:
鈥淭here are several carriers by the name of Carter; a hosier named Hosegood; an
auctioneer named Sales; and a draper named Cuff . . . 鈥�
Further examples follow. The article ends with the incautious observation:
鈥淒oubtless, some of your readers can add to this list.鈥�
We can be sure they did, too.
HERE is a challenge. In the space-travel section of the Museum of Science and
Industry in Manchester, one of the signs says: 鈥淭hroughout history,
intelligent life forms have wondered how and why the Universe was created . . .
Humans are no different.鈥�
The challenge is this: can the museum staff tell us how they know? Did they
do a survey?
WHEN reader Mark Lawrence was changing trains at Doncaster, en route to
Sheffield, he checked to see if his train was late. There was a monitor above
the platform. But it said 鈥淣ot for public use鈥�. Anxious to avoid being punished
by a railway official, he looked away quickly.
础搁贰狈鈥橳 computers wonderful? We have just been sent a copy of a mass mail-out
from American Express Services Europe to promote the American Express Business
Card.
The copy in question is addressed to 鈥淢r East Kent Osteoporosis Unit鈥� at the
Kent and Canterbury Hospital. It begins: 鈥淒ear Mr Unit . . .鈥�