Quack

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Visiting the quackery
( William Hogarth , around 1745)
The quack
( Franz Anton Maulbertsch , before 1785)

Quack is a popular term for someone that without the necessary skill and power healing exercises, i.e., a Pfuscher (or Medi Kaster ) or quack ; also someone with dubious remedies and methods.

In a figurative sense, the word is also used for specialist knowledge, special training (such as the impostor Gert Postel ) or laypeople in other areas that pretend outstanding ability (for example also in the musical such as Johann Kuhnau's "musical Quack Salber" ).

etymology

The term was in the 16th century from the Netherlands ( kwakszalver , compound of kwaken "quack, chat, brag" and zalver "Salber, sellers of ointments ") into German borrowed and says someone originally obviously the blatant ointments and other remedies and - promoting methods of selling. Despite the external similarity of the word it is with mercury not related, one occasionally claimed derivation of it - because of mercury ointment ( Quack ointment at Thurneysser in Onomasticum of 1583) that used against syphilis was used - is rare in etymological dictionaries.

Were often and terms such as after doctor, quack, are quack , quack , Medicare Kaster, urine prophet or Barefoot Doctor used interchangeably, thus an obvious or imputed deception and ineffectiveness of the recommended methods partly weighted differently, even if there are differences.

"The quack's practice is so good
that it cures all infirmities ...
Such a fool can plunge you into an abyss
before you know it, shorten your life!"

- Sebastian Brant

literature

  • Robert Jütte : History of Alternative Medicine. From folk medicine to today's unconventional therapies. Beck, Munich 1996, ISBN 3-406-40495-2 , pp. 17-65 ( From quackery to alternative medicine: a conceptual approach ).

Web links

Wiktionary: Quacksalber  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Commons : Quacks  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Robert Jütte : History of Alternative Medicine. From folk medicine to today's unconventional therapies. Beck, Munich 1996, ISBN 3-406-40495-2 , p. 21 f.
  2. ↑ a b quack. In: Jacob Grimm , Wilhelm Grimm (Hrsg.): German dictionary . tape 13 : N, O, P, Q - (VII). S. Hirzel, Leipzig 1889 ( woerterbuchnetz.de ).
  3. ↑ a b Wolfgang Pfeifer: Quacksalber . In: Etymological Dictionary of German ; accessed on December 10, 2016.
  4. ↑ Quack, the . Duden online; accessed on December 10, 2016.
  5. ↑ kwakzalver (onbevoegde geneezer) . In: Marlies Philippa u. a .: Etymologically Woordenboek van het Nederlands . Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam 2003-2009.
  6. ^ Meyers Konversations-Lexikon . 5th edition. tape 14 . Bibliographical Institute, Leipzig / Vienna 1897, p. 363 ( archive.org ).
  7. ^ Friedrich Kluge , Alfred Götze : Etymological dictionary of the German language . Edited by Walther Mitzka . 20th edition. De Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1967. (21st unchanged edition. Ibid 1975, ISBN 3-11-005709-3 , p. 572)
  8. ↑ After doctor. In: Jacob Grimm , Wilhelm Grimm (Hrsg.): German dictionary . tape 1 : A - Beer whey - (I). S. Hirzel, Leipzig 1854 ( woerterbuchnetz.de ).
  9. ^ Robert Jütte : From the medical sects of the 19th century to the unconventional directions of today .