06:42 Apr 29, 2010 

Presumably not in a written claims settlement, but in German speech ist is quite handy to be able to address someone or refer to them as "Herr Doktor" or "Frau Doktor", especially anyone who enters your hospital room in a white coat and with a stethescope sticking out of their breast pocket.

This way you don't have to remember or find out their name (which I can never manage anyway!) Unless it is Herr Professor or Frau Professor, of course.... On the other hand, I have been told that actually one should not use these titles (Herr Professor, Herr Direktor) unless one is a colleague of the person.
What would one say in U.K. or U.S. when you want to talk to one of the "Halbgötter in Weiss"(now that would be a good KudoZ term!)? Just "Doctor" (even if it is a woman) or just NOTHING as often happens in U.K. and as immortalised in Kate Fox's book "Watching the English".
Any views on these points?