L.A. Hope

In the ‘50s we drank Dr. Brown’s Cel-ray Tonic and put Dr. Scholl’s arch supports in our shoes. Although these relics of unqualified confidence in a doctor’s degree--even an unearned doctor’s degree--have fallen away, the power of “Dr.” continues undiminished, even in this HMO age. Today, however, the honorific’s main impact is to enliven our urban landscape. Among Los Angeles’ most renowned specialists are Dr. Spotless, an Anaheim dry cleaner; Dr. Rawstock, a Hollywood motion picture film supplier; Dr. Diesel, a Wilmington truck repairer; the Racket Doctor, an Atwater Village tennis equipment outlet, and the Drain Surgeon, a citywide plumber. To say nothing of the in-patient facilities of Mrs. M’s Doll Hospital in Woodland Hills and South-Central’s A-1 Stove Hospital.