The two words are related, but one has to go a long way back... According to the Oxford English Dictionary, 'medicine' (4a) (=magic) is from the Old French _medecine_, _medicine_, itself from the Latin _medicina_ (meaning the art of the physician, a physician's laboratory and a medicament or remedy). 'medicine' (=doctor) is from the French _medicin_, from the Late Latin _medicinus_. Both _medicina_ and _medicinus_ have as their ultimate root the verb _mederi_, 'to heal'. In message <Pine.OSF.3.91.961213140908.7317D- [log in to unmask]>, Anna Mae Maday <[log in to unmask]> writes >Volume 10 of Documents Relative to the Colonial History of New York >on page 700 Montcalm says of the Indians..."Should any misfortune happen >to them they would say tis a medicine they are getting; a term in their >language equivalent to charm in ours"... "....the English had thrown that >medicine on the Indians..." > >Cyprien Tanguay states in one of his vols. that a certain individual was >a "medecin a Saginaw" (a former soldier, married to a Saulteuse, and who >wintered at Saginaw) > >It was formerly believed that this man may have been a doctor, healer >or medicine man. The French officials were known to have promised >blacksmiths to the Indians of the Saginaw area, but are there any >other instances of them sending "medecins" in other areas? > >Or do the two terms mentioned have anything in common? > > >Anna Mae Maday >Eddy Historical & Genealogy Collection >Hoyt Public Library >505 Janes Ave >Saginaw MI 48607 >[log in to unmask] >517-755-9827 -- Pat Reynolds [log in to unmask]