title: David Mechanic: Professional Zombie Hunter.
abstract: Within the fields of medicine and sociology, the descriptor "profession" (along with its brethren: profession, professionalization, and professionalism) has had a rich etymological history, with terms taking on different meanings at different times-sometimes trespassing into shibboleth and jargon. This etymological journey has co-evolved with the career of David Mechanic to whom this issue of the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law is devoted. We exploit a provocative metaphor applied to Mechanic's work on the challenges facing medicine as a profession as a playful exegesis on what we call "profession" to excavate an ensconced and encrusted domain of health jargon operating at the tensive interface of society and modern medical work.
authors.affiliation: Mayo Clinic.
authors.forename: Frederic W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Hafferty
authors.affiliation: Mayo Clinic.
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tilburt
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008511:Medicine; D019365:Metaphor; D011057:Politics; D012961:Sociology
keywords: civic professionalism; ethics; interprofessional education; profession; professionalism; social justice