semantics (this is a cool debate folks) =)

"The eye doc can only treat eyes. He does not treat ingrown toenails. Is he a physician or not? He has no training or ability to treat the foot."

The opthalmologist does not treat the feet, this you are correct. But he CAN if he wants to. He may not want to amputate a toe but he CAN definitely treat, say, a fungal infection. During his medical school rotations... I'm sure that he has run across a foot fungal infection before, and so can be said to have been trained to treat the foot. But then again he/she does not WANT to. A podiatrist, no matter how much he may desire to, is NOT allowed (under his EDUCATION and license) to treat a bacterial conjunctivitis. The reason: medical school (trained to be a physician) vs. podiatry school (where feet specialists or feet surgeons are trained). Different training equals different profession.

"I have Chosen to limit myself to podiatry. As he has Chosen to limit himself to eyes."

Yes you chose podiatry... but this particular choice has limit itself to the feet from the beginning of its training. You have by default, in your choice chose NOT to train as a physician. Otherwise you could have gone to medical school, train in orthopedics and do a fellowship in ankle and foot surgery. The opthalmologist has chosen to focus on the eyes... but the education he has received DOES NOT limit him to only the eyes... as in the example I gave above.

"Funny how all my patients call me doctor, the nurses call me doctor, the car wash guy calls me doctor, etc..."

When your patients see a dentist... does he call the dentist, "DENTIST Smith"?... or an Optometrist, does he then say, "OPTOMETRIST Smith"?...
In college my professors have Ph.D's... and I addressed them as "DOCTORS"... By your line of reasoning are these "doctors" physicians as well? If not, why not? And if so... Why so? Please expand on this.

As for me, I think that the term "DOCTOR" is used too frivolously. Chiropractors, Homeopaths, psychologists... almost anyone with a "D" after his/her name can be called, "DOCTOR."
Doctor does not equate Physician. Likewise SURGEON is not necessarily mean Physician. Dentists do surgery too.

"Are you a practicing physician?"

=) By this question are you assuming that I'm an MD/DO? The truth is... it doesn't matter what degree I hold or what profession I'm in. My reasoning and logic in this debate in themselves (I feel) are sound regardless of my background.

"I am trained in the healing arts as a physician first, a podiatrist second."

You are trained to be an expert in Podiatry. And I presume that you are an excellent podiatrist, but the training was not that of a physician... some may argue that it is SIMILAR but again, SIMILAR is not equivalent to SAMENESS. By your line of reasoning... the Dentist can also say... "I am trained in the healing arts as a physician first, a DENTIST second."

Respectfully submitted,
KHT