Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2023 August 26

= August 26 =

"Surgery" in England
Touching on the question from a few days ago: given that England traditionally made a strong distinction between surgeons and physicians, and most GPs are the latter, how did a GP's office come to be called a surgery? 71.126.57.241 (talk) 07:11, 26 August 2023 (UTC)


 * Apparently in the early 19th century, the predecessors of general practioners used to call themselves "surgeon-apothecaries", presumably to distinguish themselves from apothecaries who just sold potions. See The rise of the general practitioner in the nineteenth century. Alansplodge (talk) 11:35, 26 August 2023 (UTC)
 * There's an interesting article in the Midlands Historical Review here about mediaeval divisions between physicians, apothecaries, and surgeons in England. DuncanHill (talk) 16:53, 26 August 2023 (UTC)
 * The use of the term to mean a consulting room dates only from 1846, by which time the old distinctions were blurring. Alansplodge (talk) 17:18, 26 August 2023 (UTC)


 * By the way, the majority of people in the U.S. would have no idea what a politician's "surgery" is. (Gabby Giffords was shot at what would be called a "surgery" in the U.K., but not in the U.S.) AnonMoos (talk) 11:51, 26 August 2023 (UTC)
 * That usage originated as late as 1951 (see my etymonline link above). Alansplodge (talk) 17:18, 26 August 2023 (UTC)
 * I remember thinking that it was a horrible invasion of privacy and a major health hazard to let the public into a politician's surgery.--User:Khajidha (talk) (contributions) 19:34, 26 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Some MPs seem to hold the same view: ...constituents who 'haven't seen their MP in years' :-) Alansplodge (talk) 11:44, 30 August 2023 (UTC)

French cities without synagogues or mosques
What is the largest French city (by population) without a synagogue? After a quick research it seems that Tourcoing, Roubaix, Saint-Pierre, Réunion, Le Tampon, Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, Bourg-en-Bresse, Saint-Brieuc, and Mâcon (among others) don't have one despite their large populations. The whole departments of Manche, Ain and Côtes-d'Armor don't seem to have one either. Same for the whole regions of Mayotte and Guyane. And what about mosques? Buddhist temples? a455bcd9 (Antoine) (talk) 08:55, 26 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Mâcon has a synagogue. With a population of 34,000 the town is barely considered as heavily populated although scoring sixth in importance in the French wine region Franche-Comté. --Askedonty (talk) 10:42, 26 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Roubaix had a synagogue until 1940. The town was in the path of the German Blitzkrieg. The Jewish community is now served by a synagogue in nearby Lille (about 14 km away).   Alansplodge (talk) 11:44, 26 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks! a455bcd9 (Antoine) (talk) 16:49, 26 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Ideally a city should have three synagogues — the one you go to, the one you don't go to, and the one you wouldn't be seen dead in. {The poster formerly known as 87,.81.230.195} 51.198.140.169 (talk) 02:15, 27 August 2023 (UTC)
 * For Stamford Hill, that would be the Reform Synagogue (now a school), the United Synagogue (the one in Northwold Road is now a theatre, I don't know about the one in Walford Road (of EastEnders fame)) or the one everyone is seen in, the Orthodox Synagogue (located in practically every other house). 2A00:23C3:FB81:A501:BCBF:4D79:2265:6609 (talk) 12:55, 27 August 2023 (UTC)


 * More than half of the Jewish community in France live in Paris and its suburbs, but there are other substantial Jewish communities in Marseilles, Lyons, Toulouse, Nice, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Metz, and Nancy. In addition, there are a dozen smaller communities, each with some 2,000 Jews, scattered throughout the country. Altogether, there are approximately 230 Jewish communities in France. World Jewish Congress - Jewish Community in France
 * If there are only 230 Jewish communities, it stands to reason that many smaller French towns would not require a synagogue. Alansplodge (talk) 12:08, 28 August 2023 (UTC)

Seeking Insights on Digitalization's Impact on Income-tax Base
Hello, I'm eager to gain insights into the topic of the role of digitalization in widening the income-tax base. Could you kindly share your perspectives on how digitalization has contributed to expanding the scope of taxable activities and increasing tax revenue? Your expert insights would greatly enrich my understanding. Thank you. Grotesquetruth (talk) 19:40, 26 August 2023 (UTC)
 * It doesn't look as if any regular respondants at this Desk can answer your query. Bear in mind that most Wikipedia editors, who are all volunteers, are not necessarily experts in any topic, and the field of this enquiry is very specialised so no experts in it are likely to be active on this Refdesk.
 * Possibly the article Digital transformation might provide ideas and links that you can follow up – one potentially useful link in its 'See also' section is Government Digital Service. Hope this helps, or at least stimulates other Refdeskers to tell us both why I'm wrong. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 51.198.140.169 (talk) 22:09, 27 August 2023 (UTC)


 * Perhaps the notion that digitalization has or will widen the income tax-base needs some support. DOR (ex-HK) (talk) 23:03, 27 August 2023 (UTC)


 * Digitalization makes it easier for governments to link existing information in various parts of the tax system to better detect evasion or avoidance. Digitalization can thus be seen as improving the tax enforcement technology of the government. --
 * [...] from any angle, digitization has been changing all aspects of taxation for some time – from tax collections and compliance down to the tax base itself. --
 * The societal changes brought about by the digitalisation of the economy affect all areas of the tax system. --
 * Tax administrations must shift the focus from simply processing taxpayers' data to proactively improving compliance, policies and efficiency. --
 * In many countries, digitalization has reduced compliance costs. In addition, taxpayer services and outreach have improved significantly [...] --
 * --136.54.106.120 (talk) 18:53, 29 August 2023 (UTC) (courtesy Perplexity AI)