Academic doctors are proper doctors

People often say academic doctors (doctors of philosophy, PhD) aren't 'real' doctors because they aren't medical doctors (M.D.). 
      But the fact that the latter are specified as 'medical' doctors means that there have to be other kinds of doctors. These others have to be 'real doctors', otherwise they wouldn't count!
      So it's erroneous to think only M.D.s are true doctors. Especially when looking at what 'doctor' means.

Doctors of Philosophy

The term doctor originates from the Latin 'doctor', meaning 'to teach'. It was a title granted to learned teachers of the Bible.
      Later, the Roman Catholic Pope would bestow a licentia docendi (the license to teach) upon those who met stringent criteria, such as passing a test. This developed into academic courses which, eventually, could be awarded by universities rather than the pope.
      With this, 'doctor' became a title awarded to someone who had completed a postgraduate degree called a doctorate (aka a PhD). Only three subjects were originally available at this level, being Theology, Medicine and Law.
      So, doctor was a term associated with education which wasn't unique to medical knowledge. Hence doctors of philosophy are valid doctors. 
      Yes, it's been expanded to include more topics, but so has medicine (as well as medical techniques). Thus change doesn't exclude changes from its proper definitions

Doctors of Medicine

Medical practitioners, from physicians to quacks, were commonly called doctors. It was a courtesy that could be granted to those with neither qualifications nor training.
      This usage was recorded as early as the works of Shakespeare. Then, in 1838, it was adopted by the Royal College of Physicians. 
      Following this was the Medical Act 1858, making it illegal to falsely call oneself a doctor of medicine. (Both training and qualifications now required.)
      Medical doctors receive their title after their undergraduate degree in Medicine. So M.D.s have a lower level of education than academic doctors. 
      Hence many people were against this: why should anyone who hasn't done a doctorate be called a doctor? So from their perspective, it was medical doctors who weren't the real doctors!

Medicine Degrees and Beyond

A medicine degree is a lot of hard work, both in terms of completing the degree and in being accepted for it in the first place. 
      Plus they have to keep up to date with research their entire career. Training and exams are on-going. To specialise takes even longer. 
      So yes, studying undergraduate Medicine doesn't take as long as the doctoral pathway (which requires an undergraduate then masters degrees). Yet Medicine degrees are tough, with rigorous learning and assessments ongoing throughout their life. (Through this lifelong learning, the spirit of the degree continues).
      To equate this amount of work with doctor of philosophy makes sense.

Why Choose?

This restriction of terminology is problematic. There's no reason why it should be limited to either academic or medical doctors.

So choosing between academic and medical doctors as the 'true doctors' is reductive and unneccessary. It ignores everything about the title.