UNDERSTANDING THE LANGUAGE OF MEDICINE

C. Words related to war activities were borrowed to coin medical terms:

Term	Original Meaning	Medical Application
thorax Gr. adj. thoracic	breast plate of armor	the chest
thyroid Gr.	shield-like	a hormone secreting gland in the neck resembling in shape the shield of ancient Greek warrior’s
phalanx Gr. adj. phalangeal force pl. phalanges	member of a strike force	a bone of a finger or toe

D. Figurative comparisons depicted anatomical structures and diseases sometimes in
a symbolic or dramatic way:

cancer L.	crab	both these terms describe a malignant tumor "reaching out like a crab, moving unpredictably" NOTE: the suffix "-oma" usually denotes a tumor; see Unit 10, page 53 for exceptions.
carcinoma Gr.	crab
metra Gr.	womb (derived from "meter" = mother)	womb or uterus L.
lupus L.	wolf (in ancient times a dangerous threat to a flock of sheep)	Lupus was first used for progressively devastating diseases, such as tuberculosis of the skin, which was then incurable.

NOTE:    Now the term "lupus" designates a connective tissue disease, affecting the skin as
                well as internal organs, named systemic lupus erythematosus (abbr. S.L.E), which
                is often characterized by a red rash on the face; (erythema Gr. = reddening;
                erythematosus = latinized adj.), systemic = pertaining to several body systems;
                (Gr. systema = organization of parts working together for a common purpose)

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