UNDERSTANDING THE LANGUAGE OF MEDICINE

The result was an unprecedented anatomical text of seven volumes, enriched by numerous meticulously detailed artistic illustrations, representing a masterpiece of both - anatomical instruction as well as early book printing.

Thus Latin, being the communication medium for scholars in the Western civilization,

has maintained its close association with anatomy ever since, and even today the official international listing of anatomical terms, the "NOMINA ANATOMICA" of the International Anatomical Nomenclature Committee, is pure Latin.

From the above narrations you should understand why Greek and Latin word roots are used so abundantly in medical language, and why it is important to know the meaning of Greek and Latin word elements: You will see that Greek terms either stem primarily from the clinical art of the ancient Greek physicians, such as terms for signs and symptoms of diseases and their diagnoses, or they are terms constructed, primarily for procedures and operations, because Greek word elements combine easily to form a logical structure for new scientific terms.

Except for those Greek designations for body parts that were already well established before Vesalius wrote his famous "Fabrica", anatomical descriptors are predominantly based on Latin. This is especially true regarding adjectives describing the anatomical site with greater specificity.

However, as a student of medical terminology you should also be aware of the fact that during the Renaissance and even into the 19th century the communication link between men of learning in the Western world continued to be Latin. Thus is was common practice that scientific papers were published in Latin and there are therefore also certain clinical terms based on Latin, because that was how they were first introduced. (See the notes in the TIMETABLE of MEDICAL INNOVATIONS* as examples of Latin clinical terms: f. ex.: about the invention of percussion by Auenbrugger, an Austrian physician, in 1761, or the commentary by William Heberden, an English physician, published in 1802 on angina pectoris.)

Fortunately, for you as an English speaking student, there are many Greek and Latin roots also in the English language. But because they have been adapted to English in their spelling and pronunciation, you may not always be aware of their presence. Nevertheless, they are there, and you will learn to recognize them as valuable keys to interpret related medical terms and to use them as memory props for their meaning.