Language of medicine
Purpose of the language:
Clarity
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Makes it easier for colleagues to communicate between each other, different levels of the medical
chain, and between departments.
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No ambiguity: appendicitis is different from gastroenteritis. Each, however, could be described by
the lay person as ‘a sore stomach.’ The language of medicine allows for a more specific description
of a complaint.
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Efficiency.
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More fluent.
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A little international. (see Medecin sans frontiers. )
Discretion.
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Prevent patient panic. Not all the terms used by Drs and Nurses are well known to the patient,
which can prevent them knowing what exactly is being discussed. (L5 fracture rather than ‘broken
back.)
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Confidentiality. A language which prevents possible visitors, other patients etc understanding the
conditions a patient has.
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Preventing unnecessary upset to friends and family. A less emotional language can prevent
unnecessary distress.
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Maintain Patient Trust. This is the result of all of the previous points – without this, none of the
medical infrastructure will work.
GREEK AND LATIN.
Extensively used within the language of medicine.
Generally (although exceptions exist) the names for most bodily organs are derived from Greek, whereas
the names for bones and muscles come from Latin.
Cranium – skull
Patella – kneecap
Femur – thighbone
All from Latin
Vertebra – section of backbone
Deltoid – shoulder muscle
Biceps and Triceps – arm muscles.
However, there are exceptions: Metatarsal (toebone) comes from Greek.
Greek terms
-aemia - blood
Eg: an + aemia = anaemia, which means not enough (iron in the) blood. An- as a prefix, means ‘not
enough’ or ‘insufficient’
When discussing the layers of an organ or cell, we use the following terms:
Ecto- The outer covering.
Meso-The middle layer
Endo- Inner area.
CONDITIONS
Many terms for medical conditions come from Latin and Ancient Greek.
The suffix -itis: the inflammation (swelling) of something.
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Tonsillitis – a swelling of the tonsils.
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Meningitis – an inflammation of the meninges in the brain.
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Laryngitis – inflammation of the larynx
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Pharyngitis – an inflammation of the pharynx
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Appendicitis – an inflammation of the appendix
The suffix –osis means an ongoing condition or state.
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Psychosis
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Tuberculosis
This logic applies to prefixes as well.
Ancient Greek gives us the prefixes of Hyper (an excess of/ too much of something) and Hypo
(insufficient/a lack of/ underneath)
Hypertrophy – an excess of growth.
Hyperaesthesia – an excess of feeling.
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Aesthesia means feeling
Hypomanic – not yet manic.
Hypodermic. – means under the skin. (e.g. Hypodermic injection)
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Dermis means skin.
An- as a prefix: lack of.
An + aesthesia – anaesthesia = lack of feeling.
-algia as a suffix: pain (comes from the Greek algos)
Neuralgia – nerve pain.
MEDICAL PRACTICES
The Greek suffix –otomy can mean either
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Cutting open a part of the body
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Removing a part of tissue to conduct an investigation.
o Lobotomy – the removal of the lobes of the brain.
o Laparotomy – the cutting open of the abdomen.
o Episiotomy – cutting to allow childbirth.
o Tracheotomy – cutting into the trachea (throat).
Another Greek suffix is –ectomy – the removal of a diseased organ or body tissue.
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Appendectomy – removal of the appendix
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Tonsillectomy – removal of the tonsils
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Orchidectomy – removal of the testes.
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Mastectomy – removal of the breasts.
The third suffix which tells us about a medical practice is -scopy.
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This derives from the ancient Greek ‘skopia’ which means ‘to look/see’
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Any practice involving the suffix –scopy involves using equipment which looks inside the body.
So....
This is a function of improvements in medical procedures (there was no need for this term before we had
the equipment to see inside the body).
So, now, there is less need to fully remove parts of certain body tissue to investigate (-otomy).
Accordingly, the language of medicine makes transitions as new medical developments appear.
What can we expect?
Movement from common ‘–otomy’ words to more ‘-scopy’ words.
Development of new ‘–scopy’ words.
ENDOSCOPY (to look at the inner area) = ENDO+SCOPY
ENDO = the inner area.
SCOPY = to look at.
Even though the language of medicine
derives from ancient (sometimes dead)
languages, it is not fixed itself – it is in
fact changing. However, because it
reaches back to Latin and Ancient
Greek each time new developments
appear, it maintains an internal
consistency.
ABBREVIATIONS.
Hospitals are busy places, where many members of staff have a shared body of knowledge. Therefore, the
best way to maximise efficiency is to compress the language used. This is done through initials/acronyms,
and abbreviations.
Abbreviations
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To prepare a patient for surgery becomes ‘prep’
Initials: Conditions and procedures can be referred to by Acronyms.
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Temperature, Pulse and Respiration: TPR
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Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation: CPR
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Blood Pressure: BP
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Shortness of Breath: SOB
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Dilation and Curettage: D and C
o Sometimes, abbreviations can fulfil two functions at once. Here, this term is both more
efficient, and can preserve confidentiality. This is a less emotive term.
o
Equipment, and the use of that equipment, can also be referred to by initials.
EEG = an electro-encephalograph.
ECG = an electro-cardiograph.
ECT = electro-convulsive treatment.
ICU = intensive care unit
A&E = accident and emergency (department).
Instuments:
Stethoscope – an instrument for listening to the chest (steth = breast)
Sphygmomanometer – an instrument for measuring blood pressure.
Sphygmos = pulse
Manos = rare
Metron = measure.
But, there are lots of medical dramas on television...
Recently, TV has popularised the medical drama (Grey’s Anatomy, House, Holby City, Casualty, Scrubs, etc).
This has led to a more generalised acceptance and understanding of the medical terms which we have
covered. This in turn might render the language ineffective, as the necessary function of discretion might
be lost.
However, while we are becoming more familiar with individual words, our understanding of Latin and
Greek is notably less: the teaching of Classical languages is less common, so the numbers of people who
understand the language which underpins all medical discussion are becoming fewer.
Consequently, the language of medicine remains fairly opaque (confusing) to most non-specialists.
Sample question
Consider the specialist language used by any group which has a common leisure, vocational or
geographical connection.
(=job)
Show how the specialist language used by the group is effective in communicating shared interests
accurately.
At the end of EVERY paragraph, you have to make a link to the question – show how the specific features
of the language promote clarity (efficiency) and discretion.