An Introduction to Medical Terminology I. Greek and Latin Derivations

摘要

Although medical terms have been drawn from many languages, a large majority are from Greek and Latin. Some familiarity with the meaning of the most frequently used roots, prefixes, and suffixes will clarify the whole field. With a little study, it will be found that the long and formidable sounding medical terms are a combihation of words which describe parts of the body, a function, or a condition. The basic terms occur over and over again in various combinations. A knowledge of the meaning of the roots, prefixes, and suffixes enables the student to analyze the medical terms into component parts. This is of the greatest aid in learning to understand the vocabulary of medicine. Some names of diseases given by the ancients and still used to-day are, in many instances, simply descriptions of the outstanding symptoms; for example, hydro-phobia-fear of water-for rabies, because the inability to drink is an early, characteristic sign of the disease.