Doctors are taught medical terms and jargon in medical school like a secret code. Many medical terms are rooted in Greek and Latin. Over the course of our training, these words become second nature and we become uent in this medical language, although we are also expected to talk to our patients using simple terminology. However, most specialties in medicine still use the original Greek and Latin roots for their names. Once you know where these names come from, everything makes sense.
using the Greek terms Hepar or Hepato meaning of liver. Hematologists are doctors who study blood and the term comes from the Greek work haimo meaning blood. Your skin specialists, the Dermatologists, get their name from the Greek work Dermatos which means skin or hide. The Nephrologists, or kidney doctors, have taken the Greek root for kidney, which is nephros to get their name. Neurologists study nerves, and the Greek term neuro or neuron means string or nerve.
Endocrinology studies the endocrine system which are the organs in the body the secrete hormones. Endo is the Latinized form of the Greek word krinein meaning secreting internal- ly. The term Rheumatologist is not quite as literal as some of the others. They specialize in diseases like arthritis and the name originates from the Greek word Rheuma meaning that which ows or current/stream. This comes from a 17th Century idea that arthritis would ow throughout the body affect- ing many areas.
Most names start with a Greek or Latin word followed by ologist or ology from Greek word Logos which means the study of or Science of. Instead of calling themselves a heart doctor we call them Cardiologists. Cardiology comes from the Greek word Kardia which means heart. This trend follows for several other special- ties. Lung doctors are Pulmonologists from the Latin Pulmon which means lung. Obstetrics is from the Latin term obstetrix which means midwife or literally, one who stands opposite. However, Gynecologist comes from the Greek term gyne meaning woman.
A Pathologist looks at tissue samples under a microscope in order to diagnose diseases. Their Greek root Pathos comes from the terms for suffering or disease. This branch of medicine looks for the cause, development, as well as the natural progression of diseases. The term anesthesia was rst used in the 1880s, but it also comes from the Greek pre x an which means with- out combined with aisthesis which means feeling or perception. That describes their goal for patients during surgery to go without feeling pain during a procedure.
impress your friends and family with this newfound knowledge. However your Cardiologist will be just as sweet if you call him/her a heart doctor, because as Shakespeares Juliet asked, What is in a name?
Jill Kruse, D.O. is part of The Prairie Doc team of physicians and currently practices as a hospitalist in Brookings. Follow The Prairie Doc at www.prairiedoc.org and on Facebook and Instagram featuring On Call with the Prairie Doc, a medical Q&A show providing health information based on science, built on trust, on SDPB streaming live on Facebook most Thursdays at 7 p.m.
Leave a Reply