Comments on: Medical terminology sucks

By: saurabh

saurabh — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 17:57:08 +0000

Evan, you’re correct that it’s very ordered; however, it’s no more ordered than actual English. There is no difference between adding the extension “-itis” to suggest inflammation and pre-prending the word “inflamed” to suggest inflammation, functionally. “The patient has inflamed skin” is just as good as “the patient has dermititis”. Except the latter is unintelligible to the patient. Whence, then, the utility in this jargon? Only in making that knowledge less accessible.

By: Evan

Evan — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 01:38:58 +0000

The thing about medical terminology is that it is very ordered. You mentioned spleenomegaly, so if I were to refer to anything enlarged I substitute the body part I wished to speak about for spleen. If you learn the roots and the prefixes and suffixes, which are fairly few in number, you can understand any medical phrase. If you know the word spleen and you hear itis at the end it means an enlarged spleen just as dermititis would mean an inflamed dermis. It is honestly very simple once you realize that and actively pick it out of the word. It became second nature in less than a month for me.

By: rice

rice — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 23:58:12 +0000

medical terminology is a wonderful language that I know very well. I just spent a week learning all of it because I wanted to know more about medicine. Now I can spend more time understanding things and less time looking things up and complaining about how medical professionals use big words.

By: Mist 1

Mist 1 — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 18:37:24 +0000

Sometimes, I look at pictures of enlarged spleens just because I have issues with hypochondria. This prompted me to email a physician friend of mine for the picture he has of his hand holding a part of a spleen that was 95x the normal size of a spleen. He declined to email it to me. I do not feel fulfilled.

I hope you’re feeling better. Is my spleen making me look fat?

By: Anonymous Therapist

Anonymous Therapist — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 18:44:18 +0000

Medical Jargon is still in common use because many doctors have very low self-esteem. When they get to use big words like “Laryngitis” or “semi-fowlers position,” it makes them feel smarter than their patients. It also acts as a layer of insulation against criticism: people are reluctant to criticize someone who uses big words because they don’t understand what the big-word speaker is saying.

By: BIgSister

BIgSister — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 23:42:38 +0000

Actually, anyone with a decent grasp of Latin should be able to decipher most medical jargon.

But yes, MDs are pretty big-headed.

By: Saheli

Saheli — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 20:16:11 +0000

Yikes. I hope you get to keep your spleen.

What really drives me crazy is how students get selected for their ability to memorize such jargon, not actually their ability to, you know, heal patients.