L1.2.3: The Language of Medicine and Healthcare

• According to Parkinson (2000):

  1. Objective
  2. Definitive and Descriptive
  3. Nominal
• Objective

  • regards facts, figures, or evidence highly
  • states claims with proof
• Definitive and Descriptive

  • gives premium on accuracy and exactness
  • takes details as key
• Definitive and Descriptive

  • needed for diagnosis, treatment, cure
• Nominal

  • names or provides labels for anything new innovations or on-going developments in the field
• Nominalization is done by:

  • borrowing/loaning terms from non-English language (e.g. arthritis, nephritis, pleuritis)
  • coinage/neologism (e.g. COVID-19)
• nominalization

  • scientists do not have a specific name for the virus
  • China shared the genetic sequence to let countries know
  • allows us to determine what term to use for this virus
  • 2019-nCOV: 2019(year of discovery) novel, Corona Virus
  • COVID-19: Coronavirus Disease - 2019
  • while improvement happen, language keeps up with its development
  • there has to be a common term understood by everyone
  • etymologies of words are also non-English and are used right now
  • coinage/neologism: new words are created for new things
• According to Parkinson (2000)

  • use of
  • synonyms
  • eponyms
  • acronyms
  • abbreviations
  • collocations
• Synonyms

  • words with the same meaning
  • provide patients simple words since medical terms are technical
  • very useful for them to understand
  • myopia: short-sghtedness
  • clotting = coagulation
  • growth of tumor, temperature for fever
• Eponym

  • naming after a name
  • labeling something based on who discover it and where it’s discovered
  • be careful in providing names in this generation (e.g. Wuhan virus = COVID-19)
  • Hippocratic oath
  • Parkinson's disease
  • Betz cell
  • Asperger syndrome
  • Hutchinson's sign
  • Paul's operation
• Acronym or Initialism

  • naming after initial letters
  • ER = emergency room
  • MS = multiple sclerosis
  • WBC = white blood cell
  • HPV = human papilloma virus
  • CBC = complete blood count
• Abbreviations

  • words in shorter forms
  • amt = amount
  • cap = capsule
  • wt = weight
  • Rx = doctor's prescription (Latin "recipe")
  • cal = calorie
  • gluc = glucose
  • lat = lateral
  • prog = prognosis
• borrowing or loaning from other languages

  • arthritis (Greek, arthron - joint)
  • medulla oblongata (Latin - elongated oblongata)
  • gargle (Arabik, gargara -rinsing the mouth)
• coinage or neologism

  • inventing or creating new words
  • COVID-19 (WHO, 2020)
  • gaslight (Gas Light by Patrick Hamilton, 1938)
  • robot (R.U.R by Karel Capek, 1921)
• collocation

  • a group of words which are often used together to form a natural-sounding combination
  • seek/need medical help/assistance
  • emergency medical attention
  • establish the diagnosis
  • regain consciousness
  • catch a cold
  • discharged from hospital
  • develop kidney stone