Greek and Latin Roots of Scientific and Medical Terminologies

A systematic etymological approach to understanding the Greek and Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes of "med-speak"

Greek and Latin Roots of Medical and Scientific Terminologies explains the Greek and Latin origins of the roots, prefixes, and suffixes of terms used in “med-speak,” the specialized language of medicine, science, and healthcare. By presenting medical terms in their historical context, this innovative textbook discusses relevant aspects of ancient Greek and Roman medical theories and practices while teaching students to apply principles of word analysis, synthesis, and pronunciation. Clear and accessible chapters―organized around the modern categories of body systems―contain thorough explanations of ancient medico-scientific culture, etymological notes, images, tables of vocabulary, and a range of exercises designed to increase student comprehension and retention.

Divided into two units, the text first introduces the historical background of ancient Greek medicine and describes the principles of analyzing, constructing, pronouncing, and spelling medical terms. It then discusses Latin and Greek grammar and modern nomenclature in medicine, natural sciences, chemistry, and pharmacy. The second unit teaches the Greek and Latin prefixes, suffixes, roots, eponyms, and loan words relevant to the systems of the body: integumentary, musculoskeletal, circulatory, respiratory, nervous, endocrine, digestive, urinary and reproductive systems. Allowing instructors to teach medical terminology as a true classical civilizations course, this unique volume:

• Features the history of ancient Greek medicine and explains the ancient Greek and Latin origins of medical terms and how they came to have their current meaning
• Covers the loan words, eponyms, and the components of basic medico-scientific terms, providing topical tables of commonly used prefixes, suffixes, and roots
• Includes a list of common abbreviations and symbols used in medico-scientific writing
• Teaches abbreviated Latin grammatical paradigms necessary for anatomical taxonomy
• Uses a programmed learning approach that features numerous activities and exercises, including analyzing and constructing terms, interpreting passages from medical notes and scientific journals, and identification and spelling questions

Linking medical terms to the history, literature, and mythology of ancient culture, Greek and Latin Roots of Medical and Scientific Terminologies is an ideal introductory textbook for college-level medical terminology courses, particularly those taught by Classicists.

TODD A. CURTIS is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Classics at The University of Texas, Austin, where he regularly teaches courses on medical terminology and the history of medicine. He is the author of Anatomical Latin: A Programmed Approach to Learning the Grammar and Vocabulary of Anatomical Latin and numerous writings on genre and rhetoric in the Galenic Corpus.