Aetiology, pathology and therapy of medical slang / by Achilles Rose.

  • Rose, Achilles, 1839-1916.
Date:
1907
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Aetiology, pathology and therapy of medical slang / by Achilles Rose. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    1/4
    Reprinted froii American Medical Compend, February l')07 AETIOLOGY, PATHOLOGY AND THERAPY OF MEDICAL SLANG. BY ACHILLES ROSE, M. D., NEW YORK. “I consider that the corruption of language is a disease closely allied to corruption of manners, and demands also, according to Hippocratic canons, a similar course of cura- tive treatment.”—Adamantios Korais. It is an established fact that there exist in our medical onomatology many terms which are incorrect, nuscientifie, which Hyrtl has stigmatized as being ridiculous and absur/d; these terms; un- grammatical, hermaphrodite or hybrid, are similar to those which characterize the idiom of the famous epistolae obscur- orum virorum, and as we shall see, med- ical language corruption originated simultaneously with the monks’ Latin of the epistolae obseurorum virorum. Such incorrectness is in strict contra- diction to scientific medicine, for the logic of science essentially adheres to scientific language, and science cannot teach anything that is confessedly un- scientific and false. According to Lavoisier, in science we have to distinguish three things: The series of facts which con.stitute the science, the ideas Avhich recall the facts and the words to express the ideas. The word has to develop the idea, the idea has to embrace the fact. Since the words ])reserve the ideas and transmit them, perfection in science is impossible Avith- out perfection in language. IIoAA’ever tiue the facts may be, hoAVCA^er correct the ideas developed by facts, only A\wong impressions Avill be transmitted so long as the expressions by Avhich they are communicated are not exact. Further .says LaA^oisier; “The onoma- tology funiishes the real instimments for the operation of the mind; it is import- ant that these instruments should be of the be.st kind, and it is indeed AA^orking in the interests of science, for the pro- gress of science, Avhen Ave exert ourselves to impiwe our onomatology.” Aetiology and Pathology. — The cor- ruption in our onomatology, as far as Greek terms are concerned, and these are almost the only ones Avhich are cor- rupt, is based on the fact that ever since the end of the .sixteenth century ncAv Avords for new conceptions have been coined Avith the aid of the Greek Diction- ary by Avriters Avho coiild not speak Greek or think in Greek, Avho did not possess the genius of this language and that more recently a A'andalism has dcA^elop- ed among medical Avriters Avhich has prompted them to iiiA'ent incorrect con- coctions Avhieh they substituted for per- fectly correct classical terms. An ex- ample of this A'andalism is the AA'ord gastrosucurrhoea for chylorrhoea. Another calamity Avhich plays a part in the aetiologA of medical slang is the fact that some Avriters do not knoAV the mean- ing of Greek Avords Avhich they employ and eonsecpiently use them in a Avrong sen.se, thus causiing endless confusion and much eontroA^ei*sy. An exanijile of this kind is the Avord “atonia” Avhich is lised for AA'cakness, insufficiency, Avliile in reality it means relaxation and noth- ing else. There is also the AA'ord “psy- chosis” employed to de.signate certain morbid mental affections, AA'hile in I’eality