MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY - PRECISION AND LINGU ISTIC OUTGROWTH

Students in medical subjects, sometimes, have considerable problems in communication as far as medical terminology is concerned. During prec linical studies, great emphasis ist put on the Latin nomenclature in a natomy, histology, and embryology. In clinical teaching, however, one is only partially successful in keeping with this precise language. Ap art from specific technical terms in Latin and Greek, names and expres sions in contemporary languages, mainly in English, find their way int o the vocabulary. Further, advertizing campaigns for medical drugs hav e contributed much to a wild linguistic outgrowth during the last deca des. Appealing slogans are supposed to impress the physician in order to induce his prescription of a certain product. Very often, informati on in the style of an appropiate statement of facts seems not to be re garded necessary or it is ''printed in small letters'', at best.