2023-08-30 11:20:42
Latin is no longer spoken anywhere in the world except in the Vatican, having long since become a dead language. As far as classical literature is concerned, it is said that Latin reached its golden age in the I BC. of C., which was followed in the following century by its “silver century”, to enter into frank decline followingwards.
Despite the time elapsed today, some Latin locutions still persist in many recesses of our language. Among them we have, for example, grosso modo, motu propio, cum laude, a priori, in situ, modus operandi or vox populi, among many others.
Latin plays a vital importance in the field of medicine. Photo: Istock
Also in medical language
The medical language, sheltered in cryptic terms and abbreviations, also still has some Latin expressions. And it is that a good part of the medical vocabulary that is used comes from both Latin and classical Greek. Moreover, the very term “medicine” derives from the Latin medicina which, in turn, comes from medeor, which means to cure, remedy or heal.
Similarly, many of the suffixes we use to form medical words also come from Latin and Greek. Among them, for example, the suffix -itis, which means inflammation, is part of appendicitis, peritonitis, fasciitis, laryngitis or dudodenitis, among many others.
In the case of Greek we often use the ending -sis, disease or irregular state. Words such as silicosis, tuberculosis or stenosis end in this prefix.
Next, we are going to analyze six Latin phrases that are still valid in the usual medical vocabulary.
‘First, do no harm’
We might translate it as “the first thing is to do no harm”. Such an aphorism appears reflected for the first time in the book “Epidemics”, written by Hippocrates back in the 5th century BC. of C. and that continues to be valid today.
Contrary to popular belief, this phrase is not found in the Hippocratic Oath and came into widespread use in medical fields from the mid-19th century.
‘Stiffness of death’
It is used to refer to the state of rigidity of the cadaveric musculature, since it literally means “rigidity of death”. From a chronological point of view, it usually begins 3-6 hours following death and is complete around 8-12 hours, reaching its maximum intensity at 24 hours, and then disappears in 36-48 hours.
By the way, the term corpse also comes from Latin, derived from cadere -to fall-, so that a corpse, in a strict sense, would be the “fallen” body of a person.
In this area, the Latin term “exitus” –exit- is also still used as an abbreviation for the expression exitus letalis, which literally means deadly exit. It is used in forensic and legal medicine to show that the disease has led to death.
‘Men in a healthy body’
This expression was taken from one of the satirical poems by Junio Juvenal, a Roman writer who lived between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. Specifically, it appears in one of his well-known satirical poems. Its meaning might not be more current: take care of both the health of the body and that of the mind.
It seems that it was Pierre de Coubertin, one of the fathers of the modern Olympic Games, who popularized it, in his struggle to spread the benefits of physical exercise.
‘To err is human’
It is considered that the mistake is intrinsic to human nature. The full Latin expression is “errare humanum est, sed persevare diabolicum”, that is, to err is human, but to persevere in error is diabolic. The poet Alexander Pope used to stay with the first part of the locution and add that of “forgive is divine and rectify is wise”.
In our common language, this aphorism tries to mitigate the iatrogenic effect caused by failures, as long as they are sporadic and an attempt is made to eliminate them.
‘The healing power of nature’
This locution literally means “the curative-medical power of nature.” Its origin is attributed to Hippocrates, so the origin of the phrase would be Greek and would come to say something like “nature is the doctor of diseases”. And it is that for centuries it was considered that life is intrinsically energy, activity and dynamism, while it was thought that nature had the property of healing itself.
Much of the medical vocabulary comes from Latin.
‘interrupted intercourse’
According to the Dictionary of the Spanish Language, “coitus interruptus” is a Latin phrase that can be translated as “interrupted intercourse.” It is a contraceptive method that consists of the cessation of the sexual act before it reaches completion.
It is also popularly known as the “reversal” or “withdrawal method” and, from the point of view of efficacy, it is a method with a high risk of pregnancy and of contracting sexually transmitted infections. For this reason, most experts advise once morest its use.
This type of contraceptive method appears in the Bible, when Onan, the man who had to marry his sister-in-law following the death of his brother, as dictated by Jewish law, continually interrupted the sexual act to avoid getting a woman pregnant. his sister-in-law and not give offspring to his brother. This offended Yahweh so much that he ended up taking his life.
References:
Jones WHS. Hippocrates and the Corpus Hippocraticum. London Press, London, 1945. Laín Entralgo P. History of Medicine. Medical knowledge in Classical Antiquity. Salvat Editores, SA Barcelona 1982
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