History of Medical Terminology - Essay Example

Medical terminology was invented to name the different medications, procedures, instruments, and anatomical systems. Medical terminology is organized into three main components, the suffix, the prefix, and the word root. The word root is usually placed at the middle of the term and indicates the core meaning. The prefix is placed prior to the word root and indicates the meaning of the term by showing additional information about the body part and position. The suffix, on the other hand, is placed at the end of the term, functions as an inflectional ending that suggests specific attributes, such as the procedure, progression, and situations concerning the condition (Direkx, 2005).

Moreover, medical terminology applies Latin and Greek identifiers or compounds to hook up verbs, nouns, or combining forms (Cohen, 2008). Having knowledge of the Latin and Greek terminology strongly contributes to the understanding and appreciation of medical terminology. Medical language is an independent phenomenona and had a rich history. General medical language used nowadays comprises terminologies formed from Latin and Greek word components, a number of which were used by Aristotle and Hippocrates many centuries ago (Ehrlich & Schroeder, 2012).

One form of medical terminology is ‘eponym’, a word named after an important individual in the field; for example, the term Parkinson’s disease is named after the English doctor who originally described the medical condition, Dr. James Parkinson (Henderson & Dorsey, 2008). With the remarkable developments in medicine in the 20th century, medical terminology gradually evolved and keeps on changing until today. Several terms are abandoned or deemed outdated, while others are modified, and new terms are continuously added.

In the mid-1800s, medical terminology became professionalized. The Illustrated Medical Dictionary of Dorland was initially made public in 1890, as