The reporter of medical news can develop his own short glossary if he will learn certain terms and affixes. The organs and parts of the body have Latin and Greek names because medical science had its beginnings in ancient times. If the reporter will learn some of these names and certain prefixes and suffixes, he will have little difficulty in translating most of the terms he will come across for he will understand how they are derived.
For example, some of the organs are: gastro (stomach,) cardia (heart), nephros (kidney), hepar (liver), enteron (intestines). Some of the prefixes and suffixes are: dys (ill, painful, difficult), o.fis (a diseased condition), ids (inflammation), endo and ento (within), ectomy (to take out), otomy to (to open) oscopy (to look into).
The reporter of medical news will get considerable help form Blakiston’s Illustrated Pocket Medical Dictionary and The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy.
