SPECIFICS OF CLINICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL TERMINOLOGY

The clinical terminology is, unlike the anatomical nomenclature, not standardized. It includes:

- Clinical and pathological names of diseases

- Disorders

- Injuries

- Methods of treatment

Typical features:

·        prevalence of Greek roots over the Latin ones

·        prevalence of Greek suffixes/prefixes

·        frequent prepositional phrases expressing:

concurrence: in + ABL. = during; direction: ad + ACC.; way, measure, effect:

cum + ABL.; reason: propter + ACC.; primary cause: e/ex + ABL.

·        order of the information given: problem > region > further specifications

·        the adjective stands either right after the noun it describes or at the end of the
sentence

·        side is expressed by: l.sin.; l.dx., l. utr.

·        degree of injury is expressed in genitive: gradus minoris/majoris/ minimi/maximi; gradus
primi, secundi,…

·        inflammatory diseases end in  -itis, GEN. -itidis (*pneumonia, onychia, ophthalmia);
degenerative/non-inflammatory disorders end in -osis, GEN. -osis/oseos; tumours end in -oma, GEN.
–omatis, N.

·        eponyms (diseases or methods named after persons)

·        abbreviations and acronyms (= first letters of more-word terms)

·        doubts of the doctor are expressed by: suspicio + problem in GEN.SG.; problem in NOM. +
suspectus, a, um in proper form at the end of the sentence; or

problem + vs./v. s. = verisimiliter (= probably)

·        adverbs in clinical diagnoses: bene = well; male = badly; partim = partially;
verisimiliter = probably; recenter = recently