The Greek & Latin Roots of English (33 page)

The large intestine consists of:

There are several other organs whose secretions aid in the digestion of food:

There are, of course, many words in Greek and Latin that have to do with eating, some of which have become part of modern medical terminology:

THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

The human reproductive system consists of those organs and glands that are involved in the propagation of offspring.

It's Not Funny …

Some ancient Greek doctors believed that many mental disturbances in women were due to the dysfunction of the uterus. Although the word has lost its association with female behavior,
hysteria
is still used as a medical term to define a psychological condition that produces physical symptoms. It more commonly describes states of uncontrolled emotion of sadness, fear, or joy.

THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM

The endocrine system consists of the ductless glands that produce hormones that are discharged into the blood or lymph and that then circulate throughout the body. They include the pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal glands; the insulin-secreting glands of the pancreas; and the gonads. These hormones control the body's ability to metabolize a variety of substances and affect every facet of its functioning. Many of these glands take their names either from their shape or location, such as the adrenal glands, which are located adjacent to the kidneys, or the thyroid, whose shape resembles an ancient Greek oblong-shaped shield that covered the body from neck to ankles. Where are the parathyroid glands located?

Ahem …

Ancient Greek physicians believed that the function of the pituitary gland was to produce phlegm, one of the four humors.

Etruscan gorgon (Villa Giulia, Rome)

MORE USEFUL BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS

The following Greek-based prefixes and suffixes are used in modern science and medicine to describe other systems, functions, and components of the body:

The Long and the Short of It

All of the following prefixes are derived, with no change in meaning, from Greek adjectives, and are used in biology and medicine to describe a variety of physical characteristics.

Use Your Head …

The Latin word for hair is
capillus, capilli
. From what Latin noun is this word derived?

Ring Around the Collar

As you probably know from watching all those movies about Robin Hood, the Three Musketeers, and Queen Elizabeth, the traditional way of conferring knighthood is to tap the recipient on the shoulder with the flat side of a sword, in a gesture called accolade. Because knighthood was a reward for services performed, accolade now means any award or public praise.

collum, colli
= neck

Scribble, Scribble!

By the way, those illegible letters that doctors so often scrawl on prescription forms are abbreviations of Latin phrases:

NAME _______________________________________________________________________

A. What are the following diseases, medical procedures, or biological processes?