Medical English Vocabulary

Book excerpt: Many problems and misunderstandings are the result of inadequate communication between people. If we could fully understand one another, and also make ourselves fully understood, we would live in greater harmony with one another and increase our well-being and happiness. In today's world, it is becoming increasingly more important for people in every country of the world to be able to communicate with one another through one common language. This is especially true in the medical profession. Everyone deserves access to excellent medical care, no matter where they are in the world. In many instances, interpreters are not available and communication difficulties can pose a real barrier to providing quality health care to patients. For this reason, many current and aspiring medical professionals put a great deal of time and effort into improving their knowledge of the English language, particularly their English medical vocabulary, in order to more effectively communicate with their patients and with other medical professionals from around the world. This book is intended to aid them in their efforts to improve their knowledge in this area and, hence, their ability to provide all their patients with the best possible care. This book covers all the major systems of the body. The initial chapter(s) on each system provide basic vocabulary and the remaining chapter(s) deal with specific symptoms, problems, and diseases. Each chapter begins with a list of ten words and definitions which the student is to study and try their best to understand and remember. The student can then test him/herself by attempting to complete the following activities without looking back at the list of definitions. The first activity in each chapter involves writing each word beneath its definition. The definitions are in a different order than in the original list. The student must pay special attention to spelling and check their answers by referring to the answer section at the back of the book. The second activity in each chapter involves filling in the blanks in the sentences with the words on the list. Again, the words are in a different order than in the original list and, this time, the form of the word may need to be changed in order to be used correctly in the sentence. The student can then check over their spelling, and check their answers by referring to the answer section at the back of the book. It is important to fully read and understand all instructions before beginning each activity. The idea behind this book is for the student to, not only learn new words, but to test their own knowledge and to practice using the words in new sentences, to ensure that they have truly understood their meaning. It is only in this way that they can remember the words long-term and be able to apply them in new situations in the future.