realmedterms

from Stephen Russell, an author of The Anatomy of Medical Terminology textbooks - curiosities regarding the use and misuse of medical language. Picture of Lucy.

[realmedterms @realmedterms]

At a conference last week, a speaker mentioned the “substantia nigra pars compacta”, which is grammatical nonsense. It should be “pars compacta substantiae nigrae” – “the compact part of the substantia nigra (black substance).” There can’t be two subjects without an implied “and”

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In beautiful Portugal for a conference, and this is the kind of thing that I take pictures of: a dental pun on the region I'm in (the Algarve) 🤷‍♂️

[realmedterms @realmedterms]

the last tweet was definitely an example of "humblebrag-osis" :)

[realmedterms @realmedterms]

Sorry for lack of tweeting, was busy doing this 😉:

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Just messing about…

[realmedterms @realmedterms]

and this is why Latin has a distinction between adjectives and possessive nouns. One of these terms needs to go because, contrary to what the TA says, they are not synonymous. (5/end)

[realmedterms @realmedterms]

"pars cervicalis ductus thoracici" (A) &
"pars colli ductus thoracici" (B) are presented as synonyms in the TA (the Latin anatomical naming system). This, my friends, is a problem. (1)

[realmedterms @realmedterms]

although it's theoretically possible that the"neck-related part of the thoracic duct" (A) and the "neck of the thoracic duct" (B) could refer to the same thing, they are grammatically confusing, (4)

[realmedterms @realmedterms]

“Achilles jerk”: according to the Trojans, the only phrase in the medical dictionary that should be a sentence, but is missing a verb [“is”] and an indefinite article [“a”]

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the tendo calcaneus is known both as the “Achilles tendon” and the “tendon of Hector”. I guess which term you use depends on whether you support the Greeks or the Trojans?

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somnocinematograph: an instrument for recording movies while sleepwalking. #sillydefinition

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idea for a movie script: set in the 60s, some students consider dropping out of med school when their band – the arterioles – becomes popular. That's it. That's the tweet/idea. It's all I got so far...

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ramus septi nasi arteriae labialis superioris: this is actually a real term in the medical dictionary, but it’s nonsense. Another “nose of the artery”. Ugh. Some people wanted to combine 2 terms but paid no heed to how Latin works, so we end up with complete & utter gibberish 🤷‍♂️

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ramus lateralis nasi arteriae facialis – anyone see the problem with this term, and why it’s so egregious?

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A horse walks into a bar, and the bartender says: “why the dolichocephaly?” I guess the joke loses something when you use the medical term. 🤷‍♂️

[realmedterms @realmedterms]

It’s important to remember that the “pubic symphysis” is a part of anatomy and is not something composed by Mozart or Beethoven.

[The Onion @TheOnion]

Report: Students Who Take Latin Have Better Chance Of Summoning Demon Later In Life https://t.co/2BPCLy4ce7

[realmedterms @realmedterms]

covidosis pelotonica: the existential realization, after biking 40 km on your Peloton, that you haven't gone anywhere at all #notarealmedterm