The Language of Medicine

Medical Terminology is language used to describe the human body, extensive and rich history in Latin and Greek languages. Both cultures merged, resulting in medical concepts regarding in disease treatment and containment. The medical terminology that we use today is to attribute to Hippocrates the “father of medicine.” It was created to identify the various anatomical structures, diagnoses, instruments, procedures, protocols, and medications. Medical records were chronicled by hand, creating medical terms and books.

The most legendary doctors in Roman Empire is Claudius Galen. He was a physician, writer and philosopher who became a famous doctor. He was gifted intellect who studied at famous medical school in Alexandria in Egypt. He returned home to become a chief physician to the gladiator school in Pergamum, gaining experience for treating wounds. At age 28 Galen became surgeon to school of gladiators but in 161 A.D. he moved to Rome. Early 160s A.D. he moved to Rome to work and, exception of brief return to Pergamum, and spent the remainder of his life in Roman capital. Galen became a physician to the emperor Marcus Aurelius and would later serve in the same role to Aurelius`s successors, Commodus and Septimius Severus.Claudius Galen complied all significant Greek and Roman medical thought to date and added his own discoveries and theories. His influence resigned supreme over medicine fifteen centuries after his death. It was until the Renaissance that many of his theories were refuted.

Claudius Galen was to believe by modern scholars believe he died in about the year 216 A.D. He was to believe be the age around 86 or 87 when he died. In 1954 the first successfully living-related kidney transplantation was done by Dr. Joseph Murray and Dr. David Hume at Brigham, Boston. It was done on identical twins Richard and Ronald. Richard was dying of kidney disease. HIs brother Ronald donated on of his kidney to him. The kidney transplant was successfully into Richard. Since they were identical twins the kidney did not appear foreign to Richard’s body and it did not reject it. In an interview with Joseph Murray he was asked questions about the transplant. Almost 50 years later in July of 2004 in the National Kidney Foundation conducted its eighth biennial Olympic-style U.S transplant games. Shown in the games in a historical moment for the world of donation and transplantation, were transplant pioneer Dr. Joseph Murray and Ronald Herrick, the first kidney donor.

Today many things have changed in the medical field and medical terminology is used today. Even though back then things were more different and it's still amazing how they got through it. Things that have changed are data consumption, improved communication, portal technology, accelerated experimentation, mobile apps and remote monitoring, That's just some of many things that have changed.