Tackling the Learning Curve of Medical Terminology: Experience of a Medical Student with a Background in Classical Languages

Upon entering medical school, many students encounter a steep learning curve when handling the vast and intricate vocabulary that healthcare workers use daily. Since the basis of medical terminology has developed from the roots of classical languages, it would theoretically be helpful to provide medical students with a foundational knowledge of Latin and Greek. My experience with learning classical languages before entering medical school has allowed me to have a formulaic approach when tackling unfamiliar medical terminology. By breaking up medical terms like transsphenoidal hypophysectomy into their respective roots, I can create a quick definition for myself before being given any formal teaching on the matter. The primary advantage of this learning style is that it reduces the burden of memorization on the student. The lectures from medical school help refine the preliminary definitions, which makes memorization much easier since students already have a basic framework for each new term encountered. However, certain considerations need to be kept in mind when utilizing the classical approach to understanding medical terminology. For example, the Latin and Greek roots cannot define eponyms like Wilson’s disease, named after the person who discovered the disease, or provide information on medications as their names have non-classical origins. Overall from my experience, the benefits of the formulaic approach make it a valuable tool during the initial years of medical school when the content is taught in a classroom setting and it can provide the foundation for an easier transition into the clinical environment.


Tackling the Learning Curve of Medical Terminology: Experience of a Medical Student with a Background in Classical Languages
Jigish Khamar. 1

The Experience
In Canada, medical schools accept students with a wide variety of past experiences. In my class alone, I have peers with diverse backgrounds such as nanotechnology engineering, forensic psychology, and English literature. Their unique perspectives help enrich my learning experience by expanding my perceptions. Likewise, my undergraduate experience was unique. Though my core degree was a Bachelor of Health Sciences at McMaster University, a typical program for many pre-med students, I also completed a Concurrent Certificate in the Language of Medicine and Health.
This concurrent certificate focused on allowing students to explore the origins of medical terminology through courses centered on Latin, Greek, and linguistics. The logic behind this certificate was that medical terminology has stemmed from the roots of classical languages and therefore, students with a basic understanding of these languages will be better equipped to understand medical terms. The professors used a formulaic approach to medical terminology by essentially fragmenting the medical terms into various Greek and Latin roots. 1 Therefore, students could learn a small number of classical roots and comprehend most medical terms. Figure 1 demonstrates an example of the formulaic approach used in the Ancient Roots of Medical Terminology courses. 1 In the following paragraphs, I will describe my experience with learning the classical approach to medical terminology and its applications in medical education.
One of the most daunting aspects of medical school is the sheer volume of content that students must study. My program is an accelerated three-year medical program and so, every three months in my first year, I had to learn a new organ system. This involved a new set of medical terms in several domains (e.g., histology, anatomy, and pathophysiology). My background in medical terminology has proved to be useful in adjusting to this new learning curve posed every semester. When I see a new term, I use the Latin and Greek roots that I learned to get a general sense of the word before I even learn what it means. For example, when we were reading a case about a pituitary tumour, we came across a procedure named transsphenoidal hypophysectomy. Most students in my class were overwhelmed by this seemingly complex term; however, I was able to use the formulaic approach to create a quick definition for myself -"the cutting out of the pituitary gland through the sphenoid bone." This is a reasonable deduction, especially for a student with no formal teaching on this topic. The lectures from the medical school help me refine my preliminary definitions, which makes memorization and understanding much easier and less intimidating since I already have a basic framework for each new term I encounter. During the gastrointestinal unit, we encountered a series of confusing terms when discussing pathologies of the biliary tract. Terms such as cholangitis, cholelithiasis, choledocholithiasis, cholecystitis, and cholecystectomy were difficult to differentiate as they look and sound similar. I created a handout for my class as shown in Figure 2 which displayed the formulaic approach to these terms and the response was amazing! By learning the individual roots, my classmates were able to better differentiate these terms, thereby reducing the time required for memorization.

Discussion
Over the past few decades, there has been a reduction in hours spent on teaching anatomy in medical school. 2,3 In my experience, the decreased hours of formal teaching makes anatomy an especially daunting topic for students which may even turn them away from pursuing careers in surgery, an anatomy-heavy discipline. On this point, Smith et al. integrated medical etymologies into their gross anatomy course and found that students reported an enhanced learning experience. 4 Furthermore, a study by Stephens et al. found that medical students with a background in Greek and Latin performed better in anatomy examinations. 5 Although Latin and Greek are not used as formal languages of communication anymore, my experiences and these studies both demonstrate that the study of medical terminology can be a worthwhile endeavor for those seeking a career in healthcare.
The formulaic approach to medical terminology only provides a basic template of the medical term, and cannot be expected to provide clinical context. For example, plasmapheresis can be translated using the roots, as "the removal of blood plasma." However, this definition leaves out the fact that in the procedure the plasma is replaced by another solution or treated and then returned to the body. Thus, it is crucial to use classical roots only as a starting point rather than as a guide for clinical decisionmaking. Also worth noting is that eponyms such as Wilson's disease that are based on a person, place, or thing, cannot be defined using roots. 6 Lastly, not every part of medicine is derived from classical languages. One of the biggest pillars of medicine is pharmacology and many of the drug names originate from their chemical composition or colloquial language. Therefore, it could be that the formulaic approach is beneficial in the first few years of medical school when the content is taught in a classroom setting, but becomes less versatile as we progress into the clinical environment. 7 In my experience, learning classical roots has allowed me a smooth transition into medical school. Since my classmates showed a great interest in the formulaic approach, I have partnered with the Classics Department at McMaster University to run a 6-week medical terminology course for McMaster medical students. I encourage other medical students to find ways to receive formal teaching in medical terminology before or during their early years of medical school as it can provide a strong basis for the following years. If you are unable to find a formal course, all is not lost. Be attentive, and find patterns in the terminology; just as you know by now that x-itis is "the inflammation of x" and x-ectomy is "the cutting out of x", so too there are many more patterns out there for you to discover!

Summary -Accelerating Translation
Title: Tackling the Learning Curve of Medical Terminology: Experience of a Medical Student with a Background in Classical Languages Before medical school, I completed a Concurrent Certificate in the Language of Medicine and Health which entailed completing courses in Latin, Greek, and linguistics. This certificate introduced me to the roots that make up the various medical terms in our vocabulary. Therefore, students who pursue this certificate can break down complex medical terms into their respective Latin or Greek roots and create logical definitions of most medical terms without prior formal teaching.
The transition into medical school can be difficult for many students and one of the most intimidating aspects tends to be learning the new terminology that healthcare professionals use daily. The primary benefit is that the skills I gained from having a background in Latin and Greek have helped reduce the amount of memorization that I need to do in medical school. Since I can create preliminary definitions of most medical terms using the roots, the lectures serve the purpose of filling in the gaps rather than teaching the topic from the beginning. Past studies have shown that medical students have responded positively to anatomy classes that integrate teachings of medical etymologies. The medical students with a background in classical languages performed better on evaluations compared to their classmates who did not learn the Latin and Greek roots.
Some considerations need to be taken into account with using classical roots to define medical terms. They only provide a basic anatomical or physiological definition which is not sufficient enough to be used in a clinical setting. Further research and teachings are required to transform the preliminary definitions into usable knowledge to guide clinical decision-making. Additionally, medical terms named after a person, place, or thing, cannot be defined with this approach as they do not originate from Latin or Greek roots. Lastly, this strategy is limited to many of the medical terms in pharmacology as these terms have generic names and brand names that are based on the chemical composition and company label.
In conclusion, I believe that learning the Latin and Greek roots is beneficial for many medical students, especially during the early years when they are overwhelmed by the sheer number of medical terms. Students will have an easier time navigating the lectures and will be able to focus on the clinical aspects more if they are not worried as much about memorization. This strategy is not a replacement for clinical experience, but rather a tool that students can use when facing unknown medical terms.