White Coat Tales

Medicine's Heroes, Heritage, and Misadventures
1. Auflage 2010
ISBN: 978-0-387-73080-6
Verlag: Springer-Verlag
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 272 Seiten

This collection of intriguing stories offers profound insights into medical history. It highlights what all health professionals should know about the career path they have chosen. Each chapter presents a number of fascinating tales of legendary medical innovators, diseases that changed history, insightful clinical sayings, famous persons and their illnesses, and epic blunders made by physicians and scientists. The book relates the stories in history to what clinicians do in practice today and is ideal reading for physicians, residents, medical students and all clinicians.

Robert Taylor is  well known and highly regarded in the field of Family Medicine. Dr. Taylor has more than 14 years in private practice and 26 years in academic medicine.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Title Page;3
2;Copyright Page;4
3;Dedication Page;5
4;Preface;6
4.1;References;8
5;Table of Contents;9
6;About This Book;11
6.1;Reference;13
7;Part One Heroes, Diseases, and Remedies;14
7.1;1 Heroes in Medical History;15
7.1.1;Beginning the Journey;15
7.1.1.1;An Overview of Key Events;16
7.1.1.2;Persons, Medical Advances, and Dates;16
7.1.1.3;Completeness and Relevance;16
7.1.2;From Superstition to Science;17
7.1.2.1;Primitive, Egyptian, Chinese, and Babylonian Medicine;17
7.1.2.1.1;Primitive Healers and Mind-Body Medicine;17
7.1.2.1.2;Ancient Egyptian Medicine: A Comprehensive Approach to Medicine (Beginning ca. 2900 BCE);18
7.1.2.1.3;Ancient Chinese Medicine: Herbal Treatment and Acupuncture (Beginning ca. 2700 BCE);18
7.1.2.1.4;Ancient Babylonian Medicine: The Code of Hammurabi (Beginning ca. 2250 BCE);19
7.1.2.2;Greco-Roman Medicine (ca. Fifth Century BCE-Fifth Century CE);19
7.1.2.2.1;Ancient Grecian Medicine: Hippocrates and Scientific Observation (Beginning ca. 460-377 BCE);19
7.1.2.2.2;Ancient Roman Medicine: Public Health Measures (ca. First Century BCE-SOO CE);20
7.1.2.2.3;Galenic System of Medicine: Claudius Galen (129-200 CE);20
7.1.2.3;The Middle Ages (Fifth to 14th Century);21
7.1.2.3.1;Critical Observation: Rhazes (850-923);22
7.1.2.3.2;Systemization of Medicine: Avicenna (980-1037);22
7.1.2.3.3;Scholarly Approach to Disease: Moses Maimonides (1135-1204);22
7.1.2.4;The Renaissance and Reformation (15th and 16th Centuries);22
7.1.2.4.1;Iatrochemistry: Paracelsus (1493-1542);23
7.1.2.4.2;Wound Care: Ambroise Pare (ca. 1517-1564);23
7.1.2.4.3;Anatomic Dissection: Vesalius (1514-1564);24
7.1.2.5;The Seventeenth Century;24
7.1.2.5.1;Circulation of the Blood: William Harvey (1578-1657);24
7.1.2.5.2;Classic Descriptions of Disease: Thomas Sydenham (1624-1689);25
7.1.2.5.3;The Discovery of Microorganisms: Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723);25
7.1.2.6;The Eighteenth Century;26
7.1.2.6.1;Prevention of Scurvy: James Lind (1716-1794);26
7.1.2.6.2;Surgery as an Experimental Science: John Hunter (1728-1793);26
7.1.2.6.3;Digitalis Therapy of Dropsy: William Withering (1741-1799);27
7.1.2.6.4;Smallpox Vaccination: Edward Jenner (1749-1823);28
7.1.2.7;The Nineteenth Century;29
7.1.2.7.1;Ether Anesthesia: William T.G. Morton (1819-1868);29
7.1.2.7.2;Hand Washing: Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis (1818-1865);29
7.1.2.7.3;Public Health Activism: John Snow (1813-1858);30
7.1.2.7.4;Germ Theory of Disease: Louis Pasteur (1822-1895);31
7.1.2.7.5;Surgical Antisepsis: Joseph Lister (1827-1912);31
7.1.2.7.6;X-rays Discovered: Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen (1845-1922);31
7.1.2.7.7;Discovery of Radium: Marie Curie (1867-1934) and Pierre Curie (1859-1906);32
7.1.2.7.8;Patient-Centered Medicine: William Osler (1849-1919);32
7.1.2.8;The Twentieth Century;33
7.1.2.8.1;Legitimization of Psychiatry: Sigmund Freud (1856-1939);33
7.1.2.8.2;The First "Magic Bullet": Paul Ehrlich (1854-1915);34
7.1.2.8.3;U.S. Medical Education Reform: Abraham Flexner (1866-1959);34
7.1.2.8.4;Pellagra Explained: Joseph Goldberger (1874-1929);35
7.1.2.8.5;Discovery of Insulin: Frederick Banting (1891-1941) and Charles H. Best (1899-1978);36
7.1.2.8.6;Discovery of Penicillin: Alexander Fleming (1881-1955);36
7.1.2.8.7;Polio Vaccine: Jonas Salk (1914-1995);37
7.1.2.8.8;Human Immunodeficiency Virus Identified: Luc Montagnier (1932-) and Robert Gallo (1937-);38
7.1.2.9;The Twenty-First Century;38
7.1.2.9.1;Human Genome Map: The International HapMap Consortium (2005);38
7.1.3;Traits, Heroes, and Villains;39
7.1.3.1;Giants: Commonalities and Differences;39
7.1.3.1.1;Not All Were Physicians;39
7.1.3.1.2;Curiosity, Persistence, and Recklessness;39
7.1.3.1.3;Larger Than Life;40
7.1.3.1.4;Rejection;40
7.1.3.1.5;Writings;40
7.1.3.1.6;Quotations and Eponyms;41
7.1.3.1.7;Longevity;41
7.1.3.2;The Villains;41
7.1.4;References;42
7.2;2 Diseases That Changed History;43
7.2.1;The Great Epidemics;44
7.2.1.1;Plague;44
7.2.1.2;Smallpox;46
7.2.1.3;Malaria;48
7.2.1.4;Syphilis;50
7.2.1.5;Influenza;53
7.2.1.6;Tuberculosis;54
7.2.2;Selected Short Tales of Times When Disease Influenced History;57
7.2.2.1;Black Death: One Positive Outcome;57
7.2.2.2;Yellow Fever and Slavery in America;58
7.2.2.3;Scurvy and Captain Cook;58
7.2.2.4;Syphilis and Captain Cook;58
7.2.2.5;Typhus and Napoleon's Russian Campaign;59
7.2.2.6;Measles and Its Travels;59
7.2.2.7;Hemophilia, Queen Victoria, and the Russian Monarchy;60
7.2.2.8;Hypertension, Heart Failure, and the Grand Alliance;60
7.2.3;References;61
7.3;3 Drugs and Other Remedies;63
7.3.1;Opium and Its Derivatives;63
7.3.2;Ergot;65
7.3.3;Quinine;67
7.3.4;Barbiturates;68
7.3.5;Aspirin;69
7.3.6;Penicillin;70
7.3.7;Short Tales About Selected Remedies;71
7.3.7.1;Vitamins;71
7.3.7.2;Amines;72
7.3.7.3;Nitrogen Mustard;73
7.3.7.4;Isoniazid;73
7.3.8;A Potpourri of Drug Names;74
7.3.9;References;74
8;Part Two The Heritage and Culture of Medicine;76
8.1;4 Medical Words and Phrases;77
8.1.1;About Medical Words;77
8.1.2;Origins;79
8.1.2.1;Mythology;79
8.1.2.2;Some Word Roots That Helped Me Survive Anatomy;81
8.1.2.3;Places in the Medical Dictionary;82
8.1.2.4;Words From Other Languages;83
8.1.2.5;Metaphoric Words;84
8.1.2.6;Echoic Words;85
8.1.2.7;Descriptive Phrases;86
8.1.2.8;Confusion, Controversy, and Misadventures in Medical Etymology;88
8.1.2.8.1;Artery;88
8.1.2.8.2;Asphyxia;88
8.1.2.8.3;Belladonna;89
8.1.2.8.4;Catarrhal Jaundice;89
8.1.2.8.5;Caucasian;89
8.1.2.8.6;Claudication;89
8.1.2.8.7;Gonad;90
8.1.2.8.8;Hypochondriasis;90
8.1.2.8.9;Innominate Artery;90
8.1.2.8.10;Hysteria;90
8.1.2.8.11;Orthopedic;91
8.1.2.8.12;Mad;91
8.1.2.8.13;Phrenic;91
8.1.2.8.14;Western Blot Test;91
8.1.3;Etymologic Curiosities in Medicine;92
8.1.4;References;96
8.2;5 Whose Syndrome? Stories of Medical Eponyms;97
8.2.1;Honorific Names of Diseases, Syndromes, Treatment Methods, and More;98
8.2.2;Five Eponymous Diseases Likely to Endure;101
8.2.2.1;Pickwickian Syndrome;102
8.2.2.2;Down Syndrome;103
8.2.2.3;Parkinson Disease;104
8.2.2.4;Alzheimer Disease;104
8.2.3;More About Eponyms;105
8.2.3.1;Eponymic Diseases, Syndromes, and Drugs;105
8.2.3.1.1;Cesarean Section;105
8.2.3.1.2;Ondine's Curse;106
8.2.3.1.3;Nicotine;106
8.2.3.1.4;Listerine;106
8.2.3.1.5;Huntington Chorea;107
8.2.3.1.6;Sister Mary Joseph Node;108
8.2.3.1.7;Hallervorden-Spatz Syndrome;108
8.2.3.2;Patients Immortalized in Eponyms;108
8.2.3.2.1;Pott Fracture;108
8.2.3.2.2;Hunterian Chancre;108
8.2.3.2.3;Mortimer Disease;109
8.2.3.2.4;Christmas Disease;109
8.2.3.2.5;Hartnup Disease;109
8.2.3.2.6;Daltonism;109
8.2.3.2.7;Legionnaires Disease;109
8.2.3.2.8;Lou Gehrig Disease;110
8.2.3.3;Eponyms With Intriguing Origins;110
8.2.4;References;111
8.3;6 Medical Abbreviations, Acronyms, Euphemisms, Jargon, and Slang;113
8.3.1;Abbreviations;113
8.3.1.1;Commonly Used Medical Abbreviations;114
8.3.1.1.1;Disease Abbreviations;114
8.3.1.1.2;Diagnosis and Treatment Abbreviations;114
8.3.1.1.3;Abbreviations With Several Possible Meanings;116
8.3.1.2;Abbreviations That Might Be Hazardous to the Patient's Health;117
8.3.2;Acronyms;118
8.3.2.1;Medical Acronyms That Are Sometimes Helpful;118
8.3.2.2;Clinical Trials and Acronyms;119
8.3.2.3;Acronymic Medical Argot;120
8.3.2.4;Acronyms as Medical Mnemonics;121
8.3.2.5;Anatomic Acronymic Mnemonics;123
8.3.2.6;Acronymic Mnemonics in Clinical Practice;123
8.3.3;Medical Euphemisms, Jargon, and Descriptive Slang;125
8.3.3.1;Euphemisms;125
8.3.3.2;Medical Jargon and Descriptive Slang;126
8.3.4;References;128
8.4;7 Medical Aphorisms;129
8.4.1;About Aphorisms;129
8.4.1.1;Aphorisms, Maxims, Proverbs, and Epigrams;129
8.4.1.2;Primum Non Nocere;131
8.4.2;Three Timeless Aphorists;132
8.4.2.1;The Aphorisms of Hippocrates;132
8.4.2.2;The Aphorisms of Moses Maimonides;134
8.4.2.3;The Aphorisms of Sir William Osler;135
8.4.3;Other Clinical Aphorisms;138
8.4.3.1;About Diagnosis;138
8.4.3.2;About Treatment;140
8.4.3.3;Timeless Clinical Aphorisms;141
8.4.4;Other Selected Medical Aphorisms;142
8.4.4.1;About Doctoring;142
8.4.4.2;Academic Medicine Aphorisms;143
8.4.4.3;Some Humorous Aphorisms;144
8.4.5;References;145
8.5;8 Memorable Medical Quotations;146
8.5.1;Quotations Attributed to Some of Medicine's Heroes;147
8.5.1.1;What Our Heroes Said;147
8.5.1.1.1;Greco-Roman Medicine;147
8.5.1.1.2;The Middle Ages;148
8.5.1.1.3;Renaissance and Reformation in the 15th and 16th Centuries;148
8.5.1.1.4;The Seventeenth Century;149
8.5.1.1.5;The Eighteenth Century;149
8.5.1.1.6;The Nineteenth Century;150
8.5.1.1.7;The Twentieth Century;151
8.5.1.2;Thoughts About Quotations;152
8.5.1.2.1;Nature;152
8.5.1.2.2;Observation Evolves to Become Research;152
8.5.1.2.3;Empiricism to Systemization to Specialization;153
8.5.1.2.4;Treatment and Prevention;153
8.5.1.2.5;Humility;154
8.5.1.2.6;Allusions to Humankind;154
8.5.2;Some Thoughts Worth Remembering: About Medicine, Life, Death, and Doctoring;154
8.5.2.1;About the Art of Medicine;154
8.5.2.1.1;Medicine as an Art;154
8.5.2.1.2;Medicine and Experience;155
8.5.2.1.3;Practicing the Art of Medicine;155
8.5.2.2;About Life, Health, Disease, and Death;156
8.5.2.2.1;Life and Health;156
8.5.2.3;About the Doctor;157
8.5.3;Some Humorous Quotations About Medicine;159
8.5.4;References;159
9;Part Three Clinical Notes and Medical Misadventures;161
9.1;9 Famous Persons as Patients;162
9.1.1;Illnesses of Noteworthy Persons;163
9.1.1.1;Gout;163
9.1.1.2;Agoraphobia;164
9.1.1.3;Huntington Disease;164
9.1.1.4;Depression and Bipolar Disorder;165
9.1.1.5;Epilepsy;166
9.1.1.6;Parkinson Disease;167
9.1.1.7;Alzheimer Disease;168
9.1.1.8;Migraine Headache;169
9.1.1.9;Diabetes Mellitus;170
9.1.1.10;Breast Cancer;171
9.1.2;Examining the Heath of U.S. Presidents;171
9.1.2.1;History and the Health of Leaders;171
9.1.2.2;Selected u.S. Presidents: Their Illnesses and Injuries;172
9.1.2.2.1;George Washington (1732-1799);172
9.1.2.2.2;Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826);172
9.1.2.2.3;Andrew Jackson (1767-1845);172
9.1.2.2.4;William Henry Harrison (1773-1841);173
9.1.2.2.5;Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865);173
9.1.2.2.6;Grover Cleveland (1837-1908);173
9.1.2.2.7;Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924);173
9.1.2.2.8;Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945);174
9.1.2.2.9;Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969);174
9.1.2.2.10;John F. Kennedy (1917-1963);175
9.1.3;Retrospective Diagnosis and Famous Persons;175
9.1.3.1;Through the Retrospectroscope;175
9.1.3.2;Medical Reconsideration of Historical Events;175
9.1.3.2.1;King Tutankhamun (ca. 1358-1340 BCE);175
9.1.3.2.2;King David the Great of Israel (ca. 1011-971 BCE);176
9.1.3.2.3;St. Paul of Tarsus (ca. 3-62 CE);176
9.1.3.2.4;Joan of Arc (1412-1431);177
9.1.3.2.5;Ivan IV, First Tzar of Russia (1530-1584);177
9.1.3.2.6;King George III of England (1738-1820);177
9.1.3.2.7;Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821);178
9.1.3.2.8;Meriwether Lewis (1777-1809);178
9.1.3.2.9;Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865);179
9.1.3.2.10;Charles Darwin (1809-1882);179
9.1.3.2.11;Florence Nightingale (1820-1910);180
9.1.3.2.12;Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890);180
9.1.3.2.13;William Howard Taft (1857-1930);180
9.1.3.2.14;Albert Einstein (1879-1955);181
9.1.3.2.15;Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945);181
9.1.4;References;181
9.2;10 Short Tales of Serendipity, Curiosities, Medical Trivia, Authorship, and Speculation;184
9.2.1;Serendipity and Some Fortuitous Advances in Medicine;184
9.2.1.1;Cellini and Mercury as a Treatment for Syphilis;185
9.2.1.2;Hahnemann, Homeopathy, and Immunizations;185
9.2.1.3;Simpson and Chloroform Anesthesia;186
9.2.1.4;Osler and His Move to America;186
9.2.1.5;Halsted and Surgical Gloves;187
9.2.1.6;Roentgen and the X-ray;187
9.2.1.7;Richet and Anaphylaxis;188
9.2.1.8;Van den Bergh and His Reagent;188
9.2.1.9;The Medical Student, the Nurse, and Mercurial Diuretics;189
9.2.1.10;Hopps and the Cardiac Pacemaker;190
9.2.2;Curiosities in Clinical Medicine;190
9.2.2.1;Koro;190
9.2.2.2;Morgellon Disease;191
9.2.2.3;Jumping Frenchmen of Maine;191
9.2.2.4;Kochleffel Syndrome;191
9.2.2.5;Kabuki Syndrome;192
9.2.2.6;ACHOO Syndrome;192
9.2.2.7;Triskaidekaphobia;193
9.2.3;Medical Trivia: Odd Facts That Recall Our History;193
9.2.3.1;Diseases;193
9.2.3.1.1;Heberden, Jenner, Hunter, and Angina Pectoris;193
9.2.3.1.2;Scurvy;194
9.2.3.1.3;Gout;194
9.2.3.1.4;Syphilis and the Malaria Parasite;195
9.2.3.1.5;Infectious Mononucleosis;195
9.2.3.2;Drugs and Other Ingestants;195
9.2.3.2.1;Mandrake;195
9.2.3.2.2;Ginseng;196
9.2.3.2.3;Quinine;196
9.2.3.2.4;Bengay;196
9.2.3.2.5;Dopamine Agonists;197
9.2.3.2.6;Martinis and Dark Chocolate;197
9.2.3.3;Medical Trivia About Some Memorable Persons;197
9.2.3.3.1;Leopold Auenbrugger;197
9.2.3.3.2;Percival Pott;198
9.2.3.3.3;Benjamin Franklin and Gout;198
9.2.3.3.4;Charles Darwin;198
9.2.3.3.5;Thomas Jefferson and John Adams;198
9.2.3.3.6;Mark Twain;199
9.2.3.3.7;Abraham Lincoln;199
9.2.3.3.8;Adolf Hitler;199
9.2.3.3.9;John, Paul, George, and Ringo: The Beatles;199
9.2.4;Medical Writing;200
9.2.5;Speculation: Could It Really Be True?;202
9.2.5.1;Hippocrates and His Writings;202
9.2.5.2;The Great Plagues, Jesus Christ, and the Rise of Christianity;203
9.2.5.3;Plague, Agrarian England, and Sheep;204
9.2.5.4;Yellow Fever and the Louisiana Purchase;204
9.2.5.5;Hookworm and the U.S. Civil War;205
9.2.6;References;205
9.3;11 Misadventures: Myths, Misinformation, Blunders, and Wrongdoing;208
9.3.1;Medical Myths;208
9.3.1.1;Abracadabra;208
9.3.1.2;Bullet Baby;209
9.3.1.3;Penis Captivus;210
9.3.1.4;X-ray Eyes;210
9.3.1.5;Tuberculosis and Vampirism;211
9.3.1.6;The Risks of Being Ahead of Your Time;211
9.3.1.7;Saltpeter as an Antaphrodisiac;211
9.3.1.8;Florence Nightingale and Syphilis;212
9.3.1.9;How Sir Alexander Fleming Saved Winston Churchill's Life-Twice;212
9.3.1.10;Naming of Rifampin;213
9.3.1.11;AIDS and Polio Vaccine;213
9.3.1.12;Medical Myths on the Internet;214
9.3.1.12.1;Leptospirosis and the Coke Can;214
9.3.1.12.2;Dihydrogen Monoxide Dangers;214
9.3.1.12.3;Ogling Breasts Makes Men Live Longer;215
9.3.1.12.4;Antiperspirants, Breast Cancer, and More;215
9.3.1.12.5;More Internet Myths;215
9.3.2;Misinformation and Misconceptions;216
9.3.2.1;The Caduceus Symbol and the Aesculapian Staff;216
9.3.2.2;Chilling Evidence and the Common Cold;217
9.3.2.3;Patient "Zero";217
9.3.2.4;Things We Once Thought Were Beneficial;218
9.3.2.4.1;Diethylstilbestrol;218
9.3.2.4.2;Thalidomide;219
9.3.2.4.3;Phenacetin;219
9.3.2.4.4;Routine Episiotomy During Childbirth;219
9.3.2.4.5;Irradiation of Acne;220
9.3.2.4.6;Stimulants for the Aged;220
9.3.2.4.7;Other Interventions Now Out of Favor;220
9.3.2.4.8;Practices Open to Question;221
9.3.2.5;Things We Once Thought Harmful;221
9.3.2.5.1;Beta-Blockers and Heart Failure;221
9.3.2.5.2;Watchful Waiting in Otitis Media;222
9.3.2.5.3;Back to Sleep;222
9.3.2.5.4;Families in Hospital and Birthing Rooms;222
9.3.2.5.5;A Few Others;222
9.3.2.5.6;The Jury is Out;222
9.3.3;Medical Blunders;223
9.3.3.1;John Hunter and the Hunterian Chancre;223
9.3.3.2;Bleeding, Purging, Leeches, and the Standard of Care;223
9.3.3.2.1;Charles II of England;224
9.3.3.2.2;Benjamin Rush and Malaria;224
9.3.3.2.3;George Washington and the Death of the President;224
9.3.3.2.4;President James A. Garfield and the Menace of Too Many Experts;225
9.3.3.2.5;Cocaine Misuse by Physicians;225
9.3.3.2.6;Typhoid Mary and Bureaucratic Mismanagement;226
9.3.3.2.7;Lubeck and the BCG Vaccine;227
9.3.3.2.8;Eleanor Roosevelt and the Treatment of Tuberculosis;227
9.3.3.2.9;Freedom for Psychotic Patients in the U.S.;227
9.3.3.2.10;The Tired Trainee, the Serotonin Syndrome, and Resident Work Hour Rules;228
9.3.4;Care Gone Wrong: Frauds, Quacks, and Rogues;228
9.3.4.1;John Hunter and the Giant;229
9.3.4.2;Franz Mesmer and the Magnetic Institute;229
9.3.4.3;Lydia Pinkham and Her Vegetable Compound;230
9.3.4.4;Robert Koch and His Secret Remedy;230
9.3.4.5;The Cereal Doctors;231
9.3.4.5.1;Sylvester Graham;231
9.3.4.5.2;John H. Kellogg;231
9.3.4.5.3;C.W. Post;232
9.3.4.6;Classic Quackery;232
9.3.4.6.1;Whispering Physicians;232
9.3.4.6.2;James Graham;233
9.3.4.6.3;John R. Brinkley;233
9.3.4.6.4;Albert Abrams;233
9.3.4.6.5;Iridology;234
9.3.4.7;Fake Cancer Cures;234
9.3.4.7.1;Laetrile;234
9.3.4.7.2;Other Bogus Cancer Cures;235
9.3.4.8;Thomas Dover, the Pirate Doctor;235
9.3.4.9;Joseph Guillotin;236
9.3.4.10;Compromising Trust in Physicians and Scientists;236
9.3.4.10.1;Inappropriate Human Experimentation;236
9.3.4.10.2;Scientific Fraud;237
9.3.5;References;237
9.4;12 Now and Future Practice;240
9.4.1;Recommended Reading;240
9.4.1.1;Osler's Recommendations;241
9.4.1.2;Taylor's Recommendations;241
9.4.2;Landmarks in Medical History;243
9.4.2.1;Europe and Greece;243
9.4.2.1.1;Kos;243
9.4.2.1.2;Epidaurus;244
9.4.2.1.3;Baths of Caracalla;244
9.4.2.1.4;Anatomy Theater in Padua;244
9.4.2.1.5;The Hunterian Museum in London;244
9.4.2.1.6;Semmelweis Museum in Budapest;245
9.4.2.1.7;The Handleless Pump in London;245
9.4.2.1.8;Pasteur Museum in Paris;245
9.4.2.2;Asia and the Middle East;245
9.4.2.2.1;Traditional Chinese Medical College;245
9.4.2.3;The United States;246
9.4.2.3.1;Ether Dome;246
9.4.2.3.2;National Library of Medicine;246
9.4.2.3.3;Museum of Questionable Medical Devices;246
9.4.2.4;Other Medical History Museums and Sites;246
9.4.3;Thoughts Upon (Almost) Completing the Manuscript for This Book;247
9.4.3.1;1. The Age of Self-Experimentation Is Over;247
9.4.3.2;2. In the Future, Most Discoveries That Change the Course of Medical History Will Be Made by Teams;247
9.4.3.3;3. Chance Still Favors the Prepared Mind;248
9.4.3.4;4. Medicine's Linguistic Treasury Continues to Grow;248
9.4.3.5;5. A Medical Scholar Can Do a Lot of Research Quickly on the Internet; Not Everything Found There Is Accurate;249
9.4.3.6;6. Some of the Heroes Described in This Book Lived and Died During My Lifetime;249
9.4.3.7;7. The Best Days of Medical Advances Are Ahead of Us;250
9.4.3.8;8. Until Medical Schools and Residencies Offer Courses in Medical History, Culture, and Linguistics, There Will Be a Need for Books Like This;250
9.4.3.9;9. Some Medical Truths Are Best Learned From Patients, Not From Books;250
9.4.3.10;10. Physicians Enjoy the Trust and Privilege We Do Today Because of the Dedication and Sacrifice of Generation of Healers That Have Gone Before Us-Only a Few of Whom Are Described in These Pages;251
9.4.4;Medicine's Future and Yours;251
9.4.4.1;Tomorrow's White Coat Tales;251
9.4.4.2;Tomorrow and You;252
9.4.5;References;253
10;Bibliography;255
11;Index;258

Leseproben

"6 Medical Abbreviations, Acronyms, Euphemisms, Jargon, and Slang (p. 103-104)

Medical scientific terms are the meat and potatoes of clinical discourse. Abbreviations, acronyms, euphemisms, jargon, and slang are the condiments. They add flavor to what might otherwise be multi-syllabic discussions. These sometimes arcane, occasionally insightful, communication tools allow us to convey information in a shorthand manner, often in ways unintelligible to the non-medical person, at least so we think.

Abbreviations

In medicalese, an ELF is not a strange little man in green tights; the term refers to elective low forceps or to endoscopic laser foraminotomy. PET is positive electron tomography, not a domesticated animal. SPA is not where one goes for a relaxing massage; it stands for serum prothrombin activity (or one of nine other possibilities). This chapter is not intended to be useful in a clinical sense. It is not the place to go when pondering the meaning of PNSP (penicillin-nonsusceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae) or BOD (burning on urination).

The clinically helpful book on abbreviations (ABRs) is Medical Abbreviations, by Neil M. Davis, currently in its 13th edition (1). Davis insightfully subtitles his book 28,000 Conveniences at the Expense of Communication and Safety. This section is for enrichment, to help us understand the context and scope of medical abbreviations. I begin with the method used by medical writers to create abbreviations. In the previous paragraph, I created an abbreviation for the word "abbreviation"- ABR. (This abbreviation is not in Dr. Davis latest book, but perhaps he will include it in the 14th edition.) Now, by custom, for the remainder of the chapter I can use either the full word "abbreviation" or the shorthand ABR that I have created.

This all works very well when a chapter or an article is short and when there are not too many ABRs. Reading becomes tiresome when the author uses many unfamiliar ABRs whose solitary explanations are scattered throughout pages of text. Consider the following sentence from a published chapter on obstetric complications: "DCs in the presence of a positive FFN triples the risk of PTB." This sent me scrambling to confirm that DCs meant uterine contractions, FFN is fetal fibronectin, and PTB stands for pre-term birth."