Medical Terminology - WordPress

Spine .76”Medical/Dictionaries & TerminologyThe fun and easy way tounderstand, pronounce, andapply medical terminologyg Easier!Making Everythin Tips for understanding unfamiliarmedical terms Explanations of Greek and Latinroots and structures Definitions of common prefixesand suffixes Recognize common root words — identify words that apply tobody regions, organs, anatomy, and pathology Guidance in pronouncing medicalterms Pronounce and use terms with ease —grasp the phonics ofmedical terms and understand the context of words, from hospitalto pharmacy to test lab Word roots commonly used inhospitals, pharmacies, and labs Break words down — understand unfamiliar words by definingtheir elements and recombining them; and get familiar withprefixes and suffixes, plurals and multiples Get a handle on anatomy and systems — bone up on terms thatdescribe and are related to the body’s systems, from skeletal andmuscular to gastrointestinal and endocrine Terms for diseases, lab tests, andmedications Useful mnemonic devices Helpful word-building activitiesMedical TerminologyDon’t know a carcinoma from a hematoma? This friendlyguide gets you up to speed quickly on medical terminologyfundamentals, helping you master definitions, pronunciations,and applications across all medical fields. Once you understandmedical prefixes, suffixes, and root words, you’ll approacheven unfamiliar medical terms with confidence.Open the book and find: Learn the lingo — familiarize yourself with common terms used inthe ER, OR, pharmacy, and lab Get to the source— understand Greek and Latin sources ofmedical terms lacidMeygoloniTermLearn to:Go to dummies.comfor more! Identify and pronounce medical terms Understand word foundations and origins Deconstruct words to grasp definitions Describe medical conditions accurately 21.99 US / 23.99 CN / 14.99 UKBeverley Henderson, CMT, has 35 years of medical terminology andtranscription experience in a hospital setting, and has taught anddeveloped curricula for Medical Terminology courses at the college level.Jennifer Dorsey is a writer, editor, and author of several books.Beverley Henderson, CMTMedical Terminology instructorISBN 978-0-470-27965-6Jennifer DorseyHendersonDorsey

MedicalTerminologyFORDUMmIES‰

MedicalTerminologyFORDUMmIES‰by Beverley Henderson, CMT and Jennifer Dorsey

Medical Terminology For Dummies Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.111 River St.Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774www.wiley.comCopyright 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, IndianaPublished by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, IndianaPublished simultaneously in CanadaNo part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any formor by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except aspermitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the priorwritten permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee tothe Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600.Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing,Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, 317-572-3447, fax 317-572-4355, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for theRest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making EverythingEasier!, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission.All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associatedwith any product or vendor mentioned in this book.LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NOREPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OFTHE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BECREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIESCONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THEUNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OROTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OFA COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THEAUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCEOF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSESTHE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS ITMAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THISWORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN ANDWHEN IT IS READ.For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer CareDepartment within the U.S. at 800-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002.For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport.Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print maynot be available in electronic books.Library of Congress Control Number: 2008939701ISBN: 978-0-470-27965-6Manufactured in the United States of America10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

About the AuthorsBeverley Henderson, CMT has enjoyed a lifelong career in the medical field.Working in Ontario hospitals for 45 years, she also has more than 40 years’ experience in medical terminology and transcription. She has managed the medicaltranscription unit of a large acute-care hospital and has taught medical terminology to adult learners at the university level. Beverley is a Certified MedicalTranscriptionist with the American Association for Medical Transcription. Shewas Director of Health Sciences Faculty and MT Course Coordinator at an onlinemedical terminology and transcription school, where she developed course curricula and helped write and produce a series of medical terminology teachingvideos. Now an empty-nester, she lives in Hamilton with her husband of 35 years.Jennifer Dorsey has been a writer and editor for 11 years. She has workedfor publishers both large and small, mainly focusing her efforts on development editing and acquisitions. In 2005 she turned her focus to writing andhas worked on several projects, including revisions of four popular how-totitles from Entrepreneur Press, most notably How to Start Your Own MedicalClaims Billing Business. She has also written magazine articles for IndianaBusiness Magazine, Indianapolis Monthly, and California Homes. In 1997 shereceived her B.A. in journalism from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, theoldest Catholic liberal arts college for women in the United States. She is currently pursuing her M.A. in English and is a member of the adjunct faculty atSaint Louis University. She lives in Illinois with her husband and son.

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Contents at a GlanceIntroduction . 1Par t I: Living for Linguistics . 7Chapter 1: Scrubbing In to Master Medical Terminology. 9Chapter 2: Medical Terminology: The How and Why . 17Chapter 3: Introducing the Big Three: Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes. 25Chapter 4: Acronyms, Eponyms, Homonyms, Multiples, and Plurals — Oh My! . 37Chapter 5 Say What? Pronunciation and Usage . 51Par t II: Mapping Words and Bodies. 61Chapter 6: s It Was in the Beginning: Prefixes. 63Chapter 7: So It Shall Be in the End: Suffixes . 73Chapter 8: Hey, I Know You: Word Recognition . 81Chapter 9: Deconstruction Junction: Breaking Down Words. 91Chapter 10: An Org Chart to Live By: Organization of the Body . 101Chapter 11: All Systems Go: When Systems Combine . 111Par t III: In Terms of Anatomy . 121Chapter 12: Boning Up on the Skeletal System . 123Chapter 13: Getting Ripped: The Muscular System . 141Chapter 14: Skin Deep: Skin, Glands, Nails, and Hair . 155Chapter 15: It Depends on Your Perception: The Sensory Systems . 169Par t IV: Let’s Get Some Physiology Terminology . 187Chapter 16: The Heart of the Matter: The Cardiovascularand Lymphatic Systems. 189Chapter 17: Just Breathe: The Respiratory System . 211Chapter 18: Feeding Time: The Gastrointestinal System . 227Chapter 19: Gatekeepers of Health: The Endocrine System. 245Chapter 20: Calming Down: The Nervous System . 261Par t V: Name That Plumbing . 275Chapter 21: When You Gotta Go: The Urinary System . 277Chapter 22: Checking the Plumbing: The Male Reproductive System . 291Chapter 23: A Life Force: The Female Reproductive System . 303

Par t VI: The Par t of Tens . 321Chapter 24: Ten Essential Medical Terminology References . 323Chapter 25: Ten or So Useful Mnemonic Devices . 327Chapter 26: Ten Fun Word-Building Activities . 331Appendix: Prefixes and Suffixes . 337Index . 343

Table of ContentsIntroduction . 1About This Book . 1Conventions Used in This Book . 2Foolish Assumptions . 3How This Book Is Organized . 3Part I: Living for Linguistics . 4Part II: Mapping Words and Bodies . 4Part III: In Terms of Anatomy . 5Part IV: Let’s Get Some Physiology Terminology . 5Part V: Name That Plumbing . 5Part VI: The Part of Tens . 5Where to Go from Here . 6Par t I: Living for Linguistics . 7Chapter 1: Scrubbing In to Master Medical Terminology . . . . . . . . . . .9The Tale Behind the Terms . 9Making Terminology Work for You . 10Building a Foundation of Vocabulary. 12In Terms of Anatomy . 12All Systems Go . 13Down Under Details. 15The Ultimate Resource: You . 16Chapter 2: Medical Terminology: The How and Why . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17Defining Medical Terminology . 17Using Medical Terminology in the Real World . 18In theory and practice . 19Writing it down. 19Changes in Medical Terminology . 20It’s Greek and Latin to Me. 21Modernizing Medicine . 22Chapter 3: Introducing the Big Three: Prefixes, Roots,and Suffixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25Rooting Around for Answers. 26Exterior root words . 26Interior root words . 28Prefix as Precursor . 33Common Prefixes . 34Suffixes: Final Thoughts . 35