Medical language

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Under medical language (even doctors German , Doctor language or jargon medicine ) is the common in the medical field Sprachgebung. It is a special language or a professional language. As such, it is comparable to the language of lawyers , theologians, psychologists, pedagogues, soldiers , technicians or pilots . It has developed historically and extends across different language levels and areas of application. The differentiation into a large number of specialist disciplines brought about a considerable expansion of the vocabulary.

Language levels

gibberish

As gibberish refers to a Sprachgebung that different foreign language elements to an abstruse German mixed. It can be the expression of a certain technical jargon , but also style blooms or simply linguistic swelling :

In the internet presentation of the urological department of the Klinikum rechts der Isar of the Technical University of Munich , the following language constructions can be found as an indication of the follow-up examination in the treatment of testicular tumors: “ This requires a high level of patient compliance and involves some risk in terms of therapy escalation. It is possible to carry out a risk-adapted monitoring according to some criteria of the basic tumor (vascular rupture, embryonic cell carcinoma proportion). Furthermore, instead of the operation, it is also possible to primarily apply two cycles of thermotherapy. The disadvantage here is the toxicity caused by chemotherapy in the case of fertility disorders of unclear extent. ” Then there is talk of an “ operation in the sense of an ejaculation-productive retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy ” .

The language level of gibberish is characterized by word and sentence formation from German, English, Latin and Greek parts of the language, some of which are also changed adjectival, adverbial and verbial or processed in compound words. In a language analysis in the German class of the upper secondary school in Recklinghausen, a working group characterized this type of language in its "language diagnosis" as "linguistically obscure compiling and cryptomaniac copulation of quasi-precise communication elements with the suspicion or odor of a pretentious ambition of exclusivity and in toto the result of a patient's aversion Cooperation Possibility " .

Colloquial language

Under ordinary language refers to the everyday language used in daily use. It provides an extensive vocabulary of relatively precise German-language forms of expression. The physician uses them primarily when talking to patients about questions of medical treatment and topics in his specialty, for which the technical language is usually not suitable. How much specialist vocabulary can be used will ultimately depend on the patient's language skills and familiarity with his or her ailment and the need for more detailed information.

In contrast to the technical language, which is indispensable for the scientific field, the medical colloquial language has a broad, generally understandable vocabulary. Most of the communication required in everyday medical practice can be carried out using this vocabulary without any loss of meaning. It primarily serves to talk to the less knowledgeable patient and to involve him in the medical treatment.

Initially, the medical language has a purely German-language vocabulary available. It ranges from colloquial job titles such as “dermatologist” , “ ophthalmologist” or “dentist” (who is no longer a “dentist” ) to institutional expressions such as “hospital” , “nurse” or “doctor's assistant” to names of body parts such as “collarbone” and “wisdom tooth” " Or " pleura " to medical measures such as " eavesdropping " or " X-ray radiation " and diseases such as " tonsillitis " , " pneumonia " , " periostitis " , " chicken pox " , " diabetes " or " cancerous tumor " .

Instead of using foreign words such as “compliance” of the patient, one can also speak of his “cooperation” , instead of “toxicity” also of “toxicity” , instead of “apply” also of “administer” . The “ophthalmologist” as “ophthalmologist” , the “dermatologist” as “dermatologist” , and “gynecology” as “gynecology ” lose something of their exclusivity, but not their medical significance. The term "climacteric" can also be conveyed as "menopause" , "nodular" as "nodular" , "malignant" as "malignant" . “Varicella” is understood as “chickenpox” by everyone. A "pneumonia" can be the patient as "pneumonia" , a "constipation" as "constipation" , a "osteoporosis" as "bone loss" close bring no sense compromise. Colloquially, a distinction can also be made between a “distortion” as a “twist” , a “contusion” as a “bruise” and a “dislocation” as a “dislocation” . The "medicine" will also be understood fundamentally as a "medicine" that "prevention" as a "health care" or "therapy" as a "cure measure" . The “patient” is a “sick person” and “sufferer” of his illness . "Procedure" means "further procedure" in German .

The doctor and cabaret artist Eckart von Hirschhausen rumored in his "Doctor-German-Lexicon" the often grandiose medical language Spring leads.

Jargon

When jargon is called the developed for professional scientific communications in a particular subject area language with a repertoire of precise technical terms , technical words and technical terms . In their entirety, they form the specialist vocabulary or terminology of the subject and are taught in terminology seminars. For historical reasons, medical jargon and medical terminology contain numerous foreign language expressions from ancient or Arabic medicine to this day . Since the 16th century, anatomy , in particular , has relied heavily on a vocabulary shaped by Latin and a Latinized Greek. As so-called “dead languages”, they have the technical advantage of not being subject to changes in the meaning of the lively colloquial language and also of enabling an international technical exchange. But also modern medicine often uses technical terms from the countries of origin such as "stent" (eng. To stent = to expand).

The technical language is in large parts not generally understandable because it requires specialist knowledge behind the vocabulary. It is based on exact formulations and designed. The anatomy of the only medical subregion has based on fixed rules, differentiated nomenclature to locate in science body parts, regions and positional relationships and communicate unequivocally to. An exchange of scientific experience is possible on the basis of technical language. However, it is only suitable to a limited extent for everyday doctor's practice and patient communication.

Medical terminology has been systematically collected in relevant dictionaries since 1894. The students are already familiarized with the medical terminology in the pre-clinical training phase . The special dictionary and the relevant technical dictionaries also serve this purpose

In the clinical part of the training, further terms are acquired according to the study of individual specialist areas such as anesthesiology , dermatology , neurology or orthopedics .

Examples

Anatomy : Gluteus maximus, pituitary gland, hypothalamus, patella, pharynx, quadriceps, radix, renculus, sphincter etc.

Anesthesiology : analgesia, oximetry, epidural anesthesia, spinal anesthesia, level of vigilance, etc.

Dermatology : hematoma, herpes zoster, Lyell's syndrome, necrobiosis lipoidica, pityriasis rosea, psoriasis, scleroderma etc.

Gynecology : menolysis, menorrhagia, menstruatio praecox, oestrogens, oophorectomy etc.

Neurology : electroneurogram, fibroneuralgia, multiple sclerosis, neurofibromatosis, polyneuritis etc.

Ophthalmology : astigmatism, exophoria, glaucoma, macula, presbyopia etc.

Orthopedics : arthritis, osteoarthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, menisectomy, metatarsalgia, osteoclase, patellar luxation, etc.

Disparaging terms

  • “ Doctor grouch ” describes a patient who, for various reasons, avoids contact with doctors, especially medical check- ups and treatment that is not inevitable.
  • “ Doctors ” means a little targeted, “trial and error” procedure of medical treatment. In a figurative sense, the term is also used in other areas of life, for example in technology.
  • " Medical slang " is used for the language version of medical German, which is characterized by being incomprehensible for outsiders or by an unkempt choice of words. The slang language is usually only used in internal medical operations.
  • “ Tooth plumber ” can describe a dentist who is not particularly gentle with his patients or who is not very competent.

Patient sayings

  • My doctor is very good: - He uses so many foreign words and they come off his tongue so easily.
  • The diagnosis is not that important. Above all, you need a good technical term.
  • "Hello," said the anesthetist as he administered the anesthetic to the patient.
  • Curing a cold takes 14 days with medical help and two weeks without this.

Language criticism

Doctor and patient: Linguistic misunderstanding (cartoon London 1823)
Misunderstanding between doctor and patient (Colored lithograph. London Wellcome Library)

In everyday medicine, it is often criticized that many doctors find it difficult to translate the language learned in terminology seminars or medical slang or educational jargon into German that patients understand, as is the case with teachers, lawyers, psychologists and technicians in their fields is expected. The competent doctor does not need to distinguish himself with incomprehensible specialist vocabulary or to hide his actions behind it. He convinces the patient with a linguistically understandable disclosure of his knowledge and actions and thus creates a basis of trust and cooperation at eye level that is necessary for the healing process.

There are many reasons for avoiding patient-friendly language. They range from the inability to translate a learned specialist vocabulary into the standard language, to the desire for demarcation, to medical vanities of self-expression and the need to hide behind terms. However, communication disorders make it more difficult for the patient to think along and cooperate and thus ultimately endanger the success of the therapy. Whereas the traditional patient-doctor relationship was characterized by an asymmetrical, so-called "paternalistic" relationship , contemporary medicine relies on the responsible patient and a symmetrical, partnership-based relationship that is oriented towards the patient's autonomy. On the medical side, it is often overlooked that the often complained inadequate "therapy adherence" (less than 50%), the so-called " non-compliance ", is essentially related to the inadequate persuasiveness of the doctor on the verbal communication level and a regulation based on authority, as she says RM Epstein still practiced a considerable part of the doctors (43%), mostly insufficient. Both patient and doctor have to make their own contribution to competence. In this respect, finding the right language is seen as an essential characteristic of a good doctor.

In more recent times, in addition to the old demands for an improvement in the communication skills of prospective doctors, there are also corresponding curricula and textbooks in medical training.

literature

  • Gerhard Baader : The development of medical terminology in antiquity and in the early Middle Ages. In: Gerhard Baader, Gundolf Keil (Hrsg.): Medicine in the medieval occident. Darmstadt 1982 (= ways of research. Volume 363), pp. 417-442.
  • Gerhard Baader: The development of medical terminology in the high and late Middle Ages. In: Gundolf Keil, Peter Assion (Ed.) _ Specialized prose research. Eight lectures on medieval art literature. Berlin 1974, pp. 88-123.
  • Sascha Bechmann: Medical Communication: Basics of Medical Conversation , University Pocket Books UTB, Tübingen 2014, ISBN 978-3825241322 .
  • Otto Dornblüth: Dictionary of clinical art expressions . Publishing house Veit & Comp., Leipzig 1894.
  • Duden - Dictionary of medical terms , 9th edition, Mannheim 2003, ISBN 978-3-411-04619-5 .
  • Josef Hammerschmid-Gollwitzer: Dictionary of medical terms , Orbis-Verlag, Munich 1988.
  • M. Härter, A. Loh, C. Spies (Eds. :) Decide together - treat successfully . Deutscher Ärzte-Verlag, Cologne 2005, ISBN 978-3-7691-3250-2 .
  • Eckart v. Hirschhausen: Langenscheidt doctor - German / German doctor. Laugh when the doctor comes. Langenscheidt, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-468-73177-8 .
  • Friedrich Kluge (conception), Elmar Seebold (arrangement): Etymological dictionary of the German language . 23rd edition Walter de Gruyter, Berlin 1995, ISBN 3-11-012922-1 .
  • Pschyrembel Clinical Dictionary 2014 . Founded by Willibald Pschyrembel. Edited by the publisher's Pschyrembel editorial team. 265th edition. De Gruyter, Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-11-030509-8 .
  • Roche Lexicon Medicine . Ed .: Hoffmann-LaRoche AG, Verlag Urban & Schwarzenberg, 4th edition, Munich a. a. 1998.
  • Thiemeverlag (Hrsg.): Lexicon of diseases and examinations , 2nd edition, Stuttgart 2009, ISBN 978-313-142962-9 .

Web links

Wiktionary: gibberish  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Wiktionary: Medical language  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Friedrich Kluge (conception), Elmar Seebold (arrangement): Etymological dictionary of the German language . 23rd edition. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin 1995, p. 434
  2. ↑ Medical German ( Memento of the original from December 9, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. - Internet access on March 10, 2009, verbatim when checked on December 5, 2014 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mriu.de
  3. ↑ Lesson protocol v. March 25, 2009
  4. ^ Brian H. Spitzberg: Introduction to Communication Skills in Health Professions , In: Journal of Public Health Research December 1, 2013
  5. ↑ C. Teutsch: Doctor-Patient Communication , In: Med Clin North Am. September 2003, 87 (5): 1115-45
  6. ↑ Otto Dornblüth: Dictionary of clinical art expressions . Publishing house Veit & Comp., Leipzig 1894
  7. ^ Duden - Dictionary of medical terms , 9th edition, Mannheim 2003
  8. ↑ Eckart v. Hirschhausen: Langenscheidt doctor - German / German doctor. Laugh when the doctor comes. Langenscheidt, Berlin 2007
  9. ^ Thorsten Roelcke: Technical languages . Berlin: Erich Schmidt Verlag 2005
  10. ↑ Christoph Weißer: Technical language, medical. In: Werner E. Gerabek , Bernhard D. Haage, Gundolf Keil , Wolfgang Wegner (eds.): Enzyklopädie Medizingeschichte. De Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2005, ISBN 3-11-015714-4 , pp. 387-389.
  11. ↑ See for example Bartolomeo Castelli: Lexicon medicum graeco-latinum. Venice 1642; after Jacobus Pancratius Bruno, new ed. by Johannes Rhodius. Padua 1721.
  12. ↑ Christoph Weißer: Technical language, medical. 2005, p. 387.
  13. ↑ Otto Dornblüth: Dictionary of clinical art expressions . Publishing house Veit & Comp., Leipzig 1894
  14. ^ Duden - Dictionary of medical terms , 9th edition, Mannheim 2003
  15. ^ Josef Hammerschmid-Gollwitzer: Dictionary of medical terms , Orbis-Verlag, Munich 1988
  16. ↑ Pschyrembel Clinical Dictionary 2014 . Founded by Willibald Pschyrembel. Edited by the publisher's Pschyrembel editorial team. 265th edition. De Gruyter, Berlin 2013
  17. ^ Roche Lexicon Medicine . Ed .: Hoffmann-LaRoche AG, Verlag Urban & Schwarzenberg, 4th edition, Munich a. a. 1998
  18. ↑ Thieme Verlag (Ed .:) Encyclopedia of diseases and studies , 2nd edition, Stuttgart 2009
  19. ↑ W. Langewitz: To Learnability the doctor-patient communication in medical education , In: Federal Health Gazette 2012, 55: 1176-1182
  20. ^ RM Epstein: Physician self-disclosure in primary care visits . Arch Intern Med 167, 2007
  21. ↑ Linus Geisler: Doctor-patient relationship in transition. Strengthening the dialogical principle. In: Final report of the Enquête Commission "Law and Ethics of Modern Medicine", May 14, 2002 pp. 216–220
  22. ^ RM Epstein: Physician self-disclosure in primary care visits . Arch Intern Med 167, 2007, pp. 1321-6
  23. ↑ Keyword “doctor-patient relationship”, In: Pschyrembel Clinical Dictionary 2014 . Founded by Willibald Pschyrembel. Edited by the publisher's Pschyrembel editorial team. 265th edition. De Gruyter, Berlin 2013
  24. ↑ Sascha Bechmann: Medical Communication: Basics of Medical Conversation , University Pocket Books UTB, Tübingen 2014
  25. ↑ M. Härter, A. Loh, C. Spies (Eds. :) Decide together - treat successfully . Deutscher Ärzte-Verlag, Cologne 2005