Volume 187 - Issue 6
Patient privacy and Latin: my father’s story
Author: William E M Renton-Power
Med J Aust 2007; 187 (6): 375. || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2007.tb01300.x
Published online: 17 September 2007
Published online: 17 September 2007
To the Editor: The tale told by Katherine Haley’s father about his clever advice on how to protect the privacy of a young pregnant woman makes a good story.1 However, while “non” is a Latin word, “pseudocyesis” is very good Ancient Greek (ψευδοκύησις). Queen Mary I (“Bloody Mary”), who was believed for many months to be with child but ultimately returned to court childless, may have suffered from pseudocyesis.
I agree with Dr Haley’s opinion about the lamentable decline in the use of both Latin and Greek terms in medical practice. I take the time to teach my students, residents and registrars enough Latin and Greek to render classical plurals correctly (eg, fistulae, diverticula, carcinomata). Whether they take any notice of this classical teaching is another matter.
References
- Haley KA. Patient privacy and Latin: my father’s story [letter]. Med J Aust 2007; 186: 328. 0_HBEICHGJ