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Understanding Medical Terminology (review)
- Perspectives in Biology and Medicine
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Volume 35, Number 2, Winter 1992
- pp. 309-310
- 10.1353/pbm.1992.0009
- Review
- Additional Information
health and sanitation measures, given the tremendous effect of the latter on health. Where this account demands that we take Aztec medicine seriously, it does succeed in providing a basis for understanding some of the approaches to health found among Mesoamerican peoples today. In a discussion of syncretism in the medical domain, Ortiz de Montellano offers insight into the origin and temporal transformation of many regional folk medical beliefs. By opening up an intriguing area of history while addressing issues relevant in contemporary health care contexts, Aztec Medkine, Health, and Nutrition proves a solid contribution to the literature on health and medicine in Mesoamerica. David Tancredi Department ofAnthropology University of Chkago TL· H^ory of Yellow Fever. An Essay on the Birth ofTropical Medicine. By François Delaporte. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1991. Pp. 181. $19.95. The reconciliation and solution of the contradictory accounts concerning the 1900 discovery of a cure for yellow fever are tackled by an epistemological approach to the history of science by Delaporte. He traces the roots of this medical 'who-dunnit' and "shows both pictures to be false because they neglect important historical antecedents and connectives." His perspective on the conquest of yellow fever "emphasizes that the significance of the event should not be centered on the nationalistic claim to a medical discovery, but rather the eptáemological shift which allowed scientists to conceive of the mosquito as the vector for the transmission of disease. This conclusion elucidates the political uses to which the story has been put, in both Cuba and the United States." The author has "attempted to lay the groundwork for the history of science in the true sense: namely, the analysis of theoretical structures and scientific propositions, of conceptual building blocks and their field of application." He has clarified and sanitized the relationships between Manson, Finlay, Durham, Myers, Ross and Reed. His analysis indicates that the merit of individuals is not at issue. The solution of the mystery surrounding the cure for yellow fever portrays and heralds the birth of tropical medicine. Ronald Singer Department ofAnatomy University of Chicago Understanding Medical Terminology, 8th ed. By Sr. Agnes Clare Frenay and Sr. Rose Maureen Mahoney. Catholic Health Assoc, of the United States, 1989. This is more than just an abbreviated and simplified medical dictionary. It is a current and authoritative introduction and explanation of medical terms. It Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 35, 2 ¦ Winter 1992 309 is organized in textbook fashion; for example, in chapter 4, dealing with "Neurologic and Psychiatric Disorders," the first item is "Nerves," which is subdivided into "Origin of Terms," "Anatomic Terms" (and here the reader is referred to a specific textbook or paper in the references and bibliography that follow each chapter), "Diagnostic Terms" (e.g., Bell's Palsy, neurilemoma), "Operative Terms" (e.g., ganglionectomy, neurotomy), and "Symptomatic Terms" (e.g., aural vertigo, trigger area). Many terms are cross-referenced to the references and bibliography. The second item is "Brain and Spinal Cord," which is similarly subdivided, and so on. Whereas the Nomina Anatomica is merely a listing of the official, correct Latin terms, this book explains terms and therefore it is highly recommended as a vade mecum for medical technicians, secretaries (including for medical journals), and ancillary health students and professionals. I opine that it should be more useful for freshmen medical students than a medical dictionary. It is utilitarian and scholarly, and its appearance in the eighth edition is testimony of its popularity. One minor bone of contention is the description of the areola of the breast (p. 31) as becoming "dark during pregnancy." This racially oriented description is commonly found in British, European, and U.S. texts, but it is hardly considerate of or applicable to the vast number of darkskinned peoples. Ronald Singer Department ofAnatomy University of Chicago 310 Book Reviews ...