This tag is for questions about the use of English in the science or practice of medicine. It can include medical terminology. Consider adding [terminology] tag if seeking for a term also.
Questions tagged [medical]
128 questions
5
votes
1 answer
What did my dead English opthalmologist write that looks like pziou or pzio9?
I received a registered mail of all my charts from my dead opthalmologist's office. He was Caucasian. He had yellow hair. He spoke English with the Received Pronunciation.
I found this hand writing but what does it mean?
I called his office, but…
user50720
4
votes
2 answers
Medical term for causing pain to one part of body to relieve chronic pain elsewhere
I seem to remember hearing a medical term for the act of causing pain to one part of your body to relieve a chronic pain elsewhere in the body. For instance, someone who suffers from chronic back pain might break their finger so that they can stop…
Drew Chapin
- 485
2
votes
0 answers
Medical (anatomy) issue
I’m not a native speaker, but I found a difference in my anatomy book between “is related medially” and “ is located medially” that they have the opposite meaning...
Is it true?
Mohamed
- 21
2
votes
2 answers
What does ct stand for in drugs?
What does "ct" stand for in the following product advertised by Wallmart:
"Buy:ANY ONE (1) Dulcolax® Tablets 25ct+, Dulcolax® Suppositories 4ct+, Dulcolax…
Peter
- 1,406
2
votes
2 answers
Why some blade is called "beaver blade"
I found the term beaver blade used in veterinary article.
Could you please explain why the blade is called beaver blade: is it related to an animal, or something else? How does it related to the shape of the blade?
Update
I am not sure it is brand…
Ilan
- 143
- 7
2
votes
2 answers
Medicine language: triage and color codes
I found that in many hospitals, in order to classify patients' health conditions, standard expressions like "code red", "code blue" etc. are used. These expressions do not follow the standard "order of adjectives (adj+noun)" rule. Could you kindly…
user36629
- 21
1
vote
1 answer
What does 'ed' mean?
I natively speak Swedish and have been studying medicine over here, but got offered to learn from a British professor online. And when he went through all the different branches he kept referring to the ER as ED?
Does this stand for Emergency dorm…
Collbrothers
- 21
1
vote
1 answer
Exclude OR Rule out OR else?
Rachel often gets really bad headaches. She is afraid of having a brain tumor. I know that she does not have other symptoms, which are common in brain tumor so I do not think it is likely that she has a brain tumor. But I would like to reassure her…
1
vote
1 answer
What is the name of little people in people (old medicinal belief)
I seem to remember that there was a term for "little people in people", which was a medicinal belief in the Middle Ages (I don't know, okay?), where, before bacteria and other microscopic things were discovered, people believed that little humans…
bearmohawk
- 113
1
vote
0 answers
Why is gigantism not called giantism?
Gigantism is a disease of having abnormally large size.
Is there a grammatical rule that says that it should be called "gigantism" and not "giantism"?
Eridanus
- 19
1
vote
1 answer
Get your phalanges off me
In a movie I heard a character saying "Get your phalanges off me!" Why not "Get your fingers off me"? Is the speaker trying to sound impressive or well-learned?
Thank you!
braininvat
- 29
0
votes
4 answers
What do you call the first doctor that a patient meets?
Usually when a person is infected by a disease, they will first visit a nearly hospital or dispensary. In medical terms the first doctor he meets is called something specific.
I remember this word from the book by Richard Preston called The Hot Zone…
simon
- 753
-1
votes
2 answers
If not immunized
Meningococcal Vaccine
Note: If not immunized, participant may sign a waiver declining this vaccination.
What exactly does this mean? (english not my first language)
Is it saying that I dont need to take the vaccine if I am not immune?
Chromoo
- 1
-3
votes
2 answers
"Can help treat high blood pressure" OR "Can help cure high blood pressure"?
Hawthorn tea can help treat high blood pressure/can help cure high blood pressure.
I think "cure" is better. Because most of the time we use cure something, but we use treat someone for something (according to the Oxford Dictionary).
However I…