Classical Etymologies of Select Gynaecological and Ophthalmic Terminology

Abstract

Most modern medical terms have been derived largely from Greek and Latin languages. From time to time, these terms have been, and continue to be, filtered or modified by scientists to reflect new advances being made in the medical field. In early times, many terms were traced to the treatises of early Greek and Roman physicians such as Hippocrates, Galen and Celsus, who were famous doctors in antiquity. This paper attempts to identify, through the philological and semantic methods, the Classical stories and linguistic history that surround the etymology of some selected modern gynaecological and ophthalmic terms. It argues that many of these medical terms have interesting beginnings and do not just exist in isolation. The paper aptly reveals the profundity of ancient physicians’ thoughts and observations, notwithstanding the gulf of time and space between them and their modern counterparts. This etymological exercise is useful for a deeper understanding of many modern medical terms because, as Auguste Comte is quoted as saying, ‘science is not known well until its history is known.’ This is the fundamental objective of this article, which is both exciting and revealing.