1. Chapter 1 Basic Word Structure
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2. Medical Terminology
If you work in a medical setting you use medical words everyday. In addition you hear medical terms spoken by your doctors office, read about health issues and make daily decisions about your own health care and the health care of your family. Terms such as arthritis, electrocardiogram, hepatitis, and anemia describe conditions and tests that are familiar. Other medical words are complicated but as you work in this book you will begin to understand them even if you have never studied biology or science. Medical terms are like individual jigsaw puzzles. Once you divide the terms in to their component parts and learn the meaning of the individual parts , you can use that knowledge to understand many other new terms.
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3. Learning Objectives Divide medical terms into their component parts
Analyze, pronounce, and spell medical terms using common combining forms, suffixes, and prefixes
Analyze words by dividing them into component parts.
Relate the medical terms to the structure and function of the human body.
Be aware of spelling and pronunciation problems.
Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2005, 2003, 1999, 1991 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

4. Important Word Parts Root: the essential meaning of the term
Suffix: word ending
Prefix: small part added to the beginning of the term
Combining vowel: connects roots to suffixes and roots to other roots
Combining form: the combination of the root and the combining vowel
Combining vowel has no meaning of its own. It is used as a bridge and it makes pronunciation easier.
Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2005, 2003, 1999, 1991 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

5. General Rules
Read the meaning of medical terms from the suffix back to the beginning of the term and then across
Drop the combining vowel before a suffix beginning with a vowel: gastritis not gastroitis
Keep the combining vowel word roots: gastroenterology not gastrenterology
When a term contains two or more roots related to parts of the body, what often determines which root is listed first? (anatomical position)
Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2005, 2003, 1999, 1991 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

6. Word Division Example: ELECTR/O/CARDI/O/GRAM means record of
electricity in the heart
ELECTR: root
O: combining vowel
CARDI: root
GRAM: suffix
Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2005, 2003, 1999, 1991 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

7. Word Division (cont.) Example: SUB/GASTR/IC means pertaining to under
the stomach
SUB: prefix (under)
GASTR: root (stomach)
IC: suffix (pertaining to)
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8. Combining Forms
aden/o gland arthr/o joint bi/o life carcin/o cancer, cancerous cardi/o heart
Ask students to give examples of combining forms and terms that employ them.
Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2005, 2003, 1999, 1991 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

9. Combining Forms (cont.)
cephal/o brain/head cerebr/o cerebrum, largest part of the brain cyst/o urinary bladder cyt/o cell derm/o skin
Ask students to give examples of combining forms and terms that employ them.
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10. Combining Forms (cont.)
dermat/o skin electr/o electricity encephal/o brain enter/o intestines (often the small intestines)
Ask students to give examples of combining forms and terms that employ them.
Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2005, 2003, 1999, 1991 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

11. Combining Forms (cont.)
erythr/o red gastr/o stomach gnos/o knowledge gynec/o woman, female hem/o blood
Ask students to give examples of combining forms and terms that employ them.
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12. Combining Forms (cont.)
hemat/o blood hepat/o liver lapar/o abdomen leuk/o white nephr/o kidney
Ask students to give examples of combining forms and terms that employ them.
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13. Combining Forms (cont.)
neur/o nerve onc/o tumor ophthalm/o eye oste/o bone path/o disease
Ask students to give examples of combining forms and terms that employ them.
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14. Combining Forms (cont.)
psych/o mind ren/o kidney rhin/o nose sarc/o flesh thromb/o clotting
Ask students to give examples of combining forms and terms that employ them.
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15. Suffixes
- al pertaining to - algia pain - cyte cell - ectomy cutting out; removal, excision
Discuss the suffixes and examples of how they translate into medical terms. (p. 15 text)
-al neural
-algia arthralgia
-cyte leukocyte
-ectomy gastrectomy
Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2005, 2003, 1999, 1991 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

16. Suffixes (cont.)
- emia blood condition - globin protein - gram record - ia condition - ic pertaining to
Discuss the suffixes and examples of how they translate into medical terms. (p.15 text)
-emia leukemia
-globin hemoglobin
-gram arthrogram
-ia neuralgia
-ic gastric
Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2005, 2003, 1999, 1991 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

17. Suffixes (cont.)
- ism condition, process - itis inflammation - logist specialist in the study of - logy study of
Discuss the suffixes and examples of how they translate into medical terms. (p.15 text)
-ism hyperthyroidism
-itis gastroenteritis
-logist neurologist
-logy nephrology
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18. Suffixes (cont.)
- oma tumor, mass - opsy process of viewing - osis abnormal condition - scope instrument to visually examine
Discuss the suffixes and examples of how they translate into medical terms. (p text)
-oma hepatoma
-opsy biopsy
-osis nephrosis
-scope gastroscope
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19. Suffixes (cont.)
- scopy process of visual examination - sis state of - tomy process of cutting into (incision)
Discuss the suffixes and examples of how they translate into medical terms. (p. 17 text)
-scopy laparoscopy
-sis prognosis
-tomy neurotomy
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20. Prefixes
a-, an- no, not aut- self dia- complete, through dys- bad, painful, difficult, abnormal endo- within
Discuss the examples of prefixes and how they translate into the following medical terms. (pp. 18–19 text)
a-, an- anemia
aut- autopsy
dia- diagnosis
dys- dysentery
endo- endocrine glands
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21. Prefixes (cont.)
exo- outside hyper- excessive, more than normal, too much hypo- below, less than normal, under peri- surrounding
Discuss the examples of prefixes and how they translate into the following medical terms. (p. 19 text)
exo- exocrine glands
hyper- hyperglycemia
hypo- hypoglycemia
peri- pericardium
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22. Prefixes (cont.)
pro- before, forward re- back retro- behind sub- below, under trans- across, through
Discuss the examples of prefixes and how they translate into the following medical terms. (p. 20 text)
pro- prostate gland
re- resection
retro- retrogastric
sub- subhepatic
trans- transurethral
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23. Medical Scramble Pertaining to the heart D A C C I R A Nerve pain
U G A R E N L A I
Deficiency of hemoglobin causes this condition
I M E A N A
Unscramble the letters to form medical terms from the clues. Use the underlined letters to complete the bonus term.
1. CARDIAC
2. NEURALGIA
3. ANEMIA
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24. Medical Scramble (cont.)
Study of cells
G L Y C O T O Y
Infants are often born in this position…head first!
P C L A H I E C
Inflammation of a gland
N I D I E A S T
Unscramble the letters to form medical terms from the clues. Use the underlined letters to complete the bonus term.
4. CYTOLOGY
5. CEPHALIC
6. ADENITIS
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25. Medical Scramble (cont.)
Bonus Term: Malignant diagnosis C R N M O A C I A
Use the underlined letters from the previous terms to complete the bonus term.
The bonus term is CARCINOMA.
Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2005, 2003, 1999, 1991 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.