Latin as the International Language of Science

From the Renaissance to Modern Times

In the Late Renaissance era, a trend emerged toward switching to national languages in the scientific community. Two outstanding figures became vivid examples. The Swiss physician and medical reformer Paracelsus (1493–1541) began lecturing students at the University of Basel in colloquial German, the language in which he also wrote his scientific works. The great French surgeon Ambroise Paré (1510–1590) likewise wrote his works in his native French. However, the need for universal understanding was so high that some of Paré's works were later translated into Latin and other languages regardless.

In Modern Times (17th–18th centuries), despite a partial retreat in a number of fields, Latin retained its status as the international language of biology and medicine. Teaching continued to be conducted in it, scientific disputes were organized, and foundational works were published. In the 18th century, a situation developed where the Latin language coexisted harmoniously with national languages, acting alongside them as an equal successor. The main reason for this preservation of positions was the desire of scientists for internationalization—the necessity to present their discoveries in a way that would be understandable to the entire global community.

Scientific Internationale

Analyzing the history of science, Academician V. I. Vernadsky highly praised the role of Latin during this period. He highlighted a special mechanism of scientific internationalization in the Modern era. In his opinion, the Latin language successfully functioned as the language of science "outside of countries and nationalities."

Thanks to this unified medium of communication, a "real but informal Internationale of scientists" was formed, which played a huge role in the development of global knowledge. Vernadsky traced the roots of this unique phenomenon back to the medieval unity of philosophers and natural researchers.

Latin in Modern Pharmacology (INN)

In the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, Latin acquired a new function in the professional language of biologists and physicians. The issue of standardization became particularly acute in pharmacology. A serious identification problem arose: the same active substances are produced and sold by pharmaceutical companies under a multitude of various trade names.

To accurately identify each active substance, it became necessary to introduce a unified, globally accepted name. The World Health Organization (WHO) took on this task. In the early 1950s, it initiated a program to introduce International Nonproprietary Names (INN, or International Nonproprietary Names, INN) for medicinal substances into global medicine.

Beginning in 1953, the WHO has regularly published lists containing thousands of INN names. The official source of this data is the publication "WHO Drug Information."

Language Standards and the Standard Function

In official WHO documents, drug names are always given in four languages in a strictly fixed sequence:

1. Latin (highlighted in bold).
2. English.
3. French.
4. Spanish.

Example: tenivastatinum (Lat.) — tenivastatin (Eng.) — ténivastatine (Fr.) — tenivastatina (Sp.).

Currently, a decision has been made to expand this list: plans are underway to add INNs in Arabic, Chinese, and Russian.

At the same time, the Latin grammatical form is officially recognized as the standard. The function of this standard is to ensure reliable international recognition of any medicinal product. The use of Latin makes it possible to maintain neutrality without giving priority to any of the modern national languages.

Class and exam questions

What else to study on this topic

• Grammatical features of Latin names of medicinal substances
• Principles of forming trade names of drugs in contrast to INN
• The influence of medieval philosophy on the formation of a unified scientific language
• History of the University of Basel and Paracelsus' reforms
• Evolution of medical terminology in the 19th–21st centuries

Other topics from the section "From the History of the Physician's Professional Language"

Prepared by WhiteCoat Pro faculty in accordance with the medical school curriculum. For educational purposes only.