The problem of forming medical Latin
The Latin language possessed a flexible word-formation apparatus: it allowed the construction of new terms with clear meanings using compounding and suffixation. However, in the early stages of the science's development, Roman scholars regularly encountered a problem they called «language poverty» (egestas verborum).
This term described the acute shortage of Latin words for the adequate translation of complex Greek concepts in philosophy and natural science. This difficulty was also mentioned by the poet Lucretius Carus in his famous poem De rerum natura ("On the Nature of Things"). The situation was complicated by the fact that the Romans' own knowledge of medicine and biology was very meager. In studying the nature of living things, they were heavily inferior to Greek science, which set the standards.
The encyclopedic work «De medicina»
In the 1st century AD, Aulus Cornelius Celsus created the work De medicina ("On Medicine"). This work was not conceived as an independent book, but was merely part of a grandiose encyclopedic work covering various spheres of knowledge. The remaining volumes of this encyclopedia were lost, making Celsus's work the only surviving Roman medical source in its entirety.
When creating the treatise, Celsus relied on the authority of the great Greek physicians, primarily Hippocrates and representatives of the Alexandrian school. Interestingly, the fate of the text itself was not simple: for fifteen centuries it was considered lost. World science rediscovered this source of knowledge only in 1443, when the manuscript was accidentally found.
Foundation of anatomical nomenclature
The vocabulary used by Celsus had a colossal impact on the development of science. He often clarified or changed the meanings of words, adapting them for the needs of medicine. As a result, these terms became the basis of scientific medical vocabulary and were officially included in the international anatomical nomenclatures of the 19th–20th centuries.
Many anatomical terms introduced or established by Celsus are familiar to every modern medical student.
Musculoskeletal organs and body parts:
- articulus (joint);
- cartilago (cartilage);
- cubitus (elbow);
- femur (thigh, femur);
- humerus (humerus);
- manus (hand);
- maxilla (upper jaw);
- patella (patella);
- radius (radius);
- tibia (tibia);
- vertebra (vertebra);
- cervix (neck, cervix);
- pectus (chest);
- occiput (back of the head, occiput);
- inguen (groin);
- digitus (finger, toe), index (index finger), pollex (thumb).
Internal organs (splanchnology):
- abdomen (abdomen);
- caecum intestinum (cecum);
- jejunum intestinum (jejunum);
- ventriculus (ventricle, stomach);
- fauces (fauces, throat);
- pulmo (lung);
- ren (kidney);
- lien (spleen);
- tonsilla (tonsil);
- uterus (uterus);
- vesica (bladder);
- vulva (vulva).
Other structures:
- anus (anus);
- medulla (medulla, bone marrow);
- oculus (eye);
- omentum (omentum);
- tunica (membrane, tunic).
Clinical Terminology
Unlike anatomical names, the Latin names of diseases found in Celsus's works became established in scientific terminology to a much lesser extent. Faced with the need to describe various pathologies, Celsus chose not to create new Latin words, but continued to widely use already established Greek terms. This reflects the general trend of ancient medicine, where the Greek language remained the main tool for making diagnoses and discussing clinical cases.
Briefly: answers to topical questions
In what year was the lost manuscript of De medicina found, and who exactly discovered it?
The work De medicina was accidentally discovered in 1443. The provided sources do not specify the name of the discoverer. It was first published in Florence in 1478.
How many books (volumes) does the surviving medical treatise De medicina consist of?
The exact total number of books in the treatise De medicina is not specified in the provided sources, but it is known to include the eighth book, devoted to bone surgery and traumatology. The treatise is the only completely preserved medical work of Ancient Rome and an independent part of a large encyclopedic work, the remaining parts of which are lost.
What terms did Celsus use to designate structures of the nervous system and sensory organs?
In the treatise De medicina, terms that later became the basis of scientific medical vocabulary were used to designate structures of the nervous system and sensory organs. Among the concepts established by the author, the following stand out:
- Eye (oculus) — a term denoting the organ of vision.
- Brain, bone marrow (medulla) — a term applied to structures of the nervous system.
These words entered international anatomical nomenclatures of the XIX–XX centuries alongside other lexical units describing bones, joints, and internal organs.
Class and exam questions
What is egestas verborum and how does it relate to medicine?
This is "poverty of language" — a problem complained of by Roman scholars (including Lucretius Carus) due to the lack of Latin words to precisely convey complex Greek natural science concepts.
From what sources did Celsus draw his medical knowledge?
The text of the treatise De medicina is based on the knowledge and authority of Greek physicians, especially Hippocrates and representatives of the Alexandrian medical school.
Why is there less Latin in disease names than in anatomy?
When describing pathologies, Celsus continued to make wide use of original Greek terms, which is why Latin disease names from his works entered science to a lesser extent.
What else to study on this topic
- Mechanisms of Latin word formation (compound words and suffixation)
- The influence of the Hippocratic school on Roman medicine
- Specifics of the anatomical nomenclature of the XIX–XX centuries
- Greek terms in the clinical vocabulary of Celsus
- The history of the discovery of the treatise De medicina in 1443
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Other topics from the section "From the History of the Physician's Professional Language"
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