Chemical compounds and solutions
When translating pharmaceutical terms, it is important to correctly render the names of chemical substances. The names of oxides, acids, and elements have their own Latin equivalents.
- Oxides: for example, magnesium oxide is translated as Magnesii oxydum, and yellow mercuric oxide as Hydrargyri oxydum flavum.
- Acids: dilute hydrochloric acid — Acidum hydrochloricum dilutum, lipoic acid — Acidum lipoicum.
- Solutions: concentrated hydrogen peroxide solution — Solutio Hydrogenii peroxydi concentrata, alcoholic iodine solution — Solutio Iodi spirituosa.
- Purified substances: purified sulfur — Sulfur depuratum.
Complex names also occur, such as cyanocobalamin, which can be written as Cyanocobalaminum, seu Vitaminum B12.
Dosage forms
Latin names of dosage forms indicate the type of medication.
- Ointments: Bormenthol ointment — Unguentum "Bormentholum".
- Tablets: nicotinic acid tablets — Acidum nicotinicum in tabulettis, sugar-coated glutamic acid tablets — Tabulettae acidi glutaminici obductae.
- Suppositories and bougies: xeroform suppositories — Suppositoria cum Xeroformio, diphenhydramine bougies — Bacilli cum Dimedrolo.
Additional components are indicated with the preposition cum (with), for example, ascorbic acid with glucose tablets — Tabulettae acidi ascorbinici cum Glucoso.
Prescription writing rules
A prescription begins with the appeal to the pharmacist Recipe (Take), abbreviated as Rp.:. The names of substances and their dosages are indicated in the Genitive case (Genitivus).
- Simple prescription: hydrocortisone ointment 1% 10.0 is written as Rp.: Unguenti Hydrocortisoni 1 % 10,0.
- Complex prescription: all components are listed. For example, for resorcinol, alcohol, and water:
Rp.: Resorcini 0,1 Spiritus aethylici 95 % 5 ml Aquae destillatae 15 ml Such a prescription ends with the instruction M.D.S. (Mix. Dispense. Label).
- Dose forms: if a specific number of doses needs to be dispensed, write D.t.d. N. (Dispense such doses in the number of...). For example, for purified sulfur: Rp.: Sulfuris depurati 0,5 / D.t.d. N. 30 / S.
Special instructions include packaging: D. in vitro nigro — dispense in a dark glass bottle.
Salts in nomenclature
Salt names are constructed from the cation and anion names. In Latin, the cation comes first in the genitive case, and the anion comes second in the nominative case.
- Acetates: hydrocortisone acetate, potassium acetate, lead acetate.
- Chlorides and hydrochlorides: calcium chloride, adrenaline hydrochloride, papaverine hydrochloride.
- Sulfates: magnesium sulfate, florimycin sulfate.
- Phosphates: oleandomycin phosphate, calcium glycerophosphate.
- Citrates: copper citrate, basic bismuth citrate.
Briefly: answers to topical questions
How are the names of anions in salts of oxyacids and hydracids translated into Latin?
Anion names are formed by attaching standard suffixes to the roots of Latin acid names and are put in the nominative case (Nominativus).
- Salts of oxyacids (-as / -is) — the suffix -as corresponds to -ate in English (higher oxidation state), and -is corresponds to -ite (lower oxidation state). These are masculine third-declension nouns.
- Salts of hydracids (-idum) — the suffix -idum corresponds to -ide in English. These are neuter second-declension nouns.
With what preposition and in which case are additional components indicated in the names of dosage forms (e.g., xeroform suppositories)?
Additional components in the names of dosage forms are indicated using the preposition cum (with), which requires the substance name to be in the ablative case (Ablativus).
The naming structure includes the name of the dosage form, the preposition cum, the name of the active ingredient in the ablative, and its dose. Examples:
- Ichthammol suppositories (Suppositoria cum Ichthyolo) — the ending -o in the ablative.
- Ophthalmic films with tetracaine (Lamellae ophthalmicae cum Dicaino).
How are Latin names of oxides, peroxides, and hydroxides formed?
The Latin names of these chemical compounds consist of two words.
- The first word is the name of the chemical element. It is placed in the genitive singular (Genitivus singularis) and acts as an unagreeing modifier.
- The second word is a declinable group name:
- Oxide (oxydum)
- Peroxide (peroxydum)
- Hydroxide (hydroxydum)
The segment -oxy- in names indicates the presence of oxygen, and prefixes clarify the structure of the compound.
Which structural elements (Invocatio, Designatio materiarum, etc.) are mandatory parts of a properly formatted prescription?
A properly formatted prescription must include the following structural elements in Latin:
- Heading (Inscriptio) — the stamp of the healthcare institution and its code.
- Date (Datum) — the date the prescription is written.
- Patient's name (Nomen aegrōti) — the patient's surname and initials.
- Patient's age (Aetas aegrōti) — the number of full years.
- Appeal (Recipe) — the verb "Take", with which the Latin part begins.
- Designation of substances (Designatio materiarum) — the main content of the prescription.
Rp. — Recipe (Take). D.S. — Da. Signa. (Dispense. Label). D.t.d. N. — Dentur tales doses numero... (Dispense such doses in the number of...).
Class and exam questions
In which case are the names of substances written after Rp.?
The names of substances after Recipe (Take) are always placed in the Genitive case (Genitivus singularis or pluralis).
How to translate "coated"?
The term "sugar-coated" is translated as obductae (e.g., Tabulettae obductae).
How to abbreviate "Misce. Da. Signa"?
The standard abbreviation for this phrase is M.D.S. (Misce. Da. Signa).
What else to study on this topic
- Formation of Genitivus singularis forms for various drugs.
- Practical translation of complex prescriptions (vaginal suppositories, suspensions).
- Written translation of complete prescription expressions.
- Peculiarities of translating multi-component ointments and gels.
Master the entire topic in the "Latin Language" course
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Other topics in the "Salt Names" section
Prepared by WhiteCoat Pro faculty in accordance with the medical school curriculum. For educational purposes only.