7/15-8/11
Matthew Taylor
ONLINE
Humanities, Elementary
3 credits
Have you ever found yourself wondering why a migraine is called a migraine? Or why there is such a fuss about the plural of “octopus” or “rhinoceros”? Do you find yourself searching for the correct word to describe the vocal distortion you experience when you hold your nose and speak? Or do you simply want to impress friends and family with a formal analysis of words like “ventrocystorrhaphy” and “laparotomaphilia”? This four-week online course will take you step-by-step through the elements of Latin and Greek that are most commonly used in modern medicine. No prior knowledge of either language is expected or needed—only a desire to learn the nuts and bolts of the complex, fascinating machine that is modern scientific terminology. You will also learn a great deal about the cultural influences that lie behind the linguistic developments, and explore some of the striking contrasts between ancient and modern medicine.