Exploring use of incorrect terminology used in medical sciences: quest for scientific and academic verity

Abstract

Scientific terminology is used in the context of academic and clinical settings and scientists create novel terms to name them. Many of such terms used in basic and clinical sciences nevertheless appear flawed, and have remained unexamined for a long period of time. Due to common usage, such inappropriate terms have gradually become part of the common language of medical science and continue to be in use. Terms should reflect scientific brevity, be self-explanatory, overcome ambiguity, provide for universal usage, and help basic science to integrate better with the clinical domain logically, correctly and practically. Despite existing efforts in standardization, a large number of non-conforming terms appear to remain in medical use. Some of these are carried on from older terminology, and others are simply the result of convenient habits and usage albeit their logical inconsistency. Words with well-known meaning in common language often pose an academic challenge due to inconsistencies in nomenclature. This study which is the first of its kind, aims at questioning a plethora of terms currently being used in the disciplines of Anatomy, Radiology, Medicine and Surgery that are inappropriate, both logically as well as scientifically, and recommends that these be dropped from the inventory of terms used in medical sciences, and replaced with terminology presented in this article that are semantically logical, scientifically valid, as well as practical.

Keywords: Medical terminology, Anatomical terminology

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-6-19