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Trailer

01: Introduction to Medical Language

Medical terminology is a language all its own, but one that can be easily learned. Discover the history of medical terminology, which cultures influenced it, and how it keeps its relevance today with new discoveries and new tools. You will jump right into the deep end with everything you need to discover the meaning in one giant word with more than 10 syllables.

35 min

02: The Body’s Anatomical Terms

Learn about “anatomical position,” a standard that fixes the human body in space—regardless of how it is posed at the time—and allows for precise communication between medical professionals. Is your bruise above the knee, below the knee, in front of or behind the knee? Everything can be easily and precisely described using anatomical position—whether you’re standing up straight or twisted into a pretzel.

31 min

03: Suffixes: Diseases and Diagnoses

Suffixes are a crucial component when building medical terminology. Learn about suffixes used in discussing disease states, abnormal conditions, and diagnostic testing. From bronchospasm to amniocentesis, you will better understand the meaning of words you might already have seen and be able to figure out the meaning of terms that are new to you.

37 min

04: Suffixes: Surgeries and Treatments

Investigate suffixes related to surgical and non-surgical treatment procedures for some disease states and pathologies, among other terms. You’ll probably recognize many of the terms, such as appendectomy, rhinoplasty, and biopsy. But you’ll also learn about some surgical interventions and repairs you’ll hope you never have to experience personally.

35 min

05: Prefixes and What They Reveal

Discover prefixes that refer to quantities, size, time, speed, directions, positions, relationships between structures, and states of normalcy and abnormality. The meaning of words like hyperthyroidism, monoplegia, and dyspnea will become easy to decipher and terms like brachydactyly and hemigastrectomy will become clear.

34 min

06: Dermatology and the Integument

The integumentary system is the term for the body coverings of all animals. In this lecture, you’ll discover the word roots that refer to skin, hair, glands and other aspects of the human integument. If you’re a parent of young children, pediculosis is a condition you might have encountered, even if you didn’t know the right term. And regardless of age, you might have engaged in onychophagia. Both terms will be easy to understand once you have explored the integumentary vocabulary.

32 min

07: Otorhinolaryngology: Ears, Nose, and Throat

Explore the terminology of otorhinolaryngology, commonly called ENT (ear, nose, and throat). Learn how these parts of the body are connected and their potential diseases and treatments. And discover how the fluid-filled chambers within the temporal bone of the skull allow us to hear and maintain our balance.

33 min

08: Ophthalmology, Optometry, and Vision

Discover the complexities of human vision and the many specialists that work together to help us see as clearly as possible. Find out if you have myopia, hyperopia, or emmetropia. And you might be surprised to learn that, while your eyes hold the receptors for sight, your visual perception actually occurs in the brain.

33 min

09: Orthopedics and the Musculoskeletal System

Many of us have some familiarity with the medical aspects of bones, muscles and joints either from our own athletic history or simply from aging. And while you might already be familiar with bursitis, tendinitis, or even fibromyalgia, in this lesson you will also learn how to decipher less familiar adjectives such as myelogenous and nouns such as bradykinesia.

35 min

10: Neurology, Psychiatry, and the Mind

Learn about the components of the central nervous system, including the major regions of the brain, and their function in the body. You’ll also learn the roots, prefixes, and suffixes to help you decipher more unfamiliar neurological terms, including cephalalgia, vestibulocochlear, and the very serious condition known as meningomyelocele.

35 min

11: Cardiovascular Concerns: Heart and Vessels

Given that heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States and has been for the past 100 years, learning about the heart and associated vessels (60,000 miles of them) are crucial for your own health. Explore the anatomy and physiology related to the heart, the two main pathways of blood flow in the body, the importance of the two numbers in your blood pressure reading, and the difference between two similar terms —atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis.

36 min

12: Blood, Immunity, and Lymphatics

Your body creates about 2.5 million erythrocytes every second—and good thing, too. These are the red blood cells that carry oxygen to every tissue in your body. But what do you know about your white blood cells, lymph nodes, and the body defenses known as immunity? Explore the fascinating anatomy and physiology of your blood, immunity, and lymphatic system. You will certainly be grateful for erythropoiesis and all your hematopoietic processes.

34 min

13: Pulmonology and the Respiratory System

When we think about breathing, we tend to think only about our lungs. Discover the many additional structures involved in the act of breathing as you learn about the anatomy, physiology, and medical terminology of the respiratory system. Learn more about conditions such as cystic fibrosis, cyanosis, and emphysema, as well as diagnostic procedures and tools, including thoracocentesis and spirometry.

35 min

14: Gastroenterology and the Digestive System

Explore the anatomy and physiology of the many organs and processes of digestion from input to output. You’ll learn how mechanical and chemical processes work together to break down your food; absorb, store, and distribute necessary nutrients throughout the body; and move the waste products through the system. The terms you will learn will cover far more than just your stomach and intestines.

35 min

15: Urology, Nephrology, and Male Reproduction

Your kidneys are working constantly as they remove waste from the blood and regulate blood volume and blood pressure. But while females have their own reproductive health specialists, you may not realize that urologists are the clinicians also responsible for evaluating the male reproductive system, including the testes, sperm production, and more.

34 min

16: Gynecology and Obstetrics

Learn about the many distinct female organs that are involved in the process of reproduction—where sperm is deposited, where fertilization occurs, where a new life may grow from an embryo to a fetus, and more. You’ll also learn about the prefixes, root words, and suffixes of medical terminology related to gynecology and obstetrics. Words like salpingocyesis and oophoropexy might not be in your daily vocabulary, but they’ll be easy to understand once you know the language.

35 min

17: Endocrinology: Glands and Their Hormones

Discover the two main types of glands in the body—endocrine and exocrine—and see how the endocrine glands work together with the nervous system to regulate your body’s homeostasis. Explore the hormones secreted by the endocrine glands—the pituitary, pineal, thyroid, thymus, pancreas, adrenals, and gonads. And of course, you’ll learn the prefixes, roots, and suffixes to help you understand and communicate in the terms of endocrinology.

37 min

18: The Language of Forensic Medicine

There’s no doubt that forensic science has become more popular in the past 25 years, but the work itself, while looking glamorous on TV, is based on solid science. Explore the forensic tools of autopsy, osteology, taphonomy, vitreocentesis, and more. And you might be surprised to learn what all anatomists know—for any anatomical feature, a full 30% of people have a variation from the “by the book” description.

37 min

Overview Course No. 80830

Have you ever gone to the doctor and felt like medical professionals speak an entirely different language? While much of the terminology they use can feel confusing or overly complicated to the average person, the reality is that specialized fields—especially those as complex and precise as the medical sciences—require specialized language. Luckily, there are rules behind the construction of medical terms that anyone can learn to understand, no medical degree required.

In the 18 fascinating lectures of Learning Medical Terminology, your professor, Elizabeth A. Murray, PhD, will share the rules for building medical terms and how to decipher them, accompanied by anatomical graphics that bring it all to life. These guidelines will show you how prefixes, roots, and suffixes can be snapped together to create words of almost any length that contain precise medical meaning.

Dr. Murray encourages you to take notes to build your own list of terminology. You can use your notes to not only help you decipher medical terms you see in consumer publications or medical reports, but also to communicate with your own health care professionals and to better understand what they communicate to each other.

About

Elizabeth A. Murray

From head to toe—or should I say from our cranium to the plantar surface of the foot—the body is as complicated as it is fascinating.

ALMA MATER

University of Cincinnati

INSTITUTION

Mount St. Joseph University

Elizabeth A. Murray is an award-winning, tenured professor at Mount St. Joseph University. She received her PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Biology from the University of Cincinnati. She teaches undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in human gross anatomy, medical terminology, and forensic science. For most of her career, she also served as a forensic anthropologist, helping to solve cases at the state and national levels. She has also written several award-winning books about forensic science for young adult readers.