The New American Medical Dictionary and Health Manual [antikvár]

PREFACEThe purpose of this dictionary and manual is twofold; first,to translate medical terms and phrases into language that canbe easily understood, and second, to supply medical informa-tion in simple form so that it can be interpreted readily bythose who are unfamiliar with medical matters. It is our beliefthat people are entitled to know, as precisely as possible, whatphysicians mean when they use complicated or esoteric termi-nology or when they refer to obscure tests and procedures. Itis also our conviction that better health will result from in-creased knowledge and understanding of medical problemsThis work hopes to add to such knowledge and thus promotethe cause of improved health.Many of the words defined in the dictionary section arealso used in ordinary, nonmedical conversation. The defini-tions given herein are invariably the medical definitions andrelate only by coincidence to their usage in everyday conversa-tion. As an example, the word "accommodation" refers tochanges in the size of the pupil of the eye, not to "lodgings/"or a "favor."The inclusion in the dictionary of certain trademarkeditems and patented products does not necessarily constitutetheir endorsement. Some might be worthy of recommenda-tion; others not. They are included mainly because of thewidespread use accorded them by the public.Repetition is avoided when possible by omitting the record-ing of the several forms of the same word. Thus, "amputa-tion55 is defined while the word "amputate" is not recorded.And since this dictionary is meant primarily for purposes ofexplanation, information on the pronunciation of medicalterms is not included.R. E. R