Introduction to the Book "Pharm-Mate Term"
My dear medical science students, peace be upon you and God's mercy. This segment is to provide a simple explanation about my book "Pharm-Mate Term," which is a guide to pharmaceutical medical terms.
Some may ask: Is it only for pharmacists? In reality, the great benefit is for pharmacists and pharmacy students specifically, as it focuses on the most terms they need. As for medical students, there are more terms they need, especially in courses such as "Anatomy," "Histology," and "Pathology." However, the book is also beneficial for them in presenting many basic terms and conveying the concept of the composition of these medical terms.
The Idea of the Book and Its Methodology
Firstly, the book is beneficial for students of pharmacy, medicine, dentistry, nursing, and medical laboratories, especially in the courses they encounter, such as biology, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, therapeutics, and toxicology.
Many students, when they read in books of these courses, encounter terms whose origins are Latin or Greek, and they contain some difficulty and length. The student who relies on understanding the term from its context alone without understanding its composition will be shocked by thousands of terms, which generates a "complex" of medical terms in him.
The work we have done in this book is to deal with these terms as "Lego" pieces; where we break them down into parts. From my experience in teaching pharmacy materials, I know that there are specific terms that the student needs, and they can be traced back to origins consisting of 330 pieces (term parts). Combining these pieces gives us a very large number of terms.
Illustrative Example (Element Deficiencies in the Blood)
When you learn that:
- Hypo-: means deficiency.
- -emia: means blood.
At that point, you will automatically understand the meaning of:
- Hyponatremia: (sodium deficiency in the blood) because "natr" means sodium.
- Hypokalemia: (potassium deficiency in the blood).
- Hypocalcemia: (calcium deficiency in the blood).
- Hypoprothrombinemia: (prothrombin deficiency in the blood), which is a known clotting factor.
This method helps students, especially those whose English is not strong, to build a solid foundation that saves them from spending long hours in literal translation.
The Author's Experience and the Importance of Foundation
In my first year of studying pharmacy, I remember that I spent long hours translating terms, and I used to tell myself: "I am not a language student, so why am I wasting all this time?" In fact, I later realized that this was the best thing I did; because it gave me a solid foundation in "terminology," which enabled me to read scientific papers and books and understand most of what is in them easily.
The book has received recommendations and praise from doctors in America, Britain, Australia, and Canada. It is accredited for teaching at the Applied Science University and is also taught at Mutah University - College of Pharmacy. I wrote it in cooperation with Professor Dr. Iman Bashiti (President of Applied Science University), and Dr. Samar helped us.
Content and Design of the Book
We mention the word and its meaning, then we provide an example or more in a useful English medical or therapeutic sentence for a pharmacy student, then we translate the sentence. The book also contains 115 illustrative images, some of which we designed and some of which we obtained permission to use from reputable sources such as "Mayo Clinic."
Explanation of the Principle of Word Dissection
In the first unit, we explain how words are composed of:
- Prefix (Prefix): the part that is at the beginning of the term.
- Word Root (Root): the part that is in the middle.
- Suffix (Suffix): the ending that is at the end of the word.
Example: Osteo-arthro-pathy
- Osteo: Bone (Bone).
- Arthro: Joint (Joint).
- Pathy: Disease or ailment (Disease).
So the term means: Disease in the bones of the joints.
Practical Examples from the Book
Let us review some additional examples from the book to understand its principle of operation and how to link terms to medical information:
1. The Term (Angio)
When you hear the term Angio-edema, what does Angio mean? As we explain in the book, it means a blood vessel (Blood vessel) or a lymphatic vessel (Lymph vessel).
- Example: Angiogenesis, which means the production or synthesis of blood vessels.
- Medical Context: "Some anti-cancer drugs work by inhibiting angiogenesis in cancer masses."
- Explanation: The cancerous mass, due to its large number of cells, secretes substances that help in creating branches from nearby blood vessels to ensure the arrival of oxygen and food. Some cancer drugs work by preventing this process (creating blood vessels).
2. The Musculoskeletal System
Let's take an example of the condition Ankylosing spondylitis:
- This disease causes severe pain that can be treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
- Illustration with Images: The book shows the difference between a healthy spine (where the vertebrae are not fused and there are cartilage discs between them) and the "ankylosing" condition, where fusion occurs between the vertebrae, making movement limited and causing severe pain.
3. The Term (Baro)
The word Baro in language means pressure (Pressure).
- Example: Baroreceptors (pressure receptors), which are tissues that sense pressure in blood vessels.
- Medical Context: "When you stand up suddenly, the baroreceptor reflex protects you from a drop in blood pressure."
- Explanation: When you stand up suddenly, and due to gravity, your pressure drops. Here, these receptors send a signal to increase sympathetic activity (Sympathetic activity) and release "norepinephrine" to increase heart rate and adjust pressure, and this process is called Baroreflex.
4. The Term (Chondro)
The word Chondro means cartilage (Cartilage).
- Example: Chondrocytes (cartilage cells), which are the cells that make up the cartilages.
- Medical Context: Damage to this cartilage leads to bone friction and diseases such as Osteoarthritis (osteoarthritis).
5. The Term (Cryo)
The word Cryo means extreme cold.
- Example: Cryotherapy (extreme cold therapy).
- Medical Context: "Cryotherapy can be used to remove warts." That is, extreme cold (such as liquid nitrogen) can be used to get rid of warts.
6. The Term (Hirsut)
The word Hirsut means hairy (Hairy).
- Example: Hirsutism, which means the appearance of hair in inappropriate places (usually in women).
- Medical Context: Some contraceptives containing "progesterone" may lead to this condition.
7. The Term (Hypophys)
The word Hypophys refers to the pituitary gland (Pituitary gland).
- Example: Hypophyseal, meaning anything related to the pituitary gland.
- Medical Context: Thyroid hormone reduces the production of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) from the pituitary gland through a feedback process.
8. The Term (Peri)
The term Peri means surrounding (Surrounding).
- Example: Pericarditis.
- Peri: Surrounding.
- Card: Heart.
- -itis: Inflammation.
- Meaning: Inflammation of the membrane surrounding the heart. It may cause chest pain that is mistaken for angina, and the book illustrates the difference with images between a healthy heart and an inflamed one.
Conclusion and Book Availability
The book is currently available as a printed version in Jordan (2020 edition), and we aim to provide it soon as an electronic version for those who wish. God willing, when this edition is finished, we will publish the second edition.
We ask Allah, the Most High, to make this book beneficial for students of medical sciences. I urge teachers of these subjects to encourage their students to acquire and benefit from it. The book contains 330 terminological parts; if you read only three terms each day, you will complete the book in three to four months and benefit greatly from it, God willing.
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.