During the past 25 years, the following words have become assimilated into our common language. Some are medical terms, some are terms from the vernacular:
African-American
Amerasian
angioplasty
artificial intelligence
assisted living
bionics
biofeedback
cochlear implant
crackhead
cryotherapy
digital sound
domestic partner
Ebonics
extended family
fax
fiberoptics
gene splicing
Gore-Tex
Hemlock Society
hospice
intraocular lens
in vitro fertilization
laparoscopy
liposuction
Marlex
megabyte
MRI scan
needle exchange
Neptune Society
PMS
Prolene
significant other
sky pager
surrogate mother
telecommute
trabeculoplasty
ultrasound
VCR
vegan
virtual reality
WYSIWYG
Spend some time with a physician who is 25 years older or younger than yourself. Analyze these terms by asking each other the following questions:
- What does this term mean?
- Was this term commonly used when I was in medical school?
- How did this term come into existence?
- How did this term become popularized in our culture?
- How does the proper use of this term affect me from a personal standpoint?
- How does the proper use of this term affect me from a professional standpoint?
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