The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002.
Medicine and Health
The human body, along with its structure, function, illnesses, and characteristic behaviors, is only one of a multitude of living organisms in the world. Nevertheless, we have a special interest in it—a fact that is, as we shall see shortly, reflected in our educational system.
Like all living things except viruses, the human body is composed of cells. These cells are arranged into tissues, the tissues into organs, and the organs into organ systems. Thus, there are many levels at which an understanding of the body can be sought. We can look at the biochemistry of single cells or tissues, at individual organs, or at the system as a whole. Modern medical science functions at all these levels.
The amount of basic scientific knowledge required to understand the body has become so great that the boundaries between medicine and the sciences are no longer easy to define. Therefore, the material in this section consists of basic terminology from three related but separate bodies of knowledge—anatomy, physiology, and medicine.
Anatomy is the science of the shape and structure of an organism. Human anatomy involves a detailed study of the body parts and their location. Physiology, the science dealing with the function of living organisms, explores the various chemical and physical processes of the body. Medicine is the science and art of diagnosing, treating, and preventing disease in the body. The relationship among these three branches of science is clear: in order to treat the disorders of the human body, an extensive understanding of both bodily structure and bodily function is necessary.
Most students have been exposed to courses labeled “Health” or “Health and Hygiene.” As a result, the level of understanding of the basic structure and function of the body is considerably higher than it is for the concepts related to other areas of science. For this reason, editors of major publications routinely assume that their readers possess considerable knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and medicine. Consequently, the following list is much more descriptive than those for the other sciences. Most of the words in this section are frequently used without explanation in the mass media, and hence should be part of the vocabulary of the culturally literate.
