The Amazing Language of Medicine (PDF)

Robert B. Taylor, MD, Emeritus Professor, Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine in Portland, Oregon, and Professor, Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia. Dr. Taylor is the author and editor of more than 35 medical books.





Robert B. Taylor, MD

Professor Emeritus

Department of Family Medicine

Oregon Health & Science University

School of Medicine

Portland, Oregon, USA

And Professor



Department of Family and Community Medicine

Eastern Virginia Medical School

Norfolk, Virginia, USA

“The Amazing Language of Medicine is an enjoyable and educational sojourn across the linguistic medical world. … it would certainly give medical professionals a greater appreciation for the rich history that medicine and its eclectic language and terminology offer us.” (Arek V. Melkonian and Audrey Shafer, Anesthesia & Analgesia, Vol. 126 (5), May, 2018)

“The text is generously enriched by an eclec­tic array of illustrations, most in color and all with helpful public domain citations. … It is a treasury of notes and anec­dotes, a companion to study and life in medi­cine. … This book offers curious readers a resource for work-work balance by enriching their professional lives and deepen­ing their sense of history, discovery and mean­ing.” (William R. Phillips, Family Medicine, Vol. 54 (4), April, 2018)

“The Amazing Language of Medicine: Understanding Medical Terms and Their Backstories, is an etymological, philological, and historical work that entertainingly elucidates esoteric origins of selected medical vocabulary without the constraints, bulk, or boredom of traditional medical dictionaries. … Taylor's Amazing Language of Medicine, might be just the right medicine to refresh and rejuvenate one's workaday practice while expanding one's understanding of medical history in a significant way.” (Ira Rezak, The Pharos, 2017)