Illustrated Guide to Medical Terminology, 2nd edition

Book Preface

Development of the Text
Most learners find the structure of the body and its diseases very interesting to learn. However, over the years, I observed many of my students struggle with the written material to be learned. My colleagues said the same thing—they sensed frustration in many learners. More and more frequently, I found myself thinking that a comprehensive book with extensive illustrations and very simple writing would be very useful. That’s what led me to write Illustrated Guide to Medical Terminology. I wanted to make it easy and enjoyable for every student to learn anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, and pathology.

The theme of this book is “Read, Look, and Listen so you can Speak and Write.” This means that you first read the text and then look at diagrams corresponding to what you have read. Often you are asked to write the names of parts on the diagrams. Then, you complete the review exercises and listen to terms from the chapter pronounced (the audio pronunciations can be found on the Student Companion Website). You are asked to say the terms and then write them down. This process of reading the text, looking at the diagrams, writing in the structure names, completing the review exercises, listening to and repeating the correct pronunciation of terms, and finally writing the terms down on paper is the best way to learn. Illustrated Guide to Medical Terminology, 2e is ideal for visual and auditory learners, as well as learners whose first language is not English. I hope it serves you well.

Text Organization
Illustrated Guide to Medical Terminology, 2e is organized based on the body-system approach. After more than 30 years of teaching, I feel confident that this is the most effective and learner-friendly way to teach terminology. Chapter 1 outlines the proper way to analyze terms. Chapter 2 presents basic body organization and introduces the common anatomical roots. Chapter 3 introduces suffixes, and Chapter 4 presents prefixes. Chapter 5 explains how the body is organized. The remaining 14 chapters are each devoted to a single body system.

Chapter Organization
Each chapter begins with a very brief chapter outline in point form. This is followed by the learning objectives for the chapter, also in point form, and a brief introduction. In the body system chapters, an illustration of the body system to be studied immediately follows the introduction. The purpose is to provide a broad overview of the body system before details are presented. Each chapter has diagrams illustrating body structure, function, and disease.

The text associated with the diagrams is as simple as possible. Regular review is accomplished by the use of sidebars that contain brief summaries. Memory devices designed to enhance learning are also included. Vocabulary building is presented throughout each chapter. Near the end of each chapter is a list of common system-specific terms and their pronunciation. This list, used together with the accompanying audio files, accomplishes the objective of having the learner listen to the correct pronunciation in order to speak and write the medical terms correctly. Quizzes with answers included throughout each chapter allow learners to test themselves on the content presented before moving on to new content in the chapter.

Features Designed to Enhance Learning
This is the most comprehensive of the short-course medical terminology books on the market. The writing is simple and straightforward, even though the content is quite challenging. Despite the brevity of the textual material, each chapter tells a story so that the learner can chunk the information, which allows for ease of learning. Be sure to read the How to Use This Book section on page XXV for detailed descriptions and images of the many features specifically developed to enhance your learning of medical terminology.