EXAMINING TERMS FOR YOUR MEDICAL BEAT

By: Charles Bowen Online Resource Offers Laypeople Explanations





To get started, visit the site at http://www.medterms.com



One of the reasons that covering medicine can be such a headache is the language.
Technical terms used by physicians can seem unapproachable to us laypeople.



Moreover, the lexicon expands almost daily, as the terminology rushes to keep up
with new medications and techniques as well as the latest research. Adding to the
confusion is the fact that most medical dictionaries are written by doctors for
doctors, leaving the nonprofessionals out of the loop, with no obvious mission to
enlighten us.



That is why a site on the Web called MedTerms.com is set to become the medical
dictionary of choice for busy writers and editors and their readers. Written for the
rest of us, the site is produced by the same physicians who wrote "Webster's New
World Medical Dictionary."



Best of all, MedTerms.com takes advantage of the dynamic Web medium to
update the data as needed so it can reflect changes and additions to medical
terminology. Even current jargon and medical "slang" is included, as well as
pertinent scientific items, abbreviations, acronyms, institutions, projects,
symptoms, syndromes, eponyms, and medical histories.



To use this resource, visit the site (http://www.medterms.com) where a
simple introductory screen greets you with a data-entry box and a hyperlinked
alphabet. Begin your data quest by either clicking on a letter in the A to Z Index
or entering a word or phrase in the "Search" box and clicking the "Go" button.
The first approach takes you to that portion of the dictionary's alphabetized list of
terms. The second approach leads to a search of terms and definitions and brings
up a hyperlinked list of all entries that contain your search query. The actual
entries on the site are more like encyclopedia articles than simple definitions.



For example, look up "macular degeneration" and you are presented with a page's
worth of information starting with, "A disease that affects the macula, the part of
the eye responsible for central vision." The entry also includes a diagram of the
eye with the macula labeled and distinguished from the retina, the iris, the cornea,
and the lens. Entries often also include links to related information elsewhere on
the site.



Note, though, that the site's search capability is not limited only to medical terms.
Suppose you are working on a story about medical conditions affecting memory.
You can enter "memory" in the "Search" box, then scroll the resulting list of
several dozen entries that include not only amnesia and dementia but also date
rape, jet lag, lead poisoning, and Pick disease.



Another way to search the material is by category. Scroll to the bottom of the
introductory page for clickable links to:





o Diseases & Conditions. This hooks you up to a huge alphabetical collection of
material ranging from abdominal aortic aneurysm to zits (really).



o Medications. Here is an extensive hyperlinked list of drugs and prescriptions, by
generic and brand names.



o Procedures & Tests. This brings up material from allergy skin tests to assorted
surgeries.





Other considerations in using MedTerms.com for your writing and editing:





The site is 100% doctor-produced by MedicineNet.com. Active online since
1996, this is a network of U.S. board-certified physician writers and scientists
who provide medical information for consumers. You can visit the home site (http://www.medicinenet.com) where
the introductory page offers links to topics such as first aid, medical libraries,
poison control, and the "condition-specific SmartMed Centers."



If you decide to share the site with your readers, you might want to mention
that they also can suggest topics for the dictionary. Throughout the site -
most noticeably on the pages of the hyperlinked alphabet - are links to
"Viewer Suggestions." Click this link to reach a form that can be filled out on the
screen and submitted.



A Healthy Living link from any of the dictionary's inside pages takes you to a
discussion of topics such as fitness, nutrition, and prevention, as well as topics of
specific interest to men and to women.



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Bowen writes columns, articles and books from West Virginia, and is host of the daily Internet News syndicated radio show (http://www.netnewstoday.com).

charlesbowen@compuserve.com





Copyright 2000, Editor & Publisher