trouble reading English Medical books

[Angilica]

I study medicine in Arabic and I plan to start preparing for USMLE , I am in my 2nd year.
I decided to start reading medical books like ""basic histology"" and ""lingman's Embryology"" and I find them really really hard!
I planned to study from the ""medical terminology"" book but have no time.
I only can read 2 pages each hour! I use electronic dictionary but I am sick of it!
any one faced such a problem here? any advices on books or method of reading?

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[rox]

It is absolutely going to be hard.

I recommend you start with simple books like: Biology(CampBell), Anatomy&physiology(Tortora), Microbiology(Burton), Immunology(Nairn). I recommend them for 2 reasons: 1. digestable basic science 2. simple language.

Embryo & Histo: Personally, I don't find them good choices at all. Embryo is very hard to digest, and textooks of basic histo usually don't include much to read as text, not mentioning the complexity of histo.

two hours for 1 page sounds quite reasonable as a start.

Wish u luck and don't hesitate to inquire about further issues.

 

[mimica]

hi how r u ?
i am studying md in arabic
its hard to read books in english last year i started to read in english
like u said im facing the same proplem and i want advice

 

[IgR]

I study medicine in Arabic and I plan to start preparing for USMLE , I am in my 2nd year.
I decided to start reading medical books like ""basic histology"" and ""lingman's Embryology"" and I find them really really hard!
I planned to study from the ""medical terminology"" book but have no time.
I only can read 2 pages each hour! I use electronic dictionary but I am sick of it!
any one faced such a problem here? any advices on books or method of reading?

If u were in Syria studying medicine, I think it's not so hard to learn studying in English, we in Jordan study in English, oh wait a moment, there was one or two professors teaching Pharmacology in Arabic, yes it's too bad, but I managed to read Arabic books.

THE PROBLEM

The problem lies not only in that English is a new language to study sciences with, but also you have to follow your system in studying in Arabic. as I said before we study in English and believe it or not the hardest material to study was pharmacology in Arabic, why? not because Arabic is hard, but because we have used to study other materials in English.

Suggestions

I suggest reading your arabic books thoroughly, but at the same time reading the English ones, for example, you can start with Anatomy reading the arabic and at the same time checking out the English, DO NOT POSTPONE STUDYING IN ENGLISH LATER, because you won't do that.
and how will that be easy if you just konw that Arabic books are almost a translation of English versions so you won't find mismatch, and most important you will find even subjects arranged in the same manner. I KoNW THAT BECAUSE I HAVE TRIED THAT IN PHARMACOLOGY, our book was a mere translation (of course with the word AUTHOR on the cover) of an American book "MODERN PHARMACOLOGY", we bought both, and some students even didn't buy the Arabic one.

Starting reading in English

If you have never read in English (of Course you took Englissh at school and konw the basics) it's not that problem, why?
Because English in science differs much from Ordinary English that a native English can't say it's easy.
you must konw these points:

• Any writer whoever is him must get some REPEATED PHRASES so your start will be hard in any book, but if you get used to that SPECIFIC BOOK you will find it's getting faster and the number of times you open the dictionary is getting less and less.
• Some books use very scientific phrases more than others so try not to start with them like "Basic Histology", and "Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease", you can start with simple books in THE SAME FIELD like "Functional Histology" and "BRS Pathology".
• TRY NOT TO MEMORISE as you may do in Arabic that most English textbooks are viewed as references, so not all have the system of POINTS AND DIRECTIONS like Arabic books which are directed to be EXAM STUDYING BOOKS.
• Do Not use the dictionary as a main tool, it's very bad to see all words in the dictionary, you can analyse some, and even ignore some.
• Words to search in dictionary must be those words which even native speakers open the dictionary for it i.e TERMS.
• If you find it so hard after all that you can just Understand the science from your Arabic books (not bad I said, and Not different because they are translations) and then get STUDY GUIDE BOOKS FOR USMLE AND OTHER TESTS like "BRS series", "FIRST AID SERIES", and "Kaplan Medical" till you get used to English.

Don't panic if your start is bad
I know many students who searched the dictionary for the words "is", "are", "not" and now they don't even use the dictionary.


I Hope you succeed in what you trying to do, and remember that many Countries teach their science in their own languages like Germany, Italy, France, Greece,... The problem is not in the Arabic language, but it's in the freedom Arabic translators use to translate books, (one term in English has 10 translations in Arabic).

Good luck.

 

[mimica]

hi IgR
thanks a lot I will do my best
but till now I am trying hard its getting easier
the main problem is the time
there is no time for reading ,studying and going to uni
we have to try

 

[rox]

wow, IgR..did you write all this post??

 

[IgR]

wow, Rox..did you read all this post??

 

[Angilica]

thank you so much Rox for being helpful
i will try to start reading the books that you mentioned
but i will continue reading histo cause I started to enjoy it so much!
weird.....ha?

 

[Angilica]

Hi IgR ,
thank you so so much, you really make it easier for me
I mean after reading your post I don't feel that bad any more

hey Mimica ... me and you are on the same stage i this medical English
wish you best of luck with this too.

 

[rox]

Hey Angilica,

Wish you luck...And yeah it's weird to enjoy Histo!

Physiology by Guyton is a good textbook if you're looking for advanced physiology,but TORTORA is a very nice introductory textbook that I strongly recommend.

 

[Angilica]

I've learned how to analyze medical terms and would love to share with you some of the informations about it; I posted it in local medical website.

how to analyze the medical terms:

Most of us know that there are three basic parts of lot of medical terms:
A word root ( usually in the middle)
A prefix (at the beginning)
A suffix (comes at the end)

A) The root: central meaning.
B) The prefix: identifies some subdivision or part of the central meaning
C) The suffix: modifies the central meaning as to what or who is interacting with it or what is happening to it.

Here is an example: MYOCARDITIS


Prefix: myo= muscle
Root: card = heart
Suffix: it is = inflammation.

It might look like long process but with a few times of analyzing it, it will become as easy as saying good morning.

Now why wont we have some fun by doing some changes to the parts of this terms?

Prefix change:

Myocarditis = muscle layer of heart inflamed
Pericarditis = outer layer of heart inflamed
Endocarditis = inner layer of heart inflamed.

See? Not that hard!

Let’s change some suffix:

Cardiologist = a physician specializes in the heart.
Cardiomyopathy = damage to heart muscle layer
Cardiomegaly = enlargement of the heart.

So it is not that hard any more!
If you guys found it helpful I can help more by writing some prefixes and suffixes that are used in medical terms

good luck

 

[leorl]

As this thread would be of interest to a large number of our viewers, I'll move this to the General International Med forum as a sticky. Please feel free to add your experiences of what helped you get through the English (especially in pathology / microbiology / pharmacology) or "weirder" language subjects (ie. Anatomy) where older and other languages combine.

 

[Angilica]

thank you leorl, hope it would be useful forum:


Here are some roost’s meanings:


Stomato = …………….mouth………….as in(stomatitis)

Dento = ………………teeth…………..as in (dentist)

Glosso/linguo = ……….tongue………..as in (glossitis, lingual nerve)

Gingivo =……………..gums…………..as in (gingivitie)

Encephalo = …………...brain…………as in (encephalitis)

Gastro = ………………stomach………as in (gastritis)

Procto = ……………..anus/rectum……as in (prctitis)

Hepato = …………….liver……………as in (hepatitis, hepatomegaly)

Nephro/rene = ………kidney…………as in (nephritis, renal artery)

Orchido = …………..testis……………as in (orchiditis)

Oophoro =…………..ovary…………..as in (oophorectomy)

Salping = …………...uteriuetubes……as in (hystosalpingogram)

Dermo = ……………skin…………….as in (dermatitis)

Masto/mammo =…….breast………….as in (mammography)

Osteo =………………bones………….as in (osteoporsis)

Cardio = ……………heart…………..as in (electrocardiogram) – my favorite word!-

Rhino = …………….nose…………..as in (rhinitis)

Hemo/emia =……….blood………….as in (hematologist, anemia)

Pneumo/pulmo=……lung…………..as in (pulmonologist) –pneumo is really hard word to say -


Now if you noticed that some organs have more than one root. That is because some of them are Greek and others are Latin.

I’m sure you noticed that the suffix “itis” is widely used, make sure you focus on that suffix because it is so important.

 

[Angilica]

Hey Angilica,

Wish you luck...And yeah it's weird to enjoy Histo!

Physiology by Guyton is a good textbook if you're looking for advanced physiology,but TORTORA is a very nice introductory textbook that I strongly recommend.

infact Guyton is really very helpful and it is very appropriate to start study medical English with it.( I started Physiology this semester)
Tortora is good one but it is not that challenging...
what do you think Rox?

 

[Angilica]

ectomy = to cut out (remove) ------appendectomy, tonsillectomy

-osis = abnormal condition -----cyanosis (due to cold or low oxygen)

-itis= inflammation -----tonsillitis, appendicitis

-otomy = to cut into---- tracheotomy

-ostomy = to make “a mouth “ colostomy (to make an opening in colon)

-a/an = without anemia (literally no blood but means few red cells)

Micro = small ---------macrostomia


Mega = enlarge -------megacolon

Scopy = to observe ------------colonscopy

Graphy = recording an image -------------mammography

Gram = the x-ray image ------------mammogram

Ology = study, specialize in cardiologist, nephrologists

Important notes:
Whenever you see these endings (graphy – graph – gram) they relate to recording an image such as (x-ray, CT, or MRI scan…..etc)

Mammography is the process of recording
Mammography is the image itself

A recording of heart activity is called an electrocardiography using an electrocardiograph
A recording of brain activity is called an electroencephalogram using an electroencephalograph.

Hope it was simple and helpful

 

[uladelz]

Thanks for sharing!!

 

[dilara]

This was really helpful...
Big thanks..

 

[guo3yong3yuan2]

it is very nice of you!
thanks ....
learning.............

 

[Angilica]

I can assure you to like this:

Colors terms!
Leuk/o = …………….white…………..as in (leukemia)

Melan/o = ……………black…………..as in (melanoma – black tumor of the skin)

Cyan/o = …………….blue………….as in (cyanosis – blueness due to cold or hypoxia)

Xanth/o = ……………yellow…………as in (xanthoma) yellow tumor)

Now directions:

( I faced real trouble recognizing the differences between them; it is more easier after getting them like this).

Endo = ……………within, inside of………as in (endoscopy) : inspect the inside of an organ or space with a lighted instrument

Circum = ………..around………………..as in (circumcise)

Retro = ……………behind ………………as in (retrosternal – behind the breast bones-)

Trans = …………..through ………………as in (transurethral )

Intra = …………….within ……………….as in (intravenous – IV-)

Sub = ……………...below……………….as in (subclavian)

 

[zaid]

thank you!

 

[keny123]

Thanks for sharing!!

 

[dawel]

To begin I will recommend you a little book about Physiology called Lecture notes on human physiology, edited in 1994 by John J. Bray...[et al.] Oxford Blackwell Scientific Publications.

Maybe it's a bit old but at least it's right in the things they say. It's about the basics, that haven't changed in a decade. It was very easy for me to read it and understand it. I have to say that I studied for my Physiology exams also with this book!

 

[mayouches]

Salam ya habibti

Like the others suggested, I think reading books in English whilst reading arabic books should help considerably. However, I think there's a lil more to it- its about how proficient you are in English. So yeah, do what you can to perhaps improve your command of English.

Mashallah! I admire your determination Would love to scream "Subhanallah!" with you when you're done with your USMLEs

Allah ma3ak

-Maya

 

[NeuroFP]

What you're doing sounds hard as hell, and I have a ton of respect for that.

Keep it up, and good luck!

 

[Neno0o]

Hi Angelica..and Hi ALL
I really advise u to read the eisiest and best medical terminology book
it is really usefull
we are studying this book in Kuwait University

its name is:
(Medical Terminology)
Genevieve Love Smith
Phyllis E. Davis
Aprogrammed text
4th Editin

I find this pic. for the book while searching in Google(but it is another editin)
http://www.medtermonline.delmar.cengage.com/images/smith_new.gif
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...go=DR&its=S%2BI%2BSS&itu=ISS%2BUCI%2BSI&otn=4

and this pic. is taken by my camera


Hope I could help u

 

[Yhs10]

I just never understood why all the countries in the world teach colleges curriculums in their own native languages EXCEPT for the Arab countries .

So sad , because we all have to go through the process of suffering from English science vocab while we are in Med school . I HATE IT and IT SUCKS .

 

[Dillan]

thank you leorl, hope it would be useful forum:


Here are some roost's meanings:


Stomato = …………….mouth………….as in(stomatitis)

Dento = ………………teeth…………..as in (dentist)

Glosso/linguo = ……….tongue………..as in (glossitis, lingual nerve)

Gingivo =……………..gums…………..as in (gingivitie)

Encephalo = …………...brain…………as in (encephalitis)

Gastro = ………………stomach………as in (gastritis)

Procto = ……………..anus/rectum……as in (prctitis)

Hepato = …………….liver……………as in (hepatitis, hepatomegaly)

Nephro/rene = ………kidney…………as in (nephritis, renal artery)

Orchido = …………..testis……………as in (orchiditis)

Oophoro =…………..ovary…………..as in (oophorectomy)

Salping = …………...uteriuetubes……as in (hystosalpingogram)

Dermo = ……………skin…………….as in (dermatitis)

Masto/mammo =…….breast………….as in (mammography)

Osteo =………………bones………….as in (osteoporsis)

Cardio = ……………heart…………..as in (electrocardiogram) – my favorite word!-

Rhino = …………….nose…………..as in (rhinitis)

Hemo/emia =……….blood………….as in (hematologist, anemia)

Pneumo/pulmo=……lung…………..as in (pulmonologist) –pneumo is really hard word to say -


Now if you noticed that some organs have more than one root. That is because some of them are Greek and others are Latin.

I'm sure you noticed that the suffix "itis" is widely used, make sure you focus on that suffix because it is so important.

wanna add mine to this list posted and share yours in return:
acous(io)- relating to hearing
acanth(o)- thorn or spine
aden(o)-, aden(i)- relating to a gland
angi(o)-blood vessels
blephar(o)- pertaining to the eyelid
bucc(o)- pertaining to the cheek
chrom(ato)- color
cervic- pertaining to the neck
dent- pertaining to teeth
filli- fine, hair like
fossa A hollow or depressed area; trench or channel
om(o)- pertaining to the shoulder
ren(o)- pertaining to the kidney
sarco- muscular, fleshlike
spondyl(o)- pertaining to the spine

 

[bidiboom]

I just never understood why all the countries in the world teach colleges curriculums in their own native languages EXCEPT for the Arab countries .

So sad , because we all have to go through the process of suffering from English science vocab while we are in Med school . I HATE IT and IT SUCKS .

Yhs there are many other native language programs in other countries as well.. its not only in Arab world

 

[bidiboom]

At the beginning to use English books as first option may be hard, but for the ones that are considering to have a future in the countries of English language, I think its the best preperation.. if you use both Arabic and English books you may not have proper time for both and you may drop back of the curriculum.. the circumstances many times push you to choose one, either Arabic or English.. so to pick English books as the mainstream and to use Arabic books as complementary, may be more fruitful (after you get a level in English, good enough to follow all of the subjects in English).. with medical books in English (the ones used in US med schools):
1) You get medical English.
2) You get used to the approach of the US system that complies with USMLE style.

But this time you may not catch the thread of your own school's curricular system.. so if you can complete the demands of your school (the subjects/points/questions different from that are given in US style medical books) with only complementary books/studies, this way (to use basically English books) is better.. if your school's system is too much demanding and if you see that you wont be able to get good scores in your tests, then to follow Arabic is more wise..

My two cents

 

[Bones marony]

Hi. English is my first language and I learned my medical terminology through the process of working as an assistant or trainee in various departments in an oxford hospital over years and of course through pouring over the above said medical books during university study, anyway, my unhelpful point is that even being English it was like learning a second language. I remember alot of the terminology, especially clinical medicine, anatomy and neuroanatomy came rather easily to my Italian classmate who recognised more of the Latin parts of the terms. Sorry it doesn't help but I have the utmost respect for you for what you are doing. P.s...'Netter' neuro flash cards from Blackwell's online bookstore.

 

[VernonCooper]

Thanks for sharing. It was really helpful..

 

[courtneydsnow]

It is absolutely going to be hard.

 

[saaedsalvaty]

the first step is to read a lot. you should be reading at least some hours a day.
the second step is to learn the jargons by jargons I mean special words.
then you have to read texts a lot.
reading aloud sometimes is worth doing.
at the same time reading general passages would be beneficial in long time.
resource: delinglish