by: Rick Johnson 
PO Box 40451
Tucson, Az.
85717
RikJohnson@juno.com
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When describing the body or parts of the body, we use terms that are accepted throughout the English-speaking world. We, as Americans, like to think that everyone uses the same words but they don’t. These terms have been developed over the centuries to help each other know what we are talking about so when one doctor says that you fractured the first sinister distal carpal phalange, any other doctor knows what he means. You don’t know but then, that’s why you are paying him $150 an hour.
So, to understand the differences between the Don of Pal-ul-Don or the Barsoomian Green Man or any other animal and a human being, if we use these common terms, we can better understand these differences.
Here are the most common useful terms:
Proximal means “closest to the body”, Distal means “farthest from the body” and Medial means “in between”. Look at one of your fingers. You see that it has three bones. The farthest bone, the one under the finger-nail, is the Distal bone. The one next to your knuckle is the Proximal bone and the one in the middle is the Medial bone.
Sinister means “left” and Dexter means “right”. Draw a line down the middle of your body from your nose to your crotch and everything on the right side of that line is the Dexter side and everything on the left side of that line is the Sinister side. So your right hand is the Dexter hand and the left lung is the Sinister lung.
Tarsus means “foot”, Carpus means “hand” and Caudal means “tail”.
Bones are numbered from the Proximal to the Distal and from the Medius (that imaginary line I had you draw) to the Dexter or Sinister and from the top to the bottom. Thus the rib closest to the head is Rib #1, the one below it is Rib #2 etc. The finger closest to your thumb is finger #1 and the littlest finger, the one farthest from your thumb, is Finger #4.
Thus, when we say that you have fractured the sinister distal carpal first phalange, you now know that you broke that little bone under your fingernail on the finger closest to your thumb on your left hand. Easy isn’t it?
So why do we use all these strange words when we can just say “I broke that little bone I use to pick my nose”? Well, because doctors spend years in college learning Latin and Greek words just so that they can impress you and make you think that they know more than they do. It’s all showmanship and so to impress you, I will continue with the tradition. Don’t worry, many of my pictures are labeled for your convenience.
To contact me or to request topics to be covered, send to RikJohnson@juno.com
by: Rick Johnson
PO Box 40451
Tucson, Az.
85717
Return to the Home Page.
Return to the Amtor Page.
Return to the Barsoom Page.
Return to the Caspak Page.
Return to the Pal-ul-Don Page.
Return to the Pellucidar Page.
Return to the Va-Nah Page.
Return to the Lost Cities Page.
Return to the To Be Announced Page.
